Freckles
chapter 4
Lying comfortably between her sheets, Eli could hear them talking behind the wooden door.
"No Luffy, for her birthday we let her sleep in as much as she wants !" the older brother ordered.
"But she's gonna miss the party" the younger one pouted.
Hearing them fighting, the girl chuckled under her blanket.
"I'll go eat her cake then !" Luffy said. The sound of his footfalls fading out; he was walking away.
Throwing her sheets and blanket aside on the spot, Eli snapped out of her bed and dashed over to the door to stop the glutton.
"LUFFY !" she yelled out, slamming the door open.
A blood rush making her head spin, Eli dizzily tried to catch the straw-hat boy but her body was still numb, thus, the girl ended up falling on her face. The two brothers burst out in laughter pointing the poor girl lying on her stomach.
The party was hosted in Makino's bar; there was a lot of food, friends, music, and laughter.
As for the cake, well it was the biggest chocolate cake Eli had ever seen. The icing sparkled like the stars, the heavenly chocolate scent filled the girl's heart like nothing before, and, of course, the taste, well it was simply sublime.
Perfect, Eli thought as she looked around, a large smile plastered on her childish face.
"Oi Twig !" Ace called out harshly. "I've got something for you." Without another word, the teen walked in the direction of the bar's entrance.
Speechless, Eli looked at him with questioning eyes. "Hu ?"
The doors swinging behind him, the girl reluctantly put her plate down and she followed the teen.
As she slowly climbed down the few wooden stairs, Eli peered at Ace. His back facing her, she heard a little rustle of paper. Briskly, the black-haired teen turned around and tossed her a little blue bag. Curious, the birthday girl looked inside.
A swimsuit...?
"Makino chose it !" Ace said, scratching the back of his head.
Her gaze left the bag's content as Eli raised her head to look at him. Confused, she bit her bottom lip. "But I can't swim," she said obviously puzzled by the teen's gift.
"I know that. I'll swim for you," Ace simply replied resting a hand on his hip.
Even though his tone of voice was slightly harsh, a bright sensation lit up inside of her upon hearing the words. Eli felt a grin creeping on her lips, and, without a word, the girl ran behind a bunch of trees to change.
It was an azure blue two-piece swimsuit. As she slipped inside of the tube top, Eli reckoned that it had been years since she hadn't wore a swimsuit, and again, why would she ? The girl had lost her ability to swim a long time ago.
Too long...
Her heart was pounding with excitation as Eli ran over to the beach. Her bare-feet digging into the sand, she soon found Ace sitting on the beach. Silently, he was gazing at the sea. His usual open shirt had been removed and was now resting to his side, fluttering softly upon the passage of a warm, sea breeze.
Her pace slowed down as Eli walked up to the teen. "Well how do we do this ?" she asked crossing her arms as she spoke.
His head turned around and Ace stoop up. Eli felt his dark gaze on her, a tad more intrusive than usual, his eyes trailed up her body before settling on the jade of her orbs.
"I'll carry you and..."
"Bridal style ?" Eli asked mockingly, lifting her hands to her cheeks.
"...no Twig..." Ace sighed deeply.
His annoyance was obvious and it made her chuckle; it was so easy to make him lose his temper. Putting a smile on her warm face, Eli nodded. "Okay then, let's do it."
Ace turned around and Eli climbed on his back. Securely, she wrapped her arms and legs around him. Expectancy, shoot up in her mind as he started to walk in the direction of the shore.
Slowly, the black-haired teen strode into the sea. Salty water enveloping Eli gradually, a shiver shook her body as the coldness reached her stomach and, already, the girl felt her body going numb.
"Are you okay ?" Ace asked turning his head slightly to the side as he spoke.
"Yeah... Hey, what if you fall asleep in the water ?" Without her consent, Eli's voice was softer than usual, the words passed slowly out of mouth in the form of a whisper.
"I won't. Don't worry, Twig," Ace said warmly.
As they reached an acceptable depth he began to swim. The sound of the waves was soothing and Eli's train of thought gradually diluted in the salty water. Whether it was due to the effect that the sea had on her now that she had eaten a devil fruit or the fact that her body was draped on the teen's warm back was unknown. Eli wallowed in the gentle feeling of the fresh water's caress as well as the warmth of the sun on her pale skin; she had missed that feeling.
"Oi, are you feeling sleepy ?" she asked softly, trying to keep her mind awake.
"Nope."
As the minutes passed, Eli felt herself becoming heavier, Ace had now to hold her arms around him so that she wouldn't slip away.
"Oi... Are you feeling sleepy now ?" she asked again.
"Nope" He smiled.
Drowsiness further taking over her, Eli wanted to savor this wonderful moment a bit longer; she wanted to enjoy it to the fullest. "...Ace... dive... please..." she asked really slowly.
It was probably a very bad idea but he did, and as they went underwater, the boy let go Eli's arms for a second. The girl felt her body sinking in the salty infinity as well as the blackness of her mind; a soundless and soft void. Was that how death felt ?
A hand caught her in her fall, strong and warm, it brought her back to reality. Eli opened her jade eyes, her orbs scorching within the saltiness, and Ace appeared in her blurry field of vision. A few seconds later, as her head broke through the surface of the sea; the devil fruit user drew a large intake of air. She was, once again, wrapped around the teen's body.
Clumsily, Ace brought her back to the shore, and laid the girl on the hot sand before slumping to her side. The two teens were panting loudly, lying side by side on the beach, the bright light of the sun warming up their glistening bodies.
As her breaths became more regular, Eli rolled her head toward Ace. He was staring upward, salty beads trailing down his slightly tanned skin. Gazing at his lovely freckled face, a smile crept on the girl's lips.
"Thank you Freckles," she said, happiness shinning in her weak voice. "It was really the best."
The next morning, Eli found herself blessed with another gift.
"What made you change your mind ?" the girl asked, slightly skeptical.
"You don't want it ?" Ace frowned. "You've been pestering about wanting your own room ever since you arrived."
"I know, but- HEY !" Eli slapped Luffy's hand as it was approaching dangerously from her breakfast. "But you always refused. I don't under-"
"You want it or not ?" Ace interrupted harshly.
For a few seconds, the girl stared at the black-haired teen. His dark eyes focused on his rice bowl, it seemed that he was averting her gaze. However, if his behavior was strange, his offer was too tempting to refuse.
"Yes." Eli beamed at the two brothers. "Let's do it !"
In the end, Eli never knew why Ace accepted, at last, to improve their cabin. In a few days they built two little rooms attached to the first one; a bedroom for the black-haired brothers and on for the girl.
The last sounds of hammer's blows resonating in the air, Eli let her gaze travel on their improved cabin. As Luffy jumped down of a ladder, a large grin made it's way on the girl's face. The boy had added the third board above the cabin's entrance: 'Eli's Country'.
It was stupid, it was childish, but it was also the most heartwarming thing anyone had ever done for her. Beaming at the rubber boy, a brilliant sensation fluttered inside of the girl's chest for, at that very moment, Eli felt that she was at home.
to be continued
'Freckles' has a sidefic, from Ace's point of view. It's called 'Twig' and you can find it via my profile (warning : it's M-rated). The first chapter gives Ace's thoughts on the swimming scene :)