#type 0 ace

[ethernalium]

We have arrived.

For @baelthier

[mushroom-daydreamer]

Type 0 Playable characters tier list

I love this game LMAO so enjoy my tier list that I spent too much time on.

So this isn’t me ranking the characters on how much I like them or how interesting they are, I’m ranking them based on how much I *personally* like playing as them.

Queen: so versatile! Her magic is great, her unique abilities are so useful, and her strength isn’t the highest, but she can still dispatch most mobs with a few good hits !

Cinque: fight me, but Cinque is SO awesome to play as! Her swings are slow and you can’t cancel out of them, but once you’re used to the gameplay and are able to get the timing down for hitting with her, Cinque is an absolute powerhouse. Her strength stat is very high, and when you need to hit really fast, she’s decent with magic.

Ace: Ace is pretty good, he doesn’t hit super hard, but his Cut Cards ability is super useful and fun to use. His dodge move is one of the best in terms of invincibility window, and his wall spell makes him a very good defensive character to use if you’re feeling cautious!

Deuce: fight me again, haha! I love Deuce, and not just because I majored in flute performance haha. Like Ace, Deuce is a good defensive character, especially with her Hymn of Healing ability. Her default attack can be buffed up pretty well, and the fact that she doesn’t have to get close to the action is good for ranged attackers. She also has terrific magic, especially fire.

Sice: sometimes I have trouble with her reach and landing killsights, but her strength is good, and her special abilities are unique and fun. Also, I love the whole scythe aesthetic haha.

Rem: Rem has awesome magic stats, and she has one of the best abilities in the game- Undying Wish! Undying Wish grants your whole party re-raise for around fifteen seconds, which is so good in a game where Phoenix downs are rare and a pain to use.

Cater: I love her ranged attacks and how fast you can fire her pistol! Her dodge is kinda scary to use, it doesn’t feel super effective, but when you need a speedy character with great ranged attacks, Cater is awesome. I do feel like Cater is very easily killed though, her defense is on the low side

Seven: her attacks are kind of hard to time, similar to Cinque, but unlike Cinque her strength isn’t off the charts. However, she’s a fast runner and is highly maneuverable! She also has very good elemental attacks you can unlock.

King: while King doesn’t move very fast, he *can* move while firing, which isn’t something that other ranged characters, like Cater, Ace, and Trey, can do. His twin revolvers also hit pretty hard, and he’ll save your ass during the dragon boss fight during the battle of Judecca mission.

Trey: his ranged attacks are far reaching, though they don’t hit hard. I DID defeat that crazy hard Brionac boss with Trey, but for some reason he tends to die a lot while I’m level grinding.

Nine: For me, Nine doesn’t really hit that hard, and I just have trouble controlling spear characters in general. I do really like his Jump ability though.

Machina: bruh I have barely played as Machina, probably bc he’s always jumping ship, but in general, sword characters are pretty okay to control. Sorry Machina, I don’t like you enough to buy you updated weapons or give you accessories, so I don’t know how strong your attacks actually are.

Eight: unfortunately, characters with ranged attacks or at least far reach really have a leg up in this game. Eight is okay with regular mobs, but in missions his small reach just doesn’t cut it for me. He’s a solid party member though.

Jack: like Cinque, Jack isn’t beginner friendly. However, unlike Cinque, Jack doesn’t have a great range of movement. Cinque swings slowly, but she can dodge roll or run up close to her targets so she won’t miss. Jack moves incredibly slowly, and is hard to control. There’s probably a way to use him really well, but for me he’s borderline useless.

Next I want to do a tier list for actually how much I like the characters in terms of story, haha!

[that-wasnt-so-bad]

17th December - Winter Wonderland (Ace x OC)

Pairing: Ace x Althea Game/Fandom: Final Fantasy Type 0 Genre: Fluff Word Count: 1, 037 Tagging: @kitty-kat-ty @marierosaline

Ace smiled brightly at Althea, watching the magic in her eyes grow at the sight of snow. It was something he considered to be quite endearing - the almost childish reaction to the blanket of white. Yet she never let go of his hand, holding it just as firmly as before they walked out of the school building. Her excitement was in the smile and in her gaze. He remembered a time where she would jump into the snow, make snowmen and snow angels, even throw snowballs. That all seemed like a lifetime ago. In fact, it was hard to believe it was only two years. She’d grown up too quickly in the past year alone - they all had. Exams were causing a great deal of stress and Althea had been looking far too tired for the amount of sleep she was getting. Ace had decided that, or their day off, he would take her into town. Just for a few hours. It wasn’t difficult for him to see she was mentally exhausted rather than physical. She was easier to irritate and he smile didn’t reach her eyes. When they studied together, he’d notice her getting stressed, her forehead in her palm with her grip tightening on her pencil.]]

It was only getting worse and her smiles and laughter were getting rarer and rarer whilst her tears were growing far more common. Too common for his liking. She was hiding away more, never saying out loud how stressed she was. He was simply glad she didn’t push him away and was more than willing to be in his company, holding his hand, even if she didn’t say anything. She hadn’t lost her affectionate streak. That morning alone he had knocked on her bedroom door to see if she was okay - he hadn’t seen her at breakfast and thought it a good idea to bring something up for her. He heard her crying when he had knocked. He was prepared to open the door himself, but he heard her hasty footsteps approaching the door. She swung it open, her clothes dishevelled, and hugged him without a beat between seeing him and kissing his cheek with her arms around his neck. Her eyes were red and he could only assume it was from the essay that was strewn on her bed, half-done. It was that second that he decided today was the day she was going to smile. Ace just wished it was because of him and not the snow on the ground. He sighed. There he was, so in love with her that he was jealous of the snow. If anyone found out he’d be teased forevermore. “I didn’t think I’d be away from stress today.” Althea leaned into his side. “I never knew how happy I could feel being with you in the snow.” His cheeks flushed. “I’m glad.”  He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Ace never truly thought he could make another smile by being near them - he kept himself to himself and he wasn’t considered popular by any stretch. Althea had told him that many of the girls looked at him daily, but he never noticed. He was too busy feeling her eyes on him to really care about the other glances. Machina teased him endlessly when he was caught staring at Althea during in the library, and when she had kissed his cheek in thanks and his face flushed. Ace didn’t have a retort to the jest.  Afterall. It was true that she flustered him with great ease. Making him speechless, eternally processing her compliments even though he heard them loud and clear.

Althea leaned into him, taking him out of his reverie. “You’re so adorable .” Adorable? “I’m glad I get to see you like this a lot, Ace.” And then she kissed his cheeks, which soon turned redder than it already was (if it was even possible). “You’re usually reserved, quiet. It’s not often you’re like this in front of the others.”

There was no way he was ever going to admit to Althea that she just had to be near him and the others would tease a blush to his cheeks. How she didn’t see it was beyond him. Or, maybe she had but never brought it up. “I... “  Ace cleared his throat and brought his hand in front of his face as if to hide his bashful expression. Althea’s laughter, lighter and the most genuine had heard it that week, didn’t help his flustered predicament. “You don’t need to say anything.” Ace looked at her fully, and the smile that adorned her features finally met her eyes. “I just wanted to thank you for being there for me.” “I wouldn’t be a good boyfriend, or friend in general, if I didn’t care enough to worry about you.”  He let go of her hand in favour of wrapping it around her waist to pull her close.  They stopped walking and turned to face each other. Her fingers found the collar of his coat. “The Mid-Winter dance is soon.” Althea was quite the dancer, have dance club after school a couple of times a week. She was a ballroom dancer through and through, bringing out the elegant side of her Ace was mesmerised by on a daily basis. “I can’t wait to dance with you.” “The honour is mine, Thea.” It truly was an honour to him - not only to dance with the woman he’s been pining over for a few years (he wouldn’t be able to pinpoint the exact year the feelings began, for they crept up on him only to slap him hard when he realised), but also to dance with an extremely dear friend. “Well, Ace, we’ll have our date and then” Althea smiled mischievously, “we’ll have a short dance.” “A short dance?” She tilted her head in thought and then spoke after a few moments. “Alright. Make it a little longer.” Once again, she stood on her tiptoes. This time, she gave him a chaste kiss. "I know a secluded spot."

With an amused sigh, Ace nodded. "Alright. But I'm not a good dancer."

Althea shrugged. "I don't mind. Being with you makes winter a Wonderland already."

[that-wasnt-so-bad]

12th December - First Kiss (Ace x OC)

Pairing: Ace x Althea Game/Fandom: Final Fantasy Type 0  Genre: Fluff Word Count: 2, 440 Tagging:

Ace stood from his seat by the window in Class Zero. He had been given a task outside of Akademia’s walls and was recommended to take someone with him. He could have chosen a number of people - there was Trey, powerful with a bow and a genius, Jack (easily one of the most powerful out of classmates with his katana), Queen (smart, logical and clear-headed), Duece, Cinque, Rem, Nine. But there was one person he couldn’t get out of his mind.

Althea.

He’d been thinking about her all day, every day, for the past week. It drove him just a little bit crazy that she was going on missions with Jack and Trey regularly. Driving him insane that Machina, with a stick up his arse and having a grudge on everyone for seemingly no reason, was making her so angry she had moved to the back of the class as soon as Machina had walked through the door.

Ace felt eyes upon him from everyone in the class, but there was only one pair that wasn’t. Aqua eyes were far too busy watching the birds outside the window, pen in her hand, brows furrowed in thought. Yet, when he was at her desk, he realised that she was hiding a smile and a blush behind her hand. “Want me to go with you?” “If you don’t have anything else you need to do.” He looked at her work - barely anything had been written down. Although most of the class would have felt she had done nothing, sprawled across her desk was pages of drawings, a comic strip for each topic, per spell, per heading, per title. “I’m finished with my notes.” Just like that, the pages were neatly collected, slipped into her book and then she eyed Kurasame. “Kurasame - Sir - are we heading out right away?”

“As soon as you are able. Ace, Althea: good luck.”

“Well then, Ace.” She stood and held out her hand. “I’ll gladly join you. Meet you at the foyer in, what, twenty minutes?” “Twenty?” When she nodded, Ace couldn’t help but smile and firmly grasp her hand. “See you there in fifteen.”

________________ The next he saw her, twenty minutes later, she wore a deep frown. It was clear to him with how she sauntered down the corridor and towards him, that she must have had an encounter with an extra miserable Machina. She said nothing on the topic (and he didn’t ask), simply stating a simple ‘let’s go then’ and opened the door, only to cuss halfway down the bridge out of the school when the heaven’s opened.

That was another sign she’d just argued with someone. She only swore when she was angry or upset. 

She stopped, thought for a split second, then shook her head. “It’s just a little bit of water, right?” Now she sounded down, her voice soft. “It’ll undoubtedly take a few days for us to do the task. We’ll find shelter as quickly as possible, get a fire going and dry out.” It was as if she was telling herself it was all going to be okay. 

“Yeah.” Ace, ever the gentleman, took a chance and took out a folded hood from his knapsack. As quickly as possible, he stood in front of her and slipped it over her head. “That sounds like a plan.” “Thank you.” She hid her reddened cheeks and started to walk on again. “We should find shelter as quickly as possible. It’s going to get dark in a couple of hours with this rain.” ______ Within the woodlands nearby, they’d found a formation of rocks that had given their heads shelter, their backs something to lean on, and their sides protection from the elements. Within half an hour, they’d started a fire with wood from a freshly fallen tree and had managed to create some sort of protection for the front with pine boughs, logs and twine. They’d just finished eating their rations for the night, their hoods and capes left by the fire to dry. They were sat in silence and Ace’s brain started whirring. It had been a few weeks since he and Althea had last spent any time alone, with each other, for longer than ten minutes. They’d never really been able to discuss what situation they were in - they were, as far as he knew, boyfriend and girlfriend, but were they going too slow or too fast? Were they just right? Were they boyfriend and girlfriend in the typical school life way, or were they more a couple dating? Was it what she wanted? Or did she feel obligated to be with him? With how she had held his hand every so often on their walks, how she currently laid with her head on his lap and her fingers gently playing with his hand, he highly doubted the latter. But, of course, with Trey being family (or close enough) to her, and with Jack being a damn good friend for her, he suspected that those two already knew and it was only a matter of time before Cinque found out. Chances were high that Nine would be there, too, and then it would only be a matter of seconds before everyone else in the class found out.  

"Ace?" 

Ace looked down at her then, his fingers pausing in her hair for a brief moment before continuing their soothing action. "Hm?" 

"When we came out of the town after finding no rooms available at the Inn, the rain had stopped and I didn't truly notice until it started raining again when we got into the woods." Uh-oh. This is either going to be a deep conversation, or something absolutely adorable."I was holding your hand - I was wondering if it had always been so warm and comforting. And then, as I squeezed your hand and you squeezed back, I came to a sudden, heart-clenching realisation: I haven't told you I love you."

Ace stared blankly at her. At least, his eyes did. He could already feel his cheeks growing hot. His hand stilled. She didn't have to say that she loved him at all. She never strikes him as being the type to feel comfortable ever saying those three words in the sense of relationship love. She had always been more affectionate with actions than words, even though she would list off reasons why he was so amazing to her without any trouble. She was always so honest and passionate about why she believed in that she never realised how much she was praising him until his face was redder than a tomato and his fringe was stuck to his forehead with sweat. 

When he opened his mouth to speak, Althea pressed her finger against his mouth to silence him. She sat up and kissed his cheek with a quiet, shy and utterly embarrassed ' love you’ as if the self-addressed pronoun got caught as a lump in her throat. 

"I'll be back in a couple of minutes." She grinned then, probably at the tilt of his head in silent question. "Bathroom."

Ace found his face warming just a little at the piece of information that he, for some reason, still found a little too much despite being used to her letting him know where she was going. Just in case there was to be any danger. But there was something different now. It wasn't said in her usually carefree tone, with a normal resting face and a gentle voice. It was said with a face of knowing and a tone that was almost wanting his face to turn red. Like she knew that know she was his girlfriend, he had to get used to these pieces of information all over again. 

He knew she enjoyed it: finding new ways to embarrass him. Just as he enjoyed finding new ways to embarrass her. Only, her face turning red was far more adorable and so her it was beautiful. To others, it may have been cute, adorable or even a little childish. But she always had this shy smile at every compliment or form of praise she was given. It was simply so… mesmerising to him it was like he could feel himself visibly melt.

How she could cause such a reaction from him he didn't know. But it was like he just… lost his composure around her. 

"Ace?" 

The blond tilted his head up. Althea wasn't at the entrance, but her voice was close enough where she didn't need to raise her voice too much. "Yeah?" 

"Help me with this a minute."

Ace stood and picked up his hood, it was pretty much dry and relatively warm at this point. Once he had slipped it on, finding that Althea had already taken hers, he walked outside of the warm shelter and into the bitter cold. It was both of no surprising and surprising to find her on the bank by the river, helping a small rodent that was stuck beneath the root system of an uprooted tree. 

"There you are, little guy. You're free now." Her words were comforting as she lowered the tiny animal on the ground. He could only assume she was smiling as she watched it flee. And then she looked up and saw him. "I need your assistance pulling me up. I'm kinda on the precipice. If I stand I might just fall into the river.”

Ace approached carefully. Originally, he held out his hand calmly, not expecting it to be as dramatic as Althea was making it out to be. But when she gripped onto his wrist firmly and began standing up, that was when he truly realised how close to the edge she was. Her heels were barely on solid ground and he noted she had stopped breathing as if it would help keep her balance. Instead, however, she still stumbled back and her foot landed in the running river behind her. She screeched at the cold. In her panic, she pulled a little too hard onto Ace and pulled him in after her.  Or, at least, attempted to. It would have been successful had he not clung tightly to a sturdy branch of the fallen tree. His arm was in pain, mainly at his shoulder, from the effort and his eyes were clenched shut, half expecting the cold water to hit him. But, it was quite the opposite. Rather, a warmth flooded his chest and face, cheeks ablaze like fire in the summer heat. Ace moved his head back just enough and opened his eyes in surprise, undoubtedly mirroring Althea’s expression of embarrassment. When he felt her begin to fall and she tugged him, he had quickly moved his free arm to the branch and the other around her waist. She was impossibly close to him, he noticed, with their chests pressed together and her leg (the one that didn’t fall into the water), awkwardly positioned between his own. She was practically bent over backwards in midfall, the ends of her hair hitting the surface of the water, and he must have accidentally pressed his lips to hers without realising. Completely accidental.

Or was it? Was it truly an accident? Or did he knowingly decide to do so? Ace stared at her for a moment, and she stared right back at him. It was quiet except for the sound of their breaths, the river, and the pounding of his heart. Against the cold, her breath ghosting his mouth was incredulously warm. He couldn’t help but lean in just a little further forward. It seemed to him that Althea had somewhat of the same idea, for she met him halfway.

It wasn’t the first time that they had kissed, but this was somewhat different. As if the adrenaline of a near damp experience, terrifying and shocking at the time, hadn’t fully left. Her lips were cold and what was left of her lip balm didn’t do much to hide the return of her chapped lips. Her mouth was hot, a furnace of burning flame, ready to melt metal into molten liquid. Something seemed to snap inside him. In a couple of moments, they were no longer clinging to a branch or hovering over below freezing water. Ace held her hand tightly, dragging her back to their shelter. Out of the cold and into the heat, he put extra wood into the fire and took off his hood once more. Only once Althea did the same did he kiss her again.

He could hold her properly now, firmly, with his arm returning to its place around her waist and his other hand cupping the back of her neck, keeping her there. Ace practically melted when her arms draped over his shoulders as if entrusting herself to him, with her fingers combing through the ends of his hair. Hesitantly, he had swept his tongue along the seam of her lips before slipping the appendage into her mouth. Ace almost groaned at the sensations, at the quiet mewl he had never heard her make before. That noise churned his insides and he knew he had to stop, but he didn’t want to. Every time he tried to stop, he just wanted more. He took her breath over and over until she mewled again and clung tightly to his shoulders. “We should stop.” He spoke between laboured breaths, releasing her waist to cup her face in both hands. “Before we do something we really shouldn’t do.” At that sentence alone, any confidence she had gained left her and Althea’s cheeks turned red at the mutual understanding of what he meant. “Yeah. I mean, we aren’t of age. And it would be awkward if I ended up, you know. Trey would want you dead, Kurasame would have us both in serious trouble, and, I mean, with the war going on… but hey. If there is to ever be a suicide mission or something, we could always… go for it then. No inhibitions. We’d die in the mission anyway, right? So, like, there wouldn’t be any regrets if we were to die.” “A joyous conversation to have after we just…” Ace’s face grew red now. “Snogged?” “Kissed passionately.” “Snogged.” “Kissed. Passionately.” “Snogged.” “Kissed very very passionately.” “Snogged.” The exchange went back and forth for a while until Ace kissed her very passionately - not snogged - again. “Kissed passionately.” “Alright.” Althea laughed. “You win, Ace.” She laid down beside the fire and Ace laid behind her, hugging her gently. Simply holding her in a comfortable silence until a word he didn’t want to hear again broke the silence with a quiet whisper. “Snogged.”

[that-wasnt-so-bad]

7th December - Cold - Ace x OC

Pairing: Ace x Althea Game/Fandom: Final Fantasy Type 0 Genre: Fluff Words: 2, 069 Tagging:

Althea shivered. The breeze was cold, juxtaposing the warmth of the fire. Snow fell around the quickly set up shelter (in front of, and including, an abandoned house), everyone huddled as close together as they could possibly get, without interfering with each other, in an attempt to stay warm. 

With where they were at the base of the mountain (surrounded by forestation), it was impossible for the airship to find a safe place to land. The woodlands were a dangerous place to be lost and, without radio contact through storm interference, could be very terrifying. They had been known to take the lives of many cadets - wild beasts roamed the wilds, very few running from the humans, many running to them to murder them and… probably eat them. 

The crackling fire and the wind rustling through the trees’ boughs was the only noise to be heard. Just as she was the only one awake, Jack having fallen Nine having fallen asleep almost instantly despite the watch needing to be done in pairs. Regardless of the orange glow of the fire, her surroundings were still dark, almost black in comparison to the dim glow of the fire upon her companions.

Every little noise had her skin prickling and her heart pounding in anxiety-driven paranoia. Even the familiar sound of steps across the forest floor had her hand on the hilt of her blade. 

“It’s me.”

The whispered voice matched the face that was soon illuminated by the fire.

“Trey, you scared me.” She relaxed visibly. ‘Is it yours and Duece’s turn to keep watch?“

Trey nodded, hand coming to rest on her shoulder. ’'Get some rest, Althea. Ace will only get angry if you don’t.” 

"Okay.” Althea slowly stood, wrapping her thick throw around her, effectively cocooning herself in warmth. “Goodnight, Trey.” With her farewell a quiet whisper, she sluggishly retreated a little further away.

Trey was right, of course. Whenever she hadn’t slept at night - be it that she couldn’t, wasn’t tired or couldn’t bring herself to sleep after having a nightmare - Ace never seemed too happy. It wasn’t that he was visibly angry or showing it in how he spoke, but he’d be concerned for her. He’d wear a frown and would only tell her once she’d asked if he was okay. It was only when she hadn’t slept in a while, or refused to sleep when she was injured (similarly to now) when he would be a little angrier. He would be angry at her for not taking care of herself. And he’d refuse to leave her side until she’d napped in the lounge for a few hours. He’d be there, studying, to make sure.

He was a worrywart. Then again, he only acted akin to her when he would forget to eat due to studying. 

Althea could vaguely make out where Ace had taken to rest. She’d told him she’d be near so he could check on her when it was his time to keep watch. It was easier to agree to a couple of months ago when feelings for him were easy to ignore. But they had started dating a month ago, and, in their attempt at secrecy, they had kept it as private as possible.

Being close to each other in this setting wasn’t anything worth questioning. As far as the other classmates were concerned, it was just an attempt to be close to the people close to you. It was a mere attempt to remain warm. It wouldn’t be the first time that people had woken up far closer to whom they had fallen asleep beside than they remembered being. 

Carefully, Althea sat down on the old wooden floorboards of the abandoned building they had discovered. She let out a gentle sigh whilst she rolled up her cape and placed it beneath her head as a pillow. It was quiet, the scent of pine and winter calming against the bitter cold. 

Once again, she shivered and curled into a ball, teeth chattering. With a sniff and a sigh, she brought the blanket over her nose and shuffled awkwardly towards Ace, who was within arms reach. Her head, almost rudely, came into contact with his shoulder. She grumbled, rubbing her forehead. 

“Can’t your shoulder be less bony?” She spoke beneath her breath, shifting her head enough so her cheek was pressed against his shoulder blade. The warmth from his back radiated through her skin and, finally, she felt like she could sleep. 

Until her cheek was once again exposed to the cold. 

Opening an eye with a sharp frown, Althea found Ace looking at her, tired and concerned. Within a moment, she felt an extra layer draped over her form. Warm fingers tenderly tracing her face from her temple to her chin. It was a simple action, yet her heart quivered and a bloom of heat rose upon her cheeks. She hoped that they were far away enough from the fire for it to go unnoticed.

“You’re cold.” His words were quiet - a whisper in the wind - and his palm was hot against her cheek. It was a simple touch, held in place for a fleeting moment before he took her wrist and pulled her hand away from her forehead. The little warmth that lingered from the heel of her palm was replaced by his lips, kissing the spot delicately. Her face grew hotter and she felt her pulse following a frantic rhythm, speeding in pace as Ace grew closer.

“Althea, you okay?” The girl in question hummed in slight confusion. “You were too quiet.”

“Th-That’s because you do things to me.” Her response was muffled as she pulled the blanket up higher to cover her face in embarrassment.

“Things?” A moment’s pause. “What things?”

The confusion in his whispered questions was endearing. She could practically see him staring at her blanketed face, perplexed at her statement. 

“You…you make my face do the… the thing.”

“What the thing?”

“Y’know the…the hot thing… the - “ She heard a small bout of stifled laughter and felt the blanket being moved back down to her chin. She looked everywhere but at Ace. “That sounded much better in my head.” With a frown of determination, she looked at him “You’re making me blush.” She cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly. “And you make my heart do the….beating thing.”

“What beating thing? I hope that your heart does the beating thing all the time.”

With a noise of annoyance, Althea grabbed Ace’s hand and pressed it to her chest, covering her heart. “Please tell me you feel it otherwise this is going to be awkward…” The growing silence wasn’t helping her embarrassment. She could feel it. She could hear it. So… why wasn’t he saying something? “Um… A-Ace?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“You… you okay?”

“Yeah, just…you’re heart’s… Pretty fast and, er…y-you can let go of my hand now.”

Althea quickly let him go. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t realise I was still -” An arm around her waist pulled her into his chest, interrupting her sentence. She gasped in surprise. “Ace?”

He held her tightly, her ear against his chest, his fingers splayed against her back. “You hear it right?”

Althea focused. The sound of Ace’s heart beating reminded her of her own. It was quick - dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum - and, oddly, soothing. It felt strange to her, knowing that someone else’s heart was beating as fast as her own. “You’re heart’s… pretty fast.”

“You… you cause this.”

Discovering that she was the cause made her heart swell with pride.

“Wait…” And her brain in confusion. “I… I do?”

“Yes. You do.“ Ace placed a finger beneath her chin, tilting her head to look up at him. "You make it hard -” She snickered. “What?" 

"It sounds really wrong.”

“Urgh, Althea.” He covered his face with his hand, sighing into his palm as she continued to laugh quietly. “You’ve been spending too much time with Nine.”

“Have you seen his grades? He needs all the help he can get. But don’t worry,” Althea patted Ace’s chest. “I’ll be studying with you from now on - I’ll bring the snacks, you bring the books.”

“I’ll hold you to it.” His lips kissed the spot between her brows. It stung a little, a fresh scratch from a twig deciding to call the spot home. A couple of moments later, he kissed her gently, slowly, chapped lips rough despite the tenderness in which they moved against hers. He pulled away, forehead pressed against hers. 

“What was that for?" 

"Goodnight, Althea.”

“You…kissed me goodnight?” Silence. “You’re so cute.” She nuzzled into him pulling the blankets back up and tucking him in as best as she could without disturbing him. “Goodnight, Ace.”

________

Walking into the airship was one of the best feelings she had ever experienced. It was warm and cosy in some of the best ways. Her body was warmed from the bowl of soup she had finished five minutes ago, and her body sank into the comforts of the sofa, eyes closed in an attempt to have an afternoon nap. 

“Ace and Althea are dating.”

“Wait… what? Since when?”

“For quite some time, Cinque. Last night, they were whispering sweet nothings to each other. Before the first watch, Ace and Althea must have been talking with their eyes.”

“Awe that sounds so swee~t! I wish I could have seen it.”

“If you looked closely, you would have seen sparks." 

"Deuce-y! Did you see them last night? When I woke up for my shift with King, they were cuddled up together.”

“Like in those romance novels?" 

"Yes. I would have taken a picture of them if I could.”

Althea felt her cheeks burn. She had thought it wasn’t so obvious but… there are some things you just can’t help. Althea knew that. And she knew that somewhen people would find out. But so soon? 

“Shhh, Cinque. Althea’s right there.”

“She’s asleep though.”

“Good afternoon, ladies!” That had to be Jack. “Are you talking about Ace and Althea?" 

"Yea~h. Did you see them last night, Jack?" 

"Hm. Not that I recall. But I did see them last month. At the Chocobo Ranch.”

“Were they holding hands?" 

"Uh… I don’t remember. Althea did fall off the Chocobo -" 

"Did Ace catch her!?”

“He sure did. Like what you read in romance novels.”

Althea frowned. It wasn’t that dramatic - 

“Althea was so embarrassed and Ace’s face was bright red.”

“Did they kiss?" 

Cinque, why is everything like a romance novel to - 

"They sure did!" 

Her face grew hotter. Someone already knew before -  and so quickly? 

"Jack, why didn’t you tell anyone?" 

"Because that’s not my place. But since you guys saw them being all couple-like yesterday -" 

"Cinque, Jack. Althea is right there.”

When Althea opened her eyes, she found Cinque and Jack looking at her in shock. Jack rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“If you wanted to make sure I was warm you could have given me an extra blanket, not make it clear that any attempt to keep the relationship secret was a failure -” She groaned in embarrassment and his her face in the blanket. “I should not have said that.”

“So you two really are together?" 

"Yes.. we are.” Althea frowned when the blanket was torn from her grasp, Cinque grinning brightly above her. Oh dear. 

“I knew you two would be together! You’re so cute and adorable and the perfect couple!" 

I don’t think, realistically speaking, there is such a thing as a perfect couple but - 

Jack sighed awkwardly. "Cinque -" 

"I’m gonna tell -" 

Althea shot up and clasped her hand over Cinque’s mouth. "You - including you two -” She narrowed her eyes at Deuce and Jack before returning her gaze go Cinque. “cannot tell anyone about me and Ace. Understood?" 

"Why?” Cinque’s question was muffled. 

’“Because it’s up to me and Ace. Kapeesh?" 

Cinque lifted her hand, thumb up in understanding before moving Althea’s hand away. "Yup. I understand.”

The bubbly girl moved away from Althea, her hands behind her back. She grinned and Althea didn’t fully trust it. That was, until, Cinque began running. “Ace, Ace, Ace!" 

Althea turned pale, bolting from the sofa and giving chase. 

"Is it true that you and Althea -" 

"Cinque!" 

Althea dragged Deuce and Jack with her as she chased Cinque around the airship,

Cinque was going to die. And Jack and Deuce were going to be her cover story. 

[that-wasnt-so-bad]

2nd December - Cosy (Ace x OC)

Pairing: Ace x Althea Game/Fandom: Final Fantasy Type 0 Genre: Fluff Word Count: 1, 777 Tagging:

The library was quiet. It was 6pm and most people were at the canteen, eating their dinner. But Althea sat at a desk, the oaken surface covered in books and pages of notes, studying for the winter exams. 

She hadn't heard the bell for dinner, too absorbed in the textbooks to notice anything that was going on around her.  Before long, she was the only one sat by the light of a simple lamp, light a dim, warm glow. It was dark out by now, rain pitter-pattering against the window she sat beside.

It was a calming environment, serene in all the best ways. As she put down her pen and leaned back against the chair, eyes focused on the water running down the windows, she realised that, for the first time in a while, she felt relaxed. Truly relaxed. Simply getting lost in the ambience of the rain.

Althea wrapped her cape around her, shivering slightly due to her close proximity to the window. It only seemed like last month that it was summer. She and the rest of class zero often sat together in the courtyard at lunch, sharing food around not too dissimilar to a picnic. They discussed just about everything. They teased Nine over having the hots for Miss Emina. And she was teased by him, in return, for having a not-so-secret crush on Ace. It was alright until she saw him with Mutsuki. It ignited something within her. She couldn’t really face anyone after that, noting that she had let jealousy, of all things, get to her. It was a stupid emotion really. She didn’t have a reason to be upset or angry. 

_________________________

Althea turned the corner, book in hand. She had been on the hunt for Ace, desperate for help with her homework.  When she looked up, his name barely leaving her mouth, she saw Mutsuki with him. That was fine. But what wasn’t fine to her, was Mutsuki standing on her tippy-toes and kissing his cheek.

That was not okay. 

Althea’s feet were already turning her around, driving her back to the lounge where had left her things. Kurasame had a free lesson: he’d be able to help her create a plan for the essay, at least. And he wouldn’t question he on why her eyes looked wet. Anyone else would. Especially Ace if she continued with her original plan. 

“Oh, Althea. We’re just about to grab snacks for lunch. You coming?”

Althea looked up, eyes meeting Jack’s. She shook her head. “I’m looking for Kurasame. Do you know if he’s still in his class?” 

“I didn’t see him. I think Trey’s still in the lounge -” He paused. She saw the concern instantly. “You okay? Your eyes are red.”

“Yeah it’s...it’s hayfever.” No, it wasn’t. “I think I’ll skip lunch. I had a big breakfast this morning and I really need to write up this essay - Oh, Kurasame, Sir!” Althea slipped away from Jack. Finally, she could ask for help, but the faint concern Kurasame showed didn’t go unmissed.

-

“Did you hear Mutsuki’s one of the head students for next year?” Althea frowned at Eight’s statement. “Trey’s not happy about it. Not sure why - she seems okay.”

Althea scoffed. All eyes stared at her as she wrote her essay.  “Thea, did she do something to you?”

“If destroying my soul and ripping my heart to shreds is included, then yes.”

“Oh no… really?”

Cinque, ever the empathetic, just had to ask the question. “That’s how it looked. I went to ask Ace for help earlier and she kissed his cheek.” She sighed. “Before you ask, I don’t know what happened after. I was already on the prowl for Kurasame after that.

Jack sat next to her, passing her chocolate, toffees, a cupcake and an actual box of lunch. “I knew it wasn’t allergies as soon as you spoke. So we -” he pointed to Cinque, Duece, Eight and Seven “got you things you liked so you wouldn’t be upset over anything today.”

Althea smiled gently. “Thank you, guys. Truly. But… it’s just silly of me to be acting like this. It’s not her fault.”

_____

It was funny now that she looked back. If she had only stayed a little longer, she would have discovered that Ace rejected her. Apparently, he and Trey were walking to meet them in the courtyard when they had overheard the conversation. It later came to Althea’s attention that it was when Ace found out she had a crush on him, thus making it mutual pining.

A mutual pining she didn’t know about until after she fell off her Chocobo and Ace caught her, her ankle still somewhat awkwardly trapped in the stirrup. In the most awkwardly humiliating scenario, that was when Ace just happened to confess. With her ankle a little twisted and her free leg hovering above the ground in fear, and her fists clutching onto his blazer for dear life. She never realised how beautiful he truly was until she was terrified.

The rustling of a paper bag being placed on the table pulled her from her reverie. Althea stared for a moment, blinking in confusion until she smiled at the voice beside her whilst she opened up the bag.

“Figured you’d be here, daydreaming instead of studying.”

“Look,” Althea pointed at the pages sprawled in front of her. “I finally finished rewriting my notes. Be surprised.” She grinned, pulling out the delicately wrapped cucumber sandwich, unwrapping it as she spoke.

“Colour me surprised.” Ace, after pulling up a chair, sat beside her, thighs touching. “Do you think you’re ready?”

“Nope.” She bit into the sandwich, the crunch of the cucumber emphasising her statement. It wasn’t that she hadn’t revised for the exams, and she was confident enough in her memory for her to not fail. But when it came to being in the exam room, everything left her until she was staring blankly at the questions in front of her. 

“You’ll be alright.” Ace placed a hand on her knee. “Are you enjoying your sandwich?” Althea hummed in reply, to which he chuckled. “I figured I should get your favourite.”

She looked up at him with a grin. Whilst she was eating, Ace had put on his glasses and had taken to reading her notes. Something about the way he looked - silver framing his eyes, brows furrowed softly in concentration - made her fall in love with him all over again. It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen him like this before (she sat next to him in class and saw it almost every day), but it wasn’t until now that she really took it in: the profile of his nose, the way his upper lip curved to his lower lip, which, in turn, curved to his chin. The way his cheeks grew red -

“I know you’re staring at me.”  Her eyes widened in surprise. When he turned his face to look at her, his mouth curving into a smug smile, she blushed. “Think I look pretty good, huh?”

“Hm-hm Yup.” The confidence in her statement, the lack of hesitation, she knew, had caught Ace off guard. His eyes widened and his cheeks reddened. He scratched the tip of his nose as he looked away, soon scratching the back of his neck. “I just never realised how handsome you are - I mean you’ve always been very handsome but I never noticed how handsome you really are.” Althea’s own cheeks reddened further and she waved her hand in front of her face, turning to look out the window again. “F-Forget I stared at you.”

Althea returned to her sandwich, finishing it much quicker than she usually would have done (simply due to her embarrassment). When she looked beside her, Ace was gone. Along with all her notes. She frowned in confusion; his glasses were left behind, along with his bag. He was going to return, but where on Orience did he disappear to?

Well, as long as he returned soon she was going to assume he was sorting out her notes for her. 

She opened the paper bag again, practically putting her face in to see what other goodies had been brought to her. She sniffed and lifted her head with a smile. The familiar scent of freshly baked cake swarmed her senses. It was warm and cosy and everything that made winter easier to handle. Delicately, she brought out the wrapped sponge. Unravelling the wrapping around it, she grinned at the layer of icing in the middle, the icing sugar on the top. It smelt so good that couldn’t help but lick her lips, biting into the sponge as best she could. Before she knew it, the cake was gone and she required more where there was none.

It was okay. She could survive without another slice. Otherwise, there’d be none left for anyone else. 

“Althea.” She lifted her head at her name, humming in question to Ace, returning with her notes put together neatly in a folder, kept beneath his arm, and a blanket over his shoulders. Producing a napkin from his sleeve, he wiped her nose. “You had icing on your nose.”

In retaliation, she quickly went to rubbing her nose with her hand. “Th-thank you.” Althea smiled gently in embarrassment, not only for my nose but for my notes, too.” Once Ace sat beside her again, she tilted her head, perplexed. “Why do you have a blanket?”

“You’ll get cold.” He draped the blanket around her back.

“But so will you.”

Ace shifted closer to her, wrapping the rest of the long throw around them both. “Now I won’t.” 

Althea’s cheeks grew red again. She rested her head on Ace’s shoulder, tired and warm: the perfect way to fall asleep unwillingly. After a couple of moments of comfortable silence, she lifted her head enough to kiss Ace’s cheek. “Thank you.” The embarrassed male looked at her, smiling gently. “For what?”

Althea shrugged and nestled her head back against his shoulder, grinning in amusement. “For being mine, I guess.” She almost snickered at the embarrassed cough above her. “I mean it. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” 

The silence that followed made her worry. Had she said something? Had her honesty made him feel uncomfortable? Althea looked up in concern, only to be surprised at how close Ace’s face was to hers. He shifted to face her fully, palms resting on her cheeks. He kissed her gently, slowly.

When Ace pulled away, the feeling of his lips lingered. She was a little confused, but her smile was kind and her voice quiet. “What was that -”

“For being mine.”

[kaitokeiart]

Drew this back on Ace’s birthday, poster boy saying hi from the poster!