Mid-afternoon on Friday, you and Ace got into his truck and headed away from the city. The big tent from the adventure in the back yard was packed into the truck, along with a few things to make the whole thing more comfortable. It was your first camping trip, and also your first date.

Ace had been sorting out the details with Sabo so you wouldn't have to worry about them, assuring you that everything was going to be taken care of. You weren't going to exactly be roughing it, at least not the way the guys usually do, and if things went sour the first night it was just a few hours' drive to get back home. Which meant it was okay if you didn't stay out the whole weekend.

"We're also going to be camping on Pops' land." Ace had explained to you the night before you left. "He's got something like six thousand acres of land. Plenty of room."

"For?"

"Camping." He said with a wink.

Now, here you were, several miles out of the city limits already, with a couple more hours of driving ahead of you. The radio was starting to break up a little, so you flipped through a few of the CDs Ace had in the glove box and put one in. The songs filled the silence of the drive, and you tried to keep your heart from popping out of your chest.

It was just you, and him, and miles of field and forest.

You trusted him. Not just in terms of being alone with him, but you also knew that nothing could go too wrong. You wouldn't get lost. It wouldn't matter if it rained or didn't. No matter what exactly happened, it was going to be okay.

The only thing getting in your way so far were your own nerves.

Ace turns the player down a little. "How you holding up?"

"Huh?"

He grins, eyes still on the road. "You look nervous."

"Haaaa, yeah. A little." You admit. "It's... a lot of firsts all at once, and I guess I'm just worried I'll mess it up."

"Mess what up?"

"I don't know. That I'll camp wrong, or date wrong, or... er... I mean. I'm just worried I'll mess it up."

Ace smiles, reaching over and tangling his fingers into yours. "You can't mess it up. It's already going to be perfect because you're here."

"A-Ace, that's – I'm going to change!" You groan, letting go of his hand and nearly caving in on yourself.

Ace laughs. "Sorry, lil' dove." He teases. "You said it first, don't get mad at me."

"It doesn't have to be perfect. It just needs to be you and me." Your words come back into your mind, the memory of the night you had first changed dancing through your head for a moment.

"... Yeah." You reach out and take his hand, flushed down to your shoulders.

"I promise, I won't do anything you don't want." He says softly.

You smile, looking over at him. "Not going to live up to your reputation, eh, tyrant?" You tease.

"Pfft, ruffians," he says, emphasizing the word. "Are good and proper gentlemen, underneath it all."

You laugh, holding onto his hand a little more tightly. "Whatever you are, I trust you." You assure him. "But that doesn't make me less nervous."

"... That's fair." Ace gives your hand one more squeeze before letting go, turning the player up, and putting both hands on the wheel.

The rest of the drive passed by mostly in a comfortable silence. Ace asked a couple of times if you needed or wanted him to stop somewhere for snacks, or so you could stretch and you assured him you were alright. Your body required a fraction of the care and consideration it used to need, and while your endurance wasn't on par with the boys, you were sure it would be one day.

Ace pulled off the main road after a couple hours and onto a dirt road. He put a hand out of the window, and shot a pillar of fire into the air for a moment until you heard, and saw, a flare go off from across the field.

"What?"

"Now Pops' knows we're here, and he won't worry."

"Will I ever meet this Pops?" You question.

Ace nods. "Yeah. He told me I needed to take you on at least one date before I tried to introduce you to my dad, so, uh."

You smile. "Okay, I understand."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Ace smiles. "That's good."

Ace drove along the dirt road for almost another hour. The sun was starting to dip low in the sky before he turned off the road entirely and drove through an open field for a few miles.

"Alright, this is a good spot." He said, maneuvering the truck a little before he parked it. "I'll get the tent set up, if you want to clean up the fire pit."

"There's a fire pit?" You question as you get out of the truck. Looking around you saw an area that had been purposefully cleared away. "Ah, I see."

"There's a few fire pits just off the road." Ace explains as he pulls the tent from the truck bed. "Pops lets us use the land cause, well, it's free for us for one, and two, it's friendly. Pops' is cursed too. Luffy and Sabo and I would come out here every couple of months and just get away from the city for a night, or two if we could swing it."

"Aside from the backyard, you haven't all been camping since?"

Ace grins. "Despite how it probably feels like it's been a long time, it's only been a month. We went the week before you moved in."

The two of you work on your tasks. Ace gets the tent set up in short order despite how big it is. A few times you see him using rope and a bar to force things into place in a way that would normally be handled by two people working together. Dusk was settling in when you were done setting up, and Ace sets the wood pile you had stack inside the pit on fire with a flick of his wrist.

You smile as it crackles to life.

"What's that for?" He questions looking over at you.

"You."

"Me?"

You nod. "You're a lot more comfortable with your curse around me now, compared to when I first moved in, and it made me feel good."

"You're a comfortable person." Ace says with a smile, before he clears his throat and heads back to the truck. "Let me get something going for us to eat. That lunch at the truck stop was a few hours ago, you've got to be hungry."

He sets up a little camping stove and pulls some stuff from the cooler you brought with you. After a few minutes, a camp stew is bubbling by the fire pit, and Ace is dishing out portions for both of you. It's simple stuff, but it tastes good, and you can tell Ace held off on his usual spiciness. Some bread to clean it all up made for a nice, filling supper.

For a few minutes the two of you just sat side by side, watching the fire and the smoke. You leaned your head against his shoulder, letting your gaze get lost in the fire.

"You're thinking so hard, I can hear it." Ace teases, looking down at you before putting his arm around you and pulling you close. "What's on your mind, mi luz?"

"A lot." You admit. "How am I going to deal with my parents? What kind of revolution is Sabo planning? How much of the world is moving that I don't know about? How's Ichiji going to take the news? How is it night and I'm wide awake? Can I change out here? If I could be a smaller bird, could I be a bigger bird?"

You rattle off the questions and lean back, looking up at Ace. "What's luz mean?"

"Light." He answers softly. The light from the campfire flickers across his face, dancing in his eyes.

"I'm your light?"

He nods. "My light, my dove, my little bird, my – ah. Ahem." You can see his face go red in the firelight. "That's... kind of possessive, huh?"

You shake your head. Your bravery evaporates and you turn away from him before you reply. "I don't mind... being yours."

You feel Ace get closer, turning toward you a little. His breath against your ear heats your skin down to your shoulders.

"Then... I can be yours?" The question slips over your skin, and you nod your head.

"(Y/N)." You can feel the delighted shiver ripple through you at the sound of your name falling from his lips.

"Mm." You barely squeak the sound out.

"I'd... like to kiss you."

"I'd like to kiss me too." You say, turning to look at him as it dawns on you what you said, and mortification sinks in. "Oh-by-the-seas." You nearly cry, covering your face with your hands.

Ace had looked truly confused for the split second you had seen his face, and you couldn't blame him. You didn't say what you meant to say at all. You hear him crack, a snorted rush of air escaping him as he tries not to laugh, but a second later he's laughing.

"S-sorry!" He manages, a few errant laughs still escaping him. "It was... too cute!" He tries to explain between laughs. "The look on your face, was – pfft! – adorable."

You get up to cool off and Ace is with you.

"Wait, mi amor, I'm sorry." You can hear the concern in his voice, but it was more his words that stopped you.

You turn to look at him, your own personal embarrassment quickly replaced by a less mortifying kind. "... Amor?"

Ace flinches. His fists clench in front of him for a moment as he takes a deep breath and looks back at you. "Yeah. I... maybe it's too fast, but yes."

You're both quiet for a long moment, the crackle of the campfire and soft shift of long grass in the breeze are the only sounds. The look of concern and embarrassment on his face shifts a little and he looks away.

"Sorry. I was... I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." He rubs the back of his head idly, and lets out an aggravated sigh. "It's too late to drive back, but I can sleep in the truck. I won't -."

"W-wait, no, I -." You step toward him and grab his hand. "I'm not. I mean, I was, but not that way, and that was my own fault. I just... I never thought I'd hear that." You admit, as your gaze drops.

You hold onto his hand tighter, and he squeezes back, waiting for you to continue.

"It was a service. That's how I was raised – relationships were a service." You say, your eyes flicking up to his. You're too embarrassed to hold his gaze, but you're trying. "Emotions are a failing of commoners. No-nobles have more sense."

You clear your throat, managing to look at Ace without looking away. "I never thought I'd hear someone direct that word at me. Not even our parents ever said it. I just... don't know what to say, but I'm not," you swallow, and feel your heart rush. "Uncomfortable. I'm, um... happy."

"Oh, thank the seas." Ace says in relief, slumping down to his knees. He holds your hand to his head. "I thought I screwed up when you didn't say anything." He leans back, sitting back on his heels and looking up at you with a smile. "You don't have to say it back. If I say something to you and you're not sure what to say, then just say my name."

"... Ace."

"Yes, mi amor?" He replies with a smile.

"I would... like for you to kiss me." You say, taking a small step back as Ace stands up. "I've... never... um..."

"Just relax," he says softly, one hand caressing your face, the other slipping around your waist. "I'll do all the work."

He cradles your face in his hand, tilting your head back a little as he steadies you against his body. The campfire pops and the fire flickers between you, sending shivers of light over your skin. Somehow, it's easier to disappear into his eyes like this, but your eyes keep shifting to his lips as he draws closer.

"Ace." You say softly, gaze on his lips, after he hasn't moved any closer for a few beats.

"Sorry," he says in a voice sweet and low and rough. "I've wanted you this close for so long."

You smile, shifting your gaze up to his eyes. "It's barely been a month." You tease.

"It's okay," he murmurs, his own gaze shifting to your lips. "If time stops," he leans closer, his lips are nearly brushing against yours. "Every time you're this close."

You let out a shivering breath, and Ace closes the slip of distance between you.

The first kiss is light. Warm lips against one another almost chaste, and when he licks his lips, you can feel the tip of his tongue brush your bottom lip before he kisses you again. The rush of pleasure steals your breath more than the kiss itself, and his hands are hot against you. An appreciative moan of pleasure bubbles up from you and it's the spark Ace was seemingly waiting for.

There's more behind the next kiss, a desire to be closer, a need that almost seems to devour you. The fire feeds between the two of you, burning hotter as your fingers disappear into his hair, and your lips part to let him deeper.

All you can feel is him. All you can taste is the shared desire to fall deeper into one another. He smells like warm honey, smoke and spices and maybe that's what he tastes like too, but you don't care. You just want his lips against yours until your lungs give out, or your knees buckle, or the world ends.

Whichever comes last.

The rush of pleasure from his touches, from his kisses, from the shuddering breaths that fall over you, and the glimmer in his eyes from the firelight were too much and not enough at the same time. You wanted more, and you wanted this moment to last just a little longer.

The rush of kisses break, and Ace leans his head against yours as you both catch your breath.

"Haaa –, kissing never felt like that before." He admits with a shy smile before he leans back and hugs you to his chest. You can hear his heart pounding along with your own. "I think I forgot to breathe a couple times."

You laugh, letting yourself sink into him a little. "I don't know that I even thought to try."

Ace chuckles and the two of you devolve into giggle fits for a few minutes as you lean against one another.

"Ah!" Ace exclaims, and you look up to see him looking up. "Wow, it's really clear tonight." He looks down at you. "I'm going to set up the truck bed. Think you can survive sleeping with me?"

You nearly burst into flames and Ace laughs. "I promise, just sleeping." He leans down and nuzzles into your neck a little. "Maybe a chaste kiss or two." He adds, kissing your neck briefly.

The single, light smooch sends a shiver straight down your spine and you can almost see the devilish smirk pull at his lips. He turns and kisses your cheek before walking off to go set up the truck bed. You stood in place in a little bit of a daze, thinking for a moment about how the evening had almost gone wrong before it went right.

Ace is pulling one of the air mattresses out of the big tent, and drags it over to the truck, tossing it into the empty truck bed. He goes back into the tent and comes out with, as far as you can tell, every blanket and pillow that was in the tent all at once and tosses it all into the truck bed too. Hopping up onto the tailgate he kicks his boots off, setting them in a corner and goes back to "making" the bed.

It's a little slipshod, but functional.

"Alright," he says proudly, coming over to the tailgate and crouching down. "Come on up, pajarito."

You hop a little as he lifts you up onto the truck's tailgate. You take your shoes off and put them in the other corner as you step onto the air mattress and Ace hauls the tailgate up with a little effort. It forces the air mattress into a tight fit in the truck bed, but you're sure that it's been put through worse given how the boys probably get on their own during camping trips.

"You went through all that effort to put the tent together." You muse as Ace sits on the air mattress and pats the space beside him.

"Yeah, such wasted effort." He says with a grin. "Ah, if a squall moves in it'll come in handy, but it's probably not bad I had something to burn a little energy on."

You sit down beside him. "I suppose I don't yet have the kind of stamina someone would need to keep up with you."

He gives you such a devious grin that you can feel your body heating up before he says anything. "That's why I keep telling you, you can relax." Ace leans in, speaking low into your ear. "Let me do all the work."

You can feel the shiver of fire roll over your shoulders as he leans back. When you're able to meet his gaze again, he gives you a lazy smile and points up.

You look up and your mouth goes slack. The sky is thick with stars. The backdrop is impossibly dark, but there's easily thousands and thousands more stars than you've ever seen before. Probably far more than that.

It's almost like someone dumped diamonds and their dust against black velvet. There's no moonlight, either the moon hasn't begun its ascent for the night or it's a new moon, you can't be sure.

"Wow." You gasp. "I've never seen... so many stars. I took a boat, from East Blue to here, but I didn't – I couldn't..." You reach out toward the sky. "It's... haaa." You sigh and wipe away the start of tears.

"Hey," there's concern in Ace's voice as he pulls you close. "What's wrong?"

You shake your head. "What did I miss? All these years? What could I have seen and known?" You cry a little in frustration, leaning into Ace.

"We'll cover it." He says gently. "All of it. We can go sailing, and I'll take you clubbing whether Sabo's okay with it or not. We'll go snowboarding on a snowy island and go see autumn leaves. I'll take you to an overlook on Dawn Island I'm sure you don't know about, and you can see the island how I did."

He leans back, brushing tears from your cheeks, and tilting your face up to meet his gaze. "One word from you and we'll travel this world and forget about nobles and revolutions and everyone else."

You laugh despite it. "Don't tempt me, Portgas. D. Ace." You kiss his cheek, and he hides his face against your shoulder for a second.

He mutters something but you're not sure what he's saying. He's speaking in another language too fast and too muffled for you to make it out, but you can guess some of it, since there's little flickers of flames dancing off his hair.

"Mi Luz." He says clearly, looking up at you, cheeks red.

"Yes?"

"I would like to kiss you." He says, almost mumbling it.

You smile. "I would like you to kiss me."