IN WHICH five love letters that were never meant to be read accidentally end up in the hands of every boy you’ve ever loved.
༯ ace x reader / fem reader / modern au / sfw / fake dating / ‘to all the boys I’ve loved before’ inspired / 4k+ wc
AN: thank you guys so much for 500+ followers! I appreciate you guys so much. This took me a while but it didn't turn out good. I hope you guys still enjoy
You figured it was inevitable that at some point, you would develop at least the smallest crush on your childhood best friend, Zoro.
After all, he’d been a constant for as long as you could remember. You grew up side by side, scraped your knees together, argued, and somehow always found your way back to each other. There was a comfort in him you never found anywhere else.
You never gave those feelings a name until sophmore year, after he announced he was dating Kuina.
Zoro had started spending more time at the local sword club alongside her. Watching them together felt natural, it became painfully obvious that there was something between them, something deeper than rivalry, something you couldn’t compete with no matter how hard you tried.
You never blamed either of them. In fact, you congratulated them without hesitation.
You were happy for them. You had to be.
Even if every outing somehow ended with you trailing a step behind, even if they did everything they could to make sure you never felt left out. It wasn’t the same. They tried to keep things normal, but there was no pretending years of familiarity hadn’t shifted overnight.
No matter how much you wanted to move on, feelings built over a lifetime didn’t simply disappear.
So you did the only thing you knew would help.
Not to give to him, of course not, you only wanted to keep this for yourself. Just to empty every thought that had nowhere else to go.
Every memory, every “what if,” every feeling you knew would never be returned found its place on paper. Once you finished, you folded it neatly and tucked it inside a small box hidden in the back of your closet.
It joined four other letters addressed to people you had once quietly loved, feelings that had never been meant to leave those pages.
The summer before senior year, Kuina broke up with Zoro just days before leaving for college.
The worst part was that neither of them had fallen out of love. She ended things because she didn’t want either of them tied down while they were heading in different directions. It was the “right” decision, in her mind at least.
It didn’t make watching the aftermath any easier.
Your only two friends had become strangers overnight, and somewhere in the middle of it all, you’d drifted away from Zoro too. It wasn’t intentional. Neither of you had done anything wrong. But after spending so long watching him and your sister together, you couldn’t tell if the friendship you once had still belonged to the two of you.
Your grip tightened around your phone. A notification from Luffy lit up the screen.
‘Where are uuuu!!! Thought you’d be with Zoro :(‘
You stared at it for a long moment before locking your phone without replying. How were you supposed to answer that?
The cafeteria was filled with conversations. Students clustered around familiar tables while you stood awkwardly near the entrance, unable to find a single place that felt like yours anymore.
With a quiet sigh, you turned toward the exit. Halfway there, your shoulder bumped into someone.
You couldn’t even mutter a sorry.
“What the hell?” The sharp voice made you look up. She glared down at you, fingers intertwined with her boyfriend’s.
Or, more accurately, the reason behind the third letter tucked away inside your closet.
Ace let out a small sigh, gently rubbing circles over his girlfriend’s knuckles in an attempt to calm her. It didn’t help. She pulled her hand away from his and shot you one last irritated look before walking toward an empty table without another word.
You never really understood why she disliked you, you’d been friends once.
Ace lingered behind for a second, scratching the back of his neck. “Sorry about that,” he muttered with an apologetic smile. “She’s.. having one of those mornings.”
You raised an eyebrow. “Must’ve been some strong coffee.”
A laugh escaped him before he shook his head. “Yeah. Something like that.”
He gave you a small wave before jogging after her.
You watched him leave without much thought. You didn’t dislike Ace. You couldn’t, at least without a valid enough reason. But liking him wasn’t exactly an option either.
Not after everything that happened.
The two of you existed somewhere in the middle, close enough to know eachother, yet distant enough that neither of you ever bothered trying.
With nowhere else to go, your feet carried you toward the courtyard. Habit, more than anything, that was basically your spot.
The familiar bench beneath the old tree came into view. And sitting there was Zoro. The exact same spot the three of you used to claim every lunch period last year.
A strange ache settled in your chest.Despite having plenty of friends, he sat by himself, arms resting on his knees as though he’d been waiting for something, or someone.
For a brief moment, you considered turning around, before you could decide, his gaze flickered toward you. There wasn’t much point pretending otherwise now.
You walked over, stopping beside the bench. “Why aren’t you with your friends?” you asked, hesitating before taking a seat.
Zoro shrugged. “Waiting for you.” The answer came so fast it caught you off guard.“I figured you’d be by yourself.”
A short laugh escaped you. “You weren’t wrong.”
You dropped onto the bench beside him and reached into your bag, pulling out a pack of snacks you’d bought out of habit. Holding it toward him, you gave it a little shake.
A familiar smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Sure.”
For the first time in weeks, something almost felt normal. You managed to make up with your close friend, despite the awkwardness.
You jogged along the track beside Vivi, still dressed in your gym uniform as the afternoon sun beat down on the field. The sound almost drowned out the voice calling your name. You pretended not to hear it.
Maybe if you ignored whoever it was, they’d give up.
It wasn’t until a hand caught your shoulder that you finally stopped, letting out a tired sigh as you caught your breath. “What do you need?” you asked between breaths.
Ace glanced briefly at Vivi before looking back at you. “Can I talk to you?” He hesitated. “Alone.”
The request sounded innocent enough. So why did it immediately make you nervous?
You looked toward Vivi, only to find her already wearing a suspiciously amused smile.
“Oh,” she snickered. “I’ll see you later.”Before you could protest, she waved and continued around the track, leaving you completely defenseless.
You bit your lip. “Make it quick, please.”
You reluctantly followed Ace toward the empty bleachers, far enough away that no one else would overhear. For a moment, neither of you spoke, which was valid in your case.
Ace scratched the back of his neck. “So..”
“So?” you repeated, narrowing your eyes.
He looked strangely flustered, rubbing his thumb across his fingertips. You weren’t used to seeing him like this. “Look,” he started carefully, “I’m really flattered.”
“Really flattered,” he emphasized. “But… I don’t think this is gonna work.”
You blinked, a part of you wanting to walk away. “Excuse me?”
He looked almost guilty, you didn’t know why just yet. “I mean, what you wrote was really sweet. About my eyes.” He smiled awkwardly. “‘The little golden specks when the sunlight hits them.’ And… um…” He cleared his throat. “When you mentioned how warm I always was, something like that.”
Your eyes slowly dropped to his hand, an envelope.
Your handwriting. Your letter. The letter. The one you’d written in seventh grade— so how was it in his hands? Your mind completely shut down, there had to be an explanation. Maybe you were hallucinating?
Maybe you’d passed out from running laps and this was some bizarre fever dream.
Because there was absolutely no universe where Portgas D. Ace was gently rejecting a confession you had written years ago and never intended another soul to read.
“..And me and my girlfriend.. ex are already in a rough spot,” Ace continued, completely oblivious to what was happening inside your head. “So I don’t think I’m ready to—”
Your vision went white, then black.
Your eyelids fluttered open, the first thing you saw was Ace’s worried face hovering above yours. His hands were gripping your shoulders, gently shaking you.
You stared at him blankly. “What happened?”
“You fainted.” He let out an awkward laugh. “Do you need some water? This happens to my brother all the time when he gets dehydrated.”
You slowly pushed yourself upright, rubbing your aching forehead. “I drink plenty of water, thanks.”
Before you could answer, something over Ace’s shoulder caught your eye. Someone was walking toward the two of you, green haired, a little lost, and..
..another envelope in his hand.
Your heart stopped again.
Zoro couldn’t know how you feel, let alone talk to you about it. “Oh no.” Your voice barely came out above a whisper. “No.. no.”
Ace frowned, a little bit frightened by your sudden panic. “What? Did something happen?”
You had to find a way to stop Zoro, make him go away— go anywhere but near you. And then you looked at Ace.
You came up with a plan that was probably not your smartest. No, definitely a rock bottom idea.
Your body moved before your brain could catch up. Without thinking, you grabbed the front of Ace’s shirt and pushed him back. He stumbled, catching himself with both hands against the grass as you leaned over him. “Wha—”
His words never finished once the touch lips went over his.
You sat miserably in one of the old spinning counter chairs, your elbow propped against the countertop as you lazily sipped your soda. Not only did you somehow end up kissing Ace, you’d also managed to let Zoro find out you used to have feelings for him.
It was worse than that. Every single guy you’d ever written a letter to now knew.
You absentmindedly tapped your fingernail against the side of your glass, the quiet clinks filling the silence.
The bell above the diner’s door chimed, and you assumed it was just a stranger.
Footsteps echoed across the checkered floor until someone pulled out the stool a seat away from you. It wasn’t strange, the counter was small enough that strangers often ended up sitting closer than they’d like.
Curious, you stole a glance to your side.
You immediately pulled your arms closer to yourself, silently praying that, by some miracle, he hadn’t noticed you. No such luck.
“Hi again, y/n” he gave a weak nod.
“..Hi.” Your eyes stayed glued to your drink, hoping the conversation would simply die there.
Before either of you could say another word, Dadan suddenly appeared from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. She looked between the two of you before a tiny frown tugged at the corner of her mouth.
“You brought a friend?” She said while looking at Ace. You were shocked your server knew him personally for just a second until the accusation became clear.
You nearly inhaled your straw. “No, we’re not—“
He answered at the same time. “I know her.” His response somehow meant more than your panicked denial.
You shot him a glare. He either didn’t notice, or chose not to. It was more than likely the second. “I’ll take a chocolate shake too,” he added casually. “I did dishes, remember?”
She clicked her tongue before leaving to the kitchen, too annoyed to fight about it.
Once she left, you felt obligated to talk this time. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s my foster mom’s diner, so I like to come here from time to time.” He nodded with each word.
You tried to not sound surprised, you liked coming here after all. “That’s.. that’s nice.”
It took an embarrassingly long pause before he said something.
“Look, I’m still flattered by the letter, but it’s not gonna happen. It’s not against you, I mean you’re cute, like in a quirky way.” Hold on, he thought you were cute? “It’s just that I’m still in a awkward position—“
You interrupted his speech, a bit of boldness in you. “Are you trying to reject me right now?”
“Well.. yes.” Ace looked just as confused. “Earlier it didn’t seem to work.”
You let out a forced laugh. “Look, Portgas D. Ace, I’m not trying to date you. Alright? So you can stop this whole thing now.”
“Really?” A grin slowly spread across his face, more out of amusement than tease. You took it just as annoying nonetheless.
Ace nods. “So your mouth says this now, but just a few hours ago your mouth was saying something else—“
“Excuse me?” You hissed low, like someone you knew might just pop up and hear everything. “Don’t say it like that.”
He looked far too pleased with himself.
At a perfectly but bad timing, Dadan returned carrying an overly tall chocolate shake and placed it in front of Ace with a heavy clink, and left.
You rubbed your forehead.
“So here’s the thing, I don’t actually like you.” You began to ramble, he didn’t look convinced at all. “I just had to make it look like I liked you at the time so that someone else wouldn’t think I liked them. Got it?“
“Got it.” Ace didn’t even give you a chance to slide off your seat. “Who? Who’s this mystery guys that’s so bad.”
You rolled your eyes. “None of your business.”
Ace rested his chin in his palm. “I think I have a right to know the mystery guy, since you pulled me into your drama.” He pouted his lips in your face, it was an irritating sight. “If there even is one.”
He clicked his tongue like another idea clicked. “I might still be under the impression that you just desperately wanted to touch my lips.”
“I just told you I don’t!” You whispered viciously. “How about you don’t say that at all, it’s weird.”
“What?” he asked, feigning innocence that was clearly a taunt. “‘Desperately wanted to touch my li—’”
The second you shifted in your seat, he pointed a finger at you. “If you leave, I’ll tell the whole school about the love letter.”
Slowly, you turned back around. “You’re blackmailing me?”
He shrugged. “It’s light blackmail.”
“There is no such thing as light blackmail.”
You pinched the bridge of your nose, in the end you complied and sat down again.
“..Fuck.” You drummed your fingers against the countertop a few times, each tap buying yourself another second. “It’s Roronoa Zoro.”
Ace blinked. “Luffy’s best friend?”
“Yes.” You almost forgot they were brothers.
Hos eyebrows raised in shock. “Your sister’s boyfriend?”
“Ex boyfriend.” You corrected immediately, “that distinction is important before I’m a wrecker.”
You leaned both elbows onto the counter, burying your face in your hands before looking back at him. “Do you understand now?”
“Hm?” He mumbled as if he forgot all about it.
“Why I kissed you.” You stared at him dumbfounded. “Imagine your ex’s little sister suddenly confessing to you through a years-old love letter.”
“And now imagine you’re holding one of those letters while walking toward me.”
Ace’s expression slowly twisted into one of genuine understanding. “..Okay.”
“..Still would’ve handled it differently.” He smirked, chewing on the straw of his shake.
You glared, but took the choice of words lightly to make yourself feel better. A brief silence settled between you before Ace tilted his head.
“There’s multiple letters?” He suddenly asked.
You looked away. “Maybe.”
“Well now I have to know who those are too.” He raised a hand before you could reject again. “I still have blackmail.”
Your eyes glared. “So you’re gonna keep me at your fingers because of a lover later? I never knew you were that type of guy.”
Ace frowned, subconscious filling in. “It’s harmless questions, I just wanna know since you were the one who kissed me anyway—“
“First was Koby, the sophmore.” You bit out, annoyed with the amount of times that kiss was forced back in your memory.
He took a second before responding, trying to take it in. “He’s.. he’s gay.”
You knew that, just not at the time of the letter. “You don’t know that.”
“Everyone knows that,” he chuckled into his empty glass. “Who else?”
“Uhm.. there was this kid, at camp.” You took a second to think about it, mainly to delay the inevitable. “And then someone at a model group I joined in middle school.”
“Damn, I’m shocked you didn’t just confess to them.” He said without thinking, he didn’t catch the way your gaze faltered, embarrassed. “Those letters you write were good.”
…okay, that was a new step of friendship you guessed.
“Thanks, if only it didn’t take this long to reject me.” You couldn’t help the tiny smile that escaped despite your situation. It all felt so.. strange.
Ace laughed with you before absentmindedly spinning the empty glass in front of him. The conversation slowly died out after that, neither of you seemed to have much else to say.
You glanced toward the clock hanging behind the counter, standing from your seat. “Everything we talked about stays here, yeah?”
Ace raised both hands. “My lips are sealed.”
You eyed him suspiciously. “Sounds good, goodbye.” You turned toward the exit.
You paused, stopping right behind him, giving him the okay to turn around and face you.
Ace pointed through the front window. “Was that your bike outside?”
You followed where he was pointing, leaning against the wall of the spot sat your bicycle. Bright blue, covered in glitter, the little star shaped beads woven into the spokes, making them sparkle every time the wheel shifted in the breeze.
A kids bike that you didn’t even think to not take with you in your moment of distress to get away from your house.
“..Yeah.” You closed your eyes for a brief second.
“The one with the tiny bell that goes—”
“I know what my bike looks like.”
Ace broke into another laugh. “I wasn’t making fun of it.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.” His smile softened just a little. “Want a ride?”
You stared at him suspiciously.
You weren’t entirely sure why you got into Ace’s car. Maybe it was because your brain had stopped making reasonable decisions sometime after you fainted. Or maybe it was just a genuinely kind gesture.
Whatever the reason, you found yourself sitting in the passenger seat as the engine quietly hummed beneath you.
Neither of you talked much during the drive. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, at least in the way people would expect. Just strange. You’d never really spoken to Ace this much before today, let alone been alone with him.
The car eventually rolled to a stop in front of your house. You reached for your seatbelt, ready to make the fastest escape of your life, because of course Zoro was your neighbor.
“So,” Ace broke the silence, adjusting the rearview mirror absentmindedly. “What’re you gonna tell Roronoa?”
You froze for half a second before unbuckling yourself. “I’ll figure it out.”
He was trying, and failing to hide a laugh. “Then good luck.” His grin widened as he pointed through the windshield. “Looks like he’s outside. Should I say hi for you?”
Your eyes followed his finger, and there he was.
Standing in front of his house with a garbage bag slung over one shoulder, arguing with someone on the porch. Every ounce of color drained from your face.
“You’re kidding.” Your body instinctively sank lower into the seat. “I can’t go out there.”
“You kinda have to eventually.”
“No shit.” You groaned into your hands, knowing Zoro, he was definitely going to say something once he spots you.
Ace leaned back in his seat, absentmindedly tapping the steering wheel as he thought. “What if you.. don’t tell him.”
You immediately frowned. “Tell him what?”
“That you don’t like me.” He looked over with far more confidence than the idea probably deserved.
Your brain completely stalled. “So let him think we’re talking? No.”
“If he thinks you kissed me because you actually like me, then he won’t question anything.”
You blinked. “So you pretend date, for me.”
He scratched his cheek. “It solves your problem, and mine” He looked out the windshield again. “My ex was pissed when she found out we kissed, like overly pissed.”
You stared, raising an eyebrow, finally understanding a bit of him.
“So if she thinks I’m already moving on, maybe she’ll want me back.”
You stared even harder, maybe you don’t understand him. But it’s not like you were any better. “That’s a dumb plan.”
“I didn’t say it was smart.” Ace’s grin faltered, regretting it instantly when he spot how hesitant you were to look at him. He leaned into his chair, tapping at the steering wheel anxiously.
But luckily for him, you really, really didn’t want to deal with your sister’s ex boyfriend anytime soon.
Then you sighed again, this time much louder. “What do we do?”
He blinked. “You’ll do it?”
“If it works now, I’ll think about it.” You contemplated for a second, but what’s another bad choice gonna do to your already horrible situation.
A slow grin returned to his face. “Easy.” He reached for the door handle, swinging it open. “Just hold my hand on the way.”
You palmed your cheek, hoping that maybe it could take away how nervous you were getting right now. “That’s it?”
“Well yeah.” He shrugged his shoulders. “We’re only fake dating, we don’t need to make out or anything.”
“We’re you thinking of kissing me again—?“
Before you could scold him, he climbed out of the car. You watched through the windshield as he casually walked around to your side, overly stiff. A second later, your door swung open.
Ace leaned against it with an annoyingly bright smile. “M’lady.”
“Don’t say that either, it’s corny.” You muttered.
He chuckled, giving a nod that carried no certainty. You don’t understand how he was so composed, maybe because his problem wasn’t right there. “You complain a lot.”
“Yea well, you’re enjoying this way too much.”
You sighed and climbed out. The warm afternoon air immediately hit your face, so did the reality that Zoro was probably noticing you right about now.
Reluctantly, you slipped your hand into Ace’s, barely given a chance to pull back. His fingers curled around yours without hesitation.. warm. Your younger self had at least gotten one thing right.
Ace closed the passenger door before naturally starting toward your house, leading just enough that anyone watching would’ve assumed this wasn’t the first time.
To your surprise, it didn’t feel as awkward as it should’ve considering the fact you guys weren’t close at all. But the most important part was that it looked believable.
Every instinct screamed at you to glance toward Zoro, but you refused to, certain he was staring already.
By the time you reached your front porch, you quietly pulled your hand away. “Are we seriously doing this? Take backs start now.”
Ace shrugged. “Seems like we already started.”
“Then what about school?” You pointed at him sharply, he caught how much you didn’t want to fuck it up.
“That’s easy, hang out with me.” He leaned casually against the porch railing. “It’ll make my ex jealous.”
“You’re really committed to this terrible plan.”
“And you’re using it to hide from your childhood crush.”
Suddenly, you smiled, and Ace swore his heart skipped a beat. “We’re both losers.” You dug your phone out of your pocket and unlocked it before holding it toward him. “Put your number in.”
He looked up, taking your phone. “That was fast.”
You folded your arms. “If we’re pretending to date, there are going to be boundaries.”
He looked amused at first, still tapping at the screen while he placed down digits in your contacts, deciding between horrible names.
“I can’t just let you do whatever you want because everyone thinks you’re my first boyfriend.”
He paused halfway through typing. “First Boyfriend?”
You nodded matter of factly. “My first fake one, but yeah.”
Ace’s head snapped toward you so quickly you thought his neck might’ve actually cracked. His lips parted like he wanted to say something, then stopped. Instead, he quietly finished entering his name before handing the phone back.
You glanced at the contact before locking your screen. A tiny, victorious smile tugged at your lips. “Bye.” You gave him a small wave before stepping inside and shutting the front door behind you.
You leaned against the wood, exhaling the longest breath of your life. Your eyes slowly widened.
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