Pencil Sharpener (Portgas D. Ace x Reader)

School AU~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It was late junior high, and you just started the first class of the semester.

“Excuse me” A freckled face surprised you, “May I borrow your sharpener?”

“S-sharpener?” You blinked, feeling the muscle in your chest pound.

“Uh...yeah” He lifted an unsharpened pencil, “Your pencil sharpener” His finger pointed to the stationary on your desk. The smirk on his lips was awkward but cute at the same time.

“Oh, yeah of course” You awkwardly smiled, looking back to your book. A small chuckle left his lips as he inspected the sharpener. Your (e/c) hues looked at him in confusion. Why was he still talking to you?

“This is really cute” He opened the pink pig’s snout to show the pencil razor, inserting his pencil into it’s opened nose.

“Haha, yeah it is...thanks” Damn it for how awkward you were around people. You sounded like a dead robot, or a malfunctioning one. Were you supposed to thank someone’s complement to your sharpener? What if the sharpener wanted it’s time to shine and could take it’s own complement-

“I’m Ace, by the way. Nice to meet ya” He looked straight into your eyes. In an old magazine you could remember it saying something about how you could fall in love with eye contact...and it was right. Ace’s dark orbs were like the night sky, so dark and mysterious yet breathtaking. His extended hand was almost ignored, until you broke contact with his mesmerizing eyes.

“_-_____…” You replied, shaking his warm hand.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-4 years later, in high school-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“You fell asleep during Mr.Trafalgar’s lecture?!” You coughed into your juice box as Ace tiredly scratched the back of his head.

“...Yeah” He simply replied, making you shoot a glare.
But you couldn’t stay angry at the fire ball, because he would always spread that quirky grin and a big yawn that melted your heart.
He looked into the sky on the school roof. You just sat there, looking at his features.
What was he thinking about? Was it you?
Congratulations, because you’ve successfully thought a blush to your face.

“Oh--________ your face is red again” Ace pointed out blankly, tilting his head innocently.

“S-stupid--it’s nothing!” You quaked, looking another direction. He let out an annoyed huff, and put his warm hand on your forehead.

“You sure you’re not sick?” He asked plainly, amused with your rose shaded face “Woah, your face got even redder--”

“T-t-the bells going to ring soon, we should get ready to leave!”

“Goodie two shoes-” Ace chuckled, standing up before you. As you dusted off your skirt, you could see him look at the sky again.

“Geez, you’ve been thinking a lot lately” You joked, gaining a playful punch from the ebony haired male. Even with his slight scowl, he had a smile that could beat the sun. “Whats on your mind?”

“Huh?” His eyes widened a bit, but then nervously looked at the ground, “Nothin’ important…” He rested the back of his head in his hands.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-End of the Day-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Yo, Ace!” You waved your arm up high, catching the freckle face’s attention. Ace walked alone toward you, which was unusual. You questioned where his brothers were, because you’d four would walk home together every day. That’s how it was the last four years.

“N-no idea” Ace shrugged his shoulders, but his face showed complete anxiety. He began pestering to leave before them, in which you gave into but with high questions.
The walk felt more awkward than expected. Yes, you were one of Ace’s best friends and you could have blabbered on about anything, but he’s been really quiet around you lately. Where did the insults go?

“Hey... you know you can talk to me about anything, right?” You said waringly, scared he might be distancing himself from you.

“Huh?” Ace stopped when you turned around to face him, “Idiot, of course I know that” He lightly poked your forehead and continued walking. The corners of his lips turned into a small toothy grin. “You know what--lets hang out tonight” He grabbed your wrist and rushed into the closest convenient store, a bit too frantically. He was acting a bit suspicious.

Upon purchasing your ice creams and finding a nice bench in the park, he bit into the cold treat with a slight fury. Poor ice cream.

“Ace, eat slower” It was like he didn’t hear you, “Buddie--”

“I need to tell you something--” he swallowed a big chunk of ice cream giving him that cold sliding pain down his chest, “I--I like this girl!” His breathing was uneven, making you blink in confusion.

It was happening, all your dreams were coming true. Following every cliche story, Ace would end up explaining how his crush looked like and then how they made him feel, and in the end he’ll explain that it was you all along! Right?

“Theres this...girl and she--” You were chanting yes in your head every second, eyes growing wide, “and she sits beside me in math, and her eyes are like--”

Wait...what?

“orbs of the ocean, and her hair is just--wow” He blushes a bit, eyes softening into the distance.

“O-oh!” You chimed with false enthusiasm. “Hahaha--thats great!” Your heart started crumbling.

“R-really? I knew I could turn to you _________, you’re the best!” He pulled you into a bear hug, not noticing how limp you were in his arms. Every word Ace spoke was a knife to the chest, so you continued looking forward as he explained more about his crush. He rambled on about her looks, her clothes, her walk, her talk, almost everything.

“Have you ever talked to her?” Your voice came out frail and in a higher pitch.

“No, not yet...but that's why you’re here--” Ouch. That stung some tears into your eyes. So you were just the middleman all along?
“You’re good friends with everybody, and I was wondering if you could ask for me” Ace looked so fumbled trying to ask you for the favour. He was nervously scratching the back of his head and kept looking side to side. You covered your face with your hair, hoping he couldn’t see the red rimming your orbs.

“Of course I’d do that for you, Ace!” You uttered the words so happily, even though it felt like acid up your throat.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-The Next Morning-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Why did it feel so hard to get out of bed? To move out of your warm sheet? To take a sip of the morning air, and feel the rays of the sunlight...

But there was none. The sky was clouded with a grey ash, and the air was stale. You didn’t want to go to school, but you promised him you’d do it. To tell the girl in math class about his feelings.

“Oi, wake up _______!” You heard a knock at your door, expecting a freckled face. But it wasn’t.

“Oh, hey Sabo” You spoke muffled, locking your door behind you.

“My brothers had a race to school, so the’ll be there a bit early--So I said ‘hey, why not pick up our old friend?’ so…” Sabo chuckled, “here I am…” He tried to lift up the spirits you were so obviously trying to keep down.
You two walked together, and you listened to every sentence the blonde spoke. Nodding with his words, you couldn’t help but drift your thought somewhere else, until you heard your name--

“_____, what's wrong?” He asked so straight up, it startled you.

“W-what, nothings wrong, Sabo!” You tried to muster the best smile. Hands waving in dismissal.

“Lies” He looked closer into your eyes, the worry clear in his features. You walked on without replying, wanting him to drop the subject. But this was Sabo. “Ah, its Ace isn’t it?”

“W-WHAT?” You screamed a bit too loud, grabbing some attention passing by.
The blonde laughed and patted your back, a knowing smile in his eyes. You told him everything about that evening. How he started his confession, and how it ended.

“I thought he’d confess his feeling for you...not another girl” Sabo scratched his cheek, eyes drifting up. “that's why he asked us to go home later that day”

“F-feelings for me?” Damn these teenage hormones.

“Hmm...maybe he just needs a little push--” In an instant, you felt a strong arm around your shoulders. You looked up into Sabo’s eyes and saw him wink. In view, you saw two heads of obsidian. One was waving frantically, while the other crossing their arms.
“Guys!” Sabo yelled, waving with his free arm while the other still around your shoulders. Getting closer to the two, you could see a conflict in Ace’s dark hues as they stare at his brother’s arm. His glare was so sharp, it could physically shoot Sabo’s arm away if he tried hard enough.
“I picked up ______ on the way--oh look at the time, I gotta go!” The blonde planted a chaste kiss on your cheek, surprising you to a jolt.
“See ya~” He waved away cheerfully. Sabo then sent a flirtatious wink your direction. You aimlessly waved back, eyes still facing the same way you came. What was happening.

Ace was speechless.

“SEEEE YAAA SABOO!” Luffy jumped and waved hyperly, a grin on wider than the school

-.-.-.-.-.-.-Lunch-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

You bit into your sandwich, eyes still coated with surprise.

“Oi” Ace barked, obviously annoyed.

“A-ace, when’d you get up here?” You looked off the school’s roof, biting into your sandwich again. “Finished your lunch already?--”

“When’d you start going steady with Sabo?!” He snarled every word, something he’d only do when greatly annoyed.
You waved the morning scene with Sabo away, but Ace didn’t believe you. Even if you assured him it was nothing, the smoke from his ears were still steaming.

“But hey--I’m here to help you remember?” You laughed, hating yourself for being such a generous person.

“Y-yeah” He furrowed his eyebrows to the rooftop. “I was gonna write her a confession note...I was wonder if you could help me”

“Alright, so--what do you like about her?”

Ace listed off her hair, her eyes, her smile, her laugh, her walk, her voice--

“Anything else?” You questioned, gaining constant empty blinks from his eyes. “Erm...I don’t think thats--Hey how about this.”

“What?” He looked blank.

“Is she funny?”

“I don’t know”

“Is she kind?” You asked.

“I don’t know” He said again.

“Um…” You started faltering, trying to find any other traits he could like. This 20 questions was going nowhere.

“Does she like eating?”

“Don’t know” Ace scratched his head. Was there no personality traits he liked about her? Before you could say anymore, his freckled head started dipping to the floor, soon colliding with the cloth on your thighs.. He fell asleep on your lap. Just as he was snoring away, the grey sky started tearing up.

Why weren’t you the one he fell for?

You ran your shaking finger through his dark locks as you cried with the clouds.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-After School-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The rain was harder than expected, but at least you came prepared. With you (color) umbrella, you stepped triumphantly into the water droplets, still keeping dry. About to head to the school’s gate entrance you were stopped by a certain freckled face.

“Ace?” you lowered your eyes at his soaked uniform, “You forgot your umbrella again.”
He let out a puff of his cheeks and a scowl to the other direction. Without a word, he entered the protection under your umbrella.
“No Luffy and Sabo?” You asked normally, feeling the pain bottle up. The fireball only nodded his head ‘no’, which was strange. He’d usually be spewing words about now.

“Are you okay?” Ace asked at the same time you did. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up.

“Are you okay with me liking another girl?”

‘No’ Was what you wanted to say, but that wasn't what a friend would do.
“Dude, of course I am” The forced smile was enough to fool anybody--fool Ace at least. “Are you okay...just in general?” You sounded so awkward, and thank the rain for masking some of the quakes in your voice.

“No” He actually said, making your head spin. “I feel stupid…”

“S-stupid? Why?

“I hurt someone’s feelings”

“Whaaaat? She was hurt by your letter--no way. You complimented everything about her on that thing!”

“No, it’s not that!” Ace started getting more flustered, “I-” Suddenly, he grabbed your shoulders. You dropped the umbrella in shock and was forced to look him straight in the eyes. Ace’s pupils wavered and his whole body was tense.
“I L-LIKE YOU, I-IDIOT!”
Yup. That was Ace.

“H-HEY! DON’T CONFESS WITH AN INSULT, MORON!”

“WELL WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?” The conversation turned into full fledged yelling.

“SAY ‘I LIKE YOU’, AND WHY!”

“WELL _____, I LIKE YOU CAUSE YOU’VE ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR ME AND YOU’RE FUNNY, KIND, AWKWARD AND BEAUTIFUL AND--AND I LIKE YOU, OKAY!?!” He sputtered every word.

“WHY ARE WE YELLING!”

“I DON’T KNOW, YOU STARTED IT!”

“STUPID!” You felt the rain soak your school uniform, but you didn’t care at this point. In a fury you wrapped your arms around Ace’s drowned torso, hiding your face into his wet chest. The heavy blush on his face was undoubtedly the colour of a tomato.
“I like you too…” The words were soft against his chest, but still audible. Ace’s tense muscles started relaxing as he felt you sob against his coat.
The cold air no longer attacked you, as his arms wrapped strongly around your body.

You’d suspect a cliche kiss in the rain, but you’d long given up on those overused stories.

-.-.-.-.-.-.6 months later-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Class started feeling bearable as Mr. Kidd concluded his construction class. As the students were packing up, you were putting all your stationary back into your pencil kit until--

“Excuse me” A freckled face surprised you, “May I borrow your sharpener?”

“I thought I bought you one” You raised an eyebrow to your boyfriend, who snickered at your words.

“Uh...yeah, but--” He lifted a red pig sharpener, “He’s a bit lonely right now…”

“You dork” Was all you could say, taking out your personal pink pig sharpener.

“I’m your dork” He winked with a cheeky grin. Before you could leave the classroom, he sent a chaste kiss on your cheek. You turned your head around only to be granted a quick peck on your lips. You glanced to to side to see the two pig's snouts touching each other, like the sharpeners were kissing.

“I’ll kiss you until you’re sick of it.” Ace winked.

“Shut up” You rolled your eyes, grabbing the front of his shirt to capture his lips in a long, passionate, kiss.