~M~
"You don't have to get me anything, Rory..." I heard Ace say.
"Well then stop insisting on getting me something!" Rory replied.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Rory's birthday went by two weeks ago and she didn't tell anyone." Ace said. He was pouting, looking at Rory accusingly. "I would have got you something if you told me."
"I forgot!" she said. "Time flies when you're having fun, you know? Besides, I don't need any birthday presents." She put her hands on her hips. "And if you get me something, then I'm getting something for you too! You're birthday is next week, right?"
"How did you-Marco you told her, didn't you?" Ace asked.
"She asked." I replied. "Last I checked, it wasn't really a secret."
"Okay, so how come you remember my birthday, but not yours?" He turned his attention back to Rory.
"People don't usually write down their own birthday, Ace..." she replied.
"You wrote it down?"
"Yeah. In a little book I have."
"One you keep on your nightstand?" Ace asked. I shook my head. He was still interested in reading it. I could see the temptation on his face.
"Yeah..." Rory narrowed her eyes. "You never looked inside did you?" she asked suspiciously.
"No! Never!" Ace replied quickly. "I've just seen it. I promise."
"Okay..." Rory said. I guess she chose to believe him. "Anyway, I stand by what I said before."
"But, its your birthday! You should get presents."
I couldn't help myself. "Weird. You never make such a big fuss when it comes other people's birthdays." I said. I just had to see how this would work.
"Yeah!" Rory said. "What makes me so special, huh?" She grinned slightly.
"Well...I mean..." Ace glared at me, looking slightly flustered. I only smirked. "Nothing! There's nothing special going on!" He insisted.
Rory stuck out her bottom lip and looked hurt. "You mean I'm not special?" she asked. She's really good at that puppy dog face.
"W-well I didn't mean it like that..." Ace said as he blushed. "Of course you're special to me!"
"Special to you?" Rory asked. Now she had a flirtatious smile on her face and leaned close to Ace. I could see that she was trying to get a reaction out of him.
"I-I meant...I didn't mean...I don't know what to say!" Ace blushed and shot me a look, as though I would give him a hint. I didn't know what to tell him. There's no right answer for this situation. Besides, this was amusing, to say the least.
Rory giggled and flicked his hat down to cover his face. "You're too easy!"
"Hn..." Ace groaned slightly. "Whatever..." He pushed his hat back into place. "How about this, Rory. We have a birthday party. For both of us."
"You're not gonna let this go, are you?" Rory asked.
"No way!"
"Fine." Rory sighed.
~R~
I was really hoping it was just going be like the usual gatherings, but I was wrong. Since it was, in fact, a birthday party, people just had to get gifts for me. And Ace too. But Ace seemed to have the better presents, since his were edible. Some of mine were too, and I approved of those because I loved food. The other gifts were...Well, it varied. Some were useful, like the small dagger I got from Vista. It fit in my boot, so it would come in handy, I'm sure. Izo and Haruta got me a couple of stuffed animals, which were cute.
And some of the gifts showed just how perverted some of these guys were. Lingerie. Weird costumes. A set of "toys". All of those went right into the ocean, followed by a string of threats toward whomever gave those to me. No one owned up to it. (I have a feeling Thatch may have been involved.)
"Ugh..." I sighed. "Some of these guys have the worst ideas..." I muttered.
"I dunno. You could have kept the bunny suit." I smacked Marco's shoulder. He just chuckled. "Lighten up, I'm just kidding."
"Well quit it..." I said. "I need to get away from this for a while...I'll be back in a bit." I walked away, toward a less populated part of the ship and rested my elbows against the railing. I looked up at the night sky and took a deep breath. After all the attention, I was glad most people were getting too drunk to focus so I could have some time to breath. I smiled. It was nice though. They treated me like family. And there definitely was never a dull moment around here.
"Hey..."
I looked over at Ace. "Oh, hey Ace."
"I'm not bothering you, am I?" he asked.
"Not at all." I replied. "You can stay if you want."
"Good." Ace said. He took his hat off and set on on the railing as he stood beside me. "So are you having fun?" He leaned against the railing and looked at me.
"Yeah!" I replied with a smile. "Well, minus the weird stuff." I shook my head. I saw him smile slightly. "But yeah, I'm having fun."
"Good. I'm glad." Ace said. He looked down at the ocean, at the dark waves lapping at the ship. After a short moment of silence, he turned to me again. "So, uh, I know you said you didn't want anything, but...I wanted to get you something..." He gently reached into his pocket.
"You didn't have to..." I said.
"I know, but still..." Ace took out a singe red rose. He held it to me, looking into my eyes. "Happy birthday."
"This is sweet." I took the rose and smiled at him. "Thank you!" I stood up on my toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I could practically feel him blush, since it warmer near him all of a sudden.
"It's nothing..." He replied, looking at his feet. He cleared his throat softly. "I'm glad you like it though." he added, smiling boyishly at me.
He leaned against the side of the ship with his forearms on the railing. I rested my hand in the crook of his elbow and laid my head against his shoulder. After a few seconds, I felt his hand lightly cover mine, and his cheek pressed against my head. I smiled softly.
"Whatcha guys doin' all the way over here?" A very drunk Thatch stumbled over and put his arms around our shoulders as we parted slightly. "The party's over there, ya know..."
"We know. Now go away!" Ace put the palm of his hand on the drunk's face and shoved him off the two of us. Thatch just fell onto the deck, deadweight, and a moment later we heard snoring. We looked at each other and shook our heads.