you and yours.

patch you up. [ portgas d. ace ]

you're an idiot.

maybe you should take nami's suggestion and work on your recklessness, it would do you much better in the end. you and your stupid one track mind, jumping into things before you actually have the chance to think about how to go about it or any possible outcomes. especially in the middle of the desert where resources are sparse.

yeah, you'll definitely take her up on that suggestion.

"hey, hey, stop moving. you're only gonna hurt yourself more."

ace's calm voice drags you out of your thought bubble and back to your... situation. he's gentle with you, carefully cradling your ankle as he wraps you up. he practically insisted on staying back to patch you up, assuring chopper you'd be in good hands and he doesn't want to hold them back. he was hesitant, but luffy claimed ace was trustworthy so they let you off, letting you know where to meet when you're all patched up.

he's the complete opposite of your captain. he's kind and respectful and charming and handsome . it's all a bit too overwhelming, especially whenever his fingertips graze the skin below your knee or his arms bump your thighs through the split of the stupid skirt sanji got you to wear. his cheeks are freckled and tanned, glowing in the setting sun. you're tempted to reach out and tuck the loose strands of his shaggy hair from his face, or trace his annoyingly sharp jawline.

he pats your shin and you jump, blinking once, twice, until you look up to meet his eyes. he's already staring at you, dark eyes melting into pools of amber from the orange sky and it's so incredibly hard not to look away. his tongue dances over his lips, and you swear for a split second his gaze falls to your own mouth.

"um," ace clears his throat, pushing off his knees to stand, "you're all good now. you shouldn't walk on that for a while, though."

you can only hum in response, the burning off your cheeks and the lingering feeling of his touch on your skin distracting. you weren't necessarily listening, so when you push up to stand and a dagger of pain races up your left leg you collapse with a groan.

ace starts chuckling despite the wince on his face, his hands catching your waist to make sure you don't hurt yourself further. it's starting to get cold, and he's so warm against your bare skin, his hands swallowing the open areas whole.

"did you hear me?" his voice is laced with laughter and you know he's not angry. "no walking,"

you frown, crossing your arms and averting your gaze, hoping the darkening sky hides how flustered you are. "then what do you expect me to do?"

ace turns and squats down, glancing over his shoulder. "climb on."

your eyes widen and you only grow warmer. you clear your throat, mustering up every bit of composure and bite in you to say, "you want me to get on your back? isn't that gonna be a pain walking through the desert with me on your back?"

he shrugs, and you can see the faintest bit of pink on his cheeks. "nothing would be worse than letting a pretty girl walk on her injured leg in the desert."

his boldness takes you back and your eyes widen. you can't necessarily say no now. it's no secret you're obviously attracted to him, and being pressed up against him with his hands gripping your thighs and his back to your chest might only make matters worse. well, he did offer.

you sigh, curling your arms around his neck and leaning onto his back. you can hear his grin as he reaches back, effortlessly hoisting you onto him. he adjusts his grip, making you bounce in his hands with a surprised yelp.

ace starts laughing as he walks, adjusting you once more for the fun of it. you pout, smacking his shoulder despite the way your cheeks burn. "give me a warning next time!"

he snickers, squeezing your thighs in a way that's supposed to be playful but only makes you want to hit him more. he knows what he's doing and you despise it.

"okay, okay, i'm sorry," he chuckles out. "as an apology, can i take you out once this is all over?"

your breath hitches. that was the last thing you were expecting. groaning, you press your face to his shoulder, the feeling of his shoulders rising and falling with each breath weirdly calming.

"yeah... yeah i guess that works."

he smiles, you can feel it against the top of your head. "i'm glad it does. never knew i'd end up bagging a date with a pretty girl with no sense of survival."

"do you want to call that date off?"

"i take it back. you have an impeccable sense of survival."