Disaster Comes In Threes
One: Let's Argue and Fight Until Dawn
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Summary: Ace always told him to live life without regrets. However, Luffy has one regret: that he can't take back the harsh words he spoke to his brother. Life is full of surprises. And, as Luffy was about to find out, not all surprises are nice.
Warnings: ooc, AU, mild swearing
Disclaimer: Hey, psst. Hey. You. Yeah, you. Come here. That's it. A little more. Good. I have something I want to tell you. Okay? Okay. Ready? *whispers* I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. *clears throat* Don't tell anyone, okay? Good. Now. Onto the story!
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I wish I could but I don't always keep the promises I've kept
I wish I could but I can't always give whatever I have left
I know I should but I don't always say what you want me to say
I know I could but I don't always act like everything's okay
And now it's all so clear, doesn't anyone see what's happening here?
Everything around me falls apart when I walk away from you
-Thousand Foot Krutch (Falls Apart)
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Ace always found it amazing how fast his temper could take over when his self-control slipped. It was like a wild brush fire in a field of tall, dry grass; it spread and consumed everything in its path before he could even fully realize what was happening. And when that happened, the damage was irriversable and it took a long time to heal what it burned. But he was well practiced in the art of holding back his temper and always kept himself in control of his emotions. However, there were times, he hated to admit, where he would fray and slip.
And right now, because of all his college finals, Ace was very frayed.
When he was frayed, he was liable to slip, and his temper would flare and burn all in his path.
Sadly, the person who was in his path this time was Luffy.
It had started out to be a beautiful day. It really had. A sunny and windy day. A day where walking in the park, or flying a kite, or even going on a picnic, would be on the top of your to-do list. A day where you could walk through a forest and actually believe you might see an elf or a fairy or a nymph or, hell, even a unicorn cross your path. Yes, it was a beautiful – almost magical – day.
Sadly, it didn't stay like for long.
At least, it didn't in a certain house.
Things had started to go sour in the D Brother residence around mid-afternoon when Ace came home in a frustrated mood. He closed the door harder than usual, the sound reaching Luffy's ears from upstairs. "Dammit," Ace growled, throwing his bag onto the couch; running his hand through his wild hair. He kicked the corner of the furniture hard. "Dammit!"
"Ace?" Luffy stood at the foot of the stairs, a look of concern on his features. "What's wrong?"
"I just lost my job," the older male growled. "Without that money, we can't pay for the rent. And if we can't pay the rent on time, the old lady's gonna kick us out because she's a stuck up, pig-faced bitch and won't wait an extra three days for the check Garp's sending us!" He began pacing back and forth quickly, his narrowed eyes never leaving the carpeted living room floor. The radio in the kitchen continued to play music from a radio station they occasionally listened to. It was completely ignored. "That means I have to go out and do a some odd jobs around town but I don't have time to do that! My finals are in two days. Two days. I need this time to study so I can pass! But I have to make seven hundred dollars in five days or we'll be out on the street with nowhere to go." He gave another growl, running his hands through his hair. "And on that note, all my friends are currently broke so I can't borrow any money from them. I'm still paying off my loan so I can't get money from Payday Loans."
Luffy ran through his mind for any ideas that could help. Nami was out of town vacationing with her sister so he couldn't ask her for the money. Robin was in Europe on an archeological dig so she was out, too. Zoro, nope. Usopp, no. Kaya, at medical school in another country. Chopper, nope. Vivi, lost her contact number/address. Shirahoshi, on a cruise. Sanji, no. Franky, no. Brook, nope. "I could go out and do the odd jobs while you stay home and study," Luffy suggested. Ace scoffed.
"Yeah, right."
The younger male furrowed his brows. "Hey, I can work, too, you know!"
"Oh? And what job would you do? Huh? Who would hire you?"
"I could do... Uh..." He can't be a waiter, can't wash dishes, can't mow the lawn, can't do most lawn work without destroying something, can't cook, can't play an instrument, can't make sale pitches... "Uhm... I-I can perform on the street?"
"Luffy, I'm not joking."
"Neither am I," Luffy defended. "Me and Usopp did that once and we got a lot of money in a day!"
"You know what? I don't care. Do whatever you want to do. I have to go look for jobs."
Luffy's temper rose. He hated when his brother did that, blew him aside like he was a good-for-nothing. No, there were many things Luffy wasn't good at, but there were things he could do. "Why don't you believe in me?" Ace turned his back to his brother, taking out the Classifieds section of the newspaper sitting on the table next to him to look for jobs.
"Believe in you? How could I, Luffy? You mess up everything you do. It's your fault I was fired from my job today! Apparently you tried to apply at Maitra'D's before and you did $2,000 worth of damages to the guy's place in a day, and then you forgot to pay for the damages you caused. The guy almost lost his business and his house! And when he heard me say today you were my brother, he fired me to make up for trouble you caused him. You really can't do anything right!"
"At least I haven't tried committing suicide!"
"Oh, that's rich coming from someone who nearly dies every month! You know, if it wasn't for me, you would have died years ago! So don't bring that shit up with me, Luffy."
"And if it wasn't for me, you would probably still be living out on the streets! It's because of me and Shanks that Garp ever decided to take you in!"
"I have paid my debt off to Shanks, Garp, and most of all, you. So – no. No, I'm not getting dragged into a useless argument right now. I don't have the time to deal with you." Circling several offerings the newspaper, Ace turned to the doorway to leave. The song the radio was playing came into earshot.
–ve, we'll bleed each other dry
We'll hold each other close
We'll make each other cry–
Ace was a step into the kitchen when he picked up a quiet comment Luffy had thrown back. A comment that was obviously not supposed to be heard. Ace stopped in his tracks. "What did you say?" Luffy blinked, realizing his comment had been heard.
"Nothing." He began to turn and go up the stairs when Ace grabbed his wrist, yanking him to a stop. "Ow! What the hell–"
"What did you say?"
"I said I wish Sabo was here instead of you!" Luffy yelled. "I wish he was here because at least he cared about me! He was a way better brother than you ever were!" Ace felt himself tense at those words. He felt his breath stop and his temper flare. And, even worse, felt his heart throb.
"A wounded animal fights harder than a cornered animal. The same can be said about human beings. If you're cornered, you still have the thought that you can escape and survive. If you're already wounded, you'll fight with all your strength to stay alive. Because when you're wounded, the fear of dying becomes more realistic than when you're healthy and cornered."
We'll drag ourselves around
We'll hold each other up
We'll tear each other down–
"So you're saying you wish I had died instead?" Actually, that wasn't what Luffy meant. It was far from it, actually. "Okay. That's fine. Seeing as I don't deserve to live anyway. But I think you're forgetting one important detail. It's your damn fault he died in the first place. If anyone should have died, it should have been you." Luffy's breath seemed to vanish from him, and his heart suddenly wanted to stop. Ace...Ace wanted him to die instead? His brother had never said anything like before. It had always been "I'm glad you're here, Lu. I'm glad you're alive." This...was completely different. His body suddenly felt numb and his eyes watered. Time seemed to stop for the younger male as he stared into the fiery eyes of his brother.
"Wh...What?"
"You know damn well what I said. It's. your. fault. If you hadn't run into the street, Sabo wouldn't have had to push you out of the way and take your place instead! You were the one who got Sabo killed!" Ace's eyes burned with a fire that couldn't be snuffed. He was furious and he didn't have the time right now to be arguing again with his idiotic brother. "Just leave me the hell the alone." He turned, his pace quick, and walked through the kitchen and out the front door, slamming it behind him. The loud sound reverberated through the house and made Luffy flinch as he stood there frozen on the steps.
Ace was right.
Ace. was. right.
It was all his fault Sabo had died.
Luffy should have died that day. But he didn't. Instead, his brother did. His brother who was so good at doing things and didn't screw up everything and never made any mistakes and was loved by almost everyone who met him.
Luffy felt his legs give out and he crumbled to the ground, pulling his knees to his chest and hugging them as he sat there and silently cried. Ace was right, but he had been so cruel about it.
"If anyone should have died, it should have been you."
Those words stung so bad.
But they were so true.
The radio in the kitchen continued to play it's music, still ignored by the young crying teen in the house.
Tell me why then
Why should it be that we go on hurting each other?
We go on hurting each other
Making each other cry, hurting each other
Without ever knowing why
Can't we stop hurting stop each other?
Gotta stop hurting each other
Making each other cry, breaking each other's heart
Tearing each other apart
Can't we stop hurting stop each other?
Gotta stop hurting each other
Making each other cry, breaking each other's heart
Tearing each other apart
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A/N: I know, I should be working on my other stories. I am! I'm about 1/4 done with the new Sweeter Than Sugar chapter and I'm about 1/5 done with the new Black Rose chapter. I have 1/2 of the new Blind Eyes, Strong Heart chapter done too but it's on my broken computer.
Songs used in story: While We're In Love by Ivy, and Hurting Each Other by The Carpenters.
Anyway, this is only going to be three chapters. The second and third are probably going to be longer than this. Yeah, their argument seemed kinda scattered. Sorry about that. BUT! Hopefully the next chapter will be better. THE NEXT UPDATE WILL BE THE 20TH.
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Oh! I also have a question: If I wrote a Fairy Tail/One Piece crossover, which pairings would you like to see?
Thanks for reading (and for leaving a review, if you do)! Have a great morning/afternoon/night!
Your ice elemental,
~roo the psycho