Chapter 6

Hot Chocolate and Morning Promises

To say Shakky was worried enough that she was out of bed early was understandable. Last night she left after a disagreement with Calypso, leaving the girl crying in the kitchen and, as if that wasn't enough, she found Ace, the source of their disagreement, standing out the door. Shakky had no idea what or if he heard anything and that only made her worry more. She was sure that once she disappeared to the second floor the pirate went to find the girl and there was a great possibility that, considering Calypso's emotional condition, an argument took place between them. Oh, how she hopped she was wrong...

With such thoughts occupying her mind she made her way downstairs to start her day. Once she had climbed down the last step she glanced at the sofa expecting to find the raven-haired pirate lying there, sound asleep, and so she was surprised when she only saw a blanket.

"Could he be up already?"

Frowning lightly, she moved to gather the discarded cover, which was halfway on the floor, before she noticed that the door to Calypso's room was slightly open. Curious as she was she silently walked the distance and, even more silently, pushed the door open to reveal the candlelit room.

No matter how many years passed since the girl came to live with her, this room never ceased to amaze her. All those candles and lanterns placed and hanging all over the place, keeping the otherwise dark room lit, were just so beautiful. It was not an exaggeration to say that this place gave the feeling of another, hidden world that only a few were privileged to enter. Shakky had no idea why Calypso decided to decorate her bedroom in such a way, but she learned not to ask unnecessary questions since they could lead to unpredictable reactions from the pink-haired girl.

Taking one last moment to admire the fairytale-like sight for the millionth time, she let her eyes fall to the bed where, to her pleasant surprise, Calypso was sleeping on Ace's arms, both with peaceful expressions on their faces. Smiling as she thought of how adorable they looked clinging to each other, she decided to let them enjoy their sleep for a little longer. Who knows? Maybe this is all they needed to get closer.

Giving a last glance to the pair and a firm, silent command to the raven that had been staring at her all this time from its nest to take care of them, she carefully closed the door and walked to the kitchen to get her breakfast. After all, it was still way too early to open a bar, even if it was the weekend.

She wasn't even close to finishing her coffee when she heard footsteps coming closer, and she looked up just in time to see the sleepy face of the freckled pirate.

"Good morning."

Her good mood went unnoticed by the boy who seemed to still be in serious need of more sleep.

"Ace, are you alright?"

The boy just gave her a weird look.

"The stupid bird woke me up."

Shakky just kept looking at him, clearly expecting more.

"It just started flapping its wings on my face as if the world was ending. It makes me wish I could burn the damn thing."

Unknown to Ace, the woman was working out the fresh information in her mind, trying to reach an acceptable conclusion. Suddenly she was a breath away from the pirate's face, her black eyes bearing into his chocolate brown ones.

"Portgas D. Ace, did you climb on Calypso's bed on your own?"

He just blinked.

"Um...Yes?"

Shakky's expression hardened a little at his answer, something that didn't go unnoticed even to his sleep-clouded mind.

"It was the bird's fault!"

"What do you mean?"

"It woke me up last night and then made me follow it to her room. It was so sudden that I thought something was wrong with Calypso, but she only had a nightmare."

"And so you decided to invade her personal space without her knowing a thing."

Ace was fully awake now.

"No!"

The woman pinned him in his seat with her intense gaze. Ace could only gulp uncomfortably in return. A few minutes passed before he answered.

"She was calling my name..."

The previous gaze was now replaced with another, intrigued one, and that gave the boy the needed courage to continue.

"At first I thought it was all because of the dream, but then I heard her murmuring. She kept calling my name again and again and I just couldn't leave her alone!"

He glanced up to see big black eyes staring at him, waiting for him to say more.

"It was almost instant. The moment I hugged her, she calmed down. Her sleeping face was just so beautiful and she looked so fragile all curled up next to me that it just made me want to protect her and hold her...I just can't explain it."

A clear, genuine laugh was the only answer he got from the barkeeper. Confused, Ace raised an eyebrow, clearly wanting an explanation.

"You just keep being there for her. No matter what she says or does, you just have to be there to care for her and protect her. The truth is that she needs you more than she admits and this probably scares her enough to try and push you away. You just have to keep pushing back and show her that she has nothing to be afraid of. Do you think you can do this?"

The silence that followed her last words surrounded the two for a very long time until finally the boy talked.

"I am sure I can do even more than that."

Another genuine smile.

"Then go rest a little bit more. You will need all the strength you can get if you wish to properly deal with her."

Ace was up in an instant, bowing slightly.

"Thank you."

"For what reason am I being thanked exactly?"

"A lot of reasons, but mostly for the support."

Shakky shook her head.

"It was my pleasure."

Yawning as if suddenly remembering how tired he still was, the pirate walked into the other room. He only got comfortable on the sofa and closed his eyes when he heard the creaking of a door opening, followed by soft footsteps and the very familiar sound of wings flapping, a sign that the other residents of the house had awoken too. Relaxing his body once more he started drifting off when, suddenly, he felt a shadow over his face.

"Are you still sleeping?"

He opened an eye to the sound of the voice only to make sure that it was indeed Calypso talking to him.

"Nah...Just laying in."

Ace made an attempt to sit up only to stop when he realized how close their faces were now. Having the same realization, Calypso walked a few steps away to leave enough space for the pirate to sit up and stretch. While he was doing so she was watching him, noticing his muscular body, his black hair and, generally, how attractive he was. What she failed to notice was that he was checking her out too. Her hair was more of a mess than usual and she was still in her sleeping clothes, which consisted of a white undershirt and windowpane-checked red pajama pants that looked a little big for her body.

He couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight.

"What?"

He looked at her and smiled more.

"You look quite cheerful today. Did something happen?"

She chewed on the inside of her cheek thoughtfully.

"Now that you mention it, I had a really good sleep last night. It's possible that it was the most refreshing one I had in ages."

She paused a little, a slight frown appearing in her face.

"Actually, it's very strange for me to feel so relaxed. I don't mean to offend you, but you are here, hiding from the Government and the Marines and everyone else...I am hiding you from them and yet, instead of being anxious, I feel relaxed and, as you said, cheerful and...safe?"

Ace barely heard the last word and if he was shocked or surprised he hid it well. Instead, he laid back, hands behind his head, and grinned.

"Who knows, maybe it's because I'm here you feel that way."

Calypso's face went red in an instant and she glared at him as best she could. His only answer was to laugh.

"You're so fun to tease, Cal."

She blushed even more.

"Mister Portgas, I am afraid you are quite insufferable to remain in my presence."

The pirate was on his feet instantly and was now standing right next to the pouting girl.

"You say so, yet you make no move to leave."

Calypso looked up at him, her eyes glued to his lips. Instead of a playful grin, a gentle smile was now decorating them. She opened her mouth to answer, yet she was never given the chance since, at that moment, Shakky walked in with two cups secured in her hands. She stopped in her tracks upon noticing the two youngsters standing there, too close to each other.

"Am I interrupting something?"

They both turned to look at her, both with their cheeks slightly red.

Ace was the first to regain his composure.

"No. She just woke me up and we were talking a little."

No matter what the older woman was thinking about the situation, she kept it to herself and simply motioned to the two cups.

"I brought you some hot chocolate."

Calypso's eyes seemed to gleam at the mention of what was in the cup.

"Shakky, did you...?"

The woman just nodded and handed her one of the cups.

"I did."

Gladly accepting it, the girl proceeded to curl herself on the sofa. Then she looked down into her cup.

"You made me another flower today!"

"A sunflower. I even used cinnamon for the core."

"It's beautiful, thanks."

Ace, who had been watching the two women carefully all this time, finally settled for giving a questioning glance to the older one of them.

Shakky gave him his chocolate and then looked back at Calypso who kept studying her own.

"Every morning I make her hot chocolate and decorate it with a design."

The boy said nothing but kept looking at her.

"I am not going to say more. If you wish to know, go ask her."

"You know, I think this is exactly what I'm going to do."

Taking hold of his own cup he turned around and went to sit next to the girl, keeping enough distance between them for things to not get awkward. She instantly looked at his cup before a disappointed frown took over her face.

"Yours has no design."

"I am afraid this is a privilege only you can enjoy."

She removed her eyes from his drink to look at his face. He was looking at her as if he wanted something.

"What do you want to know?"

The question caught Ace by surprise. It looked like this girl could read him like an open book, always knowing when he wanted or when he needed something. For a moment he considered avoiding the question or lying, but he immediately reconsidered after he remembered what Shakky told him this morning.

"I want to know more about you."

She stared at him for a while before shaking her head.

"No, you don't."

Ace could feel his eyes and expression hardening at the certainty that was evident in her voice.

"You can't know that."

She gave him a small, sad smile.

"I know that no one cares to know about an outcast like me. Not about me and not about my past."

"I don't ask you to tell me about your pasts or your secrets. I can tell there are things you prefer to keep hidden from everyone, including me. I just want you to tell me about the small things in your life, the simple ones."

She slightly tilted her head to the side.

"Like what?"

He paused for a moment to think about how it was best for him to proceed.

"Like, for example, why you get a special chocolate every day."

Calypso's expression was one of pure amusement.

"You really want to know about my hot chocolate?"

He shrugged.

"I guess. Would I've been asking if I didn't?"

The girl carefully laid back and turned her body a little to face the pirate, the look of amusement always present on her features.

"Well then, Mister Portgas, I will tell you about my chocolate since you so much wish to know about it."

He waited patiently as she sipped a bit of the hot drink and became more comfortable in her seat.

"I have been living with Shakky for about three years now. When I first came here I was kind of lost, and it took me a while to get used to the new place and the new people, but I soon managed to get my life in order. I found a way to earn money and got into a daily routine. I also warmed up to Shakky and we got really close...Maybe closer than I ever imagined I would be with anyone. Still, our schedules were kind of opposite. She was working during the day while I was working at night, and she was sleeping while I was out. The only moments we could have enough time to chat and bond was in the mornings when she was getting ready for her work and I was returning from mine so, in an attempt to take advantage of those moments, she started making me hot chocolate so I could accompany her while she was enjoying her morning coffee."

"Is this also the reason she decorates your chocolate?"

"No. This little habit of hers started later."

He kept looking at her, silently asking for more information. She eventually sighed and allowed her head to fall back to rest on the back of the sofa, exposing her long, delicate neck. Ace's eyes instantly fell on the caramel-colored skin before his view was once again hidden by long pink locks. Calypso was now looking at him again.

"Let me make this clear before continuing. My life before coming here was not very pleasant. I won't say anything about it except that it was bad enough to affect my life here in quite an unpleasant way. There were times that I was just coming back emotionally drained and tired, and there were days that I couldn't sleep. It was one of those tiring days when Shakky decided I needed something to cheer me up. What I knew was that one moment I was standing over there at the bar, spacing out from exhaustion, and the next I was looking down at a cup of hot chocolate with a smiling face on it. I admit that, at first, I was at a loss for words."

"Then you smiled. It was the first time you smiled and meant it."

Calypso looked up at the woman who was looking at them with her chin resting in her palm and smirked.

"Of course I did. It was the first time I had something made just to cheer me up. It made me happy, even if that something was just a smiley face on a hot chocolate."

"Do you happen to also remember what promise we made that day?"

The girl rolled her eyes.

"I could never forget a promise to you."

The woman just smiled one of her trademark smiles.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"What was that promise about?"

Both females looked at the boy. It was Shakky who answered his question.

"A promise to be happy."

Ace turned to Calypso entirely confused, only to smirk when he noticed the red on her face. She, on her end, did everything to avoid his eyes and settled for looking at her hands. Only then did she allow herself to murmur the answer.

"She promised to make me a different design every morning if I promised to do everything I could to be happy."

"And? Are you happy?"

A deeper red covered the girl's cheeks as she shyly glanced at the pirate.

"I'm getting there."

It was Ace's time to blush now. A soft pink covered his sun-kissed, freckled face at the possible meaning of her words. Unable to do anything about it, he just kept staring at those purple and red eyes that were staring back at him, a wordless conversation seemingly taking place between them. It was only when the silence felt too heavy that he allowed his eyes to lower to the floor, yet he could feel her gaze still upon him. Although that made what he wished to say next even more difficult, he knew that this was the only chance he could get and so he gathered all the courage he had left.

"Would you like to make a promise to me too?"

Silence.

Followed by a laugh that was clear and somewhat childish.

He looked at her, expecting to see her mocking him. Instead, he saw a big, childlike grin that he never in his life expected to see on this girl's face.

"Yes, Mister Portgas, I think I do."