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

?? Before the First Letter ??

"Just drink that up and stop complaining about your little crush on... Law. Or I will charge you double." He pointed at the ice-tea beverage, through his clenched teeth.

I blushed in embarrassment, half in frustration. "Who the hell told you that?"

"What? That I can charge you double? Well I did, obviously..." Ace acted innocently.

"Not that, but about...Law." I stuttered timidly.
"A little birdie told me." he answered nonchalantly already turning on his hells to the cash register. "And as a friend..."
"We are no near friends, buddy..."
"I would like to tell you to stay away from him, as far as possible."

I tilted my head in confusion: "Why are you so against him? He is a nice guy." I lowered my voice a bit. "And good looking and overall smart."

He growled to himself before changing his attitude 360°.

"So, you basically just like his face." he huffed. "Wow, you really do have certain trivial standards."

I was overwhelmed with shock: "What do you mean by that?"

He tilted his head, as if disbelief. "That you are just a shallow girl who doesn't even know what love is. Can't you see Law is just messing with you?"

"What are you now jealous just because he is better than you?"

He snapped with his tongue: "You are so pathetic, acting all grown up, but still denying the truth."

I don't know what happened next, but a sharp slap was heard moments later. I didn't fell embarrassed due to the fact that the cafe was empty. Ace, now with his head slightly turned to the side, had a visible awe plastered on his face. I held my throbbing hand to my chest and looked at the floor.

I couldn't deny the fact that me and Ace, ever since the encounter and befriending with Luffy in the middle school, didn't cope with each other. But his behavior reached some new labels of his obliviousness. We had lots of arguments through a short course of time, but never as fierce as this.

He chuckled while touching his cheek. That guy just chuckled.

"Didn't you say you didn't wanna dirty your hands?"

"Stop trying to insult me! How can you say something like that, you jerk! Ok, it's true that he had to leave right during our dates, but it was all because of his studies. And my reasons for liking him aren't foolish!"

And I liked you for a long time, but you chose to ignore it all.

Ace huffed. "Yes, sure, and if we are still at it." He mimicked my way of talking in a high pitch voice: "Maybe he broke my heart for abandoning me a couple of times...but he isn't a player like you."

"I couldn't agree more with you. He is considerate and nice. You are nothing in comparison to him! Ever since we met I tried being nice to you. But of course, being an ass as you are, you acted as I was just some pile of trash. " Once the first tear broke free, the rest followed in an unbroken stream.

Ace's jaw stiffened as he slid his gaze back to my face. The tightness in his eyes was almost impossible to ignore.

You were the one who broke my heart first, so shut it!

"So, you still like him, huh?" Ace asked with a calm, almost too composed voice. "Even tho he stood up on you countless of times?" He grimaced.

I was a bit taken aback by his forwardness. I really didn't understand what his deal was.

"I don't see where the problem is... It's none of your concern. You don't see me nagging you and criticizing about having all of those one-night stands..." Suddenly he was right beside me, his hand tightly placed around my arm, pulling me into the empty, dark corridor. The semi large windows were on full disposal, the dark sky illuminated by stars.

He forcibly pushed me into the wall, and I had winced by the impact before my eyes widened in surprise. His face was all edgy, eyebrows furrowed, mouth clutched tight in a line.

Why can't I move?

He smirked on one side:" You once told me that a kiss with no feelings isn't considered as a true kiss, right? "

He then hummed to himself: "And judging by Law's lack of bragging..."
His thumb tenderly caressed my bottom lip. "I will be the first one to take it. Your first kiss." Ace uttered in a dangerously low voice.

He leaned to my ear and whispered: "Lucky for you, as you said...I have lots and lots of experience, so don't worry about not being able to make you feel good..."

His mouth slid to the corner of my lips, tickling the area while speaking: "You can hate me as much as you want after this, Y/n, . But I can assure you that when all of this is over, Law won't look at you anymore."

"Ace, please...don't." I pleaded. My heart throbbed. But I didn't now the reason behind it.

The next thing I knew, he had slammed his lips to mine and nearly knocked all wind from my lungs. I tried to push him off, but he captured my hands and firmly pressed them above my head, stopping my resisting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ace, why did you do that?" asked another voice, that was nearing to the sitting raven.

He was glancing at his clenched fists, answering with regret in his voice.
"So she could hate me. That is why, Sabo." Ace spitted. " So her hatred towards me would be the only thing she would think about. So that resentment will consume her. Become her fuel to work. Day and night."

Even though those words rolled so easily from his tongue, he longed to go back and take a different path, but now that was impossible.

"There is no way back." he said, trying more to convince himself, than his brother. "There is no way to make it right."

"You should have just told her about Law." said Sabo in a pity voice. He knelt down to him, and with a soft voice uttered: "You can still fix everything. Tell her everything!"

Ace released a laugh, while going through his hair in frustration: "You think she believed me?" His poker face came to the surface. "Don't suggest something so pointless."

"It was mine word against his. A player's voice against a so called "perfect boy's " one."

He extended his arm, and seconds later his clutched fist bored into the wall he was leaning on.

"Can't you see how broken she is now...Because of me..."

"If something is broken, that doesn't automatically mean is unrepairable." stated Sabo, now looking outside the window.

They both remained silent.