Afterlife (Dead! Portgas D. Ace X Angel! Reader) AU

Date

A lump formed inside your throat, butterflies flying inside your stomach and tickling you all over your body. He was so sweet, caring, and so fucking hot.

Am I seriously falling for this man? How ridiculous!

In the midst of your internal debate, Ace decided to give your lips a fresh new try. You looked gorgeous today, your eyes were glossy in the midst of your nerves and he just felt like he needed to have more contact with you. It was an instinctive impulse he couldn't resists, and he tried.

Noticing him leaning into you, you turned your head to the side with a soft blush, grabbing his hands in yours and pushing them back down.

"L-lets go." You said nervously.

Standing stiffly and shocked by his own straightforwardness, Ace smiled. You were going to be quite a challenge to get, but man did he love challenges.

"Sure." He said happily. He had been about to kiss you.

Somehow, your rejection hadn't hurt him at all this time. If anything, it fueled him up.

You talked about trivial things as you strolled around the realm. It turns out that Isuka's recommendation on how to get the best ice cream was to summon some from an ice cream shop they had both coincidentally gone to many years ago in Water Seven, a city down on earth.

It turns out it was, indeed, the best ice cream you had ever tasted, but your pettiness didn't allow you to enjoy it knowing that this meant he had spent more time with Isuka. Now, the young woman was a fantastic person. You were just going through a small jealousy episode, which you hoped was going to pass soon, and this jealousy episode meant you not really liking her as much as you did before Ace came into your life.

You were being dumb, but you were also very new to these feelings, so your immature acting may have been slightly justified.

"Man, that ice cream never fails to amaze me. It's so fucking good." He exhaled softly, patting his now full tummy.

You chuckled, taking the napkins out of his hand and sending them to the nearest trashcan so that he didn't have to worry about littering or having to carry it in his hands until he got home.

"It was really good." You commented happily, cleaning your hands on a water fountain nearby. "So..." You started. This question had been eating you up and, although maybe you didn't really want to know the answer, you just had to ask. "You spent some time with Isuka?"

That's good. It means that he has more friends. It means that his psychological recovery will speed up. It means he has support. Don't feel jealous. Don't feel je-

"Yeah!" He chirped with a wide smile. A smile that sent a painful pang to your heart. "I met her on my way to my parents' and decided to invite her over. She really helped soften the tension and we talked a lot on our way over there." He blushed.

They had talked a lot. Ace even mentioned how he was getting a helpless crush on you. Even if he felt embarrassed over his confession, Isuka had been great to him, encouraging him to go after you and spend more time with you. Unlike what you thought, there were absolutely no romantic feelings between the two. Not anymore, at least.

"That's good." You said quietly, not wanting to keep this conversation going. Maybe you were just going to be a wingman between those two. It sucked.

Ace smiled. You cared. That's why you had gotten upset. There was a spark inside you that made you feel jealous and he was going to take full advantage of it.

"Shall we walk back to my place?" He asked with a handsome smile.

"Alright." You replied, voice still quiet and thin, as if you were absorbed in your own thoughts.