portgas d. ace x fem! reader
spoilers on marineford arc !
That was the first word he uttered to you. D a m n, four letters in total, but the word itself could be used in any context. When pertaining to this situation, he used this simple four letter word to explain the fluttering feeling that began to rumble beneath his abdomen. Clearly Portgas D. Ace wasn’t as much of a smooth talker as he made himself out to be, because once you processed the word that left his chapped lips, one of your perfectly plucked eyebrows rose, mimicking a state of confusion.
“Damn? Am I that unattractive?” You asked in a light tone, trying to make it evident that the circumstance was amusing to you if anything. Ace’s face erupted into a bright rouge, warmth crawling up the sides of his cheeks along with that same fluttering.
“No that wasn’t it I promise! Your face was just…” The words ran off from him once more, he was almost like a blubbering baby, one that was unable to piece words together and speak coherently. Mumbles and harsh curses were the only things understandable that escaped him.
“It was just…?” Both eyebrows were now raised delight, the appearance of the male was adorable if anything. It was a sight to see, the great Portgas D. Ace at a lost for words, a tale that you would continue to tell for as long as you drew breath.
Ace fumbled with the ends of his blackened shorts, the fabric slightly tickling the edges of his kneecaps. Nervousness was never something he felt around woman, he usually thrived around them, basking in the compliments and playful banter. But you were different, and that was something he couldn’t quite explain just yet, so instead he resorted back to that one four letter word.
Ace always placed two kisses upon your plump lips before departure. One that was short and sweet. It always left you chasing after him, your breaths mixing with his in beautiful harmony. The second was passionate. One that spoke to you in ways that words could not compare. It begged you to wait for him. It promised you that he would always return, with the same smile and chocolate colored freckles that dotted his tanned cheek bones.
It confessed over and over his undying love for you, something that he said often but you never really heard up until the moment your lips pushed against his. Blazing and heated, it was all you ever wanted or could ask for.
Afterwards he always gave you that same dazed look. Eyes glazed over, but the twinkle in his irises never lost. Then, with one final brush of his thumb to your cheek, he was gone. Though he never actually left, the fire he lit within you was always a reminder.
Three was the amount of chuckles he would produce before exploding into boisterous laughter. The amount of taps he would place onto whatever flat surface he was leaning on. You knew soon after to thrust your hands outwards because not even two seconds later his body would make contact with yours, shoulders trembling as giggles continued to tumble out of him.
His mop of wavy obsidian locks would tickle your thighs, causing you to emit snickers as well. In retaliation he would tilt his head back in glee, a sickly sweet smirk stretching his cheeks from each side.
“What’s so funny sweetness?” He questioned, knowing good and damn well that he was the source of your laughter. He just liked to hear it from your mouth. You giggled once more, brushing his soft crinkled tresses away from his forehead, staring carefully into those hazel irises.
He gasped soon after, one of his wide palms lifting off of the wooded countertops, finding itself placed along his bare chest. His mouth widened in mock offense, eyebrows furrowing to imitate an insulted appearance.
“How rude of you! I’d never thought I would hear such vulgar words come out of my baby’s mouth!”
Before drifting off to sleep Ace would always leave the same number of finger taps along the back of your palm. Four in total. You never really noticed until he asked you if you’d known what they stood for. When you shook your head he simply smiled wide and twisted your hand.
One tap he said was a simple goodnight. Though he managed to say it each time before bed it was more like a reiteration for both him and yourself. The second was a promise. A promise that as each day passed, as each morning turned into blissful night, he would continue to breathe, to live for you. As he explained this his gaze stayed locked to your overturned hand, mouth quirked upwards into that content smirk of his.
The third was a reminder. A reminder that he was there, by your side, and nowhere else. A blessing he called it, blessed that he was able to wake up in the morning to the sight of your resting expression. It motivated him, pushed him. The last was an I love you. Though not one passionate and blinding, like he would display during his kisses. No, this one was gentle and muted, yet still as beautiful as it’s opposite.
As he continued on to explain each and every meaning, complex words flowing right along with simplicity, your beating heart picked up speed and that same flutter you experienced when you first met Ace appeared once more.
It was in that moment you knew, who your heart belonged to.
You always knew the peaceful moments wouldn’t last. That there would be a day when your sunshine wouldn’t return. A day where the clouds would part and the very heavens themselves would wallow in agony. A day where you would no longer feel that burning warmth he always left behind with you, buried beneath each wandering stare and lingering kiss.
You remembered the amount of breaths he took. Four in short puffs, while the fifth was long and drawn out, as if he were trying to recall the taste of air itself. You remembered the realization in his eyes as they rolled permanently backwards into his skull, and the morbid understanding that he would never be able to take a sixth.
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