You spent the rest of the late afternoon and much into the evening playing your guitar, Bepo sat on your bed listening and dozing off. You think he liked it. Your aunt popped her head in before heading to work for the night to let you know Rayleigh wouldn't be back till tomorrow due to some problems that had arisen at the shop and to call her if you need anything. Once you heard the click of the door shut and lock you set your guitar aside and pick up your phone, you had messaged Camie earlier apologising for not calling the night before. She had insisted it was fine, she was going to be busy tonight with her part time job at a café so you wouldn't have your daily chat. You take a picture of Bepo taking up most of you bed and send it to Law letting him know that his dog is doing well before getting ready for bed. You have to make Bepo move a little so you can actually lie down, "This is going to be an interesting night's sleep," you sigh while pulling as much of the duvet as you can over you. You stare off at the ceiling, mentally going through the events of the day, blushing a little remembering Ace's words, you wished you could have known someone like him back home. Maybe it wouldn't have been as bad then, you trace the scar with trembling finger tips, closing your eyes and curling on your side as dark thoughts begin to rise. "What if they decide I'm not worth their time... what if they see me as a freak... what if they are just pretending to be nice..." it feels like your suffocating, a pressure in your chest and head. You curl up tighter, as the voices of the past start screaming at you, you cover your ears and a whimper escapes you before being pulled out of it all quite suddenly by a wet snout, you blink tears out of your eyes and look over your shoulder, Bepo licks your nose. A broken smile comes to your face and you turn over and snuggle the big fluffy dog, "thank you Bepo," soon sleep falls over you as you listen to Bepo's soft steady breathing.

You sat on the bleachers, watching a game of football play out as giant bubbles rose in the air outside the school stadium. Leg bouncing with nerves you were barely aware of what was going on with the actual game, your friend had disappeared some time ago and you were beginning to worry. You check your phone but find no messages, you try ringing them, but there's no answer. Anxiety rising you can feel eyes on you, people are watching you, snickering and whispering behind hands. You check your phone again, hands trembling, both legs jittering. You stand up and make your way to the exit that will take you into the school, a cheer goes up from behind you, but it's not loud meaning the other team most likely scored. But that's a brief thought in your mind, you have to find your friend. You run through the hallways, the loud cheering from the game echoes around you as your heart pounds with a rising fear. You keep searching but you can't find them, you have to find them though, you feel that if you don't something bad will happen. Your search takes you outside, and around the building towards the caretaker's huts, long abandoned. No one had lived there for some time now. They stepped out of the shadows, chuckling and sneering at you, asking if you'd lost something. You told them you just wanted to find your friend; you didn't want trouble. But they wanted trouble, they wanted fun and entertainment, they told you that you would be their entertainment, they told you to run. But you refused, so they dragged you. Down to the floor. There was pain, but you still refused to run. Because then you saw them, your friend's eyes wide with their own fear. There was talk of punishment, something in their hands, they tried to make your friend hold it, use it. They refused so they got hurt and you lurched forward, anger pushing back your fear for a flicker of a moment. Your fist connected with something, someone. You were thrown back to the floor. Fear thundered back. They raised it. Fear consumed you. They pressed the trigger.

You bolt upwards gasping for breath, pain lacing through your shoulder sharply as you let out a sob mixed with pain and fear. You pull your knees up and squeeze your eyes shut, "Just a dream, just a dream," you mumble and grip you shoulder hard, digging your nails into it, "it's not real..." Bepo nudges you and lets out a small whine, you peek up at him and wipe you face, "Sorry Bepo..." you reach out to him and he nuzzles you, "sorry I woke you," the tears eventually stop, but the trembling just won't. With a pained sigh you press you face into Bepo's side, "I should talk with someone shouldn't I..." the dog makes a quiet chuff as if agreeing, making you chuckle ever so slightly, "but who... I don't even know if I can talk about this..." you shudder and get another louder bark from the dog, "Okay, okay," you sit up and reach for your phone. Checking the time, you see it's past two a.m. and cringe, "I don't think anyone's going to be up anyway Bepo..." you look at the dog and swear it's giving you a judging stare, "fine," you grumble and scroll through the contacts, you could see if your mother was still awake but you didn't want to worry her unnecessarily, nor did you want to call Shakky and disrupt her work. That left your friends, you were definitely not talking to Law, you needed someone who would distract you and make you feel calmer. "Vivi and Camie will definitely be asleep... and Shachi is with Law so that's a no..." your finger hovers over Ace's name, well 'freckles'. You hesitate for a moment before opening up the messenger app and sending a message before you can chicken out.

(Y/N) - Are you still awake? If not, it's fine don't worry. X

"Oh god... why did I put a kiss on it... he's going to be asleep, there's no way he's a..." the phone pings,

Freckles – I'm awake, what's wrong? Are you okay?

You stare at the phone, surprised and instantly relieved.

(Y/N) - Sorry, did I wake you?

Freckles – no don't worry, I've not been able to sleep yet. Is everything okay (Y/N)?

You take a deep breath; hands are still trembling as you type out a reply.

(Y/N) - I guess, not really.

Freckles – want to talk about it?

(Y/N) - I'm not sure how to

Freckles – want to go for a walk?

You stare at the phone and frown before jumping as it begins to ring loudly, you quickly answer it, "H,hello..." you stutter out quietly, you cringe a little, you hear shuffling about before his voice comes through,

"Hey..." he pauses, "sorry about suddenly ringing you,"

"I,it's okay," you croak out, "I'm on my own in the house at the moment..."

"You sound like you've been crying..." his voice is soft, like he's trying to be quiet but you can also hear him moving about and quiet chatter in the background before silence and the sound of a door clicking shut,

"Ah... yeah..." you bite your lip a little, "just a bad dream... you probably think that's pretty lame right...?" you let out a nervous laugh,

"Not at all. We all have bad dreams sometimes,"

"I wish it was only sometimes," you sigh,

"Come for a walk with me, you will feel better after it. Bring Bepo too," he tells you, "don't make me wait outside looking like some stalker," that makes you chuckle,

"Okay. One moment," you roll out of the bed and grab a jumper from the closet before slipping into your boots and with Bepo at your side you head downstairs. You find Ace sat on the steps just outside the front door, you hesitantly step out. He stands and turns to face you at the sound of the door shutting, his dark eyes cast over your face for a brief moment before he steps closer and wraps you in a warm hug, you lean into it and hug him back, "thanks," you mumble,

"No need," he pulls away with a small smile, "I'm always here if you need me, now come on, let's walk," he takes your hand and leads you down the steps and away from the house. You're both quiet as you walk but it's not awkward or uncomfortable, Ace decides to take you to one of the highest points in town. A memorial park that has a lookout over the valley that the town sits nestled in. "So, do you want to talk about it," he drops down onto a bench that looks out over the view, slowly you take a seat beside him and let Bepo wander a little. Keeping your eye on the inquisitive dog you take a deep breath,

"I don't really know how... but I suppose keeping it all in isn't working huh?"

"Not if it's something causing the dreams," he leans forwards a little, you can feel his gaze on you,

"Honestly, I..." you shake your head, "something happened to me back home..." you gulp a little and shudder at the memory. Ace wraps an arm around you and pulls you against his side,

"You don't have to tell me what it was. Talk about it when you're ready, and only when. You should never feel forced into saying or doing anything," you relax a little into him, grateful for his warmth and calming presence,

"It was something bad... that's all I can say right now," you mumble, you feel him nod, "since then, I get these dreams, sometimes I see that night as it happens, each detail excruciatingly on point, like I'm reliving it over and over," he rubs your arm, "then at other times it's so warped... it just becomes a mess. It turns people who I love and that I know in my heart care about me against me... I know they are only dreams but... sometimes it feels too real, I wake up and the fear is still there, the hurt, the look in their eyes," Ace shifts beside you and makes you look at him, he frowns noting the tears now silently falling and wipes them away with his thumbs,

"Whatever happened has clearly caused you a lot of emotional and mental stress." He looks pained by this, "But listen to your heart, don't let your mind twist what your heart knows is true. Your family and your friends are always going to be standing at your side."

"But what if things change... what if people see how broken I am?" you couldn't help but feel this way, as if everyone would eventually abandon you,

"(Y/N)…" he leans forwards and presses a soft kiss to your forehead pulling you immediately out of your thoughts, he then pulls back but keeps his face close to yours staring directly into you (e/c) orbs, "we're not going anywhere, even if things change, it won't change how we see you, how I see you. I promise you, I will always stick by your side," he pulls you into another hug. This one lasts for some time before he looks down at his watch, "we should start walking back, it's close to four a.m." He pulls you to your feet, "come on," you give a small smile, feeling a lot calmer now than before. Walking back, you shiver and rub your arms, you had hoped the jumper would be enough warmth from the night air, "You cold?" you glance at him, of course he noticed,

"A little," you admit, "I'm still getting used to the colder temperatures here, it's a lot more humid in Sabaody," he shrugs out of his hoodie leaving him in only his tank top and holds it out to you, "Oh, no I couldn't,"

"I insist," he drapes it over your shoulders and reluctantly you slip your arms into it, relishing the warmth,

"Are you sure...?" you didn't want to take it off now you had it on but, "you'll be cold now..." he chuckles at that,

"Don't worry, the cold doesn't really affect me," he zips up the hoodie before holding a hand in front of your face, "I bet Luffy hasn't even mentioned my devil fruit," you frown but it quickly drops into a gasp of amazement as fire flickers over his fingers,

"I think he mentioned you being a devil fruit user...but not what... now it explains why it feels like this has been on a heater," you giggle while tugging on the jacket, he grins,

"Yeah, my natural temperature runs a lot higher." You both continue walking, Bepo trotting at your side as you talk about random things, you mainly wanted to find out more about his devil fruit ability and how long he has had it. Before you know it your back at the house, you move to take off the jacket but he stops you, "give it to me some other time, plus, I've got plenty anyhow," he shrugs and takes a step towards his own house before pausing and glancing back at you, "whenever you have those dreams, just call me okay? It doesn't matter what time it is, I'll answer," you blush a bit and smile,

"Thank you, Ace," you wave goodnight to him and step inside, still wrapped up in his warmth you feel your face heat up more as you glance down at Bepo, "I feel like he just gave me his jacket to keep, don't you think?"