Petrichor Sonata (Part 3)
Prince!Portgas D. Ace x reader. Modern AU. This is part three of three.
(moodboard)
*****
Yamato leaves the apartment first, preceding you and Ace both in the hallway, then on the stairs leading to the ground floor and finally outside to make sure the coast is clear. âQuick now.â he murmurs, and then youâre all running out, into a night that has no right to feel this cold in this period of the year, and towards Yamatoâs beat up car, parked across the street. Those twelve feet feel like as many miles, since you canât help thinking that the man who broke into the apartment to kill Ace might have left ten others surrounding the complex and who have been ordered to fire as soon as any of you emerges from the door. Youâve never felt so exposed, so in danger and unprotected, before, you who thought danger was something you could easily avoid looking both ways before crossing the street and keeping your drink with you at the bar, and itâs a terrible feeling you know youâll never get rid of.
A sigh of relief escapes your lips when the car doors slam behind you. Yamato sits behind the wheel, while you have put Aceâs bag between the two of you in the middle of the back seat; he notices, perceives the sentiment behind your choice, and sighs to himself. The car starts, moving just above the speed limit; youâre about to ask where youâre heading, but Ace precedes you.
âSo.â he starts, his tone icy âShould I call you captain Yamato? Or whatever your rank is?â
Yamatoâs eyes remain trained on the street, but you can see him flinch. âIâm not part of Laugh Taleâs army.â he says; and then, after a brief pause: âBut if youâre wondering whether Iâve been sent to look over you by your father youâre not wrong.â
âYouâre a professional bodyguard?â you ask, not fully knowing why yourself; maybe itâs all so strange and scary and dangerous that you feel the need to talk about something else for a moment, as if small talk could save you from the nightmares youâre already sure are going to populate your nights for years to come.
âNot exactly. I was born in Wano Country, and left home when I was a kid, but then a man, a great man, adopted me, and taught me to fight; he taught me all I know actually.â Yamato explains, affections filling his voice âHis name was Kouzuki Oden, an old friend of Aceâs father; he died three years ago, and a while later the King called me, asking my help to protect his heir. He told me Ace wanted to attend university here, alone, so he had me come, become his flatmate so that I could make sure he was safe.â
Ace grunts, but he remains silent; a glance is enough to make you realise the revelation that the person he was closest to in the city together with you, who he considered his best friend, has lied to him since day one and perhaps considered him just a job, a protectee rather than a friend, is enormously painful for him, enough to make him bow his head and cover his eyes with a hand as poor Ace is forced to re-evaluate the last year and a half of his life, the only illusory freedom and independence he thought he was enjoying away from his homeland, and the realization of his fatherâs betrayal.Â
Despite your own anger and heartbreak, your first impulse is to comfort him, to take him in your arms and tell him that heâs going to be alright, and to cry if he wants to, itâll make him feel better and youâre not going to think any less of him for it, when suddenly you recognise the buildings the car is racing past -a bodega you sometimes stop at to buy dinner when you return home late, a small park you like to go to sit and read and feed the ducks, the stop you take the bus at- and a cry escapes your lips: âStop!â
Yamato actually complies, slamming the brakes hard enough for your body to be catapulted across the cabin and into the windshield, if not for Aceâs arm quickly reaching out to keep you in place.
âWhat is it?! (name)?â
âI need to go take my clarinet.âÂ
âWhat?â
âItâs at my place, here around the corner.â you explain, already well aware of the absurdity of your request and still unable to stop âPlease, let me go take it; Iâll be quick, I promise.â
Yamato, obviously, refuses. Firmly, but much more kindly than you would be able to be in his position, he tells you that while he knows of your attachment to your clarinet, and that having it with you would make you feel better after what happened tonight, a powerful terrorist organization is hot on your tails, and he must bring you to safety as soon as possible, and then report to the King to ask for further instructions. Any stop would be both a waste of time and an unnecessary danger, since your enemies -you have enemies now, you reflect, people who want to hurt you, kidnap you in the hope they can then exchange you with Ace or even kill you to destabilize him; you have enemies now, and you donât like it very much- know where you live and could have sent someone to wait for your return. Stopping to pick the clarinet would put you all in danger, and he canât in good conscience let you go retrieve it.Â
âI promise Iâll send someone to take it soon, and weâll find a way to return it to you.â he adds kindly, but you shake your head. Youâre being unreasonable and you know it, and you stubbornness could mean your death as well as Yamatoâs and Aceâs, but with everything you have gone through tonight, the attack and the fight with your boyfriend and the realisation that now your life is in danger as well, you feel the need to have something to cling to, like you used to do as a child with your teddy bear whenever you woke up from a nightmare, something to reassure, or at least delude, you that your life is not completely over and you still have something to go back to.
âI can go in alone, you guys remain in the car; if something happens you can drive away and leave me there, Iâm fine with it.â you counter-offer, to which Yamato vehemently opposes, saying that while his duty is to protect Ace, he canât in good conscience abandon you.Â
âPlease, (name), be reasonable. I know youâve gone through a lot tonight, butâŚâ
âWeâll go.â Ace says.
âExcuse me?â
âWeâll stop at (name)âs apartment to retrieve her clarinet and then go.â your boyfriend elaborates. Heâs not looking at you as he speaks, and thereâs something in his tone that you have never heard before and that it takes you a moment to recognise: solemn, firm, even slightly haughty. Itâs his prince tone, the one you can almost see him use in Laugh Tale, ordering around his fatherâs employees; you donât like it, at all, but you know heâs using it to support you and earn your forgiveness, which you canât help appreciating âYou heard her, sheâll be quick.â
âAbsolutely no, Ace.â
âYamato, either you drive there or Iâll get out this moment and I start screaming Iâm prince Ace, please come and kidnap me.â
Heâs completely, deadly serious, and you feel almost guilty for Yamato who, after a brief but intense battle of wills through the carâs rear-view mirror, sighs, mumbles that he signed up to be a bodyguard, not a baby-sitter, and steers the car towards your apartment.
The complex is silent, wrapped in a shroud of darkness which is perfectly normal given the hour, but that elicits a shiver down your spine, as it did when you were little and you were scared of the patch of unknown under your bed. You swallow, heart pounding, and try to brace yourself with the thought that youâll surely feel better once you have your clarinet back. You wait for Yamato to pull the car near the sidewalk, take a deep breath and âAlright, Iâll be quick.â you say, and open the door.
Ace does the same.
âYou stay here!â
âYou heard the lady, weâll be quick.â
âAce, Iâm not joking, you close that door or I swear Iâll punch you in the face!â Yamato seethes, enraged, but itâs already too late, because your boyfriend has slammed the door behind him; he walks around the car to reach you and then joins you in front of the steps leading to the complex door.
Neither of the two speaks, but Ace follows you inside, and then along the fortunately short and completely empty hallway leading to your apartment on the ground floor. Your hand trembles slightly as you retrieve the key from your bag and it takes you four attempts before you can finally insert it in the lock, but a minute later you and your boyfriend are together in your room, the clarinet safe and sound in your hands.Â
âThank you.â you murmur as you slip it inside its case, which will protect your beloved instrument from bumps and falls - a necessary precaution, since this night is proving to be much more hectic than you had imagined âFor forcing Yamato to stop here; Iâm sorry if Iâm wasting your time.â
âAh, donât worry about it.â he says; and then, after a brief pause: âIâm the one who should apologise.â
âYou really should. For what you never said, and what you did as well.â
âI know, IâŚâ Ace sighs as he runs a hand through his hair, a tell-tale sign of his frustration âI shouldnât have told you that horrible thing; I know youâre not that sort of person, itâs just⌠well, I was reeling, everything happening in the span of a minute. Iâm not saying I never had people caring about me beyond the fact I was a prince, but⌠well, you can imagine it wasnât always easy for me to trust people, and knowing you had always known and never said anything⌠well, it was destabilizing.â
âWould you have preferred I told you as soon as I realised?â you ask, genuinely curious, and Ace admits that in fact he would have, even though he knows he doesnât have a right to complain since he kept his entire life secret from you.
âBelieve me, itâs not like I didnât trust you, and itâs not even because Iâm ashamed of my home; quite the opposite in fact. Itâs just that I came here to be myself; not a prince, not a future King, not a person who has been treated differently since the day he was born⌠I wanted to be Ace. Just Ace. A guy who likes photography, who works to pay bills, goes to school⌠and feels happy a beautiful girl has asked him out.â
Silence falls between you. Out on the street Yamato is probably aging a decade for every minute you linger, but you do nonetheless, because this very moment could decide the future of your relationship, and that is more terrifying than any killer hot on your tails.
âHe was the one I wanted, you know. Just Ace.â you murmur, your voice barely rising above a whisper, eyes downcast on the hand that has found Aceâs, squeezing it gently âI liked you, I thought you were handsome and funny and kind, and I wanted to know you better and spend time with you; thatâs all I cared for, since day one and more and more as we got to know each other. No matter how much I enjoyed visiting your country and was⌠curious, I think, about what it means to live a life like yours, you being a prince was not one of the reasons why I decided to ask you out. If anything, knowing your identity could have deterred me from doing it, if at the time I had stopped and thought about it for a little longer.â
âWell, as far as Iâm concerned Iâm pretty happy you decided to go on with it.â
âOf course you do; Iâm the one who couldnât stop wondering whether her boyfriend was going to break up with her because he had a throne to sit on, halfway across the world.â
âDo you really think I would do that?â Ace asks, visibly wounded â(name), you know what I feel about you, and what sort of person I am. Do you really think I would go out with you for six months when I already planned on going back home as soon as I got my degree?â
You donât think so, not if you make an effort to think clearly without letting anger and fear cloud your judgement, but that, unfortunately, is not enough to reassure you. âMaybe you didnât mean to.â you point out softly âMaybe you didnât expect to be asked out, said yes on impulse, and then you felt too happy to break things off, even though you should have. Unfortunately we arenât always able to live our lives the way weâd wish to, and some choices are made for us, whether we are princes or commoners.â
âFuck, (name)...â
You have already spent several minutes longer in the apartment than you promised Yamato you would, so you and your boyfriend decide to postpone the conversation until youâll be back in the car. âIs there anything else you want to take, since weâre here?â Ace asks, and you shake your head, clutching your clarinetâs case as a warrior would do with his sword when surrounded by an army of enemies. You leave the room quietly, walk past the doors of your flatmatesâ rooms, both fast asleep, and walk back to the complexâs entrance.Â
You can already see Yamatoâs car through the glass door, but before you can pick up the pace to reach it Aceâs hand takes yours to pull you back. âBy the way, I know you have plans for your future and everything, and of course Iâll support whatever you decide to do, butâŚâ
âYes?â
Ace's grin peeks through the darkness of the hallway, as beautiful and tender as it was the first time you saw it. âPrinces have relationships too, you know; they can even get married if they want to.â
You have no time to ponder over the meaning of those completely unexpected words, because Ace is now pulling you towards the street. You came in, took the clarinet and left without encountering danger, and no one saw you; your little mission was successful, or at least this is what you thinkâŚ
⌠until the bullets start flying the very moment you and your boyfriend step outside.Â
Yamato leaves the car, and you can distinctly read a curse word on his lips before he raises the gun heâs holding with both hands and returns the fire. âStay there, you two!â he orders, but you can see no less than four men emerge from the surrounding alleys, and Ace has stepped closer to the car to help his friend, firing the gun he has taken from the intruder.
You, completely unharmed, can only run, your head bent low, until youâre safe inside the cabin; a scream erupts from your lips when you feel the bullets hit the carâs sides and the window next to you. What happens if they -once again, whoever they are; you were so busy discussing your and Aceâs relationship to decide who was to blame that you didnât think of asking your boyfriend who wanted him dead, and why- slash the tires, which would make the car unusable and prevent you from running? Are you going to be killed? Or kidnapped, to be then subjected to forms of torture your naive mind can barely imagineâŚ
And then a sound more terrifying than any other reaches your ears: a cry of pain.Â
âAce!â you scream, and a moment later your boyfriend has crawled onto the back seat next to you, crimson drops falling from the torn sleeve of his shirt and onto the faux leather of the car seat âYou're wounded!â
He grunts, pain filling his eyes as he grabs his arm to staunch the bleeding. âI'm out of bullets.â he informs you as he discards the gun on the carâs floor. The same, it appears, can be said for Yamato, since the shooting coming from your part has ceased, which means, you realise with dread, that you have no way of stopping them from approaching, get you all out of the car, and execute you instantly âWe need to go!â
The front door slams; the engine starts with a roar; the tires grind on the asphalt; the car, riddled with bullets, shoots away, chased by the screams and the shooting of the men from whom you have escaped for the second time tonight.
No one speaks for a while, until you have left the city limits behind you and the car is speeding towards the highway, the streets empty save for the occasional night traveler; you have, almost without realising, carried the bag with the take-out dinner Ace has brought from the restaurant with you, but hunger has abandoned both of you.Â
Your pursuers seem to have lost you, at least for the time being, but you feel physically unable to relax, as if danger could spring out as soon as you lower your guard. The silence inside the cabin is so thick you can almost feel it weigh on your shoulders; your clarinet is safe and sound in your bag, but because of your stubborn request to go take it, Yamato and Ace have risked their life.
âAce is wounded.â you inform him, and Yamato grunts, his hands clutching the wheel, his eyes that once again observe you through the rear-view mirror.Â
âIs it bad? The truth, donât play it cool with me.â
You and your boyfriend examine the wound together, and youâre relieved to see itâs superficial enough, the bullet having only grazed him, even though it does need to be seen to. Yamato tells you to take the first aid kit hidden among the empty beer cans under the passenger seat. âTake care of it, (name). You know how to, right?â
You point out that as a vet student human patients are something you havenât been taught to take care of, but youâll do your best. âAt least I wonât have to shave you the way I would with a dog.â you tell Ace as you open the kit to get to work, and your boyfriend laughs softly, still in pain, silently looking on as you clean and bandage his wound.Â
You start to relax once the car reaches the highway. âWhere are we going?â Ace asks, speaking for the first time; and then, clearly reticent: âYou need to tell my father about this?â
Yamato does, and itâs a duty he does not relish. âAnything you want me to tell him?â he asks as he retrieves a phone youâve never seen him use from his bag. You see your boyfriend tense, his expression suddenly somber as if this, having to decide what to tell his father, were the hardest moment of the night, more than the aggression in his apartment or getting involved in a shooting outside yours.Â
âJust tell him Iâm fine, thereâs no need to mention I got hurt since itâs just a scratch.â he decides in the end, and Yamato promises he will pass the information.Â
To the surprise of you both, a hidden button raises a partition between the front and back seats, something you thought only limousines had, even though in this case itâs probably more of a security matter than one of privacy. âSorry guys, itâs a work call.â Yamato says, turning to smile at both of you before the opaque glass barrier separates you âIâll see you later.â
Ace sighs, leaning forward to take his head in his hands. âFuck, this is a nightmareâŚâ
âAre you alright?â
âYeah, I guess; I mean, Iâm safe, which means I shouldnât really complain, but⌠I donât know, itâs all happening at once and I donât know what to think. Iâm just sorry you got caught up in this mess, (name).â he adds, turning to look at you; he takes your hand and pulls it to him and kiss the back, a gesture that brings a smile to your lips, despite everything âWeâre going to fix that; I donât know how, but I promise itâs going to be alright.â
You appreciate his conviction, and you know nothing of what has happened -or rather is happening; you are far from having left the danger behind you and youâre painfully aware of it- is his fault, but you canât help fearing that your life after tonight will change forever, and youâll never get to return to what you had. Your classes, your job, the music competition you planned on entering next month even though you knew you had zero chances of winning⌠all of it dissolved into nothingness, as youâre whisked away to who knows where to protect you from whoever is trying to kill, kidnap or torture you to hurt your boyfriend.
Youâre in trouble - no, you are completely and deeply fucked, and you want to cry, scream and punch someone or something, but you donât, well aware that throwing a tantrum would not help; you order yourself to remain calm.Â
âCan you tell me who that man was?â you ask Ace after a while, thinking that powerless as you are, it canât hurt to at least know more about the attack you suffered and the reasons behind it âWho would want to hurt you?â
âThe World Government.â
âThe what?â
You are explained that the entity behind the attack to your boyfriendâs life is a secret organization that has been active in Laugh Tale and the neighbouring countries for a few decades, and that aims to impose their will over the rulers, both monarchs and elected officials, of the entire world to unify every person in a single global state.Â
âBut thatâs absurd! A single government for the entire world? How would that work?â
âBelieve me, I donât know. Those of the WG are fanatics, but they are powerful, and ruthless, and have already carried out attacks to several countries in Laugh Taleâs region. Two years ago my father was one of the proponents, together with the President of Sphinx, of an international pact that allowed several countries to join forces and oppose the WG; and they, in turn, have sworn to make him pay.â
Which is why, even a person like you who knows nothing about international politics can easily understand, the organization targeted Ace, in order to both exact revenge on the King and destabilise his country, since your boyfriend is the only heir to Laugh Taleâs throne and his father is a widower. Ace adds that the man who was sent to kill him is actually one of the WGâs most dangerous members, an individual who is only known by the codename Akainu and has already several victims to his -so to speak- credit.
âWell, you have escaped him; thatâs all it matters.â you say, putting the backpack aside and scooting closer on the car seat to wrap your arm around your boyfriendâs shoulders âAs you said, itâs going to be alright.â
He doesnât answer, his shoulders hunched as if an enormous, insurmountable weight were crushing him; to see an usually energetic, sunny person like Ace give in to despair breaks your heart, and despite your own distress you wish you could comfort him, give him the strength he needs to live through this night. Then a thought strikes you, crystal-clear and self-evident to the point youâre almost embarrassed it took you more than a minute to realise, and you feel like crying.
âYouâll have to move away, right? Leave the university, leave the city, since the WG knows where you live and it wouldnât be safe for you to go back.â
Silence again, but Ace turns to wrap his arms around you, and he holds you, tight and desperate, as if to commit your scent and the weight of your body to memory until youâre forced to part forever. A kiss is pressed to your temple, and âThese last six months have been the best of my life.â he murmurs âI loved living on my own, studying and having a life⌠but Iâve never felt happier than since I met you. I know a relationship between us would have been⌠complicated, for many reasons, but you were never just fun and sex, (name). I want to be with you.â
âAnd I want to be with you, Ace; but I donât think I can, not if it means putting you in danger.â
You remain locked in an embrace for a while, just holding each other, and for a moment you feel the impulse to ask Ace whether there are universities in Laugh Tale that have a faculty of veterinary medicine, but then you realise how crazy it sounds. Leaving your life behind to move across the world to follow a man you have known for six months; would you really be able to do it, no matter how deep and intense your feelings for Ace are, especially knowing that youâd be in danger every time you meet?Â
Hearing your boyfriend mention marriage made you indescribably happy, but you canât and mustnât forget that you have dreams and plans for your future, plans that would be much harder, if not impossible, to realise if you were with Ace, since it would be difficult for a princeâs wife -a princess- to run her own veterinary clinic, or to join an orchestra to play with as a hobby. You would have to sacrifice your own happiness to be with him, and youâre not sure you could do it, no matter how much youâve grown to care for Ace, especially only six months into a relationship.Â
It might be unromantic, and it does make you feel like a hypocrite, since you knew he was a prince when you decided to ask him out, but itâs true. Ace is very important for you, probably even more than youâve allowed yourself to realise as your relationship developed and you couldnât help facing the future difficulties it would encounter, but youâre not ready to abandon everything you are, everything youâve ever wanted, to follow him into the unknown.Â
Not yet, at least.Â
âYou think your father will be worried about you?â you ask after a while; the car is now speeding through the night, southward, and while you have no idea where youâre headed since the partition has blocked both the sight of Yamato and the sound of his voice, the road is clear, which suggests your pursuers have lost you.Â
âIâm sure he will. HeâŚâ Ace rubs the back of his head, suddenly ill at ease âHeâs a good person, all things considered; heâs a good King, cares deeply about his people, and heâs a surprisingly easy-going man, you know, the sort of guy who buys you a beer at the pub and prefers having barbecues in the backyard rather than a formal five-hour banquet with other head of states and celebrities.â
âHe seems like a wonderful man.â
âHe is. He loves me very much, and I do too, but for some reason⌠I donât know, sometimes a man casts a shadow so large his child canât help resenting him because they canât see the sun. Our relationship has always been difficult, especially since my mom died.â Ace explains. He closes his eyes for a moment, as if the mere mention of that terrible loss had brought the pain back in full force âShe had been the glue keeping the family together, and with her gone⌠itâs like the two of us didnât know how to go on. When I told him I wanted to go study abroad, live on my own and learn to take care of myself, my father let me go⌠or at least I thought I had, even though he had sicced a baby-sitter on me.â
âYamato saved your life tonight, Ace, as well as mine.â you remind him, and your boyfriend nods, admitting that he has no right to protest, even though he canât help feeling the revelation like a betrayal from the person he had until now considered his best friend.Â
He sighs as he rests his back against the seat. âThis is all a fucking nightmare.â he mumbles âThis night must be the worst of my life.â
âAll of it?â
âWell, no, youâre right; and Iâd happily get shot again if⌠you knowâŚâ
He grins, with that boyish smile of his that has the same effect on you that he had six months ago, and you smile back before turning to look outside the window, just in time to catch a glimpse of a location marker illuminated by a solitary streetlight, carrying the name of a place youâve never been before, a part of the country you barely know basic information about. Youâre far from everything youâve ever known, your family and school and home, and you donât even know when youâll be able to go back. Tomorrow youâll have to call your parents, like they expect you to do like every Sunday, but what will you say when they ask you how you are and what you are busy with? What will you tell them if they ask about this young man you have mentioned a couple times already, and are you going to bring him home for the holidays, (name), weâd really like to meet himâŚ?
âYouâre destined to become a King.â
The words slip from your lips, unbidden, but you canât bring yourself to mind, even though you just need to turn again to see your boyfriend squirm.Â
âI am. At least, that is what people expect of me; what I want no one ever bothered to ask.âÂ
âAceâŚâ
âLife is not a fairytale, you know? I know Laugh Tale is a beautiful place, itâs my home, and the throne is my destiny since I am the only heir; Iâve always done my duty, ever since I was a kid, and my father has never pressured me, but⌠I donât want it. I want to be free, live my life, work to support myself, without any special treatment or a wealthy family to pay my bills. Thatâs why I came to this country to study.â
âBecause you wanted to be like everybody else?â
âThat too; but mostly because I donât plan on going back.â
Silence again, because there are many things youâd like to tell Ace, but you know itâs not your place to, especially not at a moment like this, not when he needs to be supported rather than challenged. Because of this, as well as your own need for comfort, you take his hand, and he turns to look at you, too upset and tense to even pretend to smile, but then Ace kisses you, gently at first and then more deeply, enough to tear a moan from your lips that his swallow avidly, and all you have lived through on this night that seems to be neverending -your newfound intimacy, the attack, your escape, the shooting, the revelation of Aceâs identity- is a pressure mounting inside each of you and that transforms that simple kiss in a supernova ready to explode.
Aceâs arm slips around your waist, pulling you on his lap. A new kiss follows a breathless moan of his name, your hands finding purchase on his shoulders as you move to sit on him, your thighs spread at the sides of his; your mouths meet again, and again, all the guilt and frustration and anxiety coalescing in something hard and scorching and desperate burning inside your bellies. Ace has never been more handsome than he is now, his hands firmly holding you by the hips, his pupils dilated with lust, his black hair more unkempt than ever, a hickey you have bitten onto the side of his neck earlier tonight. Ace has never been more handsome than he is now that youâre about to lose him, and thereâs nothing you can do to stop it, and all you have left is feeling him, as much and as long as you can.
Your position and the limited space inside the cabin prevents you from easily taking your shirt off, but Ace quickly, and happily, comes to your rescue, lifting the fabric to expose your bra, which is nimbly unclasped. âYou learn quickly.â you comment with a smile, since only a couple hours ago Ace fumbled with that same clasp until you took pity on him and helped him; your boyfriend grins wolfishly, and a moment later his fingers and then his mouth have found your breasts, and your ability to speak in complete sentences is lost forever.
Ace sucks on your breasts as if his life depended on it, his eyes fixed on yours daring you to look away, his tongue playing with your painfully hardened nipples. Something clenches inside you, and you roll your hips, desperate for the friction you have already grown addicted to after a single, intense coupling, and Ace smiles. âItâs alright, baby.â he murmurs âI promise youâre going to enjoy this.â
You spend a couple of hectic minutes kissing furiously and touching each other, your hands and mouth savouring and worshipping every part of your boyfriend they can reach -his untamable hair, his freckles, his smile- but the tent pressing against your core proves that heâs anxious to find relief between your thighs as much as you are. Your joint efforts manage to unbutton and then slip off his pants, and then Aceâs beautiful, perfect cock is in front of you, proud and hard, just a little longer than average but pleasantly thick. He starts pumping himself and you watch, mesmerized, liquid fire pooling between your legs as you follow the up-and-down movement of his hand, a drop of pre-cum already falling from the tip.
You lick your lips, and âI want to take you in my mouth.â you confess, well aware you may have the space but certainly not the time for that, and Ace grunts, breathless, his body trembling under you.
âYou will; fuck, (name), I promise you will.â he grunts. His hands fumble with the fabric of your skirt to find your panties, and looking him in the eyes you just know heâs considering the possibility of tearing them; then, probably remembering your situation, that you have literally no clothes save the ones you wear and that you canât go around wearing a skirt and no panties for who knows how long, he relents, and simply moves them away to expose your core. His fingerpad presses lightly against it and
âAaceâŚ!â
âYouâre still warm since then.â he marvels, and all you can do is nod. You had no time to wash and clean yourself between your first round of lovemaking -two rounds, considering he also generously made you come on his fingers- and the desperate dash from the apartment, and normally you would find this state of things unpleasantly unhygienic, but not right now you donât, because why wash a glass if youâre going to drink from it again ten minutes later?
âAnd whose fault is this?â you provoke him, your voice trembling slightly âI donât think Iâve ever been this wet in my life!â
âFuck, (name)...â
Fuck (name) is exactly what he should do, and you waste no more time before taking Aceâs erection in your hand and guiding it between your folds, your body easily welcoming it in. A sudden, sharp side movement of the car interrupts you, and your and Aceâs gazes meet in alarm and horror -oh shit not now please what if the WG finds us like this- but a moment later the car has returned to its previous speed, uninterruptedly moving forward.
âMaybe there was an obstacle on the road.â
âYeah, maybeâŚâ
The next minute, that you tacitly decide to wait to make sure youâre safe, is the longest of both of your lives, the tip of Aceâs cock touching but not entering you, and then your boyfriendâs hands rest on your waist once more, ready to push himself in, and he smiles.Â
âTake my cock, beautiful (name).â
You obey, arching your hips to meet him halfway, and two vigorous pushes later youâre locked up to the hilt, Aceâs scream suffocated in the space between your breasts, your hands clawing at his back. You distinctly hear the sound of the partition lowering behind you -âWhat the fuck, you guys?!â- and then rising again, but you donât really focus on it, feel embarrassment even less, because the rest of the world has disappeared, together with the pain and the guilt and the fear you have been thrown into tonight. All that matters is Ace, your Ace at least for a little longer, and the symphony of moans you are coaxing out of his throat as you ride him as if this were the last day of your life.
âSo tight -hnnn- so damn tightâŚ!â Ace moans as he rests his forehead against yours; he wraps his arms around your waist, loose enough to let you bounce up and down on his lap, his brown eyes hypnotized by the rhythmic sway of your breasts âFuck, (name), yes⌠like this, baby, donât stop, you take it so well, donât you ever stopâŚ!â
You donât want to stop, not when youâre well aware this might be the last moment of intimacy and joy you and Ace have to share, but the decision is made for you when Aceâs movements start becoming erratic, every thrust of his hips more desperate and urgent than the last, as if he had reached his limit, as if his body were already struggling to keep itself in check. Heâs going to come soon, you see it in the panic rising in his eyes -the panic of a man who considers it a duty to make sure his partner is satisfied before he lets himself go- and a moment later his hands grab you by the waist and pull
Oh fuck oh shit oh my yesyesyesyes
the movement forceful and even brutal, a claim that has your body slam into Aceâs, his cock still hard and slick inside you finding a tiny and delicious spot that makes time stop and the pressure mounting inside you reach its climax. Your body has a spasm, violent enough to make your boyfriend groan into your mouth; a moment later heâs spilling inside you, and youâre falling together, clutching to each other as you pant against him and Ace utters a moan that sounds like your name.Â
*****
By the time the car finally stops, twenty minutes later, you and Ace have had the time to clean yourselves with the tissues you had in your bag and fix your clothes, but the air is still thick with sweat and the unmistakable scent of sex, so much that when he opens the door to let you out, Yamato groans.Â
âIâll send you guys the bill for the washing, you know.â he says, but the joke falls flat as both you and Ace notice the anxiety on his face, that your boyfriendâs bodyguard is no longer bothering, or able, to keep hidden. âYou can get out, weâre safe.â
You both do, the darkness all around so intense it takes you a while to get your bearings: youâre in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by fields and spontaneous vegetation, the only sign of civilization a small plane parked a brief distance from you. A man is standing next to the wheels as if ready to take flight, while two others, with rifles slung around their shoulders, stand by, ready to intervene in case of need.Â
âCaptain Deuce is here to take you to Wano, Ace. Youâll be safe there.â Yamato says, and your boyfriend, who mentioned along the way his father would probably have him return to Laugh Tale to keep him close after the recent attack, frowns.
âWhy Wano? And what about (name)? She needs to come with me.â
âItâs too long to explain; and donât worry, (name) will be alright, weâll make sure of it. Iâm sorry, we need to move as soon as possible. Say good-bye, I promise youâll see each other soon.â
Aceâs frown deepens; you feel him tense through the arm he has wrapped around your shoulders. âWhat is wrong?â
âIâll tell you soon. Please, Ace, we donât have much timeâŚâ
Your boyfriend makes it clear that heâs going nowhere before heâs told exactly whatâs wrong - specifically, what Yamato found out during the car ride, since he looks a decade older than when you got in, and he must have had the longest phone conversation in history.
Yamato sighs; he has shared an apartment with Ace long enough to know that he can be extremely stubborn when he wants to, especially when something he deems important is at stake. Your friend gestures in the direction of the armed men, who silently take a few steps back to give you some privacy. You move to do the same, suddenly realising that dating the prince for six months and having sex with him twice doesnât give you the right to be let in on the royal familyâs affairs, but Aceâs arm keeps you still, an unimpressed gaze silently asking where the hell you think youâre going.
Soon after the three of you are huddled together. âAce, Iâm sorry, itâs⌠itâs about your father.â Yamato begins; he has the face of a man who would gladly bite his arm off rather than delivering this particular piece of news âHe⌠heâs been kidnapped.âÂ
The abduction, you are informed, took place only two hours ago, almost simultaneously with the attempt on Aceâs life, no doubt so that the people close to one member of the royal family couldnât alert the others and raise the alarm. The King was on his way back from a work trip, travelling in a less populated area of the country, when a small army of vehicles and men surrounded his car, forced him to get out, and threatened to kill him if he didnât comply with their orders. King Roger defended himself, shooting two of the WG agents with the gun he always kept on his person and wounding three more with his bare hands, but then, when the terrorists threatened to massacre all the people he was travelling with, bodyguards and assistants and a couple of local officials he had offered a lift to the city, he finally acquiesced and let himself be led away.Â
âThey probably want to use him as a bargaining chip in exchange for some favour, which means itâs in their interest to keep him alive.â you reason, but your hope to reassure Ace, who has gone white in the face, fails miserably when Yamato points out softly that the WG must know the King will never hand the kingdom over to them, not to mention that he legally canât. Given the fact that the enemies have launched an attack on both Roger and Ace at the same time, their intention must be to wipe out Laugh Taleâs royal family to plunge the country into chaos and, given the lack of a legitimate ruler, seize power with a coup.
To imagine the country whose beauty and culture you have learnt to love during your holiday and always thought back fondly to ever since is about to fall prey to an armed attack that will no doubt see its people suffer and be imprisoned and killed, breaks your heart. Ace, on his part, nods brusquely, his face expressing neither pain, or guilt, or fear -even though, heâll later confess you, heâs experiencing all three of them at the same time, intensely enough heâs not sure what exactly is keeping him upright- most would expect in a moment like this, only grim, cold determination.Â
âI need to go back. To go home.â
âBut you canât; you mustnât. Thatâs what the WG wants.â Yamato points out grimly; he looks exhausted, and you know Ace will never question his loyalty after tonight, and his friendship even less âYouâve escaped capture twice already, you might not be as lucky next time. You need to go to Wano; Rayleigh is taking care of things, you know heâll move heaven and earth to get your father back safely.â
Ace says that while he has all confidence in Laugh Taleâs Prime Minister, who is also his fatherâs best and oldest friend, heâs the prince and he has a duty to be there for his country, and for the people who will surely feel reassured the royal family has not been vanquished. âAnd if something happens, if he doesnât⌠if he doesnât come back, Iâll need to be there. I'm not going to hide and wait for someone else to fix this mess. Iâm of age, I want to know what is being done to save my father, and I can become King in his stead if he dies; and Iâll make sure the WG rue the day they decided to hurt my people.â
You look at the young man by your side and who seems to have suddenly taken the place of your boyfriend; this man looks ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes to defend his people, and to sacrifice his safety, his freedom, his happiness, even his own life, to do the right thing.Â
He looks like a prince, a future King, and while his arm is still clutching you, the warmth of his body -Ace always runs hot, as if he were perpetually feverish- seeping into yours through your clothes, suddenly you feel him distant, and the six months you have spent together nothing more than a dream. You feel stupid, and unjustifiably naive, for having hoped that a future, even just one in a million, actually existed for the two of youâŚ
âAce, I understand what you feel, but⌠for the sake of your kingdom, you need to hide. This is what your father would want.â
âI'm not sure, actually; but weâll ask him when we bring him back. I'm going to Laugh Tale, Yamato; the subject is closed.â
Ace turns to speak to the pilot. âDeuce, right? Can you fly me to Laugh Tale?â
âI can, your highness; we have more than enough fuel.â the man, who doesn't look much older than the two of you, answers.
âWonderful; and you can call me Ace, I don't feel much of a highness at the moment.â your boyfriend considers; then he turns to look at you, and dread settles over you, because that is the face of a man who is about to say goodbye forever, whether he wants it or not.Â
âI need to go.â he tells you gently as Aceâs hands find yours to raise them to his lips for a kiss on your knuckles âMy country, and my people, need me. You'll be safe; and I promise Iâll call you as soon as I can.â
You look at him, heart pounding in your chest as you can already feel him slip from your grasp, when something unexpected, even magical, happens. Among the fear and heartbreak, you feel the same determination you see reflected in Ace's eyes fill your heart, and words you are sure of like nothing you've ever said before slip from your mouth.Â
âI'm coming with you.â
â(name)...â
âI know this doesn't concern me, and I don't want to cause trouble or get in the way. But Laugh Tale is a place I have learnt to love, and⌠and I want to help you, Ace. I don't think you should be alone right now, and I don't want to hide in a safe house across the world wondering whether you're still alive or have been kidnapped. Please, let me come with you. I don't expect anyone to protect me, and I'll find a way to make myself useful. I know it's going to be dangerous, but⌠it's being away from you that scares me the most.â
You look at him, pleading and at the same time ready to march to the plane and climb aboard whether Ace likes it or not. You're leaving everything you know and care for behind to leap into the unknown, but it's perfectly clear to your eyes that your life -your classes, your job, your plans for the future- is lost, at least for the time being, since the WG is still pursuing you, and until things hopefully settle down, you want to remain by Aceâs side, supporting him in this difficult time like you know he would do for you.Â
This has nothing to do with your future, and with your recent fears regarding the impossibility to balance a relationship with Ace and the life you want for yourself; your boyfriend needs you now, and you'll let no one, no matter how dangerous or powerful, stop you from being by his side.Â
No one speaks for a full minute. Deuce and the armed guards witness the scene in respectful silence; Yamato sniffles and murmurs something about dirt having gotten in his eye. Ace's handsome face expresses both joy and desperation; the kiss he deposes on your forehead feels like a breath of fresh air.Â
âI'll find a way; I promise.â he says. You slip a hand in his, and together you walk towards the plane, which is smaller than any aircraft you've ever taken before.Â
âAre you sure this thing can fly us to Laugh Tale?â Ace asks, voicing your own skepticism as Deuce opens the door for you âNo offense.â
âNone taken. Don't worry, the Piece of Spadille will take you home safe and sound.âÂ
âAlright thenâŚâ
The planeâs cabin is slightly smaller than your bedroom, with only six seats for the passengers. You and Ace sit with your bags next to you and fasten your seatbelts. âOnce we get there Iâll find some clean clothes for both of us.â Ace says, in a brave attempt to levity; he smiles at you âYour second trip to Laugh Tale is going to be much less relaxing than the first, Iâm very sorry.â
You tell him that youâre well aware, and you donât mind, because all you want is to help him. You have time to share a new kiss, short and sweet, before Yamato walks up to you. Youâd expect him to be disgruntled and upset about your boyfriendâs stubbornness and your intrusion, but your friend simply smiles at both of you with something akin to approval. âYou still have the gun?â
âI do, but itâs empty.â Ace explains, having kept the weapon he took from Akainu tucked into his belt ever since he shot the last bullet outside your apartment; he had it there, pressing against the seat, even as the two of you had sex in the car. Yamato gives your boyfriend a fresh magazine, which he expertly fits. This time there is no discussion about using the gun only in case of extreme need; youâre way past that.
âYou guys should try to sleep for a while; it will take several hours to reach Laugh Tale.â Yamato points out before patting Ace on the shoulder and leaving to go sit next to the pilot. You retrieve a blanket from under the seats in front of you to lay it across your lap, but even though you havenât slept a wink tonight neither you nor your boyfriend are sleepy in the least.Â
âWeâre gonna take off in ten minutes, I hope you guys donât get airsick.â Deuce points out, headset in place, his fingers dancing on the complex instrument panel, flipping a switch, lifting a lever.
Your clarinet is still safe and sound in your bag; you retrieve it from its case, for no other reason that it does comfort you to hold it, and reflect that itâs a pity that you didnât grab any music sheet from your bedroom when you had the chance, but you know several pieces by heart, enough to keep you entertained for a while.Â
âWhy donât you play something?â
âAre you sure? Now?â you ask, and Ace points out that you have nothing to do for the next eight hours, and while the pilot will probably need peace and quiet to fly you safely, thereâs nothing wrong with a little bit of music until take-off.Â
âAlright then. What would you like to hear?âÂ
âWell, you know what my favourite piece isâŚâ
Of all the places you have ever played or expected to play in a plane wasnât even on the list, but this is clearly a night of new experiences for you. The soft notes of Petrichor Sonata fill the cabin, your fingers moving confidently up and down the instrument body; you have closed your eyes, the music as usual transporting you to a place where nothing bad can happen, and where youâre safe - a place you doubt youâll have much time to take refuge in over the next few days.
You play until the roar of the engines swallows your music; Aceâs hand slips into yours. âItâs going to be alright.â he says, with the expression of a man determined to shed his own blood to keep his promise if he needs to, and you smile at him, intertwining your fingers.
âI know it will; weâll make sure of that together.â
A minute later youâve taken off, leaving the silent countryside behind as the plane disappears into the darkness of the pre-dawn hours.




















