"I like you." Ace declared, in the middle of the rose garden, where no one was around to overhear your conversation. Your cheery expression slowly crumbled, was this another one of his jokes? Half a mind was telling you to take him seriously but, the other was desperately making up excuses to brush off the confession—trying to convince yourself to stay calm and laugh it off, to believe that it was just Ace joking.
In the end, all you said was "Stop joking." In an unusually cold tone. Ace couldn't help but flinch, you turned your heel and left him all alone. Ace could feel his own heart break a little when he saw you walk away with that cold expression on your face. You didn't take him seriously at all, no? Well, Ace wasn't giving up that easily. "Yikes." Was all Ace said as he scratched the back of his neck.
-----
"Oi" Ace poked your side with his textbook, seemingly bored. You gripped your pen tighter as you quickly scribbled down more notes, ignoring him. He pouted. He only continued to annoy you with his constant poking until you finally snapped and faced him.
"What is wrong with you!?" You couldn't concentrate at all, not with Ace distracting you like this. His mere presence was already a distraction, what more when he decides to actually annoy you? Ace only shot you a smug grin, he finally made you face him. You shot him an impatient look which was practically yelling "Out with it already!" At him.
Ace only put his hands up in defeat, "Sheesh, I just wanted to remind you about my upcoming birthday." Ah, he was right. Ace's birthday was only a few days away and you hadn't paid it much attention. You wondered why Ace went out of his way to remind you, is he perhaps expecting a gift from you? Your expression softened. "That's it?" You let out a sigh, you should start thinking about his present soon.
"I like you." Ace's usual out of the blue confession made its appearance today. You flushed a bit, looking away from Ace immediately to hide your embarrassed expression. It's been a whole month since Ace started saying those words every single day—you were beginning to question whether or not Ace was toying with you. "Stop joking around." You immediately shut him out again.
You could see how Ace's expression tensed upon hearing your stone-cold answer. "Another rejection?" He complained, burying his face in his palms. "When will you take me seriously?" His question threw you off, you already knew deep down inside that Ace was serious about this. Would he really confess day after day just for a silly joke? Ace wasn't the type to do that.
You paused for a moment, completely silent. "Who knows?" Ace's eyes lit up, perhaps he had a chance.
-----
Gently tapping on your desk with your favourite pen, thinking about what to get Ace as a birthday gift. You hummed a short tune, maybe something related to basketball? Or cherry pie? You wondered if you just get him nothing at all. Of course, you immediately scrapped that thought. Ace was special to you; special in a sense where you harboured romantic feelings for him.
That's why you always rejected his confessions, you were afraid. Afraid of ruining the relationship the both of you had built up to this point. Deep down you desperately wanted to say yes to every single confession of his. You just didn't have enough courage to do so.
You let out a sigh of frustration as you messed up your own hair— thinking of gifts is a hard task. Suddenly, an idea popped up inside your head— suddenly making you flustered. It was a bold and risky move but you were willing to do it nonetheless. You just closed your eyes and hoped for the best.
----
Heartslabyul's common room was decorated with party decorations, a banner that read "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" in a big bold font, and tables set up with countless dishes and desserts placed atop of them. Everyone was lounging around, talking to one another and greeting the birthday boy— Ace Trappola.
Ace was sitting somewhere along the table, on the biggest chair there is to practically point out that he was the birthday celebrant. He already removed his jacket and the stash that read "BIRTHDAY BOY" and was left with the black shirt underneath. He was happy with the celebration taking place just for him. He took a bite out of his favourite dish, cherry pie, and licked off the remnants of its juice dripping down his hand.
His eyes never left the door, he was waiting for your arrival. He felt kind of stupid for waiting so eagerly but he couldn't help it— you probably had a present for him and he couldn't wait. His eyes immediately lit up when he saw your figure enter through the door. He noticed how you had nothing but a red ribbon in hand, where's his gift?
Your eyes immediately scanned the room for Ace, heart pounding. You crossed your fingers and hoped you weren't going to make a fool out of yourself. When your gaze landed on Ace, you felt your whole body tense up as you caught him staring right back at you. You clutched the ribbon even tighter when you saw Ace stand up and make his way towards you— you wanted to back out but you couldn't.
"Hey-!" Before Ace could even let out a full sentence, you grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him outside in a rather harsh manner. You stopped in the middle of the rose garden, where no one was around to overhear your conversation. It was where Ace first confessed to you, you brought him here. Ace shot you an expression which was a mix of confusion and annoyance. "Why the hell are we here?"
You took a deep breath and hoped for the best. You faced Ace and wrapped the red ribbon around your face— from your chin to the very top of your head; like a gift. "Ace, I like you!" You wanted to run away but you stopped yourself, you were going to brace yourself for his reply. You stared at Ace's blank expression for a moment or two before he broke the silence.
"Pfft- Ahahaha!" Your expression suddenly turned crestfallen, was he ridiculing you? You removed the ribbon from your head as you clenched your tightly, nails digging into your palm. You stared down at the ground, how stupid of you to think Ace was serious. "So is that a no--!!" You were abruptly cut off by a pair of lips placing itself on your own.
Ace was kissing you. It was rather aggressive, a bit sloppy if you might add. You couldn't believe he was kissing you so suddenly, it wasn't as if you were against it though. You let yourself melt into the kiss as you wrapped your arms around his neck, the red ribbon dangling from your fingers. You could already feel yourself going breathless and you needed to pull away but then Ace suddenly nibbled on your lower lip slightly.
You were mildly surprised at the sudden action and pulled away. Ace's face was red from embarrassment and you could tell that he was confused as to why you would suddenly pull away. "I'm sorry, that probably was a bit too much for our first kiss huh?" Ace apologized in a cheeky tone, his hands wrapped around your waist as he held you closer to him.
You still couldn't believe what just happened and rested your head against Ace's chest— you couldn't look at him in the eye like this. Ace could only stare at you with such a lovesick gaze. He was beyond happy when he heard your confession, happy to know that you felt the same way. Truly, this was the best birthday gift he could ask for.
