'Freckles' - chapters 78.

As he disappeared, her eyes fell on the pile of clothes in her arms. What could have changed his mood so suddenly ? Eli wondered while she let the blanket slide down from around her body. But the image of his smile, his freckles, and his lovely dark eyes, if mocking, brought a grin to Eli's face.

Matchless

She was here, very much here. Unlike the first time when the young man had found the bed deserted of the presence of the girl he had spent a part of the night with, she was here. Unlike all the nights after that first one, she was here. Eli was lying next to him, breathing quietly. Ace let his eyes travel on her fair skin as it was caressed by the first rays of the morning sun. Contently, he decided that he loved this kind of waking up.

"Twig..." Ace whispered before kissing the sleeping girl's shoulder.

She made a little mewing sound and rolled her body to the side. It made some memories resurface in the dozy mind of the dark-eyed pirate. All those mornings back in Fuschia where the girl shared his room; he was blind to the loveliness of it all then.

A little smile on his face, Ace shifted closer to his loved one. Sluggishly, he caressed the skin of her back with his lips while letting drowsiness gradually soak behind his heavy eyelids. Enjoying for the first time a tenderness that had the scent of a morning breeze : a tenderness very unfamiliar to him, sweetly intoxicating. Matchless...

The second waking up Ace experienced however, wasn't as soft and charming as the first one. Vaguely, he heard the -loud- sound of his -annoying- brother's arrival. The flame user then felt Eli's body struggling in his arms, before the girl covered the both of them under the blanket.

Against his skin he could feel Eli's heartbeats accelerating. Ace could also hear the frantic breathing, the whole state of fear the girl was in awaking his excitation with a little smirk.

Eli slowly lifted her head from the blanket, a thin ray of light seeping under as she did. "Hey Luffy..." She said quietly, her voice still gruff by her slumber.

"We're going to steal gold," Luffy said. "And then we're leaving."

Her body was so tense as Eli nodded wordlessly.

"Are you coming ?"

"Sure... NO !" Eli shook her head rapidly and Ace found himself pressing his lips together to choke back a chuckle.

Luffy, however, did chuckle and this caused the flame user's impatience to resurface above his amusement. If Eli didn't get rid of his annoying rubber brother, Ace surely wouldn't mind. Being so tightly wrapped around her naked body, the young man knew exactly how to tremendously improve the loveliness of this special morning.

"We'll- I mean I, I will prepare the Merry," she blabbered rapidly, her body trembling against Ace's.

"Okay." Was Luffy's simple reply.

As he listened to his little brother's footsteps gradually growing weaker, Ace's lips curled up in a smile resembling a sneer. Good riddance. Without waiting anymore, the eager young man let his hands travel on the girl's body, his fingertips knowing the path of her pleasure as if it was his own. She was still shivering and even stronger as his skin trailed down her stomach.

With a gasp, Eli's head snapped around as she uncovered the young man whose smirk grew a bit wider.

"For how long have you been awake ?"

Ace laid his lips on the girl's back, a childish chuckle caressing her fair skin as he did. Her spine was what his kisses aimed for, the little moan she uttered confirming her sensitivity on that very spot. Score. Eli's body went a little lax as Ace's hand -a few degrees hotter- trailed up her chest to rest on her small shoulder.

"Ace...?"

She obediently complied to the light push he applied and lay on her back with a soft sigh. The young man moved on her, liking the sensation of his arousal pressed on her inner thigh. She made a delicious sound at the contact of his leg between hers. Her pale skin was all Ace could see as his dark gaze traveled on her body since it was offered so charmingly to his eager eyes. The young pirate gave his body a stretch as he leaned forward, her thin stomach shivering under the light pressure of the flame user's skin on hers.

"You look happy..." she said quietly.

With a short intake of air, Eli turned her blushing face away as Ace got closer. Not that he minded a little resistance. It was cute, futile, but cute. Slowly, the fame user brought his mouth to her ear, speaking his desire with the motion of his lips. "I am... Aren't you ?"

Her heartbeats accelerating; he knew exactly which buttons to push in order to ignite her want. Letting his heated breath blow into her ear, Ace felt the girl's body thrilling against his own. Almost there. With the help of his unnatural heat, he would make her will melt.

"We have to go." Eli said in an attempt to stop him.

"No way." Ace smirked against her neck. "I'm not letting you go... not you Eli..."

Her nape, also a very weak spot of hers, was hidden there. Ace slid his hand under her neck and into her mane, eliciting a very exciting moan from the powerless girl.

"What do you mean ?" She asked, her soft voice barely reaching his ears as Ace's attention was completely focused on breaking down her resistance.

"The others... they always left..." He said in a breath.

Obviously the eager young man should have taken a second before letting these words pass through his lips. But his lips were solely meant to kiss her, and his mind was already lost in the exquisite prospect of invading Eli completely. He was yearning to push himself inside of her. Impatient to hear her whine and see her pretty face, flustered, her gaze pleading, begging for more; the memory of the previous night's ecstasy making it hard for him to grasp the gravity of the mistake he just did.

"What others ?"

Eli's face wasn't as exciting has it had been the previous night. Her voice wasn't as sweet. And her gaze... her gaze was everything but pleading.

Now lifted up above Eli and Ace couldn't be mistaken, she was angry.

Reflecting in his eyes, the spoiled prospect of pleasure had the color of jade. It was stirring with ire. It was deep and piercing. Ace felt his guts wrenching within the grasp of the guilt. Or was it frustration ? He felt his erection outrageously pressed against her, and that caused embarrassment to swell inside of his starving flesh.

"And how many are you talking about Ace ?"

With a hard swallow, young man tried to unwind his throat but the sharp net wrapped around his insides, he could not ignore.

"Were they pretty, Ace ? Were they kind ?"

He felt his face growing stiffer. Her words were harsh but it wasn't their meaning that pained the young man. No. The pain that Eli felt he could see and it splashed on his tainted arrogance; on his dirty crave.

"Do you remember their names, Ace ? Their faces maybe... or their bodies...?"

She was hard, she was burning cold and she hated him then, and somehow, he understood, slightly. What Ace did not understand however, was why did he started feeling a boiling sensation raising inside of him...

"Tell me Ace."

Maybe it was because he knew he did nothing wrong.

No harm was done except the silly mistake of mentioning them to the girl he loved and because he loved her she should know it was different. His sentiments were true. Matchless.

"Listen Eli." Regaining his assurance with the certainty of his innocence, Ace looked deeply into the angry eyes of his lover. He wanted to pierce through veil of ire and make her understand that she was... "You're special to me, you've always been special."

But if Eli remained resolute in her state of hatred Ace wasn't going to let her do so. Firmly, he grabbed her arms to bring her back to reality. Futile attempt...

"Don't touch me !" she barked, disgusted distorting her pretty face. Struggling violently, she tore out of his embrace and turned around, covering her naked form from the sight of her lover.

Unfair ! Ace felt frustration exploding inside of him, covering his common sense as well as his loving sentiment. How dare she acted like this ? Yes, he had sex with some girls before, but never had he ever loved someone else other than her.

Out of annoyance, a sigh left his mouth as Ace stared at Eli's back.

"WHAT ?" she roared, jerking around, her face flustered with anger.

"How can you act like this !" Ace said scornfully. "I'm not the one who's still fantasying like a ten-year-old on a childish crush !"

"THE HELL ?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Eli."

"You mean... Towa...?"

"...Whatever." Ace muttered, turning his face away as he couldn't bear to look at her anymore. Not as she mouthed his name.

That was said then, and he knew he was right. Eli never stopped thinking about him. He was the reason why she seemed so hard to touch. He was the reason why she had pushed him away so many times. The way she spoke about him, the way she voiced his name... her eyes lost in a place he couldn't see, the fear that had struck Ace a few weeks ago came back like a whirlwind; what if she still loved him ?

In his mind the shadow of a man with no face loomed above the girl he loved.

"He's dead Ace ! He saved me and he's dead," she argued. "And now you're-"

"And now he's mister perfection forever," Ace said wryly.

"You're being... mean..."

He couldn't look at her, he wouldn't look at her for he knew that as he would see his eyes reflecting in the green of her own, he'd feel stupid. Ace gritted his teeth, the anger he felt had the shape of a man. A man that had died. Had he ever touched her ? Maybe kissed her..?

"You left and had sex with all these women, and now you're turning this against me..."

And you loved him... This was far worse.

"I should have waited for you for three years ?" He barked, hating the very words he was throwing to her face. "Is that what you wanted ?"

As Eli mumbled something intelligible, Ace, submerged by his anger, looked with disdain at her. "What ?"

"I... I didn't want anyone else..." She stammered, the pain she felt hammering in his ears along with his angry heartbeats.

"Well, I'm sorry." His back still turned to her, Ace averted his gaze once more and put on a shirt. He was eager to leave her side as soon as possible. "But I'm not perfect..." He said, truly hating the feeling of regret stirring inside of him. "I'll never be."

"I don't want you to be perfect !" Eli said loudly. "That's not what I love about you, idiot !"

And then, the sweetest word, mouthed by the sweetest lips. She did not even seem to notice. Eli was frowning as the words slipped out of her mouth. She did not seem to notice how they swept on him, washing all of the anger and the jealousy away.

At that moment Ace knew that no other girl could ever make him feel this way. He somehow knew, without doubt, that she felt the same. Their love was theirs and only theirs; new, weird, strong, and... matchless.

After a moment of intense staring, Eli seemed to notice his smile. With big green eyes she scanned those lips and above, his gaze. Did she see the love he had for her then ?

"What ?" Eli asked, slightly irritated.

Apparently not and so, he smiled. Cute.

"WHAT ?" She stomped on the fluffy ground, losing her balance a bit as she did.

Very cute.

Ace couldn't force down the smile on his face as he looked at her. She was very much irritated and he was very much in love with her. The young man decided it was very much perfect that way.

Appeased, he grabbed her clothes piled near her feet, and put them in her hands. "Here."

"That's not what I love about you, idiot !" With a quiet chuckle, Ace nestled his hands behind his neck and walked over to the beanstalk, Eli's weakened glare clinging on his back. I love you too... idiot.

Betaed by charmedward.

Look, a Twig.

I know that it wasn't really necessary but it was requested (you know who you are and I hope you enjoyed it). And Twigs seem to put me in an exceptionally good mood. I wish that you too :)

Oh and, of course, Ace's 'arousal' died out even though I didn't mention it. I'm writing this since my beta told me "You left poor Ace with his arousal, might wanna help him out with that problem XD" and I really didn't know where to put it. Or maybe I'm a bit lazy. Let's say he didn't really care for it as he was facing a very resentful Eli.

See you soon on Freckles ;)