it's loving ace hours so:
despite being a deuteragonist that's openly expressive, emotionally driven, carefree, playful, a reliable sidekick of yuu, an 'asshole'—ace's insecurities are literally shadowed upon 🤷♀️
while he may look like he has a normal life going on as a typical human teen, he's just as secretive with his past, nearly borderlining rook's. he shares what's mostly on the surface, something that isn't blinked upon. instances like book 7, book 8, halloween event, and his personal stories has given us an insight of how deep he cares yet it was yuu who has shown care towards ACE. why'd you think he was able to manifest his unique magic in the first place if it wasn't for yuu?
yea he ghosted his ex, yea it was deemed 'shitty' by the fandom, but to circulate his notion of love over that past of his—wherein he had a valid reason, i'd rather say, to cut ties—we have never really put ourselves in ace's shoes. he just wants to be treated right, fairly, and just be seen as a reliable person because that's his drive to push through. he's not an ambitious person but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the capabilities to work for his character.
he's insecure. his behavior is him shielding those insecurities, as shitty as they may appear. he just wants to feel secured. as a student, as a person, as a friend, and towards himself. ace knows how to appreciate, you just need to break HIS walls. he knows how to give good advices because HE'S BEEN IN THAT SITUATION ‼️
he doesn't like being silenced, he's very straightforward, because there's probably an instance at some point in his life where he's forced to keep quiet and that silence backfired. his freedom in nrc is a breath of fresh air for him to be so expressive and direct. he doesn't even care what you see of him. what matters is how he builds himself. hell, he's not even there to just impress anyone. he just wants to make sure he proves he's capable to HIMSELF.
