Deuce and Ace

Ace’s first impression of Deuce comes during the opening ceremony when he predicts that they’ll “get on like oil and water” for how serious Deuce looks.

Ace introduces himself to Deuce at the welcoming party for 1st-year students, where he tries to convince Deuce to sneak into the Headmage’s office. When Cater thwarts the plan Deuce backs Ace up when encouraged, despite having only just met him.

While the two are roommates our second time seeing them overlap is the following day when Deuce drops a cauldron on Ace in an attempt to catch him for the prefect. 

Deuce then magically tosses Ace at the cafeteria chandelier in an attempt to catch Grim, resulting in the group of himself, Ace, the prefect and Grim being expelled from the school.

It is Deuce who insists that Ace apologize to Riddle for stealing the tart of Book 1, and when Ace stands up to Riddle during the unbirthday party Deuce is the only Heartslabyul student who supports him.

When Ace signs up to duel Riddle for the role of Housewarden in Book 1, Deuce volunteers to join him.

Ace and Deuce are also of the same opinion in Book 2 when they both seek to take advantage of Trey being too injured to participate in the spelldrive tournament to earn a spot on the roster for themselves, but when they both volunteer to join Ramshackle’s team for the exhibition match Deuce says that he is not like Ace and just wants to support his friends.

Deuce says he is not sure how he should feel about his taste in art overlapping with Ace.

They work together to come up with churro toppings during Port Fest, and show up at the school store together during New Year’s, signing up for Kamakura-making and shiruko.

Kalim says that Ace gets “bright and bubbling” (“It’s adorable!”) when he is with Grim, the prefect or Deuce, and when Deuce disappears during Halloween Ace says he is not exactly worried about him, but it is weird how it is too quiet when he’s gone.

Trey and Cater try to convince the rest of Heartslabyul that they need to help Riddle and Deuce get out of the library where they become trapped during the lantern event and Ace says, “Having Deuce gone would be like a breath of fresh air, if you ask me,” but Cater does not seem convinced, pointing out that Ace went along with Trey to the library to deliver supplies to aid in their escape.

While looking forward to bragging to Deuce about their “tropical vacation” during the Stitch event Ace also says, “I do feel kinda bad he ended up the odd guy out. It might be a good idea to go someplace fun and invite him along before summer’s over.”

Ace invites Deuce to join him on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is the chance to visit Playfulland, but Deuce ruins the plan for them both when he invites Riddle.

(Deuce: “it wouldn’t be right for us to have all the fun and leave our boss out of it…” – Trey: “To think our dorm has students willing to actively plan on skipping school AND invite Riddle along for it…”)

Deuce says that Ace had actually intended to join the White Rabbit Fes group but then became too busy with club commitments and Deuce’s mother seems surprised when Ace is not there.

She mentions Deuce being teased for a haircut, so it is possible that he speaks of Ace to her often.

Grim says that Ace was “really torn up” about not being able to go with them and Deuce decides that, if he gets a present for Ace and tells him how fun the festival was, “he’ll feel even worse!”

The group pools their money to buy Ace a carabiner watch at Deuce’s suggestion, saying that they have to get him something cool and recommending a “sporty”-style watch that he can wear when playing basketball. 

Deuce also gets caramels for Ace as a gift from Fleur City, while Ace gets Deuce, the prefect and Grim matching hats during Tapis Rouge.

Deuce joins Ace and Grim in sneaking into the kitchen during Book 5 but claims he is only there for a drink of water.

When Ace begins eating chocolate cake (against Vil’s orders) Deuce says, “I’m not looking. I don’t see any of this.” Ace shoves apple pie into Deuce’s mouth, making him into a “partner in crime” and Deuce responds, “I can’t let the slice go to waste now that I’ve bitten into it. If it’s just one piece…”

It is then revealed that Vil cursed the treats to immobilize them, with Deuce, Ace and Grim then left paralyzed on the floor in the kitchen together until the following morning. 

Ace insults Deuce’s intelligence in Book 5 to the point that Deuce snaps, running out of rehearsal in frustration.

Deuce then immediately reflects, “I had no business lashing out the way I did…Someone gives me justified criticism, and I go off on them. Man, I’m lame…”

Deuce takes Epel to the beach for a cathartic scream about how he is well aware of his faults but he is trying his best, and one day he really will change.

Deuce explains to Epel that his own “hard head” might actually be his strength: “I’m not smart enough to think about a lot of things at the same time. But that also means that once I put my mind to something, I can make a beeline for the goal without stopping.”

(Ace seems to agree with this, saying, “Deuce is like a boar who charges headfirst into everything. His internal brakes are busted.I feel like he sees me as a rival. I’d wipe the floor with him if he ever wanted to throw down, of course.”)

Deuce decides that he and Epel should play to their strengths and prove themselves to Ace (for him) and Vil (for Epel).

After returning from the beach Deuce confronts Ace directly, telling him that while Ace was right and he isn’t as smart as Ace himself, he won’t be letting Ace outshine him. Ace responds, “Did he just declare war on me? Is he nuts? That knucklehead wouldn’t outshine me in a million years.”

Deuce and Ace work well together during Deuce’s dream of Book 7 and Grim successfully wakes Deuce up by pointing out that dream-Ace would never be so nice to him.

Deuce sees a montage of Ace insulting him in various ways, including his comment from Book 5, and tells Dream-Ace, “The REAL Ace is way more inconsiderate and annoying than you!”

Ace and Deuce are often arguing and insulting one another, sometimes to the point that other characters will comment on it or intervene.

We see examples in vignettes, during New Years, Halloween, and more.

When Jade and Floyd decide to “visit” Ace on the subject of Ace receiving an unwanted terrarium that Jade is interested in Deuce reflects, “Aced probably freak out if the Leech brothers just randomly showed up at his door. But that’s his business.”

The two blame each other for losing a game against Cater and Ruggie during New Year. Cater calls them “peas in a pod ’til the end,” which displeases them.

When Ace tries to pass his tsumsitting duties onto other students despite Riddle’s instructions Deuce declares that he will be telling Riddle. Ace has the tsum grow large enough to block Deuce’s exit, trapping him.

Cater wonders if their tsums would start brawling if they were to ever meet, saying that the real Ace and Deuce “are bad enough as it is when it comes to squabbling.”

Rook praises Deuce’s conduct during Glorious Masquerade to Riddle but Deuce says, “if Ace finds out I got riled up and said all that stuff, he’ll make fun of me for days.”

Similarly, after saving the prefect and Grim from what he thought was danger (it was Floyd) Ace says, “You’d better not tell anyone about this. If Trey or Cater ever hear about this, we’re gonna have some problems. And that goes double for Deuce!”

Leading up to Beanfest Deuce is confident in his stamina but Ace warns him, “Too bad horsepower alone doesn’t cut it. You gotta have brainpower to make the right calls.”

Deuce says he will make sure that Ace doesn’t capture him, if nothing else, and the first enemy Deuce is discovered by during the game is Ace (with Sebek).

Deuce nearly does end up caught by Ace, saved by Riddle.

We see Ace insult Deuce apropos of nothing when Cater compliments him for being quick on his feet, and Deuce says that Ace “cheats the entire time” when they play card games together, “so it isn’t fun at all”. 

It seems that Ace also enjoys pranking Deuce: we see in a chat that he once convinced Deuce that his watch (which has no date display) was two days slow, leading him to apologize to all his teachers for being two days late to classes.

During Phantom Bride Ace tricks Deuce into volunteering to propose to Eliza while Cater observes, “You can’t even see how he’s playing you.”

Despite their bickering we see Ace rescue Deuce from aggressive upperclassmen in a vignette, and at the end of Spectral Soiree Ace expresses frustration at Deuce for not understanding how worried Ace had been about him, the prefect and Grim when they disappeared.

Ace vents at Malleus and Lilia, who point out he must have been lonely. Ace insists he only “grudgingly” lets Deuce (and the prefect and Grim) “tag along” with him, but we see flashbacks that indicate otherwise.

At the end of the vignette Deuce invites Ace to dance and Ace accepts, feeling better after having expressed his frustrations.

In Ace’s dream of Book 7 Cater announces that he will be putting Ace into a deeper sleep as Ace has chosen to stay behind and Deuce goes after him, asking for one more chance to talk to Ace (Cater had actually never intended to leave Ace behind at all).

Deuce identifies a fake-Ace during Riddle’s dream when it claims that Leona could easily beat Riddle in a fight, saying, “the Ace I know would never tell another housewarden he could ‘easily’ beat ours in a fight. Even if you did believe that, you’d never say it out loud! At least… I think.”

Deuce demands that it tell them what Ace’s dream was like and when the fake-Ace tries to stall, he calls it out for not being real.

The fake-Ace asks, “How’d you suddenly smarten up so much?,” and Deuce responds, “The real Ace would keep fast-talking and find a way to confuse me even if he was cornered. I didn’t smarten up. You’re just dumber than he is!”