It was his lunch hour. Ace went down to the town's popular cafe bar; he sat at the bar and talked with the bartender — a friend.

"Marco, I like someone," Ace admitted, cool as winter air. He fingered the straw of his drink, Ginger Ale; some days Marco would be willing to award his persistence towards getting an alcoholic beverage with a beer. Today wasn't one of those days.

Marco, drying glasses, paused. "Wow. Girl? Boy?" Though Ace wasn't known for ever honest-to-heart liking anybody, he was known for playing around with anyone who would approach.

"Boy." Ignoring the straw, he took a swig of Ginger Ale.

"And?"

"Well..." Ace set the drink down and cracked a quirky smile, "met him after summer, we got the same study. I'd never seen him before; he transferred this year. Without a thought, I sat next to him on the first day." He scratched the back of his neck and shook his head.

"I don't remember who started talking to who, but we've been talking everyday, the whole period, ever since... he's real cute — kind of slow. Beaming smile. Right here, right now, just realized I'd gotta like him."

Marco stared at Ace, amazed. Ace stared right back at him, waiting for some kind of response.

"...Did that all just come from 'King Fling'?"

Embarrassed, Ace shook his head some more. "Oh, shut it. Who the hell calls me that? He's just the first person I like and you're the first person I'm telling. I got carried away."

Marco chuckled, raising his occupied hands defensively. "Sorry. It's just surprising, you know? Anyway, what's his name?"

Ace sighed heavily. "Luffy."

"You sigh enough to fill a balloon." Marco checked his watch, "you should be heading back now."

Ace spun off of his stool. "Yeah, I know."

He put down seventy-five cents for Marco, grabbed his bag from the floor, and left.