I Like Her
Luffy pouted as he walked away from his two brothers, kicking the stones on the path away with a grunt.
“Ace...” Sabo called out as he turned to stare at his brother with an eyebrow raised. “I think she's alright.”
“She’s a girl.”
“She’s important to Luffy,” Sabo protested, both boys paused for a moment before he continued. “And she’s nice!”
“She didn’t look nice when she was ripping into Dadan yesterday, and don't try to lie and say she wasn't. I’ve lived with you long enough to be able to understand snotty talk.”
Sabo glanced away from Ace before sighing, “But she's important to Luffy. Shouldn’t that be all that matters?”
Ace stopped to consider his next words before sighing following after Luffy. “Okay, let's go to the village.”
“Really?” Luffy spun on his heel with a large smile rushing towards Ace to tackle him in a hug before jumping up and running towards the trail to town.
“But!” Ace screamed as he grabbed ahold of Luffy by the back of his shirt holding him up. “She can’t stay with us in the treehouse.”
“That’s okay.” Luffy nodded seriously waiting for Ace to sit him down on the ground before bounding off, “I’ll just stay with her while she’s here!”
“What!? Luffy, get back here!”
Luffy fell into a roll to outran Ace, all the while laughing as he tumbled to a stop at the end of the path. Bouncing up he ran towards the little house he hadn’t been in since he had met Ace, barely stopping to open the door and running up towards Atlantis’ room.
Busting open the door, Luffy found Atlantis already up and dressed staring at him in surprise, “Luffy? Is something wrong?”
“Coco! You’re here,” Luffy tackled Atlantis in a hug causing her to gasp as the air was forced from her lungs causing her to barely hear Luffy’s next mumbled words. “You’re still here.”
“Of course I am,” Atlantis breathed out as she brought her arms around him in a hug. “Why would you think otherwise?”
“When I woke up you weren’t there and I thought yesterday was a dream,” Luffy mumbled into her collarbone.
“Okay, that's it,” Atlantis mumbled as she stood out and made her way out the door, Luffy scrambled after her curiously. “Where’s Ace?”
“Outside somewhere?”
Atlantis slipped her shoes on before walking outside alongside Luffy to hear Ace and Sabo calling out, searching for Luffy. Spotting them, Atlantis marched straight for them, “Hey!”
Ace stopped to stare at her glancing at Luffy before puffing out his chest, “What do you want?”
“To hit you,” Atlantis grunted out as she stopped in front of him with her fist balled up by her side. “So convince me you don't deserve it.”
“I don't have to do anything. You’re just a girl,” Ace huffed as he stared at her in defiance.
Sabo’s eyes widened as he backed away slightly while Luffy tilted his head in wonder, watching as Atlantis twitched before she smiled at Ace. “Okay, I’m convinced.”
Before Ace could blink Atlantis threw her first punch, hitting him straight in the jaw without remorse, sending Ace to the ground with a surprised shout.
“You just hit me!”
“I sure did,” Atlantis breathed out, crouching down to stare straight at Ace. “I get you have your own problems to deal with, but if you want to be Luffy’s brother, act like it. Can’t you see him hiding how he feels behind that smile of his?”
Ace glanced at the surprised Luffy who stared at Atlantis in shock before glancing back at her in anger, “At least I didn’t leave him behind, not like you did.”
“Yet,” Atlantis stood tall in front of Ace with a frown. “You haven’t had the chance for your control to be tested. But tell me, when you find out you’re not strong enough to protect your family, will you leave to get stronger or will you stay?”
“I-'' Ace stopped as he stared at Atlantis in surprise. “A-are you crying?”
“I am,” Atlantis muttered as she wiped away the few tears that dared to fall down her face. “You have no idea how much I care about Luffy nor how much it pained me to leave him, but I have to do something so I can protect him when it matters.”
Ace stared down at his feet for a moment before glancing up at Atlantis as she held her hand out for him to use to stand up. He considered it for a moment before taking it in his own. Once on his own feet he gently touched his jaw where Atlantis had hit him with a wince, he turned to stare at her for a moment before a smirk spread across his face, “I take it back, she can enter the treehouse. I like her.”
Atlantis huffed out a laugh before turning to stare at the widely smiling Luffy, “You should have just told me I needed to hit him for me to be able to come in.”
Luffy laughed as he jumped onto Atlantis back sending her sprawling forward, knocking Ace to the ground with them. Sabo laughed as he jumped on top of them with a shout, “Dogpile!”