Super late, but merry Christmas, @empresskira! There is more to this, but I ran out of writing power, so I drew it~ Marco is a fallen angel, Sabo is a warlock, and Ace is a fire nymph! They’re three glowy bois <3
Mike Driver
Xuebing Du
Not today Justin

No title available
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
sheepfilms

Origami Around
occasionally subtle

祝日 / Permanent Vacation
ojovivo
DEAR READER
Claire Keane
taylor price
TVSTRANGERTHINGS

Love Begins

izzy's playlists!
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
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Aqua Utopia|海の底で記憶を紡ぐ

blake kathryn

seen from Lithuania
seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from United States
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seen from Malaysia
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seen from Türkiye

seen from United Kingdom

seen from Netherlands
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seen from Colombia
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seen from Switzerland
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Sweden
@dontaskmewhyiwrite
Super late, but merry Christmas, @empresskira! There is more to this, but I ran out of writing power, so I drew it~ Marco is a fallen angel, Sabo is a warlock, and Ace is a fire nymph! They’re three glowy bois <3
Mystery Knight
One Piece, LawLu Word Count: 6313 Rating: T (for language) Genre: Fluff, Modern!Au, Adventure
Summary: Law will remember the first snow of that year. After all, it’s not everyday you meet a stranger who takes you out for a night of adventure.
Law’s feet pound against the pavement, further aggravating his headache as he sprints towards the train station. He bypasses the security guard, flashing his transport card as he speeds by, barreling through the other pedestrians. The sounds of his own footsteps echo against the bare walls. His teeth ache.
As he flies down the staircase, he looks up long enough to notice the subway doors slowly closing. He wills his feet to move faster, but before he can reach them, the train begins to slide out of the station. He watches his last hope rattle away.
“Dammit!” Law rubs at his pounding headache. At this rate, he’ll have a migraine in no time.
“Miss the train?” a high voice asks behind him. Law refrains from spinning around and decking the stranger in frustration.
Robin gives her a reassuring smile that makes Koala’s heart speed up. She quickly returns to the mess she’s made. She really doesn’t want to lose this job.
Hellebore
It’s dark, and there’s no one around by the time she reaches the Thousand Sunny. There’s a flickering light on board, so she heads up the ramp and finds the kitchen door open.
Valentine’s Chocolate
These cuties slay me.
“Luffy! Quiet!” Ace hisses at his younger brother’s giggling. Luffy stifles a few more giggles; Ace tries to control his grin.
The Sky's Your Limit (And You're Mine) chapter 4
“Is that a challenge I hear?” The two share a look, one that promises mischief and mayhem. Oh, Ace cannot wait for tomorrow.
The Sky’s Your Limit (And You’re Mine) Chapter 3
his disobliging ways are a matter of habit
@marcoweek day 3; was meant to be “love” but…?
“So, hey,” Ace says, fingers twisting together. “You know how you said my crew was welcome to join the Whitebeards too, if they wanted to?”
Marco nods slowly. “We did say that, yoi. We don’t generally take captains, but we’d never separate you from your crew if you didn’t want to go.”
“Right,” Ace says, but he’s still fidgeting. “All my crew, right? You said.”
Marco props his hands on his hips. “What’s this about, yoi?”
Ace takes a deep breath. “I saved him,” he says, spreading his hands. “And he’s very well-behaved, I promise. Mostly sticks with me, you know, because fire, but I just thought I should check because–” he trails off, waving to demonstrate…something.
Marco sighs and does not raise a hand to rub at his head. Ace is still new and tetchy enough that he won’t take well to it, and this is the first time he’s ever asked for anything, or, well, tried to, anyway. “If he’s part of your crew, he’s welcome, yoi,” Marco promises.
“Okay,” Ace says and takes a deep breath. He steps back and opens the door behind him. “Marco, this is Kotatsu.”
Keep reading
The Sky's Your Limit (And You're Mine)
Chapter 3: First We Run; Then We Fly Ace is running late. Work had gotten so busy he’d lost track of time and accidentally stayed an extra hour before rushing out the door. He focuses on his breathing, his arms and legs protesting as he pushes them to go faster, to make it on time, come on! He doesn’t see the kid until they’ve collided. Thankfully, his reflexes are pretty good, and the kid’s dark wings keep them from falling. “Are you alright? I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention!” Ace apologizes, bouncing in place as he prepares to take off again. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Are you taking the exam too?” the kid asks, and Ace has to stop and look him over. They can’t be older than, what, 14? No way this kid is old enough to be taking a University exam! “How old are you?” Ace blurts out.The kid blinks before giving him a shy grin. “Sixteen,” they admit, and quickly add, “but I’ll be seventeen at the beginning of the semester!” Ace nods blankly, trying to associate that baby face with a seventeen year old. Before he can, he remembers why they collided in the first place. “Shit. We’re gonna be late!” Without really thinking about it, he grabs the kid’s arm and hauls them both towards the exam room. They make it just as the instructor stands up, ready to pass out the exam. The proctor gives them an annoyed glare but waits as they grab their seats. Ace heads over to his place next to Sabo, who throws an amused smirk at him. The kid finds the closest empty seat they can, which looks difficult considering how packed the room is. Once they’re settled, the exam begins. ~~~~ “That exam was a breeze!” Sabo comments, shifting his arms behind his head and grinning down at Ace. “Smug bastard,” Ace mutters at him, earning a smirk. Honestly, Ace doesn’t think he did that bad either. Between Sabo constantly talking about Heroes and their study/cramming sessions over the last few weeks, he knew most of the material. He bumps Sabo’s back, not quite willing to admit that he actually enjoys paying attention to the nerd. Sabo laughs and jumps forward, moving so that he’s walking backwards in front of Ace. Ace forgets the rest of the world. Realizing he's staring too much, Ace quickly thinks of a diversion. “Tomorrow’s the physical, right? Luffy kept bothering me if he could come watch. Wanna sneak him in?” Ace keeps his gaze on Sabo. The blonde pretends to think for a moment before giving Ace a wide smirk. “Is that a challenge I hear?” The two share a look, one that promises mischief and mayhem. Oh, Ace cannot wait for tomorrow.
Where I Belong
Prompt: Horror/Thriller
Category: Genre
Word Count: 1,498
AN: Drunk writing, yay! Unedited, written while completely intoxicated. Hope it’s not a mess.
Marco looks around the abandoned building. Are they really going in here?
“C’mon, Marco, it looks fun!” Ace comments, tugging at his arm.
“Yeah, the perfect way to spend a halloween night!” Sabo agrees, pulling at his other arm.
Marco looks at the decaying wood, and knows that he’s not drunk enough for such adventures. The two mischief makers take him forcefully and drag him inside.
Oh boy.
Their adventure starts out as it usually does - with Marco wondering what the hell he’s gotten himself into this time.
It’s not until they walk through the front door, and Ace, who’s gone first, bends down to pick up something shiny - a quarter, he announced gleefully - and completely missed the blade that nearly chopped his head off. Of course, Sabo, too, had seen the quarter, being only half a step behind Ace, and had bent to see it as well.
Only Marco, reluctantly behind the two, had seen it swing through and nearly decapitate both of them. He tried to point it out, but before he could get a word in, the two had dragged him inside.
His worst nightmares lay ahead.
The shadows move, the floors creak on their own, and the walls seem to breathe. Every turn brings something dangerous that tries to kill them.
At one point, Ace nearly falls down the stairs thanks to a trip wire, though he and Sabo blame his own clumsiness. Sabo catches Ace, lightning fast reflexes as usual.
Marco tries pointing out the wire, but it’s disappeared into the wall, the house already having taken back the evidence.
He just sighs at their obliviousness.
In one of the rooms, a hand reaches out through the darkness and grabs for Sabo’s arm; just in time, Ace pulls him aside, pointing out this ‘wicked painting’ that’s obviously bloody lettering spelling out ‘R U N’. Marco doesn’t think it’s a prank, but when he expresses this, the two just chuckle and go on their merry way. Really, how they haven’t noticed the obvious fact that this house or someone in it is trying to kill them is beyond Marco.
Why is he in love with them again?
Ace turns, flashing him that brilliant smile, and Sabo grins as he takes Marco by the hand, and Marco remembers. Oh yeah, they’re both the cutest and most caring people he’s ever had the pleasure of meeting. Right.
He couldn’t find two more oblivious or caring individuals if he tried.
Marco pulls a knife out of the wooden pillar.
“You guys realize this is a death trap, right?” he growls halfheartedly, waving the knife at them.
“Oh, cool, a knife!” Sabo says, taking it out of Marco’s hand. Ace looks it over, giving Sabo a grin. Sabo closes his eyes and tosses it behind him.
It hits a painting right between the eyes, probably killing someone. Sabo doesn’t even look to see where it lands.
Marco’s pretty sure that was the owner of the house. Was, because whoever happened to be behind that poster is dead. No doubts about that. Not that Sabo even realizes this.
He gives an exasperated sigh and follows the two through the rotting door frame. They’re gonna be the death of him, no doubt about that.
“Can we go home now,” he whines, hoping that he’ll eventually wear them down. Ace just gives him an amused smirk.
“Afraid, are we, Marco?” he teases, stepping up close to him. Marco feels his breath catch. They never cease to amaze, nor fluster, him. Ace leans closer, his breath ghosting over Marco’s lips.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe,” he whispers, and Marco’s heart nearly stops. He almost misses the axe that swings behind Ace, past Sabo who’s studying some carved letters. Almost.
“Seriously, can we go?” If his voice is higher than usual, Marco feels it’s justified. He’s never been so worried for his two loves; not even the time where they were actively running from law enforcements.
They must sense something in his voice, because after a little bit more teasing (and another axe followed by a couple of darts) they give in and the three of them head out of the ‘abandoned’ house.
“What a fun halloween night!” Sabo comments to Ace as a guillotine falls from the entrance and slices cleanly into the floor behind him. He doesn’t even turn around.
“Right, fun,” Marco mumbles behind him, stopping a swinging hatchet from impaling Ace. He doesn’t even point it out, knowing it’s useless at this point. He’s just glad the three of them have made it out alive.
That is, until they enter Ace’s old pickup and the thing refuses to start.
“C’mon, Spade, babe, please, I’ll do anything,” Ace pleads with his truck. Marco just stares out of the window, unsurprised by the turn of events. Really, Ace’s truck hardly starts on a good day. Why had he let the two convince him that it was a ‘great idea’ to bring Spade out on this ‘adventure’?
Right, because he can’t fucking say no when they turn those stupid puppy dog eyes on him. He should work on this weakness.
He really should.
Eventually, the two convince him to give the truck a look. One of the wires has obviously been cut in half, and he spends about half an hour welding it back together.
At least nothing tries to kill them in that time.
Spade eventually starts up, complaining the entire time with loud noises and sputters. Ace happily applies the gas.
Nothing happens.
“Empty? But I was sure we just filled her up,” he comments, frowning at the gas tank meter.
“I’ll see if there’s any gas in the shed,” Sabo volunteers, but Marco quickly stops him.
“No, no, I’ll do it. Gotta prove I’m not scared, right?” he boasts, hoping it works. It does, and his boyfriends let him go, teasing smirks on their kissable lips.
Now’s not the time to be thinking about kissable lips, though.
He searches the barn for gasoline. It’s dark, and for once he’s alone. The chill of the October night is setting in, and Marco feels himself shiver. He hopes it’s only the cold.
Ah, there’s some gasoline. Right next to a tank reading ‘flammable’ and another reading ‘kerosene’. Fantastic.
He grabs the small jug of gasoline, running as the rest of the flammable liquid lights up. The barn is entirely on fire; Marco focuses on getting outside. He has to reach them, has to bring this gas to them so they, at least, can escape.
He can’t let anything happen to them.
A hand reaches out and grabs at his ankles. Blood runs between his attacker’s eyes, a sloppily patched-up wound dripping blood down their nose. Marco’s blood runs cold. He’s on the floor, the hay around him quickly lighting up; the heat is growing intense, and it’s becoming difficult to breathe. Gasping for air, he lashes out with his free foot.
The attacker howls in pain.
Covered in dirt and soot, Marco crawls out of the barn, barely missing the flames as the engulf the building. The gasoline in his hands is untouched, and he thanks whatever deity is watching over him for that. He pulls himself to his feet, stumbling back towards Spade.
Sabo reaches out for him.
“Marco? What happened?” he asks, taking the container from Marco and handing it to a worried Ace.
“Fire, in the barn,” Marco forces out past his burning lungs. He fights down a cough. He can’t worry them any more than he already has.
“Ace, we need to get him home. Quickly!” Sabo says, turning towards Ace. Ace is already filling the tank with the gas.
“Yeah, I know,” he replies, his voice oddly stoic.
“Yeah, I know,” Ace repeats, more to himself than Sabo, who’s helping Marco inside the truck.
The drive home is quiet. Marco would try filling it with sarcastic phrases if his lungs would cooperate. Instead, every time he tries opening his mouth, a rattling cough shakes his entire body. Sabo gently rubs his back; Ace faces forward, hands gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles are turning white.
Marco keeps quiet.
They reach home fairly quickly - much quicker than Marco expected, though he’s pretty sure Ace hadn’t bothered with speeding limits. He wants to tell his boyfriend off for this. His body can’t spare the energy.
They tuck him into bed, but before they can leave him alone, Marco grabs at their hands. One hand on Ace, one hand on Sabo. Just where they belong.
“Don’t go,” he whispers, his voice unable to project any longer. They exchange worried glances before caving in and curling up beside him.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Sabo says, his lips brushing against Marco’s collerbone.
“We promise,” Ace finishes, his words ghosting over Marco’s shoulder.
With a smile, Marco lets himself fall asleep between them. Yes, this is where he belongs. Nothing, not even an odd Halloween night, can change that.
I’ll Never Hurt You
For Nari & Trace
The Conclusion
Part 4
It’s raining when the two of them return; Ace limping alongside Marco, who’s carrying someone on his back. They’re both soaked, and Ace looks like he’s taken a real beating.
Thatch spots them first and rushes forward to help. The kid on Marco’s back is briefly introduced as Luffy, Ace’s younger brother, as Thatch takes him gently from Marco. Divisions One and Two encircle the two commanders. Division One is checking Marco for injuries and asking what happened and why he was away so long. Division Two is more chaotic. They seem torn between making sure that Ace is okay and gets help from the nurses, and demanding to know why he stabbed Sabo and left. Ace doesn’t really seem to notice any of this. He’s looking off towards the stern. Thatch glances over and sees Sabo, hair sticking to his face, standing perfectly still. The two just stare at each other for a long moment, and Thatch fears he won’t see their reaction when Sabo starts towards Ace, his movements careful but determined. Once he’s a few feet away he stops and reaches out for Ace, who closes the distance in two quick strides. Their embrace is strong, though it’s obvious that Ace is careful of Sabo’s injuries. Thatch leaves them with a smile, relieved that things will work out between them. They’re all such stubborn people, but they love each other. At least they know that much.
Thatch brings Luffy into the infirmary. He tries to stay, but the nurses kick him out with glares and threats, so he heads back to the bow. Marco is corralling his two lovers towards his bedroom when Thatch intercepts them. They don’t say anything, but then again, they don’t need to. Thatch catches Marco’s eyes and they hold a small conversation without words. Marco looks tired, in a way that Thatch hasn’t seen in a long time. Not since he took over running the ship while managing Pop’s declining health. Thatch tries to reassure him, and gets a fond eye roll in return, but it doesn’t seem to help.
They pass by, and Thatch worries for his brothers. For his friends. They’ll be okay, right?
He does the only thing he can: he cooks. He makes a large meal just for the three of them, full of their favorite foods, as well as nutritious items that will help facilitate healing. It takes him a few hours, which he hopes is enough time for the three to have worked through their issues. The meal completed, Thatch knocks softly on Marco’s bedroom door.
“Marco?”
After a moment, a puffy-eyed Marco pops his head out. He somehow looks… worse. Thatch represses a cringe at his disheveled appearance.
“I brought food,” Thatch says, gesturing at the large tray. Marco stares at it for a long moment before turning inside the room. A muffled reply later he opens the door and allows Thatch to push the cart inside. Sabo and Ace are curled on the bed, their eyes also puffy. Ace’s wounds are already looking better, thankfully, and he seems to have dried off. Sabo also looks considerably better. Thatch realizes that Marco’s clothes are still damp, which is both odd and concerning. He places the cart near the bed and turns to Marco.
“You should change,” he orders, his voice soft but unyielding. Marco glances down like he forgot he was wearing clothes at all. He shrugs and moves towards the food, but Thatch intercepts him.
“Change, Marco. Now.” Marco gives him a grumpy glare that’s extremely ineffective and obeys with a huff.
Ace and Sabo haven’t moved. Thatch waits until Marco returns wearing dry clothes, and is about to leave when he notices Marco’s plastered hair. Marco makes an startled noise that reminds Thatch of his phoenix form when Thatch places a towel on his head and begins to dry his hair. After a moment, though, his brother relaxes into his touch, eating the offered food almost absently as he starts to drift off. Satisfied with his work, Thatch hangs the towel to dry and moves to leave the three alone. As he’s on his way out though, Sabo catches his eye with a small pout that makes Thatch stop. Does Sabo want something from him? He turns back, walking up to the bed where the two are intertwined.
“Yes?” he asks, his voice gentle. Sabo doesn’t say anything for a moment, just pouts at the wall. When Thatch goes to leave again, however, he gives a quiet, “hungry.”
Thatch almost laughs, but stops himself just in time. He can’t quite hide his smile, however, and Sabo pouts further at the sight of it. Thatch makes a plate of food for both Sabo and Ace.
“You’re going to have to move, you know,” he teases, holding the plate above them. Sabo frowns and looks down at Ace, who’s awake but willfully ignoring everything. Thatch sighs.
“Ace, you need to move. At least let Sabo eat. He needs the energy to heal,” he chides, gambling on bringing up Sabo’s wounds. Ace flinches but moves, allowing Sabo to sit up a bit and take the plate from Thatch.
“You should eat too,” he directs towards Ace before walking back to Marco, who’s falling asleep in a nearby chair. With a shake of his head Thatch wraps a spare blanket around his brother. These idiots. Really. All three of them are such a handful.
He actually makes it to the door before he’s stopped this time.
“Thank you,” someone whispers so quietly Thatch is sure he wasn’t supposed to hear. He smiles.
“Sleep well,” he says to the room and closes the door quietly behind him.
They’re going to be okay.
I’ll Never Hurt You
For Nari & Trace
Part 3
Sabo groans softly, his eyelashes fluttering against his pale cheeks, and Marco feels like he can breathe again. He has to resist reaching out, not wanting to startle Sabo as he slowly wakes.
It takes a few minutes, but Sabo gets his eyes open and manages to focus on Marco. Marco smiles softly down at him, knowing that his relief must be evident. He doesn’t get the sleepy smile he was expecting.
Instead, Sabo frowns at him.
Marco blinks, taken aback by the reaction. Why would Sabo frown?
“Wha…,” Sabo starts, but his voice doesn’t want to form the words. He coughs, winces, and rubs at his throat. Marco hands him some water, which he takes gratefully and downs quickly.
“What are you doing here?” It’s still scratchy, but at least it’s audible.
Marco blinks. Twice.
What? Does Sabo not want him here?
“Do you remember what happened, yoi?” Maybe he’s confused? Marco places the back of his hand against Sabo’s forehead. He can’t blame him for blocking the memory. Marco wishes he could forget.
“Yes. Ace. So why are you here? Why haven’t you gone after him?” Sabo sounds so frustrated, like he’s saying things plainly and Marco just isn’t understanding. Maybe that’s what he thinks - to him, it’s so obvious that Marco should be elsewhere.
To Marco, though, his place is right here, by Sabo’s side.
“We lost track of him. I wanted to be here, wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Marco brushes a strand of hair from Sabo’s forehead.
Sabo sighs, but it’s more fond than frustrated, so Marco consideres himself forgiven.
“Alright, alright. But I’m fine, I’m awake. Go. Get. Him,” Sabo demands. There’s something almost desperate in his voice, but he’s keeping it carefully hidden. Mostly.
“Okay, love. Okay.” He leans over, kissing Sabo’s forehead once, before heading out.
The Sky’s Your Limit (And You’re Mine)
Prompt: “I Love Heroes!”
Category: Quotes
Chapter 2: Rains Like Tears, Burns Like Fears
He feels himself lose control. It’s odd, kind of like time is slowing down, or maybe he’s speeding up. Everything happens too slowly and all at once - there’s a quiet much like the calm before a storm, then an explosion of noise.
The Sky’s Your Limit (And You’re Mine)
Prompt: “I Love Heroes”
Category: Quotes
Chapter 1: Phoenix’s Rising
It's getting colder and they’re losing light, but Sabo and Ace hardly notice. The abandoned building they're hiding in is more of a home than where either have come from. Sabo has his binder open, spread in front of him with several notebooks scattered around it. He’s very organized, Ace knows, despite the messy look of it all.
Sabo’s holding his newest card out, admiring it with bright eyes. He's rattling off facts and stati- static- numbers. Lots of numbers. None of which make sense to Ace, but he's not really paying attention anyway.
Ace is watching how the dying light makes Sabo’s whole face light up. It creates an outline around him. Ace listens to the way Sabo’s voice gets higher as he gets more excited. It’s one of those quiet nights, just the two of them hanging out. He knows that it won’t last forever - Sabo has to return eventually - but for a moment, time stops. For a moment, the two of them are happy.
“...heroes,” Sabo concludes. Ace blinks, a little dazed from the relaxed atmosphere, and realizes he has no idea what Sabo just said.
“What?” he asks, stretching.
Sabo turns to him, eyes still shining. “I love heroes! They’re so cool! They protect the citizens, and take down the bad guys, and they’re all so unique. Every day they put their lives on the line for us! Heroes don’t discriminate. They’ll save anyone, even street kids like us.”
Ace doesn’t agree, but he doesn’t say anything. Sabo tucks the new card - Phoenix, Ace reads - carefully into the binder. He puts all the books except that one away, curling around it as they lay down for the night.
Just before he falls asleep, an idea hits Ace. If he became a hero, Sabo would look at him like that too, right? He could make Sabo really notice him, make him proud and happy.
He makes his decision. He's going to become a hero.
I’ll Never Hurt You pt 2
For @potat-o-piece
A continuation of THIS
Ace feels bile rising up and swallows, refusing to give in. His hands shake, but he keeps walking, walking away from everything. Sabo’s words echo in his head.
“I lo...ve you.”
What right did he have to say that as Ace stabbed him, as Ace betrayed him, as Ace broke every promise he’d ever made?
Why did Sabo have to understand? Wouldn’t it have been so much easier if he’d been mad, outraged, betrayed like he should have been? Then Ace wouldn’t feel this guilt, this longing for home.
Home.
He doesn’t have a home anymore.
It’s not like he wanted this. He feels anger fueling him, anger at Sabo for being so kind and forgiving, anger at Marco for not noticing, not stopping him soon enough, but most of all anger at the person who put him here.
He takes that rage and moves forward without looking back. Never look back, he reminds himself. Never look back, never turn back, never turn your back. No regrets.
Well, it’s too late for that.
With hands balled into fists, he can pretend they aren’t shaking. He can pretend they’re steady, confident, determined.
Someone is going to pay.
I’ll Never Hurt You
Prompt: Broken Promises
Category: Angst
“I promise: I’ll never hurt you.”
The words echo in Sabo’s head. Ace stands above him, hiding tears, his face set in determination. Sabo can’t even feel the dagger going through is stomach. Somewhere in the back of his head, he thinks he might be in shock. There’s something more important pressing against his thoughts.
Ace is breaking his promise.
Ace never breaks promises.
Distantly, Sabo hears Marco screaming, but isn’t sure what he’s saying. Everything outside of this moment sounds like white noise. All he can hear is Ace’s breathing. Can feel Ace’s heart beating from where his hand is pressed against Ace’s neck in a final, loving touch. He swipes his thumb across Ace’s cheek almost reflexively, brushing away a stray tear.
“I love you,” Sabo says, trying to smile up at him.
Ace looks so betrayed. Which is ironic considering who’s holding the knife. Sabo watches the emotions that flit across his face. Anger. Hurt. Desperation. Confusion? Perhaps a brief moment of love. He settles again on anger. Sabo almost laughs. Of course Ace is angry. He always was such an angry child. He feels his consciousness starting to slip. Ace pulls away. His face is too blurry.
“I lo...ve you,” Sabo calls after him.
Marco appears then, too loud and too sudden. Sabo’s attention is pulled away from Ace. When he looks again, Ace is gone. Marco is yelling something. Sabo can’t tell if it’s to him or to someone else. He coughs and the pain nearly sends him into darkness. Marco is warm. It’s comforting despite the heat radiating throughout his abdomen. Marco takes his fallen hand, grasping it nearly painfully tight. His other arm wraps around Sabo’s shoulders. Sabo looks up at him. There’s so much pain in Marco’s eyes. Things finally sink in.
Ace betrayed them.
Ace broke his promise.
By stabbing Sabo. That’s probably concerning. And important. Sabo isn’t really sure anymore. Whether being stabbed is good or bad. Perhaps it’s both?
It’s probably bad. Marco seems very upset.
Sabo’s having trouble seeing him. All he can see are brown eyes, flecks of copper hidden by regret. Darkened by determination. There’s something wrong with Ace. Sabo tries to tell this to Marco. His voice, however, only comes out as a gurgle. There’s a metallic taste filling his mouth. He hadn’t noticed that before. Marco hushes him. But Sabo swallows and tries again. This is important, damn it!
“Ace…” he manages to force out.
Sabo thinks Marco makes a noise in response. Something pained and angry and hurt. Which is understandable.
“Hush now, love. Ace is gone.”
Sabo shakes his head. Yes, Ace is gone. Yes, that’s what he is talking about. But Marco doesn’t seem to understand. Fuck. His head feels fuzzy. He coughs again, cringing at the pain and the sound. It’s very… wet.
“Ace… wrong. Wrong,” he mumbles, hoping that Marco can hear him. That Marco understands.
That Ace never breaks promises.
There’s a quietness that’s calling to him. It’s gentle. Comforting. He isn’t sure he can resist anymore.
With a final mumbled, “Ace,” Sabo closes his eyes.
I Love You Two
Prompt: Less Than 500 Words
Word Count: 364
Based on Sio’s Short Fic
It’s the quiet that gets to him. Ace always spent his days in a whirlwind of chaos, with a few moments of peace. Now, though, there’s little to pass the time with. Well, time works differently, but it still passes, slowly and quickly all at once. Slowly when he’s alone.
Quickly when they’re here.
Sabo and Marco walk up and Ace smiles at them. It’s always good to see them, even though they have to come to him now. He hates it here, but what can he do besides wait.
“I missed you too,” he says, grinning up at them. They smile back, and Sabo hands him some flowers. They look lovely, pristine as the moment they picked them up from the store. Sabo’s always careful about that.
“I knew you would,” he responds when Sabo tells him about the promotion. Of course Sabo got the promotion. Ace never had any doubts.
Marco promises to visit more often. Ace doesn’t say anything - doesn’t have time to, as Sabo cuts in with biting words and angry looks. He waits for them to work through their small spat. Ace hates it that they’re fighting over him, hates that he’s stuck here while they travel the seas.
Hates that he has to watch as they leave him behind.
They work through the argument and Marco pulls Sabo in close.
Ace grins up at them, excited about what’s to come. “Our anniversary is soon, do you remember?”
Marco reaches out, tracing his name gently. Of course they remember, how could they forget?
“I miss you guys, when you’re not here.” They miss him too. Ace won’t admit that he worried they wouldn’t; that he’s relieved they still miss him. Marco mentions it’s about time they head out and Ace frowns. Why does time always pass so quickly when they’re here?
They look at each other, reluctant to go, and whisper words of love. Ace watches the exchange from his place above the tombstone. He refuses to look away as they leave. His voice is nothing but a whisper lost to the wind, and he knows they won’t hear him, but he says it anyway.
“I love you two.”