Newbie's Skill

Eight

"There you are," Ace murmured. He was lying with me on the bed, and he was soothingly running his hand through my hair. My face was in his chest, but I felt...okay. I felt safe in his arms. It made me kind of happy to actually have a big brother that cares about me. Now, I might have a bunch of them...if they would trust me. Maybe they just need time to adjust to me, just like I need time to adjust to them. "You okay, Sweet Boy?" My face burned at the nickname. What the hell, Ace? Don't kill me on the first day.

"Mhmm," I hummed. I yawned, still a bit woozy from just waking up.

"Let's go get you some food, yeah?" I mumbled incoherently, and he just chuckled. He stood up, picking me up so my legs were around his waist, and my arms wrapped around his neck loosely. I laid my head on the back of his shoulder. I felt sunlight and then heard voices. We were on deck. "Lookie who's awake," Ace called.

"Are you sure he's awake?" Marco chuckled, petting my hair gently.

"Forget if he's awake. Is that the same kid from yesterday?" Thatch exclaimed in bewilderment. I quietly whined, trying to hide from the light and noise. Ace moved his right hand from my back to the back of my head.

"Hey, quiet down, would ya? He's still adjusting," Ace scolded.

"And drowsy," Marco pointed out. Thank you, Captain Obvious.

"Just saying," Thatch laughed. Ace sighed.

"You'll get used to them, Kid," he promised. I heard Whitebeard's hearty laugh.

"Seems one of my kids isn't a morning person," he chuckled. He seemed like a really nice father figure to have, but I felt like I was trusting them too easily. What if I was making a mistake, and they were going to stab me in the back? No...that's not how they were. I hoped. Champ barked, and I opened my eyes slightly. Marco picked him up, so I could pet him.

Then, I relaxed against Ace again. I didn't want to move, but I was starving. I guess I should have eaten last night. That was dumb of me. I sniffed the air. I smelled bacon. And it smelled godly. As if on que, my stomach rumbled, and my face flushed a deep crimson red. Why, Stomach? You are probably the most embarrassing part of me sometimes. I heard the crew laugh, and I wiggled to try to be free. Ace wasn't having it, and he most likely shot them a glare before heading towards the kitchen.

"We want food," someone came in and whined. The chef scoffed.

"You can wait your turn. The kiddo gets first," he explained with finality. Ace sat me down at the table. He ruffled my hair gently as if to reassure me. I almost drooled when the chef sat the plate on the table in front of me. The food looked so godly, I could hardly believe it was real. The eggs were poached to perfection and the bacon was a perfect balance of soft and crispy. I glanced at Ace, kind of silently asking for permission.

"Eat up. There's plenty," Ace whispered to me. "I'm gonna go eat with the others. Join us when you're ready to." He gently pressed the tip of his nose to my temple for a few brief seconds before he walked out. He poked his head back in, "Oh. Watch him while I'm gone, okay, Chef?"

"Sure thing." Then, my brother was gone to go to the others.