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bluewonderer · 1 year

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So, Luffy is actually hyper competent when it comes to outdoor survival.

Fire, of course, is so essential to this. He remembers fire on the quiet beaches of Foosha--remembers Makino's slim, calloused hands building a curious stack of wood, remembers the smell of smoke and the spark of warmth and light. The chocolate from the s'mores she made him got all over his cheeks, in his hair. His sticky fingers picked up a coating of sand and Makino washed his hands in the ocean.

That didn't happen too often. Makino was often dead on her feet, running her bar. But, when Luffy got a little older, when he got curious enough to ask "how do you do that?", she guided his little, chubby hands through the steps to build a fire. He was clumsy, and impatient, and in the end, she had to do it.

It was quiet, it was Makino all to himself surrounded by the stars and the sea and the warmth of the fire.

Shanks and the others never showed him how to build a fire, but their fires were different than Makino's quiet, private ones. The bonfires were huge--taller than Luffy! Even when Benn carried him on his shoulders! It was loud, and so bright it hurt his eyes, and so hot his hair would curl with sweat around his forehead and temples. And the men played so much music, and ate SO much food, and drank so much booze until they sloppily danced with each other and the young men and women from Foosha who were attracted by the fire.

Luffy loved those fires so much--he would feel full for days and days.

Grandpa tried to teach Luffy, maybe. Or maybe, Grandpa believes that he tried to teach Luffy. Really, he just said, "you build a fire like this, see? you need this, and you need to do that, make sure you do NOT do this, and done! there! now you know how to build a fire!"

Luffy did not know how to build one. It would have helped him in the ravine Grandpa threw him in afterward.

Ace and Sabo taught Luffy. Ace taught Sabo before Luffy ever met them. And it was good, because Ace taught a lot like Grandpa. "It's simple, Luffy. You just get this, do this, and don't do, no! I said don't do that! Ugh, why are you crying now?" But Sabo was there. And he wasn't more kind than Ace, but he was a competitive little shit. "You can't teach worth a damn, Ace--this is what happened when you tried to show me. I bet I can teach Luffy faster than you." And Ace, of course, had gritted his teeth and said, "you're on."

It took weeks for Luffy to properly build a fire on his own, under their competitive tutelage. He actually figured it out much fast than that. He just liked the attention of his big brothers. Besides, it was really funny whenever Sabo's sharp comments always made Ace lose control and tackle him into a wrestling match. Luffy always, always gleefully joined them.

Years later, Luffy's sort of surprised to find himself being the one to teach his crew how to build a fire and other things to survive out in the wilds. Zoro's shaped himself for survival in the bars and back alleys and the underground of East Blue's bigger towns and cities. He's never had to hunt for food before, but that was no problem. Luffy only had to teach him how to track prey, how to read the signs in the thick brush and camouflage of the wilderness. For someone like Zoro, who had something primal and hungry under his skin, the hunt comes naturally.

...Luffy should have maybe told him to stay away from those mushrooms, though. Zoro threw up for hours, and Luffy kind of felt bad about that. In his defense, he thought everyone knew about them. Like he thought everyone knew how to track an animal and build a fire.

"Oh," Nami says, puzzling over the thick stew Luffy makes one night under a forest's canopy. It's not as wild as Mt. Colubo, which is kind of boring. "This is actually good? I thought you were just pulling random bits of grass and leaves and mushrooms to throw in this. I was so hungry though, I wasn't going to care. Was just going to avoid the mushrooms in case you gave me poisonous ones."

"Yeah," Zoro grouses. "Nice to know about those, huh?"

"I can cook!" Luffy insists, not sure if he should be offended or flattered.

"Well, no," Nami says. "You blew up the last kitchen we were in. And somehow turned curry into a noxious gas."

"Ovens are hard!" Luffy insists, now sure that he's supposed to be offended. "And why were there so many ingredients? You just need meat! It was confusing!"

And so it goes. Gradually, Luffy shows them how to build a fire in the snow, how to build a shelter against the rain. He points out mushrooms that are safe to eat (and the ones that make you laugh and laugh, even if you don't particularly feel like laughing--Chopper hadn't been as amused with those as Luffy thought he would be). Good berry bushes and bad, what to do to make water safer, and how to hunt. He shows them how to trap small game, though that's not something he and his brothers did as often. They were always so hungry, and big game was always so much more fulfilling. But winters were hard, and sometimes trapping was they only way they ate at all.

Luffy likes to think he's a better teacher than Grandpa, but he's not sure by how much. How do you teach someone something that was once as normal as breathing to him? His friends are so smart, though. Smarter than him. (Except Zoro, who can build a sturdy shelter and then be trusted to never be able to find it again.)

He can tell not everyone particularly wanted to learn. But they're outlaws now. And when they're not facing the wilds of the Grand Line, they're pushed to the outskirts of civilization, camping out on beaches and on the outskirts of forests. These skills none of them thought they would need are suddenly essential.

But it's alright. Luffy's their captain. He'll always be with them, and can take care of them in this way.

(His favorite by far, though, are the beach bonfires. He's sure to build them as big as he remembers from his childhood. He insists on food and music and dancing and booze and s'mores each time. They're loud, and they're warm. And it's all his.

And he feels full for days and days.)

#one piece #monkey d. luffy #rorona zoro #one piece nami #asl brothers #one piece asl #one piece headcanons #i wrote a throwaway line about this headcanon in a fic i'm writing #and it's not enough i needed to ramble about it #forever haunted by luffy stuffing himself full of mushrooms after saobody to numb his feelings #i just think luffy is like The survival expert #and probably actually cooks a decent meal out in the wilderness #this turned long #blue writes

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rockyspotwrites · 2 years

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When Shanks and Luffy had been gone for well over an hour, Ace and Sabo knew something was up, and Makino did too. Granted, Makino seemed to know something was up before they even left, so she probably knows something that they don't.

Which is... Really frustrating, to say the least. How come she gets to know something important when they don't and they live with him?

With each passing minute that neither of their uncles showed back up, the more impatient they would get, looking between each other and scowling at any of Shanks' crewmates who would come a little too close. "What do you think they're up to?" Ace grumbled, clearly becoming more and more agitated. "A normal talk shouldn't take this long, should it? 'Specially not with Lu. He don't have the attention span for this long."

Sabo let out a thoughtful hum, leaning backwards on the stool. "I dunno. I don't think it should've took this long." He agreed, pulling himself forward as he tipped a bit too far back. "Wanna go sneak on the ship an' see what's takin' so long?"

Looking at his brother, he was met with a grin and an enthusiastic nod. "I thought you'd never ask!" Hopping down and beelining for the door with Sabo on his heels, they ignored Makino's calls to figure out where they were going.

With as many times as they had greeted the pirates as they docked, they had no trouble finding their ship, nor did they have any trouble climbing aboard it. The hard part was finding Luffy and Shanks, considering they'd never properly boarded the Red Force, and there was no sign of where they'd went as they looked around the deck. Looking at each other, they slowly began making their way to one of the doors and opening it to see a stairway leading deeper into the ship.

It was beginning to feel less like a good idea to come and search the ship themselves with every passing moment, but they continued onwards, keeping their footsteps as quiet as they could as they kept their eyes and ears out for any sign of their uncles. Peeking into every open room they passed, they mostly saw storage rooms and what looked to be the navigation room, but no meeting rooms or bedrooms. Sabo looked over to Ace to see him glaring in the last room they looked into, and he found himself silently agreeing - this wasn't going as well as they hoped. It really didn't seem like they were going to find either of them at the rate they were going.

Continuing onwards a bit more, they finally seemed to find a bedroom; a lamp was still burning and the room was a mess, but most notably were the two familiar pairs sandals left by themselves beside the bed. It didn't look like there had been a physical fight aside from ruffled bedsheets, but both of the brothers felt a great deal of unease at knowing that neither of them had taken the time to slip their shoes back on before taking off to who-knows-where.

"Should we... Leave?" Sabo asked, quietly, hesitant to break the silence as they both stood alone in the unfamiliar place.

Ace shrugged before knocking his knuckles together, eyebrows knitted together. "Well, they clearly ain't here," he said, a bit more forcefully than he meant to, "so I don't know why we should stay. But I dunno where they would've went, so - so I dunno what to do after this."

"Maybe one of 'em made it back to the bar? Or Lu mighta went home?" Sabo suggested, taking a step back towards the door and waiting to see what Ace would do. Still knocking his knuckles together, the freckled boy finally nodded, if reluctantly. He looked at the two pairs of sandals left on the ground and began charging his way out, Sabo following at a slightly less angry pace as they left the ship much quicker than they had boarded it.

Stomping back into the bar, they were met by soft conversation and Makino sounding as if her patience was running out. "You actually thought that anything about that was going to go well?" She asked, and when they pushed through to see who she was speaking to, it wasn't much of a surprise that it was a bare-footed Shanks. "Even I know that you can't go springing at him like that and expect him to keep a cool head, whether you were just worried for him or not."

"Listen, I know that, I jus', do you know where he mighta went? That's all I wanted to know!" The captain was holding his hands together and hitting the heel of one foot on the top of his other, anxiety practically oozing off of him. "I lost him an' I wanna go apologize -"

Hearing the last bit was enough to set Ace off, his face scrunching up as he stomped over and tugged on Shanks' pant leg; the moment he turned enough, a small but powerful fist smashed his jewels without giving him a chance to get a word in. "What didja do to Lu?" Ace snarled as Shanks' hands shot down and he doubled over partway. "You said you was jus' gonna talk to him, how the hell'd you screw up so bad!"

Content to let Ace get his frustration out and reasoning that they did still have Luffy's permission to hit Shanks, Sabo stood behind him, glaring at their uncle as he struggled to regain his composure. Makino looked less surprised and more resigned at the events playing out before her, as well as a bit worried. For Shanks' ability to ever procreate or for Luffy, it wasn't clear.

Flipping off the kids as he muttered curse after curse under his breath, Shanks finally seemed to get his head back onto his shoulders. "I didn't mean to do shit y' li'l crotch goblin!" He hissed through still-clenched teeth as he slowly began the rise to standing up straight, showing misty eyes and furrowed brows. "Good Lords, you couldn't've held back a bit? If you wanna talk to someone, y' don't try to break their dick!"

"Well, you did somethin', so you needed to be hit." Ace said matter-of-factly, arms crossed and fidgety as he glared up at Shanks.

"Lu did tell us we could hit you in the balls a bit back, so we were jus' a little slow takin' up the offer." Sabo added unhelpfully, getting flipped off again, though he gave it right back.

"If I didn't care 'bout you two so much I'd beat the piss outta you," Shanks said, finally at his regular height, even though his legs were a bit bent. A few of his crew let out muffled laughs over it, but they were paid no mind. "Why do y'all have to choose violence every time?"

Ace rolled his eyes, hugging himself tighter. "You deserved it an' you still haven't said what you did to make Lu run off." He spat, literally, making Shanks cringe at the feeling of spit hitting his foot. "'Cause he don't get upset easy an' he don't like leavin' shit un-fixed even if he sucks at fixin' shit, so you had to've done somethin' big."

That seemed to kick something into place in Shanks' mind, if nothing else, and he went back to looking distressed as he glanced between them and Makino. "Okay, okay, I yelled at him an' he yelled at me an' then he ran out and now I don't have any clue where to even start lookin' for him," he said quickly, clearly repeating what he said before they'd arrived, "and I needed help figurin' out where he goes when he gets mad'r upset?"

"Considering this is the first time that I've seen that he's gotten angry enough to storm off instead of trying to clear things up, I'm not going to be any help." Makino said, a silent 'so figure it out yourself' tacked onto the end.

Sabo noticed Ace taking deep breaths to try not to hit Shanks again, so he stepped forward a bit and bumped their shoulders. "Yeah, he usually stays to understand why the person he was arguin' with said what they did, so you screwed up big time, uncle." He tried putting a bit of disappointment in his voice like Luffy would when they break one of the few rules he'd placed. "C'mon, Ace, let's go take a nap at the house an' see if he shows up by the time we get back up, and if he hasn't, we'll go checkin' the forest."

He gently pulled his brother by the arm and was met by some resistance, but not enough to keep him from getting him away from the situation. When they were back out into the night air for a few minutes and the quiet seemed to work its magic, Ace let out a loud yell and started shaking his hands rapidly. Sabo watched to make sure he wouldn't hurt himself in his stimming like Luffy would, but didn't interrupt Ace as he tried to do his breathing exercises along with them.

Sabo did guide him so he'd be sitting on the ground after it didn't seem to help after a little while, and just sat with him as he slowly grounded himself. He knew better than to touch him while he was as overwhelmed as he was, even if he wanted to at least try to give him physical comfort.

It took a while longer for Ace to start calming down enough to speak again, but Sabo didn't mind waiting. He wasn't going to be like the Outlooks, making him get better on their time instead of his, so he was patient and calm with him. Maybe he wouldn't have been a year ago, before Luffy had showed him that kindness works better than impatience, but he knew better now. He was better now. He was always better than the Outlooks, even if he couldn't get himself to believe so.

"'M sorry." Ace mumbled, still seeming to be a bit overstimulated and not up for talking. That was fine, though, and Sabo shook his head.

"Don't be dumb, you don't have to apologize for anythin'." He said sternly, resisting the urge to flick Ace's forehead. "You up for heading home for a nap or do you still need a couple minutes?"

Ace didn't move for a couple seconds, thinking it over; finally, he nodded, and shakily got to his feet. Sabo let him set the pace as they finally made the rest of their way home, opening the door to a dark and quiet house. Both of them scrunched their faces up at how dead it was in comparison to when Luffy was there, but they just headed to their bedroom without speaking a word, as if just one would shatter the world they'd stepped into.

They climbed into their respective beds, but both laid awake for quite a while. The silence was heavy and uncomfortable, and even though both were exhausted, it was a fight to get the rest they needed.

#portgas d luffy au #one piece #op #portgas d. ace #shanks #op sabo #shanks op

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wordsdrippinginink · 6 years

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(3 of 4) OPVengers. Meeting Luffy. Again and for the 1st time. (because we all know that this is gonna be a mess of the highest caliber)

“Why do they call you Gol D Ace,” Steve asks curiously as Ace frowns at the newspaper that a bird had delivered. “I thought your name was Portgas D Ace, was,” he pauses. “Were you just too polite to correct us?”

Ace blinks slowly at him, the same way that Steve has seen Kotatsu do, before sighing, “About twenty, fuck I’m suppose to be twenty two? Twenty four years ago, there was a man who became the Pirate King, before his execution, he said that the person who made it to this island that he had left his treasure on would take his place. His name was Gol D Roger, he’s-” he gestures hopelessly. “-my male genetic provider.”

“But you’re suppose to be twenty two?”

“My mom, Portgas D Rouge, lived on a small island called Batterilla. That man stayed with her for a time before turning himself into the marines and the marines heard rumor that Gol was going to be a father. They killed a number of women and young children to prevent his bloodline from continuing.”

Steve feels sick because this is starting to make the Marines sound more like the Nazis in his memories, the men who would kill off another group of humans because they didn’t approve of them. For a government to willingly, publicly, approve of murdering children and pregnant women-

“My mother extended her pregnancy. I think it was Conquer’s haki, which forces your will over someone else but Gramps said it was will power, for almost two years. It killed her, she lived long enough to name me.”

“She sounds like an amazing woman,” Steve says instead, because he knows amazing women. Portgas D Rouge sounds as strong as Peggy and his mother, the number of other women that he’s met over the years. “I’m sorry you never got to meet her.”

“Thanks,” Ace says smiling softly before glancing back at his paper. “This says that Luffy’s been up to his usual shit, the little brat, and gives us an idea where he’s going to be heading, since Marco’s heard rumors about Luffy working with Trafalgar.”

“What a Traflga?” Tony mumbles into his cup, eyes narrowed at a speck of nothing on the table. “Is that a food?”

“Trafalgar Law, he’s a member of the Marine’s pet pirates,” Ace says shrugging. “He’s got a devil’s fruit that,” Ace shrugs. “It’s a little hard to explain, I think. But let’s say if you run into a blue circle, you’re fucked because he’ll dismember you. You’ll live and get everything reattached easily enough, but it’s annoying.”

Pepper hums looking at the map that Ace had taken from Marco, “Where is Fishman Island on this?”

“Under this,” Ace answers tapping on a landmass. “It’s underwater, you have to get the ship coated so that it can go under and this island is Saboady, best place in the world to find someone to coat your ship,” his finger trails to another island. “This is Dressrosa. If Luffy keeps on track then he’ll be here about the same time that we will.”

“Any plans for when we arrive?” Pepper asks finally, probably mentally calculating the days until they arrived. Steve has found that she plans as well her as she does for Stark Industries. She also looks more relaxed than Steve has ever seen her. “We’ve got several choices.”

“Undercover,” Ace answers simply. “The island has been taken over by one of the other pet pirates the Marines have running around. His name is Doflamingo and I would burn him alive if I got the chance.”

“What,” Clint asks raising an eyebrow. “is a pet pirate?”

“The marines have a group of seven pirates that they Warlords, whom work for them. They offered me a spot before I was revealed to be,” he taps his name in the paper. “It also offers protection, which is why some people take it. I wouldn’t but I know that Boa Hancock worked with my brother to try and help me escape execution, which means she’s playing her own game.”

The politics of this world are just as complicated as Ace and Marco had tried to explain to them in the beginning and Steve doesn’t know what to think. Sometimes he thinks that maybe pirates are right, maybe they’re the ones that are doing the right thing, but then, then. He doesn’t know what to think and it’s driving him mad.

“You said undercover,” Pepper says because she’s focused. “Undercover how?”

Ace smirks and Steve shivers because the last time that they saw that face, they had taken out a marine ship that had been chasing them and left the survivors for dead, “What do you know about disguises?”

“You don’t want to get involved with that,” Clint whispers as Luffy clings to the man that he thinks is Ace’s other brother, the one that Marco had mentioned, sobbing his heart out. “They’re already having emotional break downs.”

“I died in Luffy’s arms,” Ace says softly, leaning back against the statue that they’ve taken to hiding behind, not looking around it to catch sight of them. “And he’s got a big fight coming. I don’t think it’s fair to throw him off balance just yet.”

“And Sabo’s not doing the same thing?”

Ace hums, “your older brother dies when you’re not even in the double digits, but he comes back years later to tell you he’s alive before a big battle. Emotional, but not compromising. Your brother who died in your arms to save your life two years ago shows up alive?”

“Point,” Clint says softly. “What is your plan then? I know you made us all memorize what Luffy’s crew and this Trafalgar guy’s crew look like, but if Sabo’s running around too, who we don’t have a picture for just your description, he’s got to have allies.”

“That’s Sabo’s fault for being a member of the Revolutionary army,” Ace shrugs and Clint can see the tension in his shoulders.

“Would it be that bad? For Luffy to see you now?”

“Marco says Luffy was catatonic after my death. If you were that bad after someone dies on you, what would you do if they came back?”

Clint sucks in a breath through his teeth, “Jesus fuck. So we’re good to be spotted as we like, but you’ve gotta keep yourself out of sight. Do you have a plan to meet up with Luffy again?”

“After. There’s always time after fights like this and I think it’ll be better. Just,” Ace shrugs and he pushes himself upright, pulling the baseball cap that Pepper had shoved onto his head down to shade his face. “We can’t avoid to distract him now. I can’t afford to ruin this for him.”

“But after?”

Ace grins, halfhearted, “After this, I think Luffy would love to have both of his older brothers back in his life, don’t you?”

Doflamingo stops short at the swirling inferno that separates him from where Law has dragged Straw Hat, flames too hot and bright for him to risk a step further.

“You know, I think that you’re a little creepy about Trafalgar,” that’s a voice he’s heard before. The entire world had heard it. “But that’s my baby brother down there and no offense, you fucking nut job, but I don’t think you’re going to get a step closer to him.”

“I see the rumors about your death were exaggerated, Gol D Ace.”

Gol hisses and his eyes narrow, “Portgas, Noble.”

“Oh, you know about that, do you?”

“I know a lot of people and for those that I don’t Marco does. A little rumor about how the Donquixote family was disgraced? Marco is going to hunt down everything about that,” Gol smirks and the baseball cap looks foolish on his head. “He’s going to beat you.”

“A brother’s belief, I heard Straw Hat thought you would live.”

“I did, didn’t I? I’m standing here and,” Gol shifts and his shirt falls open revealing his chest and not a single sign of the wound that Doflamingo had expected to be there. “I certainly hope you don’t think I would be stupid enough to come that close to death again.”

They both stop at the sharp rise in Haki, Gol smirking viciously and with all his teeth, “I hope your death is ignoble and erased from history.”

He vanishes, the flames gone as fast as they appeared, Straw Hat once more on his feet and moving forward.

Doflamingo laughs, shoulders shaking, what an interesting day. He would be sure to sting Gol up after he had murdered Straw Hat, he would get his answers then, after all, how many escaped death?

Luffy smiles, exhaustion pulling at him as he’s watches Sabo, alive and well, talking with his crew. It’s nice, he thinks he should probably be more upset, but Sabo’s been dead to him for twelve years since he was seven.

“You expecting someone?” Zoro asks as someone knocks on the door. “Because we aren’t.”

“I’m not,” Sabo agrees. “Unless Koala thinks that I’ve taken too much time and wants me to hurry up, would one of you mind opening the door? I’m a bit far.”

“I have it,” Robin says, an arm sprouting from the door and opening it, her voice wavers part way through her greeting. “I do not believe that is Koala.”

Luffy tilts his head to look at the door and feels his heart sink in his chest at the silhouette in the doorway before they step inside.

“Sorry I’m late,” Ace, because it looks like Ace, says smiling softly. “I got a little lost, would you believe it? Took me ages to get home-” he turns into flames as one of Zoro’s swords slash at him. “That’s just rude.”

“Ace?” Luffy hates how his voice chokes up and breaks.

Ace’s smile goes impossibly softer, like when he was dying in Luffy’s arm, “Hey Luffy. I’m sorry, I didn’t know it would happen like this. Are you okay?” He takes a step forward and stops as Luffy’s crew steps between them. “Oh, right. Gotta prove I’m Ace, don’t I?”

Luffy wants to tell his crew to move, to let him see his big brother, but Ace, not Ace, is right. He needs to prove he’s Ace or Luffy will kill him. If, Luffy can feel the tears returning, if it’s Ace-

“Remember where you spent all your time after Sabo died?” Ace says after a moment, keeping his hands up and Luffy’s eyes shift away from him to where there’s a too big cat in the doorway, because either this will be right or wrong and he can’t look at him. “I promised you that I would never die before you. Punched you first, said you should worry more about dying before me, since you’re so much weaker than I am.”

“Luffy, is that?”

“Ace,” Luffy sobs holding out his arms because he’s too tired to move but this is Ace. “Ace, it’s-”

“Luffy, you crybaby.”

“-you’re alive!”

Ace moves forward slowly, dropping down beside Luffy on the bed, “I promised, didn’t I? That I wouldn’t die before you. I’m sorry it took me so long to get home, I’ve missed you so much. But look at you.”

“Ace!” Luffy sobs, wrapping his arms tight around Ace.

“I’m sorry,” Ace whispers leaning closer and hugging him back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was two years, I was only gone a week. I’m sorry.”

Luffy squeezes tighter, feeling his exhaustion creeping up on him, “Don’t leave.”

“Of course not.”

“Another world,” Sabo says slowly looking at the people who had burst in when Ace hadn’t returned. “You went to another world?”

“I don’t wanna hear it from you, you got amnesia that only went away after my death. Marco was gonna beat you up if you didn’t know so much,” Ace shoots back, brushing Luffy’s hair from his face. “Kotatsu, come here.”

The big cat that’s been sitting in the doorway, jumps onto the bed with grace and curls up against Ace’s side, purring loudly. Sabo remembers this cat, it had been at the house with Marco the Phoenix when he had arrived to see Ace’s grave.

“Why does Marco the Phoenix know so much about your childhood anyway?” Sabo asks. “You told him a hell of a lot for a crew-mate.”

“Serious boyfriend,” Ace corrects, smirking. Sabo’s head aches and he knows he looks shocked, he is. “We were pretty serious when I died and Marco,” he tilts his head. “Marco asked to, if we could pick up where we left off and I’m weak.”

Sabo shakes and takes half a step forward, “may I?”

“I’m not gonna vanish if you touch me, Sabo.”

“Fuck,” Sabo hisses tripping over his own feet to hug Ace, biting back a sob when Ace doesn’t vanish and remains solid. “Ace.”

“I’m glad you aren’t dead too, you idiot.”

Sabo hides his face against Ace’s shoulder, “That’s my line, you idiot.”

Luffy is warm, he’s warm and he doesn’t want to open his eyes because he had the best dream in the world. Sabo had been alive and he had kept his promise to Traffy, and then Ace had shown up. He had dreamed up Ace, alive and smiling and coming back to apologize for being gone for so long, which wasn’t even fair.

“Tatsu,” Luffy hears a whisper, too soft to do more than just hear the voice. “Let him sleep, he’s tired.”

“He doesn’t look like he’s going to let go of you anytime soon,” Luffy doesn’t know that voice but he can hear Robin laughing, so it means that it’s safe. He feels safe. “Are we going to be here until he wants to let go, Captain?”

“I think I owe him that much.”

Luffy burrows close and pretends that his dream is real for one long moment before opening his eyes.

“We’re going to travel with him for a bit, aren’t we?”

“I am, you’re going to be leave to go home at some point and I wouldn’t dare keep you,” Ace says grinning. “Besides, Tony says that he’s making me one of those things you use and if I don’t talk to him once a day, he’s going to come back and kick my ass.”

The woman he’s talking to laughs, her head thrown back, “That sounds like Tony.”

“Ace?”

“Oh,” Ace is looking at him, smiling softly. “Did we wake you up, Luffy? I’m sorry, do you want to go back to sleep?”

Luffy shakes his head, feeling like he’s about to start crying again, “Ace’s real.”

“I’m real,” Ace promises.

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whitelionspirit · 3 years

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Pale Fire: Strange Habits

Pairng: Ace x Reader

Series: Modern au of the life of Ace and the reader.

Scenario: Over the last several weeks Ace has been huddling up in your room. It doesn’t help that your feelings for him have been solidified for a while now.

wc: 2.6k

warning: non just fluff and unsure feelings

a/n: It is here! The first part of this series I talked about a few weeks ago. Here a little bit about it if you missed x . This is not in order of events the story all comes together in different peeks into their lives

After another exhausting day at work and checking up on some assignments, you were ready for bed. Your usual bed stealer was already tucked into the cozy corner near the wall. His soft snores were your only indications that he was asleep. How you had ended up in this arrangement, you weren't sure anymore. Though it didn't bother you as the man was a walking heater. So in the dead of winter, you could care less as he kept you extremely warm.

Yawning, you close your laptop and move from your desk, and head towards the bed. Running a hand through your hair, you sit down on the edge of the bed. Leaning forward, you click off the desk lamp until the room is dark.

Crawling under the covers, you sighed happily at the warm feeling surrounding you; it was comforting. Shifting onto your side, you faced the wall where Ace was soundly still asleep.

You could easily make out his figure due to the street lights coming in from outside, making the room visible. He was laying on his stomach, hugging the pillow to his chest as his bareback was exposed to you.

You had known for a while that you had feelings for him, but you were too afraid to say anything to him. Perona had been on you lately about it, especially since Ace had been spending more time sleeping in your bed than his own in the last few weeks.

Why exactly, you weren't sure, but it didn't bother you much. He did love to be around you a lot, and you learned early on that he stripped in his sleep. It was a bit embarrassing at first, but you came to expect it throughout your friendship. Tonight was one of those rare times where he had kept his boxers on.

You smiled fondly at the memories as you continue to stare at the rise and fall of his back. Your eyes shifted downwards to the ink that littered his backside. What once was a skull and crossbones was now half a tattoo and a large amount of scarring. While you knew the story behind it as it happened before you even met the man. The sight of it made you emotional for some reason; Ace didn't like talking about it very much. Not that you blamed him, it was a horrific accident that left him very badly hurt with side effects even today.

The loud snore broke through the silence, making you freeze at the noise. You snorted as Ace's breathing went back to normal as he shifted slightly towards you.

Feeling content, you finally snuggled down into the covers and closed your eyes. Sleep finally overtook you as the day's events caught up with you finally.

Hot.

It was overwhelming and itchy, as if your whole body was on fire and unable to get away from it. Your mind raced as the intensity continued until something hard punctured it making it burst open. Your eyes fly open in a rush as you sit up with a start. Heart racing, you placed a hand on your heated skin to only cringe at the slick wetness that came off of you. Looking down, you noticed your body and T-shirt are soaked with your sweat. Still trying to catch your breath, you stare off into the still dark room.

You couldn't have been asleep for long, but what was that strange feeling you had never felt before. Your eyes finally adjusted again as you turn your head towards Ace. Who had somehow rolled over in his sleep and was now wrapped tightly around your body.

Well, that explains that issue. You supposed the man was still sound asleep as his arms tightened on your waist. The heat that radiated off of him was a lot. His leg was hooked over your thigh as he snored softly into your pillow.

"You are such a pain, Portgas, you know that?" You mumbled as you tried your best to settle back into the sheets ignoring the damp clothing you wore with the older man clinging to you like a monkey.

He didn't reply, but you took his snoring as a sign that he could care less. Closing your eyes again, you drift back off, not to be disturbed too.

...

The following morning was a noisy one but having lived in the house for almost over a year now, you grow used to it. Rolling over in your still half-asleep state, your eyes blur, not fully awake as you stare at the wall. The fuck how did you end up on the opposite side of the bed this time. Rolling back over, you noticed that your usual bed companion was nowhere to be seen.

Weird.

He must have gotten up already, which was odd for him. Ace usually slept in late on Sunday, but it seems today was a rare occasion when he didn't. Grabbing for your phone, the screen lights up to show it is a little past noon.

A little later than your own wake-up time but the little extra sleep was nice. Pushing the covers off yourself and getting out of the bed heading to the bathroom. After relieving yourself, you head down the stairs and into the chaos. The excited chatter of Luffy and Perona could be heard as you enter the kitchen. They don't pay you any mind as Luffy excitedly leans over the kitchen island and watches your best friend cook away.

The sight was very comical as Perona tried to push Luffy away, who was happily drooling at the presence of the sizzling meat. Giggling, you open up the fridge and grab for the jug of orange juice; shaking the container, you close the fridge behind you.

"Oh, (name) finally up, I see," Perona said, looking over at you.

Smiling at her, you open up the cabinet next to you and grab for a cup. "Yeah, guess I needed the extra sleep." You replied, turning back to them and pouring your drink.

"Well, I'm glad you came down when you did because I could use your help with cooking. No one else is around yet, so I decided to make a big brunch for everyone." She said as she cracked a few more eggs into another pan.

"You are so awesome, Perona!" Luffy said as he sat on the counter with a smile on his face.

You smiled at the sight even though this situation was a relatively regular one in your home. It always warms your heart because growing up, your luck with long-lasting friendships wasn't the greatest. So living here with some fantastic people made you emotional at times.

"So I see Ace slept in your room again last night." You froze at your friend's words as she peeked over at you from behind Luffy.

A guiltily blush crept its way up to your face. You looked away from her and stared into the living room. "Ugh yeah, he did; it's no big deal, just used to it." You mumbled.

"I see," she said slyly, making your face burn hotter with embarrassment.

"That's pretty normal for Ace. I think he's always clung to people that make him comfortable. He did a lot of that when we were kids and later with Deuce and Marco. Though for a while, he didn't think after his last relationship, which ended pretty badly, especially after the accident." He trailed off for a moment. "With you, for some reason, he started doing it again, but I'm glad we were all worried about him." Luffy grinned at you.

You were stunned. Ace had never mentioned anything before, not that you should be surprised. Despite his easy-going and friendly persona, Ace was relatively private on some matters of his life. Which never bothered you because you knew with time if it was necessary, he would tell you eventually.

"I wasn't aware, but I'm glad he feels so comfortable with me. I feel the same about him. He makes me feel secure, I suppose, is the right word."

Luffy looked at you thoughtfully and looked away, but you caught a hint of a smile anyway.

"Speaking of Ace, where is he? He wasn't in bed when I got up."

"Oh, he went for a morning run with Sabo. Well, I guess more of a late morning run. They should be back soon, though. Better start this before I have to listen to them whine about food again." Perona rolled her eyes, making you laugh at the image.

It was a ubiquitous experience in the shared home of the three brothers with bottomless pits. It was a good thing that Ace and Sabo had such good-paying jobs that they could have tons of extra food. Grabbing an apron from the hanger, you tied it around your waist and held for a mixing bowl, and started cracking eggs.

Both You and Perona moved in sync around the kitchen while dodging Luffy's grabby hands. The time passed quickly as you both finished making the feast just as the front door opened. The loud chatter of both older men caught your attention as you platted another stack of pancakes.

Looking over at your pink-haired friend you both shared the same thought as you both stepped away from the food. Just as both Sabo and Ace came stumbling in at the sight of the food. Just like wild beasts, all three brothers are divided in for their shares. You shook your head at their antics as a tap at your shoulder had you turning around.

Holding up a plate of food, Perona smiled at you as she headed it over. A smile spread across your face at her offering; grabbing it, you happily started to eat it.

"Thank, Rona yove the beth." You yell even though she barely heard you with your face stuffed and all.

She rolled her eyes at your display but smiled anyway. A sudden presence had you looking up at an arm circled your shoulders, pulling you into someone's chest. You gasped at the action but quickly recoiled at the smell and tried to tear away, but the grip was tight.

"(Name)!!" Ace mumbled as he swallowed his food.

"Acccce!" You whined as he held you closer to his sweat-soaked chest.

"(Name)!!!" He responded back teasingly.

You pouted as he snickered and kissed your cheek affectionately, making your cheeks burn in embarrassment.

"Ok, lovebirds, take it somewhere else; we're trying to eat here," Sabo said as he gestured to the other three in the room, a grin playing at his lips.

You groaned and pushed Ace off of you as you grabbed your plate and joined the others at the table. Ace just laughed and followed you as he sat across from you. As you started eating again, Sabo spoke between mouthfuls of food and told a story.

You didn't hear half of it, but it was something about running into Zoro on their run from what you gathered. From the way Luffy was in hysterics, you knew the man had probably gotten lost again. It made you laugh at the image of him getting frustrated as he ran back and forth through the local town. Most people knew who he was as this was a constant habit, so that alone was funny enough.

After you were done eating, you helped to shove the boys out of the kitchen so you could clean.

"Go shower. You all smell!" You finally said, making them groan and protest.

You glared at them all, making the three boys shut up and stare at you before quickly saying sorry and scrambling up the stairs. The sight of them trampling over one another was entertaining and made you smile as you headed back into the kitchen.

…

You heaved a heavy sigh as you flopped down onto your bed; after finishing the kitchen, you had returned to your room. Knowing you would be waiting for the shower for a while, you decided to lay down. Rolling over, the three large windows greet you. They were currently blocking out the light making the room darker than it would usually be.

Lately, you weren't sure of anything between school, your job, and being an adult, in general, was enough to make you restless. Though the constant unsolved resolve in your mind was this deal with Ace. You cared for him so much, but the thought of destroying your close friendship is what stopped you from pushing further.

Turning on your stomach, you hugged the nearest pillow to your chest, which you realized had been the pillow Ace slept on. Closing your eyes, you bury your face into the soft fabric. The smell of smoke and cologne came off of it. It was all Ace, and it was soothing to have the familiar scent lulling you into euphoria. Between the warmth coming from the heater and the pillow you hugged, you dozed off pretty quickly.

The dipping of the bed alerted you from your half-asleep state as someone sat down beside you. You blinked your eye open more, making your whine softly. Rolling over, you are given the sight of Ace sitting hunched over on your bed as he pulled his blue sweatshirt off his head. Leaving him in a yellow shirt. He tossed it onto the floor, which made you roll your eyes at his carelessness.

Ace ran a hand through his still-damp hair and casually scooted himself back on the bed as he laid down next to you. He laid on the opposite side to you, so he was facing you upside down, his back to the wall this time.

"Hi," he said, smiling at you softly.

"Hello, intruder," you mumble, your face still buried in the pillow you were now hugging to your chest.

He laughed. "Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you," he says with not a hint of remorse in his words.

You snorted.

"Right, because you are sorry every other time."

He shrugged his shoulders, continuing to smile at you, but this time his eyes had this gentle look in them you hadn't seen before. The look alone made you avert your gaze as your cheeks heated. You tried to not think of what that could mean exactly. The last few weeks had really been weird with him in general. The clinging, bed-sharing, soft looks, and just no boundaries at all at this point, which you were used to anyway, especially with Luffy, but this was different.

"Hey…..Ace, can I ask you something?"

You looked at him again; his brown eyes bore into yours.

"Sure, what is it?"

Closing your eyes, your grip on the pillow tightened, taking a deep breath, and you looked at him again. His lips pulled into a frown.

"It's nothing. Just wanted to know if you would take a nap with me?"

A huge grin split across his face at the gesture, and he happily sat up and grabbed you around the waist.

"Always (Name)!" He wrapped the blankets around you both and swaddled you into his chest. A giggle left you as you situated yourself in his grasp until you were comfortable. A sweet silence befalls you both as you settle into each other's warmth. After a while, you knew he was asleep from his soft snores near your ear.

You weren't sure when you would finally confine him about your feelings. For now, you were content with this strange arrangement you both had and were happy to continue it for a little while longer.

#Portgas D. Ace #portgas d. ace x reader #one piece x reader #one piece imagine #op imagine #pale fire series

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