You going my way?
Chapter one : Where to? Anywhere but here.
And now my life has Changed in Oh! So Many Ways
My independence seems to vanish in the haze
Goal every now and then I feel so insecure
I know that I just need you like I've never done before
The Beatles
Ace woke up with the appearance of the first rays of sunlight; every muscle in his body ached, reminding him of his fatigue, weariness, miles traveled on foot under the blazing sun, feeling as if he was going to die right there in the desert ... and the car.
He turned immediately, contemplating the extended driver in his seat, deep in sleep that seemed as little restful than his, given his tense features; he thought that his presence perhaps made the man suspicious and he felt a little more guilty.
He was dying of thirst, but the stranger seemed to have nothing to soothe it. Trying to forget about the drought within his mouth, he settled back more comfortably, trying to be as discreet as possible.
"As usual," muttered his conscience, as always filled with reproaches.
He ignored it and scanned the inside the car of an appreciative glance. Aston Martin a 1965, no less. According to the counter, she had to be at least 300 horsepower, about 200 km / hour, which was pretty impressive for a car of this age.
The driver had taste that was for sure.
The very same driver who seemed to wake up opening his eyes, still blurry with sleep, to the ceiling of the car; He blinked, yawned and stretched - Ace realized he was tall, one meter ninety, and that he was nonetheless well built despite his thinness. Result: he could throw him out at any time if he felt like it.
"Stop seeing evil everywhere."
He folded his tall figure and reached into his pocket for his keys out, giving him a sidelong glance.
- ... Sleep well?
- Could've been worse, Ace muttered carefully avoiding his gaze. I ... um, thank you. For yesterday.
- No problem, I couldn't leave you in the middle of the desert. Where are you going anyway?
Ace was silent just long enough to appreciate the sound of the engine starting, roaring happily as they were setting off.
- ... As long as it's far from where I come from, I don't care.
Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being 'round
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Will not you please, please help me
Law nodded, accelerated and went out of the shoulder in a cloud of dust before embarking on the desert road and rev up, donning his sunglasses without asking more questions.
After all, who was he to judge ...? The boy did what he pleased, and Law would have felt like a hypocrite if he had given him any sermon.
- Trafalgar Law, he whispered suddenly, after a few minutes of silence.
- Portgas D. Ace, the young man whispered in reply, slightly embarrassed.
- ... Where are you coming from?
- Winston-Salem.
- North Carolina ...? wondered Trafalgar. You've been through the entirety of the states?
Ace nodded and shut out himself once more remembering what had forced him to leave his home overnight. He thought of all he had left behind and felt her tears back with a vengeance - he stifled them in his bag, ashamed, and swallowed a sob that threatened to burst from his chest.
If he noticed the tears, Law said nothing, keeping one hand on the steering wheel, the other sticking out from the open window, letting the wind carry their race.
The sun rose higher in the sky as the hours passed and at its zenith, it was lunch time, Ace's stomach gurgled and broke the silence, drawing Law's attention, who made apologetic face.
- I'm sorry to say I have nothing edible. But we shouldn't be very far from Bakersfield ... there will should be some place to stop and eat.
Ace nodded and let his head fall back against the window, watching the glowing expanse of desert and mountains, which reflected the brightness of the sun.
Law reached out and started his iPod, adjusting the volume, to play "Help" by the Beatles. Ace slipped a glance at the radio station, astonished, and Trafalgar caught his gaze.
- ... Do you have anything against the Beatles ...?
He shook his head, thinking that it was Luffy's favourite band.
"Luffy ...". His little brother. The apple of his eye.
He slammed his head against the seat support and looked up to restrain the tears, thinking that he had cried enough already. His fingers tightened on his bag and his nails scraped the rough fabric with a thud that did not escape the Aston's driver's hearing, which refrained from comment.
His passenger's depression seemed newer than Law's, and rage and sadness still painfully emanated from him.
Law himself had passed the stage of tears long time ago; he cried all it was physically possible to express and yelled to the rest of the world before leaving everything behind for a fresh start in a new city.
Ace sat more comfortably in the leather seat and closed his eyes, the wind ruffling his dusty hair, under Trafalgar's thoughtful gaze.
The afternoon passed without them exchanging a word, as before, each deep in thought once more, the sun was buried behind the mountains, casting its last rays blue, gold and blood red in the sky who seemed to star, devoid of the slightest cloud.
The headlights illuminated the asphalt road under the wheels before another gleam loomed in the distance, probably several kilometers away.
The first point of civilization for nearly two days - Law felt feverish with the idea of eating and stifled a laugh, accelerating the pace towards the small resort looming in the night.
- I offer to spend the night here, Law sighed. I love my car, but I have my limits.
He turned his head and noticed that Ace looked uncomfortable, if not downright scared. Intrigued, he parked at the foot of the small illuminated hotel and tried to understand what put him in this state.
- ... is that all right?
- Yeah, yeah. It's fine, he muttered, tightening his hold on his bag in a pathetic gesture of protection.
Law turned off the ignition and got out of the car, Ace on his heels. He noticed that the young man was dragging his feet and seemed to settle a little more about himself while they were close to the hotel, but remained silent until they enter the small hall.
There was a receptionist at the entrance, which offered them a candid smile, far from being shocked by their dusty appearance - she had seen much worse than that on that road.
- Good evening, she smiled, before displaying an air heartbroken. We are almost fully booked, all that remains is a single free room.
Ace felt a lump in his throat and a knot violently contracted his stomach - he begged not to throw up right then and there.
- The beds are apart? Law inquired with a smile that he hoped seemed casual.
- Yes, of course, but there's only one bathroom.
- It'll work conceded Law rummaging through his jeans and then pulling out his wallet.
Ace winced when Law turned to him to deposit the room key in his hand - his fingers were frozen, in stark contrast to his, hot.
- Go shower, I'll catch up with you. You seriously need it.
He just nodded and walked up the stairs, disappearing from his sight. Trafalgar went out into the cold night air and crossed the road to reach the grocery store still open on the other side of the bitumen. He politely greeted the tenant and wandered the shelves, filling a basket of water bottles and cake packages, wondering what Ace would like to eat.
He added sandwiches and a bag of caramel candies - his favorite - before joining the union.
The view of cigarette packages was a blessing and it came out of the grocery store with bundles of tobacco leaves and three boxes to roll - Old Mac, one of Virginia, which he preferred to all the rest.
He returned to the hotel, the receptionist smiled and looked the room, he found the second floor, just down the hall he knocked, waiting patiently for Ace to open it.
"Or not. Apparently he's scared of you. He might make you sleep on the doorstep."
Footsteps echoed in the room, slammed the locks and door opened slightly, letting a black and worried look before the door opens completely on a freshly showered Ace in linen trousers and a clearly shirt clean.
Law was seized by the youth's face Ace rid of filth; his shoulder-length hair, auburn, still wet from his shower, framed his cheeks dotted freckles he had not noticed, because of the dust.
Ace gave him a slight smile, the first in two days, interrupting Law's thoughts.
- ... Hi.
-So you really are human! I was starting to think you were an alien escaped from Area 51.
Ace chuckled slightly and stepped aside to let him in, before quickly shutting the door behind him. Trafalgar put the bags on the nearest bed and walked to the bathroom.
- Help yourself, I'll be out in ten. Or maybe fifteen, he added, gauging his filthy appearance critically.
He closed the door, faced the mirror above the sink and thought it was really time to get rid of the stubble (and more) that pushed the meantime.
He reached into his bag and took out a shaving cream tin that he shook before spreading foam on his face.
"Fuck, man, we look like Daddy."
He pushed that thought away with a small smile and unfolded his shaving blade before applying it to his skin as to shave his cheeks and neck, focused on the movement of the blade.
Movement that reminded him his father looked at the old mirror dotted with their bathroom while he was watching in the process of shaving as a child lurking behind the door, curious and fearful at the same time.
"... That was years ago. Why the hell are you thinking about that?" Sighed his conscience.
He did not know anything and just decided to forget about it - he had enough to do like that. He splashed his face with water and wiped with a towel, contemplating his face, before straightening his little goatee finger backhand.
"I wonder how much longer that'll last. It sucks to always have to be careful when we're shavin'."
It was really time for him to sleep: the little voice in his head was getting a slightly too intrusive. Law threw his dirty clothes on the tiled floor and opened the taps - a pleasant smell in the air, similar to caramel candies something he enjoyed. He slipped under the water and was able to suppress a wellness sigh when the jet struck the knotted muscles of his neck.
He took his time to wash himself, before resigning to go out, rummaging in his bag to get out a pair of jeans and a clean tank top, he put them on quickly drying his hair all the while.
Ace was sitting on one of the beds, a small notebook in hand scribbling on one of the pages while leaning forward. He jumped when Law came out of the bathroom and quickly stuffed his things into his big bag before looking up and noticing the tattoos covering his body under the tank top he was wearing.
- …do you have a lot of those?
- Tattoos? Quite a few yeah, Law smiled while dropping onto his own bed. You didn't have anything to eat ...?
- I was waiting for you, murmured the young man politely.
Trafalgar reached into the bags and handed him a sandwich, Ace intercepted the flight before unpacking and biting into it, repressing a grunt of pleasure to the feel of the food in his mouth. Law watched him, amused, before taking his guitar and out of its cover, under the gaze of a curious Ace.
- does it bother you if I strike a few strings...?
He shook his head and settled against the pillows, his dark eyes gazing at him with curiosity and some envy.
Law pinched a few strings, adjusted their clamping and started to hit a rhythm, Ace recognized it at once - a song that his mother listened to regularly ... Lemon Tree by Oasis.
He was even more astonished and admiring, in a sense, when Law hummed the song; his voice low and deep had a terribly soothing effect, even making him momentarily forget to eat. When he stopped, Law caught sight of Ace's gaze and raised a brow.
- Yes ...?
- S-sorry, he muttered, lowering his nose back to his sandwich. You have a really nice voice.
- Thanks, Law smiled after a long silence. ... It was just a test, it still requires adjustments.
- Don't worry about it, I have absolutely no musical ear, so ... for me it's already extraordinary.
Trafalgar shook his head, distracted, pulled out a paper and a pencil and scribbled the tablature of the song on a corner of the page, before seeking the fairest agreements, repeating endlessly, the guitar's music passing over the hotel's nose, conversations and footsteps in the corridor.
When his joints protested and the pads of his fingers threatened to flay alive on the brass, he decided to pack his guitar reluctantly - he could play for hours, but he did not want to prevent Ace's sleep, especially as it seemed to be badly needed.
He was lying in bed, under the blanket and dozed quietly, his black eyes blurred with sleep over time. Law put away the leftover food in bags and placed them near the bedside table, extending in turn on his bed, his hands behind his head thoughtfully.
A slight hum sounded close to him - he turned his head and smiled at Ace already asleep, slumped against the pillow, his disheveled hair on the pillow and his peaceful face.
AN: Sorry for being so late… this chapter took me some time to translate and I didn't want to mess it up. So please, don't chuck pitchforks at my head, or anything else that can be as lethal. I've had a busy week and weekend, forgive me!
Please do review!
Spirit