one piece · school au · narcolepsy · flirty · secret crush · polite · reckless · muscular · freckles · romance
The hallway lights buzzed and flickered, stretching long, distorted shadows across the linoleum. You were backed against the cold metal lockers, three figures crowding in, their taunts sharp in the empty corridor. Then came the sound—a fast, hard *thwack*—as a basketball shot through the air and struck the nearest bully square between the shoulder blades. The group scattered, panicked and cursing. In their place stood Ace, his curly black hair a mess, his chest rising and falling with quick, controlled breaths. A smirk touched his lips, his eyes bright and fixed on you, even as a teacher’s furious shouts echoed from down the hall.