Time [Ace x Reader]

chapter 19 / down below

Ace's POV

I felt myself get dragged over cold stone, shivers running down my spine at their chilling touch.
I'm not in the water anymore.
Coughing I slapped the ground, calming at the feeling of the cold earthy air filling my burning lungs.

"Gosh, you have coughed up a sea."

My vision became clearer to reveal an annoyed but worried fairy desperately trying to dry her wings, that I had just soaked.

"Sorry, Lou." I looked around. We had resurfaced in an underground cave, dimly lit by the little light filtering in from the hole we had been washed in through.
"Where are we?" I asked eying what little of the cave was visible in the lacking source of light.

"Sirens grotto." Was the short answer I received.

"Oh yeah! Sirens grotto! Who doesn't know about Sirens grotto? What would I do without your descriptive talent?"
I mocked the fairy with a taunting grin plastered on my face that was sure to enrage her.
Lou however only rolled her eyes.

"It's a tunnel complex that carries throughout the island and acts as bunker, safety command center and trap, aswell as a few other things. Come along now. We have wasted enough time."
With that the fairy spun around and sped into the dark leaving me no choice but to follow suit.

We rushed through the dark tunnels that seemed to stretch endlessly throughout the island. I had closed my eyes, finding them useless in this absolute darkness and let my observation haki tell me the location of my guide in their stead.
Lou must have been here often if she knows these tunnels so well.
However before I could ponder over what the purpose of this underground labyrinth was Lou stopped, making me come to a screeching halt next to her.

We had arrived in what I believed to be another bigger cave. Questioningly I turned to my companion just to notice that the fairy had long disappeared into the cave, swearing as she looked for something.
"Ha, found it!" Flickering lights came on, granting me visibility over the entire space ahead.
I had been right, before me lay another rather big cave. This one however was completely different from the ones we had passed through before. The grey stone walls where covered with white screens and below stood a large desk area full of files and transponder snails?

"Show me the coast." Lou told a surveillance transponder snail before throwing something my way.

"Catch!"

I caught the little something and found it to be a baby transponder snail.

"Call Y/N. Her number is written on the paper underneath it."

I turned around the transponder snail and found a small piece of paper on which someone had scribbled a few digits.

"Got it!"
Quickly I dialed the number and a few seconds later the voice that had kept me alive answered.

"Hello? Lou? Is everything ok?"

I froze. It had been a mere three days since I had last heard her voice but somehow, hearing her now I got a weird feeling in my stomach.
I must have swallowed too much lake water earlier. I'll ask Lou for some medicine.

"Hello?"

I snapped back out of my thoughts.

"Oh, hey Voice."

"A-Ace?" She sounded startled.
Wait did she just call me by my name?

"Yo."

"What's wrong mystery boy? Why are you calling? Did something happen?"
And- we're back to the nicknames. I smiled. Hearing her say my name sounded nice.
"Oh so you don't like me calling you?"

"Yes, I absolutely hate having to hear your annoying self talk," Y/N retorted having immediately picked up my teasing tone.

"Outch, I'm hurt.
However you are correct something did happen. An unknown ship has entered our sea and is currently heading towards Ukuthula island."

"What? Why didn't you tell me sooner? I swear Ace, you're going to make me loose my mind!"

"Pfhahaha, Sorry sorry."

"Has Lou rewound the island yet? Are you guys in safety?"

"Oi Oi, we're two capable people. Lou has done her magic and we are currently in this... surveillance cave?"

"Oh, that's good."

"Why are we hiding anyways? We're super strong. We'd kick most people's ass in a blink of an eye."

"Don't blindly attack people! It's important to keep our existence a secret therefore we can't risk anything."

"Heh, are you scared?"

"You're annoying, you know that?"

"You're just very fun to mess with."

"Ace, ask Y/N How long she will take to get here!" Lou's voice rang through the cave, smacking me right out of my playful mood.
Old party pooper.
I turned back to the transponder snail.
"You heard that?"

"Yeah, I'm already on my way back. So I guess about two hours?"

"She says in about two hours!"

"Good, tell her to use the siren's harbour, we'll call her if anything happens."

Why is everything down here named siren's something?

"Don't worry I've heard that. See you in two hours, bye!" (Clank) Y/N had hung up the phone leaving me standing in the middle of the cave with nothing to do.
Have a save trip. I thought to myself while staring at the snail phone (transponder snail) in my hand.

"Hey pirate boy, come look at this!"

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Y/N's POV

(Clank) I hung up the phone and stared at it.
That was the first time Ace and I had conversed over the phone.
That boy sure is as annoying as ever.
I miss him.
A smile spread across my face as I replayed the call inside my head. I could practically see his taunting grin from miles away, begging for an entertaining reaction.
Well he has definitely kept me entertained.

I turned around and rushed into the navigation room of the Luz, not sparing anything another glance or thought. I had to get going if I wanted to be back on time.
That is why I didn't notice the light hue of red reflected in the mirrors when I passed.
Had I noticed and looked closer I would have observed that the cheeks of the face looking back at me where discoloured in a way I only knew from being embarrassed.
But I didn't see it and my inner alarm remained silent.

"Now then old friend, it's submarine time.
New destination Sirens harbour!"

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Authors note:

Sorry it took so long!
You guys have no idea how much I struggled with this chapter. I kept rewriting the telephone call scene and simply couldn't make up my mind about how Ace would react.
Well I hope it turned out Ace like.
What do you guys think? How would Ace act in the call scene?

Well anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you guys next time.