Chapter Twelve
We got done selling and we walked to my place. Before we could open the door, my ma shouted, "Chesh, cover Ace's eyes, will ya?"
"Ready, Mrs. Conlon!" Cheshire immediately put his hands over my eyes.
"'Kay, you can come in!"
I pushed the door open and my ma said, "Right this way, Chesh."
"Yes'm." Chesh led me toward my ma's voice.
"Now, hon, sit down here." she told me. I obeyed. I was in my pa's chair it felt like. Cushioned and comfortable. "Chesh, you can come over here but Ace, keep those eyes closed!"
"Yeah, ma." I said. I felt Chesh leave and his hands disappear from my eyes. I kept my eyes closed.
"'Kay, now open." I heard her giggle. My ma never giggled. Never. I opened my eyes and saw my parents, Chesh, Checks, and my/my parents' friends. Jack and Sarah Kelly, Racetrack Higgins, David and Millie Jacobs, Les Jacobs, and Kid Blink, who wasn't much of a kid anymore.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ACELIN!!!!!" They all screamed.
"Yeah, yeah, thanks! Ma, I hate surprises! Chesh, you knew about this?" I asked.
"'Course I did, Ace! Told you I never miss a party, especially a surprise party!" Chesh replied.
My mom brought out a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and the phrase, "Happy Birthday Ace!" frosted on it with white frosting. I stuck my finger on the side and swiped at Chesh's nose, leaving chocolate smeared on the tip of it.
He wiped it off with his finger and licked it. "Deeeeelicious! Your turn!" He stuck in finger in the chocolate and swiped at me. I had a chocolate war paint streak on my left cheek.
"Settle down, you too! Spot come cut it, please. I don't trust a knife around them right now." My ma snickered.
Pa came and cut it. Of course, birthday girl gets the first piece, so my piece was finished while he was still cutting it.
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After the festivities were through and everyone had gone home, Chesh and I went for a walk through Brooklyn. It was a little chilly, so I was nestled against his chest and he had his arm wrapped around my shoulder. We made our way to the infamous crate tower. We climbed up and sat and watched the night life of Brooklyn. Less exciting than you'd think, honestly. A couple of fights here and there and sounds from tenements no one under the age of 13 should hear. I swear, people are rabbits sometimes.
After a while, Chesh spoke up. "Hey, Ace?"
"Yeah, Chesh?"
"I was wonderin', ya know, if you want to, if you'd be my girl?"
"If it were anyone but you askin', I'd have slapped 'em across the face. But since it's you askin', how's about we kiss instead?"
"Fine by me." He replied. He leaned and and in the next moment, his warm lips were on mine. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around him. He did the same.
When we parted, he cupped my face in his hand. "You're bloody beautiful." He smiled.
"And you're bloody 'andsome." I mocked his accent. "I guess it's a tradition now, the leader and second of Brooklyn endin' up together." I laughed.
"Yeah, guess so. I like it." Chesh smiled even wider.
"Me too."
We climbed down from the crate tower and he walked me back home, my hand in his.
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I'm so sorry for the biggest wait I've ever made you guys go through with these fics. This is it. This is the end of Archer and Ace's stories. I really hope you had as much reading them as I did writing them. Thanks so much! I own nothing except Archer, Markas, Charlie, Ace, and Cheshire.
- magrettagirl
