The party at Fairy Tail, a wild celebration for Lucy's joining, had raged from the afternoon until evening, the clamor nearly blowing the roof off the guild hall.
As one of the main contributors who "brought back a newcomer," Ace was naturally plied with a great deal of alcohol by the enthusiastic guild members.
Although he could hold his liquor, he was no match for the successive rounds from the veteran drunkards.
"Ace-nii, you've had too much to drink," Lisanna said, appearing by his side at some point.
Seeing his slightly flushed face and somewhat dazed eyes, she advised him softly with a hint of worry.
"Should I help you back to the guild room to rest?"
Ace shook his slightly heavy head.
Looking at Lisanna's concerned face, he didn't refuse and nodded gently.
"...Sorry to trouble you, Lisanna."
"Don't say that." Lisanna smiled gently and carefully took Ace's arm.
She guided him away from the still-lively crowd, her movements gentle yet steady.
The faint, pleasant fragrance of a young woman wafted from her, calming Ace's somewhat agitated nerves.
After helping Ace to sit on the edge of his bed, Lisanna thoughtfully poured him a glass of warm water.
She felt a little more at ease after watching him drink it.
"Get some good rest, Ace-nii. See you tomorrow." She carefully pulled the blanket up for him, checked if the window was closed, then exited the room on tiptoe, and closed the door behind her.
...
The next morning.
Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, and he slowly opened his eyes.
He rubbed his throbbing temples, washed up, changed his clothes, and pushed open the door to his room.
He habitually expected to see Natsu charging over with excessive energy, yelling about "morning training."
"Huh? Did Natsu have a change of heart? Is he sleeping that soundly?" Ace was a little surprised.
He walked to the window and looked at the sky; it was indeed getting late.
'Could it be that he drank even more than me yesterday? That shouldn't be right, that guy's tolerance for alcohol...'
He was unaware that last night, Natsu had sought out CresGarurumon for a match, but Natsu, whose strength was on par with Gray have a 0% chance to win.
"Forget it, let him be." Ace shook his head.
He suddenly remembered that Lucy had just joined the guild yesterday.
According to the original plot, Natsu had likely already gone to invite her to team up for a mission today.
Since he had no plans, he might as well go see Lucy's new apartment, as a sort of "visit to a new neighbor."
....
Ace knocked on her door.
Seeing that it was Ace, Lucy's flustered voice came from inside, "P-Please wait a moment!"
The apartment was indeed small, but it was decorated in a warm, tidy, and girly fashion.
Ace sat down on the sofa while Lucy scrambled to pour him some water.
"I just came to see how you're doing. After all, you're somewhat my 'neighbor' now," Ace said with a smile as he took the glass of water.
"So? Are you getting used to it?"
"Yes! It's wonderful!" Lucy nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling.
She then excitedly shared her aspirations and plans for her new life with Ace, until his gaze inadvertently swept over several request flyers on the coffee table that she had circled and marked up.
Lucy followed his gaze, and the excited expression on her face subsided slightly.
Her delicate brows furrowed as she picked up the flyers and sighed in frustration.
"Sigh, it's just these jobs... they all look about the same, and the rewards are average. I don't know which one to choose. Some of the descriptions are so ambiguous, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle them if I accept..."
Ace reached out and took the flyers from her hand, casually flipping through them.
Suddenly, his eyes locked onto one of them.
'Duke Evarlue's mission...'
This was the first "proper" two-person mission Lucy and Natsu took in the original story, and it was the key plot point for Lucy to obtain the Celestial Spirit Key of Virgo.
"This one looks good. The reward is high, and the mission is simple," Ace said, pulling out that flyer and handing it to Lucy, offering the suggestion in a seemingly casual manner.
"Huh? This one?" Lucy took it and looked it over.
The reward amount certainly made her eyes light up, but words like "Duke" and "lecherous and perverted" made her shrink back in fear.
"You should have just asked me!!!"
Before Ace could say anything, the apartment window was smashed open from the outside with a loud crash.
Natsu, with his messy hair, leaped in energetically, a fresh cut from last night still on his face.
"Lucy! Let's take a mission! Team up with me! I guarantee we'll get it done fast and well!" Natsu rushed in front of Lucy, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the request flyer in her hand.
He grew even more excited and rubbed his hands together when he saw the reward amount.
"N-Natsu! Why did you come in through the window! And my window!" Lucy looked at her shattered window, on the verge of tears.
"It's nothing, it's nothing! I'll have Happy fix it for you later!" Natsu said dismissively, snatching the flyer.
"This is the one! Sounds like there'll be a fight! Let's go, let's go, register it at the guild!"
"Wait! I haven't agreed yet..." Lucy tried to struggle.
"Stop dawdling! A man's gotta be decisive!"
Ace watched this familiar scene and shook his head with a smile.
He stood up and said to Lucy, "You guys go register the mission at the guild first. I have something to take care of. I'll meet up with you later."
"Eh? Aren't you coming with us, Ace?" Lucy looked back, a little disappointed.
She had been thinking how secure she would feel if she could go on a mission with Ace and Natsu.
"Don't worry, it's nothing major. It'll be quick," Ace gave her a reassuring look. "You guys go on ahead. I should be able to catch up."
"Alright then... be quick!" Lucy could only manage a hurried reminder before her voice disappeared down the stairwell.
Watching the two of them (plus one cat) leave in a rush, Ace wasn't just making an excuse, he really did have something to do.
---
There's actually a lemon in this fic between mc and his digimon but i cut it off since it doesnt make any sense.