Work Text:
The greatest political crisis in Night Raven College history began with three things.
Floyd Leech.
Ace Trappola's face.
And a random second-year basketball club member who should have minded his own business.
None of them realized it at the time.
Actually, Floyd probably did.
Which somehow made it worse.
Basketball practice had just ended.
The gym was filled with exhausted students collapsing onto benches, chugging water, and contemplating whether physical education was actually a form of torture.
Ace Trappola was doing all three.
"I'm dying," he announced dramatically, sprawled across the polished floor.
Jamil Viper didn't even look up from packing his things.
"You said that fifteen minutes ago."
"I got better."
"You said that yesterday too."
"I relapsed."
"You are unbelievable."
"And gorgeous."
"Nobody was arguing that."
Ace sat up so fast he almost gave himself whiplash.
"...What."
Jamil froze.
The gym froze.
Floyd froze for exactly half a second before his grin stretched from ear to ear.
"What did you say~?"
"I didn't say anything."
"You literally just called crabby gorgeous~."
"I said no such thing."
"You absolutely did."
"You all hallucinated."
"All twenty people in the gym hallucinated the same sentence?"
"Mass hysteria."
Ace slowly pointed at himself.
"So..."
Jamil stood.
"I'm leaving."
"You think I'm gorgeous?!"
"I DON'T!"
"You admitted it!"
"I DIDN'T!"
"Jamil-senpai thinks I'm pretty!"
"I'M GOING TO THROW YOU INTO THE SUN!"
Ace burst out laughing.
Jamil hated him.
He hated him.
He hated the stupid grin on his face.
He hated the way his crimson eyes sparkled with mischief.
He hated how his messy orange hair somehow looked good after two hours of basketball.
He hated—
"Jamil-senpai."
"What."
"You're staring."
"I'M NOT."
"You've been glaring at me for thirty seconds."
"I'M THINKING OF MURDER."
"Oh my god."
"What."
"You think I'm pretty and you're tsundere about it."
Jamil made a noise usually associated with dying animals.
Floyd collapsed.
Actually collapsed.
Rolling on the floor laughing.
"EHEHEHEHE!"
"I HATE ALL OF YOU!"
"No you don't!" Kalim chirped as he walked into the gym carrying enough snacks to feed an army.
Jamil looked at him.
Then at the snacks.
Then back at Kalim.
"...Why."
"It's basketball practice!"
"It ended."
"So I brought post-practice snacks!"
"You brought a buffet."
"I got excited!"
"You always get excited!"
Ace immediately appeared beside Kalim.
"Is that mango juice?"
"Yep!"
"Can I have one?"
"Take five!"
"You're my favorite senior."
Jamil watched in horror as Ace and Kalim high-fived.
Traitors.
All of them.
Meanwhile.
Floyd was staring.
At Ace.
Again.
"Hmmmm."
Jamil immediately became suspicious.
"No."
"I didn't say anything~"
"Your face said enough."
"Hehehe."
"No."
"I think crabby-chan would look super cute in Octavinelle's uniform."
Ace gasped.
"Oh?"
Floyd nodded enthusiastically.
"I have one your size!"
"Why."
"Found it."
"You stole it."
"Borrowed forever."
"You stole it."
Floyd shrugged.
Ace's eyes sparkled.
"LET ME TRY IT."
"No."
Ace blinked.
Then slowly turned toward Jamil.
"...Why are you saying no?"
"Because I know Floyd."
"And?"
"And whenever Floyd says something is funny, civilization collapses."
"You're exaggerating."
"I am not."
"I am!"
Floyd grinned.
"I really wanna see it now."
Jamil looked between them.
One chaos gremlin.
One chaos eel.
He was outnumbered.
This was his villain origin story.
Ten minutes later.
Ace walked out of the locker room.
And the gym.
Stopped functioning.
Someone dropped a basketball.
Someone dropped their water bottle.
Someone whispered,
"Holy shit."
Because.
What.
The hell.
The Octavinelle uniform fit Ace perfectly.
Black and purple.
Sharp lines.
Silver chains.
Cape fluttering behind him.
The fedora sat at an angle that screamed trouble.
He looked like he belonged there.
Like some charming mafia heir who would scam you blind and somehow convince you to apologize afterward.
Ace smirked.
"So?"
Nobody answered.
Because half the gym had stopped breathing.
Floyd started crackling.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Ace blinked.
"Why are you laughing?!"
"YOU LOOK TOO GOOD!"
"I KNOW!"
"THAT'S THE PROBLEM!"
Ace posed.
Jamil looked away.
Immediately looked back.
Looked away again.
This was ridiculous.
The idiot should not look this good.
Absolutely unfair.
Ace noticed.
And grinned.
Oh no.
That grin.
Jamil recognized it.
That was Ace's "I found weakness and I'm about to become annoying" grin.
"Jamil-senpai."
"No."
"You didn't even let me speak."
"I know where this is going."
"You think I look good."
"I don't."
"You do."
"I don't."
"You looked."
"I have eyes."
"You looked twice."
"I was suffering."
"You looked three times."
"I was checking the fit."
Ace gasped dramatically.
"Oh my god."
"What."
"You think I look gorgeous."
"I'M LEAVING."
"You admitted it emotionally!"
"THAT ISN'T A THING!"
"It is now!"
Meanwhile.
A random second-year quietly snapped a picture.
Ace.
Standing confidently.
Hat tilted.
Smirking.
Jamil in the background looking like he was questioning every life choice that led him here.
The caption:
Ace Trappola in Octavinelle??? Why does he actually fit?!
Uploaded.
To Magicam.
The fool.
The absolute buffoon.
The post exploded.
Within ten minutes.
The entire school had seen it.
Within twenty.
Every Housewarden.
Every vice-housewarden.
Half the teachers.
Crowley somehow.
And the internet collectively lost its mind.
The comments were chaos.
HE LOOKS BETTER THAN AZUL
HEARTSLABYUL LOST THEIR SON
STEAL HIM
WHY IS HE PRETTY
IS THIS A NEW EVENT CARD
Riddle Rosehearts stared at the post.
Then stared harder.
Excuse him.
That was HIS first year.
Why was everyone saying Heartslabyul should lose him?
Absolutely not.
Meanwhile at Savanaclaw.
Leona Kingscholar stared.
"Huh."
Ruggie looked over.
And screamed.
"YOU LIKED THE POST?!"
"I MISCLICKED."
"You SAVED IT!"
"I MISCLICKED TWICE."
"THAT'S NOT HOW PHONES WORK!"
At pomefiore.
Vil Schoenheit zoomed in.
Then zoomed again.
Impossible.
The proportions.
The colors.
The audacity.
How dare Ace Trappola look this good outside Pomefiore.
Rook was already crying.
"Such beauty!"
Vil stood.
"No."
No.
This could not stand.
Pomefiore would reclaim its dignity.
Meanwhile at ignihyde.
Idia Shroud screamed from his room.
"WHAT."
Ortho floated over.
"Brother?"
"WHY DOES ACE-SHI LOOK LIKE A LIMITED SSR?!"
Idia zoomed in.
Enhanced.
Zoomed again.
"I'M MAKING A SPREADSHEET."
"About what?"
"WHY THIS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL."
At diasomnia.
Malleus quietly looked at the picture.
Smiled.
"He is charming."
Sebek screamed so loudly birds flew from the trees.
"YOUNG MASTER?!"
"I merely stated a fact."
"YOU SAVED THE PHOTO!"
"I wished to examine the uniform."
"YOU CROPPED OUT EVERYONE ELSE!"
"...For research."
Sebek fainted.
All Meanwhile the reason of all that.
Ace was eating fries.
Completely unaware.
Yuu stared at Magicam.
Then at Ace.
Then back at Magicam.
"...Ace."
"What."
"You accidentally caused a political crisis."
Ace blinked.
"What."
Three seconds later.
Riddle burst through the cafeteria doors.
"Ace!"
Ace jumped.
"What?!"
"Try on Heartslabyul's ceremonial uniform."
"...Why."
"To prove you look best in Heartslabyul!"
Another voice interrupted.
"No."
Everyone turned.
Vil.
Standing dramatically.
Cape fluttering.
"You belong in Pomefiore attire."
Leona yawned from the doorway.
"Nah."
"Excuse me?" Vil hissed.
"Savanaclaw."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Fight me."
"I will."
The cafeteria exploded.
Then Kalim burst in.
"ACE!"
"What now?!"
"Wear Scarabia clothes!"
"No!"
Jamil shouted.
Everyone turned.
Jamil froze.
Why was everyone looking at him.
"I mean—"
Ace grinned.
"Oh?"
"I mean—"
"Ohhhh?"
"I MEAN THIS IS STUPID!"
"You sound nervous."
"I'm not."
"Your ears are red."
"IT'S HOT."
"It's winter."
"I'M SUFFERING."
Floyd was crying.
Actually crying.
This was the funniest thing he'd ever done.
He accidentally made the entire school fight over Crabby.
Best decision of his life.
By the end of the day.
Ace had been kidnapped six times.
Modeled five uniforms.
Escaped through a window twice.
Received seventeen compliments.
Forty-three bribes.
One transfer contract from Azul.
Three skincare packages from Vil.
A fifty-page analysis from Idia titled:
Why Ace Trappola Breaks Dorm Balance
And exactly one headache.
Yuu looked at the chaos.
At Housewardens arguing.
At first years cheering.
At Floyd laughing.
At Crowley screaming.
At Ace casually eating popcorn while Riddle and Leona argued over fabric colors.
Then sighed.
"...Everyone has lost their minds."
Ace nodded.
"Absolutely."
Then took another bite of popcorn.
Because if the entire school was going insane over him.
Well.
He might as well enjoy the show.
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