"Thatch, I swear, I'll be a literal angel, so please take these cuffs off! We haven't bathed in almost a week and I think I'm starting to grow a bacterial civilisation in my pits!"

I had my hands together, begging and pleading with the cook to have mercy on me. We had just docked at an island, and all I wanted was to shower whilst most of the crew were away from the ship.

"Sorry, as well behaved as the two of you have been, I'm not risking it when we're docked. What if you run off and get into trouble? It's best if you stay by Ace for the day." He responded, giving my hair a rough tussle before leaving me, Ace chuckling by my side.

"See? I'm not the only one worried you'll make a break for it. Don't worry, kiddo, you'll have fun with me today." He thumbed himself, and I rolled my eyes so hard they almost got stuck.
"I'm two years younger than you. Don't call me kiddo. It's demeaning." I muttered, acknowledging Deuce and a few other crew members as they approached. "So, what island is this, and where can I buy some deodorant?"

Flipping through a notebook, Deuce hummed jotting something down in lead pencil.
"We've landed on Hilltide Island. See how the landscape is made out of lots of rolling hills?" He pointed outward, and I followed his finger, nodding when I saw the tall, lush mounds. "Well, twice a day they change, like the tide. The buildings here are constructed by using sturdy sheets of bamboo. Think of a sushi mat, but huge. It's so they're flexible when the landscape shifts."

The thought of the ground moving was incredibly strange to me, but it sounded pretty awesome. I liked hearing about new places, especially after having been restricted to Dressrosa for so long.
"Is there some scientificly proven reason why the ground shifts, or is it still a mystery?" I asked, genuinely wanting to know.

"I'm glad you asked! So, actually, the-"
"Let's go find something to eat! I'm starving!" Completely interrupting Deuce, Ace sprung forward, unceremoniously dragging me away from my science lesson and down off the ship, having to catch me before I hit the ground, considering he just jumped right off.

"H..hey! I was trying to learn something!" I barked, being completely ignored as Ace set off towards town, still carrying me like a baby.
"Meh, you can hear it later. My stomach is about to eat itself." He shrugged, and I pounded at his chest, my cheeks heating up when I realised he hadn't bothered putting me down.

"Fine, but don't carry me! We're stuck being close enough without you treating me like your pirate booty!" Ace placed me back on the ground, but leaned to take a quick look at the back of me, shrugging his shoulders.
"Don't see much booty there, but whatever you say."

Spluttering, I just allowed him to drag me onward as I muttered empty insults and threats, continuing with my near silent tantrum until our path reached a steep hill. Stopping, I trailed my eyes all the way up to the stop, taking hold of the chain that connected us so he couldn't just drag me ahead.

"Don't tell me we have to treck all the way up there? I'll die. That's vertical. I'm more of a horizontal kind of gal myself." Before I had the chance to step back and try to haul him back to the ship, Ace shifted and lowered himself, backing into me before forcing me onto his back.

Startled, my first instinct was to move my hand to his front, over his shoulder so our chain wouldn't pull to hard, and my legs tightened around his sides. Shocking myself, I didn't even immediately refute it.
"Now you won't die." Ace turned his head a little and gave me a cheeky grin, and much to my dismay my heart skipped a beat or two. I hoped it was arrhythmia instead of the obvious.

"Fine, but you better put me down once we get close to the top. I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea..." I mumbled, ducking under the back of the brim of Ace's hat, hoping he couldn't see my fluster.
"Aw, thanks for worrying about my reputation!"

I'm going to kill him. Really, I'm going to.

The trip up the hill was surprisingly fast. Ace hummed a few nonsensical tunes, and I just sat upon his back, listening and gazing out over the landscape. It truly was a beautiful island, so green and vibrant. It reminded me of Flower Hill, on Dressrosa.

As promised, Ace let me get down once we neared the top, nearly getting strangled by our chain in the process. The town up there was alive and bustling, the jovial chatter of people, the loud, rambunctious laughter of children running through the street. It kind of reminded me of home, just a little more...natural. Even if we hadn't been shackled together, I likely still would have stayed close to my companion's side as I peered around, taking in the sights and sounds. 

"So, you're gonna pay for my food too, right? I lost my berries when Marco kidnapped me." I asked Ace, turning to see him eyeballing what looked to be a vendor selling grilled water fowl. 
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, of course! The gentleman always pays, after all." He replied with a smile, motioning his head towards the food instead of tugging our chain. 
"Th..that's on a date, Ace. This isn't a date. Besides, that's stupid, anyway. It should be equal." 

Almost as soon as we arrived at the stall, another had taken Ace's attention, and that continued to be the case as he began dragging me in a zig zag down the busy street, occasionally handing me things to try. 
"Well, Makino taught me it was polite, so I stand by it." He announced after swallowing some kind of exotic-looking fruit, spitting the pit out onto the ground and watching it bounce into the grass. "What? You saying you wouldn't date a stud like me?" 

I knew he was just trying to get a rise out of me, but even so, I felt my cheeks begin to burn hot, and I quickly whipped my head away, picking literally anything else to look at so he wouldn't see my embarrassment. 
"You're no stud, Forehead. You're obnoxious, and rude, not to mention a damn pig. Where does all that food even go?!" Ace snickered as he handed me what looked to be a type of tart, and I begrudgingly accepted it with a scowl. 
"Turns into energy. Duh. Oh, and muscles." 

Ugh, please don't make me think about your body... 

"Hey! You there! You didn't pay for that!" 

"Yeah, they took stuff from my store too!" 

"You owe me twenty berries for that, you damn brats!" 

A wave of realisation washed over me as I slowly turned around, seeing a hoard of angry townsfolk rushing after us from down the way, and I slightly leaned in towards Ace. 
"Please tell me you paid all of them..." The strong silence that came after my words confirmed my worries, and I hesitantly began to back away. 
"I may have left my cash back on the ship...My bad." 

Without any warning, Ace kicked off into a sprint, and I had no choice but to do my best to keep up. Sure, I was fast, but somewhere through the years a large gap had formed between our skills. He was better than me in every physical way, and I was struggling not to eat dirt. Much to my dismay, the townspeople also seemed to be incredibly fit, and they kept on our tail, shouting their aggressive curses and ill-wishes at our backs. 

"Of course I'll pay for your food, (Y/N)! A gentleman always pays! Bullshit! You're a dirty rotten thief, you sentient candle!" I bellowed, already out of breath before we even reached the end of the street. Ace's hand had found mine, and he held onto it with a strong, hot grip, his free hand holding his hat to his head and he glanced back to me and absolutely beamed. 

I hated it. That smile. It was so devilish, and full of trouble and mischief, but I especially hated the way it made me feel. I felt like a kid again. It caused my blood to pump and the corners of my lips to try and drag up and outward to match his. 
"I'm a pirate! What did you honestly expect from me?!" Ace laughed cheerfully, dragging me forward and into his side, where he chose to wrap his arm around my middle and pick me up, carrying me like I was some kind of stock animal, or perhaps a duffel-bag without the handle. 

I didn't want to laugh. I really, truly didn't, especially not when we were literally running for our lives with basically an entire town out for our blood, but I couldn't help it. The whole situation was exciting, and I was with Ace. Even if he hadn't been the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, I would have felt safe with him. All aggressive interactions aside, I always felt that way around him. Letting out a pitched laugh, and closed my eyes and let Ace carry me, though of course I'd deny enjoying it if he ever dared mention it later on. 

Just as the outskirts of the town came into view, a loud, eerie ringing sound echoed through the air, and almost immediately the people stopped giving chase. Rushing back the way they had come, everyone seemed to scramble to drag everything back into their houses, children being swept up by their parents, animals herded inside, until the only people left outside were us.

"I...think we should probably find shelter..." I murmured, but Ace still continued to run, not phased in the slightest. On and on we ran, and on and on the bell tolled, but it suddenly stopped once we had reached the bottom of the other side of the steep hill.

"See? It was probably just some weird ritual or something." Ace shrugged, finally placing me back on my feet, but I kept hold of his arm, a realisation dawning on me.
"Wait, didn't Deuce say that the landscape shifted twice a da-"

Before I could finish my sentence, the ground began to rumble before it started to ripple and roll, and Ace grabbed hold of me, pulling me close into his chest as he attempted to keep his footing.

The town, which was so high above us, began to sink down, and we began to rise. It was as though we were on a set of scales, and we were definitely on the lighter side.
"Just hang on!" Ace yelled to me above the noise, and I did just that. It was startling, of course, but for some reason his arms around me stifled the fear.

He really tried to stay upright, but alas, Ace's footing slipped, and yelping in unison we fell to the ground, beginning to tumble and roll down the newly formed hillside. He kept my head close to his chest, hand protecting the back of my skull and his other arm curled tight around my middle. Around and around, down down down, I began to feel dizzy, but at the same time it was exhilarating.

Finally, just as the rumbling stopped, so did we, me on my back, and Ace directly on top of me, carefully pushing up so he was holding himself up with his hands. After a few moments of gaining his sense of balance, he looked down at me, a lopsided smirk stretching across his face.
"Heh. Pinned ya, just like old times."

He was right. In our current positions, it was just like how he had pinned me to the ground as kids during our play fights, but this time it was different somehow. My pulse had never rushed as fast, nor had I ever felt so vulnerable. It wasn't the same time of vulnerable I had always felt when around Doflamingo, either. It was new, and it wasn't a bad feeling at all.

Shaking myself out of my initial stupor, I noticed a faint trickle of red upon Ace's cheek, and I reached up to swipe it away with my thumb using my unshackled hand.
"You got kinda cut up..." I murmured, only barely flinching when Ace kind of leaned into my touch, lids lowering ever so slightly and his smirk softening into a calm, contented smile.

"It's nothing. You didn't get hurt, right?" He dismissed my concerns about him and flipped the script, and I slowly shook my head. The old Ace would have made out that protecting me was a pain in the ass, but this Ace, the new Ace, seemed genuinely concerned.

"Uh...I'm fine...just a few scrapes and scuffs..." My voice trailed off into silence as I looked up into his eyes, unable to make heads nor tails of what was going on inside my head. Why was I so comfortable, yet so nervous? Did I really like being so close to him? Why on earth was the voice inside of my head screaming, wanting to get even closer?

Studying me, face still soft and unchanging, Ace lowered his head a little more, getting so close that his freckles began to blur into the colour of his skin, and the only clear thing was his eyes.
"Well...now we know what that bell meant..." His voice was low and quiet, and I was helpless beneath him, chest thundering with my beating heart.

This can't be right...It's scary, but...isn't this what I'm supposed to feel with Doffy? Except...I don't...but with Ace...

Swallowing, I didn't dare look away or shift my head. I just laid there between his strong arms and beneath his body, mouth slightly agape. That was something he certainly seemed to notice, and he dipped lower.
"Actually...there's something I've been wanting to ask for..." He started in a whisper, the tip of his nose grazing against mine, causing me to wrangle a hitch of breath. "I'm sure you remember that I wanted you to give something back to me when we met again..."

The kiss...

A thrilling pulse shot through my body when he mentioned it, but I was still externally calm. Even when I realised my hand was still resting against his cheek, I didn't move it. Was that a sign that I actually wanted something to happen? Surely not.
"Yeah...I remember..."

This time, it was Ace who audibly swallowed, and I swore I saw a tinge of pink begin to bloom upon his skin. We were quite literally sharing breath now, and I felt like I was in some kind of trance.
"Then...if you don't mind..."

"There you guys a-Oop!"

Without so much as a single thought, I shoved Ace off of me, the yank of our metal tether enough to pull me upright. Above, Marco's blazing wings shone bright, and he was donning one of the biggest, most shit-eating smirks I had ever seen. "Don't stop on my account, yoi. Just pretend I'm not here!"

Absolutely mortified, I stood up, forcing Ace up along with me, and stared at the ground beneath my feet.
"S..stop what? We just rolled down the damn hill when it moved and this fatass landed on me..."

That was close...What was I thinking?!

Beside me, it seemed like Ace had lost custody of his good mood, but I could barely look at him in that moment. A lapse of judgement was all it was, it had to be. It wasn't like I really wanted him to kiss me. Not really. Well, not too much.

"Pfff, right, and I'm a Navy Admiral, yoi." Marco scoffed, hovering above us, still smirking like an idiot. "Anyway, Deuce is finishing up with paying the vendors back after you swiped their food, and we've got our supplies, so it's time to head back to the ship. Unless...you two wanted to finish what you-"

"Lead the way, Bird Brain." I interjected, already starting to march towards the slope of the newly formed hillside, dragging a silent Ace along with me. I was so preoccupied with my embarrassment that I didn't notice the knowing look Marco gave Ace...

Nor the scowl that was returned to him...

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***Marco the 'Cockblocker' Pheonix

I hopefully won't slow down with chapters, but I just enrolled in a university course (bye bye $3000) to hopefully become a Vetrinary Technician. I didn't want to, but I don't earn much from my current job in retail so I need qualifications. Plus, a creative writing course was $25,000 😭

Next Time: Heart to Heart to Heart***