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Chapter Text

“Skull Powder: a deadly toxin used in various types of potions. Once it hits any part of the body, the victim will slowly begin to hyperventilate until they pass out. Side effects upon entering the blood stream include increased paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations, and potentially death. Use with caution.”

Crewel made sure everyone read the warning before starting the lab. He didn’t need any of his pups dying trying to make a simple potion. He made sure everyone had their gas masks and gloves on at all times as well as their goggles secured over their eyes. He wasn’t about to have any medical emergencies on his hands.

But of course, things never went so smoothly at Night Raven College.

Ace Trappola stared into the cauldron he was working on with tired eyes. Life hadn’t been going super well for him in the past few days. He got into another stupid argument with Deuce that he didn’t even think was that serious, but everyone was jumping him and telling him to apologize. Now he’s gone at least three days without speaking to any of his friend group, and life’s kind of been hell because of it.

“I’m gonna go grab the powder,” his partner said, leaving to grab the ingredient from the back of the alchemy lab. Ace just nodded wordlessly, continuing to stir and observe any color changes that seemed significant.

There was no way he could’ve seen it coming. His back was turned when he vaguely heard two lab partners arguing with each other about the step to add the toxin. Ace wasn’t really paying attention to what they were saying, but they were sitting right behind him, so he had no choice but to listen to their shrill voices.

“You idiot! We were supposed to add it after it turns blue!” one of the exclaimed.

“No, it turns blue after we add it!” the other argued.

It was actually supposed to turn blue after adding the recrystallized version of the powder, but whatever. Ace wasn’t feeling generous enough to help them out. Maybe if he did, what happened next wouldn’t have transpired.

“Hey Ace, I got the-”

“You’re such a dumbass!”

“No you are!”

Ace turned around to take the half filled beaker his lab partner had gotten, but as soon as he grabbed onto it, the other team’s cauldron was tipped over, pouring the hot, magenta liquid all over the freshman. The beaker in Ace’s hands ended up shattering, making the powder fly everywhere and stick to him like glitter.

Crewel was immediately alert once he heard the cauldron crash and the glass shatter. He rushed over to the table that made the mess, taking one look at Ace and shouting, “Get him underneath the shower!”

Ace felt like he couldn’t breathe. His chest was tightening rapidly as he felt the ruined potion run down the back of his neck. His vision began to blur as he felt his lab partner drag him towards the corner of the room. He suddenly smelled something metallic, and it was so overwhelming he felt like he could taste it.

He barely registered the ice cold water washing over him as he clutched at his chest, unable to calm his racing heart. Why did everything smell like blood all of a sudden? Where was he even? Why did the whole world suddenly feel too big? Or was it that he was too small? Either way, his whole body shook with the feeling that danger was just around the corner, and he knew he couldn’t escape it.

He felt another strong hand grip the back of his lab coat and suddenly drag him outside. He could barely even try to catch his breath as his gas mask was suddenly ripped from his face and another mysterious powder entered his system. His vision suddenly went dark, his whole body going limp as the mysterious man began to drag him away from the lab.

—

Ace awoke in the infirmary, his chest feeling tight in a way it hadn’t felt in a long time. He slowly sat up, his whole body feeling cold and slightly damp. He weaved a hand through his still wet hair, everything slowly coming back to him.

“Hello Trappola,” Professor Crewel’s voice cut through his haze.

The redhead jumped in surprise. “Hi professor,” he replied, mentally preparing himself to get scolded.

“How are you feeling?”

The redhead thought about it for a few moments. “Fine? I think?” Weirdly anxious, but that’s pretty normal for me.

Crewel picked up on the hesitation in his tone, internally sighing. “Mind if I ask you a few questions then?” Ace nodded, and Crewel took a moment so that Ace could prepare himself. “Do you have a history of self harm?”

Where the hell did that come from? “Uh, no.”

“Have you had any past traumatic experiences that especially stick with you?”

Several. “Uh, I guess the overblots?”

“Are you currently on any medication for your mental health?”

“Okay, uh, no offense professor, but you’re not my doctor. I don’t think I shouldn’t have to tell you if I’m on medication if I don’t want to.”

Crewel wore a blank expression on his face, but Ace could tell that he was panicking. “Trappola, I checked your mask to see if any of the potion or powder made it in, and I found traces of it that had slipped within some parts that weren’t properly sealed off in production,” he explained. He let the information sink into Ace before clarifying, “I’m making sure you’re not at immediate risk for killing yourself if you hallucinate.”

Ace slowly nodded in understanding. He hid his now shaking hands behind his back. “Uh, yeah, cool. Okay,” he replied eloquently, his nerves completely shot. “I, uh, take over the counter herbal supplements for anxiety. Sometimes. Depends on the day.”

The professor nodded in understanding. “Alright, and have you been diagnosed with any mental or clinical condition like generalized anxiety or depression?”

“Nope.”

Crewel made a mental note to contact Ace’s guardian about getting him into therapy. “Do you feel safe enough with your friends to be able to talk about anything that may be bothering you?”

“Yep.” It was a lie even before their most recent fight, and it definitely was still one now.

“Okay. Thank you for answering my questions.” Ace began to pick at his cuticles and chew on the inside of his lip. “I would advise that you not take any of your supplements in the near future since you’d need an alarming amount of them to counteract even a tiny amount of the effects of Skull Powder, and it could harm your body.”

“Anything else Doc?”

Crewel didn’t even bat an eye as Ace’s attempt at easing the tension. “The effects will last at most two weeks. If you feel at all like you are going to harm yourself due to your heightened anxiety and hallucinations, do not hesitate to stay here.”

The redhead swallowed thickly and nodded in understanding. “Isn’t there a cure? I thought I remembered reading about that.”

“There is, but you know how rare it is to come by, and its ban on Sage’s Island has made it almost impossible for us to obtain.” Ace opened his mouth but Crewel silenced him. “I’ve already asked Sam, and he’s working on it, but I must remind you that after a week, the cure may not work as the toxin has been in your system long enough to the point where adding anything else to your blood may cause unwanted and deadly side effects.”

Great. So I’m either dead in two weeks or dead before that.

“Cool. That’s so cool.”

Crewel paused, staring at Ace with something akin to pity before saying, “As per protocol, I will inform the Headmage of what happened, and he will reach out to your housewarden and notify him of your condition.” His eyes seemed to pierce Ace’s soul, and the boy already felt the man trying to break down his carefully crafted walls to expose more of his secrets. “Are you truly sure that you’ll be able to handle the effects on your own?”

“Yeah,” Ace answered almost too quickly. “I mean, it’s really just amplified anxiety and some hallucinations, right?”

“Your hallucinations could very well draw from your own traumatic experiences. And it’s more than just anxiety. It’s paranoia, delusions, dissociation, all of which usually causes the victim to take very poor care of themselves. Sleep deprivation is often the most common thing victims suffer from.”

The redhead swallowed thickly, his nails starting to dig into his palms. “I’ll be fine.”

“You can come to the infirmary if you ever feel that you might not be.”

“Gotcha.”

I’m gonna die.

Chapter Text

Ace would say he got maybe an hour of sleep that night. His mind wouldn’t shut up, his chest tight and stomach churning. When he did wake from what little sleep he had, his whole body felt glued to the bed. He almost didn’t get up that day, but he had an exam in a few hours. There was no way he could stay in bed all day.

As soon as he left, he felt cold as a shiver ran down his spin. He pushed through it, needing to get to his classes today. Even if his body screamed at him to lay back down, he forced his feet to carry him to the bathroom.

Each step in his morning routine was performed painfully slowly. Lethargy combined with his overwhelming dread for the day did not mix well. His body felt like a failing machine as his brush got caught on the tangles in his hair he struggled to brush out. Even the warm water that he splashed on his face didn’t wake him up or make him feel any better.

By the time he was finished, he had maybe fifteen minutes before he had to be in class across the campus. He still hadn’t put on his makeup yet, and as soon as he sat down to do so, his hands began to shake. He held his eyeliner in his right hand, glaring at himself in the mirror. “Come on,” he groaned. “Pull yourself together.”

He held his right wrist with his left hand in an attempt to stabilize himself as he carefully applied his makeup. It was still shaky, his eyeliner coming out uneven and the heart on his face misshapen. “Whatever. Good enough,” Ace snapped as he threw the eyeliner pen, concealer, and makeup removers in his bag. “I’ll fix it later.”

Ace slung his bag over his shoulder and quickly stormed out of his room. If he walked fast enough, he could make it to class at least five minutes late. Even then this would be to his advantage so he wouldn’t have to talk to any of his friends. But he’d also get in trouble with Riddle if he found out he was late to class. But was Trein really gonna notice if he was late in a class of over one hundred freshmen?

It didn’t matter right now. He needed to make it to class so he could at least absorb some of the material. He couldn’t very well ask any of his friends for help now could he? They all probably wanted nothing to do with him. Ace wasn’t exactly the person everyone wanted around. He usually just made things worse for everyone around him. Some people never let him forget that.

The walk to the class was a blur, and nothing felt real when he took the closest spot open in the back. His hands were still shaking as he pulled out his notebook, pencil case, and water bottle. He could do this. He could get through this lecture no problem, and then go fix his makeup in the bathroom once his body decided to stop hating him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Deuce and Epel whispering to each other. For a split second, he could’ve sworn they both glanced at him. He tried his best to ignore them. After all, they probably weren’t even talking about him and just so happened to look his way and accidentally make eye contact. And he was probably reading too much into their facial expressions too. Their judgmental gazes totally didn’t scream disgust and hatred.

He needed to stop thinking so much. It wasn’t helping anything. He just needed to focus on the lecture he was already late to. But then his gaze just so happened to drift over to Jack, who was just staring right through him a few seats below. Ace’s stomach dropped, quickly averting his eyes. Great Seven today was already not going well for Ace was it? Not only does he have to deal with heightened anxiety, but also all of his friends letting him know that they did not want to talk to him at all.

Focusing on the lecture was incredibly difficult since his brain wouldn’t shut up. At least Trein didn’t even notice that he was late. Ace probably would’ve died if Riddle found out, and that would’ve probably sent him spiraling even more than he already was. His handwriting was shaky, slowly becoming more steady as Ace made a plan to visit the library as soon as the bell rang. And once it did, Ace was out of that classroom before he could overthink anything else.

Ace only had one goal as soon as he entered the library. He immediately went to the herbology section of the room and searched for a book about toxins. It didn’t take him very long to find one. He sat down at the nearest desk and began to scour the book for information about the poison that was slowly killing him.

It didn’t take him very long to find it. After all, it was one of the most infamous poisons in all of Twisted Wonderland because of how it makes the body react. Ace eagerly began to read the entry in his book

“Skull powder is a potent substance that is used as an ingredient in many different fatal poisons. On its own, it is extremely dangerous, and should be handled with care-”

“Don’t care, just give me the symptoms,” Ace mumbled to himself as he flipped the page.

“Effects of skull powder often include increased paranoia, anxiety, and insanity. The longer the substance is in the victim’s system, the more severe these symptoms become. Hallucinations also accompany these feelings of increased paranoia, usually manifesting as traumatic memories the victim has experienced or their worst fears, often leading the victim to self harm to the point of suicide.”

None of that made Ace feel better as he kept on reading.

“No matter the dose, symptoms usually last for two weeks. The after effects however, are brutal. The victim during their time underneath the poison will often starve and dehydrate themself. After the substance is out of their system, the body becomes weak and frail, barely able to function without assistance. If the victim hasn’t already killed themself, the after effects will most likely finish them off.”

“Cool, that’s so freaking cool.” Ace sighed as he just stared at the book, thinking about how the hell he was gonna come out the other side with himself intact.

“Ace?”

Ace jumped at the familiar voice, immediately slamming the book shut as he turned to face who had snuck up on him. He relaxed slightly when he saw that it was one of his fellow freshmen. “Jeez Deuce,” he breathed, “don’t scare me like that.”

Deuce’s eyes widened in surprise. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to do that.”

The redhead just gave him a look. “What’d ya want anyway?”

“I just- You didn’t look well in class.”

Ace simply stared at him for a few moments, taken aback by the statement. “I’m fine,” he replied.

He picked up the book and walked back to the aisle he got it from. Deuce followed close behind him. “You don’t seem fine,” he argued gently. Ace didn’t acknowledge him in any sort of way. “Is this another anxiety thing?”

“Everything’s great, Deuce.”

“Your makeup’s all messed up though.”

“Was in a rush. I woke up later than usual. I was gonna fix it after the Magical Analysis exam.”

Deuce looked at him quizzically. “But won’t you be done with classes by then? What’s the point in fixing-”

Ace squished Deuce’s face between his hands and gave him a tight smile. “We don’t question my thought process. I’m going to fix it later. That’s that. Everything’s peachy.” He gave Deuce two pats on his shoulder before walking past him to grab his bag.

His best friend was persistent however. “I’m normally not able to tell when you’re lying, but you’re being pretty obvious right now.”

“Dude, seriously-”

“I’m just worried about you. I-I know we haven’t spoken in a few days-”

“Deuce.” Ace placed both of his hands on the boy’s shoulders, his smile and eyes wide. Deuce looked at him with nothing but concern, and it sickened him. He felt the tremor in his fingers return. “Everything. Is. Fine. Because if it’s not fine, then I won’t be able to function for the rest of the day. Got it?” The dark haired boy just stared at his best friend, and Ace thought he was holding onto him too tight for a moment. Those peacock green eyes never broke their gaze, and they only grew more concerned the longer they remained on the redhead. “We cool?” Ace asked.

The boy shook his hand and just wrapped his arms around the redhead. Ace stood there, tense and stunned as Deuce hugged him. “You know that you’re my best friend right even if we fight right? And that you can talk to me about whatever’s bothering you.”

Slowly, Ace returned the hug. “Yeah I know that.” Deuce squeezed him a bit tighter, and honestly, Ace was slowly starting to feel better. “Just guilt and all that you know.”

“You’re stupid for feeling guilty about asking for help.”

Ace laughed in self deprecation. “Yeah well, that’s how I am.” Deuce squeezed him a little tighter, and the redhead was starting to feel just a little too safe. He gently pushed his best friend back, letting cold air rush between them. “Okay, well, I have an exam in like less than an hour, so I’m gonna go cram for a bit.”

“Okay.” Deuce did his best to muster up a smile, but Ace could see the worry laced in it. “Good luck. You’ll do great.”

“Thanks. See you later.”

Ace quickly strode out of the library, hoping that he could calm down enough to not fail his exam.

—

“That was actually so shit oh Great Seven,” he groaned as he locked the door behind him and collapsed on his bed. He kicked off his shoes and pulled the blanket over him, bringing his heart shaped pillow close to his chest. His hands still hadn’t stopped shaking, and it frustrated him to no end.

This whole situation was so shit. He wished he could just take something, anything to make this feeling go away. Maybe he could bother Trey or Cater for a sleeping potion. Or literally anyone else for something to knock him out long enough to where he didn’t have to be constantly shaking and worrying about something bad happening.

“Ace.”

The boy flinched and curled in on himself tighter at the sound of his name. Oh Great Seven, have the hallucinations started already? Why did that sound so much like-?

“Ace.”

He thought he was safe from them. He thought he’d never hear their voices again. Logically, he knew it wasn’t real, and it was just the poison in his system, but still. It felt so real. Almost as if they were right in the room with him.

The voices kept repeating his name like a poison that needed to be spat out, overwhelming him. Ace covered his ears as if that would help anything, curling in on himself further. “Stop it,” he whispered helplessly. He curled in on himself further, trying to drown out the voices with the sound of his rapid breathing.

A sudden knock on his door caused him to jump and the voices to fade away. “Ace?” Deuce’s voice asked on the other side of the door. “Are you in there?” Ace pushed himself off the bed, his legs feeling like jelly as he used his desk and the wall for support. He opened the door to see his best friend with a slice of cherry pie and a fork. “Damn you-”

“Yes, let's not mention how terrible I look right now,” Ace interrupted, his voice strained. He was sure his already fucked up makeup was now smeared from him laying down.

“Is it really bad?”

“It’s great man.” Deuce gave him a look but Ace didn’t care. He was busy trying to figure out how to cope.

“A-anyways, I didn’t see you in the cafeteria at all today, and I know you sometimes don’t eat when you’re really anxious so I brought you a slice of the cherry pie from the unbirthday party the other day,” the dark haired boy explained.

“He’s too good for you.”

Ace winced at the voice in his head. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.”

“You know you don’t deserve it.”

Ace nearly punched himself in the head. Couldn’t the hallucinations shut up for two seconds so he could pretend he was completely fine? “I appreciate it.”

“You don’t deserve anything.”

He took the plate with shaking hands and set it on his desk, his stomach suddenly in knots. He saw Deuce’s lips moving but a shadowy figure caught his attention right behind him. It split into two, one taller and one slightly shorter, and they were all too familiar to him as their faces came into view. “Ace, honey, you know we love you, right?” the woman spoke.

“Just come home, son. Jack doesn’t need the stress you put on him,” the man followed.

Ace couldn’t help but stare at their faces. Faces he hadn’t seen in what felt like an eternity. Two faces that caused him more pain as a child than anyone should’ve ever had to go through at that age. For a brief moment, he thought they might’ve been real and not just figments of his fucked up mind. They looked so eerily similar to real people. Ace thought if they tried to reach out and touch him-

“Ace!”

Deuce snapped his fingers in front of his face, snapping Ace out of his trance. “Huh? Sorry? What were you saying?”

Deuce followed Ace’s eyes, which still weren’t trained on him but on something beyond him. He briefly turned his head, but saw nothing but the empty hallway they were standing in. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Fine!” Ace smiled so brightly that Deuce thought he might go blind. “Great! So well! Just remembered I need to do something, actually, so uh, thanks for the pie I’ll eat it soon I promise! Talk to you at the unbirthday party!”

It was all wrong. The way his eyes were stretched so wide they might fall out of their sockets. The way his voice shook as he spoke. The way he couldn’t even make eye contact with Deuce. Every little behavior Ace exhibited was just screaming “red flag” and Deuce didn’t want to sit by and let his best friend suffer. Because whatever was happening was way more than whatever normal anxiety Ace felt.

“Hey, wait-!” Ace suddenly slammed the door in his face before he could continue. Deuce immediately tried the door handle, but the redhead had locked the door. The boy sighed and stood in front of Ace’s door for a few more minutes before turning his back and walking towards the garden to paint the roses for the unbirthday party.

By the time the party started, Ace was nowhere to be found, and could not be reached for the rest of the day.

Chapter Text

Ace didn’t sleep that night, plagued by voices and apparitions from his past.

Unlike yesterday however, he was out of the dorm early, makeup perfect and not a single hint that he didn’t sleep well. His fingers didn’t shake and every word out of his mouth was crystal clear. It was almost like everything disappeared overnight. On the outside anyway.

Internally, Ace was fighting the urge to throw up.

He took three bites of that cherry pie that morning, his hollow stomach begging him to eat something before the texture suddenly turned into an unpleasant mush in his mouth. His body begged for him to spit out the food as saliva began to pool in his mouth. Given that he didn’t eat anything yesterday, he figured that he should get what little he could stomach. He forced himself to swallow the food and then pushed the majority of the uneaten slice away for another time.

The day went pretty smooth for the most part. Ace ignored the constant tight feeling in his chest and the way his stomach churned with each wrong movement. He did his best to avoid everyone he could, taking different routes to his classes he knew his friends wouldn’t take. He didn’t think he could deal with talking with anyone after he embarrassed himself in front of Deuce the other day.

When he finally got some free time for lunch, however, he had to succumb to his mortal flesh and go to the cafeteria to eat something. Even if the thought of eating made his stomach twist in knots.

Luckily for him, the cafeteria was selling smoothies. It was the only thing he saw on the menu that didn’t make him feel like hurling. And at least it was something with nutritious value. He quickly got in line and ordered his smoothie, hoping the process was quick enough to where he could just slip out unnoticed by everyone.

He nearly made it out unscathed, about to walk out the entryway when he collided hard with someone, causing him to spill his smoothie all over himself.

Ace stood there as his one source of nutrients soaked into his clothes. He belatedly registered Epel’s horrified expression and guilty eyes. “Oh Great Seven I’m so sorry Ace!” he exclaimed in a panic. “I shoulda been lookin’ where I was goin’! Lemme go grab some-!”

“Look at what you did.”

Ace flinched harshly at the voice. It’s not real, he told himself.

“You brat! Look at this mess! You always ruin everything!”

“Can’t even get food properly.”

Stop it. Ace was beginning to feel sick. Get out of my head.

“Helpless child. So stupid.”

“I don’t even know why we tried for another child.”

“Ace?” Epel asked, having come back with the napkins he ran to grab. “Are you okay?”

Ace didn’t respond, his eyes glassed over as the smoothie just kept soaking into his clothes. The boy looked like a complete statue. He didn’t even look like he was breathing. Was Ace really that upset about the smoothie? Or was there something more going on underneath the surface. Epel had seen the state Ace was in yesterday, and Deuce’s debrief earlier that morning did not give him any confidence that Ace was okay.

“Ace-” Epel tried again, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.

Cater swooped in before Epel could do anything. Two hands came down on Ace’s shoulders, causing him to recoil in surprise. “Hey there Spacey Acey! Let’s go get you cleaned up, yeah? You don’t wanna walk around with smoothie all over you!” Cater slowly began to drag Ace out of the cafeteria, throwing Epel a look that said “don’t follow.”

Once Ace was out of the cafeteria, everything seemed to slowly come back into focus for him. The voices of his parents slowly faded out to the back of his mind as reality began to sink back in. “Cater?” he questioned when they made it to the Hall of Mirrors.

The upperclassman flashed the redhead a smile. “Yes Acey?” he replied cheerily.

Something in the ginger’s kind yet knowing green eyes made the anxiety in Ace’s stomach turn. “Nevermind.”

Cater’s smile only stretched wider, putting the redhead off even more as they stepped through the mirror that led to Heartslabyul. Ace barely registered the walk inside the dorm and straight to the laundry room. “Kinda freaked me out back there Ace,” Cater confessed. “Never seen you get like that before.”

“Yeah.” The third year held his hands out and Ace took off his blazer. “I can do the laundry myself.”

“I know. I’m just using this as an excuse to corner you.”

Ace grimaced as he let out a defeated sigh, but at least it was Cater. Despite his sneakiness and the whole thing with Riddle earlier this year, he trusted him. “Yeah, figures.”

Cater’s smile softened into something more genuine and concerned. “Deucey said you weren’t feeling well yesterday and that’s why you missed the unbirthday party.”

The fact that Deuce covered for him unprompted made something in his chest flip. “Yeah, I wasn’t. It just came over me all of a sudden.”

“You don’t seem much better today.”

“I’m fine.”

The third year chuckled. “I think I know you too well at this point to know that you are definitely not fine.”

Ace mimicked his upperclassman’s laugh with a slight hint of nervousness. “Yeah. You got me there.”

Cater’s green eyes bore through his underclassman. Ace couldn’t help but feel a little cornered, but why was Cater even here anyway? Normally, whenever he had his episodes, people would give him the space he needed to work through it himself. Or, more accurately, he made his own space away from anyone else, unsure of how they’d affect his anxiety. Why was Cater so concerned now?

“Deuce was really worried about you, you know,” the third year student said, as if reading Ace’s mind. “Never seen him so sour during an unbirthday party.”

Ah, so it’s about Deuce. “He was probably just upset that he couldn’t shove his work onto me.”

The ginger suddenly grew serious. “Now you know that’s not true Ace.”

Before Ace could defend himself, Riddle suddenly entered the room, staring at the two with suspicion. His slate gray eyes glanced over Ace’s ruined clothes. “Do I even want to know what happened?” he asked, exasperation creeping into his tone.

“Ace accidentally had a little collision while carrying a smoothie. Brought him back here to clean him up,” Cater explained, giving Riddle a look Ace didn’t recognize.

Riddle seemed to understand whatever Cater was saying silently. The housewarden turned to the first year and studied him. Ace swallowed thickly, feeling even more cornered than he already was. He resisted every instinct screaming at him to run out of the room and back to his own. His chest tightened more than was probably healthy.

“Perhaps you should retire to your room for the rest of the day,” Riddle said softly.

Ace had to do a double take. “Sorry?”

“You look unwell, perhaps due to a lack of sleep from the past two nights.”

Another nervous laugh was ripped from Ace’s throat. “I mean, I didn’t get great sleep-”

“Then it’s settled. You shall spend the rest of the day resting and catching up on your sleep. I won’t repeat myself.”

And who was Ace to ignore a direct order from his housewarden? “If you say so Housewarden.”

And so that’s what Ace did. He quickly walked past Riddle and out of the laundry room. He made a beeline straight for his room where he would hopefully not be disturbed for the rest of the day.

—

“What do you think is upsetting him, Cater?” Riddle asked as the two boys made their way to the lounge to discuss Ace’s weird behavior.

“Not sure,” he replied, pulling out his phone and beginning to scroll through his recent photos with the boy. “Deuce wasn’t really clear on what Ace was sick with yesterday. I was wondering if Trey had said anything to you.”

Riddle shook his head. “He most likely would’ve tried to resolve the situation himself before bringing it to my attention.” Cater hummed thoughtfully in response. The second year gave the third year a look. “You two have talked recently, correct?”

Cater shrugged his shoulders, not looking Riddle’s way. “He’s busy-”

“Cater.”

“What?”

The shorter redhead sighed. “I fear we all may have to look into that counselling service the Headmage was forced to implement.”

“Hey this is about Acey, not me.”

“I’m aware.”

“So let’s try to figure out what’s up with him and then come up with a plan to help him.”

Riddle thought for a moment, unsure of where to even begin with Ace. The two had grown closer since his overblot, but Ace was a very private person. Even his close knit group of friends didn’t know that much more about him. It was going to be difficult to discern what exactly was causing him so much distress.

“As much as I loathe to admit it, we might have to wait until he comes to us.”

Cater let out a disbelieving laugh. “You know that will never happen Riddle.”

“We can hope, can’t we?”

The conversation ended with a final shrug of Cater’s shoulders, both upperclassmen unable to stop their own helplessness from weighing them down with the guilt of not being able to help their freshman.

Chapter Text

Ace once again didn’t sleep that night, and this time he was starting to feel the effects.

He felt both simultaneously alert and aware but also sluggish and lethargic. He could know when to react to something but his body was slow on the uptake. Everything felt heavier than normal, like a weight being forcibly shoved down on his body. Nothing felt real when he walked out of his room and towards his first class, forgetting about eating breakfast.

His first class was hell. All he could do was stare out into space as his professor droned on about whatever they were learning about today. In all honesty, he wasn’t even sure if he walked into the right class. Nevertheless, he knew he had to at least show up and maintain appearances lest someone drag his ass to the infirmary and let him spiral there instead.

The thought of being confined to a hospital bed made him feel nauseous. He’s had enough of hospitals from when he was younger. He didn’t need to go back there just because he was a little more anxious than normal. He was completely fine, and he would prove it.

Besides, he was doing great today, weirdly enough. There had been no hallucinations, visual or audible, and the only thing that felt tight was his chest, which was pretty easy to deal with all things considered. The only thing that actually felt hard to do was breathe. If he could, a nice long sleep would probably fix him and return him to normal.

He wasn’t that lucky.

He was walking through the hallway when he suddenly heard his name being called. “Ace!” a familiar southern accent echoed down the hall.

The redhead flinched but turned around to greet Epel as he jogged up to him. “What’s up man?” Ace asked.

“Just wanted to talk to you about the other day. Cater dragged you away before I could say anything. It didn’t seem like you heard my apology.”

Ace probably would’ve forgotten all about the smoothie incident if not for how Cater basically tried to interrogate him. He wasn’t that mad about it, but he suddenly felt extremely hungry. “Oh, yeah. You don’t need to apologize for all that. Neither of us were watching where we were going, so it’s both our faults.”

Epel gave the redhead a fond smile. He was glad that Ace seemed better today. Not that he himself wasn’t concerned for his friend, but Deuce couldn’t stop talking about how weird Ace had been acting. At least Epel could go back and report good news. “Well, either way, I’m still sorry. Especially ‘cause you didn’t seem like you were all there.”

“Oh it’s fine I just-” Ace suddenly cut himself off, eyes no longer trained on Epel and instead in the courtyard.

It was like all of the noise was sucked out of the air as another all too familiar figure stood just beyond the entrance to the school’s courtyard. A boy who looked scarily like him stood there with bruises all over his body and blood dripping from his head. He stared at Ace with disdain and disappointment. He didn’t speak. He didn’t have to. Ace knew what he did to warrant that expression.

Epel turned around to see what he was looking at, but he didn’t see anything interesting. “Ace?” he asked again. The redhead was suddenly shaken out of his trance, looking extremely on edge. “Are you okay?”

“Psh! Yeah I’m fine! Great! Got basketball practice later so it's gonna be lots of fun!” Epel wasn’t sure what hurt more. The fact that Ace was lying or the fact that he was so not okay that he couldn’t even try to make his lie convincing. “I’ll see you around though yeah? Got important work to do and stuff.”

With that Ace left Epel in the hallway, practically running away with how fast he began to walk. As he walked, he quickly pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He knew he was working, but after seeing him…

He ran to the nearby bathroom, pressing the contact on his phone, and crouching down on the floor. He anxiously tapped on his knee as the phone began to ring. He knew what he saw was just an apparition of his memories, but still. He needed to call him just to make sure he still didn’t hate him.

Ace was about to hang up until the voice on the other line answered. “Hello? Ace are you okay?”

The redhead tried not to sound too relieved as he replied, “Hi Jack. Just… checking in. We haven’t talked much since I’ve started at school.”

“...What’s up with you Ace?”

“Huh?”

“Your voice has that little nervous edge in it when you’re trying to hide something from me.”

“I-it doesn’t.”

Jack chuckled on the other end of the line. “Uh huh. You know you can’t hide anything from me, right baby brother?”

Ace felt like facepalming. What was he thinking calling his brother? Now he’d actually have to talk about what’s been bothering him. “Yeah yeah. Whatever.”

“So? You wanna tell me what’s up? I’m assuming that’s why you called me.”

The boy worked himself up as he gathered his words. “So, um… I was just thinking about… Before.”

“Before? What are you thinking about that for?”

“I’m just having a week. And you’re telling me you never think about any of that?”

“I didn’t say that. I was just wondering what triggered these thoughts.” Silence filled their conversation for a few moments. “Ace?”

“I just wanted to ask you a personal question.”

Ace heard his brother moving around, probably moving to a more private room. “What’s up?”

“Do you… Do you still hate me?”

“Excuse me?”

His brother’s tone turned accusatory and angry. Ace immediately tried to backpedal. “I-I was just- Well, you know how I was always kind of a coward before you left and I-”

“Stop.” Ace closed his mouth, biting on the inside of his lip harshly. His brother was completely silent on the other side for a few moments. The younger brother almost apologized again before he heard the man sigh in defeat. “Ace. If you ever listen to anything I say listen to this. I never hated you, and I will never hate you, got that? Mom and Dad sucked, and I know both of us didn’t really get along, but I never hated you. I always loved you, and I will love you even in the afterlife. So get your head straight, yeah?”

Ace breathed in and out, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. He should’ve felt better, and he could argue that he did at least a little. But for some reason, he just felt this cold dread in his stomach. “Yeah. Yeah I got you,” he lied.

Jack went silent on the other side again. “Sorry if I lost my cool there. Just… And no offense, Mom and Dad really fucked you up.”

Ace let out a disbelieving laugh. “Oh, like they didn’t do that to you too?”

“Oh they did. I just got different issues than you.”

Another laugh was punched out of Ace. “Great Seven we’re so mentally stable.”

“The most.”

The younger one let out a loud exhale. He still felt like shit, but talking to his brother has been the closest he’s felt to normal before the accident in class. “Thanks for this,” he said. “I appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule.”

“You're my brother. Of course I’ll make time for you. And if you feel like calling me again you don’t have to hesitate.”

“Alright. Thanks again.”

“Love you Acey.”

“Love you too.”

With that, Ace pulled his phone away from his ear and hung up. He let out another exhale, weaving a hand through his hair. He could do this. He could get through this no problem.

—

Basketball practice was literal hell.

Not only did Ace have to run around with zero food in his stomach and zero sleep, his parents' voices came back to haunt him in the middle of a scrimmage. He could barely keep up with any of the plays people were making, let alone focus on what was even happening. The redhead thought he was holding it all in pretty well all things considered. At least he wasn’t actively having a panic attack on the court.

The only problem was that the voices were so loud that he could barely hear anyone or anything else.

Everything but his parents’ voices became white noise. It was like loud static that only proved to overwhelm him further. It was all too much, but what else could he do but stand there and act like he was actually useful in his current environment and current state? He couldn’t very well seem weak during practice.

But he could barely even function. It was only a matter of time before-

“Ace!”

The basketball suddenly collided with his face. Hard.

The next thing Ace knew was that he was lying face up on the cool floor of the court with two of his upperclassmen looming over him. Something wet was running down his lips. “Oh, good,” Jamil breathed in relief, “you’re awake.”

“What happen-?” Ace sat up, blood from his nose immediately splattering onto the floor. “Shit!” He held out his hand to catch whatever stray drops fell.

“I passed and you weren’t paying attention Crabby,” Floyd explained, handing the boy some tissues and examining his eye. “The bruising isn’t that bad.”

“Yeah. It could be worse,” Jamil agreed. “Your nose isn’t broken and your eye probably won’t swell.”

Ace pressed the tissues to his nose, feeling a strange sense of calm wash over him. He looked around and saw that the rest of the team had left. “Did you cancel practice?” he asked the captain.

Jamil shrugged his shoulders. “Practice was almost over anyway, and you were passed out on the ground so I ended it early.”

The redhead felt some guilt creep in, but felt strangely at peace. He couldn’t hear any voices and he didn’t even feel that anxious anymore. For the briefest moment, Ace thought the poison might’ve left his system. His mind felt so clear it was scary.

“You may have a concussion however. Do you need one of us to walk you back to your dorm?” Jamil asked, voice laced with concern.

“Oh, no it’s fine. I don’t feel concussed or anything so I should be fine.”

The two upperclassmen glanced at each other for a split second before standing up. Floyd helped Ace up as Jamil said, “Alright then. Guess that’s it for today then. I’ll lock up behind you two so you can go on ahead without me.”

“Thanks Jamil.”

“Catch ya later Sea Snake.”

The Heartslabyul and Octavinelle students walked out of the gym side by side. That eerie calm never left Ace as blood kept soaking into the tissues. He wished he didn’t lose consciousness, because even though he knew his mind shouldn’t go there, he couldn’t help but think the pain caused his hallucinations to stop. He could’ve been crazy. He probably was, but his mind couldn’t help but wonder.

“Hey. Crabby. What’s up with you and thinking today?” Floyd asked.

“What do you mean?” Ace replied.

“You were all spacey during practice, and you’re still spacey now. What’s up with that?”

“Oh, uh, just a little stressed with homework and stuff. Nothing too crazy.”

“Uh huh.” Floyd quickly dropped the topic, no longer seeming interested. He suddenly stopped walking, saying, “Well I’ll guess I’ll see ya next week.”

Ace turned around, surprised that his upperclassman wasn’t following him to the Hall of Mirrors. “Huh? You’re not heading back to Octavinelle?”

“Nah. Just remembered I need to talk to Sea Snake about something. Catch ya later, yeah?”

“Oh. Alright. G’night Floyd.”

“Night.”

Ace continued to walk back to his dorm, mind filled with static as Floyd watched him leave with a calculating stare.

Chapter Text

After another night of no sleep, Ace was beginning to think he was teetering on the edge of insanity. His concealer barely covered the bags that had formed underneath his eyes, and his makeup was always slightly off from perfect. It wasn’t that noticeable to any outsider looking in, but if they looked a little too closely, they’d see the mistakes in his perfectly crafted facade.

The voices were relentless today. They screamed and shouted vicious words he’s heard too many times before. At some point during the day, it almost became background noise for him, sinking into him like it was just normal. Any apparition he saw was ignored, like an annoying bug that wouldn’t stop pestering him. He tried not to pay attention to the weird looks he’d sometimes get from his peers that were watching him. He was dealing with everything fine, thank you very much. Ignoring the imaginary problem was the only thing that was working.

The bruise on his eye occasionally throbbed with pain, and those brief moments were the only times he felt even the slightest bit of relief from the weight on his chest. He got angry every time he felt that small relief. It was kind of fucked up how pain was the only way he felt any better. Was it an effect of the poison? Or was this just his anxiety going out of control? Or was it both?

“Ace!”

The boy was really starting to hate the sound of his own name. It sounded like a slur, or its own kind of poison. The redhead turned around to see Trey walking up to him. “Hey,” Ace said, mustering up a smile. It felt like he was splitting his own mouth open. “What’s up?”

“I was talking to Riddle and he said you were having trouble sleeping.”

“What are you doing just standing there?!”

“I’ve been sleeping great.”

Trey gave him a puzzled smile. “Your eyes are extremely bloodshot."

Admittedly, Ace barely paid attention to how he looked other than making sure his bruise was covered. “That’s not related.”

“You’re telling me you’re high instead of tired?”

“I wish you were more like your brother.”

Ace was silent for a few moments. “What will get me in more trouble?”

The third year chuckled, concern creeping into his smile. “I just wanted to say that I made some lavender tea if you feel like you need it.”

“You don’t deserve it.”

“Thanks. I might have some when classes are over.”

“And just so you know, you can talk to any of us if something’s bothering you.”

“You think you’re tough?! You think you’re worth something?! You think we give a damn?!”

The redhead gave the green haired boy a mock salute. “Yessir.”

Trey’s smile faltered slightly. “Alright. Don’t forget about the unbirthday party tomorrow morning. It’s the third Saturday of the month, as per the rulebook.”

“Gotcha.”

“This is all your fault brat!”

With that, the two Heartslabyul students waved goodbye to each other. Ace was left alone yet again, aimlessly wandering the halls before his next class.

Ace could feel himself losing it. Like a string of yarn held together by a single fiber. He’d been mostly fine on the outside now that he learned how to keep himself in check in front of others. But if he was being honest with himself, he could feel himself losing his mind. It felt like one minor inconvenience would send him spiraling into madness. One wrong move and all of his hard work making sure no one worried down the drain.

“You’ve done it now.”

Ace suddenly froze mid walk, seeing the ghost of his mother suddenly standing in front of him. His blood ran cold, eyes darting to the half empty bottle she was holding in her hand. His gloved hand began to shake uncontrollably, his body going into fight or flight. “It’s not real,” he whispered to no one. “It’s just a horrifying memory replaying in front of your eyes. You can’t feel pain twice.” Right?

He instinctively stepped back as the apparition stepped closer. “Ungrateful brat,” she spat at him. “After everything we’ve done for you-”

“It’s not real.”

“-you continue to hurt us.”

“It’s not real.”

Ace’s body didn’t agree with him. He kept on backing up as she got closer. “You’re selfish! All you do is take, take, take! You want to keep taking?!”

“It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s just your mind-” His mother suddenly smashed the bottle against the wall, glass shattering that caused Ace to flinch and shield his face. He knew what came next, and he wasn’t about to stick around for it.

He broke off into a sprint in the opposite direction of the woman, still hearing her voice ring in his ears like she was right behind him. “Where are you going brat?!” He didn’t dare look back and face her. He ran as fast as his body would allow him, the corners of his vision starting to blur.

It’s not real, he told himself over and over. His heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest, and his legs felt like they might give out any second. He needed out. He needed to get away from this. But how was he supposed to escape when his own mind was the thing that was haunting him?

Ace pinpointed the nearest bathroom and burst through the door. He locked himself in the nearest stall and sank down onto the floor, clutching at his shirt like it might alleviate the weight crushing him. His veins vibrated with fear, and his legs felt like jelly. Breathing didn’t even feel normal. Not when the voice in your head felt like it was holding a knife to your throat and one wrong move would kill you.

“You can’t hide brat!”

“You aren’t safe here!”

“You will always be alone!”

“It’s not real,” he whispered, hand reaching up to his throat to remove that invisible knife. His nails dug into his skin, scratching to alleviate the distress. Her voice kept on pounding in his ears, echoing in the confining stall. Ace nearly began to wheeze, covering his ears in a desperate attempt to make it stop. He just wanted it to stop. “It’s not real, it’s not real, it’s not real.”

His fingers grabbed onto some strands of his hair, pulling tightly as he repeated his mantra like a prayer. Ace didn’t pray. He stopped believing that the gods were listening long ago. Still, he whispered those words like someone might hear them and make it all stop if he begged enough.

“Ace?”

“Ace!”

He wanted it to stop. He needed it to stop.

“Ace? Are you okay?”

Huh? Who was that? Was someone at the stall door? How long had they been standing there? It wasn’t like Ace could answer them anyway. His lips were stuck whispering those same words over and over again like he was on autopilot. “It’s not real it’s not real it’s not real it’s not real-”

“I’m gonna unlock the stall now.”

Ace couldn’t try to get away even if he wanted to. His legs felt like they weighed a hundred pounds, and even trying to stand up might just send him back towards the ground. “It’s not real,” he kept whispering to himself, glazed red eyes staring at the blank stall wall in front of him.

“Hey, it’s okay,” a familiar, gruff voice said, beginning to cut through his hallucination. Strong hands pried his fingers off of his head. “You’re gonna rip your hair out if you keep doing that.”

Slowly but surely, the voice in his head began to fade until he could focus on the sound of his own breathing. He gripped the hands holding his tightly, eyes now trained on a crack in one of the tiles in the floor. “It’s not real. It’s not real,” he repeated slower, regaining control over his breathing.

Eventually, his breathing leveled out, and his hands only shook slightly. “You okay?” the boy asked next to him. Ace turned and saw Jack’s golden eyes staring at him with nothing but concern.

“Great. I’m so great,” Ace replied, voice shaky as he quickly averted his eyes back towards the floor. Great Seven this was so embarrassing. “I gotta head to class-” Ace attempted to stand up, his legs still feeling like jelly. He nearly fell back onto the floor but propped himself on the wall at the last second. His whole body felt weak as he stood there trying not to collapse.

Jack was quickly on his feet. “Do you need me to walk you back to your dorm?”

“No. It’s fine. I’m fine.”

Jack let himself be pushed aside as Ace walked out of the stall. He cautiously followed behind him, saying, “You’re clearly not.”

“Let it go man.”

“Ace-”

“It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”

Jack knew he should’ve pushed, because what just happened wasn’t normal. Ace was close to hurting himself, and he didn’t know why he was whispering to himself, but that wasn’t normal for him. Something was clearly wrong, and Jack didn’t understand why Ace refused to ask for help when he so clearly needed it.

“Should I get someone?”

“I’m fine Jack. You don’t need to worry.”

“But-”

Ace walked out of the bathroom, leaving the beastman alone to process that worrying display. He was fine, and he would prove it tomorrow in front of his whole dorm.

Chapter Text

It was Saturday morning. Never did Ace think he’d wake up dreading the weekend. He thought he got maybe an hour of sleep? He wasn’t keeping track at this point. There was no point in his opinion.

He felt sick when he woke up, nausea washing over him. His head pounded and stomach growled. Oh right, he thought belatedly, I haven’t been eating. That would definitely explain some things. How many days had he gone without eating? How had he not noticed the pain in his stomach until now?

A knock at the door startled him awake. “Ace?” Trey’s voice asked on the other side of the door. “Are you awake? We’re starting preparations for the party soon.”

“Yeah I’m awake,” Ace immediately replied as cheerfully as he could. “I’ll be out soon.”

“Alright. The freshmen are on rose painting duty, so report to the maze when you’re ready.”

As soon as Ace heard his vice housewarden’s footsteps slowly fade, he pushed himself off of his bed, feeling saliva pool in his mouth. He suddenly wished he had a water bottle nearby, realizing that he’s barely drank anything in days. Another wave of nausea washed over him as he stood up shakily. He could do this. He could get through the preparations until the party. Then he could satiate his overwhelming thirst and hunger.

The tightness in his chest quickly announced itself, making it harder for Ace to breathe. It made his nausea worse, making it look like the room was spinning. He almost didn't think that he’d make it out the door after he got ready, but the universe had plans for him today, he guessed. He could only dread what might be coming next.

The sun was entirely too bright as he stepped outside into the garden. He didn’t give his tired eyes any time to adjust as he booked it straight towards the maze. The boy found a patch of white roses and began to cast color changing spells on them. He did this all while occasionally looking over his shoulder, as if feeling an invisible set of eyes on him at all times.

He was waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was eerily quiet the entire time he was fulfilling his task, and he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Life hadn’t felt this oddly peaceful in a moment. He couldn’t help but be a little suspicious of it all. Something bad had to happen soon. He just knew it. The feeling was too strong to not ignore.

“Ace!” he suddenly heard Riddle’s voice call out to him. He turned to see Riddle walking through the maze, eyes landing on him. “Ah, there you are. Come with me. I need you to…”

Riddle’s voice drowned in his ears as an unmistakable shadow loomed over him. It was that grotesque creature that had nearly killed him and his fellow dormmates during Riddle’s overblot. He didn’t remember it being that big, or that menacing. And why did it look like it was staring at him? Why was it even here? They defeated it, didn't they? Why is it back? How is it back? Was it here to hurt everyone?

“Ace?” Riddle’s voice cut through, concern coating his features. “What’s wrong?”

Do you not see it?! Do you not hear it?! He wanted to shout, scream, yell, anything. But it wasn’t real, right? Was he really the only one who heard those noises? The sloshing and squelching of blot, the screeches and groans from the monster? And that shadow looming over them? Did he really not see it?

“It’s- Nothing.”

“Ace?” The creature moved, invisible gaze locked onto the two Heartslabyul students. The younger redhead stepped back instinctively, heart hammering in his chest.

“Behind you.”

Riddle turned around briefly, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. He turned back to a very frightened and terrified Ace. “There’s nothing there.”

How do you not see it?! “But-”

“What do you think you see?”

The housewarden carefully stepped towards his retreating underclassman. Ace hated the way the second year looked at him. He wasn’t some feral cornered animal. He was rightfully scared, and his housewarden just didn’t care. It was right there!

“It’s- I need- We need-” The monster began to approach them, causing Ace to step back even more.

“Ace, there’s nothing-”

Ace didn’t bother with sticking around anymore. Riddle didn’t believe him. That was fine. The monster seemed more focused on him anyway. He started running through the maze, still feeling the monster right behind him. He heard Riddle’s voice calling out to him as he kept on running. He didn’t stop, no matter what the second year was saying.

He was glad he had all of the different maze layouts memorized. Even running on pure fear and adrenaline, he knew each twist and turn to get back to the dorm. He barely noticed when he’d accidentally run into stray thorns poking out from the bushes, cutting through his dorm uniform and skin simultaneously. He couldn’t think about that. He couldn’t think about anything besides running away from the encroaching monster.

Riddle was keeping pace with him but was slower on his turns to the point where he eventually lost Ace in the maze. Even with Riddle gone, that monster still loomed overhead. His heart raced even faster. Why was it following him specifically? And why was no one else panicking? Surely he’d have heard their screams by now. Maybe that’s why Riddle stopped following him. He was going to warn everyone. Yeah! That made sense! That had to be why he suddenly found himself alone in the maze, running for his life back towards the dorm.

He could feel the thing right behind him. It felt like it was close enough to touch him. Its breath was heaving on his neck, and he swore he could feel bits of blot dripping onto his skin. Why wasn’t it attacking him? Why was it even here?

He suddenly saw the entrance to his dorm and darted straight through a crowd of people and towards the doors. He immediately turned into the nearest bathroom to collect himself. The monster wasn’t there anymore, but he could hear it. Almost like it was still in the room with him.

“It’s not real,” he whispered to himself. “It’s not-”

He looked up to see his reflection, realizing why that monster hadn’t attacked him. His face was covered in blot, dripping from his head and eyes. It made sense now. It was him. That monster was coming from him. He was the reason it was currently wreaking havoc. But when did he overblot? Why did he overblot? What drove him to this madness?

He suddenly began to hear his dormmates’ screams, causing him to flinch. Nothing about his mysterious overblot mattered now. He knew how he could fix it.

His fist suddenly connected with the mirror. Shards stuck out of his knuckles, but he barely even felt the pain. His shaking legs practically gave out on him as he knelt down to pick up one of the bigger shards, holding it in a vice grip. He could make it stop. He could make everything stop. He didn’t want to be the reason anyone got hurt.

“Ace.”

Just a quick swipe of the tip of the shard over his throat. It could be so easy.

“Ace!”

He could make it stop. He wanted to make it stop.

“Ace!”

All of a sudden, he felt hands holding his shoulder and wrist tightly. The small cuts from the thorns on his arms stung, and his knuckles throbbed with pain. He looked up at the person who had brought him back into himself. His housewarden sat there with him, gray eyes full of alarm and panic as he looked over him. Ace didn’t even know what he did to warrant that expression.

“Just,” Riddle said, inhaling sharply, “breathe.”

Ace did as he was told, even if it felt impossible to do so. “It- I wasn’t- There was-” he tried to explain, but the words wouldn’t form.

The second year’s hand left his shoulder, his grip on the boy’s wrist tightening slightly. “It’s okay. Just let go.”

Let go? Ace followed Riddle’s eyes to where he was still gripping the mirror shard. He barely even remembered picking it up. He slowly uncurled his fingers around it, dropping it into Riddle’s hand. He continued to breathe, his whole body shaking with adrenaline. The second year began to use his magic to heal the gashes on Ace’s hands.

“Riddle-” Ace started, unsure of what he was even going to say. He didn’t mean for this to happen? He didn’t know what he was doing? He just wanted to help? Nothing that came to his mind seemed to fit.

“Just focus on calming yourself down.”

Ace did as he was told, forcing himself to take slow, deep breaths. He focused on the feeling of Riddle’s fingers clasped around his wrist, the cracked off corner of one of the tiles on the floor, the sterile smell of the freshly cleaned bathroom. He suddenly felt lightheaded, his tense body suddenly slumping over. Riddle held him upright, carefully propping him up against the wall.

It took a few more moments of Ace forcing himself to breathe slowly before he could finally function properly again. Riddle’s grip on him loosened, panicked expression softening. “Are you okay?”

The first year’s entire body was shaking. He didn’t think he could even stand up if he wanted to. “I think so?” he replied, eyes darting around for any sign of that grotesque creature. “Sorry for dragging you away from the party.”

“Nonsense. Your well-being is more important.” Riddle continued to look over him for any serious injuries, frowning at the small cuts from rose thorns and mysterious bruises on the boy’s arms. Ace flinched as the two made eye contact again, unable to read the expression on his housewarden’s face. “Your pupils are unnaturally dilated,” he stated. Riddle’s gaze fell down towards Ace’s trembling hands. “How often have you been shaking like this?”

“Whenever stuff like this happens,” Ace answered.

“And how often have you been feeling like this? Your anxiousness.”

“I’m always anxious.”

Riddle gave him a look. “I understand that, but to this degree?” Ace just continued to breathe, trying to keep himself calm. His housewarden was just concerned about him, that was all. “Do you feel that you are in current danger?”

“I know I’m not.”

“I didn’t ask if you knew I asked if you felt that way.” His silence said everything. Riddle dropped the question, moving to examine Ace’s arms more closely as he started to piece things together. “Are you critically injured anywhere else?”

“I-I don’t think so.”

“Mm.” The second year didn’t think Ace was lying, but he wasn’t sure he was even capable of answering that question truthfully. “Did anything happen this week that I don’t know about?”

Ace mumbled something, his shaking starting to get worse as Riddle’s face started to blur. The room began to change around him, morphing into a place he knew all too well. Shouts began to echo in his ears, that familiar stench of alcohol and vomit filling his nose. He held onto Riddle tightly, shaking hands gripping his sleeves tightly.

“What was that?” Riddle asked, voice sounding like he was underwater.

“Something happened in Alchemy,” the first year repeated.

Riddle nodded gravely, keeping his expression neutral when all he wanted to do was scream as the final piece of the puzzle clicked into place. Why in all of Twisted Wonderland was he not informed sooner? “I’m going to call Trey and Cater to take you to the nurse, alright?”

Ace held onto him tighter. “I don’t-”

“Ace, you nearly tried to kill yourself. You need to go to the nurse until the poison is out of your system.” The redhead didn’t respond. The only sound that came out were his labored breaths. The second year pulled out his phone, opening his group chat with his upperclassmen. Riddle repeated, “I’m going to call Trey and Cater, alright?”

“Y-you’re not gonna l-leave right?” Ace asked nervously. The only thing that was separating his hallucination from reality was the fact that Riddle was still here in front of him.

“I’ll stay until the others get here.”

Riddle hit send and sat on the bathroom floor with Ace, hoping Trey and Cater got to them sooner rather than later.

—

“Oh. We just got a text from Riddle,” Trey said. The two third years opened their phones to see words that made their blood run cold.

“Need you to bring Ace to the infirmary. Bring sleeping powder if you can,” Cater read aloud. “That’s definitely not good.”

“You think Ace told him what was up?”

“Riddle probably just figured it out. Acey hardly lets anything slip.”

Trey frowned slightly. “Well, we should probably get that sleeping powder. We should probably run to the Alchemy Lab.”

“Nah no need. I should have some in my nightstand.”

“Since when did you have-”

“Hush now.” Cater held up a finger to Trey’s mouth, effectively cutting him out. “We’re helping Acey. Talk later.”

The two boys made their way to their shared room, quickly grabbing Cater’s sleeping powder before making their way to the bathroom. They wasted no time entering the room to find Riddle and Ace sitting on the ground together with blood and mirror shards surrounding them. The two upperclassmen froze in shock at the sight.

“Ah, good. You’re both here,” Riddle said, voice completely monotone.

“We brought the powder,” Trey said, holding up the small pouch of sleeping powder.

“Perfect.” Riddle turned back to Ace, whose gaze was seemingly trained on nothing. His breath was ragged, and his hands gripped Riddle’s so tightly it had to be cutting off the shorter’s circulation. “Ace, can you hear me?” He weakly nodded his head. “Can you see me?” He shook his head. “Cater and Trey are here. Is it fine if-?”

Ace suddenly jerked his whole body away, starting to back up further into the wall he was propped up against. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably. “No, no, no,” he whispered, eyes wide. “Get away from me.”

Riddle turned to his upperclassmen, holding out his hand expectantly. Trey dropped the powder into the second year’s hand. The housewarden wasted no time sprinkling some over the first year’s face. Ace’s eyes fluttered closed, his whole body going limp. Before he could fall, Riddle caught him and made sure to prop him up against the wall.

“What’s wrong with him?” Cater asked, unable to keep the anxiety out of his voice.

Riddle’s expression turned grave. Anger began to seep into his voice as he explained, “If my suspicion is right, Ace has inhaled some form of Skull Powder.”

Trey and Cater’s blood ran cold. “What?!” they both shouted simultaneously.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. The symptoms all line up. Increased paranoia, anxiety, delusions, dissociation. It’s safe to assume he’s been hallucinating as well based on his behavior. And I remember that the freshmen have all recently begun their toxins unit. Deuce had been complaining about not understanding how to differentiate some of them.”

“But how would he have been infected?” Trey asked. “Professor Crewel always makes sure all equipment is safe to use and that everyone is in proper lab attire.”

Riddle’s eyes narrowed as he clenched his jaw. “It doesn’t matter how. All that matters is that it happened, and he’s been without proper supervision for days. He needs to be taken to the infirmary until the poison is out of his system.”

Trey didn’t want to believe it, but it was evident from the barely contained rage and guilt in Riddle’s expression that Ace was a danger to himself. He could assume what had happened based on the bloody mirror fragments. “Alright. We’ll take him there now,” he said, moving towards the sleeping first year, gently picking him up bridal style.

Cater wordlessly followed Trey out the door, eyes trained on Ace the entire time. As soon as they were gone, Riddle cast a spell to clean up the bathroom before resolving himself to confront his professor tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Ace woke up to a bright light in an unfamiliar room in a bed that wasn’t his. He pushed himself up and realized that light was the bright sun shining through curtainless windows, and that he was in fact in the infirmary. He looked down at himself, still clearly in his dorm uniform. How long has he been here? And how long was he asleep for? Was the unbirthday party ruined because of him?

“Ace.”

“No,” he pleaded uselessly, hands shooting up to cover his ears.

“Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused us?”

He could see her out of the corner of his eye, slowly approaching him. He needed to run, but his body sat frozen on the bed, completely immobilized. “It’s not real. This isn’t real.”

She stood right at the edge of his bed, her figure looming over the scared boy. “You have done nothing but been a nuisance since the day you were born. Jack wasn’t even as insufferable as you.”

Hearing his brother’s name mentioned made him flinch. He tried to remind himself that everything he was hearing and seeing was fake. It was all just the most traumatized parts of his brain projecting his worst memories before his very eyes. He desperately clung to what little rationality he had left to convince himself that he was safe at school.

“Look at me Ace.”

The boy didn’t listen, his hands uselessly clamped on either side of his head. “You’re not real,” he whispered to no one. She wasn’t really here. She couldn’t touch him. She couldn’t hurt him. That was the most important part. She couldn’t hurt him, right?

“Look at your mother when she’s speaking to you.”

She wasn’t real. She couldn’t hurt him. This was all just his memories playing out before his eyes. It’s just a memory. It can’t-

Ace suddenly felt her hand around his throat, squeezing his airways. His eyes went wide in fear as he moved his hands, trying to pry her hand off. He tried to speak, to tell her to stop, but her grip was too tight. Nails dug into his neck harshly, and he could feel himself starting to lose control of the situation. Not that he ever had control in the first place.

“You’re nothing to this family. Got that? You’re only still here because of your brother. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve gotten rid of you a long time ago.”

The grip on his throat became tighter. He clawed at throat, trying to rip his mother’s fingers away from him. His effort was in vain as his vision began to blur and darken. He sputtered something, a reply, some kind of plea for her to stop, but nothing but his choked wheezes would come out.

He didn’t think the pain would ever stop until he suddenly found her hand receding and his eyes falling closed again.

—

Riddle stormed through Night Raven College’s halls with only one destination in mind. He’s had nearly twenty-four hours to process and regulate his emotions, but he can’t say time helped all that much. If anything, the rage in his stomach only boiled hotter. Still, he had to maintain appearances in front of students and staff.

That didn’t make his growing fury any less dangerous as he got closer and closer to the Alchemy Lab.

He took no care in politely interrupting Professor Crewel’s lesson. He walked, head held high and no regard for any of the other students working. “Professor,” he said, keeping his voice carefully neutral.

“Did you need something, Rosehearts?” Crewel asked.

It took everything in Riddle not to throw a spell at the man. That would surely get him detention and at worst, expelled. “Why was I not informed by any staff of my student’s condition?”

The professor’s eyes widened, immediately realizing that Heartslabyul’s Housewarden was talking about Ace. “I informed the headmage per school protocol and policy. He was supposed to inform you of the accident.”

The second year was silent for a few moments, his hands clenched into fists. “So the headmage didn’t think to inform me of the near death of my student?” Riddle watched as his professor pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out an exasperated sigh. He felt his jaw involuntarily clench and his nails dig into his palms harshly. He had to keep himself together for the sake of Ace. He couldn’t just fly off the handle just because one of his students had gotten hurt and was now in fatal danger.

But the longer Crewel stood there without a response, the more the rage burned him from the inside out.

“Thank you for informing me. I understand better now,” he stated, quickly turning on his heel and striding back towards the entrance. “I will reach out with any concerns I may have at a later date.”

Riddle quickly left the room, ignoring the stares of every student in that room. He was simply just concerned and enraged that he was not informed sooner. Any of them would’ve done the same. Or maybe he was just being an overbearing housewarden, just like how he was before.

The entire situation made him feel sick. How could he have been so blind to Ace’s suffering? Why did it have to take until the worst possible scenario for him to see what demons his first year was fighting? He wanted to throw the blame on literally anyone else. Anyone with a beating heart would do. He’d especially like to cut off Crowley’s head for not informing him and completely absolving him of any blame for Ace’s current state.

But he knew he held some blame for this whole situation. Ace was his responsibility, and instead of trying to figure out the problem, he instead foolishly left the first year alone. He knew something was wrong and yet he did nothing. He just let Ace walk around while he was reliving the worst moments of his life, one of which he was most likely involved in.

He took all of his guilt and reshaped into rage all directed at the incompetent headmage of Night Raven College.

“That bastard!” he screamed as he grabbed his pen and fired off a spell. Flaming rose vines shot out of his pen and towards the end of the hall, successfully ripping a few bricks from the wall. He watched as his spell burned and fizzled out on the ground, only leaving the charred remains of vines and a pungent smell in the air. His chest heaved with fury only gods could rival and hands shook with the urge to cause violence.

He’d feel ashamed of his outburst and feelings later. Right now, if he didn’t feel what he felt now, worse things than a little bit of property damage would occur.

“Woah, what’s got you all upset Goldfishie?” a familiar voice asked, looming right above him.

Riddle took a deep breath to re-center himself before sheathing his pen back in his blazer pocket. He cleared his throat and greeted politely, “Hello Floyd.”

The eel frowned. “Eh? Don’t give me that. You can’t just deflect your problems like that.”

The shorter turned around and glared at the taller. “I am simply being considerate and not subjecting you to my current emotions.”

“You forget I like pissing you off? You’re not gonna scare me off just because you’re a little mad.” Floyd flashed Riddle a sharp toothed grin. The redhead would rather die than admit that seeing the eel’s smile did make him feel a bit better. “So? You wanna tell me what’s got you so mad, Goldfishie?”

Riddle let out an exhausted sigh. There was no need for Floyd to know about a matter that was solely Heartslabyul’s business, but he figured it’d be good for him to tell someone. Besides, both Ace and Floyd were in the basketball club together, so the second year may have questions about the first year’s whereabouts later. “If you must know, I’ve recently discovered that Ace has been ill for the past few days.”

Floyd’s attention suddenly focused entirely on Riddle, his smile dimming and eyes holding something the Heartslabyul Housewarden couldn’t recognize. “Oh? Crabby’s sick?”

The boy’s anger was returning. He turned away from the taller second year as he explained, “I fear it’s much worse than that. During one of Ace’s alchemy labs, he ended up inhaling Skull Powder.” Floyd didn’t respond, so Riddle just kept going, spitting out, “And of course, the headmage has neglected to inform me of this for five whole days. I only found out because-” He couldn’t say it, the words catching in his throat.

Floyd got the picture though. His smile fully disappeared, staring down at Riddle with an unreadable expression, hands clenching in his pockets. The shorter of the pair took another deep breath to keep himself grounded. “Anyway, I was most likely about to head towards the headmage’s office to discuss his negligence and blatant lack of care for his students. My mind is clearer after my unfortunate outburst.”

“I’m going with you.”

Riddle looked up at the boy with surprise, alarm ringing throughout his head as a slow smile spread on the eel’s face. He’s seen that look on Floyd’s face too often to not know what he was planning. “I am simply going to talk to him. Nothing more,” he said sternly.

“You are. I’m not. The two don’t have to be related,” Floyd giggled.

“You-” Riddle cut himself off, only considering the consequences of bringing along his classmate for about five seconds before the smallest smirk appeared on his face. “Feel free to follow me then. What you do to the headmage is not my problem or concern.”

Floyd laughed maniacally as he trailed behind Heartslabyul’s Housewarden. “This should be a fun visit.”

—

Ace woke yet again only to find Cater standing over him with a terrified look on his face. The sun had lowered considerably, the bright white light reduced to golden rays streaming through the windows. “Cater?” he asked, hand reaching up to his throat after feeling a twinge of pain. He reached up and felt wet bandages wrapped around his throat. His fingers came away slightly red, and he could see dried blood crusted beneath his fingernails. “What did I do?”

Cater didn’t speak. How could he? What could he possibly say in this moment that would make everything better? He just gave the first year a strained smile and brushed his hair out of his face. “Don’t worry about it. I know you don’t mean to,” the third year spoke softly, unable to look away from the bloody claw mark stains on the bone white bandages. “How are you feeling?”

Ace immediately felt how dry his mouth was. “Thirsty.”

Cater was immediately there with a glass of water. Ace’s hands were too shaky to hold the glass himself, so the third year helped him drink. Once he finished the glass, Cater asked, “Better?”

“Sort of.” His mouth still felt dry, and his stomach ached fiercely. He could barely even stay upright.

He looked up towards the edge of the bed and saw that familiar apparition of his brother just staring at him. It really was uncanny how much they looked like each other when they were younger. Except for the eyes. Those orange eyes that glared at him with so much hatred and disdain that no words were needed. Ace could feel tears prick at the corner of his eyes at the sight. Didn’t he understand that Ace was in just as much trouble as he was? Didn’t he understand that they were both helpless in their situation? Ace knew he could be braver, could step up more, could stop being so much of a coward when it came to standing up to their parents. But he was scared damn it. Couldn’t he just play by their rules and try his best to come out unscathed on the other side.

“Acey?” Cater asked, seeing Ace’s eyes glaze over with tears and breaths become shallower. “Ace?” The boy didn’t respond, small cries leaving his lips. The third year frowned, his chest panging with pain as he refilled the glass of water, sprinkling some sleeping powder onto the surface. “Here. Drink some more.” Might as well get some more fluid in him before he goes back to sleep.

Ace barely even looked aware of himself and surroundings as he just blindly drank from the glass Cater held up to his lips. The third year was helpless as he watched the first year’s body sway, tear filled eyes blinking heavily before falling unconscious against the ginger’s shoulder. He held the boy close for a few moments, savoring the sound of his deep breaths and steadying pulse beneath his fingers. Cater knew going back in time was impossible, but given the chance, he would do so in a heartbeat to ensure that the two of them wouldn’t be in the situation they were in now.

“Sleep well Ace,” Cater whispered, laying him back down on his bed, hoping that Ace wouldn’t die without him there.

Chapter Text

Familiar hallways came into Ace’s sight as his eyes fluttered open. His heart rate immediately jumped up as the scent of bile and alcohol flooded his senses. How did he end up back at his parent’s house? Was he not in the infirmary last night? Why wasn’t he at the apartment? He thought he would never have to be back in this house. How did he wind up back here?

He flinched when he heard heavy footsteps echoing on the hardwood floor. His heart hammered in his chest as the footsteps got louder. “Ace,” he heard his name thunder around him. Hands immediately found their home over the redhead’s ears.

His name was like a curse he couldn’t be relieved of. A sickness that he couldn’t be cured of. He wished he could just stop hearing it. He wished it wasn’t thrown at him with such venom. He wished he wasn’t such a cowardly brat. Why was he back here again? Why wouldn’t they let him leave?

Shadows began to creep into his vision, their silhouettes revealing familiar figures he was haunted by. Ace scrambled backwards, the thud of heavy boots ringing in his ears. He needed to pull himself together. He needed to run. He needed to calm down. He needed to scream. No words were spoken but his name, and that just made it all the more terrifying.

On instinct, Ace turned and began to run down the hallway at breakneck speed, nothing but pure terror coursing through his veins. Tears blurred his vision but he knew the twists and turns like the back of his hand. How could he not? He ran through here more times than he can count.

His heart pounded so hard he thought it might explode out of his chest. Maybe then he’d finally be free of this nightmare. Of the glass shattering right by his head, of the constant degradation, of the everlasting panic in his blood, of having to survive in Hell. He let his feet carry him. It didn’t matter where he was going, so long as it was out.

“Ace!”

“Acey!”

“Stop running!”

“What you’re seeing isn’t real!”

“Ace!”

“Ace!”

The hallway was neverending. When would it ever end? Would it ever end? Would he make it out? Where was the door? The door had to be close by, right? Just around the corner? Maybe to the right? He just needed out of this haunted house. He wanted to go home. But did his home even still exist?

Did he ever make it out in the first place?

He felt fingers wrap around his arms and hold him in a vice grip. He couldn’t help the choked sob that was torn from his throat as he tried with all of his strength to rip himself away from the touch. “Get off,” he pleaded weakly, as if that would change anything.

“Ace, calm down-”

“You’re okay-”

“Get off of me.”

Those hands held him tighter as he writhed in their grip. “Just breathe.”

“It’s not real Acey.”

Glass shattered behind him. A thud against the wall. Retching. Sickeningly sweet apologies. The scent of bile filled his senses. His chest tightened with heartache. He knew what happened, and he already knew who it was. It was almost worse than not getting hit. What did he do when she was passed out? Why wasn’t she breathing?

He couldn’t relive this. Not again.

“Acey please-”

“Get off of me!”

Those hands held onto him tight but Ace was persistent. He was able to yank one of his arms free, nearly escaping before he felt arms snake around his midsection. He sobbed uncontrollably, shutting his eyes tightly as they tried to turn him around. He couldn’t face her. He wouldn’t. Nothing could make him face that again. Don’t put him back down that hallway.

He heard the sirens right as he was overcome with sudden exhaustion and passed out.

—

The first years had been walking to the cafeteria together when they heard Ace screaming down the hallway. They wasted no time running towards the scene of the crime, only to find Ace in the middle of what looked like passing out as Trey caught him. The first year’s body was battered. Bruises were forming on his arms and face, and his nose was bleeding. His eyes were red, tear tracks staining his face.

The third years noticed the other freshmen watching. Trey quickly picked Ace up, carrying him bridal style, giving Cater a look as he said, “I’ll take him back to the infirmary.”

Cater wordlessly handed him the sleeping powder before watching his classmate carry their freshman off to his hospital bed. His tired green eyes slid over to the freshmen, unable to muster up a friendly smile. “How much of that did you all see?” he asked.

“W-We just heard Ace screaming down the hall,” Deuce answered, voice coming out a little shaky. “What’s happening Cater?”

The ginger frowned, feeling that familiar burning behind his eyes. He forced himself to keep it together in front of the first years. “There was an accident during one of his alchemy lessons, and he ended up inhaling fumes for a pretty powerful toxin used in poisons. In this case it, um… causes the victim to hallucinate some very…. Uh, well, I don’t think I’m the best person to explain it. Riddle is the medical expert there.”

“Where is he?”

“Pouring over books in the library I’m guessing.”

“Can we-” Yuu started, their voice getting caught in their throat. “Are we allowed to see him?”

Cater knew he wasn’t much older than them, but it still hurt to think about how much hell these sixteen year old kids have gone through. And now one of them was dying. “It’s not a very nice sight, but yeah. You’re allowed to see him. Let’s go freshies.”

The freshmen all silently followed behind their senior, unease settling into their bones.

—

“Ace got injured. Need you here to look over him.”

Riddle had been scouring the library for the best techniques for treating someone afflicted with Skull Powder when he got the text from Trey. He was on his feet immediately, a spike of panic hitting his nervous system. He closed the book he was reading and stormed out of the library.

His talk with the headmage wasn’t very productive. It mostly consisted of Floyd making threats and Riddle only able to contain his anger enough to demand that Crowley call Ace’s emergency contact and inform them of his failure to keep him safe. He didn’t leave until he saw the man dial the number and talk to the first year’s guardian. From what Riddle could hear on the other line, he was not thrilled about being informed so late.

When he got to the infirmary, Trey was laying an unconscious Ace down on the bed with a grim expression on his face. Riddle immediately took note of the bruises that were forming on his arms. “What happened?” he asked his vice housewarden, rolling up his sleeves and moving to examine his first year.

“He was running,” Trey explained, “and he ran into a few walls. Cater and I stopped him. Eventually.”

“Any fractures you could feel? Anything dislocated?”

“Not as far as I could tell.”

Riddle hummed thoughtfully, grabbing a tissue and wiping the trail of blood from his nose away. He wished he could’ve seen what was going on inside the boy’s head. Maybe then he’d have a better idea of how to help him. “We’ll have to restrict his movements,” Riddle declared.

“Riddle-”

“If you hadn’t caught him worse things could have happened. And no one is here to monitor him twenty-four/seven.” Trey frowned, and Riddle didn’t like the idea either, but it was the only way to make sure he didn’t do anything worse. “Just his leg. We just have to restrain one of his legs so he can’t leave the room. There should be restraints here somewhere.”

The second year swiftly moved towards a few cabinets in the back and pulled out an ankle restraint. He methodically hooked the end of the restraint to the bed and then secured it around Ace’s right ankle. He felt Trey’s eyes on the back of his head as he worked. “Do you wanna say something?” Riddle asked him.

“It’s fine,” Trey replied.

“You can talk to me if you are in distress or would like to voice an opinion on what I am doing.”

“I think we’re both in a lot of distress because of this situation. You’re the one studying to be a doctor, so I trust you know what you’re doing.”

Riddle pulled out another tissue and wiped the remnants of Ace’s tears off of his face. “It’s the best way to ensure he won’t pull another stunt like this. Imagine if he got to the roof, Trey. Or somehow off campus. It’s better this way.”

The third year remained silent. He knew Riddle’s logic was sound, and his brain agreed with him. It was his heart that couldn’t take seeing Ace like this. He was sure it was just as painful for Riddle as it was for him to see their freshman like this.

“Hey, so, the freshies have questions,” Cater’s voice suddenly cut in, walking in with Ace’s entourage of friends.

“And you didn’t care to explain the situation?” Riddle asked.

“Gave ‘em the bare minimum explanation.”

The housewarden sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re all in the middle of your toxins unit, correct?” he asked. The gang nodded. “Well, during one of these labs, Ace inhaled a toxin called Skull Powder that’s often used in deadly poisons that causes the user to slowly kill themself. It targets the victim’s most painful and feared memories along with amplifying general feelings of anxiety from zero to a hundred.”

Trey pushed up his glasses out of nervous habit, chiming in, “Symptoms should go away in two weeks unless the victim kills themself first.”

The first years were all horrified. “Ace is dying?” Epel asked quietly. A solemn, heavy silence settled over the room as reality hit everyone like a freight train. No one wanted to say the quiet part out loud, but there it was. It was clear as day that Ace didn’t have much time if he kept going on like this.

Reluctantly, and almost painfully, Riddle admitted, “Yes.”

“There is a cure though,” Ortho quickly pointed out.

All of the upperclassmen frowned. “Yes there is,” Trey confirmed, immediately following up with, “but it’s extremely rare and sometimes has been rejected by the victim’s body depending on how long they’ve been under the influence. The longer we wait the more likely the cure won’t work. And it’s been a week.”

“So that means he’s halfway through the effects,” Sebek stated hopefully. “Skull Powder symptoms usually last two weeks do they not?”

“The after effects are often what do people in,” Riddle explained gravely. “Either due to lack of sleep, lack of food, hydration, injuries, or all of the above, the victim can’t properly function and ends up dying anyway. We’ve tried our best to increase his sleep via sleeping powder, but as I’m sure you all can conclude, that isn’t a foolproof solution since you can’t eat or drink when you’re asleep.”

“How did this even happen?” Jack questioned. “We always wear gas masks when working with any sort of toxin.”

“I had neglected to gather that information in my brief conversation with Professor Crewel, but the most logical explanation I can think of is faulty equipment.”

Everyone looked at Ace sleeping soundly. At best, he survived whatever hell he was going through. At worst, he was dead before the end of the week. Two very different and drastic outcomes. “Is there anything we can do?” Deuce asked, already knowing the answer.

“Pray to the Great Seven he makes it out alive?” Cater suggested.

“Very little can be done to help his condition now. The best we can do is simply be here for him,” Riddle offered. He rolled his sleeves back down with a brief exhale. “Now, I’m going to try and arrange transportation for Ace’s legal guardian to get here as soon as possible. One more thing that the headmage probably hasn’t done yet.”

With that, Riddle walked out of the infirmary with renewed purpose. The freshmen stood there, frozen in place. The Heartslabyul third years looked at them with sympathy. “You guys should head back,” Trey said softly. “You can come check on him tomorrow, okay?”

None of them moved, staring blankly at their unconscious friend. Cater pasted on a smile and gently ushered them out of the infirmary. Trey took off his glasses and buried his face in his hands. Barely a week in and things seemed hopeless. He wanted to look on the bright side, but today… He had to keep reminding himself that Ace was halfway through this nightmare. But if this was him halfway, what was going to happen towards the end?

Cater came back, unable to hide the tears that had formed in his eyes. He sat next to Trey and wrapped his arms around him, both of them clinging to any comfort they could offer each other as Ace slept.

Chapter Text

Ace blinked his eyes open, the bright white sunlight shining directly into his eyesight. He flung his arm over his face as he weakly pushed himself up. His hunger had managed to spread to his throat. His body was begging him to eat something, and Ace wasn’t about to resist that instinct.

Mustering up all of his strength, he stood up from his bed and moved to walk towards the fridge. Surely there was something-

He suddenly felt something pull back on his leg, tripping him, and causing him to fall face forward. He groaned in pain, his entire body aching as he collided with the cold stone floor. He tried to move his leg and found it wouldn’t move. He turned and saw a white cuff around his ankle.

“What the hell?” he mumbled, tugging on the restraint. “When did that get there? And why does-?” Ace caught sight of a purple mark underneath his blazer. He stupidly pressed on it, wincing at the dull ache. “How the hell- Ah!” He accidentally pressed a little harder into the bruise, hissing at the sting.

He took off his blazer and found that his arms were covered in red and purple splotches. His eyes went wide at the sight. When did this even happen to him? Did he do this to himself? Why can’t he ever remember what happens to him in between?

“Ace!”

His heart rate spiked briefly as he instinctually tried to scramble away from the sound of his name being yelled. His eyes landed on his concerned upperclassmen, specifically Cater and Trey worriedly running up to him. They set the bags they were carrying down and rushed to the boy’s side. “What did I do?” were the first words that came out of the redhead’s mouth.

“You kind of kept running into the walls down each hallway,” Trey explained.

“Oh.” Now wasn’t he an idiot for doing that.

Trey glanced over him, seeing nothing else wrong nor any indication that Ace was hallucinating. “How are you feeling?”

“Starving.”

“You’re in luck then,” Cater chimed in, fishing through one of their bags. He pulled out some containers, and the smell of food hit Ace’s nose, making his mouth water. “Courtesy of Jamil and Floyd. They made some soup and a few different side dishes that might go down easy.”

If his upperclassmen were in the room, Ace swore he would kiss the two of them because seriously he needed food. Trey seemed to notice this and said, “Let’s get you back in bed and Cater will pour you some soup and whatever else you may want.”

Ace nodded weakly, quietly hissing in pain as Trey hoisted him up, squeezing his arms a bit too harshly. The third year apologized quietly and gently guided him back to his bed. “Everything hurts,” he mumbled.

“Yeah I know.”

Cater came back over with a bowl of soup and a plate of curry and rice. “Eat what you can. Don’t worry about wasting anything,” he murmured softly.

Ace instantly thanked Cater and began to eat. He forced himself to eat slowly, resisting the urge to scarf everything down like a rabid animal. The soup was easy to keep down, but the rice and curry was a bit difficult. Despite the amazing flavor, every bite felt like mush in his mouth. He wanted so badly to spit it out, but the pain caused by the gaping hole in his stomach won out.

When Ace finished, felt the tiniest bit of his strength return. His upperclassmen smiled at him. “Feel any better?” Trey asked as Cater took the empty plate and bowl away from the redhead.

“Kinda. I’m still…” Ace looked down at his hands that had begun to tremble. “I’m still, like, not good.”

“I know. It’ll go away soon.”

“In the meantime, we come bearing gifts,” Cater cut in. He held a bag in front of him, clarifying, “Well, not gifts per se, but everyone wanted to give you some things to try and help keep you in reality.”

“Everyone?”

Cater nodded sheepishly. “Your friends found out. They were going to eventually, but they found out yesterday when you, uh…” The ginger waved his hand, gesturing to Ace’s bruised and battered body. “You get the picture. Anyways, they got some things for you. We did as well.”

The first thing and the biggest thing Cater pulled out was a familiar, worn, heart shaped pillow. Ace's eyes went wide for a few moments, unable to comprehend how Cater and Trey knew about his attachment to his pillow. “Deuce said you’d kill him for telling us, but he said that whenever you’re stressed you like to hold onto this pillow,” Trey answered the silent question in the first year’s head. “He thought it might help.”

With shaking hands, Ace reached out to take the pillow, hugging it tightly. He didn’t realize how much he missed the small comfort of hugging something. His fingernails dug into the plush fabric harshly, unable to form words. He knew how pathetic he must’ve looked in front of his seniors, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care about that.

“Yuu and Grim got you a weighted blanket since they thought it might help,” the ginger third year continued, his voice straining slightly when he moved to take it out of the bag and place it on the boy’s bed. “Jack left you a succulent, Ortho left you some colored pencils and markers, Sebek left you a fresh sketchbook, and Epel left you some of his family’s apple juice.”

Cater pulled out each item one by one, setting everything on the nightstand. Ace’s lips began to curl upwards, the feeling foreign to him. How long has it been since he last smiled genuinely? For a few brief moments, he felt strangely at peace even as his whole body shook with anxiety.

“I baked you a cherry pie as well,” Trey revealed, carefully taking the dessert out of the bag. “There’s eight slices pre-cut for you.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Ace said.

Trey chuckled nervously. “Well you’re my underclassman, and I’ll be honest this is just only one of the things I stress baked last night.”

“And Trey will be baking many more desserts in the coming week I’m sure,” the influencer interjected. He pulled out a few books and a deck of cards. “These are from Riddle. He picked out some books he thought you’d enjoy and the playing cards from our game night.”

Ace’s small smile faded into a guilty frown. “I’m sure he’s stressed.” And it’s all my fault.

“He’s better now that Crowley has gotten his act together a bit and started taking your condition seriously. He’s also been making sure that you’re exempt from any and all assignments, quizzes, and exams you might have in the coming weeks, so don’t stress about any of that.”

“Oh.” That was nice.

“Anyways, one last gift, and this one’s from me.” Cater pulled out two small picture frames. “Do you remember that one party where cake got all over Riddle’s uniform?” Ace grimaced slightly but nodded. “Well I scoured through all of the photos I took and I came out with this.”

Cater handed him the first frame holding a picture of him and Deuce with their upperclassmen on that day of the party. Riddle was fuming, Ace laughing while Trey and Deuce were trying to contain their laughs, and Cater taking a selfie of all of them. It was a great group photo, even though they all looked like a mess covered in the remnants of the cake. Ace’s smile gradually returned the more he stared at it.

“This other one is a picture Yuu sent to me. It’s of you and your friends at Ramshackle playing “Uno” or whatever they called it.”

Ace took the other photo. It was another selfie, but still a great group photo. Sebek and Epel were raging at each other, even though Ace couldn’t exactly remember what they were mad about this time. Deuce was trying to break up their fight while Jack was trying not to smile, and Ortho was holding onto his one card, which Ace remembered was a plus four. The redhead was laughing in this photo too, and Great Seven he’d give anything to relive these memories instead.

“Thank you,” Ace squeaked out, overwhelmed with his emotions. “These- This all means a lot.”

The two third years just smiled at him. “Of course, Ace,” Trey replied. “We’re just glad you’re feeling at least a little better today.” Cater nodded in agreement, brushing a stray strand of hair away from Ace’s face. Trey checked the time on his phone. “Riddle will be here around three to check on you. I think he’s bringing Ortho with him, so fair warning, you’ll probably feel like you’re in a hospital.”

That earned a small chuckle out of Ace. “Alright.”

“Here.” Cater filled up a glass of water and sprinkled some sleeping powder into it. “If you start to hallucinate again, in any way, just drink this and it’ll knock you right out.”

“Thanks.”

“‘Course.”

“We’ll be back in an hour to check on you before Riddle comes, alright? You need anything else before we head to class?”

“I’m all good.”

“Alright then.” Trey and Cater picked up their now empty bags and walked away towards the exit. “Get some rest Acey.”

“I will.” With that, Ace’s upperclassmen left the room, leaving him alone. Ace propped the framed photos up on his nightstand before fully collapsing back onto the bed. He pulled the weighted blanket over him as much as he could before resigning himself to try and sleep his physical pain away. His trembling fingers reached for the glass, even though he heard nothing but silence and saw nothing but the sterile room he was forced to be confined in, but he’d rather be safe than sorry.

Ace drank the entire glass before he felt himself being pulled under into the sweet embrace of sleep.

Chapter Text

Familiar, raucous laughter rang in Ace’s ears. He was back in his childhood room, listening to his father’s friends drunken laughs in the living room right downstairs. He didn’t even know what time it was, but he wanted to go back to sleep. He could hear the sound of chips clattering on the table and the shuffling of cards like he was right in the room with them. He sighed and clutched his pillow tighter.

“Ace? Did I wake you up?”

The redhead curled in on himself further, mentally willing himself to stop shaking. His body already hurt enough just lying there. Every little movement shot pain up and down his arms and legs. He felt something tugging on his leg as he attempted to bring his knees closer to his chest.

“Um, did you, uh, need anything?”

Why did that voice sound so familiar? And where was it coming from? “It’s so loud,” he muttered, his words slurring.

“Oh, uh, okay.” Seriously, why was that voice so familiar? “I can stop talking if you want.”

“No.” He surprised himself with the vehemence in his voice. He heard another sharp round of howling laughter echo from downstairs, causing him to flinch. “It- It’s fine.”

“But if I’m being too loud-”

“It’s not you.”

The voice went quiet for a few moments, and Ace was worried that he might’ve scared the owner off. But then it was back. “Oh. Are you okay?” The redhead’s face scrunched up. “Alright, yeah, dumb question. You haven’t been okay for an entire week. Do you need anything?”

“Keep talking.”

“Alright then.” Ace focused on the sound of the voice as it rambled on. “I, um, I came here to check on you, obviously. You were sleeping when I came in and I was just going on about track practice. Jack was off his game. I could tell he was trying not to think about you, but he was telling me how he was feeling guilty about not having the time to come see you today.”

Jack? Like his older brother Jack? His brother didn’t even live with them anymore, and he definitely didn’t run track. He was on the basketball team at Night Raven College. Ace almost asked, but he shut his mouth when he heard hands slam on a table downstairs, the sound of chips clattering on the ground echoing up towards his room.

“Everyone else was pretty busy too. Dorm responsibilities and extracurriculars and whatnot. Riddle let me skip unbirthday party preparations to come check on you. He’s been… quiet lately. The whole dorm’s been quieter without you. And your stuff on your nightstand is getting all dusty even though it’s only been a week since all this started.”

Ace didn’t understand anything the voice was saying. What in all of Twisted Wonderland was it even saying? All he knew is that he couldn’t take the grating sounds of the makeshift casino his dad had made downstairs. He recoiled at the sound of muffled shouts and more chips falling to the ground.

He felt a gentle hand slip through his own. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Hesitantly, Ace squeezed back. He looked up and saw his best friend suddenly sitting in his room with him. “Deuce?” he questioned.

“Yeah?”

He didn’t understand. How was Deuce in his room? He didn’t even know the address to his childhood home, only the apartment. How did he find him? Unless he wasn’t actually home. If he remembered right, he was in the infirmary with Cater and Trey-

He flinched at another loud noise, tugging on his ankle restraint. Ace squeezed the boy’s hand tighter. Deuce squeezed back, and he felt tears prick the corner of his eyes. “I can’t tell what’s real and what’s just in my head,” he whispered.

“I’m real,” Deuce assured him. “I promise that I’m real.”

“Are you?”

“Yeah. I’m with you. I’m here, Ace.”

The redhead let out a shaky sigh. He wanted to believe him so badly, but how could he when everything else felt so real? “Don’t leave,” he begged. “Please don’t leave.”

Deuce held onto his hand tighter. “I won’t. I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

Ace let out a few more shaky breaths, feeling some tears roll down his cheeks. He continued to hold onto the boy’s hand, praying to any gods that were listening to end his nightmare swiftly. He didn’t care how, he just wanted it to end.

His best friend kept his promise, holding his hand until he felt himself be yanked into a dreamless sleep.

—

Deuce watched Ace fall asleep with guilt as he put the sleeping powder back on the nightstand. The redhead’s hand relaxed in his grip, fully detaching himself from his roommate. Deuce didn’t let go.

He rested his chin on the edge of Ace’s bed, thinking about how much the two have been through together. They’ve fought against and survived five out of seven overblots together. He’s seen Ace bruised and broken, but this? Seeing him reduced to the scared little kid that he never let out even during those times? That broke something inside of him.

“You’re gonna be okay,” he said, like saying it would will it into existence. “You have to be okay, you hear me?”

He felt words begin to pour out. “You’re a jackass for this you know? For not telling any of us. We would’ve helped you y’know? Maybe it didn’t have to come to this. Maybe you’d be fine and none of us would have to miss you during lunch or class. Maybe you’d actually be studying with us instead of being forced to sleep.”

Deuce felt tears form in his eyes. His throat tightened as he continued, “I really hope that if we didn’t fight you would’ve told me. Or someone at least. But here we are.” He shifted so that his forehead was pressed into the sheets. “If you die here, I’ll never forgive you, you hear me? You’ve survived worse, so you cannot let this stupid poison do you in now. So just-” A sob escaped his throat. “-just talk to us. Be honest for once. Let us help you.”

He did his best to hold in his cries, but it was like the reveal from yesterday and what happened in front of him hit him all at once, and he couldn’t hold it in anymore. His best friend was dying and he couldn’t do anything about it. One of his closest and only friends was suffering and he didn’t do anything about it. If the shame didn’t eat him alive, the guilt surely would.

“You can’t leave me either, idiot. You’re not allowed to leave me too,” he choked out. His hand shook as he held onto Ace like it was the last time he might have the chance. He continued to sit and hold onto him before exhaustion overtook him, telling himself that Ace would be okay.

Chapter Text

The distinct smell of apples hit Ace’s nose as his eyes fluttered open. His head was pounding, vision blurry as he tried to figure out where he was. Every atom of his body burned like he had just been through a shredder. It was too bright to be his childhood home, but the smell wafting towards him signaled him that he wasn’t in the apartment either. Where exactly was he?

As he pushed himself up, he heard a soft voice say, “How’re ya feelin’?” His whole body practically seized at the sudden sound, his heartbeat suddenly ringing in his ears as he nearly fell off the bed. Ace’s head whipped towards the owner of the voice, finding Epel’s concerned face scrunched up in guilt. “I-I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to scare ya.”

“It’s fine. Just didn’t know you were there,” Ace replied. He ran a shaking hand over his face. “How long have you been sitting there?”

“About half an hour.”

Ace blinked harshly a few times. “Have you just been watching me sleep?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s cool.”

Epel watched as his friend’s entire body shook, like simply sitting there on the hospital bed was a gruelling effort requiring all of his strength. He watched Ace continue to blink, squeezing his eyes shut; as if that would solve his problem if he just tried hard enough. The shorter first year took note of the redhead’s smeared makeup. Dark circles were prominent underneath the boy’s red-rimmed eyes, and freckles Epel didn’t know Ace even had popped up on his face.

“Was Deuce here the other day?” Ace suddenly asked him.

Epel shook himself out of his thoughts. “Uh, yeah. He said somethin’ about visiting you yesterday. He looked pretty rough and wouldn’t really talk much.” He glanced over Ace’s bruised arms. They looked even worse now that they were healing. “I was gonna come with him, but you know Vil. Ended up having a breakdown that night and that’s the only reason I’m able to see you now.”

He let out a rueful chuckle as he recalled the pitying look on Vil’s face when he and Rook found him sobbing while trying to practice applying his makeup for the thousandth time that night. Great Seven not only was that embarrassing but the pity was so demeaning that Epel almost confused it for concern. Solidifying that he was still a disappointment to Vil just broke him even more.

A hand suddenly came down on his head. The touch wasn’t necessarily rough, but it wasn’t soft either. He looked back up at Ace’s face, glazed red eyes narrowed like he was struggling to see. “You’re here?” he asked.

“Uh, yep. Ya got yer hand on my head there,” Epel replied, his southern accent slipping out. Ace nodded and gave Epel another pat on the head, gentler this time before retreating back to his default position of lying down. The lavender haired boy looked away, a frown permanently etched on his face as he brought his knees impossibly closer to his chest. “You shouldn’t sleep with your makeup still on.”

Ace blinked, the bright white light starting to dim. “Hm?”

The Pomefiore first year didn’t know why he said it. It wasn’t like Ace was ever lucid enough to take off his own makeup. “Clogs your pores. Can get acne from it.”

“Right.”

Epel tugged at the end of his sleeves. “Will you let me help you?”

It took a few moments for Ace to respond, but he nodded, and Epel pulled out the emergency makeup removers Vil had him carry. The redhead pushed himself back up into a sitting position. Epel carefully held Ace’s face in his free hand while he took the wipe and gingerly began to wipe off the boy’s makeup.

“I can’t see you,” Ace murmured helplessly.

Epel felt his heart crack. “What do you see?”

“I don't know. Everything’s so blurry.” Ace took a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm himself. “Where are we?”

“We’re in Night Raven College’s infirmary.”

“Oh.” Ace took Epel’s word for it.

Layers of makeup came off with ease, revealing more of Ace’s little imperfections. More freckles appeared with each swipe against the boy’s cheek, and the bags under his eyes were now on full display. Epel paused when he saw small, white lines scattered around Ace’s face. They were primarily on the left side of the boy’s face where he drew his heart suit. Clusters of small scars decorated that corner of Ace’s forehead and around his eye.

Epel ran his finger along some of them, feeling the difference between the different tissues. He recoiled when he felt Ace flinch from the touch, wincing as if he could still feel the pain. “How’d you get these?” he asked.

“Glass,” Ace answered, curling in on himself.

He didn’t push. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Epel shook his head but didn’t say anything. He could hear footsteps approaching from down the hall as he finished cleaning Ace up. He turned to face the boy that had just walked through the door. “Hey Jack,” he greeted as normally as he possibly could.

The Savanaclaw freshman stood there for a few moments just staring at Ace. Epel couldn’t read him, but he could tell he was upset based on the way his ears flattened and tail drooped. “He needs to eat something,” he said, setting down his bag in the corner next to Epel’s and making his way towards the fridge.

Ace’s eyes darted around, trying to find the familiar silhouette of the beastman, but to no avail. The room was fluctuating between being too bright and too dark, and it felt like a slab of concrete was pushing down on his chest. Was this what dying felt like? Was he actively dying right now?

A different scent hit his nose as he heard who he assumed to be Jack walking towards him after a few minutes. “Reheated soup,” he stated. Ace felt the porcelain of the bowl touch his lips before he felt the beastman slowly tip the bowl so he could eat. Epel threw away the makeup wipe and watched as Ace tried to stomach the soup.

Ace got down about half of the bowl before he weakly pushed it away from him. Jack wordlessly took the rest of the soup away and just held it for a few moments before setting it down on the boy’s nightstand. “Jack’s here too now?” Ace questioned as he laid back down.

“I’m here,” the beastman replied.

“I can’t see either of you.”

Jack’s ears flattened and Epel brought his knees back to his chest. Neither of them knew what to say. What was there to even say in the first place? Getting everything off their chests felt too much like saying goodbye, but not saying enough might leave them with regrets.

Ace winced, shutting his eyes tightly as a loud, blaring sound hit his eardrums. He brought his hands up to his ears, alarming his friends. “What’s up Ace?” Epel asked.

“Too loud,” his words slurred. As the room got darker, he strained his eyes to try and see anything else. Red and blue flashed across his vision. “Did you call the cops?”

“No. There’s no reason to, right?”

The boy’s lack of response wasn’t comforting. They watched as the redhead’s chest rose and fell with each shallow breath he took. His eyelids opened and closed like he was having trouble falling asleep. His pupils were far too dilated for him to look anything but out of touch with reality. “The sirens are really loud.”

Jack reached for the sleeping powder. It probably wasn’t the best time to use it, as whatever Ace was hallucinating didn’t want to make him kill himself, but how could he just sit there and do nothing while he suffered? At least this way, Ace could just sleep peacefully. “Do you want it to stop?” he asked, unable to keep the guilt out of his voice.

Ace pressed on his ears harshly, nails digging in on either side of his head. “Please.”

The wolf sprinkled some of the powder over Ace’s face, causing him to pass out and relax completely. It was like watching him drop dead right before their eyes, which wasn’t helping. Talking to Ace felt like talking to a rotting corpse that somehow still had parts of its soul left.

“It’s like he’s a whole different person,” Epel remarked, resting his head on his knees. Jack didn’t reply, taking a seat on the floor by the foot of Ace’s bed. He leaned his head against the mattress, unable to look at anything but the floor. “You okay?”

“My siblings have gotten sick to the point of permanent bedrest before,” he explained. “I’m used to this feeling.”

It was a blatant lie, both of them knew, but it was better to think of this whole situation like that, wasn’t it? Ace wasn’t at risk of dying. He was just sick, and he needed extra outside help in order to get better. They could tell themselves that lie all they wanted, but they couldn’t delude themselves from the truth as they looked at Ace’s frail and battered body. Ace wanted to kill himself whether he knew it or not.

The two freshmen were snapped out of their thoughts but a familiar pair of powerful footsteps and the sound of a machine whirring. Their heads snapped towards Riddle and Ortho, who had just walked in to do their periodic check on Ace’s condition. Heartslabyul’s Housewarden wasted no time with pleasantries as he inquired, “Were you able to get him to eat?”

“Half a bowl of soup sir,” Jack replied.

“Good.” Riddle stepped closer to Ace, carefully examining him for any new injuries as Ortho scanned him. He winced at the sight of newly discovered scars on the boy’s face. “No new wounds is a good sign.”

“His condition has improved minimally since yesterday,” Ortho stated. “He is still lacking sufficient nutrients.”

“We’ll just have to hope he’s docile enough during the next few days while the poison is still in his system. In the meantime, I’ll log his vitals.”

Riddle walked towards the back of the infirmary, leaving the freshmen to silently grieve their best friend. Ace had to be okay. He would be okay, and Riddle was going to make sure of it.

Chapter Text

There was an incessant ringing in the redhead’s ears. The shouts of rowdy, drunken men traveled up the stairs. Ace wanted to cry, but no tears formed. He’d been crying enough lately, his body seemingly decided.

“Trappola.” Ace jumped, his ankle throbbing in pain as he instinctively coiled in on himself, yanking on the restraint. The voice spoke again, quieter this time. “A-apologies. I didn’t mean to cause more distress.”

A familiar pair of gold-green eyes appeared by his bedside. “Sebek?” Ace questioned as his friend slowly came into focus. He blinked slowly, as if he would disappear at any moment. “What are you doing here?”

Sebek looked around like he was surveying his surroundings. “I came here to check on you.”

“How’d you get in here?”

“Where is “here” for you exactly?”

Ace flashed a bewildered look his way. “My room?”

“It doesn’t look like that to me.”

“Then… then where are you?”

“From my perspective, we are currently situated in the infirmary at Night Raven College.”

Ace let out a shaky breath, unable to keep the frustration from building. He felt like he was losing his sanity. Maybe living in this house had finally broken him. “Wish I could see what you see.”

“I wish you could as well.”

“Ace!” his father’s voice boomed up the stairs. “Ace where the hell did you put my money?!”

The boy flinched, ankle tugging on the restraint. His hands reached up to cover his ears, trying to drown out the sound of fists pounding against his door. He felt lethargic before, but now he was extremely alert. His eyes darted around for any other means of escape. The window maybe? Would he even be able to make a safe landing in this state?

“What is troubling you Trappola?”

Another harsh round of pounding made its way to Ace’s ears. His ankle twinged with pain as he curled in on himself further. “I can’t be here,” he whispered in panic. Before Sebek could form a response, Ace jumped at the sound of wood and paint chippings falling off his door frame. A quiet cry escaped his lips. “I need to get out of here.”

A firm yet gentle hand pressed down on his shoulder. “I unfortunately cannot let you,” Sebek said.

Tears pricked the corner of his eyes. “Well if you were the real Sebek you’d-” He jumped again, biting the inside of his cheek harshly to keep any noises from slipping out.

“I would do what?”

Ace couldn’t speak, too paralyzed by fear. He needed to leave. He wanted out. He couldn’t very well try to run with Sebek here. If anything, he’d probably just try to stop him from leaving. He tried to sit up and felt that sharp tug on his ankle yet again.

“Trappola-”

The banging became more insistent. Ace swore he could see the hinges beginning to give out. He wanted to leave. He needed out. He needed to be let out of the prison he was forced to call his room. He would die if he stayed any longer.

“You’re hurting yourself-”

Ace felt hands clasped over his wrists, and a panic settled into his bones. “Get off of me,” he demanded, trying his best to wrench himself away from the strong grip restraining him.

“Ace-”

“Get off.”

“You-”

The boy’s chest tightened. His rib cage felt too small. His stomach churned. He couldn’t stay here. He needed to leave. He wasn’t safe. “Get off, get off, get off-”

His vision suddenly went dark as the door to his room finally broke off its hinges.

—

Sebek carefully moved Ace’s now unclenched hands away from his face and hair. His heart panged with sadness as he placed the sleeping powder back on Ace’s nightstand. He gently laid the forgotten blanket back over the redhead’s body and kept his eyes on him, watching for any sign that he might’ve been in distress.

If he recalled correctly, Rosehearts would be back from the Equestrian Club with Silver shortly. Then he could leave his upperclassman to tend to his freshman. Until then, Sebek was determined to not leave. Ace was one of his closest friends, and he would protect him while he was stuck suffering in this vulnerable state. Even if Ace didn’t think Sebek was trying to help him.

“Hello Sebek Zigvolt,” Ortho greeted the half-fae as he hovered through the doorway.

“Good afternoon Shroud,” Sebek replied, not taking his eyes off of Ace.

The android floated next to his fellow freshman, his eyes scanning over Ace’s unconscious body. “He did not eat while he was awake.”

The boy’s hands clenched into fists in his lap. “I couldn’t even try to make him feel safe long enough to have a proper conversation.”

Ortho hummed thoughtfully in acknowledgment, his gaze shifting over to his other friend. His eyes studied the half-fae’s schooled expression. “Studies often show that talking about your emotions towards traumatic events may help ease the burden of them. But it is also entirely up to you whether you wish to do so or not.”

Sebek didn’t speak. Talking about his own thoughts and feelings wouldn’t do Ace any good while he was still in this state. Everyone else was devastated enough, reduced to meager shells of themselves that could barely make it through the day without fretting over the fate of Trappola. The only productive thing Sebek could do was simply care for Ace in the best way that he could currently offer, regardless of how helpless he felt.

“I am still not sure if I can really feel,” Ortho started, “but when I look at Ace Trappola like this, something shifts in my processing. I am wired to find the most optimal solutions to problems, but I often find myself wanting to disregard what that solution is when it comes to this. I don’t like when he must be forced to sleep, even though it is the most effective way to provide him peace. I don’t like that he must be restrained, but it is the best way to ensure he doesn’t roam the halls when no one is present to help him.” The young boy powered off his thrusters, slowly descending so that both feet were planted on the ground. He stood next to Sebek as he finished, “I guess what I’m saying is that this situation frustrates me.”

Sebek turned to Ortho, slightly disoriented as he found himself looking down at the boy for a change. “I can understand that,” he empathized.

“Feelings are strange.”

“I agree.”

“I see why organic beings don’t want to talk about them sometimes. Admitting all of that did not make me feel much different. Maybe a minimal amount of relief.”

The green haired boy nodded slowly. “I believe most people often don’t feel very different when the situation is as dire as this one. Dread only continues to build.”

Ortho turned back to look at Ace. “Well, I guess the only other comfort is that we share similar feelings about this situation.”

Sebek did the same, turning to look at the redhead’s peaceful expression as he slept. “I suppose.”

The two boys continued to watch over Ace, allowing themselves to finally feel what they needed to since everything occurred. They sat there until Riddle came back, finding what little comfort they could in each other.

Chapter Text

Ace was about ninety-nine percent sure he was losing his mind. Just yesterday he was in his childhood home, and now he was in Night Raven College’s infirmary. He wanted to scrape off his skin as frustration began to bubble in his veins. Why did he feel like he was living two separate lives lately?

“Hey,” a quiet voice said next to him.

Ace’s muscles involuntarily forced him to recoil away from the gentle voice next him. His eyes slid over to the owner of that voice, only to find the Prefect of Ramshackle sitting on a chair with their knees curled up to their chest. “Hey,” Ace replied weakly, immediately noting how their eyes were red and puffy and held bags so dark it looked like they hadn’t slept in days. “What’s up?”

Yuu glared at the redhead. “I know you didn’t just ask me that.”

“I haven’t talked to you in days. I just-”

“You want to die and you’re asking how I’m doing?”

It took Ace a few moments to process what Yuu had said and why they sounded so angry. “You make it sound like I chose to feel this way.”

Their eyes went wide for a split second, regret coating their features. “I-I know you didn’t choose any of this. I’m just mad- Just-” They took a deep breath, and Ace could see tears forming in their eyes. They buried their face in their knees, voice cracking as they said, “Please don’t ask me how I’m doing right now.”

“Okay.”

After a few moments of silence, Yuu lifted their head and took a deep breath, wiping away any stray tears that escaped. “Sorry. Been kind of a wreck lately. To be honest, I wasn’t even planning on talking to you today.”

Ace felt a tiny pang of heartache in his chest at the thought of his best friend not wanting to talk to him. “So you were just gonna watch me sleep the whole day?” the redhead questioned.

A flicker of a smirk graced Yuu’s lips. “You make it sound like I’m a creepy stalker.”

“Not saying that. Just a weird way to spend your time in my opinion.” He shifted so that he was lying on his side facing the prefect. “You look tired.”

“Have you looked in a mirror recently?”

Ace didn’t even know when he would have the time to do so, but he could probably guess that he looked way worse than his friend sitting next to him. He couldn’t even push himself up from his current position. He was sure he looked pathetic right now. “Haven’t been too concerned about how I look lately.”

“That’s fair.” The redhead let out a quiet exhale, and whatever hint of a smile Yuu might’ve had disappeared. “How are you feeling?”

“Awful.”

The prefect pulled on the fabric of their pants, unable to look Ace in the eye. “I’ve been, um, talking with Riddle when he has the free time.”

Ace waited for them to continue, growing slightly concerned when they just stared out into space. “And?” he prompted.

“Do you… Do you really want to kill yourself?”

The question felt so random but so targeted that Ace was clearly taken aback, his eyes widening in fear for a split second. His expression shifted into something more thoughtful as he pondered Yuu’s question. “No,” he answered confidently.

He expected Yuu to feel better, but their frown only seemed to deepen. “But you did at some point?”

“...Yeah. Yeah at some point.” Ace became lost in thought for a moment, his mind wandering to memories that seemed like they belonged to a different person. “I thought about it a lot. On the really bad days, I’d just kind of sit there and think about all the different ways I could do it. I obviously never went through with it or else I wouldn’t be lying here talking to you, but I can’t say I’ve never entertained the idea.”

Silence echoed throughout the infirmary. Neither party knew what to say next. What do you say after someone admits they were suicidal when they were younger? Ace probably wouldn’t know what to reply with. He didn’t even know if he should follow that up with anything else.

“Sorry,” Yuu choked out. Ace saw tears form in their eyes as they shifted to bury their face in their knees. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to-” They cut themself off with a sharp inhale, tiny whimpers escaping their lips.

The boy propped himself up by his elbows and forced himself to fully sit up. “Hey. Um-” He fought the dizzy spell that threatened to push him back towards his bed. “Listen, I’m not gonna die.” I’m not going to kill myself, he refrained from voicing, lest he’s reassured that he’s currently in reality and actively deteriorating.

“You don’t know that. You’ve barely been coherent and aware of yourself the past few days.”

Ace had to give them that. Even sitting here talking to Yuu felt like a hyperrealistic simulation rather than an authentic conversation. “Maybe not,” he admitted. “But I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

Yuu lifted their head to get a good look at their best friend’s face. He flashed them a smile that was clearly forced through his exhaustion, but also still inherently Ace that it broke something inside of the prefect. They lurched forward, wrapping their arms around Ace a little too tightly to be considered comfortable. The redhead returned their embrace the best he could anyway, holding onto the back of Yuu’s blazer with weak fingers and resting his chin on their shoulder.

They didn’t get it. How could Ace sit here and still smile at them? Was this not the worst he’s ever felt in his life? Did he not understand how much everyone cared? Did he even realize what he was doing to himself? Yuu bit the inside of their lip tightly to keep their cries silent as they desperately clung to Ace tighter.

“You’re not allowed to die on me Ace Trappola,” they said, voice thick with emotion. “You’re not allowed to die on us.”

“I won’t.”

“Promise me.”

Ace could feel himself drifting back to sleep, but he held on a little tighter. “I promise.”

“You know all of us love you right?”

“I love you too.”

Yuu held onto Ace for a few more moments, feeling the boy go limp in their arms. They let a few stray tears run down their face before carefully laying him back in his bed and pulling the blanket over his shoulders. They stayed there until Riddle came in the evening to check on him, silently praying to whatever gods would listen that Ace would make it out.

Chapter Text

There’s something to be said about having your worst memories being caused by your own flesh and blood. By your creators no less. That was a special kind of torture. How could someone bring you into this world just to hate you?

There was something else to be said when you not only have to suffer, but you have to watch the people you love suffer as well. Ace had to deal with that for eleven years before his brother turned eighteen and left their family behind. Then it was just another year of gruelling hell before Jack graduated and dragged Ace out of that house and into their new apartment. Before that, the younger remembered all too well some of the nastiest fights his parents got into with his brother. Because unlike him, Jackson Trappola wasn’t a coward.

He was in his room when the knocks started. They were quiet, which alarmed Ace more than if they were loud and angry. His door unlocked on its own, and he saw that younger version of his brother stumble in. Blood dripped from his head, painting over the dark splotches on his face.

“Move over,” he said, swaying on his feet.

Ace scooted over, giving his brother enough room to sit together on the tiny twin bed. He waited for him to pass out any moment so he could take care of his injuries. That was their normal pattern anyway. Jack would pass out after Ace tried to make conversation, and then Ace would wipe up any blood and bandage the cuts.

He suddenly felt his brother’s arms wrap around him gently, holding him like he would break if he squeezed too hard. Ace couldn’t help but tense in the hold. “Jay?” he questioned.

“Yes?” he replied.

“Why are you hugging me?”

“I’m not allowed to savor the fact that my brother is alive and in front of me?”

“Y-you can.”

Ace slowly relaxed and shifted so that he could hug his brother back, soaking up all of his warmth. He could feel Jay’s amber eyes on him. “You’re shaking like a leaf,” he stated. The younger could only hum in confirmation, too scared that saying anything would ruin the moment. How often did his brother find the energy to stay awake for him? “You wanna talk about it?”

What was there to talk about? Ace wasn’t even sure why he was so anxious this time. He wanted to chalk it up to, well, everything, but that didn’t feel like a good excuse. He just squeezed his brother tighter, leaning his whole body into his side. Jay silently rested his hand on top of his brother’s terracotta curls in response.

“Have you eaten anything today?” the older boy asked.

“Wasn’t hungry,” the younger replied.

“You should still eat something.” A bowl of soup suddenly appeared in Jay’s hand. Ace blinked a few times to see if he was dreaming. He took it and slowly began to eat, even if his stomach churned with each bit of food he swallowed. “School’s going well?”

Weird question since they usually talk about school right as they get home. “Same old stuff everyday. You know how it is.”

“Mm. Everything with friends okay?”

“More or less. I’m kind of a jackass to them.”

“That’s friendship sometimes. I’m sure they’re jackasses right back to you.”

Ace shrugged his shoulders. “Eh. I could be a bit nicer to them.”

“Everyone could probably be a bit nicer in general, don’t you think?”

“Probably.” Ace forced himself to swallow his last bite before bringing the spoon away from his mouth. “I can’t eat this anymore.”

Jay took the bowl away from his hands. “That’s fine. As long as it’s something.” As he took the bowl away, a glass of water appeared in his hand. “Wash it down with this.”

Ace blinked in confusion once again but gratefully took the glass and took small sips. It didn’t do much to calm his stomach, but it soothed his throat. “Where did you even get this?”

Something in Jay’s smile faltered for a split second. Ace almost didn’t catch the flicker of sadness that crossed his brother’s bruised face. Was it something he said? “Magic,” the older boy replied, a whimsical glint in his wide eyes.

The younger one gave him a deadpan look. “Whatever man.”

“You doubt my ability to summon a glass of water dear brother?”

“No, I doubt you would waste your energy on something as simple as that. You look like you can barely stand anyways.”

Another flicker of sadness crossed Jay’s face. Ace belatedly realized that maybe he shouldn’t have brought attention to his brother’s injuries. An unspoken rule was always that they never really talked about it. But then again, they never really talked much in general outside of the mornings spent going to school.

“I must look awful right now,” Jay said, his previously bright smile shifting into something more melancholic.

It was something about the way he said it that had the younger doing a double take. “I mean, you’ve looked worse.”

“You’ve also looked worse.”

Self consciousness suddenly flooded the shorter redhead’s body. “Wh-what do I look like?”

“Like you desperately need a nap and an actual meal.” The older brother brushed some of his younger brother’s messy hair away from his face. “You've been sleeping alright?”

“I think so?” Jay gave him a look, and Ace caved. “I don’t really remember when I’ve ever gone to sleep.”

“All that anxiety in your body probably isn’t making you feel super rested either.” He continued to shake as he held onto his older brother. “Seriously, I probably need to wrap you up like a burrito to stop you from moving. Like one of those dogs in a storm blanket.”

Ace cringed as he took another sip of his water. “Never compare me to a dog.”

“You’re right. You’re much more of a cat.”

That just reminded him of Grim, and that was a scary thought. “How about we just don’t compare me to any sort of animal?”

Jay laughed quietly, letting out a sigh. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you Acey.”

Confusion flashed on the younger’s face, as he just stared at his brother. For a split second, as he blinked, he saw a whole different version of the boy next to him. That boy was a full grown adult, with longer red hair and accentuated features. His lightly tanned skin had zero marks on them, and he seemed healthier than when he was younger. Even if his smile was sad, he actually looked happy, his vermillion eyes sparkling with something other than hollowness. Ace couldn’t have captured another sight to behold that would match the way his heart swelled with joy at the sight of his brother looking like he was living.

But the sight was ripped away when he closed his eyes.

Ace blinked again a few more times in rapid succession, trying to get the sight back. His brother flashed him a knowing smile as he chuckled underneath his breath. “Jay?” Ace asked, his voice shaking slightly.

“Yeah?”

“Are… This is gonna sound dumb.”

“Everything you say sounds dumb.”

Ace shot him a brief glare while his smile only widened. “Are you real?”

Another giggle escaped Jay’s lips. “Am I?”

The two stared at each other for a few moments. Ace hated that he didn’t actually know. He couldn’t discern whether or not any of this was real. He found that he didn’t even care. He looked away and leaned closer into his brother’s side, saying, “Well, if this isn’t real, it’s not so bad.”

“I could make it worse if you wanted.”

“Please don’t.” Ace took another long sip of his water before handing it back to Jay and bringing his knees closer to his chest. “This is nice.”

The older rested his head on top of the younger’s. “Yeah. This is nice.” He reached for something somewhere Ace couldn’t see. “Get some rest Acey.”

Ace found that he suddenly couldn’t keep his eyes open much longer and drifted off to sleep surrounded by his brother’s warm embrace.

Chapter Text

Ace didn’t wake up the next day.

Chapter Text

A bright light shone through Ace’s eyes. His entire body felt like a thousand pounds as he forced himself to sit up. His hands trembled with the aftershocks of anxiety. And maybe a lack of nutrients.

The first thing he noticed was how quiet it all was. Despite his slightly blurred vision, everything felt grounded, and the quiet only cemented that everything in front of him was real. He breathed out a sigh of relief, nearly letting himself succumb to his fragility before forcing himself to keep his eyes open. He wanted to savor this feeling.

But then something bubbled in his stomach.

Ace had barely eaten anything, but bile and acid still began to rise anyway. He quickly looked for something, finding a bucket on the floor next to his bed. He grabbed it and projected the contents of his near empty stomach into it. He heaved for a few moments before he retched again, stomach churning with anxiety.
His vision became spotty as he tried to breathe, but he could barely even hold himself up. His head was practically in the bucket, the smell of vomit invading his senses. It only made his stomach twist even more.

The redhead suddenly felt cool metal hands on his forehead, holding his hair away from his face as he felt a few different weights sink down on his bed. When he felt stable enough, he forced his head up, eyes focusing on five different silhouettes he came to recognize as his friends. They stared at him with some mix of worry, fear, and anticipation.

“Morning,” Ace rasped right before he retched into the bucket again.

When he came back up, Deuce asked him, “How are you feeling?”

“Better, I think?” Ace replied. “Everything hurts physically but emotionally? Fine, I think.”

“You look terrible,” Epel stated.

“Oh I’m sure.” He certainly felt terrible. His whole body felt like it was put through a shredder and then stomped on repeatedly. And he was still shaking. He really wished he could just stop doing that.

Jack suddenly handed him a bowl of soup. “Here,” he said.

“Thanks.”

As Ace began to eat, Ortho’s cold hands left his forehead. The android grabbed the bucket to throw away for later while everyone else continued to sit with Ace. “So do you, like, remember anything?” Yuu asked after a few moments of silence.

“Sort of. Couldn’t really separate…” Ace made a motion towards his head. “My brain was all fucked up obviously.”

“One could argue that it still is,” Sebek followed.

“Wow. As soon as I’m cured you go to insult me. I’m hurt Sebek.”

“Can’t argue with facts Trappola.”

That got Ace to crack a smile. “Whatever man.”

“Your brother was here by the way,” Deuce chimed in as Ortho came back and hovered by the foot of the bed.

That nearly got Ace to drop his bowl. A million different thoughts ran through his mind. “What?”

“Yeah. Riddle called him earlier this week and he got here like two days ago.” Ace wracked his mind for any recollection of him visiting. “He, uh, apparently gave the headmage quite a mouthful.”

“Oh Great Seven,” Ace whined, hanging his low from second hand embarrassment. “Jeez he didn’t like, do anything, right?”

“I think I heard from Floyd that he nearly broke a wall?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. He could practically see the whole thing playing out in front of him. “Jeez man.”

“Yeah.”

“I- Just for the record, I don’t associate with him.”

Deuce nodded absent mindedly. “Never thought I’d see someone with more anger in their soul than Riddle, but man, your brother…”

“He’s very intense. Probably due to childhood trauma.”

“Speakin’ of,” Epel piped up, “do we wanna know why he’s yer legal guardian?”

Ace blinked. Should he tell them? Now was probably as good of a time as any. But he didn’t want pitying looks. He got enough of that from what he could remember of the days he was afflicted with that poison. But these were also his closest friends, practically his family at this point. They deserved to know, didn’t they?

“I mean, it’s not too complicated,” the redhead answered carefully. He took a bite of his soup before revealing. “Parents were just not great people.”

He could practically taste the tension in the air. It was gross. He much preferred the soup he was having. “Are they still… alive?” the beastman inquired.

“Oh yeah. They live downtown, closer to Deuce actually. Or, Dad does at least. Mama- Mom’s been in and out of rehab for like… four years? I don’t know. My brother and I don’t talk to them anymore. Obviously.”

The first years all frowned at this new information they were receiving. “I’m sorry,” the prefect spoke for the group.

Ace shrugged. “No one’s fault really. Just an unlucky draw in life. Can’t be helped now.” When he took the last bite of soup, he set the empty bowl on his nightstand. “Anyways-” He tugged on the restraint that was still clasped around his ankle. “-can someone get this off me?” Ortho made quick work of it, revealing the ring of bruises right underneath. He rolled his ankle a few times, wincing at the pain. “Thanks.”

“So, I guess you’re mostly fine now?” Ace’s roommate questioned. “Like, Riddle’s just gonna check over you for a few more days before you come back to class?”

“Riddle Rosehearts will most likely keep Ace Trappola here for two to three days,” Ortho explained. “He’s lost a considerable amount of weight and has not been given enough nutrients to be able to sustain himself for a very long amount of time.”

“A comforting thought,” Ace chimed in.

“I can pick up on sarcasm.”

“Congratulations.”

“We’re glad you’re fine though,” Jack cut in timidly. “‘Cause we were all pretty worried.”

The redhead didn’t know how to respond to that. His cheeks reddened with embarrassment, heart leaping in his chest. It was moments like this that he was forced to remember how much his friends did care for him. He forgot that their friendship wasn’t as one sided as it could feel sometimes.

“I appreciate it?” he replied, not sure why it came out as a question.

Deuce moved to wrap his arms around Ace’s torso. “We’re just glad you’re not dead, idiot.”

Ace hugged him back, unable to fight back his smile. “Glad I’m not dead either.”

Everyone crowded around the redhead, forming a group hug around him. It was nice for about five seconds before Ace felt the bruises on his body begin to throb. “Okay, okay. Ow, ow, loving this love but everything hurts.”

They quickly dispersed with apologetic smiles on their faces. “Well, at least yer able to still feel things,” Epel said. “Pain receptors finally workin’ properly.”

“Yeah yeah whatever,” Ace sighed, exhaustion hitting him like a truck.

“We will let you rest,” Ortho declared. “Your body is still recovering from the effects of the poison. It will take time for you to rebuild your strength. Riddle Rosehearts will most likely visit to check on your condition, so you’ll be in good hands.”

The redhead gave everyone a weak thumbs up. “Thanks for coming to visit.”

“Of course. We’re all just glad you’re okay,” Yuu replied.

With that, each freshman said their goodbyes to Ace, filing out of the infirmary one by one and leaving their friend to be alone with his thoughts and foggy recollections of his two weeks spent in his mental prison. Ace let out another quiet sigh as he curled up into the fetal position, every muscle and bone in his figure twinging with pain as he did so. He wasn’t quite sure what he did to his body, but he was starting to wish he could go back in time and slap some sense into the inebriated version of himself.

Slowly but surely, he let his exhaustion naturally take over, falling into the first peaceful slumber he’s had in weeks.

Chapter Text

Later, Ace was awoken by the sound of objects being moved around the room. His eyes fluttered open to find his housewarden Riddle Rosehearts in full dorm leader mode pacing the room like it was his job. “Housewarden?” he croaked in a sleep-addled voice.

Riddle’s head snapped towards his freshman. “Ah, you’re awake. Good.” He set a plate of food in front of him. “Eat something,” he commanded.

Ace took the plate with little hesitation, confusion warping his features as he studied his housewarden. Riddle looked uncharacteristically tired, his usually well kept appearance crumbling. Slight bags had formed underneath his hollow gray eyes, and his hair looked like it wasn’t brushed through properly. His uniform was wrinkled, tie crooked and half of his shirt untucked.

“Riddle?” he questioned.

“Yes, Trappola?”

“What are you doing?”

“Comparing your vitals from yesterday to today,” he explained like it was obvious. “You’ve seemed to improve greatly now that the poison is out of your system, but there is still the matter of your physical capabilities with the lack of nutrients you’ve received in the last two weeks.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“It certainly can be, and in your case, it most certainly is. From what I’ve gathered, you’ve hardly eaten anything of substance over the past two weeks. So eat what I gave you before I shove an IV into your arm.”

And who was Ace to ever disobey his housewarden? Plus, if he was being honest, he was pretty hungry. He took small bites of the food on his plate, unsure of how to approach his clearly distressed upperclassman. Ace knew that the state he was in affected his friends greatly. Did it really upset his upperclassman too? Was he the reason Riddle looked so unlike himself?

“When am I good to leave?” Ace asked after a few moments of tense silence.

“When I deem you okay to do so.”

Ace opened his mouth to argue. His heart may be in the right place, but it wasn’t Riddle’s job to take care of Ace. “What about my school work? Exams are coming up soon. I don’t think I can just skip them.”

“The professors would understand.”

“Riddle, as much as I hate doing school work and studying, I kind of need to learn things in order to graduate.”

The second year let out a quiet sigh, slowly absorbing Ace’s words. The poison was out of his system, but that didn’t mean he was alright. Riddle saw firsthand how much the skull powder affected him. Who was to say that none of the effects were still in play? Given that there were very few survivors, who was to say that they still weren’t suffering from side effects? There were too many unanswered questions about how to ensure Trappola’s survival.

“Did you talk to my brother?” Ace suddenly asked, snapping Riddle out of his thoughts.

“Yes,” he replied. “He’s… interesting.”

“What’s “interesting” about him?”

Riddle decided that describing the incident with Crowley wasn’t worth it right now. “I see where you get your troublemaking from.”

“I’m not as bad as him.”

“I agree. He certainly… has personality.”

“How bad did he fly off the handle when he got here?”

The second year bit the inside of his lip. “He was furious with Crowley.”

Ace cringed. “Great Seven he’s embarrassing.”

“He’s protective of you.”

“Yeah, and I get that I almost died or whatever but he needs to calm down. Deuce told me that he nearly broke off a piece of a wall.” Ace’s expression shifted into something softer. “But if it was the other way around, I guess I’d be pretty upset too. I know I’d be mad if it was literally any of my friends in this position instead of me.”

The shorter redhead nodded in understanding. He took another breath, forcing himself to think rationally about every factor in this scenario. “You do seem better. Mentally, I mean,” Riddle remarked.

“Well, I’m not deathly anxious, so that’s a plus,” Ace replied, “but, um, yeah. Now that everything is not terrifying, I feel better.”

“Good. That’s good.” Riddle walked closer to Ace, tentatively taking a seat on his bed. “I apologize for my strictness. I am aware that you are not in as much of a fragile state that you were just a day ago, but I still can’t help but think about the aftereffects of what the poison may have caused.”

A smirk made its way onto the first year’s face. “You’re all worried about me.”

Embarrassment bloomed across Riddle’s face. “Yes, I am. You’re a concerning individual.”

“I’m so honored to have my housewarden take an interest in my wellbeing.”

He sighed in response. “You’re impossible.”

Ace let out a chuckle. “Yeah.” The boy finished his food and set the plate on his nightstand. He suddenly wrapped his arms gently around the shorter redhead. “Thank you, by the way. For taking care of me. That’s what’s got you looking all disheveled and whatnot, right?”

Riddle tensed in Ace’s hold for a few moments before hesitantly wrapping his arms around the boy’s torso. “Yes,” was all he said, still not used to the warmth of hugs.

“Sorry for worrying you. And for unknowingly trying to kill myself. I’m sure that is half the reason why you’re all… anxious about letting me leave.”

The boy flinched at the mention of finding Ace with that shard pointed at his neck. “It’s alright. You weren’t in your right mind. You didn’t know what you were doing.”

“Still-” Ace hugged him a bit tighter. “-I’m glad you still stuck around despite how hopeless it all probably seemed. So, yeah. Thanks for not giving up on me.”

Riddle squeezed him back, careful not to press into any bruises. “We may have not gotten along in the past, but you are a dear friend to me Ace. I wouldn’t give up on you, even if your antics never fail to enrage me.”

Ace chuckled as the two sat there in each other’s hold for a few moments. “You’re getting better at hugs.” The first year pulled away first, a smirk on his face. “But you’re still so tense and awkward.”

The second year couldn’t resist smiling at the first year. “I appreciate your feedback Trappola. I’ll keep it in mind.” Riddle stood back up, taking Ace’s dirty dishes away. “Would you like a slice of the pie Trey left?”

“Only if you have one too.”

The two boys sat together over pie and talked until Riddle had to return to class.