[OP] ♠️ Seven Letters ♠️ [Ace x Reader] AU

♠️ Before the First Letter ♠️

"Come on, Y/n-drink it up! It's on the house!"

A husky voice woke me up from my trans as I was scrolling down the messages, meanwhile leaning on the counter.

Go away! I screamed internally. No more testosterone!

I rose my head. When our eyes locked over the table, the raven held my gaze. The soft expression that he carried was replaced by a smirk.

"What?" escaped his mouth. "Do I have something on my face?" he joked, while tilting his head, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with the widening smile that appeared on his face.

I blinked a few times before I answered with a hoarse voice: "No?"

"Yes or no? There isn't anything in between." I rolled my eyes.

"You're so cute when you pout like that!" He leaned closer to me. "Almost like a Sphynx cat..."

Daggers were shooting from my eyes. As per usual, when my foot trespassed into my favorite cafe, this 19-year old freckle-face pounced on me and always, and I mean literally always, found a new astonishing reason to mock me. I begged Luffy to talk to him, but as naive as he was, he thought nothing was wrong with his older brother that was just 'pure perfection of existence' in his eyes.

"Were you crying over a guy?" he asked curiously, now leaning on both of his hands, not stopping with the interrogation.

"How did you...?" I asked, but quickly bit my bottom lip so I could correct myself. "I mean...Why the hell do you care? Do you always bug customers when you are bored?" I barked at him.

How dare he compare me to a naked cat and mock my love life?

" First." With his index finger, he lingered down his cheek. "Your skin is still a bit reddish." He then pointed to my now turned off phone. "And you didn't even blink when you were checking those messages of yours." he looked me under the bangs. "Your forehead puckered several times in a frown. So basically, your face looked like something I had drown with my left hand. And no. I don't bug all of the customers. Just the ones that are interesting to mess with."

"What are you now? Some kind of pervert? That's low, even for you Ace." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"How is it possible that you, the reincarnation of the devil himself, is related to such a sweet, innocent guy as Luffy? Stalker." I said, the last word being uttered under my breath.

His lips pursued together. "Stalking? You?" he sneered. "Sorry girly but you are a bit too young for me." Ace then judgingly scanned me. "Correction, not girly enough."

Huh. "What did you just say?" I huffed. I folded my arms. "You know, I would slap you but slapping you might make my hands dirty as you're a shit."

Yes, me and Ace were such on good terms, that insults just kept rolling down our tongues as if they were bestowed compliments.

"Ow, that hurt!" he quickly composed from his fake sadness. "Disappointed, aren't you? I mean, I totally understand you." He gripped the fabric on his chest. "I really do. I would've fallen for me right away if I were a girl."

I folded my arms "Cocky, aren't we?"

We just stared at each other, one in anger and one in amusement. After a minute, my phone vibrated, and on the screen a sender's name appeared, showing me notification about a newly received message.

Don't have time today. said.

I sighed.

Breaking our unofficial staring contest, he glanced to my phone and narrowed his eyes at the content. I quickly followed his gaze and snatched the device away, intensely blushing.