If there was one thing Ace hated about the winter, it was the cold. Sometimes, the weather gets so cold on the Grandline that he could feel it right to his bones. He'd very much rather have summer, where layers and layers of clothing weren't a necessity.
Right, and then there's that. Winter meant that his birthday was coming up.
Ace's apartment was always empty and somehow whenever it was his birthday, it made him feel even lonelier. His parents were gone and he couldn't blame his friends for leaving him alone either; it was New Year's after all.
Ace brushed off the thought. There were still a couple of days until the year ended anyway. All the Christmas parties had just ended and all of his friends began to prepare their own New Year's parties with their families. In other words, Ace didn't have anyone to hang out with. Every year he faced the same situation of boredom, which usually ended up with him having hangovers from a whole night of beer and television.
Good thing I signed up for that volunteer work, Ace thought as he put on his coat before leaving for the fire station.
That's right. To prevent major regrets, this year he volunteered to help out the local fire brigade. Keep his hands full. Plus, this would also be beneficial to him, since he had always dreamt of becoming a fire fighter.
When he reached the place, he was surprised that another person had actually volunteered as well. Ace eyed the other boy curiously. Did he not have a family to celebrate New Year's with as well?
The other boy seemed to have noticed Ace gawking at him. He blinked at Ace, then flashed the brightest smile Ace had ever seen.
Oh, oh no. He's cute!
Ace's thoughts were interrupted by the fire chief clearing his throat.
"So, you two have volunteered to help the fire brigade out," the fire chief coughed. "As you know, New Year's is around the corner, which means that the town is especially susceptible to accidents right now. People starts getting drunk and sets fire to everything…well, you get the gist. We're a little short on hands right now, so I'll have you two patrol around town and prevent troubles."
What, do we not get to fight fires?
"Whaaaaat, do we not get to fight fires?" The other boy took Ace's words right out of his mouth.
"No, you two are inexperienced and unqualified. The only problems you'll be fighting today are the petty fights between drunkards, or saving cats from trees! If you do come across a fire, you must contact the station immediately!"
Hmph. Boring.
"But that's so boring!" The other boy whined. Ace looked over at him amusedly.
"Now run along, you two!" The fire chief shooed the volunteers out of the station.
Well, there goes his plan of spending his time wisely. Now he's just spending his time walking around town looking at everyone else being happy with their families and being reminded of how bitter he was. Just great.
Ace scratched the back of his head as he turned to take his leave.
But then he felt a tug on his coat.
He peered over his shoulder, his eyes laying on the other younger boy.
"Hey," the other boy said. "Do you want to patrol together?"
Ace stood there in silence for a second.
"I-I mean! If we're gonna do something boring, we might as well do it together!" The other boy stuttered.
Ace smiled. Maybe it wouldn't be so boring after all.
"Sure. My name is Ace. And yours…?"
The other boy's eyes sparkled, it was almost magical.
"I'm Luffy!"