unknown number (Ace x-reader)

the fall

Anyone have those nights where you can't sleep no matter how hard you try. So instead of laying in bed and willing sleep to envelop you, you put on some sad songs and practically cry yourself to sleep/decide its time to update that story that's sad?

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  He couldn't find the motivation he needed in order to perform anything the next day. Quite frankly, he didn't even remember crawling back to his bed and falling back asleep. He vaguely recalls calling off of work, and texting Luffy that he feels sick.
  Everything that happened last night seems like a distant memory and he can hardly hear himself think over the loud ringing in his ears. Nothing seems to be in focus, not even the objects that appear in his mind.
  Time is irrelevant to the black-haired man in his current state, drifting in between sleep and awake. Dreams weren't taking shape, so all he saw was darkness. Once awake again, and hungry, he finds himself remembering why he stopped taking those pills; the side-effects just about kill him each time.
  A soft knock calls attention to the door as he stumbles around the kitchen. A quick glance to the stove and the flashing green light tells him that it's evening. He slept most of the day and totally missed his chance to binge watch his favorite shows on his day off.
  Honestly, he doesn't care though, he needed the sleep. Another knock, louder this time, makes him remember that someone's at the door and he makes his way towards it.
  "Luffy, I told you that-" he opens it, not greeted by Luffy yelling and jumping on him asking him if he's okay, but a (Y/n), with a suspicious looking cylinder. "You're not Luffy... and please tell me that's not soup..."
  "It is," she tightens her grip around the thermos. "Do you not like... soup?"
"No... that's... that's not at all what I meant," he runs his fingers through his hair. "What brings you-"
"Luffy told me you were sick and wanted me to bring this over," she shows him a slip of paper that the younger male gave her with Ace's address on it. "You look horrible, Ace. Are you going to b-"
"I'm fine," he takes the thermos from her and forces a smile. "Just caught a cold or something. Thanks for doing Luffy's lackey work. Sorry that he troubled you. I'll see you when I get better, but you should really be going now. Thanks again."
"Wait!" he goes to close the door, but she catches it just before it closes. "Ace, are you sure you'll be fine? I mean... you don't look sick... you just look... unwell. It's hard to explain, is ever-"
"Everything is fine!" he grips the side of the door harder, causing his knuckles to turn white. "Don't you have a boyfriend to get back to?"
Her face falls, a thought occurring, "Is this about last night? Are you mad at me for last night, because I had no idea th-"
"No! It's not about last night! I mean it is! I-I mean... I don't know what it's about! I'm messed up right now, (Y/n)! And I'm almost curtain it's your fault!" Ace runs his hands through his hair again. "You're getting my hopes up, and I'm getting my hopes up. And I don't know what I was thinking because I literally have only known you for a couple of weeks, I mean, I can't possibly be in love with you but I think I am, and I'm sorry. I just need time to myself."
He closes the door in her face, locking the door behind him. He said too much. Everything is over now. Maybe he'll be able to move on now. At least she didn't say anything back to him, he doesn't need her response.
He doesn't need it, but he wants to know what she was thinking about saying. He wants to hear her tell him that it's alright. Now he's done it, when he sees her tomorrow, it's going to be awkward. Man, he really knows how to screw himself over in many ways. Screw shooting himself in the foot, he's gone and blown his whole leg off.
He looks at the thermos, this isn't Luffy's, Luffy has brought him 'get well soup' countless times, and it's always in the same container. Sure enough, as he turns it over, it has her name written on the bottom in Sharpie. He knew something was off by the way she said that. And now, it'll be even more awkward when he gives the canister back to the rightful owner, "Well, shit."

"Everyday is a new day, and you'll never be able to find happiness if you don't move one"
~ Carrie Underwood

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