Fire in our hearts | Portgas D. Ace x OC

7. Kiss

The kiss between Ace and Penelope was intense. Their lips fit perfectly together, their tongues intertwined in sync. Every now and then the boy would bite Penelope's lower lip.
For a few minutes this moment followed. The sun had already peaked over the horizon. Their hands alternated between hair, neck, waist, and hips. Little by little they went deeper.

- Cough cough.

Penny abruptly interrupted the moment, only to turn and find Marco standing in front of them both, arms crossed.

- Oh no... - Grace blushed, wanting to find a hole to hide in.

- Get out of here, Marco!!!

- I think you should be more careful, if you don't want to be discovered. If Thatch saw this scene in my place, he would tell everyone on the ship - the doctor explained himself - besides, Dad should wake up any minute now. You know how it is, right? Old people wake up early.

- Marco. Stop talking. - Ace warned - you talk too much!

Completely ignoring what his crewmate said, Marco now addressed Penelope.

- Penny, let's go get your personal items and when we get back, I'll show you the room we've arranged for you.

The girl grinned from ear to ear, nodding.

- Let's go!

- I'll go with her. You stay there - Ace turned to Marco. - Come on, Grace.

Portgas took the girl's hand and headed toward the inn. The initial touch was strange to Penny, who was not used to this kind of affection. Once again she intertwined her fingers in the warm hands of the man, who smiled with satisfaction.

When they arrived at the place, Penelope opened the door to her room, which was fully organized. Ace laughed, remembering that the girl had always been meticulous, while he was the opposite. Of course, after a while he also learned to be organized. But it took time.

Putting her things in a backpack, Grace couldn't be happier. Clothes, personal hygiene items, her bow and arrow, her painting items... she put her whole life in there and took the items to Moby Dick where she looked forward to a fresh start.

And during those minutes, Ace admired her. The very fact that she was so happy and smiling made her even more attractive.

When they returned to the ship, also holding hands, Edward Newgate had already woken up and was eating his breakfast. He watched the two of them and let out a laugh. With a few gestures he could already tell what was going on between them.

- Come, I'll show you your room.

Ace guided Penny into the room, and she was fascinated when she opened the door. The room was small, but to her it was perfect. A single bed with pink sheets, a wooden closet so she could keep her belongings, a bathroom, and a window overlooking the sea.

What more could she want?

She quickly threw herself on the bed, feeling the softness of the mattress, and the sleep from a sleepless night hit.

- Thank you, Ace. This place is amazing! So amazing that I'm going to take a nap.

The man sat on the edge of the mattress, leaning against the edge of the bed, smiling contentedly.

- Glad you like it. I'm also going to my bedr... zzzzzzz

Penelope started to laugh when she noticed that Ace had fallen asleep abruptly, just as he had done in his childhood.
She straightened his body, made him lie down on the bed, and covered him with the sheet. Closing the bedroom door, she found a small space in her own bed, which contained Ace sprawled on it. Lying down in the corner, Grace quickly fell asleep.

6 hours later

Opening her eyes, Penny took a few seconds to reason out where she was. Sunlight streamed in under the gaps in the window, and she felt a warm body hugging hers.

Ace was in his twentieth sleep and clinging to the girl, her back to him. He didn't even notice when she turned over in bed, facing him.

- Ace... come on, wake up.

Portgas opened his eyes with difficulty and found a pair of blue eyes staring at him. He smiled as he realized that he was hugging Grace, who was also smiling.

The boy stretched, pulling her closer to his body. He could barely think when she brought her face closer to his and kissed him.

Grace Penelope hadn't kissed many people in her life, but she certainly knew how to do it. At least in Ace's eyes, it was the best kiss of his life.

The man's body became hotter and hotter as he moved his body, with her on top of him. Ace began to lower the hand that was on her waist a little further, until again they were interrupted.

Knock knock.

- Oh, fuck!

Penny laughed at Ace's bad mood, who begrudgingly got up to open the door, and in doing so revealed the phoenix standing there waiting.

- What are you doing here, huh?

- I could ask you the same question. - Marco pushed Ace aside slightly to address Penny - I wonder if Grace is comfortable in her new room.

- Yes, thank you very much, everything is perfect!

- There, now you can leave.

- You weren't this grumpy before, Ace. - the phoenix laughed before leaving.

As he closed the door, Portgas turned around again and smiled.

- Where were we?

Penelope laughed.

- I need to eat something. And take a shower. But we can see about that later...

The boy made a sad face, but agreed.

- I won't forget that, Grace.- he laughed. - I'll make you comfortable and take a shower too.

- See you in a bit, Ace.

Before closing the door, he gave a wink, leaving Penny alone with her thoughts.

In just two days, her life had turned upside down. And this was not a negative thing, not at all.
To her, it was a fact that she had always been in love with Portgas D. Ace. Maybe she hadn't been in love when he was a grumpy little boy as soon as she met him, but she had liked him for a long time.
Everything that had happened seemed like a dream come true. And this closeness of Ace to her made it even better, because she felt that he liked her just the same.

And that was enough.

(...)

The sun was beginning to set on the ship, and Penelope was sitting on the deck, with a canvas and paints in front of her, trying to portray the scene she saw in her own way.
Watching attentively, with a few drops of paint on her clothes, she was barely aware of what was happening around her: nothing.

That's right, nothing was happening. Practically all her crewmates were in the city, and not on the ship. She was in the greatest peace of mind possible, watching the best moment of the day.

She felt a familiar presence approaching. Ace put his arms around her as he looked at the colors on the screen.

- You have improved a lot in your drawings. Remember when you drew me and Luffy? That looked horrible. - Ace laughed

- I was nine years old! - Grace laughed - I've had plenty of time to practice since then.

- Do you have a canvas ready?

- No, I left some at Amazon Lily. I sold some too. Now that I have a room, I think I can keep some there.

- You are talented. I like the painting. When you're done, can I have it?

- Of course. Sure. - Penelope smiled.

- Tonight Thatch and some guys want to go to a club on the island. Let's go?

- I'd love to.