After one miserable hour of even more miserable sleep the Moongirl woke up again. Feeling her own heart beat strongly and loudly, she also nearly felt as if this vital organ was about to escape her own chest. A dreadful nightmare caused her trauma to flare up behind her heterochromatic eyes and her witty mind. Cold sweat ran down her forehead, her breathing was laboured and her body tensed up immediately. Naturally, as her medical surveillant, Ben turned on in an instant, noticing the horrible medical data of its master. "Boss. Everything is alright. You had a nightmare again. You are not in danger. You are in your cabin... You are home... with your family... the Moby Dick, your Crew.". To the robot this sort of behaviour was beyond normal and by now, its programm had been fine-tuned to be sensitive if the stress level of its Boss was high.
"I know... I know... just another dream..." It was nothing but a whisper escaping the painfully dry mouth of the Lunarian and it took her a few minutes to compose herself, get her heartbeat to slow down and her muscles to relax. As always the girl tried to lay down once she calmed down a little. As always she curled up under the thick, heavy heating-blanket. And unfortunately, as always, she woke up a few miserable minutes later once again, the process repeating itself. Fall asleep. Have a nightmare. Twist and turn. Shoot awake. Cry. Calm down. Try again. Repeat... It just wouldn't stop!
Nearly a year had passed since the destruction of Fairy Vearth and multiple months had passed since the horrors of Mariejois took place. Regardless of this fact, it still haunted her as if everything that happened, took place just a day ago. The gruesome pictures of what she witnessed replayed themselves in her mind unasked for and there was nothing she could do, besides distracting herself as best as she could. So, the Space Pirate eventually lifted herself out of bed, brushed through her hair before eventually taking a seat at the desk in her cabin. Opening a drawer she took some materials stored inside, placed them onto the table, flattened out a blueprint pattern and started to work, so she could occupy her mind with something else rather than posttrauma. Instead of technology the girl was working on something entirely different here. A few pearls were painted in a red colour. A tassel was dyed as well and pieces of orange fabric had been cut out. Of course there were a bunch of things Nemo was working on. There were countless bombs and guns to be built. There was the Omnis needing repairs. There was the matter of preparing countless bracelets with anti-bullet shields. But this here? This was something different and to the cheeky brat from space, it was just as important as anything else.
After a while she stopped her work. Cracking her neck and yawning loudly, she stretched her arms before getting up and grabbing her blanket to toss it around herself. "Ben. Would you finish this for me? You only need to sew these pieces together according to the pattern I placed here and you only need to give the skull there a little shading in colour...", she asked her assistant, smiling unusually friendly in its direction to see it saluting and confirming that it understood her order. With a light smile she opened the door, turning around one more time to voice a simple, "I'll be going for a short walk. Contact me if you need any updates. Contact me also if you notice drastic weather changes. Alright?".
"Roger. Roger!" Ben confirmed again before taking a place on the seat at the desk to do what it had been asked for.
With her blanket she theoretically didn't need to worry about dropping temperatures, but since the latest incident a couple of weeks ago, where she went outside at late-night for a walk and then got taken by surprise when a cold-weather-anomaly occurred, she was rather safe than sorry. Cryostasis was a nightmare to live through and it always was a horribly painful experience as well, so, if she could, she always tried to avoid such events. Of course she also did not want the Fire Fist to be her permanent babysitter who needed to keep her warm as if this was his new life purpose. It wouldn't be fair. It wouldn't be right and she'd never dare to expect such a thing from anyone. She also did not wish to be a burden on others...
But that was also why she invented such things, as this heating-blanket of hers. Yes, it lacked the wonderful heat of the flames Ace had, but it was more than enough to keep her comfortable. Best invention since toolbars for sure!
Her path passed by Whitebeard's cabin, where she saw the door being wide open and with a short glare inside, she noticed the nurse team caring for Pops affectionately. A short giggle escaped her when she heard the old man cuss at the nurses telling him to drink less booze. Why would he ever listen to that kind of nonsense? He was an Emperor of the Seas and he was a legendary, strong pirate!
"Dwarf! How come you're still awake?!" The Mountain of a Man asked, noticing the girl passing by as well who seemed to be somewhat distraught.
Nemo stepped into his cabin after a moment of hesitation, tucking her blanket closer around her, while also looking near shamefully into empty space. "Shitty dreams... again...".
"You have that issue quite often, don't you? Is that why you wander around at night sometimes? Come... sit down... and tell your old man what keeps you awake at such a late hour." Whitebeard truly had a very fatherlike aura surrounding him and as caring and empathetic as his voice was, one could truly wonder how soft this harsh, massive Giant actually was. Once Nemo did step into the cabin a little further, the massive man grabbed her gently, placing the girl on his lap where he used the tip of his finger to lift her chin upwards, making her look at him. "You aren't worrying yourself sick are you? What happened today is no one's fault but the governments'. Since the day you've got here, I was very much aware that they would try everything to get you back to Mariejois. Especially since you busted our commander out of prison, it was clear that they would be chasing after us. You do know that we do not care about their threats or their blackmail. Marco told you so countless times as well. You belong to us. You're my daughter now. You don't think we let anyone take you away from us, do you? We are all willing to take a bullet for you and we all know that you would do the same for us without batting an eye!".
Well. Pops was definitely right with that one! She would take any bullet for her crew without thinking twice for sure. But that did not change the fact that she felt guilty regardless. "But Ace literally did take a bullet for me and -".
Naturally she did not even get to finish the sentence as Whitebeard cut her off instantly right there. "Ace is a strong, young lad and he did what he would've done for all of his friends and crewmates. So, stop blaming yourself. He wanted to protect you and that is precisely what he has done. I'm proud of my boy! A wound to the shoulder caused by a bullet is also something that is beyond easy to fix for someone like Marco. You've seen that, didn't you? There is no need for you to guilt trip yourself over something that was entirely out of your control...".
As Pop's finished his words Nemo only nodded agreeingly, smiling subtly and hesitantly, knowing that the old man was right with every word he said. Despite that, she had a guilty conscience. The giant loved his cheeky daughter just like he loved all of his children. Therefore, it was weighing on him to see the girl this upset, which was precisely why the fatherly Capt'n decided to bring a small joke into this conversation. "Besides that... as much as Ace and you love each other, I doubt there is anything you two can't handle!".
It did not take one second for the Lunarian to have her face colour change to a bright, glowing red. *Why, Pop's?* Why did he have to say something this embarrassing? Why did he have to make this awkward? Her reaction naturally was something that made the Capt'n laugh loudly and so did the team of nurses watching the scene. As the girl jumped off his lap and now walked towards the door to leave the cabin, she did not grant him a single gaze, instead she was only silently fuming and grumbling. "Come on! It wasn't that bad of a joke, was it?!" Whitebeard still laughed, watching the girl leave his room while also wondering how it was possible, that no one saw Nemo glow bright red from the other half of this planet. Truthfully, that amount of blushing should be seen by a medical professional! And that vein about to explode on her forehead should have some examination as well...
"Imma... get some fresh air and tryna go back to sleep... See ya..." The Space Punk replied unimpressively, mumbling inaudible cusses shortly after, before turning around to leave, while also fully ignoring further commentary and laughter. Of course Nemo understood very well that Pops only wanted to make a joke to bring her mind off the self-inflicted guilt tripping, but why in the hell did he needed that kind of joke? It wasn't funny. Well... It was not for her!
"Don't wander around till dawn again, little one! You could use some rest as well!" These were the last words she heard of her Capt'n before making a turn that would lead her path to the deck. Admittedly, the joke Whitebeard pulled off there did bring her mind onto something else, but if these kinds of thoughts would be a better aid to sleep, was questionable at best.
After wandering around the deck with no set goal she took another turn. Now taking the stairs leading up to the gigantic platform of the whalehead-bow, she was taken by surprise when she noticed someone sitting there. Usually this place was hers to visit in the middle of the night when she needed to think or when she missed her old home and wanted to be able to see it without masts or sails in the way blocking her view. Of course she immediately noticed the Fire Fist but it also made her wonder why he was still awake. Afterall, the clock hit two in the morning and nearly everyone was asleep at this time.
To her, Ace did not seem to be very happy. Even if he was with his back to her, she could already see that he was somewhat upset as well. She might've never mentioned it to him, but she did notice many things and since she observed the general behaviour of others from time to time, it was easy to see that something was bothering him without seeing his face directly. As an example, when the Blackhair was particularly worried his brow began to furrow and his face usually dropped to stare into blank corners. When he got a little nervous or even a little insecure he tended to rub his neck awkwardly and when he was suspicious of something he usually raised one of his two eyebrows. In this particular instance she noticed his posture. His lowered head dropped, his heavy sigh echoed as well and his gaze averted from everything around him...
It did not seem like he had noticed her yet and this little fact made her quite lucky for once. Having a small, dainty and very light body meant that sneaking up on him was a whole lot easier as well. With silent steps she eventually closed the proximity to him, without him noticing her approaching at all and once she got close enough, her arms suddenly hugged the man from behind. Those slender fingers of both of her hands intertwined on his chest and her head dropped into his neck, while a long, breathy, friendly sigh escaped her.
Ace himself had been caught up so badly in his own thoughts and some of them were indeed rather tormenting. Therefore, he did not notice Nemo until he suddenly felt someone hugging him and once he did so, he did not need to ask or wonder who was embracing him out of nowhere. Of course it could have been someone else, but the thought of one of his brothers hugging him like this... well, it was a weird thought to have in the first place. He did not flinch nor did he jump. Instead he felt this unknown warmth rise inside of him quickly and as his hand began to rest on her arms, he inevitably pulled her into an even tighter embrace.
Feeling the Moongirl relax against his back, he also felt her warm breath tickling his skin, her soft blanket wrapping around both and the air suddenly had that familiar smell of saffron, vanilla and stardust.
"Hey...." Nemo aspirated quietly and softly, squeezing the man being hugged by her a little tighter as well, before removing her face hiding in his neck, to let it rest on his shoulder. "How come you're still awake? I'm not surprised you fall asleep all the time when you wake up this early and go to bed this late.", adding those words she noticed his gaze being interlocked with the moon now and once hers followed his stare to this celestial body, it began to linger there as well.
"I'm making an exception today. Normally I would be sleeping by now as well... besides, falling asleep randomly has a whole different reason. Marco explained that to me once but I understood only half of his medical prattling." A smirk now crossed the lips of the young commander who turned his gaze away from the moon, now looking at the girl who rested her head on his shoulder and while doing so, their cheeks naturally and inevitably touched lightly.
"Marco talks a lot about medical stuff no one understands... what reason though?" Nemo dug a little deeper while also letting go of the young lad to take a seat on the ground beside him.
"He said something about some sort of illness... Well, I wouldn't call it that. But it doesn't matter really. I don't really get this right anyway." Ace explained. There was nothing he or anyone could do to change it and by now this illness was a part of him just as much as eating overly hot chilli peppers or wiping his face with the clothes of other people upon waking up.
"Never get it right...?" She asked again, tilting her head a little while also wondering, why she had a feeling about Ace being way too hard on himself again. It wasn't the first time she felt like he wasn't cutting himself any slack at all and it also made her wonder why he always seemed to be so critical about himself. "What illness...?" Of course she tried to understand him here too. But this was indeed more tricky than one would think as Nemo had never been ill in her life. Not even once. In fact, the Lunarian could not even fathom what it would be like to suffer from any ailment. "Are you sick?" And yes. In this particular case the uber-smart Lunarian also was having some sort of error-code in her mega-brain. Being overly tired and exhausted she began to worry about Ace having some sort of heavy illness, while not realising that he was actually talking about. Frankly, Nemo was kind of lost there.
"No! No! Don't worry about that! I just fall asleep randomly because of it as you know..." Silently laughing he shook his head, smirking at the woman beside her. Of course he did not want her to worry or make her concerned with his words.
"Oh damn! That's what you mean! ...Huh? I hadn't thought of it as an illness... thought it's some weird habit of yours or something like that..." As someone who has never been sick her whole life and not knowing anything about being ill or having any form of illnesses, she truly couldn't have known about narcolepsy being a condition. To her, it was something entirely alien. To overcome the awkwardness and the internal feeling of 'dumb' she giggled before poking his cheek with one of her fingers lightly, and dropping her head back onto his shoulder to rest there. "You're worrying about something again, am I right?". It was easy for her to see through him and in this case it was easy to see that he was probably overthinking the event that happened this late afternoon. Over-worrying seemed to be a hobby of his and if Nemo wouldn't be such a stubborn, young lady, she could have admitted that this was indeed a shared hobby of theirs, just like it was a shared hobby to talk relentlessly about their siblings. "It's easy to see when you're brooding thoughts. Your brow furrows and your smile loses a bit of its shine, yanno?".
Somehow the Fire Fist did not expect anything else from his friend. She simply knew him too well by now and while his face turned to her to look at her, their cheeks touched once again as her head still rested on his shoulder. With a heavy sigh and a nod he confirmed her suspicion but he did not reply to this yet.
"Talk to me? Aye...? If you tell me what's up in that crazy head of yours, I may administer you an allowance to call me cute just once! No protesting. No toxic stares from my end. Rarest honor in the universe, I'm tellin' ya! BUT! You only get to say it once... and don't tell Marco. Or Pops. Or Haruta. Or Deuce. Or Whitey... don't tell anyone... ever... really... you know what I'm saying, yes?" Now Nemo granted him her trademark smile. That rare, special kind of smile that could easily melt glaciers or set the sun aflame. While poking the man using her elbow, that smile vanished, turning into a short cheeky grin before she teasingly added, "Maybe... just maybe... I might even let you call me that 'word' twice!"
Of course Ace couldn't help but crack a smile hearing this, but he also had to raise his brow suspiciously and questionably. This super rare offer took him by surprise completely, as he would've never thought Nemo would let anyone, ever, say the forbidden word to her. Frankly, he nearly felt honoured, knowing very well how bitchy she could react when someone used this word on her and how much it offended her when someone did. A short snortling chuckle escaped him, following an overly cheeky grin while his arm around her shoulder pulled her into a half sided hug, whereas his other hand ruffled through her hair, making it a bigger mess once again. "Don't you dare to not keep up your part of the deal!".
"I swear on the moon's rocky surface! Imma let you say it and I promise I will let the cute suffering fall upon me with no protest and no yelling!" Truly. Nemo would keep her word. She always did. Well... when it came to matters like that. She also once swore she would never try to beat Whitey drinking booze again... oh, how gloriously she regretted this one the next morning. Beautiful dilemma! While promising she also laid her hand onto her heart, performing theathrallic and overly dramatic gestures to emphasise her words.
Once the Mechanician assured him that she would accept the bargain, the young commander could not help but sigh heavily once again. Of course he had been certain Nemo would keep up to her promise, she was just like that, but for some reason hearing her say it again did help and it also made him chuckle internally, knowing she would regret this little tease later on.
Taking a deep breath he pondered for a short moment, before eventually speaking up and telling the girl beside him, what was keeping him from a good night's rest.
"It's about today and what happened today... Maybe my thoughts are completely pointless... I mean... Pops, Marco and all the others said as well that everything that happened to you is indeed the government's fault and no one else's. But I can't get it out of my head. It makes me furious to think about their Cipherpol leader and how easy it was for him to take me out. Have I become this frail? I was too slow and not attentive enough, and then you were gone all of the sudden and I couldn't do anything about it because of that seastone bullet in my shoulder. That mess killed me as if I was a small child throwing a temper tantrum. It just makes me mad like crazy and... I also feel responsible for what they did to you in that gruesome cooling chamber... I failed so hard... I'm sorry, Nemo.".
If she would have known that this was weighing so heavily on the shoulders of the young commander, she might've not theathratically gestured around, nor would she have started to tease him playfully. Naturally, Nemo felt for the young man and while he talked she also felt like someone was clenching her heart painfully. "Why... would you say that... no one's thoughts are pointless..." Compassionately she rested her hand on the young man's shoulder for the time being, caressing his warm skin lightly. "Besides... you didn't fail anyone and you don't need to apologise either. You got me out of there, didn't you? Just like on the market when that weird dude was hitting on me, you came just in time to save my sorry-ass. Or like in Impel Down, with all your stories about your little brother... without you? I probably wouldn't even be alive right now... and a bit of frosty temperature... I ain't gonna die from that. I can take it... also, it's not too bad. When I get too cold you keep me warm twice as much so it's all good, isn't it?"
Her words did appease him lightly and took the edge of some of the emotional tumult. Of course he had to admit that she was not wrong with what she was saying. Whenever these two were in danger, Ace always managed to get them out of it quickly, but in this particular case it was him who brought this danger upon her in the first place. He underestimated the situation and therefore he still felt like it was his fault. "I still shouldn't have overestimated myself, or underestimated our attackers' and if I wouldn't have been that weak I -"
"We all have our weaknesses as you know. To me it's the cold.. Or well... literally any temperature below one hundred and twenty celsius. To Alliqui it was literally any girl with big breasts or skimpy clothing, and to you it's seawater and seastone." Maybe it was a bit rude to fall into his words like this, but she also didn't want him to continue and talk so badly about himself. Eventually it wasn't her most glorious of cheer up attempts, but she did hope her words would reach the fella sitting beside her. "You really should start to give yourself some of that love you're giving to everybody else... What would you tell Luffy right now? If he was the one in your shoes? You would cheer him up. Punch his rubber-face and tell him to stop thinking like that, wouldn't you? It wasn't your fault and they were working with unfair, sneaky methods... and do you know why they did that? They did that because they knew for themselves that they wouldn't have stood a chance against you fighting fairly!"
With her words ending her face turned into a short lived disgusted grimace. Those government-idiots truly had a hang of it making someone feel like throwing up or wanting to burn down some buildings and start a riot! Truly, there hardly was anything in this entire universe that could have pissed Nemo off as massively, as the oh-so-noble leadership of this world. It came to no surprise that her mind wandered to Point 42 of the Lunarian Log: 'Throwing shit at their facilities!'.
While Ace listened to her his eyes widened for a short moment, while the smile also began to return to his lips just slightly. It wasn't like he had been surprised by the things she said, he just wouldn't have expected them to come with that much fire. Naturally he couldn't help but agree with her. She was totally right! If it was Luffy being in his shoes, he would have cheered him up or something like that, but he himself? He was being too hard on himself, wasn't he?
But there also was this internal urge of his...
The urge to prove everyone that he was more than just the son of the legendary Pirate King. That he was more than a devil. More than a monster... even if he theoretically already knew that he was no nuisance and that it was indeed a good thing that he lived. His brothers and friends had supported him and those old shadows of the past stopped haunting him a long while ago, but sometimes things still bubbled up and sometimes he needed a reminder that he was falling into old, abandoned and dark patterns of thoughts.
"You know what... you are right! And I agree. I doubt there is anything else but shady tactics to expect from those guys... Thank you for the reminder, Cheeks!".
"Maybe it IS time for Point 42... what cha thinkin'? I can get the drones to collect a shitload of literal shit and then we just let them drop it onto their ugly faces!" Nemo suggested and yes, this thought truly could bring someone's mind onto something else. It did not take a second for the Fire Fist to laugh again and it took less than a second for the Space Pirate to bring her cheekiest grin onto her lips.
"I can't wait for that one. Especially after today I feel like its about time for some payback! And that shitty-point is one we've been pondering for way too long anyway!" Oh, not only you, Ace. Probably everyone in the crew would have loved to witness this planned, literal shitshow in the making.
"Right? And it won't do harm to anyone, it'll just be as repulsive as they usually are... so! Busted, hm! Oh - By the way. Pops is hella proud of you too. He just said that to me a couple of minutes ago. He also said you're a tough, young lad. And you wouldn't doubt the Captn's words, would you?"
"Pop's still awake?" Ace asked, wondering about this revelation. But truth be told, hearing these words did make the pride in his chest swell again.
"Yepp..."
"You guys talked?".
"Haha. Yes, we did. He caught me sneaking around, tryna catch some fresh air after Ben was being a dumb bunny-robot again..." Chuckling she replied to him, giggling herself to shits for a short moment, while obviously withholding the fact that she had been suffering nightmares over and over again. It wasn't important anyway and she didn't want Ace to get the idea her nightmares had anything to do with the kidnapping that happened at the market. Those nightmares came from another traumatic source and the Space Pirate still tried to rather forget these pictures instead of recalling them. "... and... I am proud of you too, by the way... and hella glad...". These added words escaped her in a soft whisper and they seemed to make a finished sentence. Truthfully, there was a part of it missing...
'I am glad nothing worse happened to you... I am glad you came to save my weak ass... Thank you for saving me, again...'.
Naturally, he did hear her whispering words as the two were rather close together, sitting in this half sided hug while Nemo's cheeky head still rested comfortably on his shoulder. He also tried to take her words to heart. Afterall, it wouldn't help him to sit here and be upset about any of this either. It wouldn't make him stronger and it wouldn't change what had already happened. A short sigh escaped his lips while he suddenly grabbed the heating-blanket from the chill-bain of a Space Pirate to wrap it tightly around both of them, which also caused them to scooch even closer to each other. This little action somehow came like a reflex over him, it also was a lot more of a subconscious action than anything else. But there also was the flaring desire to feel her close by burning in his chest. He wanted to feel that she was there. He wanted to feel she truly was beside him and not being taken away by cruel agents of justice. Somehow, he just wanted her to be as close to him as she could get at that moment...
Being all cuddly for once, the Mechanician enjoyed this intensely close proximity for the time being. She too had the desire to feel Ace close by and this time it had very little to do with her constant need of being warmed up, as the heat was crucial for her survival and wellbeing.
"If they would have done worse... If they would have killed you... I don't think I could've ever forgiven myself..." Silently and guilt-written those words escaped him, while he averted his saddened gaze from her once more. Despite her cheer ups and her being there, this thought stung and weighed heavily on him. Admittedly, he had been afraid to lose her, to be unable to help his friend.
When she heard him voice his thoughts, her gaze drifted and the two-coloured eyes of hers averted the moon in the sky, trying to seek out his gaze instead now. While doing so one of her hands slowly lifted to his cheek, resting there gently and caressing softly across his freckled skin while her own gaze became as soft as silk. It was a kind of heartwarming, touching gestures and looks that could bring a smile to the darkest corners of this world and while she continued to caress him tenderly, he felt the near irresistible urge to lay his hand on hers to keep her there... keep her close like this...
"Try not to think about that any more... I'm here, am I not? Besides... Lunarians aren't known to die easily... especially not when they'd rather stay with their family... and with their friends... and you... yanno?".
Benevolently he closed his eyes for a short moment, feeling her tender touch while also noticing how incredibly soft her skin felt on his. "Thank you... really... it means a lot to me to hear this from you..." It was nothing but an aspirated whisper, but the sheer softness of his tone saying these words added to it. While he felt Nemo slowly removing her hand, the urge to keep her hand on him only grew worse. Irresistibly so. But he still let her hand go, which sank into her lap to rest there, where he watched her playing with her own fingers for a short moment.
There also was another matter to be discussed. Another topic and another thought that was weighing on him massively. And for some, to him, unknown reason, this thought triumphed above all the pain he had felt that day. It was the next thought he voiced that stung him the most. It was something that meant a lot to him and even if he couldn't really explain why this was the case... it still had a big impact on his mood.
It was nothing but a possibility...
Something that could eventually happen... maybe it was but a silly thought, a pipe dream or figment...
"You know... I had that idea... like once we were finished eating at the pub, I wanted to show you the island, take you to the beach and of course we wouldn't forget about those coconuts you talk about all the time. But once we would get there and would've collected a bunch, I thought of a small surprise for you..." His words paused for a moment while his hand moved to the pocket of his pants to reveal the small bracelet of polished silver with a beautiful blue gem he had gotten for her at the Sambara-Market. "...I know it's nothing special... but I got this for you... And I wanted to give this to you. Like... a present, y'know?". Truly, a simple small gift. But since this present came from his heart, and he had no idea if she would like it at all, it could cause one to become a little insecure about it. But once his eyes saw her reaction and he noticed the spark in her surprised face, the way her hands suddenly moved to her mouth as she gasped, all that insecurity fell off his shoulders instantly.
"Th-That... That is... so beautiful... B-But.. You shouldn't have... I mean - Why did you? I-I mean I -" Yepp. The uber-alien-brain wasn't able to form a proper sentence now. Completely flustered, she couldn't believe her eyes. Naturally, her being flabbergasted and flattered like this caused the smile on the lips of the young commander to grow bigger and bigger, while Nemo's blushing intensified all the more so.
"Then I hit the jackpot this time, huh? I wasn't sure if you'd like something like this at all, but I just wanted to have a little gift for you. Besides... that stone reminds me of the scene before us. The hue of the late night meeting the dark blue ocean.",he happily replied while also carefully taking her hand to help her fix the bracelet around her wrist. It truly was nothing all too special and making presents to friends was nothing unheard off either. To him it did not matter that he had spent quite a bunch of money on this, as to him, it was nothing but a friendly gesture, or was it? Maybe it was so much more than that...
If he could see Nemo smile like this, then he would probably more often have a little something for her. Especially when she was not making a secret out of her flattery for once and openly showed that she was shy, moved or even all cute. This here? This reaction of her's, openly showing that she was flustered, this was something incredibly rare, as the Moongirl usually overplayed such emotions with brashness and cheeky attitude.
'So cute...'
By now Nemo had a feeling like she could sense her heart beating so heavily that it was about to jump out of her chest. Why? Why did he make her a present like this? Did he... feel more than friendship? No... no. That was nonsense, wasn't it?! It had to be! That would be bonkers!
For a longer moment her gaze was locked with the bracelet and the beautiful stone embedded in it, and while she did so, the look on her face softened all the more so. "That... really is... so beautiful... thank you... that's... really sweet of you..."
The Moongirl couldn't help herself but hug the fiery lad beside her instantly, squeezing him tightly while hiding her face in his chest for the time being. Naturally Ace couldn't help himself either, but to return this embrace, pulling her into his arms tightly before letting go of her again a little hesitantly. As moved as she was by this gesture, Nemo avoided eye contact of course, but she did not fully turn away, not making a fuss out of her flattery and not playing cool this time around. That tough shell of hers gradually began to crumble... and it did so only with him...
"I never... have received a present...",she shyly added, stumbling over her own words trying to compose herself somehow. These words naturally caused the Blackhair to give her a questioning look. She had never received a present? How could that be? She was such a delightful and beautiful young lady, and to him it sounded off to hear this. Therefore, he couldn't help but wonder and raise his brow suspiciously but playfully, if not a little surprised. He would give something to her more often if it meant he could see her being all flustered like this for sure, despite him knowing that he really did not need to do so. Generally there were countless things that he wanted to do, simply to see her smile. He also wished to have a bunch of adventures with her, make her laugh, have lots of fun and of course, never forget to fulfil the points of the endless Bullshit-Log. Simply said, he could not picture his life without this little punk at his side any longer...
"Really?" He just had to dig deeper and Nemo confirmed her statement with a subtle nodding gesture.
"It does suit you perfectly regardless...! I'm glad you like it!" He added while the smile on his lips grew even bigger one more time. His gaze lingered on her wrist for a moment, looking at the bracelet on her and the sheer thought of her having something that was from him, was a welcoming thought to have. The urge to tell her how immensely adorable she was at that moment was burning inside of him and now both began to be overly flustered... and neither of the two really knew how to handle this emotion.
Truth be told, Ace really did not know why this idea popped into his head just then, but since both were flattered, he thought it may be a good idea to bring the topic onto something else, to take their minds off this awkwardness that happened there. Besides, she told him he was allowed to use the forbidden 'cute' word twice on her, so, why not reveal a little something as well. Of course it took him some overcoming to speak up, but he also knew he could trust Nemo.
"Intense change of topic...", the young commander said. "Since I'm allowed to call you 'that' word twice now, maybe it's time I tell you what actually happened at the infamous spin-of-bottle game." He might've been grinning ear to ear once again, but truthfully he internally already put some shame onto his head. Well, everybody had a few stories one better forget... and this here? This was one of those stories he preferred not to recall!
"I can't believe it! You for real? Oh... I am all ears...!" Of course she was. One could literally see how her ears grew bigger the second he said he'd tell the story she had been waiting for!
"Well... as you know it's quite common to sit in a group, spin the bottle, play card games and of course have a few drinks too many. So... There was Haruta, Vista, Jozu, Deuce and of course Marco as well, and while we were playing, the dares got a little out of hand. It was my turn and of course I had to take a dare..." For a moment his words cut off and he pondered heavily. Afterall, this would be the most embarrassing story to tell and he still couldn't believe himself that he had been that drunk, that this event actually happened. After swallowing a little lump in his throat he eventually continued, finishing his story.
"I told Marco to kiss the person sitting right next to him... and as drunk as I was, I did not take into account that the person sitting to his right was myself... ", he sighed heavily. "As the others told me about this the next day, I wanted to dig a deep hole and never get out of it ever again. Luckily, Marco never spoke of this story and I didn't either..."
Alright, alright ...alright!
Waiting for this story was worth it indeed and naturally, it did not take one second for Nemo to chortle heavily, before eventually bursting out in a loud laughter while slapping her thighs amusedly. "You gotta be kiddin' me, right?! How in the heck could you be that drunk that you didn't think about this twice? Hahahaha! I'm sorry... I wouldn't laugh, really... but....". She really couldn't help it at all and her laughter naturally took a good few moments, while she wiped away the tears caused by it. She only hoped Ace wouldn't be mad at her for laughing like this. Oh, she really hoped so! But this story? Heck! The sheer picture was hilarious, especially since Marco and Ace were everything but romantic with each other. Nemo herself had been drunk a few times by now, but the nonsense she did when she was intoxicated, was nothing compared to this! Usually she tended to pass out at some point, or sing shrill and loud, or get the most silly prank ideas of all times.
"Well.... I guess you now understand why I didn't want to tell you about that one... heck... I lost my first kiss to my goddamn fellow-commander... just saying that sounds so... wrong..." He really would not hold it against her to laugh like this and in the aftermath, he thought it was quite funny himself, even if it was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to him.
At first, the Space Pirate thought about teasing Ace with this knowledge from time to time, but when he spoke again and revealed that this had been his first kiss, she didn't feel like laughing at all any longer.
There were many things one could say about Nemo. She was cheeky, had no manners and sometimes she could be kinda rude. She often seemed respectless, she often was a little brat and sometimes she was nothing but a pouting little child throwing a temper tantrum. She was absolutely grumpy in the mornings, cussed a lot, used a bunch of swearwords and her "I'm too cool for you" attitude sometimes hit the nerves of others. Nemo was bashful, loved to boast, brag and she was loud, cocky and pert. To top it off, her temper was short lived and she fell into full blown rage quickly. But Nemo also was incredibly kindhearted, fair and loyal to the bone. She was incredibly compassionate and passionate, a good listener and always had the back of her friends. She was indeed incredibly romantic, although she'd never admit that one. But most of all, the Space Pirate had an immensely huge and loving heart, and now that she knew that Ace lost this first kiss to Marco, she truly did not think this story was funny any longer.
"That sucks... really... especially the first kiss should be something special... shouldn't it? Well, at least Lena said that to me a few times...." She didn't know if Ace would recall this name, but she had mentioned it on the side a few times, as Lena used to be her best friend on the moon and her big brother's crush.
Ace however, waved it all off, noticing the sudden change of her demeanour. "Ahh... it happens. We all were hella drunk... so shhh... it never happened, aye?!" With that he winked at the girl, smiling more broadly once again while also wondering why Nemo suddenly seemed more stern.
Her gaze avoided his and she turned her face away from him too, while a few words burned on her tongue, that were by far not easy to tell. "Well... at least you did kiss someone in your life... I guess...".
"Yeah - but the wrong person!" Ace laughed, waving it off again, while trying to bring back some cheer ups. Poking her sides he made her twitch suddenly, then the tickling started. And Nemo truly was easily tickled, using nothing but one finger on her sides. Too fickle... she was way too fickle...
Ironically, the actions and laughter of a sunshine person could be a wonderful tool to hide true emotion and thoughts behind it. In that case, it was the young commander wondering about the words she had spoken so quietly and shyly. She had never kissed anyone? Like ever? Was that what she had been trying to say? She was such a delightful young woman, so, naturally, the blackhaired pirate could not help but wonder about her statement, while also distracting the two of them with continuous playful teases and tickles. He had to admit that Nemo was not wrong. This first kiss was seen as a special one by many and he agreed that it should be with someone, who truly managed to win their heart. But that also brought another thought to his mind. What if she was to fall in love with someone one day? Would she leave the crew? Leave him? Of course he only wanted to see her happy, but for some reason, these thoughts made his heart ache horribly, and therefore, he tried to shake them off as quickly as they had entered his mind.
The Lunarian needed a moment to calm down from their playful skirmish, while also holding her hurting tummy and bringing her hair into some sort of order again. With a pout she gave him a short playful look, twisted a few strands of hair between her fingers to curl them up a little, before eventually sighing rather heavily. Fairness was important and since Ace did tell her about his most embarrassing event, she decided to also reveal something to him. She could trust him, so, he sure wouldn't think it was dumb or anything like that...
Maybe, it was about time she'd tell him why she loathed words like 'cute, dainty and adorable' as much as she did. So, after a short moment of pondering, she opened her mouth and began to reveal this little secret of hers with a tense, shaky voice.
"The smallest Lunarians are about three metres of height. The smallest Lunarians of my variant are usually still towering above two metres and I? Well... I do not, as you know. Compared to the smallest and weakest of them all, I am still nothing but a dwarf and to them, it often was a laughing matter. A joke - really. No one ever took me seriously and sometimes, Alliqui did not take me seriously either. He bullied me and sometimes even his jokes went way overboard. And yeah, I know, I know - Alliqui was my big brother, they do that bully-thing sometimes and he never crossed a line where I cried. On the contrary he punched people who dared to cross that line for me... I know... this story ain't funny like your spin-of-bottle one... but this is why I hate certain words as much as I do. There were people on the moon, saying things like a small, dainty dwarf such as I would never be able to accomplish anything besides building bots and guns. Some said that someone like me was not fit to be a Mechanician either. Sweet little girls and guns and electronics or machines did not match in their stupid eyes... A woman can't be a nerd! Nerd, my ass! Imma Geek! And I'm proud of it! And yes, it was incredibly dumb what they said, and they knew that. I know that too. But they also knew how much they could piss me off saying things like that. To top it all, there were people like Master Zekka's stupid grandson, who really was one of the worst. Even if he wasn't a part of the Jackpots, he hung around often enough to make me wanna explode... telling me that adorable cuties like me are not good for anything but being -" She cut off her words right there and the visible disgust displayed on her face revealed a lot about a possible ending of this sentence. It was easy enough to assume what kind of words and accusations were made...
".... I... am not some damn... object... or something like that..." She added and by now, she was fuming. The repulsiveness of her tone saying it, indicated a lot more and for the time being, the young Mecha tensed up, grinding her teeth angrily.
It wasn't like Nemo was unusually small. In this world, she actually did have a rather common size for a woman. Yes, she was a little dainty and slender, and literally weighed nothing. But that didn't mean that she had no curves, or that she was less of a woman than others. Besides that, she herself really gave a crap about it now. But this kind of bullying did leave a mark on her. Hearing those things over the course of years countless times, day by day, did leave some sort of damage which unfortunately nagged on the young Moongirl, even when she was aware that she should stand above this idiocy.
The more Ace listened to her story, the more he could understand why she hated those words as much as she did. And the more he heard of her story, the more reluctant he grew towards the people who had been bullying her all life long. It must have been a nightmare to bear all this and play cool regardless, and he began to sympathise with her a lot better in this regard now as well. All those idiots who reduced her persona to nothing but being a smaller person? Dubbing her weak and worthless for being tiny compared to them? Why would a so called 'advanced-alien-civilisation' do something as dumb as this? Truth be told, he was angry about this for a moment, but he also knew that assholes like this were a common sight in any culture... no matter how advanced they were... obviously... -.-'
"Of course you are not a damn object. Who would say something stupid like that? You are an immensely beautiful young woman and to bully you like that, not take you seriously in the slightest... that's the dumbest shit I've heard in a long time. And you know our crew... we talk a lot of nonsense, aye!? Besides, why does it even matter how tall you are? Or how much muscle you have? Your skills tell the story. How else did you become the moon's greatest mechanician of all times, huh? The words they said... they are loathsome at best, and you should try to get this stuff out of your mind, Nemo!" As he finished his reply, he used his arm to squeeze her a little tighter against him. He thought that it was a shame that people like this and their relentless bullying ruined certain words for her, as he truly was, at least in his eyes, a really adorable person and yes, to him, she was hella cute.
With her story he also began to understand why Nemo seemingly had no interest in any sort of romance in her past and why she constantly thought with her head instead of her heart. Assumably so, this may be precisely why she had never kissed anyone. For all he knew, the Space Pirate used to be surrounded by a bunch of awesome and funny friends, but also a bunch of ruthless idiots.
"I know you're right... It doesn't change that it did leave a mark and gives me a bitter taste on my tongue when someone calls me cute or makes any compliment about my appearance at all. That's why I yell at everyone doing so... I do like compliments about my skills a lot better as you know... and heckin' yes... damn best Mecha of the moon... well, and in this world I am probably the best as well!". Of course Nemo had to play cool by the end of her words. It was a neat little trick to overplay how uncomfortable this sensitive topic was to her and bragging around was something she'd rather enjoy, over the feeling of internal anger and disgust.
For a moment the Fire Fist was visibly thinking about something and while he did so, he kept the Space Pirate close to his side, squeezing her from time to time, before eventually turning his face to her again with a glowing sunshine smile crossing his lips. "Know what? I think I've got another surprise for you. I know it's kinda late, but let's forget about the time right now!".
"Hm?" Nemo raised her brow questioningly, wondering what he planned this time. Truth be told, both probably could use some distraction but that was precisely, why he thought this was a good moment to reveal another small present to the Moongirl. Helping her up to her feet he quickly took her hand, intertwined it with his, dragging her along, the same way he always did, Ace smiled at her but not answering her question. "What are you doing? Hey?".
Once they reached their destination, the storage room, he flicked the lights on before walking over to a corner where a pile of 'something' was hidden under a huge table cloth. With a fluid motion he pulled the fabric covering the pile away and revealed the coconuts he had been collecting earlier on, and once he did so, that cheeky grin returned to Nemo's face in an instant before turning into a beaming smile.
"Unfortunately our plans today were cancelled. But I thought I'd collect some of those for you regardless..." Noticing her happy, cheeky play of expressions in her face, he could not help but to return the same facial expression to her while one of his hands also grabbed one of those nuts. With a quite skilled motion of his dagger he cracked the thing, revealing the water inside before giving that desperately sought for coconut water to the happy Moongirl. "There you go! You should have it, after all, you've been going on about these since you got here!".
"I can't believe it... that's... those coconut-things, right?!" Excitedly, Nemo took the sweet treasure she had been told so many tales about by her former Capt'n, and once the fresh, juicy coconut water touched her tongue, it was obvious that they just hit a damn jackpot and possibly found her favourite drink. "Oh my...! How could anything in the entire universe taste this good?! How?". Her eyes were sparkling and yes, it looked like there were stars shining inside them. Her face got blushy and she began to squeak and squeal as if this was the best thing ever. Truthfully... to Nemo, this literally was the best thing ever! "I need more... please...?". And then the squealing intensified and therefore, it also did take no longer than a minute for the water to be emptied out the coconut shell.
The Blackhair just stood there, resting his body against a wall relaxingly, while enjoying Nemo's reaction to something pretty ordinary and simple to him. Seeing her all cute and happy like this was generally something he enjoyed very much, despite knowing that he could never voice such things without being yelled at. Well, at least he earned saying it two times now...
Amusedly, he took another one of the favourite juice nuts, cracked it and handed it over to the excitedly waiting girl. "I mean, yeah, they're pretty good. But to me, personally, there are a few things a lot better than those. I'm glad you enjoy them that much though. Looks like we found a real drug for you, huh?"
"Those shells are quite stable... aye? Like how tough are those nuts? Do you know by any chance how effective they'd be as ammunition?" Oh dear. It was beyond clear why she asked this question and the young commander couldn't help but chortle, withholding a short burst of laughter.
"As ammunition? For one of your guns? I'm not too sure actually... but yes, those nuts are quite tough to crack."
"Think they'll be able to withstand the power of lightspeed?".
"I... think that'll be a bit too much, even for a tough nut like that! They can take quite a bit of damage for sure, but I think for your plan in the making, they need an even harder shell".
"Well, I'll solve that issue anyway. I know for sure I won't be able to get enough of those, tho...!".
Smirklingly, he watched the young Lunarian drink the water of the second opened coconut happily and as his lips opened to say something, she emptied the water in the shell, before lightly jumping at a sudden occurrence of sound. A silent beeping tone echoed from her mechanical bracelet, and once Nemo opened the holographic screen of it, her smile grew all the more so. "I can't believe it! The Metal-Dork has achieved the skill of competence!" Nemo cheered disbelievingly before hastily grabbing the hand of the young commander, who seemed to be positively surprised that he was the one being dragged around, instead of the Moongirl being extradited to him as per usual. For such a small and dainty person she could have quite the energy, even if she lacked the muscle to fight.
"Huh? Ben? Competent? Did you give him this update thing you were talking about?".
"Huh? Nah... forget it. He is never going to get a proper update thanks to Alliqui. No..."After a short run, the door to her cabin swung open, where she suddenly stopped her haste. Turning around to Ace she held his shoulders, gesturing with a little motion that he should look another way and face a wall. "Turn around, yes. No peeking! Promise? Trust me on that, you're gonna love it!".
Quickly Nemo walked over to Ben after making sure that the young commander would stand in the corner and do as she told him, before she was giving the finished product a last inspecting look.
"Everything is finished, Boss. It was a simple task doing those last steps with the instructions you gave me." The robot saluted, turned to its master and watched her caressing over the smooth surface of the hat in her hands.
"You've done so well... Thank you, Ben!" Quickly Nemo turned around, gesturing Ben to follow her and aid her as a stepladder to have easier access to the young commander's head.
"I am not your slave..." Ben complained, causing Ace's chest to tremble as he tried to withhold yet another laughter listening to those two quarrelsome individuals of which one was Nemo, who grumpily kicked the bot which only replied with a monotone "Ouch!".
Naturally, she could have said something there, but she refused doing so at that moment, knowing that the flying Trashbin would only turn into a drama-queen again. Once the hat was on the head of the commander, Nemo jumped off the robot's metallic skull before cheerfully announcing, "See what we magically found!".
Well. There was no magic behind it of course. Just some frustration to get the right fabrics and materials, and a little struggle to figure out the full shape of his former head using his old bounty poster.
The young commander stood still, silently chuckling, chortling and fighting the urge to turn around, but once the hat was on him, his hand moved to it, caressing over the surface of the fabric, feeling the pearls, the cord... this hat... that was his hat!
It didn't matter to him in the slightest how she did that and he truly didn't care about the details of it, he was simply overjoyed. Therefore, it didn't take a second for the young lad to turn around and swing his arms around the cheeky Space Punk in an overly effusive embrace. Doing so, he nearly threw both of them out of their balance but eventually both managed to catch themselves before a fall could happen. "YOU ARE THE BEST! You know that?!" He expressed jovially, squeezing the girl being hugged even tighter. "Thank you... Seriously Nemo! I missed that hat so much! So, thank you! Really! This is amazing! That - ... - ... That's... really hella cute of you, yanno?". And with that, he gladly used one allowance of the forbidden word.
"Hey!" The Mechanician laughed while also feeling the joy in her own chest swell. "That was one of your two uses of the cute-word-allowance!".
Maybe... just maybe... Nemo would not take this one into account.
Maybe... just maybe, this one time, he was allowed to relate the word cute with her just like that... and maybe, she was way too happy that her little surprise hit the jackpot as well. Burying her little head in his chest she remained in his embrace, not stepping away, not cursing around and not pushing him away either...
For some odd reason, Ace had the power to tame that tiny, audacious space-dragon and turn it into a soft, tender and fluffy bunny. And for the strangest logic in this paradox universe, she wasn't even mad that it was this way...
... to be continued...
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This cute piece was done by Fuyosha on Instagram, pls do not trace, edit or use this art without permission. You can find more of her cute chibi arts here: https://www.instagram.com/fushoya/