You had been avoiding Ace for DAYS. He has been all over the ship and you just keep avoiding him. How someone avoids someone else on a single ship from the day after Christmas to New Year's Eve is beyond me and everyone else on the crew, but that's how it is.
"(Y/n)-yoi."
"Yeah pineapple?"
"You can't avoid Ace at the party. You know that."
"I'll try my best."
"Good luck-yoi."
"Thank you." you snuck into a barrel just in time for Ace to walk up to Marco and ask if he's seen you. Marco shook his head no and told him to go see if Thatch or Haruta had seen you.
'Maybe...I should confront him tonight..?'
Right now it was late evening, the sky dark, and everyone having a big party to celebrate going into the new year. You were hiding with different groups of friends, avoiding the person who you were in love with. Everyone was drunk once again except you and the freckled male who was too distracted looking for you to show even a little interest in liquor and partying.
'This is ridiculous. You can't avoid him forever.' you thought. You took a deep breath and stood up straight.
"A-Ace! Over here!" you shouted, waving your arm. His eyes lit up once he saw you calling him over. He ran over to you.
"WHAT THE HELL?!?!" you scratched your neck.
"Eeeerm. Sorry?"
"Sorry? SORRY?! One of my best friends avoids me FOR DAYS and all I get is a SORRY?"
"A kiss on the cheek?" he sighed and flicked your forehead.
"O-Ow." you rubbed the tender spot gently to coax the pain away.
"You're a dumbass." he spoke.
"Hey! Actually...yeah. I deserved that." you chuckled nervously.
"Ya think?" you both laughed.
'This isn't so bad. Maybe he forgot?' you wanted him to forget your drunken confession, but at the same time you didn't. You wanted him to know your feelings, but you wanted to tell him in a proper way. Why was life so complicating? Why was LOVE so complicating? That was the question you wanted an answer to most. You checked the time on your watch and sighed. Only two more minutes until midnight. You looked up at him.
"Ne, Ace?" he turned to you and tilted his head.
"Yeah?"
"Your birthday is in 2 minutes."
"Oh...is it? I honestly forgot about it."
"EH?! How could you forget your own birthday?!"
"I was too distracted looking for you dumby."
"I thought I was your princess?"
"You can be both." you laughed, your eyes shining under the stars. To him, you looked gorgeous. Your eyes sparkled, and your smile lit up the darkness. You laugh was like music to his ears.
The countdown started.
"ACE/(Y/N)!"
"Ace let me go first again." he nodded.
"I don't have a present for your birthday, because I was trying so hard to avoid you I didn't have time. So let this be my present instead. Ace. I really, really, really, really like you. A lot. And before you reject me, let me do one more thing." he swallowed hard.
"3! 2! 1! HAPPY NEW YEAAAARS!" the fireworks went off as you grabbed his face and stood on your toes, connecting your lips as the beautiful fireworks exploded in the night sky. The adrenalin felt like electricity sparking from your toes to your fingertips. Your face felt like fire and your heart was thumping so hard you were sure he could hear it. You parted and hid your face.
"Happy birthday, and happy New Years Ace." you said as you turned around to leave quickly, only to have him grab your wrist and turn you around quickly, connecting your lips once again. You stood their, eyes wide and heart rapid. You slid your eyes shut and slid your free arm over his neck, enjoying the very cliche, but very sweet moment between you two.
Your lips disconnected once again, but you didn't pull apart.
"(Y/n)...I like you too. A lot."
"R-Really?"
"Mhm," he nodded, your foreheads together and noses touching, "this is the best way to start off the new year, is it not?" you laughed at his dorkyness.
"Yeah...huehue...it really is."
"Happy New Year (Y/n)." he breathed out.
"Happy New Year Ace."
The crew and Poppa Beardo partied all night, enjoying themselves and kickstarting the new year with...more hangovers. You and Ace didn't drink because it would suck if you two forgot your confessions...again. You danced with your friends and you even did a little karaoke. You were, 'bomb as fuck,' as a drunken Thatch put it.
What a way to kick off the new years indeed...
A/N: HAPPY NEW YEARS MY LIL DINOS~! Over on my Deviant Art, this was posted exactly when the clock struck 12. ^-^ <3
I Also post a lot of my works way earlier on there and I even post some works on there that I don't onto here. I have some Haikyuu fics and a few Levi fics over there as well. So make sure to check that out if you want <3
My deviant : http://rawrimaotaku.deviantart.com/
I love you my lil dinos~! HAPPY NEW YEAR!