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Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock
The condensation in the room didn’t let Deuce breathe.
Ace had decided to invite his brother to hang out. Sabo, not the little mess that went by the name of Luffy. Deuce had no reason to get nervous at all about making a bad first impression, given that Sabo had most likely heard from him already, but it didn’t stop him from getting anxious. He didn’t know why, nor did he want to know so. It was part of his personality, he’d decided long ago, to be anxious and, according to Ace, a “worrywart”. But that didn’t explain why he thought that if Ace’s brother hated him, then he failed as a friend. What would Ace do if Sabo didn’t approve of their friendship or deemed him “too boring”? Would Ace leave just like that? Or more like, make him leave the apartment?
No, Ace had only reached out to him to be roommates since the cost was too high for him and Deuce also didn’t have any accommodations after bailing out from med school not even a year in and his parents basically disowning him. It was only a coincidence that they became roommates and it could’ve been literally any other person instead of him. So why had he grown attached? He knew he shouldn’t have grown attached. Didn’t even know why Ace had been so insistent on him meeting his brother. It was supposed to only be a living arrangement.
So now he was making tea, just like Ace said Sabo liked, and hoping he didn’t mess it up big time. The problem of a non-brit making tea to a brit. They would always complain, no matter how perfect the non-brit thought it tasted.
Knock
Knock
Knock
Deuce almost spilled the tea as the sound brought him back to reality. He was glad they had decided to clean the kitchen for once the week prior. Now one could actually walk in there without tripping or catching sight of an insect.
Ace tripped to the door, if his frantic steps and sound of hands hitting the floor twice were any indication of that.
“Sabo!”
Deuce couldn’t hear much of the conversation after that, so he walked out of the kitchen holding Sabo’s cup in one hand and a toothpick in the other, which he was fidgeting with.
“Hey!” he strained a smile
Sabo responded by saluting him with two fingers on his forehead and letting them back down with an arc “Yo”
He was wearing weird clothes. A top hat? In the 21st century? Well, to be fair… Deuce was wearing a mask as if it was a 16th-century masquerade, so he couldn’t exactly blame him.
“Made some tea before-hand. Didn’t put any sugar just in case”
“Oh, thank you”
Ace was vibrating when they sat down. Deuce and Ace next to the other and Sabo on the opposite side, across the small table. Deuce was drinking a cup of water as he fidgeted with the toothpick --given that his pen was nowhere near-- when Sabo spoke.
“How long have you been together, anyway?”
Deuce chocked.
“Shit! Are you okay?” Ace’s whole demeanor changed to worry in an instant.
He lifted an arm “I’m” he wheezed out “I’m fine, I just” he sat back, but his voice remained strained as he continued “wasn’t expecting that”
“Wasn’t expecting what? Me asking how long you’ve been together?”
Deuce’s cheeks grew hot and he looked at Ace through the corner of his eyes “I-”
Sabo caught wind of this and had the audacity to laugh. “Oh my god…”
Deuce grumbled behind his hands but didn’t retort like he normally would. Now Ace was laughing.
“Was I… was I the only one who didn’t know?”
Ace doubled over from laughter “Holy shit”
“Now I understand why you were so insistent on inviting Sabo over…”
“I’m sorry I just. You didn’t know?? How? I made it very obvious!”
“I… might not be the smartest person”
“Don’t worry, I still love you”
“Shut uppp” he said through sounds of agony, but he didn’t really wish so. He really liked the way Ace said it. In a way so matter-o-fact and natural. As if it was the most obvious thing ever, something that didn’t need to be thought over. It made his stomach flip.
He was glad he was wearing his mask or else his blush would be even more noticeable than it already was.
He hadn’t even realized he was pining, beforehand, but with the revelation, not only did he find out that yes, he’d been pining for a while now, but also that said pining wasn’t even necessary to begin with, since it was already mutual.
He chuckled.
He was going to kill Ace for not telling him before then.