Spoiler alert : don't read if you haven't read One Piece chapter 550.
'Freckles' - chapter 35. Without a word, Eli stood up and walked out of the tavern, her mind rushing with Ace's words repeating over and over again, and the feeling of betrayal digging deep through her insides...
The Demon's Child
"Where is your girlfriend ?"
Ace raised his drooping head from his glass and looked at the barmaid absently. She was obviously referring to Eli and it made him smile wryly.
"She's not my girlfriend," he said, slowly pushing his glass away. The barmaid didn't have to know that; it was clearly none of her business if they were a couple or not, so why did he even reply ?
"Sorry, I thought you made quite a pair," the barmaid said in an amused tone that made the flame user wince against his will.
Ace stood up and searched through his pouch to pay for the drinks.
"She paid already."
Of course...
Eli had probably thought that he would run away without paying once more and therefore took care of the bill herself. Somehow, even if it was insignificant, Ace found himself feeling extremely uneasy before the barmaid's eyes.
Walking slowly out of the tavern to go back to the inn, Ace felt simply empty.
At first, seeing Eli walking away from him, he had thought of running after her, but what for ? There was nothing more to say. He couldn't just erase what he had said, and why would he ? It was all true. There was nothing more to say and nothing to lessen what he had said. Even if she didn't accept it, even if she didn't accept him, there was nothing he could do, no matter how much it hurt...
Ace could regret telling Eli the heavy secret of his origins, but he did not. The young man had promised himself years ago to live his life without regrets, so he would accept it, no matter how much it hurt. But it did hurt; that was an undeniable fact.
However, it wasn't his fault; it was his damned father's. Just how long would his old man ruin his life ? Because of him, Ace was hated before he was even born, and the hatred hadn't lessened as he grew up. The demon's child...
Was that how she saw him now ? Would the girl he was in love with hate him because of his damned origins ?
Feeling anger rising inside of him, Ace felt the need to see Eli smiling at him; he needed her to be with him, his Eli, his naïve, cheerful Eli.
"Gold Roger is your father ? How cool is that !"
Ace smiled wryly; of course there was no way she could have reacted like that. And he wouldn't want her to react like that anyway because he hated his father, guts and soul. But then, what kind of reaction had he been expecting ? The answer was nothing... Ace didn't do it for a reaction. He just felt that he had to tell her. And somewhere, even if he hardly accepted being the son of this dreadful man, he somehow wanted Eli to accept him despite of his loathsome lineage. And because he loved her, she had to know.
But was it worth it in the end ? Now he had told her, and now she was gone.
With a deep sigh, Ace entered the inn wearily. The young man took another room separate from the others as he yearned for a moment of solitude, him alone with his dark thoughts...
Ace climbed the stairs listlessly, opened the bedroom door, and entered the lightless room, welcoming the darkness as his sole company. He threw his boots and hat roughly and walked absently to the window, the creaking of the wooden floor accompanying his every step.
The night sky was so clear that it was sparkling with the thousands of stars glowing brightly. The young man wondered if Eli was looking at the stars right now as well, and so the image of Eli gradually formed in his mind; standing in the empty street, her head rose to gaze at the celestial bodies, their glitter reflecting in her lovely green eyes.
Ace had never met someone who liked the stars as much as Eli did. At first, he thought it was kind of stupid; what was so interesting about them ? They were standing still, silent, and distant, sparkling almost disdainfully at the humans that were foolish enough to get caught in their mesmerizing sparkle. At first, he thought that she was just a romantic girl who was amazed like any other girl at something so shiny and out of reach.
However, there was something more with Eli... with the way she talked about them as if they were living things, as if they were real people, with their stories and names, and then, when he listened to her talking tirelessly of the stars, it felt like he could almost touch them.
Taking a few steps back, Ace let himself fall heavily on the bed. The young man's mind was now filled with only one question: would she ever talk to him like she did before, or were they fated to grow distant ?
Running his hand through his raven hair, the fear Ace felt inside of him was growing more painful. There was nothing he could do to keep Eli by his side. No matter how much it hurt, he would have to let her go, and maybe that was for the best...
Because he was sure of one thing: he could never bear to have her look at him with hatred.
Maybe he was the demon's child to everyone's eyes, maybe he should never have been born, yet he could endure their glares, he could endure their hate; it even gave him more strength and will to go on and prove to them that he was more than that. However, he could never bear to have her, the girl he loved, look at him with those lovely eyes of hers filled with hatred...
Hearing the door slamming open, Ace sat up instantly, his head jerking over his shoulder.
Because of the lights of the corridor, she was just a faceless silhouette, but he couldn't be mistaken; she was here.
"ELI !" he exclaimed bewilderingly, completely taken off guard by her sudden and vigorous entrance. "What the hell ?"
"I'm sorry," Eli said, closing the door slowly behind her.
Even in the darkness, Ace could feel her eyes fixed on him. He turned his head toward the window as he was too scared to face her right now.
"It's okay, I-"
"I'm sorry !" Eli interrupted him.
Something in her voice made his heart skip a beat. But why was she apologizing ? For not knocking ? For interrupting him ? He wasn't even asleep, so there was really nothing to be sorry about.
"I told you, it's-"
"I'm sorry, Ace !" Eli interrupted again, a bit louder.
Her voice right behind him, Ace knew she was getting closer, and feeling the mattress bend lightly under her weight made him feel like something was clenching his insides forcibly. He was in no condition to see her right now, and he didn't want her to see him so weak.
Eli wrapped her thin arms around his shoulders and Ace felt the clench on his insides tightening...
"I'm sorry," she said again, her soft voice caressing his ear.
A small glow caught his eyes from below him, and, lowering his head, his eyes fell on her pearl. The pearl he had given her, the pearl he was so proud to see on her. And somehow, this faint glow made him melancholic.
The young man didn't know what to do. Eli obviously wasn't apologizing for her sudden entrance into his bedroom; she was apologizing for her reaction to his revelation, and Ace wasn't prepared for that, nor for such close contact with the girl he loved.
Eli got closer, and Ace felt her chest pressing against his skin and her chin nestling on his shoulder.
"I'm so stupid, Ace, I'm so damn stupid !" she claimed loudly in an almost self-deprecating tone.
With every one of her apologies, Ace felt a bit more sad. He couldn't find the strength to say anything; he couldn't even find the words... and being in her arms felt so good, Ace feared that with a word or a movement from him, he would break the fragile moment, and she would once more vanish.
"I'm sorry..." Eli repeated once more, her voice so soft that it barely reached his ear.
Ace felt her body trembling slightly against his, and at that moment, the fear of Eli's hatred disappeared, replaced by one that was even more frightening... Was she crying ? Did he make her cry ? Ace couldn't let that happen, that would be worse than anything.
He turned around slowly and sat down in front her peering at her face, her lovely eyes locked with his. She looked so sad, yet Ace still couldn't find the words. Therefore, the young man just gave her a small smile; it was faint, but there was nothing more he could do.
He gave her a smile hoping to see hers.
Eli did not smile, though; she didn't even say a thing... She straightened up slowly, lifted her hands to his face, and gently cupped his cheeks. She was so tall and thin... Ace was hypnotized by her every movement, they were flowing and free, tender and sure.
Eli pressed her forehead against his, smoothly... warmly... like never before.
"I'm so sorry..." she said softly.
But Ace did not care, he did not hear. His eyes diving into hers, the young man was bewitched by the rare display of affection. It felt so good, he wanted more, he wanted more of her, he wanted to feel her and, for the first time, Ace inwardly ventured the want for her to love him...
As Eli tenderly brushed her delicate thumbs against his cheeks, Ace felt a warm feeling washing over him.
"I just felt a bit lost, but I'm here now..." Eli paused, biting her bottom lip. "Please don't hate me..."
Hate...?
Didn't she know that she had done nothing wrong ? And even if she did, there was no way he could ever hate her.
Feeling her soft breath caressing his face, Ace closed his eyes and drew a long intake of air to fill his senses with the intoxicating smell of the litchi. Even if within the years he had met other girls with that same scent, none of them bore it as exquisitely as she did, and she had no idea... Maybe that was what made her so irresistible... her ignorance of how captivating, and overwhelming, she was.
Ace brought his lips closer to hers, to make it more... to feel Eli a bit more.
"That's my line... idiot..." Ace said slowly.
Gazing at her face, Ace wallowed in the warm sensation brimming inside of him quietly.
She was so pretty that the young man felt the need to touch her as if he had to feel to make sure it was real. As he lifted his hand to her face, he felt her delicate fingers slip slowly and delightfully down his neck to rest on his collar bone, leaving a faint and soft trail behind them.
They were so close now; those rosy and full lips, the ones he had dreamed of taking so many times, they were within reach, he just had to push a little bit more and they would be his...
But Ace didn't push a bit more, because even if he wanted to feel her lips against his more than anything, he wanted Eli to know how he truly felt; he wanted her to want him, and he knew that if he kissed her right now, no matter how delicious it would feel, he would only be stealing her a kiss out of sympathy... out of pity.
"I could never hate you, Eli..." Ace whispered, gently brushing his fingers against her beauty spot resting under her eye.
At that moment, Ace wanted to tell Eli that he loved her, the warmth inside of him fluttering softly with every breath she expired murmuring to the young man the words to tell her. But seeing her smiling face at last, the young man felt that it was enough, that he didn't need more for now because he already felt loved.
As Eli wrapped her slender arms around his neck and pulled his chest against hers, Ace closed his eyes slowly and returned the warm embrace lovingly, feeling complete knowing that Eli's heart was beating against his.
Betaed by Iwin Ulose.
I think this is the most romantic chapter I have ever written.
When I started writing I wasn't really comfortable. I felt that I was making Ace too romantic and affected, but then I asked my wonderful beta (^^) for his approval, and as he gave it I kept going and then the words started flowing freely...
And when I finished it and read it I was quite amazed at Ace's reaction. Almost as if I wasn't the one who wrote it !
Odd isn't it ?
Anyway I love that chapter, and I hope you loved it too :)
