Falling

???’s POV

PURURURU-

“Monkey D. Luffy, I swear to Bishamon-”

“They took Ace.”

…

“Nee-chan?”

…

“Mera-chan?” Luffy whimpers a little, I sigh heavily, dropping my head against the wall, my world tilted, head spinning, “Are you still there-?”

“You’re killing me, smalls, you’re killing me.” I growl, then I turn back to my captive, who screams into his gag pathetically, and I shoot him. “Where are you, kiddo?”

I slink forward, the stolen Marine monkeysuit fitting me well enough to disguise me, so long as Hawk-Eyes stays far enough back. My Haki sweeps around the Execution Platform, Ace trembles as my Haki brushes against him, but Sengoku stands strong.

(He might be a problem, if I can’t get my Gear engaged…)

The first of the Whitebeard ships bursts forth, the Moby Dick breaching heavier than it’s namesake in the middle of the bay. I chuckle softly as Ace gasps, trembling harder as three more ships burst forth from the deep. I slink up closer, idling by the steps, hiding (hopefully) in the shadows of a nearby pillar.

“Did you think you were unloved, little King?” I murmur softly, cross my arms across my chest to grasp my twin daggers - Umi and Sora, stolen, redesigned, and given to me by Ace as I close my eyes. I hear Whitebeard call to him.

“OYAJI!” Ace screams, desperate, hurting, I hear Whitebeard answer him, but the angle’s too hard for the words to be distinct.

I hear the quake, though, harsh and distinct and reckoning.

(He’s pissed.)

My lips, devoid of the usual black lipstain, twitch with the urge to smile. I hear First Division Commander Phoenix Marco pipe up, followed swiftly by cheers.

(Ace, you are loved. Anyone who lays on a hand on you will die, slowly and painfully.)

“-prelude to a massive tsunami!” The Fist shouts nearby, I chuckle as the Earth under my feet starts to tremble and quake.

(Yep. You managed to get a Dad, Ace, and about a hundred big brothers, too.)

I smile at nothing as the Earth shakes, rattles, and quakes-

“ICE AGE.”

“Kuzan.” I mutter angrily under my breath, “Of course.”

I hear the ice crackle and creak, I feel the flow of his Haki as he uses his Logia-type, and I feel the entire harbor freeze.

(Fuck. I hate the ice. I hate the cold. Fire isn’t much better, not when it’s not Ace, but dammit, I hate the cold!)

I shrug the stupid jacket around me closer, tighter, and regret shedding my thicker, heavier jacket that I usually wear.

Stupid disguise.

Someone shouts to ‘keep advancing’ and ‘move forward’ and other crap, a familiar Haki signature sidles up to me.

“Dragons circle.” A familiar, deadpan voice states, I roll my eyes before I can help it,

“What? Did he bring an entourage?” I drawl, slicing through his dramatics before he can really get going, “Either get us out of view or get to the point, little Chief.”

“Dragon-san said if you turned up here, to aid you in any way necessary.” The Chief of Staff doesn’t sound happy about it, and I immediately feel like someone just snatched my breakfast from in front of me. “What’s the plan, my Lady?”

I sigh deeply at him.

“Oh, y’know…”

“ATTENTION, ARTILLERARY UNITS!” I smirk at him, he sighs heavily, and I feel him cover his ears through my Haki. “OPEN FIRE ON ENEMY SHIPS, AS WELL AS ALL APPROACHING PI-”

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

“WHA-” Sengoku shuts off his comm unit, and I giggle as the artillery units start to explode, leaving massive holes in the walls, causing damage untold and leaving dozens dead and injured with each bla-

BOOM

BOOM

“It’s like Christmas.” I mutter cheerfully,

“You’re insane.” The Chief of Staff mumbles, I giggle at him, pulling my round sunglasses out of my pocket and handing it to him. “Do I even want to know?”

“And ruin the surprise?” I tease, he sighs, but takes the glasses,

“You’re blind aren’t you?”

“Yep!”

“Good, cause I can’t see a damn thing-”

BOOM

“ARTILLERY UNITS, HOLD YOUR FIRE!” Sengoku orders, sounding panicked, “FORWARD UNITS, BLOCK OFF THE HAR-”

BOOM

Someone triggers the pressure-plate, which sets off the landmine, which in turn takes out the support beams, which proves to be too much for the poor, overworked harbor. I smirk at my boots as the entire harbor, everything that wasn’t built on land at least, sinks like rocks as the ice melts underneath it.

“You’ve met with a therapist before now, right? You’ve talked with one, at least?” The Chief of Staff worries, I snort at him, throwing the stupid jacket off my shoulders as screams of fear break out among the Marines, wild cheers are heard from the Pirates, and Ace lets out a warm, disbelieving laugh - something I haven’t heard in a while. “Lady Death, I am serious-”

“As am I.” I deadpan, turning and walking up the stairs calmly, Sengoku turns to me-

“STATE YOUR NAME-” The comm unit screeches a little as I approach, but I drag my own out,

“MY NAME IS OF NO IMPORTANCE TO THE LIKES OF YOU,” Ace turns, and his smile is as warm as it was in Goa, as brilliant as when we sat in that patch, eating watermelons as kids, seeing how far we could spit the seeds. “WHAT MAY CONCERN YOU, HOWEVER, IF HOW MANY MORE OF THOSE EXPLOSIVES ARE PLANTED ACROSS THIS BASE.”

Sengoku goes still, and all fighting stops.

“RELEASE PORTGAS D. ACE,” I command into my stolen comm unit, my voice echoing across the frozen waste of a battlefield, “ALLOW THE PIRATES TO LEAVE IN PEACE, AND I WILL TELL YOU WHERE I PLACED THE OTHERS.”

“Homura-”

“You’re bluffing!” Sengoku snarls, I pull my hand out from the pocket of my jeans, lifting the remote high, they and the little Chief inhale sharply - I feel a few others do the same through my Haki, but they’re too far away to be of any immediate concern - and I smirk at the Admiral’s fear. “This base-”

“The longest-standing rule of humanity,” I keep the comm unit up, but I let my thumb off the button, allowing Sengoku, Ace, and the Chief to hear my words, them only. “Is that you don’t question the people who look like you.”

Sengoku’s eyes widen enough to effect his Haki outline, probably making him look quiet funny, but Ace smiles and slouches like he’s softening up for some cuddles - like when we were kids and Luffy had ratted me out about a nightmare like a brat.

“TICK-TOCK.” I press a button, smoke and light erupt from a hospital nearby, and the Marines start shouting, screaming, and the Pirates shout in surprise and outrage at ruthless display. “TIME’S RUNNING OUT.”

“RELEASE HIM, SENGOKU!” Garp roars,

“THAT’S THE SMILINGDEATH HERSELF - TODOROKI HOMURA!” Tsuru shouts,

“SHE’S KILLED A MILLION PEOPLE - SHE HAS NO MERCY IN HER BODY! HER SOUL IS STAINED AS RED AS HER HAIR!” Lonz roars,

“WE PREPARED FOR WHITEBEARD - NOT LADY DEATH!” John Giant bellows, I chuckle softly, letting the comm unit echo it across the harbor, Sengoku scrambles for the keys.

“GOOD TO KNOW YOU ALL CAN STILL DO MATH.” I pocket the remote, keeping my finger firmly pressed against the button as the Chief walks briskly up the steps, “Help Ace d-”

“I could guess that.” He mutters snarkily, “Show-off.”

He scoops Ace up as the manacles fall.

“You look familiar.” Ace states,

“So do you, and so does she, but I have amnesia, so what do I know?” The Chief mutters sourly, always sore about it, and they limp past me quickly. I follow as fast as I can, but move backward, keep my back to them, as I stare down Sengoku.

“WHERE’S THE REST!?” Sengoku demands, once the Pirates are all safely in their ships again, I smirk as I turn back, Ace snickers quietly next to me.

“THE REST OF WHAT?” I drop the remote overboard, and the hospital stops spewing smoke, the ‘flames’ stop spouting, the illusion ceasing immediately, and the crews cheer wildly.

“Well done.” Whitebeard drops a hand on my shoulder proudly, “You showed mercy-”

“I showed restraint.” I growl lowly, my stomach still roiling, and my blood churning in my veins. “Ace, you’d better say you’re in good enough shape to melt this damn harbor or I’m going back-”

“I melted the harbor.” Phoenix Marco quickly intervenes, “Ace - and you - are going to bed. You look like you haven’t slept in a week.”

“She always looks like that.” Chief-boy mutters,

(I should probably attempt to remember his name at one point, but I forgot it for a reason.)

“That’s not a good thing!” Marco and Whitebeard hiss at him in sync, Ace wraps an arm around my shoulders and leans onto me hard enough, I grunt.

“So~”

“I’m not afraid to biteyou.”

“Kinky.” Ace puts our heads together, “But I’m on Marco’s side right now - a nap sounds fantastic.”

“We’re calling Luffy first.” I deadpan, he pauses, “He was crying, Ace.”

“Calling Lu first, got it-!” Ace picks me up and I yelp, everyone laughs as he quickly jogs off with me scrambling for a handhold on his stupidly broad shoulders - what the hell are they feeding him here!?

“YOU RESCUED HIM ALREADY!?”

“Dude, she went full-on scorched earth mode.” Ace snickers into the Den-Den Mushi, I smack him with his own pillow, and he laughs, warm and loud and here-

“Fucker.” I mutter, eyes burning viciously as I wipe at him with the sleeves of the borrowed shirt - I refuse to believe this is Ace’s shirt, since when does he wear any!?

“Shit, shit, shit - she’s crying, hang on Lu - shit-!” Ace drops the Mushi’s receiver and quickly wraps his arms around me. “Hey, hey! Mera, hey! I’m right here, I’m here-”

“Yeah - and you almost weren’t!” My voice cracks a little and I sniffle - like some snot-nosed little kid who still cries for Mommy and Daddy whenever there’s a monster under the bed. “You idiot, you could have died-”

Ace pulls me tight against his chest, wrapping our legs together, pressing his lips against my forehead gently, almost tenderly, and my chest hurts. It burns, there’s knots in my stomach, and my eyes sting, and my nose is running-

(FUCK! I’m crying, I’m crying like some BABY! Thank the kami I’m here or I’d never here the end of it! Wait, fuck, Den-Den Mushi are basically cell phones - they could, conceivably get hacked. Takami - that petty, permanent bench ornament - absolutely would hack in and use this against me just for shits and giggles.)

I sniffle back as hard as I can, scrub at my eyes as harshly as I can, but Ace grabs my wrists in one hand and pulls them close to his face. He gives both my hands a gentle kiss on the center of my palm before tucking his face close to mine again.

“You stop that,” He murmurs, voice soft and low and so, so warm, “Stop beating yourselves up. You told me I could cry - why aren’t you letting yourself have the same thing? Let yourself cry, Mera, please let yourself cry.”

The tears won’t stop after that - don’t, maybe, or can’t, possibly even refuse to - all I know is that I’m left in a shaking, crying, quietly whimpering pile in Ace’s arms for nearly two hours. He holds me to his chest tightly, humming occasionally, brushing his hands through my hair, having taken out my braid while I was distracted trying to figure out the clothes he’d tossed me.

Finally, the tears stop, and I’m left a trembling, salt-stained mess.

“I hate crying.” I mumble into his chest,

“Me too.” Ace murmurs into my temple, “Want me to wash your face while you talk with Luffy about how much you hate crying?”

“Luffy managed arrive here with how long Ace-nii took!” Ace’s door nearly gets kicked off it’s hinges, flying into the wall with a resounding BANG as Luffy announces himself in his typical, eavesdropping, bratty fashion. “Also, I hung up on you.”

“Rude brat!” We shout at him in sync, “Get over here!”

Luffy cackles wickedly, and pounces on us both.

Ace makes me sit up - Luffy helps - and he washes my face with a warm wash cloth. I almost fall asleep at one point, but someone knocks politely at the door.

“Oi! Ace, I know your little brother came by earlier, dunno if he’s in there now-”

“Course I am!” Luffy shouts back, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Ace snickers, I cover my eyes, the door creaks open warily.

“Tell me he’s joking.” Marco demands, assuming multiple things at once, and those assumptions very clear to anyone with a working understanding of the term ‘libido’.

“Why would I be joking?” Luffy asks, innocently curious, I shove my knuckles in my mouth quickly, “Mera-nee, why would I be joking!?”

“L-Luffy-” Ace makes a broken wheezing noise, quickly grabbing my shoulder for stability, “Luffy, he-he thought, Marco, he-”

Ace breaks into a cackle.

“Marco thought we were sleeping together.” I deadpan, dragging my knuckles out of my mouth with much effort, Luffy tilts his head quietly, and I brace myself.

“But you were?”

“HUH?” Marco squawks,

“I mean, you were trying to nap, at least-” Marco collapses with a weak, wheeze-y ‘coo’ and Ace howls with vicious glee, also collapsing to his knees, wrapping his arm around my waist quickly so he doesn’t fall to the floor. “Mera-nee, why’re they being weird?!”

“Th-that,” I inhale deeply, “Luffy, that wasn’t the kinda sleeping I was talking about.”

“Well, what else would you be doing!?” Luffy demands, crossing his arms and sulking, I smile before I can help myself as Ace shakes with laughter in my lap. “You’re tired and grumpy and covered with weird ash and Ace is tired and sad and sweaty and covered with weird everything! I’m surprised you two are even cuddling! You two haven’t even eaten yet! And Ace always makes you eat something before you sleep - always! Remember when you broke your ribs and said you were too nauseous to eat? He made you that weird rice, and spoon-fed you! Ace always makes you eat before you go to bed!”

Luffy waves his arms as he talks and Aces makes more broken wheezing noises as I cover my face in embarrassment.

“Should we be taking notes?” Marco wheezes, finally,

“Should we be helping plan the wedding?” Whitebeard taunts,

“Oi! That’ll be our job, thank you!” Emperor Ivankov pipes up, and I yank my hands away from my face as my entire head seems to flood with heat. “Hey! No accounting for taste, but-”

“NO!” Ace and I shout in sync, “IT’S NOT LIKE THAT!”

“Dadan said the same weird stuff, though-”

“NOT NOW, LUFFY!” We shout, and I cover his mouth quickly as my face burns hotter, but the peanut gallery in front of Ace’s room cackles with glee.

“Y’know, when Dadan said you got fond of a particular boy, I thought she meant you seeing Luffy like a little brother,” I can hear Dragon’s grin, along with his heavy footstep forward, “I didn’t think she meant this.”

“I can toss you overboard and say it was an accident!” I shout at him, “The Commission’d believe it, too!”

“I’m sure your bosses would, Homura-san, but isn’t murder before a wedding bad luck?” I grab a knife out of my clothes and throw it - as expected, it ricochets twice before Dragon grunts heavily and there’s a small, squeal-y noise from the wooden floor. Someone lets out a low, impressed-sounding whistle.

“She means business with that one.” Whitebeard chuckles,

“Course she does!” Ivankov states, “Don’t all spies?”

“She what?” Marco barks sharply, I roll my eyes, but Ace and Luffy squeeze closer to me, “Since when-”

“She’s a spy for us, you fool.” Dragon drawls, “Catch.”

I hold my hand in front of my face-

SHING

“EEP!” Luffy jumps, Ace bristles in my lap, but the cuts on my hand are small, barely noticeable things, so I toss my dagger back onto my clothes-

“Nope, nope - you’re letting me treat that, goddammit, do you learn nothing-” Ace grabs my wrist quickly before I can wipe it on the shirt, and I sigh heavily, but let him drag me me up and across the room.

“Holy-”

“He’s…not being smacked?”

“Yeah, nope, we’re leaving.”

“C’mon Luffy, we’re leaving.”

“Wha-BUT SHE’S-” Luffy gets yanked out of the room, and we both turn to the door, but Ace yelps in surprise, and releases me to catch something suddenly.

“Try to actually treat her, yoi.” Marco snickers,

“Oi! I know what I’m doing!” Ace barks, but the air around him warms suddenly as the door shuts abruptly, “...he, ah, didn’t-”

“He was still talking about getting in my pants, Ace.” I snicker at him, still facing the wall, hand out, palm-up, he grumbles quietly but fiddles with something wooden nearby. “Careful~ I’ll think you’re taking his advice seriously~”

“I wouldn’t disrespect you like that!” Ace protests, I snort, recalling several incidents that are much more disrespectful than consensual sex that happened over the years at Dadan’s house. “I-you-that was-there was-I-we’re both tired, okay? And you’re bleeding!”

“That doesn’t mean there’s not tomorrow.” I lean into his chest as he grabs my wrist, and he pauses, the air warming more considerably this time. Ace trails his fingers over the heel of my palm, the blood warm and tacky between our skin, and his heavy callouses are rough, despite how carefully and gently he goes about me.

“Y-You’d…” Ace stuttered, trailing off, I lean into his chest, my body heavy, and his skin warm, familiar. “You’d be…open to that?”

“If it’s you,” I murmur, sliding my bloody, open palm into his hand easily, “It it’s you, Ace, I’d be ‘open’ to anything in the world.”