-5-

╒══════════════════╕•Is That Even Food?•╘══════════════════╛

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It was the girl's first day in the navy's main headquarters. Entering the island, she felt intimidated by all the new faces that surrounded her. It was her first time leaving her homeland and she was already missing it. She wanted to go back and stay with her comrades but she had to leave for the opportunity the admiral gave.

She was given two weeks to roam around the island, to discover and mingle with other people. After fourteen days, she was ordered to immediately go under training. The free time given to her was a blessing said by others but for her, it only made her home sickness grow because of how lonely she felt.

Walking the silent streets by herself, she met a smoking woman along the way. She was wearing a burgundy- purple colored two piece suit and under it is a white button up shirt, just like others, the outfit was completed by the navy jacket draped over her shoulders. All in all, the woman was beautiful but what caught the eyes of the girl was the woman's long pink hair.

The woman, feeling the eyes of the kid, turned at her direction, raising a brow. She wasn't aware who the girl is and by the look she was giving her, she was new to the place. Asking the kid, the pink haired woman questioned what her agenda was and if she could help. To say she was surprised was an understatement after hearing the girl's words.

The kid was personally hired by Sengoku, her boss. The woman was sure that he took no one under his wing, even with someone with so much potential. That being said, she was sure that there's something special about the kid. Having her interest with the girl, she politely introduced herself as Hina.

When the marine asked for her name, she couldn't tell anything. The girl had no name. Used of being called 'kid', 'oi', 'girl', she never thought of naming herself.

Telling that to her new found friend, Hina, both of them took their time thinking of suitable names for her. Having no idea in mind, Hina asked the kid what her favorite hobby was which the girl then replied with 'potion making'. It was intriguing but the woman shrugged it off and think about words that can be used as a name that is connected to the girl's interest.

A sudden name popped into the woman's mind, after telling it, the girl gave her the brightest smile and nodded her head, making Hina grin too.

"I think it suits you, being a future marine with a powerful skill, that name will get stuck in their heads. They will think that you have the power of witch craft with the potions you'll create. Pirates and other wrong doers will be cast on a spell. So let's start again shall we?"

"My name's Hina, and you little girl?"

"Hex! My name is Hex!"

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Cold.

It was all Flare could feel.

Her eyes shot open and her teeth clatter. With trembling lips, she let out a weak sigh. Scanning the place with her blurred vision, she realized she was inside the small bedroom in the bunkhouse. How she got there, she had no idea and base on how her mind was spinning, she has no time to think about it.

Pulling the sheets over her, she tried going back to sleep but to her misfortune, the thickness of it wasn't enough and she still felt cold. As seconds pass by, her body started freezing, the clattering of her teeth became louder and her body was shaking uncontrollably. The low temperature was starting to seep in her veins, her breathing difficult.

Flare wanted to push herself out of bed and throw a warm shower but her body was too frozen to move, even her eye lids felt like there were ice placed on them.

'Is this how I'm going to die?' She thought to herself, eyes closed and trembling.

While Flare was on the bed curled like a shrimp, Ace was seated on the living room, hands on his hair, pulling his roots in frustration. His head was starting to hurt from the tugs and thinking of ways on how to help the silver head's fever go down wasn't helping it ease.

The image of Flare's body slowly falling down the cold sand repeatedly played in his head making his insides churn. As soon as he caught the woman, he immediately felt her high temperature and if not for his devil fruit ability, he might've been burnt from how hot it was. He was trying to wake her up but realizing that she wasn't going to get up any time yet, Ace decided to bring her back inside the bunkhouse, placing her on the mattress.

Since it was dark, the bedroom slightly felt cold. With concern, Ace placed a thin blanket on top of her form. He wasn't sure whether to put the comforter on the woman or not, worried she'll feel too hot. He soon regretted not giving her a thicker one when teeth clattering and heavy gasping reached his ears.

Ace decided to keep the room's door open, making it easy for him to access the area incase Flare woke up, and he was thankful he did . Running inside the small space, there he saw; the silver head in the middle of the tiny bed, curled up like a kitten trying to warm herself up inside the thin blanket he placed. Seeing her face in a frown and her body shudder, his heart immediately dropped and without second thoughts, he made his way on her form, scooping her in his arms, giving her a warm embrace.

As soon as his body made contact with Flare's, she immediately stopped shaking. Ace let out a sigh of relief and started rubbing her arm gingerly to create friction. The woman unconsciously let out an airy breath making Ace's own to hitch as it touched his bare skin. Goosebumps came rushing on his back but he chose to ignore it, placing all his attention down on Flare's form.

Ace was staring out the windows as he continued rubbing her arm softly, he wasn't sure how many minutes or hours passed but seeing the sky was still dark, he assumed that it was still midnight. Soon enough, Ace slowly felt drowsiness taking over his body as he forced his eyes to flicker awake. He wanted to stay up for a couple more hours to make sure the woman was okay but the sleepiness he was feeling was too strong and before he even knew it, he was snoring the night away.

-----

Hot.

It was too hot.

Flare wasn't sure how many hours she'd been asleep but what she was sure about is that she was forced to wake up because of her sweat soaked mattress. With closed eyes, she removed the blanket placed on top of her but unfortunately, she failed. Not sure if it's because she was weak at the moment or it was just plain heavy, the sheets were too difficult for her to lift off.

Having the chance to take a firm grip, Flare clutched on the edge of the blanket and gave a tug. She sighed in satisfaction when she felt air passed through the little gap she made between her and the thick blanket. The silver head was about to drift back to sleep when she was engulfed with heat once again, only this time she felt like being entangled by the sheets and the more she squirmed, the tighter it became.

"Stop moving." Her eyes shot open in surprise, not believing what she just heard.

"What the fuck?" Her voice was slurred but it was enough for Ace to wake up.

The raven's eyes immediately turned into saucers when he heard Flare curse. He was waiting for a reaction but nothing came. He was expecting her to scream or even bite him, given that their position was a bit too intimate; Flare's back laying flat against Ace' chest, his limbs wrapped around her waist and thighs, completely scooping her small frame.

With a scared face, Ace lifted himself a little, trying to peek through the woman's disheveled hair to check her reaction. He immediately raised a questioning brow when he saw what her face held - amazement.

Her eyes were wide but her vision wasn't focused, her mouth was ajar until it turned shut and she opened it again like a fish. He was completely clueless on why the woman was acting that way until she spoke again.

"Did the blanket just talked to me?"

Immediately, the raven understood the situation. Flare was somewhat hallucinating because of her fever, making her think that Ace was a completely huge blanket that magically talks. Letting out a chuckle, Ace looked through the window. Noticing that it was now morning, he slowly untangled his arms and legs off of Flare's body. The man immediately heard her satisfied sigh when his warmth left her making him smile.

'You were dead frozen a couple of hours ago and now you're happy your human heater isn't around anymore?'

With that thought in mind, Ace made his way out the room and into the kitchen. He was sure as hell he'll have a hard time while Flare's sick.

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Flare jolted awake hearing strings of curses followed by a yelp. It was silent for a few minutes making her feel sleepy once more. She was about to fall back in slumber when loud crashes reached her ears.

Glass shattering, pans clattering, and vegetables thumping. Ace gave a disapproving grunt after watching all the minced ingredients and utensils land on the floor. He's been in the kitchen for about an hour now and all he ever achieved were sets of bruises in his fingers and a dozen of broken plates.

Due to his clumsiness, everytime he tried placing his uneven chopped veggies on a plate, it always slip off the counter and shatter. He was growing tired of it and the tick mark on his temple was about to explode. He wanted to stop dicing stupid leafy things and just eat grilled meat but if he was to do that, he was sure that Flare'll be hungry.

Having that in mind, he tried his best to make breakfast for the two of them.

After placing inside a bowl the gooey substance Ace dared to call food, he made his was back inside the bedroom. His ears immediately went red seeing Flare awake and leaning against the bed's headboard. All of a sudden, he became conscious about the soup he made making him fidget.

"Oh, you're awake now. How are you feeling?" Ace asked carefully, trying his best to act calm.

"Tired." She croaked before closing her eyes. When she opened them, they immediately dart into Ace's hands, where the bowl is placed.

"What's that?" Unlike earlier, Flare's voice isn't slurred anymore and she was now fully aware around her surroundings. She still looked tired but not as much as before.

"I made.. breakfast?" Ace squeaked, making the two of them froze. It was the first time Flare had ever heard the raven's voice that tiny making her snort.

Flare watched the man in front of her awkwardly make his way near her. Pulling the bedside chair with his feet, Ace sat beside her bed, raising the bowl in front of her. Cocking a brow, she looked at the contents of it, scanning every ingredient. Sniffing, when the scent of the soup reached her nostrils, Flare immediately gagged, pushing Ace's hands away from her.

Taking in deep breaths, Flare tried calming her churning stomach, praying that she won't puke on the mattress. After a few minutes of nothing but slow breathing, she finally turned her head back into Ace's direction. She was about to give him a lecture about food when she noticed the man's head hung low and his shoulders slumped. Letting out a weak sigh, she called out his name.

"I guess I'll throw this away then."

Rising off his seat, Ace guided himself out the room but before he can even reach the door, a warm hand gently touched his forearm making him jolt. Turning his head, he was greeted with Flare's flushed face. He was about to ask why she stood but she beat him to it.

"I'm hungry." She croaked, eyes traveling back on the bed.

"I'll get you a new one, this probably tastes like garbage." He was immediately tugged when he moved, making him raise a questioning brow.

"That'll be enough."

Ace was about to argue how it smelt terrible but before he can even utter a word, a low growl came rumbling out of Flare's lips making him stop. Shaking his head, he placed a hand on her back and helped her return to bed. After both of them became comfortable in their seats, Ace raised the spoon and blew on it softly, guiding it near Flare's lips.

Even though it felt awkward, Flare leaned in, taking the spoon's contents. As soon as the goo reached her tongue, the silver head internally cringed.

The soup tasted terrible than it's scent. It was overcooked to the point where Flare can taste the firewood in it. The vegetables were soggy and slimy in the mouth while the meat was almost like a chewing gum. Salt and pepper were not found in the soup making it unappealing to her taste buds. All in all, it tastes awful more than she imagined.

Having difficultly, Flare tried her best to swallow the small amount of soup, beads of tears forming on the corner of her eyes.

"I.. I don't know how to cook. Even though the ingredients were simple and all you have to do is mix it, I still failed miserably." His voice was soft but sad, making her heart melt.

To be completely honest, Flare had no idea why she was forcing herself to eat the 'food'. She can immediately tell Ace that it's disgusting and ask him for water but she continuously keep her mouth shut, letting her body work instead of her mind.

"I, I don't know, I think all I can do is grill meat but you can't eat that since you're sick. You need soup, but it looked, smelled and tasted bad."

Flare thought to herself that bad was an understatement but hearing the disappointment on the man's voice washed it away. Eyes falling on Ace's shaking hands, her orbs suddenly turned wide, seeing all the fresh cuts on his digits. Flare was sure that it was because of him trying his best to cut vegetables, making her heart melt even more.

"I'll find a way I guess.." He was about to stand up when he heard her awkwardly cough.

His eyes shot up to look at Flare, worried something bad had happened while he was deep in his thoughts.

An unseen blush crept on Flare's already red from sickness face as she opened her mouth slightly. Ace frowned, not understanding the situation. Feeling and seeing the man's curious stare made her close her eyes from shyness, letting out a sigh, she opened them once more and pointed at the soup's direction before opening her mouth again.

Finally getting the message, Ace immediately shook his head disapprovingly, gripping the bowl tight.

"But it tastes-" His words were cutted off by Flare's stubborn grunt.

Letting a grunt of his own, he scooped the goo, blowing on it gently before directing it towards her.

With a bead of sweat forming on her temple, she took it in, eyes glistening from disgust but she held it all in. It tasted terrible, but seeing the glint of happiness on Ace's eyes was enough for her to willingly kill her taste buds and stomach.