Ace couldn't sleep.

It had been a whole week since the incident down at the kitchen with Cater-senpai and in all honesty not much had happened. Apart from sending an amused glance at Ace when he stumbled over his greeting with him, Cater hadn't brought up the incident at the kitchen once.

And Ace couldn't help but feel slightly grateful. He didn't need his hide tanned just a week after an overblot!

However, right now Ace would have to break another rule due to the ridiculous bout of insomnia.

He huffed annoyed as he got out of his bed and stumbled around in the dark slightly before he managed to find his door to make his way downstairs.

He hadn't checked his phone for the time but from the way the moon shone brightly Ace had to guess it would be far too late for normal people to be awake.

(The mocking, crazed laughter in his head increased. What was normal?)

As he navigated his way downstairs to the kitchen he couldn't help but shiver slightly. Sure reasonably it could just have been from the cold, after all shorts and a thin shirt he got from his brother isn't enough to provide warmth but he couldn't help but feel that he was being watched.

Before he couldn't turn around and check if someone was following him he had ended up in the kitchen and the feeling disappeared.

He let out a sigh and just walked in and grabbed a noodle pack to make his food.

Just as the water finished boiling in the kettle he felt a hand clamped on his shoulder and another one on his mouth and that was the only thing that stopped him from jumping a foot in the air and letting out an unholy shriek.

"Looks like our mischievous little first year is up and at it again." Joked Cater, as he spun Ace around and clamped both hands on his shoulder, a slight smirk on his face at the flush on Ace's face.

"Senpai!" Pouted Ace up at the taller. "I wasn't even doing anything! I'm a growing boy! I need food!" He pointed at the noodle packet that he had yet to open.

"Sorry Acey! Old habits die hard!" Cater laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Whatever." Ace pouted and looked away but then paused. He glanced up at his upperclassmen "Want some?"

"Thank you Acey!" Cater cooed, throwing his arms around him in gratitude.

"Ack! Get off me." Thrashed Ace but the other ginger was surprisingly strong and Ace was only let go after he pointed out he needed to make noodles.

"Oops, got excited."

"Get less excited!" Snapped Ace without as much bite as he would with anyone else. As much as he didn't want to admire it his senpai looked like he needed a good meal and as much as he can be a little shit he's not cruel. "Now sit down and don't talk." He ordered his senpai and he started actually getting to cooking the noodles.

"Yes Ace-chan!" Cater replied, mockingly raising his hand up in a salute before collapsing onto the nearest chair and grabbing his phone from his pocket, most likely swiping through Magicam.

Ace shook his head at his ditzy upperclassmen and continued cooking the noodles, occasionally turning back to check to see what Cater was doing.

"Done." Announced Ace as he tubed off the stove and began to grab two bowls but instead was met by two Cater's holding bowls for him.

Ace whipped around to stare at Cater but the upperclassmen just smiled at him pleasantly as if he wasn't just using his Unique Magic when he was already tired.

Ace didn't know how to feel as his upperclassmen continued using his Unique Magic with a small smile on his face whilst also looking like he was extremely sleep deprived and needed rest.

To be honest he only felt tired. Tired from the scary start to the school year. Tired from almost being expelled. Tired from almost being killed by his own housewarden. Tired from putting up a mask. Just Tired.

So as he watched the upperclassmen that was their during the overblot he couldn't help but feel pity.

'I'll ask him later. Theres no pount in tryingto syart something whilst tired and hungry.' Ace thought to himself as he served the noodles in the bowls.

"Thank you for the meal!" Cater had his clones set the bowls down with utensils before they poofed away.

Ace sent him another look before turning back to his meal and beginning with it.

"Whatever."

As they both ate, Cater eating slightly more ravenously than the younger, Ace felt his anger subside ever so slightly at his upperclassmen.

"Cater-senpai." Ace called out halfway through, interrupting the comfortable silence between them.

"Yes, my cute underclassmen?" Cater smiled at him. It wasn't a very nice smile.

Ace felt as if every blood cell in his body had been frozen, yet his heart was pounding like crazy. The smile that Cater was shooting him was cold, unforgiving, and most importantly told him to keep his mouth shut.

Ace Trappola wasn't a coward. If he didn't like something he would say it if he wanted something he'd work for it and most importantly he called shit out when it was clear that it was fucking dumb.

But, to have his upperclassmen, usually so nice and open, being hostile and cold whilst also playing happy go lucky made him pause.

'Oh fuck it. I have other things to deal with. Mopey upperclassmen isn't one of them.'

"Make sure to wash everything up, I have no interest in being interrogated by Riddle. For some reason I have a feeling that he would pin the blame all on me." Ace whined loudly, playing his own role. Whiny, bratty, annoying little underclassmen. After all, that's what would make people back off, isn't it?

"Hahah! Of course!" Cater laughed, cold gaze disappearing and looking as if nothing happened. "Just leave your bowl in the sink for me! Make sure not to wake anyone else up!" Almost as if it was an afterthought he tacked on. "Ooh, can I take a picture of you as well?"

"Wha- why?" Ace snapped, flushing at the unexpected question.

"Because!" Cater stretched out the ending. "Me.Mo.Ries." empathising every syllable. "I already told you!"

"How-who-wha?" Ace flustered, so many questions but a little voice in his head told him to just give it up.

(Not the first time that's happened.)

"Fine." Ace finally agreed, wondering why he was stuck with the crazy senpais.

"YAY! Smile!" Before Ace could react, a flash went off.

"Ack! He stumbled back "warn a guy first!" He grumbled, as he rubbed his eyes, vision still dazed from the bright light.

"Hehe." Cater laughed. "Always be vigilante, Acey-chan! Now, off you hop." Cater shooed.

"Yeah, yeah. Get some sleep as well."

They both ignored the obvious as to why it might be more important for him to sleep more.

When Cater's clone came back and informed him that the first year had actually gone back to his own room, Cater allowed himself to slump in his seat, exhaustion finally catching up to him.

He stared down at his empty noodle bowl and started contemplating his latest interaction with his first year.

Frankly, he hadn't been shocked that the other had broken curfew again, if anything it surprised him that he hadn't been out sooner.

He'll give the other some credit, he knew what battled to pick and actually seemed that he had more than half the braincell he showed the world.

Cater chuckled to himself and if others had heard they wouldn't think it was from the same happy man that they all know.

'Those little pajamas were adorable though. I wonder if he would wear them again if I asked.' Cater thought to himself as he himself started cleaning up the bowls, remembering the oversized shirt that has the number '23' written in big bold text

'Ahh, oh well. Now, let's get rid of the evidence.' He started on the dishes, not using any of his clones this time.

(He ignored the little voice in his head that told him so what. So what if he was tired? So what if he used his magic? So what if he overblotted? Maybe it was time to feel what he wanted to feel, maybe it was time to show other what they've done to him, maybe it was time-)

As Cater washed up the bowls the moon shone brighter.

Ace collapsed into his bed and let out a yawn.

"I hate this."

He didn't know what he hated.

Moon giggled, loud and high, as she watched her new projects part way and sighed happily.

"Lost souls and masks go oh so wonderfully together!" She hummed.

Frankly she didn't know how well this would go.

Masked souls were always the hardest to figure out, even for someone like her, and having them lost also clashed terribly with what they were feeling.

"Well if anything I'll get the love story of the ages from this." She consoled herself as she busied herself into their separate documents.

Time to find out more!

(She actively ignored the part of her brain that was screaming, yelling and demanding her to get this right. To make sure that they did love each other. To make sure that nothing went disastrously wrong. Or else they would become an even bigger laughing stock.)