Stepping out of the taxi you glance around. The café isn't too far from Sabo's firm, or your job - not that you needed to go into work today. Paying the cabbie you step inside and find a man fitting the description your mother had provided already seated.

Something about it made you uncomfortable. You'd arrived a little earlier than etiquette demanded, in order to arrive before him, but from the looks of things he had been here for some time. He sat comfortably enough. He was dressed well, a white suit with red accents, and a pair of red shades. His hair was a ruby red, matching the accents of his suit, and he had a curl to his eyebrow that you had seen the night before.

Except, Sanji's curled in the other direction. You don't remember anyone telling you that Sanji was from a royal family, but maybe he had been able to get free. You wanted to be able to ask him, but at the same time, you didn't want to pry into the man's life – you barely knew him directly.

The man stood as you approached the table and pulled the chair out for you.

"Thank you, my apologies, it seems I'm late." You offer almost apologetically.

"Not at all." He says evenly, almost flatly, pushing you and your chair in a little. "I had other obligations around the area, and simply had the chance to arrive earlier than expected."

"Very well then, it is a pleasure to have your time then, Vinsmoke Ichiji." You offer a small nod.

"It is a... pleasure to give it, Miss (Y/N)." You see a brief flicker of emotion cross his face before he asks you. "Does your family not have a surname?"

"We did at one time." You say evenly, opening up the small menu that was at the table. "It was offered as tribute to the Celestials back at the founding, as the story goes."

"Ah, you're from one of the older bloodlines then." He seems pleased, and you're trying to keep your expression neutral.

"Yes, it was a brief tradition, and subsequent peerages have included surnames." You admit. "It is a little awkward to refer to me by my given name though, isn't it?"

"I will adjust easily enough." He assures you.

A waitress comes over and takes your small order. Having exchanged a few words with him, you're at least relieved that he's not overly loquacious. There is little else worse than trying to survive a date when the other person will not stop talking.

There is something about him that gnaws at you. Noble etiquette is dry, and keeping ones emotions in check is highly valued, but most people are more... emotional than this man is.

"It's an improvement of my kingdom." He says without prompting and you tilt your head a little. "The lack of emotion. I'm quite sure you've noticed, most people do."

"Oh, yes. I will do better going forward." You reply automatically, meaning only that you will do your best to not be so easy to read in the future.

"It's quite alright. It was more assumptive on my part than deductive." He admits. "Tell me, why are you here today Miss (Y/N)?"

"I am fulfilling my duty to my family." You answer evenly. "Am I being rude in some way, Mr. Vinsmoke?"

"Prince." He corrects.

"Am I being rude, Prince Ichiji?"

"Not at all."

Silence falls over the two of you for a moment before the waitress returns with your order. You offer your thanks and begin to eat, taking the small and proper bites that have been trained into you for years.

"Why are you here?" You ask, returning his question.

You can see a smile grace his lips, and you have to admit he's not unpleasant in appearance, even if the lack of emotions can be a little unnerving. "To fulfill my duty to my family." He parrots your earlier answer.

The two of you talk as you eat, and things are at least pleasant enough that when you're ordering a second drink it's not to throw it in his face and cause a scene. Once you start to think that the date is about to wrap up, it takes an uncomfortable turn.

"Well, this was pleasant, thank you." You say politely.

"Shall I take you home then?" He asks, and you shake your head.

"No thank you, I can get back home on my own. I appreciate the offer, though."

"I meant take you back to my home." He clarifies. You pause, trying very hard not to make any unnecessary expressions.

"I... don't believe I know you well enough for that." You say carefully. It's hard to know what he's actually feeling since his emotions are so suppressed. Worse than that, you're not sure that he knows what he's feeling sometimes, for the same reasons.

"It is an inevitable course of action, isn't it? This is an arrangement between both of our families. Would you feel more valued if I took you on a dozen dates before we went further?"

The slight smile on his face seems to be one of amusement, other than anything devious or concerning, but the uncomfortable truth behind his words unsettles you more than the words themselves.

"My worth is less my concern, and our compatibility is more my concern." You say after a moment's consideration. "Perhaps you have made up your mind, but I have not."

"There are few better ways to discern compatibility than-."

You put your hand up, and you're sure your irritation is painfully apparent on your face. "Pardon me a moment, won't you?" You say, standing up and heading toward the bathroom. You wanted to sprint for the front door, but you didn't have the strength to run for long, and you were quite certain that his princeliness could catch up to you easily.

You aren't sure what Sabo can do for you even as you're calling him, but you know that you can't easily get out of this on your own. He's been polite the entire time, even marginally considerate toward the wait-staff. If you caused a scene now, it would be your sanity coming into question, not his.

The phone rings and rings and you get Sabo's voicemail. Clicking your tongue in frustration you hang it up. He must've gotten caught up in something at work. You chew your bottom lip for a second and dial Ace's number.

After a couple rings he picks up and you can hear a ruckus in the background.

"(Y/N)?"

"Ace, my apologies but it seems I require assistance." You admit, trying to keep your voice down in the echoing bathroom stall.

You can hear a few familiar voices in the background and realize he must be at the station. "If you can't I can-."

"Already on my way." He says as the line goes dead.

You're concerned about his possible temperament, but if he didn't show up you were more concerned that your date was going to drag you to his place regardless of your desires. You take a breath and send a text to Sabo.

You: Ace is coming to get me, things went sour. I will do my best to avoid the need for bail on your brother's behalf.

Figuring that was the best you could do, you stepped out of the unused stall and washed your hands before returning to your table. Ichiji was still seated, looking as bored and arrogant as he had the moment you had stepped into the café.

There is another round of drinks at the table, and that was a bit of a relief. At least he didn't mean to drag you to his place as soon as you had returned. He'd been grumbling about tradition during your earlier conversation, and nobles and their ilk did not rush social engagements. He might not like the traditions, but he seemed determined to stick to them.

"My apologies and thank you." You say, sitting down as you nod toward the fresh drinks.

Ichiji inclines his head in response and then regards you silently for a moment. "When will he arrive?"

You flinch but decide against trying to play dumb. "In a few minutes, I suppose."

"Boyfriend or brother?" He questions, a hint of amusement in his otherwise flat voice.

"Have you had repeated issues with dates, Prince Vinsmoke, or are you a mind-reader?" You ask. The words come out a bit more harshly than you mean, and you're surprised to see him lean toward you. For the first time since your date had begun, he looks truly interested in the conversation.

"I've had a few dates. None before now which had my father quite so adamant that I be on my best behavior." He admits. "But all before now seemed to desire me."

You lost control of the expression on your face and knew you were leveling an unamused look at him. He smiles in response.

"Am I ugly?"

"Objectively, no." You answer steadily.

"Plus, I am royalty." He adds.

"Strong enough you didn't bring any guards." You admit. "You mean to say these traits make you desirable enough to have young noblewomen throwing themselves at your feet?"

"Historically, it seems to be just so." He answers flatly. "But not you. Boyfriend. Or Brother?" He asks again, more pointedly this time.

"Nakama." You answer after a moment.

"Hm." He leans back, eyes regarding you from over the tops of his shades before he pushes them back into place. "Allow me a second date."

"Earlier you spoke of inevitability, and now you're requesting my time?" Your confusion showed on your face, but you weren't giving him the incredulous look you wanted.

"Agree to a second date, and I will speak well of today to both of our families." He offers.

"And if I don't agree?"

"A second date will happen anyway, and I doubt your mother will be pleased in the process."

You sigh. "Sure."

"Sure?" He muses.

"The request was my time." You say with a smile. "Not my enthusiasm."

A smile crosses his face, and you hear a soft chuckle from him as he pulls his wallet out and tosses more money than is needed on the table.

"It has been, surprisingly, my pleasure, Miss (Y/N)." He says as he gets up. "Until next time."

"Sure." You say again, keeping your hands on the table. Normally you would be expected to offer a hand in farewell, especially if you were parting on good terms.

The smile hits his lips, and he turns and walks away. You let out a breath you knew you had been holding and nearly started shaking. The whole thing had been unexpectedly tense out of nowhere, and there was also such a threat buried in the exchange.

You could only hope you could delay the second date for as long as possible.

The soft screech of tires outside catches your attention, and you turn to look out the window in time to see Ace get off his motorcycle and pull his helmet off. He was wearing the most clothes you'd seen on him in a while, jeans, leather jacket, and work boots. He was covered head to toe.

Tucking the helmet under his arm he stepped into the café and scanned the tables briefly before seeing you. You give him a weak chuckle and he comes over to the table and crouches down beside you.

"You alright?"

You nod, and then shake your head.

"Is he coming back?"

You shake your head. "Not today."

Ace looks around before looking back to you. "Think you can ride on the back of my bike?"

"I've never ridden before, is it physically hard?" You ask, looking at him.

He smiles. "Nah, it's not hard at all. So long as you think you can hold onto me?"

"Difficult as it may be for a proper lady such as I," you say, exaggeration dripping into your voice as you smile. "I'm sure I can manage."

Ace grins and puts his helmet on you. "How's it feel? Too tight?"

"No, it's a little snug, but not uncomfortable." You say in a muffled voice. "If I'm wearing your helmet, what are you -."

Ace takes his leather jacket off and it stopped the question on your lips. It was just a plain black t-shirt, but, well, Ace was more than just objectively good looking. You were grateful for the helmet and its tinted visor.

"Here, wear this too."

"Portgas D. Ace." You say sternly as you take the jacket. "If I'm wearing your helmet and jacket, what will you wear?"

"I won't wreck the bike, don't worry." He assures you, helping you put the jacket on.

"If you're not going to wreck then why do I need the helmet and jacket?"

"It's nice out, but it can still get cold on the bike." He explains. "Besides, do you want to accidentally take a bug to the face?"

"How could I," you start as he takes your hand and escorts you to his bike. "Get hit in the face by a bug if I am hugging you from behind? And what about you? You're driving!"

Ace pulls some shades from a saddlebag and grins at you. "I'll be fine. If you don't wear the helmet Sabo will worry."

"S-Sabo isn't here right now. What if someone – eep!" You squeak in surprise as Ace lifts you and sets you on the back of the bike. You grab onto his arms from surprise, steadying yourself a little. "... You're not letting me argue."

"Nope." He replies. "My bike, my rules."

"Tyrant." You huff, sitting back a little as Ace gets on in front of you.

"At worst I'm a ruffian." He insists, looking over his shoulder with a grin. "C'mon princess, grab hold."

You lean forward and reach around him, grabbing onto his shirt near his abs. You scoot a little closer and put your head in the middle of his back, hopefully as comfortably as it can be for him with the helmet on. "Like this?"

"Yeah, and relax." He says, patting your hand. "It's a short ride back home, don't worry."

You nod a little as the motorcycle comes to life. You're certain as Ace drives you back home that he's going slower and taking far more care than he would otherwise. The ride is pleasant, and after a couple blocks you begin to get the feel of how it works to be on a motorcycle.

You relax, even as you continue to hold on, letting yourself move with him as he leans a little into the turns. Something about it almost feels like a slow, odd sort of dance. You hug him a little tighter, and think about how it's a shame that home is so close to the café.