Dirt Tracks And Lilacs [Ace x OC]

Racers

The weekend had finally come, and Opal wasn't thrilled about it. She had managed to get herself out of work for the two days, but that only made it harder for her to ignore the way her heart was pounding as she thought about Kidd's idea.

It felt wrong in a sense to try and get a rise out of Ace for personal reasons, but part of her wondered if it would work. She knew what her heart wanted, and it was Ace.

Opal put on the cutest outfit she could find that also showed some skin. Then again, it was well over 100°. Her makeup and hair had both been done up, and she was ready.

~~~~~~~~~~

"You've got this," Ace told himself as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. His helmet was secure, gloves on, and ready for anything. At least, he thought so.

"You've done this a million times," he breathed out. He could feel his body as the familiar feelings of withdrawal began to kick in. Addiction was a hard thing, but he was determined. Now more than ever. "Just breath," he tried to calm his shaking hands as the race was moments away from starting.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Hi! I'm Opal!" The pink haired girl greeted loudly. "It's nice to formally meet you too," she smiled, handing her hand out to shake the blond boys hand.

"I'm Sabo," the man smiled warmly. "I'm sorry about accusing you of trying to steal my car the first time we met," he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, no problem." Opal nodded, brushing off his statement and allowed her eyes to land on the striker. She could almost feel the tension pouring out of the vehicle.

"He's a good racer," Sabo said. "He has been since we were kids. He'd probably be in the big leagues by now if it wasn't for his bad decisions," he admitted.

"I know, he's been going down a dark path for a while from what I hear," she responded, entertaining the conversation as she waited for the race to begin.

"You know..." He paused, allowing himself a moment to think, "Ace wasn't always that person."

"Hm?" She hummed, now more intrigued by the conversation than before.

"All three of us were foster kids together," he admitted. "Well, kind of anyway. I was more of a run away, Ace was an orphan, and luffys parents wanted nothing to do with him." Sabos' eyes glanced towards Opals, seeing if she was paying him any mind.

"He was a good kid, but he always lived in his father's shadow. After all, His dad was Gol Roger, a nationally recognized racer." He added, watching as the race began, and Ace drove like a bat out of hell.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Opal asked, confused by the boys' sudden storytelling.

"Ace isn't a bad person," he frowned, furrowing his brows tightly. "Good people turn into monsters when people treat them as such." He added, feeling sorry for his brother who had lived his entire life in the shadows. "And monsters can be tamed." He added, cheering loudly as Ace completed a lap.

"Sabo, was it?" She questioned, never taking her eyes off of the track. "No offense, but just because he had a hard life, it doesn't give him any right to act the way he does. He has hurt people." She admitted accusingly. "Just because you made the wrong choices in life doesn't mean you can blame it on everyone around you. Now, if you'll excuse me..." She muttered, standing to walk away. "I'm going to get water." She nodded politely before heading towards the front of the bleachers.

~~~~~~~~~~

Several laps later, the race was over, and Ace had once again won. His heart was pounding against his chest as he mustered the courage to walk towards Opal. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

"Oh my goodness! Ace! You did so well!" A blond cheered happily as she rushed up towards Ace, whose eyes were only on Opal as she unconsciously began making her way towards him.

Hope had filled him, only to be ripped out of his body, and his heart with it as the blond forced herself against him and into a rough kiss. Stunned by the action, it took him a moment to process what was happening and push her off of him.

"What the fuck!" He screamed, wiping the spit from his mouth.

"What, Acey?" The girl soothed, puffing her lips out in an attempt to look cute. Anger had completely taken over as he tried to push through the swarm of people around him to get to Opal, but he was too late, and he knew what had just happened was irreversible.

"Opal!" His voice trailed off as he watched the scene in front of him unfolding. He felt it the moment his heart sank, but all he could think was how he deserved it. He did this to himself. After all, he always fucks himself over.

There she was, the only girl who had treated him like a person and not a monster in years, making out with one of his rivals. Though he felt no anger towards Eustass, only himself.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Sorry," Opal apologized to Eustass the moment after the kiss broke.

"Don't be," he stated breathlessly as he pulled her face back against his in another kiss before letting her go. He knew it was for show, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it. Rubbing it in, he winked when Ace's eyes met his.

"Damn, he's heartbroken." Eustass stated, feeling slightly guilty about the kiss.

"He should have thought about that before kissing that blond girl," she argued, kissing Eustass's neck, causing him to let out a muffled grunt. His hand squeezed her ass cheek in an attempt to keep hus composure.

"Your place?" She asked nonchalantly. She just wanted to forget about Ace for the night, nothing more.

"While I quite literally want nothing more than to do that, I respect you too much to take advantage of your heartbreak."

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Sleep well! Don't forget your medications! Make sure you've had a glass of water and eaten