ˏˋ°•*⁀➷Oh hi! Welcome to my writing blog! My name is Anna and I hope everyone enjoys the things my brain comes up with! A brief overview is that I write x readers and currently am only writing for One Piece! Other fandoms could be added if I ever feel like it!
This is a secondary blog, so interactions are a little limited. My main blog is @/itsannalosers, so if I follow you it’ll be from that account :)
This blog will mainly be SFW, if I ever do NSFW it’ll be appropriately tagged. If you’re here for fluff/angst/plot focus fics then you’re in the right place!
Navigation will be right below and a little About Me will be down below the cut! Happy Fanfic reading!
this is an anti-ai account!
bead and star dividers/mini moodboard creds: @/saradika-graphics
: ̗̀➛✎ Masterlist
: ̗̀➛❀ Requests | status: closed!
: ̗̀➛✰ Asks are always open! Don't be afraid to ask me questions! I don't bite ᵔᴗᵔ
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷As I mentioned before, I’m Anna and I’m very excited to share my fics. I’d like to post more frequently but my mental health isn’t great most of the time and I lack motivation because of it. But writing was my hobby in middle and high school and it’s been a few years since I was properly motivated… well until this year! I’m finding love in my old hobbies again :)
I’m 23 and a Gemini!
I have a One Piece addiction and am here to spread the agenda. Currently watching the anime and am on Wano! Ace is my favorite character if you couldn’t tell.
some hints at future Ace x reader au projects since I just can’t stop coming up with ideas 🤭
Idk when these will come out but I have plans for the first two 😏
Might as well update on some other fics too
The Prophecy - still in the works but changed the plot after I wrote the first chapter and haven’t worked on it much 😔 sorry guys but it’s not forgotten!!
Enchanted - I’ve barely worked on part 6 🧍🏻♀️it’s definitely turned more into a fic I update when I have ideas but I do have some future parts written out. I will still try not to let it collect dust for months again
I have a couple of requests that I need to work on but I keep getting all these random au ideas and my brain won’t leave me alone so if you’ve ever sent me a request, I am so sorry for how long it’s taken me!
Funny how whenever I want to have somewhat of a normal posting schedule life will always find a way to fuck me up I’ve been sick for like 5 days send help
Wow to think I was hesitant to post the latest Ace fic because i didn’t know if it was any good and then it gets 500+ likes omg thank yall for the love on it
And there’s quite a few new folks and now I have 200+ of yall 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 enjoy your stay
I wanted to try to get back to posting on Saturdays but i won’t have anything this week because ive been mentally recovering from Mother’s Day weekend (i work in a restaurant) and i haven’t felt too good but hopefully ill get something up next week
….it could even be a Sanji fic 👀 I do have to say it’s funny how many fic ideas I have for Ace compared to anyone else. Favoritism at its finest
It made me think of this meme lol. I have mostly ideas for Ace, some for Sanji and like none for Law 😔not currently taking requests though, I need to clear out my drafts first
pairing: portgas d. ace x fem!reader
summary: Thanks to a few of the nurses on board, you had learned of a new trend going around. The trend is seeing if your significant other would melt into your kiss and you had the perfect boyfriend to try it out on.
wc: 1.2k
tags: established relationship, fluff (like minor angst but i promise its minor), based on a tiktok trend, ace is so DOWN BAD lol, ACE GETS A KISS
"Meet me in our room after dinner, kay? It's really important." You had told him before squeezing his hand and heading over to sit with a few of the nurses.
The two of you sitting at separate tables during meal times wasn't totally out of the usual. Though the giggles that had broke out when you joined and the not so subtle glances in his direction was a bit odd. Ace shrugged it off as he got his own dinner and joined a table of his own. Your request floated around his mind as he tried to come up with what was so important. He knew better than to assume it was anything about your relationship. You guys have been going strong for a few months and he felt like he had nothing to worry about.
……
Or did he?
What if you had lost feelings for him? What if you were in love with someone else? What if you had decided that he was nothing more than the demon son of the late pirate king? His thoughts had began to spiral as he picked at his food for the rest of dinner. Anxiety had set in and he couldn't bring himself to finish eating, which had earned some confused looks from his table mates.
By the time he left the galley, you were no longer where he'd seen you last. The anxious feeling didn't dissipate as he neared your shared room, which he assumed you were already in. When he found himself in front of the closed door, he let out an exhale and pulled his shoulders back. Surely he was just overthinking and letting his negative thoughts get the best of him. He knew you wouldn't do something like that to him. He hoped.
Without much more thought, he entered the room.
Sure enough, there you were fiddling with something on the dresser. At the sound of the door opening, you spun around to face him with a smile. "There you are! I was beginning to think you fell asleep in your food again."
Ace chuckled as he shut the door behind him. "Now you know that I wouldn't keep a pretty girl waiting for too long. So what was so important?"
A faint blush dusted your cheeks as you rolled your eyes and crossed the room towards him. "It just so happens that I have an experiment that I want to try on you. You up for it, handsome?" You looked up at him with that twinkle in your eyes that he couldn't possibly say no to.
"Depends…what kind of experiment are we talking about? Like science or," You had reached out to grab his hands and he took that opportunity to pull you flush against him. He leaned down to whisper in your ear. "physical~"
You gasped as your faint blush turned into a hot flush as you pushed away from him. "Ace! Get your mind out of the gutter.
When you pulled away enough to see his face, you were met with a wolfish grin. "I can't help it. My minds always in the gutter when you're around."
"Down boy." You pat his chest as he released you. "Anyways, I can't tell you about the experiment. You're just going to have to trust me and do what I tell you to do."
"Sounds easy enough, I trust you. You have me at your complete mercy." Ace winked.
You rolled your eyes again but the faint smirk on your face gave you away. "Alright, first order of business. I need you to close your eyes."
"Consider it done." He did as told and closed both of his eyes.
"Now, I'm gonna move you forward a few steps and I'll also be moving your arms. I'll need you to keep your arms in whatever position I put them in until I say otherwise. Sound okay?"
"Baby, you know I'll do whatever position you want." He teased and was met with a smack to the arm. You didn't verbally respond but he could feel your hands wrap around his wrists.
You guided him until he was in a spot you were satisfied with. Releasing his wrists, your hands trailed up his arms and lifted them both until they were spread apart. "Remember what I said, do not move those arms until I tell you otherwise."
"Yes, ma'am."
Taking a step back, you eyed his stance and it took everything in you not to laugh. Turning your head to the dresser, you faced the hidden cam-snail. What was an experiment without evidence? You shot the snail a thumbs up before turning back towards your boyfriend.
This "experiment" was actually the product of a girl's night. Some trend was going around the nurses where they would see if their partners would melt into a kiss unprompted. It was a cute idea and you were excited to see what Ace would do.
You reached up and put both hands on either side of his face. Instantly, he leaned into your touch as your thumb stroked his cheek. He started to open his mouth, surely some flirtatious remark on the tip of his tongue. Before he could utter a word, you brought his face down to meet yours as you cut him off with a kiss.
It took him a moment to realize that you were kissing him. So it was a physical experiment. To think he was so worried over nothing, you just wanted an excuse to kiss him. Well, who would he be to deny you that? Instructions be damned, you deserved his full attention. Without further thought, his arms fell from their set position and his hands found your hips as he deepened the kiss.
You were not surprised at all. In fact, you would have been shocked if he actually listened to you. Your arms moved to wrap around his neck and you toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck. His grip on your hips tightened for just a second and then he relaxed his grip as one arm moved to wrap around your waist.
It didn't matter how many times the two of you kissed, he always managed to take your breath away and make your heart flutter.
The next few minutes were filled with wandering hands and burning cheeks. Only the need to breathe put a stop to Ace's attempts to devour your lips. When you regretfully pulled away from him, you couldn't help but smile at his attempt to follow your lips. "Slow down, I'm not going anywhere."
"Hmm I know, but I like kissing you." One of his hands lifted to rest on your cheek while bringing you in for another peck. "Your lips are like really addictive y'know. They're just so soft and they fit against mine so nicely." Every other word was met with another peck.
A giggle escaped you as you put a hand over his mouth. "Ace! Give me a second to breathe."
He shook his head as he smirked against your hand. While you were focused on his mouth, you didn't pay attention to the rest of him. Well not until you felt a squeeze to your ass. You let out a gasp and dropped your hand. "Okay, you had a second."
Any retort you had was cut off has he pulled you in for another kiss. And another one. And another. And as your back hit the bed, you faintly remembered that the cam-snail was still on.
a/n: bear with me, writing any form of physical intimacy is bit hard for me so this was more of a practice fic but i also thought this trend was cute when it was going around TikTok. remember, likes/comments/reblogs are super appreciated
divider credits: @uzmacchiato
song: Down Bad by Taylor Swift
masterlist
pairing: portgas d. ace x reader
summary: After inheriting your grandmother's house, you find a seemingly normal mirror in the attic. When night falls however, the mirror becomes a portal into your favorite fictional world and who better to greet you than your favorite character. Can you change his fate or see him to his doom?
wc: 15.6k
tags: isekai!reader, no gender specified/gn!reader, SFW, not a slow burn but also not quite a fast burn, found family, slow updates, mentions of grief, minor character death, swearing, Teach is his own warning, one bed trope, reader has pre-timeskip knowledge and limited post-timeskip knowledge, Ace is whipped
✦ Part One
✦ Part Two
✦ Part Three
✦ Part Four
✦ Part Five
pairing: portgas d. ace x isekai!reader
summary: After inheriting your grandmother's house, you find a seemingly normal mirror in the attic. When night falls however, the mirror becomes a portal into your favorite fictional world and who better to greet you than your favorite character. Can you change his fate or see him to his doom?
wc: 4.7k
̗̀➛ enchanted masterlist
Dishware clanked as you washed the dishes from today. Granny sat at the dining table nursing a cup of tea. You could tell something was on her mind as you turned the water off. "I can tell when you have something to say. You wanna fill me in on whats going on in that head of yours?" You threw a glance over your shoulder to see her looking out the window.
She sighed as she glanced down at her cup. "You know I appreciate your help around here, dear. It's just…you're either here or working and you should be going out and having fun with friends at your age."
You stopped drying a plate and sat it gently on the drying rack to turn towards her. "Granny, we've been through this before. I'm perfectly happy staying here and taking care of you. You know, I don't have many friends around here and besides….you're the only friend I've ever needed." You spoke softly as you joined her at the table.
A sad smile graced her lips as she grabbed your hand and squeezed. "That's the thing, honey. I can't be the only person in your life when I won't be around much longer. I don't want you to be all alone when I go."
"You're right. I know you're right but…" You closed your eyes as you exhaled. "I'll be alright, I always am. I'd rather spend as much time with you before the inevitable happens. There's no way I could live with myself if I was out partying and something happened to you. I have no regrets."
"I suppose there's no convincing you otherwise." She pat your hand before releasing it. "Now, go finish drying the dishes and I'll go bring out Scrabble."
With a nod, you resumed your previous task. You couldn't help but dwell on her words though. With work and taking care of her, you'd barely made time for yourself. When the time came where she was no longer around, you weren't sure what you would do.
When you woke up the next morning, the first thing you became aware of was that you were awfully warm. You nuzzled back into your pillow, refusing to fully wake up just yet. The second and third things you became aware of was the weight around your waist and that your pillow wasn’t actually a pillow.
Finally blinking away the remnants of sleep, you found yourself nestled into Ace's side. He was still snoozing away, but one arm was wrapped snugly around you. Your cheeks warmed as you realized that the both of you must have instinctively cuddled up sometime in the night. It certainly wasn't the worst way to wake up. And if it wasn't for your full bladder then you probably would have been content to fall back asleep.
Not wanting to wake him, you tried to pry his arm off you gently, but his grip was unrelenting. With a huff, you pulled at his stupidly beefy arm and tried to squeeze your way out only for him to grumble and roll over with you in tow. Your eyebrow twitched as you realized that you were the equivalent of a stuffed animal in the arms of a clingy child. Screw letting him sleep in, you had to go to the bathroom. You pulled at his cheek. "Ace if you don't let me go then I am going to piss myself……and by default, I'm going to pee on you too."
At the feeling of a tugging sensation on his face, Ace's eyes fluttered open. He let out a yawn as he blinked away the remaining fog of sleep. His brows furrowed as he looked at you and faintly recalled what he heard when waking up. "Did- Did you say you were gonna pee on me? I'm not into that stuff."
Your face probably could rival his flames in terms of heat. Spluttering, you slapped at his arm. "I'm not- I just have to go to the bathroom and you wouldn't let me go, you freaking beefcake."
Realizing that he did in fact have an arm wrapped around you, he blushed quickly and pulled away from you. "Oh, well this isn't embarrassing at all. I'm so sorry."
A sigh of relief left you as you were finally able to get up. Before you left the room, you looked over your shoulder. "I mean, for all intents and purposes…..it really wasn't the worst way to wake up." With that, you shut the door behind you as you finally made your way towards a bathroom.
Meanwhile, Ace pulled a pillow over his face and let out a muffled yell. Sometimes you knew just what to say to turn his usually charismatic self into a flustered mess. It wasn't enough for him to wake up literally clinging onto you. No, you had to go and tell him that 'It wasn't the worst way to wake up.' Did that mean that you liked waking up with him?!
Sitting up, he let his pillow fall into his lap as he rubbed his reddened face. No, no. He was not gonna go down that train of thought. This was most certainly going to be a one time thing. Ace dragged himself out of bed to pull on some fresh clothes, just another set of black cargo shorts with a shirt that he left unbuttoned. Then, he slipped on his boots and plopped his hat onto his head.
His thoughts drifted back to you and how you'd also probably like some fresh clothes. So he raided his dresser for items that he'd think would fit you. There wasn't much, but it'd have to do until they stopped on an island. As he was laying clothes on the bed, you finally returned.
"Okay, I did not get as lost as I thought I would. I ran into the most beautiful man who pointed me in the right direction. Oh! By the way-wait, you're actually wearing a shirt?" You quirked an eyebrow as you eyed his attire.
"Uh…yeah?"
"I did not know you owned any shirts….huh, I guess you learn something new everyday."
Ace huffed as he put his hands on his hips. "Of course, I own shirts. Is it really that much of a surprise? Also, you're literally wearing one of mine right now"
Your mouth opened to retort before you reluctantly nodded. "Fair point. Still, you're like notorious for being shirtless like ninety percent of the time."
He only shrugged in response. "What can I say, it's a preference. Plus, it let's me show off Pop's mark on my back."
Moving past the subject of his shirtlessness, you looked over the clothes he laid out. You picked whatever you thought would fit you best and turned toward Ace expectantly. His brows furrowed. "What? Do you need me to find you something else?"
Shaking your head, you pointed at the door. "No, I need you to get out so I can change."
"Oh….I could just turn around-"
"Out!"
"Fine, fine! I'll be just outside." He threw his hands up as he made is way out of the room so you could change in peace.
After a few minutes, you exited his room in the new clothes. "I meant to ask if you had an extra toothbrush so I could brush my teeth."
"A toothbrush?"
You deadpanned. "Yes, a toothbrush. Don't tell me you don't have those here."
"I mean, yeah, but don't forget you're on a pirate ship. We aren't exactly known for excellent hygiene. Though, Marco or the nurses probably know where some are."
"Ace……when was the last time you brushed your teeth?"
He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh like a few days ago I guess. Sometimes I forget."
"Well, we're gonna change that. It's a miracle that you have nice teeth. C'mon let's go find Marco." You sighed as you grabbed his arm to pull him toward the deck.
'They think I have nice teeth' Ace thought to himself as he allowed himself to be pulled.
You were lucky enough to run into a few nurses who were more than happy to help. Ace stood sheepishly to the side as you all discussed the dental hygiene on the ship. And yes, you did end up dragging Ace back to the bathroom to brush his teeth. After that whole debacle, your stomach let out a growl.
Taking the hint, Ace led you back to the mess hall. "Will you be okay eating in here? I know you were a bit…overwhelmed, yesterday." He held the door open as you stood in the entryway.
From where you were, you didn't see any sign of Teach so you gave him a nod. "Yeah, I'll be okay this time. I can't exactly hide away forever."
"That's the spirit! Now, lets grab a plate and join that table. I'll introduce you." He pointed towards a table towards the middle that a few men were sitting at. One had blue hair and a mask over his eyes while the other seemingly had a mask of a skull. Laying at the end of the table, was a giant lynx. Somehow they were familiar to you, but you couldn't recall any names.
Once you both had full plates, you followed Ace to the table he had pointed at. He had an easy smile as he greeted the occupants. The lynx raised his head and headbutt the hand that Ace offered. You had a timid smile as Ace introduced you first.
"As for these guys, they used to part of my crew. I did tell you about how I used to be a captain of my own crew, right? Anyways, this is Deuce and Skull , former officers of the Spade pirates." They both greeted you with nods. Both of them shared a look as Deuce's lip twitched.
"So, uh, you wouldn't happen to be the reason why Ace has been so scatterbrained lately, would you? I mean it's a little weird how you only just got here and yet he's totally whipped- OW!" Deuce was interrupted by Ace, who had kicked him under the table while still retaining his smile. Even if it seemed more threatening than before.
"And last but not least, the furball is Kotatsu. I rescued him from a poaching trap and now he's a pampered ship-cat." The lynx licked his paw in response. You fought the urge to reach over and pet him, you had such a soft spot for animals.
Skull tilted his head as he observed you. Everyone had heard about the mysterious person who had shown up, seemingly out of thin air, the other night. Though looking at you now, Skull instantly noticed a few things. One, you looked more like a civilian than a pirate. Two, your eyes would constantly flicker around the room. And finally, how those were definitely Ace's clothes that you were wearing and the two of you were sitting awfully close without even realizing it.
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly brings you to the Moby Dick? I mean, no offense and all, but you don't seem like a pirate to me." Skull asked curiously.
You thought to yourself for a moment and glanced over at Ace, who gave a small shrug. "Oh, well that'd be because I'm not a pirate." You chose to ignore the muttered 'Not yet' from Ace and continued. "Whitebeard knew my grandmother and is helping me out by letting my stay aboard for a few weeks. So any pointers for surviving a month at sea among the crew of an Emperor would be greatly appreciated."
The rest of breakfast was spent listening to Skull indulge you with his pirate knowledge. Deuce would chime in every so often, as would Ace. However, Deuce was much more interested in how effortlessly you captured the attention of his former captain. You weren't even talking to him and yet he was hanging off your every word. The blue haired man took a sip of his drink and smirked. Yeah, Ace was so whipped.
After breakfast, Ace had asked you about any strengths that you thought could prove useful during your time here. For a second, you had drawn a blank. You lacked any skills that could make you a decent pirate. You didn't know how to fight, you didn't know how to read a map and you didn't know a thing about how to upkeep a pirate ship. What skills you did have were: limited medical knowledge, basic cooking knowledge, and your knowledge of future events. That's really all you had going for you at the moment.
He wasn't really surprised, but you needed to start somewhere and no matter how much Ace wished he could stay by your side for the entire month, he had his own responsibilities. So, that's how to both of you found yourselves in the kitchen sometime after lunch.
The second that the both you entered the kitchen, a chorus of displeased cooks made it known that Ace was not welcome in here. He spluttered as you quirked an eyebrow at him. Ace looked between you and them before he held both of his hands up in defense. "I'm not going to touch anything, we're just looking for Thatch."
"I'm over here!" A voice called out from the other side of the kitchen.
Ignoring the side-eyes, Ace ushered you over to the 4th Division commander. Thatch looked up from the pot that he was stirring. His eyes squinted at Ace. "Didn't I ban you from the kitchen?"
Ace shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Anyways, my friend here is trying to find something they can do to help around here and we were hoping they could shadow you for a few days?"
Thatch eyed you and then picked up a tasting spoon and held it out for you. "If they can tell me what this soup needs."
You took the spoon and stepped up to his side to taste the soup. 'Oh my god this is so good.' You thought as the taste of Broccoli Cheddar Soup stayed on your tongue. Thinking for a second, you nodded and looked at Thatch. "I'd add some finely chopped carrots and maybe just a bit more pepper."
It must have been the right thing to say as Thatch hummed in approval. "Alright, they can stay. But you cannot. Out of my kitchen, Portgas." He pointed to the door.
Ace's mouth dropped. "You're so mean to me. Can't I at least try the soup before I go." His hand reached out to grab another spoon before you lightly smacked his hand away with your own spoon.
"You heard the man. Out!" You couldn't conceal the grin at his look of betrayal.
"Is that like your favorite word today- wait don't point it at me, I'm going." He held his hands up in mock surrender as he took a few steps back. "And just remember who you're sharing a room with this month."
Your cheeks burned as you watched him exit the kitchen. Looking back at Thatch, he raised an eyebrow. "You're staying in his room?"
"It's not like that! Can you just show me around the kitchen please."
"Of course……so are you guys sharing a bed?"
"No comment."
Over the next couple of days you settled into a bit of a routine. You'd wake up on your side of the bed - which a pillow barrier had been agreed upon due to Ace's tendency to cuddle- and Ace would share some clothes with you. Then, breakfast together in the mess hall -which during meal times, you would make sure to sit far from Teach- and then you would part ways with Ace to shadow Thatch until dinner. So far, you've decided that Thatch is probably your favorite person on this ship. Sorry Ace. Not only was he a fantastic cook but he was also fun to be around.
Most of the time.
It just so happened that Thatch loved to tease. He especially loved to tease you about Ace; you had repeatedly told him that you guys were just friends but that didn't deter him one bit. In fact, it only encouraged him.
Right now, you were whisking batter for dessert. Thatch was peering over your shoulder and nodding to himself. "You know, you're pretty good at whisking. Especially whisking Ace off his feet. I think he talks about you just as much as he does his little brother."
You groaned as you turned to face him, a faint blush gathered on your cheeks. "Did you seriously put me on whisking duty just to make that pun. Nobody whisked anyone off their feet."
"Hm. The crew seems to think differently, my friend." Thatch smirked as he moved past you. Not before uttering that he did in fact put you on whisking duty for the sole purpose of that pun with you rolling your eyes in response.
Honestly, you can't really blame them for thinking along those lines. To everyone else, you've been here less than a week and you were already sharing a bed with the second division commander. To you, you've known Ace for weeks now and felt entirely comfortable around him. He was the closest friend you've had in years.
Your whisking slowed as your thoughts traced back to your world. It had been almost a week since you stepped through the mirror. You wondered if anyone noticed your absence. Work definitely would notice and you were certain that you'd no longer be employed by the time you got back. Any friends you still had had been neglected since your grandmothers health deteriorated and after her passing. The same thoughts had been floating in your mind for the past few days. But you had to go back eventually…didn't you?
A boisterous laugh brought you back to the present and your shoulders tensed as you realized who had entered the kitchen. Sure enough, clapping Thatch on the shoulder was none other than the pirate you've been avoiding, Marshall D. Teach. Taking a deep breath, you resumed your whisking and tried to keep out of his line of sight.
Too bad that you have pretty rotten luck.
"Well, I don't believe we've been properly introduced, Greenhorn."
Your eyes slid up to the man who came up behind you. The way he practically loomed over you sent a chill down your spine. Why was everyone in this world obscenely tall anyways? You hid your disdain behind a polite smile. "No, no we haven't." You made no move to introduce yourself though.
"Zehahaha! No need to be so shy. I don't bite." He winked and you had to stop yourself from grimacing in response. "I'll go first; The names Teach. Your turn."
You reluctantly told him your name and hoped that he'd leave you alone. He did not. Instead, he kept talking.
"You know, I have been a bit curious-"
The call of your name has never sounded so wonderful. Peeking his head through the open door was Ace, who smiled when he caught your attention. Though, his eyes narrowed at your uncomfortable body language and how your shoulders sagged in relief when you saw him. You didn't even excuse yourself as you put down your bowl and rushed over to your savior.
"Thatch, I'll be back in a few!" You called over your shoulder.
Thatch had also been watching the interaction with curious eyes. Upon seeing you heading off with Ace, a teasing smirk stretched across his face. "Make good decisions! Wrap it before you tap it!" His only response was being flicked off simultaneously as you both disappeared through the doorway.
Watching the scene before him, Teach internally scowled. His initial thoughts on you remained the same. You were very odd….and maybe a bit rude. From what he's noticed over that past few days, it was apparent that you were avoiding him and only him. There was definitely something strange about you.
When you had entered the hallway, you grabbed Ace's arm to lead him out onto the deck. Once outside, you let go of his arm. He said nothing and only watched you questioningly as you rolled your shoulders.
"So, what did you need me for?" You asked after a beat of silence.
"Huh?…Oh! Some of the other commanders are here and I wanted to introduce you. Is that alright with you?" He trailed off.
Enthusiastically, you nodded. "I would love to meet some more new faces. I was needing a break from the kitchen anyways."
"About that," Ace glanced back where you two had came from and back to you. "Were you okay back there? You looked pretty tense when Teach was talking with you. Did he say something?"
"Oh that? It was nothing. I just get a weird vibe around Teach is all." You waved off his concerns.
Ace tilted his head slightly as he observed you. He let out a hum before he shrugged. "If you say so, but if he does say or do anything just let me know, okay?"
"I will. Now, who am I meeting?"
In your head, you just assumed that the whole crew lived on the Moby Dick. The ship was massive enough so surely the whole crew could fit. Actually being on the ship though, you suppose it would be a bit cramped with over a thousand men. You mentally shivered at the thought of what the crews quarters would look like.
The reality was that The Moby Dick was the main ship with Whitebeard and four Commanders. Marco and Thatch were the only commanders who weren't in a rotation. Ace and Izou were the other two currently on board. You'd met the 16th division commander earlier in the week when he helped you find your way to the bathroom. He had raised an eyebrow at your disheveled morning hair and that you were wearing Ace's clothes before promptly pointing you in the right direction.
There were also four slightly smaller ships which had been dubbed "the Mini Mobys'". Each ship held three commanders along with their divisions. One of the Mini Mobys' would sail alongside the Moby Dick for a month or two before it would switch out with another one. Special occasions would call for all of the ships and commanders to be reunited. Honestly, all of this information only made you want to ask questions.
But questions could wait.
Ace was currently waving at a man wearing a ruffed outfit who appeared in similar height to you guys, if not slightly taller. Finally, someone who didn't tower over you. He also appeared to be a bit younger than you expected. Of course, in this world, nothing is ever as it seems. He enthusiastically matched Ace's wave and bounded over.
"Heya, Ace!"
"Haruta! I have someone I want you to meet." Ace introduced you to who you now know as Haruta. Your friend slung an arm over your shoulder and brought you in close. Your cheeks heated up at the close proximity as you gave a small wave.
"Ah, Ace's friend. I've heard about you, it's nice to put a face to the name. I'm Haruta, Commander of the Twelfth Division." Oh no, not another person who was going to tease you. Whatever happened to platonic relationships. Haruta held a fist out.
"Only good things I hope. It's nice to meet you." Not to leave him hanging, you gave him a fist bump.
"Oh yeah, Thatch told me-Oomph!" The warmth beside you vanished as Ace sprang forward to stop the rest of Haruta's sentence. You raised an eyebrow as Ace turned his head towards you from where he was covering the other commanders mouth.
"You know, I still wanna introduce you to Vista and Jozu so we're gonna have to cut this short. Plus, Haruta's probably got a lot of stuff to do. Right?" Turning back to Haruta with a pointed glance, Ace removed his hand.
Haruta had a teasing grin waiting in response. "Yeah, I'm absolutely swamped. I'll catch you guys at dinner though."
With a pat to Ace's shoulder, Haruta wandered off. You kinda wanted to know what else he was gonna say. It didn't occur to you that your appearance was a big enough deal to warrant gossip between commanders. Ace's cutting him off also left you confused. What could Thatch have possibly said to warrant that reaction?
"What was that about?" You prodded as you both walked side by side.
"What was what about?" Was Ace's response as he searched around the crowded deck. Oh so he was going to play dumb.
"So we're ignoring that you practically pounced on Haruta to shut him up? Not suspicious at all, by the way." You pointed out.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Ah! There they are, come on." Reaching down, Ace grabbed your hand and lead you to a group of men.
Compared to everyone on this ship, you were minuscule. Two of the men, you faintly recognized as other division commanders. One was about double your height with a curly black mustache and also smelled like roses. He also had two swords sheathed upon his back. The other man was at least triple your height with a long face and oddly patterned facial hair. Vista the Flower Blade and Diamond Jozu, you recalled.
Vista was the one to spot Ace first. "Ah, there's our local spitfire." He called out while a trace of a smile appeared on Jozu's face.
Ace beamed. "Vista, Jozu! It's been a few weeks! I actually wanted you to meet someone." He gestured towards you.
You gave a slight wave and introduced yourself. "It's an honor to meet you both, I've heard a little bit about you guys."
"Oh, we've heard about you as well. I take it that you've gathered that Thatch loves to gossip?" Vista subtly glanced from you to Ace then back to you.
"And that he loves to mettle in other peoples business? Yeah, he's worse than a teenager." You grinned, happy to poke fun at Thatch for once.
Jozu shook his head in mock disappointment. "He is too nosy for his own good."
"Tell me about it. It's like his pompadour is full of secrets." That one got a round of laughs from the group.
Ace nudged you. "Good one."
"I like you, you'll fit in just fine with us." Vista smiled and pat you on your shoulder, which you're ashamed to admit that it made you stumble just a bit.
Any further conversation was cut off by the sound of an alarm. You flinched at the loud noise as everyone around you seemed to know exactly what to do and jumped into action. A hand rested on your shoulder and from the warmth, you could tell it was Ace's.
A curse left Vista as the swordsman turned toward Jozu. "Those stubborn marines must have followed us from that last island."
"Wait, so is that like an enemy alarm?" You questioned, turning to Ace.
He nodded. "Yeah we have a few different alarms. It lets everyone know which position they're needed at. There's one for marines, other pirate crews, storm warnings, etc. There's even one for a man overboard, which may or may not be because of me."
"None of you look very concerned." You gestured to the commanders. If no one else was going to panic, then you certainly weren't going to. Even if alarms of any kind made you a bit anxious.
They all looked at each other and shrugged. Jozu was the one to speak. "Marines are pretty much canon fodder. Light work for a crew like ours, unless it's an admiral."
Ace squeezed your shoulder. "You, my friend, get to finally see us in action."
"And what am I supposed to do?"
"Stay here and watch me-us decimate this fleet. It'll take like ten minutes." He smirked as he stepped away from you and tipped his hat, ignoring his slip up.
Vista laughed. "Ten? I could take them out in five minutes."
"Okay, you're on-" Ace was interrupted as Haurta rushed past with his hand on his sword sheath.
"Sorry guys! I'll take them all out by the time you guys get there!" He cackled. That prompted both Vista and Ace to look at each other before racing after the brunet, leaving you behind with Jozu.
"Is this normal?" You looked up the giant of a man.
"Pretty much. Competitions and bet pools are also pretty popular around here." The third division commander crossed his arms.
"Interesting….hey can I make bet?"
last part | next part
a/n: WE'RE BACK!!! i promise not to abandon this fic even if i loose motivation sometimes. Since its been awhile, I'll have an enchanted masterlist linked at the top if you want to refresh/catch up. Also don't forget to like/reblog/comment, it really helps keep me motivated!
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Omg it’s been 1 whole year since I made this blog 🤩 I know I haven’t posted a lot but y’all I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received! Likes, comments, reblogs, follows…they are truly appreciated! I wish I had something to post today but unfortunately life has struck again and I haven’t written much but my latest is working on my final outline for Enchanted (yall have been waiting so patiently for part 5)
Again thank y’all!!! I hope to be back soon….ish (I make no promises)
pairing: portgas d. ace x reader
summary: The two times that reader should've kissed Ace and the one time they couldn't.
wc: 5.2K
dividers: @pixopix (I’m obsessed)
song: ruin the friendship - taylor swift
"Your smile, miles wide,
And it was not an invitation
Should've kissed you anyways"
Friendship was something you held in high regard. To you, a friend is someone who will always have your back, someone who you can trust no matter what, and someone who treats you with the utmost respect. Being part of the Whitebeard pirates, those types of people weren't hard to find. There was one though, who you considered dearest to your heart.
Ace.
The fiery second division commander had become your partner in crime on the Moby Dick. It wasn't often that one of you was seen without the other. You knew him like the back of your hand and vice versa. Anything that would change the dynamic between you two would absolutely crush you.
Including admitting that you were hopelessly in love with him.
You couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that you realized your feelings for Ace. There was just one day where you looked at him and suddenly you felt a fluttering in your stomach when he smiled at you. In hindsight, it wasn't much of a surprise to fall in love in love with him. Ace was just the kind of person who brightened up a room when he walked in.
A human embodiment of sunshine, as you liked to call him. It was more shocking to find someone who wasn't immediately drawn to him. He was attractive, kind, and very friendly. You'd laughed at him when he told you how he was a little asshole when he was younger. There was no way a jerk of a boy turned into this kind young man in front of you. You'd have to thank whoever this Makino was one day.
Anyways, back to the matter at hand. You were in love with your best friend, that you were certain about. Whenever he'd smile at you, the butterflies would go crazy. Whenever he would touch you, whether it would be a hand on the small of your back or grazing fingertips, it'd send a shock to your core as if his touch was electric.
However, you were bound and determined to ignore these feelings. It sounded like a dream to fall in love with your best friend and live happily ever after, right? But all you could think about was the ways it could go wrong. Worst case scenarios of every kind would flash through your mind if you so much as thought about telling him. Like what if you admitted your feelings and he returned them only for the relationship to fail miserably and neither of you talked ever again? Or what if he rejected you and it ruined the dynamic between you two forever? To you, you'd rather die than ruin the friendship between you two.
There were moments though, where you wanted to risk everything just to know the taste of his lips.
✦︎
The setting sun had cast the beach in a golden glow as the waves gently lapped the shore. A group of members from the Second Division had been on this mission for about a week and it was finally time to relax and have some fun. So it had been decided that a party on the beach was well deserved. You'd noticed that the barrels of liquor had been running low and you couldn't have a party without alcohol with this bunch. That's how you found yourself approaching Ace.
Waving your hand, you seemed to catch his eye as he murmured something to the group he was talking with before jogging over to meet you halfway. A grin was spread across his face as he reached you. "You need me?" He asked as he set a hand on top of his hat.
"As a matter of fact, I need your help, sunshine." You gestured back to the near empty barrels. "We're almost out of booze. You wanna help me get some more?"
Pretending to think about it, he tapped his finger on his chin. "And what exactly do I get out of it? "
It really was no fair how he was so effortlessly attractive. Freckles were splashed across his cheeks and what you wouldn't give to be able to count every single one- you were getting carried away. Today, like many others, he had forgone a shirt so his chest was on full display. A mischievous smirk had replaced his carefree grin as his gaze was focused on you.
Your eyes briefly flickered down to his lips before you glanced back up to his eyes quickly. The thought of giving him a simple kiss flickered through your mind, but you weren't brave enough to go through with it. Fighting away the thoughts of kissing your best friend, you crossed your arms. "Booze and my lovely company, of course. Unless you want everyone to be sober tonight when they were oh so looking forward to getting black out drunk."
His smirk momentarily disappeared before he pointed a finger in your direction. "Good point, lets go get that booze." His grin returned as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, steering you in the direction of the nearest town.
When the both of you returned, night had descended onto the beach, The others had gotten a bonfire going and sea shanties rang out into the night air. A roar of cheers broke out when they caught sight of the two of you with enough booze to last the night.
A little while later, you found yourself dancing around the fire, without a single care. You weren't as drunk as some of the others, but you had a decent buzz going on. A hand twirled you around and you broke into a fit of giggles as you came to face Ace. His freckled cheeks were dusted in an booze induced blush. "May I join you?"
You grinned. "If you can keep up."
Surprisingly, he was in fact able to keep up as he swung the both of you around. At some point, it looked less like dancing and more like who could make the other more dizzy. Others had joined to dance around the fire, but you were too engrossed in the man who pulled you towards him. The flickering flames illuminated his face and you swore your heart skipped a beat as he smiled at you. That traitorous part of you returned as you thought of pulling the bull string of his hat until his lips met yours.
The rational part of you, however, was not going to take that chance. So, instead, you wrapped your arms around his waist and laid your head on his shoulder as the both of you swayed among the liveliness of the bunch around you.
His brows furrowed at the change of pace. "You okay?" He asked softly as he laid his head on top of yours.
"Yeah, I'm okay," You pulled your head back to look at him. "I'm just really glad you're my friend, Ace."
"I'm-" He hesitated as he searched your face. Managing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm really glad you're my friend too. Best friend actually, just don't tell Deuce or Thatch."
You beamed at his words and settled your head on his shoulder again. Warmth was all around you, from the man who held you in his arms to the fire at your back. It was starting to make you quite drowsy along with the little alcohol in your system. A yawn escaped from you and you heard Ace chuckle.
"Don't tell me you're already tired? This party's barely started." He teased as he pulled away from you.
At the loss of his touch, you pouted. "I can't help it. You're very warm and comfy. Now, I'm gonna go sit over there if you'd like to join me. My feet are starting to hurt." With a friendly pat to his back, you went to find yourself an uninhibited patch of sand.
Plopping yourself on the ground, you leaned back on your hands to look at the stars above. You were just far enough from the bonfire that you could feel a little heat. Closing your eyes, you sighed as you reflected on your feelings.
That was twice today that you've thought about kissing him. Honestly, if you were anymore intoxicated, you probably would've acted on those thoughts. It was honestly hard enough to hold yourself back from being overly touchy. A different version of you who was more confident in her actions would have kissed him until the sun rose. Alas, that version was just a fantasy that you'd conjure in your dreams.
Lost in your thoughts, you didn't hear the figure approaching. It wasn't until the dull warmth had swelled into a familiar heat that you realized who had approached you. Opening your eyes, you saw Ace had decided to join you after all. Neither of you said anything, not that you needed to. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Ace's head fell onto your shoulder as a snore rang out.
You could hear a few snickers as you let out a huff of amusement. So much for the party, huh? You adjusted him into a more comfortable position before another yawn left you. Guess you weren't too far behind him in the sleep department. Your eyes began to close as you laid your head on top of his.
It wasn't the most comfortable position to fall asleep in, but next to Ace, that didn't matter to you. You'd probably wake up stiff and with sand who knows where, but it'd be worth it. Before you fell asleep though, you had one last thought.
You should've just kissed him anyways.
"And it was not convenient, no
Would've been the best mistake
Should've kissed you anyways"
Your feet carried you through the bustling streets of a marketplace. Everyone on this island must have had the same idea to go shopping today. It made sense, the sky was clear and blue with no rain clouds in sight and the temperature was pleasant. Overall, you decided today was a day where nothing could go wrong.
A jewelry booth caught your eye, specifically a charm bracelet on display. While the display bracelet held no charms, you could see the potential. There was an entire bin filled with charms that you browsed through while making light conversation with the vendor. You found a couple that represented the people in your life: a frying pan for Thatch, a sword for Vista and a mustache for Pops. And yes, you were going to paint it white. For Marco, you mentally debated between two charms: a bird that resembled his phoenix form that you could even paint blue and would probably look really cool or a pineapple. You chose the pineapple with a smirk.
After a few minutes of finding more charms, you realized that you hadn't found one for Ace yet. You knew you wanted some kind of flame for him. Your fingers froze as you pulled out a heart engulfed in flames. Hell, you couldn't even escape your feelings while doing some retail therapy. Glancing back at the vendor, you saw she was too engrossed in a commotion happening down the street. Discreetly, you stuffed the charm in your pockets. Hopefully she wouldn't miss one little charm. When she turned back to you, you were already shifting through the bin again.
Finally, you had found a simple flame charm and asked the vendor to check you out. While she calculated your total, your attention strayed to the scene which had distracted the vendor a few minutes ago. Apparently someone had died and then came back to life? Or something like that as your heard people talking about it around you. You shrugged it off, it's not like it was your problem.
You turned back to the vendor. "Alright and here's your total, do you want to wear it out or do you want me to bag it for you?" She asked. The price wasn't too bad for the amount you got so you handed over the correct amount of berri.
"I'll just take it in a bag please." You smiled at her as she nodded and as she was bagging your purchase another commotion broke out in front of a restaurant. The both of you turned to the noise and you almost groaned at the sight of a familiar hat in the middle of it all. Oh would you look at that, it was your problem after all.
It appeared to be one of his dine and dashing stunts. He was slowly backing up into the crowd with an apologetic smile. The vendor tutted with a shake of her head as she handed you your bag. "Some people have no shame."
You let out a laugh. "Oh you have no idea. I mean look at his choice of fashion. No shirt? Who chooses to go shirtless? Shameless indeed."
"Well, apparently he just makes poor choices in life as well as fashion," You couldn't hide the snort that left you. "I know the family who runs that restaurant and they've had a slow year. Depending on how much he ate, it'll be hard for them to recover from that." She frowned at the thought. Well, that made you guilty by association and it didn't make you feel good. So you thanked her and made your leave.
Weaving through the crowd to get to the front of the restaurant, you mentally cussed out Ace. You hated when he'd pull this shit. He'd always make the excuse that he forgot his bag or that he simply just 'forgot' to pay. If you had any say to it, he won't be getting away from this one. You finally made it to the front of the crowd and crossed your arms at the scene in front of you.
There was a man in a chefs hat who was yelling all kinds of obscenities at your best friend, who was a few feet away from you now. The crowd had all collectively disapproved of his actions and made sure he couldn't run away by blocking any ways out. There was a woman and a young teenager off to the side who were trying to calm the man down with tears in their eyes.
You could see Ace desperately looking for a way out of this situation so you decided to step in. Letting out a sharp whistle, everyone seemed to freeze to turn towards you. Confusion littered everyone's faces, but Ace let out a huge sigh of relief at the sight of you. That sure wouldn't last long once he found out what you were up to. "Okay shows over everyone!" While you addressed the crowd, you began to walk over to Ace and he smiled at you. Which you returned before you snatched his ear and dragged him over to the family. His curses were lost on your ears and you nodded to the front doors. "Why don't we discuss this idiot's actions inside?"
The man, baffled at your intervention, could only nod along and follow you through the doors. Only once you were the only ones in the restaurant did you finally release Ace's ear. Said man rubbed at his now sore ear as he pouted. "Nice to see you too." He muttered under his breath.
You ignored him in favor of turning to the man and bowing. "I'd like to apologize for my friends behavior. Sometimes he thinks with his stomach and not his head." Reaching out, you slapped at Ace's leg.
He huffed but took the hint and bowed as well. "I'm deeply sorry for my actions. It was wrong for me to run without paying, especially with the amount I ate. And I'm also sorry for causing such a big fuss outside."
"As much as I appreciate your apologies, they don't pay my bills. If you can cover the cost of his tab, then I'll forget this ever happened." The man, you really needed to learn his name, had gone from an uncontrollable anger to a mild exasperation.
"That's completely fair, sir. What's the damage?" You asked and followed his arm to where he was pointing at a massive stack of plates. Eye twitching, you glared at Ace who had the audacity to look sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head.
"In my defense, the food here is amazing. Seriously, compliments to the chef." Ace tipped his hat toward the family. The man could only deadpan at him.
Pinching your nose, you could only sigh. "There's no way we're gonna be able to afford this. I can give you what I have on me. I know he certainly doesn't have any way to pay you."
Ace instantly shook his head. "Don't waste your berri on my mess up."
"No, it's fine." You pulled out your berri pouch and tossed it over to the man. "How much of it will that cover?"
The man studied the amount and shook his head. "It's not enough to cover the whole bill," Your shoulders slumped in dismay. "But, it's enough not to completely screw us over. The rest can be worked off."
Before you could respond, Ace let out a laugh that quickly died in his throat at the sudden stares he received. You raised your eyebrow when he met your eyes. He suddenly coughed into his hand in embarrassment. "No, yeah. Totally. We can totally work the rest of it off. It's the least we could do."
We?! It was the least he could do. He was the one who actually almost put them out of business. Your eye slightly twitched, but you smiled and nodded nonetheless. You were so gonna strangle him later.
✦︎
And that's how the both of you found yourselves wearing dishwashers aprons in front of a mountain of dishes. You were pretty sure most of these were Ace's. With a heavy sigh, you started to organize dishes for Ace to start washing. It was quiet for a few minutes. You were upset and Ace had noticed. Breaking the silence, he looked over at you. "I…Thank you for helping me out back there. Everyone out there was ready to rip me a new one…well, you included actually. Still…thank you."
You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. A part of you thought about ignoring him until you both returned to the Moby Dick, but this was punishment enough. "You definitely owe me one. I gave them all the berri I had saved up for a shopping spree and I'm working for free right now. All to save your ass."
Ace couldn't help but wince. "Once again, I'm sorry for everything today. But, you didn't have to pay out of your own pocket, I would've figured something out. Though, I did kind of set you up to help me. Kinda used to us doing everything together that it just kind of slipped out."
Handing him the next set of dishes, you began washing your own set. "Usually I wouldn't have done something like that. Some lady fed me a sob story about this place being family owned and they weren't doing so good and I guess I felt bad. Hence me giving them my berri."
"Look at you, doing good deeds." He teased as his hip lightly bumped into yours.
"Oh fuck off." You rolled your eyes as you splashed soapy water in his direction. His teasing grin turned into a dramatic gasp.
"That's a declaration of war right there. You sure you wanna start something you can't finish?" The dirty dishes were quickly forgotten as you splashed him again in response. You couldn't stifle your laughter as Ace playfully narrowed his eyes at you. "Alright, you asked for it."
The next thing you know, water is flying everywhere as the both of you try to drench the other. At this rate, you two were more clean than the dishes. Puddles had started to form as a result of your impromptu splash war, but you and Ace were too busy laughing to really notice or care.
Just when you thought it was winding down, Ace took a rag into the water and whipped it in your direction. It hit you in the shoulder and while it didn't hurt, you still reacted as if you had gotten shot. "I've been struck! Such a dirty move, Sunshine!"
If you were paying just a little more attention, you would've seen how his back straightened at the sound of your nickname for him. What you did see was his wide smile and your heart may or may not have skipped a beat. You brushed it off to grab your own rag. After you soaked it, you turned back to him. His smile diminished as he caught the wicked gleam in your eyes. Raising his hands in defense, Ace backed away as he pleaded with you. "Wait, I didn't mean it."
"Aw, where did all that confidence go?" You taunted him as you inched closer.
"It went right here- shit!" His feet slipped out from him as he slipped on one of the larger puddles. Before you had time to laugh at his expense, he had reached out and grabbed a hold of your arm, pulling you down with him. You landed on top of him with an 'oomph' as he groaned from his spot under you.
It was silent for a moment before he started chuckling and it wasn't long before you joined him. Instead of cleaning a mess, another one had been created. So much for trying to help. You propped yourself on your elbows to gaze down at him. He looked up at you with his stupid smile that you couldn't help but mirror.
Your eyes lingered on his lips for just a second. What if you just…..no, you couldn't. Feelings aside, this wasn't the time nor place. And if you had been paying just the slightest more attention, you would've noticed how Ace was in a similar dilemma. You didn't notice how his eyes kept flickering to your lips or how he'd started leaning closer. Really, you didn't get a chance to.
The sound of the door opening caused the both of you to whip towards it with wide eyes. The father looked around at the water all over the floor and the barely touched stack of dirty dishes before his eyes landed on the both of you. His eye twitched. "Typically the water stays in the sink and not all over the dishwashers and the floor. The dishes aren't going to clean themselves, now get back to it."
He left while muttering under his breath about his dislike for pirates. You practically jumped off Ace and avoided eye contact as you held out a hand. A flush covered his cheeks as you pulled him up. Silently, the both of you went back to washing dishes and you made a mental note to also clean up the floor. The silence didn't stop the both of you from sneaking glances at the other. One particular thought was nagging at you.
You should've just kissed him anyways
"But I whispered at the grave,
"Should've kissed you anyways""
It’s been days since the events at Marineford. At least, you think it’s been a few days. Nothing's quite seemed real since then, the days all seemed to blur together for you. You knew that you were injured, your arm had been cast in a sling and your head had been pounding when you'd first woken up. Your body still ached. Honestly, you didn't even remember the specifics on how you'd gotten banged up. You only had one solid memory of that day, and you desperately wished that you could forget it.
The moment your world turned upside down was when Akainu's magma fist pierced through Ace's back. You'd been further away and had been forced to watch your best friend sacrifice himself for his little brother. It was a crystal clear scene playing in your mind on repeat. Before and after that were complete blurs, you hadn't even realized you made it out of there until you woke up on an ally ship.
Recovery would go smoothly, at least for the physical wounds. The emotional wounds? Those would take time, hell, you didn't think those would ever heal. Tears were a constant for those days of sailing towards their final resting places, a little island near Sphinx. You often found yourself by the railing, staring into the seemingly endless sea. Those that didn't know you probably thought that you were thinking of jumping overboard, but that was not your intention.
No, the part of you that was still in denial was waiting. Waiting to see the figurehead of the Moby Dick, with Pops welcoming his children home. Waiting to see Striker break the churning waves with Ace grinning madly and insisting you join him for a ride. Waiting for some kind of miracle. But there would be no miracles for you. The Moby Dick had been burned and was now resting in the depths below what was left of Marineford. Ace and Pops wouldn't be making any grand entrances.
Your heart ached at the thought of everything that had happened over the past few months. The loss of Thatch and the betrayal of Blackbeard. Ace's self-appointed mission for revenge which had ended in disaster. The nerve wracking days leading up to his execution. The War…
You let out a deep exhale as you tore your gaze from the sea to the island you were approaching. Your arrival meant that the funeral would be soon. You'd never been very fond of funerals, though you suppose no one was ever fond of a funeral. You also weren't the best at saying goodbyes, they just make everything feel so final. Oh how you wish that you could skip it, but too many regrets had already been weighing on you lately. You weren't going to add 'avoiding the funerals of the two men who'd greatly impacted your life' to the list.
One of Ace's predispositions was to live a life without any regrets, and you'd think that somewhere along the line, you would have picked up on that. Instead, here you were surrounded by your friends and crewmates, with a series of "what ifs?" on your mind. A breeze curled around you as you stood in front of Ace's grave. His hat flapped along with the breeze, such an odd sight to see it without it's owner. Likewise, Pops' coat was swaying in the wind, also missing its owner.
Both graves were blanketed in a variety of flowers. Despite the grief in the air, it was a rather beautiful sight. If only Ace could've seen this, to see that he was no demon in the eyes of the people who loved him most. You could feel the sting of repressed tears behind your eyes. None of this was fair. Then again the life of a pirate was never fair.
You exhaled shakily as you thought of all the things you wanted to say. Things that you should've said a long time ago, to his face instead of his grave. You traced his engraved name with your eyes as the noise around you seemed to fade into the background. You could feel multiple pairs of eyes on you, but that didn't matter to you. A sorrowful smile tugged at your lips as you finally spoke.
"Hey Sunshine…..This is kind of weird, huh? I never thought that I'd be having to say goodbye to you. Especially not this soon. W-we were supposed to have so many more adventures and now-" You choked on your words as rubbed at your watering eyes. It felt like your throat was closing in and you were determined not to break down, not yet. So, you blinked back the tears and continued. "Now, you're on your own adventure, one that I can't follow you on."
A few tears had escaped and you were quick to wipe them away. "There's actually something that I need to confess. I've kept this to myself for a long time and I'll regret never having the courage to tell you to your face. I was…I am in love with you. You, my best friend, my other half, my sunshine." Your voice wavered as more tears began to fall. "I never told you because I was scared of loosing you, but I guess it never would have mattered because I lost you anyways."
By now you had a steady flow of tears trailing down your cheeks despite your efforts of wiping them away. Your sniffles rang out, but even in your grief, you couldn't help but laugh. If Ace was here, he'd be calling you a crybaby right about now. It would be with a teasing smile as he'd bring you into his arms. He'd distract you by talking about Luffy, his go-to topic. He'd tell you about how he used to call Luffy a crybaby too.
"You know, I spent so much time imagining all the bad that could happen from a confession, that I never thought of the good that could've happened. A-and now I'll never know if you felt the same. All the times that I thought of throwing caution to the wind for just a kiss-" You lowered your head as well as your voice. "Oh, Ace. I should've just kissed you anyways."
You still could in a way. Pressing a hand to your lips, you then pressed that hand on to the gravestone, right over his name. " I love you, Portgas D. Ace, and I always will. And I'm not very fond of goodbyes, so I won't say it. After all, I plan on visiting often, gotta keep you informed of world events. Especially the force of nature that's your little brother. So, I'll see you later, alright?"
Stepping back, you looked over his grave one more time and you could've sworn you saw his hat move as if it was nodding. Or maybe you were seeing things and it was just the breeze. Yeah, it was probably just the breeze.
Before you turned away a sudden thought occurred to you. With your free hand, you rummaged around one of your pockets and pulled out a charm. The same one that you had stolen a few months ago. A heart engulfed in flames. You ignored the ache in your chest and approached the gravestone one more time. You set the charm right by his name and softly whispered. "I'm leaving this here with you, okay?"
The next few months would be the most difficult for you. Living your life while trying to move past the tragedy of what they had dubbed "The Paramount War". Hell, you didn't even know what kind of a life you wanted anymore. A life on the seas wouldn't feel right if you weren't aboard the Moby Dick and you weren't too sure on the future of the Whitebeard pirates. On the other hand, you couldn't imagine yourself settling on land either. Only time would tell of your future exploits. However, no matter how much time would pass, you knew there would be a void in you that could never be filled. A place in your heart that would forever be reserved for Portgas D. Ace.
You really should've just kissed him anyways.
a/n: well long time no see! I haven't had the best year so I've only been able to write a little at a time. I knew as soon as i heard this song that I was gonna write something based on it and don't worry I kissed the brick before i threw it :) please let me know your thoughts! likes, comments, reblogs are SO appreciated!
pairing: portgas d. ace x reader
summary: The two times that reader should've kissed Ace and the one time they couldn't.
wc: 5.2K
dividers: @pixopix (I’m obsessed)
song: ruin the friendship - taylor swift
"Your smile, miles wide,
And it was not an invitation
Should've kissed you anyways"
Friendship was something you held in high regard. To you, a friend is someone who will always have your back, someone who you can trust no matter what, and someone who treats you with the utmost respect. Being part of the Whitebeard pirates, those types of people weren't hard to find. There was one though, who you considered dearest to your heart.
Ace.
The fiery second division commander had become your partner in crime on the Moby Dick. It wasn't often that one of you was seen without the other. You knew him like the back of your hand and vice versa. Anything that would change the dynamic between you two would absolutely crush you.
Including admitting that you were hopelessly in love with him.
You couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that you realized your feelings for Ace. There was just one day where you looked at him and suddenly you felt a fluttering in your stomach when he smiled at you. In hindsight, it wasn't much of a surprise to fall in love in love with him. Ace was just the kind of person who brightened up a room when he walked in.
A human embodiment of sunshine, as you liked to call him. It was more shocking to find someone who wasn't immediately drawn to him. He was attractive, kind, and very friendly. You'd laughed at him when he told you how he was a little asshole when he was younger. There was no way a jerk of a boy turned into this kind young man in front of you. You'd have to thank whoever this Makino was one day.
Anyways, back to the matter at hand. You were in love with your best friend, that you were certain about. Whenever he'd smile at you, the butterflies would go crazy. Whenever he would touch you, whether it would be a hand on the small of your back or grazing fingertips, it'd send a shock to your core as if his touch was electric.
However, you were bound and determined to ignore these feelings. It sounded like a dream to fall in love with your best friend and live happily ever after, right? But all you could think about was the ways it could go wrong. Worst case scenarios of every kind would flash through your mind if you so much as thought about telling him. Like what if you admitted your feelings and he returned them only for the relationship to fail miserably and neither of you talked ever again? Or what if he rejected you and it ruined the dynamic between you two forever? To you, you'd rather die than ruin the friendship between you two.
There were moments though, where you wanted to risk everything just to know the taste of his lips.
✦︎
The setting sun had cast the beach in a golden glow as the waves gently lapped the shore. A group of members from the Second Division had been on this mission for about a week and it was finally time to relax and have some fun. So it had been decided that a party on the beach was well deserved. You'd noticed that the barrels of liquor had been running low and you couldn't have a party without alcohol with this bunch. That's how you found yourself approaching Ace.
Waving your hand, you seemed to catch his eye as he murmured something to the group he was talking with before jogging over to meet you halfway. A grin was spread across his face as he reached you. "You need me?" He asked as he set a hand on top of his hat.
"As a matter of fact, I need your help, sunshine." You gestured back to the near empty barrels. "We're almost out of booze. You wanna help me get some more?"
Pretending to think about it, he tapped his finger on his chin. "And what exactly do I get out of it? "
It really was no fair how he was so effortlessly attractive. Freckles were splashed across his cheeks and what you wouldn't give to be able to count every single one- you were getting carried away. Today, like many others, he had forgone a shirt so his chest was on full display. A mischievous smirk had replaced his carefree grin as his gaze was focused on you.
Your eyes briefly flickered down to his lips before you glanced back up to his eyes quickly. The thought of giving him a simple kiss flickered through your mind, but you weren't brave enough to go through with it. Fighting away the thoughts of kissing your best friend, you crossed your arms. "Booze and my lovely company, of course. Unless you want everyone to be sober tonight when they were oh so looking forward to getting black out drunk."
His smirk momentarily disappeared before he pointed a finger in your direction. "Good point, lets go get that booze." His grin returned as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, steering you in the direction of the nearest town.
When the both of you returned, night had descended onto the beach, The others had gotten a bonfire going and sea shanties rang out into the night air. A roar of cheers broke out when they caught sight of the two of you with enough booze to last the night.
A little while later, you found yourself dancing around the fire, without a single care. You weren't as drunk as some of the others, but you had a decent buzz going on. A hand twirled you around and you broke into a fit of giggles as you came to face Ace. His freckled cheeks were dusted in an booze induced blush. "May I join you?"
You grinned. "If you can keep up."
Surprisingly, he was in fact able to keep up as he swung the both of you around. At some point, it looked less like dancing and more like who could make the other more dizzy. Others had joined to dance around the fire, but you were too engrossed in the man who pulled you towards him. The flickering flames illuminated his face and you swore your heart skipped a beat as he smiled at you. That traitorous part of you returned as you thought of pulling the bull string of his hat until his lips met yours.
The rational part of you, however, was not going to take that chance. So, instead, you wrapped your arms around his waist and laid your head on his shoulder as the both of you swayed among the liveliness of the bunch around you.
His brows furrowed at the change of pace. "You okay?" He asked softly as he laid his head on top of yours.
"Yeah, I'm okay," You pulled your head back to look at him. "I'm just really glad you're my friend, Ace."
"I'm-" He hesitated as he searched your face. Managing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm really glad you're my friend too. Best friend actually, just don't tell Deuce or Thatch."
You beamed at his words and settled your head on his shoulder again. Warmth was all around you, from the man who held you in his arms to the fire at your back. It was starting to make you quite drowsy along with the little alcohol in your system. A yawn escaped from you and you heard Ace chuckle.
"Don't tell me you're already tired? This party's barely started." He teased as he pulled away from you.
At the loss of his touch, you pouted. "I can't help it. You're very warm and comfy. Now, I'm gonna go sit over there if you'd like to join me. My feet are starting to hurt." With a friendly pat to his back, you went to find yourself an uninhibited patch of sand.
Plopping yourself on the ground, you leaned back on your hands to look at the stars above. You were just far enough from the bonfire that you could feel a little heat. Closing your eyes, you sighed as you reflected on your feelings.
That was twice today that you've thought about kissing him. Honestly, if you were anymore intoxicated, you probably would've acted on those thoughts. It was honestly hard enough to hold yourself back from being overly touchy. A different version of you who was more confident in her actions would have kissed him until the sun rose. Alas, that version was just a fantasy that you'd conjure in your dreams.
Lost in your thoughts, you didn't hear the figure approaching. It wasn't until the dull warmth had swelled into a familiar heat that you realized who had approached you. Opening your eyes, you saw Ace had decided to join you after all. Neither of you said anything, not that you needed to. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Ace's head fell onto your shoulder as a snore rang out.
You could hear a few snickers as you let out a huff of amusement. So much for the party, huh? You adjusted him into a more comfortable position before another yawn left you. Guess you weren't too far behind him in the sleep department. Your eyes began to close as you laid your head on top of his.
It wasn't the most comfortable position to fall asleep in, but next to Ace, that didn't matter to you. You'd probably wake up stiff and with sand who knows where, but it'd be worth it. Before you fell asleep though, you had one last thought.
You should've just kissed him anyways.
"And it was not convenient, no
Would've been the best mistake
Should've kissed you anyways"
Your feet carried you through the bustling streets of a marketplace. Everyone on this island must have had the same idea to go shopping today. It made sense, the sky was clear and blue with no rain clouds in sight and the temperature was pleasant. Overall, you decided today was a day where nothing could go wrong.
A jewelry booth caught your eye, specifically a charm bracelet on display. While the display bracelet held no charms, you could see the potential. There was an entire bin filled with charms that you browsed through while making light conversation with the vendor. You found a couple that represented the people in your life: a frying pan for Thatch, a sword for Vista and a mustache for Pops. And yes, you were going to paint it white. For Marco, you mentally debated between two charms: a bird that resembled his phoenix form that you could even paint blue and would probably look really cool or a pineapple. You chose the pineapple with a smirk.
After a few minutes of finding more charms, you realized that you hadn't found one for Ace yet. You knew you wanted some kind of flame for him. Your fingers froze as you pulled out a heart engulfed in flames. Hell, you couldn't even escape your feelings while doing some retail therapy. Glancing back at the vendor, you saw she was too engrossed in a commotion happening down the street. Discreetly, you stuffed the charm in your pockets. Hopefully she wouldn't miss one little charm. When she turned back to you, you were already shifting through the bin again.
Finally, you had found a simple flame charm and asked the vendor to check you out. While she calculated your total, your attention strayed to the scene which had distracted the vendor a few minutes ago. Apparently someone had died and then came back to life? Or something like that as your heard people talking about it around you. You shrugged it off, it's not like it was your problem.
You turned back to the vendor. "Alright and here's your total, do you want to wear it out or do you want me to bag it for you?" She asked. The price wasn't too bad for the amount you got so you handed over the correct amount of berri.
"I'll just take it in a bag please." You smiled at her as she nodded and as she was bagging your purchase another commotion broke out in front of a restaurant. The both of you turned to the noise and you almost groaned at the sight of a familiar hat in the middle of it all. Oh would you look at that, it was your problem after all.
It appeared to be one of his dine and dashing stunts. He was slowly backing up into the crowd with an apologetic smile. The vendor tutted with a shake of her head as she handed you your bag. "Some people have no shame."
You let out a laugh. "Oh you have no idea. I mean look at his choice of fashion. No shirt? Who chooses to go shirtless? Shameless indeed."
"Well, apparently he just makes poor choices in life as well as fashion," You couldn't hide the snort that left you. "I know the family who runs that restaurant and they've had a slow year. Depending on how much he ate, it'll be hard for them to recover from that." She frowned at the thought. Well, that made you guilty by association and it didn't make you feel good. So you thanked her and made your leave.
Weaving through the crowd to get to the front of the restaurant, you mentally cussed out Ace. You hated when he'd pull this shit. He'd always make the excuse that he forgot his bag or that he simply just 'forgot' to pay. If you had any say to it, he won't be getting away from this one. You finally made it to the front of the crowd and crossed your arms at the scene in front of you.
There was a man in a chefs hat who was yelling all kinds of obscenities at your best friend, who was a few feet away from you now. The crowd had all collectively disapproved of his actions and made sure he couldn't run away by blocking any ways out. There was a woman and a young teenager off to the side who were trying to calm the man down with tears in their eyes.
You could see Ace desperately looking for a way out of this situation so you decided to step in. Letting out a sharp whistle, everyone seemed to freeze to turn towards you. Confusion littered everyone's faces, but Ace let out a huge sigh of relief at the sight of you. That sure wouldn't last long once he found out what you were up to. "Okay shows over everyone!" While you addressed the crowd, you began to walk over to Ace and he smiled at you. Which you returned before you snatched his ear and dragged him over to the family. His curses were lost on your ears and you nodded to the front doors. "Why don't we discuss this idiot's actions inside?"
The man, baffled at your intervention, could only nod along and follow you through the doors. Only once you were the only ones in the restaurant did you finally release Ace's ear. Said man rubbed at his now sore ear as he pouted. "Nice to see you too." He muttered under his breath.
You ignored him in favor of turning to the man and bowing. "I'd like to apologize for my friends behavior. Sometimes he thinks with his stomach and not his head." Reaching out, you slapped at Ace's leg.
He huffed but took the hint and bowed as well. "I'm deeply sorry for my actions. It was wrong for me to run without paying, especially with the amount I ate. And I'm also sorry for causing such a big fuss outside."
"As much as I appreciate your apologies, they don't pay my bills. If you can cover the cost of his tab, then I'll forget this ever happened." The man, you really needed to learn his name, had gone from an uncontrollable anger to a mild exasperation.
"That's completely fair, sir. What's the damage?" You asked and followed his arm to where he was pointing at a massive stack of plates. Eye twitching, you glared at Ace who had the audacity to look sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head.
"In my defense, the food here is amazing. Seriously, compliments to the chef." Ace tipped his hat toward the family. The man could only deadpan at him.
Pinching your nose, you could only sigh. "There's no way we're gonna be able to afford this. I can give you what I have on me. I know he certainly doesn't have any way to pay you."
Ace instantly shook his head. "Don't waste your berri on my mess up."
"No, it's fine." You pulled out your berri pouch and tossed it over to the man. "How much of it will that cover?"
The man studied the amount and shook his head. "It's not enough to cover the whole bill," Your shoulders slumped in dismay. "But, it's enough not to completely screw us over. The rest can be worked off."
Before you could respond, Ace let out a laugh that quickly died in his throat at the sudden stares he received. You raised your eyebrow when he met your eyes. He suddenly coughed into his hand in embarrassment. "No, yeah. Totally. We can totally work the rest of it off. It's the least we could do."
We?! It was the least he could do. He was the one who actually almost put them out of business. Your eye slightly twitched, but you smiled and nodded nonetheless. You were so gonna strangle him later.
✦︎
And that's how the both of you found yourselves wearing dishwashers aprons in front of a mountain of dishes. You were pretty sure most of these were Ace's. With a heavy sigh, you started to organize dishes for Ace to start washing. It was quiet for a few minutes. You were upset and Ace had noticed. Breaking the silence, he looked over at you. "I…Thank you for helping me out back there. Everyone out there was ready to rip me a new one…well, you included actually. Still…thank you."
You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. A part of you thought about ignoring him until you both returned to the Moby Dick, but this was punishment enough. "You definitely owe me one. I gave them all the berri I had saved up for a shopping spree and I'm working for free right now. All to save your ass."
Ace couldn't help but wince. "Once again, I'm sorry for everything today. But, you didn't have to pay out of your own pocket, I would've figured something out. Though, I did kind of set you up to help me. Kinda used to us doing everything together that it just kind of slipped out."
Handing him the next set of dishes, you began washing your own set. "Usually I wouldn't have done something like that. Some lady fed me a sob story about this place being family owned and they weren't doing so good and I guess I felt bad. Hence me giving them my berri."
"Look at you, doing good deeds." He teased as his hip lightly bumped into yours.
"Oh fuck off." You rolled your eyes as you splashed soapy water in his direction. His teasing grin turned into a dramatic gasp.
"That's a declaration of war right there. You sure you wanna start something you can't finish?" The dirty dishes were quickly forgotten as you splashed him again in response. You couldn't stifle your laughter as Ace playfully narrowed his eyes at you. "Alright, you asked for it."
The next thing you know, water is flying everywhere as the both of you try to drench the other. At this rate, you two were more clean than the dishes. Puddles had started to form as a result of your impromptu splash war, but you and Ace were too busy laughing to really notice or care.
Just when you thought it was winding down, Ace took a rag into the water and whipped it in your direction. It hit you in the shoulder and while it didn't hurt, you still reacted as if you had gotten shot. "I've been struck! Such a dirty move, Sunshine!"
If you were paying just a little more attention, you would've seen how his back straightened at the sound of your nickname for him. What you did see was his wide smile and your heart may or may not have skipped a beat. You brushed it off to grab your own rag. After you soaked it, you turned back to him. His smile diminished as he caught the wicked gleam in your eyes. Raising his hands in defense, Ace backed away as he pleaded with you. "Wait, I didn't mean it."
"Aw, where did all that confidence go?" You taunted him as you inched closer.
"It went right here- shit!" His feet slipped out from him as he slipped on one of the larger puddles. Before you had time to laugh at his expense, he had reached out and grabbed a hold of your arm, pulling you down with him. You landed on top of him with an 'oomph' as he groaned from his spot under you.
It was silent for a moment before he started chuckling and it wasn't long before you joined him. Instead of cleaning a mess, another one had been created. So much for trying to help. You propped yourself on your elbows to gaze down at him. He looked up at you with his stupid smile that you couldn't help but mirror.
Your eyes lingered on his lips for just a second. What if you just…..no, you couldn't. Feelings aside, this wasn't the time nor place. And if you had been paying just the slightest more attention, you would've noticed how Ace was in a similar dilemma. You didn't notice how his eyes kept flickering to your lips or how he'd started leaning closer. Really, you didn't get a chance to.
The sound of the door opening caused the both of you to whip towards it with wide eyes. The father looked around at the water all over the floor and the barely touched stack of dirty dishes before his eyes landed on the both of you. His eye twitched. "Typically the water stays in the sink and not all over the dishwashers and the floor. The dishes aren't going to clean themselves, now get back to it."
He left while muttering under his breath about his dislike for pirates. You practically jumped off Ace and avoided eye contact as you held out a hand. A flush covered his cheeks as you pulled him up. Silently, the both of you went back to washing dishes and you made a mental note to also clean up the floor. The silence didn't stop the both of you from sneaking glances at the other. One particular thought was nagging at you.
You should've just kissed him anyways
"But I whispered at the grave,
"Should've kissed you anyways""
It’s been days since the events at Marineford. At least, you think it’s been a few days. Nothing's quite seemed real since then, the days all seemed to blur together for you. You knew that you were injured, your arm had been cast in a sling and your head had been pounding when you'd first woken up. Your body still ached. Honestly, you didn't even remember the specifics on how you'd gotten banged up. You only had one solid memory of that day, and you desperately wished that you could forget it.
The moment your world turned upside down was when Akainu's magma fist pierced through Ace's back. You'd been further away and had been forced to watch your best friend sacrifice himself for his little brother. It was a crystal clear scene playing in your mind on repeat. Before and after that were complete blurs, you hadn't even realized you made it out of there until you woke up on an ally ship.
Recovery would go smoothly, at least for the physical wounds. The emotional wounds? Those would take time, hell, you didn't think those would ever heal. Tears were a constant for those days of sailing towards their final resting places, a little island near Sphinx. You often found yourself by the railing, staring into the seemingly endless sea. Those that didn't know you probably thought that you were thinking of jumping overboard, but that was not your intention.
No, the part of you that was still in denial was waiting. Waiting to see the figurehead of the Moby Dick, with Pops welcoming his children home. Waiting to see Striker break the churning waves with Ace grinning madly and insisting you join him for a ride. Waiting for some kind of miracle. But there would be no miracles for you. The Moby Dick had been burned and was now resting in the depths below what was left of Marineford. Ace and Pops wouldn't be making any grand entrances.
Your heart ached at the thought of everything that had happened over the past few months. The loss of Thatch and the betrayal of Blackbeard. Ace's self-appointed mission for revenge which had ended in disaster. The nerve wracking days leading up to his execution. The War…
You let out a deep exhale as you tore your gaze from the sea to the island you were approaching. Your arrival meant that the funeral would be soon. You'd never been very fond of funerals, though you suppose no one was ever fond of a funeral. You also weren't the best at saying goodbyes, they just make everything feel so final. Oh how you wish that you could skip it, but too many regrets had already been weighing on you lately. You weren't going to add 'avoiding the funerals of the two men who'd greatly impacted your life' to the list.
One of Ace's predispositions was to live a life without any regrets, and you'd think that somewhere along the line, you would have picked up on that. Instead, here you were surrounded by your friends and crewmates, with a series of "what ifs?" on your mind. A breeze curled around you as you stood in front of Ace's grave. His hat flapped along with the breeze, such an odd sight to see it without it's owner. Likewise, Pops' coat was swaying in the wind, also missing its owner.
Both graves were blanketed in a variety of flowers. Despite the grief in the air, it was a rather beautiful sight. If only Ace could've seen this, to see that he was no demon in the eyes of the people who loved him most. You could feel the sting of repressed tears behind your eyes. None of this was fair. Then again the life of a pirate was never fair.
You exhaled shakily as you thought of all the things you wanted to say. Things that you should've said a long time ago, to his face instead of his grave. You traced his engraved name with your eyes as the noise around you seemed to fade into the background. You could feel multiple pairs of eyes on you, but that didn't matter to you. A sorrowful smile tugged at your lips as you finally spoke.
"Hey Sunshine…..This is kind of weird, huh? I never thought that I'd be having to say goodbye to you. Especially not this soon. W-we were supposed to have so many more adventures and now-" You choked on your words as rubbed at your watering eyes. It felt like your throat was closing in and you were determined not to break down, not yet. So, you blinked back the tears and continued. "Now, you're on your own adventure, one that I can't follow you on."
A few tears had escaped and you were quick to wipe them away. "There's actually something that I need to confess. I've kept this to myself for a long time and I'll regret never having the courage to tell you to your face. I was…I am in love with you. You, my best friend, my other half, my sunshine." Your voice wavered as more tears began to fall. "I never told you because I was scared of loosing you, but I guess it never would have mattered because I lost you anyways."
By now you had a steady flow of tears trailing down your cheeks despite your efforts of wiping them away. Your sniffles rang out, but even in your grief, you couldn't help but laugh. If Ace was here, he'd be calling you a crybaby right about now. It would be with a teasing smile as he'd bring you into his arms. He'd distract you by talking about Luffy, his go-to topic. He'd tell you about how he used to call Luffy a crybaby too.
"You know, I spent so much time imagining all the bad that could happen from a confession, that I never thought of the good that could've happened. A-and now I'll never know if you felt the same. All the times that I thought of throwing caution to the wind for just a kiss-" You lowered your head as well as your voice. "Oh, Ace. I should've just kissed you anyways."
You still could in a way. Pressing a hand to your lips, you then pressed that hand on to the gravestone, right over his name. " I love you, Portgas D. Ace, and I always will. And I'm not very fond of goodbyes, so I won't say it. After all, I plan on visiting often, gotta keep you informed of world events. Especially the force of nature that's your little brother. So, I'll see you later, alright?"
Stepping back, you looked over his grave one more time and you could've sworn you saw his hat move as if it was nodding. Or maybe you were seeing things and it was just the breeze. Yeah, it was probably just the breeze.
Before you turned away a sudden thought occurred to you. With your free hand, you rummaged around one of your pockets and pulled out a charm. The same one that you had stolen a few months ago. A heart engulfed in flames. You ignored the ache in your chest and approached the gravestone one more time. You set the charm right by his name and softly whispered. "I'm leaving this here with you, okay?"
The next few months would be the most difficult for you. Living your life while trying to move past the tragedy of what they had dubbed "The Paramount War". Hell, you didn't even know what kind of a life you wanted anymore. A life on the seas wouldn't feel right if you weren't aboard the Moby Dick and you weren't too sure on the future of the Whitebeard pirates. On the other hand, you couldn't imagine yourself settling on land either. Only time would tell of your future exploits. However, no matter how much time would pass, you knew there would be a void in you that could never be filled. A place in your heart that would forever be reserved for Portgas D. Ace.
You really should've just kissed him anyways.
a/n: well long time no see! I haven't had the best year so I've only been able to write a little at a time. I knew as soon as i heard this song that I was gonna write something based on it and don't worry I kissed the brick before i threw it :) please let me know your thoughts! likes, comments, reblogs are SO appreciated!
Thank you for following me and enjoying my fics even if i haven’t been active much this second half of the year!
New Years goal is to write more and actually post my fics instead of sending them to the drafts to collect dust oops. Hoping to start that goal with a fic on the 1st for Ace’s bday 🙂↕️
Entered a flow state of writing while listening to Fall Out Boy and then my manager posted the schedule for Christmas week and completely ignored the shifts I said I would take and killed that flow state
Now I’m gonna go cry and hope I imagined that schedule or it magically changes
Time for me to ramble about new plot ideas instead of actually writing them 😅 jkjk it’s not really new idea for me
I love Greek mythology and Hadestown is probably my favorite musical (you can already tell where this is going) and I had an idea for a fic MONTHS ago but it kinda is in limbo because I have other stuff I NEED to work on.
The idea is actually 2 ideas for 2 different canon x reader fics.
The first idea I had was obviously for Ace because when am I not thinking about him. But basically Orpheus! Reader and Eurydice! Ace 🙂↕️ i thought about it the other way around but I like this idea better.
The second idea was for Law…who I said I was gonna write for and haven’t touched yet. But it’d be Orpheus! Law and Eurydice! Reader. And I did have more of an idea for how I’d want this to go
Basically I just love angst and could probably do both but it won’t be anytime soon
I am gonna try to get something out before Christmas though 🫶🏻
