Characters (c) Eiichiro Oda
Story (c) samettikettu
(No beta was harmed during this fic.-just my BFF, and she deserved it.)
A small boy, not older than four, made his way quietly to a bigger bedroom. He was shivering from the fear that lightning and thunder caused to him. His small hands were clutching a reindeer-plush toy to his small chest which was covered with an over-sized red t-shirt. His small legs created a faint skittering sound as he silently made his way to his older brother's bedroom at the end of the hall.
The boy sobbed and tightened his grip around the plush toy with a pink top hat. He hated nights like this. He had been sound asleep, dreaming about the wonders he had come across the day before and then there was a flash followed by a loud bang that sounded like a roaring sea beast. The small child was awaken by that, hugging his dear toy like his life depended on it and after hearing another roar with a blinding flash, the boy climbed down from his bed and shakily started to make his way towards his brother's room.
The small child silently tip-toed across the long corridor, nearly hugging the wall on his left.
He hated this house.
No, he hated the corridor that kept his brother away from him.
During the day it was an ordinary corridor, only two doors separated the boy from his brother, but during the night the corridor changed into an endless path that took forever to walk.
Another flash painted the corridor's windows white and the boy let out a quiet whimper when the thunder erupted from the dark clouds above. The boy was crouching against the wall so tightly that he could have gone through it.
"Nii-san", the small boy sobbed out.
Only silence greeted him. The silence was what scared the boy, that and loneliness.
He stood up on his shaky small legs and resumed his travel to his brother's room. He could see light coming from underneath the door, meaning that his brother was still awake. This made a small glint of hope raise on the boy's eyes. His brother was awake and could protect him from the roaring monster above their house.
Once at the door, the boy dropped the reindeer-toy on the floor and stood on his toes and grasped the handle with both of his hands. He pulled it down and pushed the door open. The small child dropped down and peeked from the doorway in to his brother's room while grabbing the reindeer from its ear.
He had been right.
His older brother was sitting on his bed, leaning his back to the headboard and was reading a book. The table lamp on his nightstand was on, making the small shadows on the walls. His brother didn't notice when he silently came in the room, closing the door behind him quietly. Only when there was another flash and a thunder, the small child practically leaped on the bed, hugging the man around his waist, his brother voiced his surprise.
"Luffy?" the man put down the book and watched the small, shaky child hugging him. He brought his hand on the boy's head and petted the soft raven hair. Luffy sniffled and with a shaky voice he managed to say 'scared' when there was another bang, louder and longer than the other. The lightning was blinding and soon the two brothers found themselves in the dark room. The man looked the table lamp and then the window, then he sighed.
"You got scared of the thunder again?"
A nod.
The man removed the boy's hands from his waist and pulled the boy on his lap, hugging him in comfort. Luffy circled his small and thin arms around his brother's neck and squeezed his eyes shut. The man hummed and rocked the boy in his arms.
"There's nothing to be afraid of when Ace-niisan is here with you. Nothing's gonna harm you when I'm around", Ace whispered into the boy's ear. Luffy nodded his head against the broad chest and relaxed a bit. The reindeer-plush toy was lying forgotten on the floor.
"Nii-san?" Luffy looked up from the chest, he tensed a little when a flash colored the room white again. The man hummed as a response, slowing down the rocking.
"How come you're not scared of the big monster outside?"
Big, innocent eyes gazed up in the darkness to meet the ones that had seen so much and didn't hold the innocence in them anymore. When Luffy's eyes were still big and held the childish innocence in them, Ace's eyes were smaller and more mature than 20-year-old eyes should be. They both had brown eyes, Ace's were darker and Luffy's were brighter.
The man chuckled.
He turned the boy around so that his back was against Ace's stomach. Luffy peered up from his seat on his brother's lap, waiting for the answer.
"I've seen so many scary things that a plain thunder means nothing to me", Ace explained. The boy turned his head away and nodded. Scary things that Ace hoped his brother would never have to come across with.
"And also", the man brought his hands on the boy's sides, fingers twitching. The boy had no idea what his brother was planning on, thanks to the darkness.
"I have to look out for my little brother when he's scared!" The twitching fingers attacked Luffy's sides. The boy let out a surprised scream, then starting to laugh and scream, while trying to pry the hands off of his sides and stomach. The boy trashed around and managed to get himself free only to land on his back on the bed. Ace attacked his brother again, laughing too. His fingers found the boy's itching sides and stomach again and the boy started to laugh uncontrollably.
Luffy pulled Ace from his bangs, trying to make the man stop but the older male only smirked down at his prey and let out a low growl, imitating a wolf. The boy screamed in delight and tried to kick the man's chest.
"Fighting back is useless, I've got you now!"
"Aaa! Nooo! Help me!"
Laughter from them both filled the room and it didn't seem so dark anymore.
The thunder was forgotten and Luffy snuggled to his brother's armpit and let out a content sigh. He had been right once again when he had thought that with his brother it was safe. Ace chuckled when he felt the boy get closer to him. They were now laying on Ace's wide bed, the man on his back and arm circled around his little brother by his side. He heard Luffy yawn and smiled to himself when he heard the boy's breathing change into deeper one. The boy had fallen asleep.
Quietly and carefully Ace rose from the bed, pulling his little brother with him. He pulled the cover off from his bed and after laying his most treasured person on the comfy bed, he covered Luffy with the blanket. A flash went outside and Ace noticed the small reindeer-plushie on the floor, near the door and went to pick it up. He smiled fondly when he held the plush animal in his hands. He had bought it for Luffy as his fourth birthday which had been on May, three and a half month ago. His little brother was thrilled by the toy and after that he had always slept with it. He even dragged the poor toy with him wherever he went. Luffy had named it Chopper and it was his best friend. Ace tugged the toy with his brother and before he had even taken his hand from underneath the covers, Luffy had pulled the toy to his chest and was hugging it with a relieved smile on his face. The older brother couldn't help but smile.
The 20-year-old man walked up to his window and stared the town under the hill they lived on. The storm was straight above them and Ace could see the lightning flashing from the skies and hitting the ocean outside of the sea town. Rain hit the window with a great force that the man was almost afraid that the glass would break. He wouldn't be too surprised if it did. The house they lived in was old, their parents had left the house to Ace and his little brother when they died. They had died four years ago, shortly after Luffy's birth.
Ace grimaced.
Sure Ace's parents had been young when they had been expecting him and gotten married but to receive a little brother at the age of sixteen? It had been hard for him at the time but he didn't regret anything.
Ace's mother, Portgas D Rouge had been sixteen when she had been expecting him. Her boyfriend, Gol D Roger, had proposed to her right away and they had gotten married shortly. Everything had been great or so Ace had heard from his mother. Rouge had been a loving mother and even though she had given birth at so young age she never regretted it. Unlike some teen mothers, she was grateful for everything she got and dedicated her time for her son that she loved so dearly. Even Roger had dedicated his young life for his son and worked double jobs to get some profit for them. They both wanted the best for Ace.
But then Roger disappeared.
No one knew where he had gone and Rouge was saddened by the fact that her son would have to live without a father, not that Ace remembered much about him since he been three at that time. When he reached the age of seven he was infuriated by the idea of a man leaving his wife alone to raise a small child all by herself. He could never forgive the man, so he became the man of the house. At the age of ten Ace had found a small tavern that had actually hired him to do the dishes. The owner of that tavern was a warm and nice lady, Makino. She was an old friend of Rouge's and wanted to help the two remaining Portgas. The money Ace got from doing the dishes went for buying food and other supplies for his mother and himself. When it was time for Ace to go home, Makino would give him a basket full of leftovers and told him to take them home with him.
If Makino hadn't been so kind and warm hearted, Ace doubted that they'd have survived long.
This went on for some years until Ace turned fourteen and could take a proper job. He worked hard and all the money he got he gave to Rouge. The woman had been surprised when Ace had returned after his first work day with money in his pocket that she had started to cry. She had hugged the young boy, who was nearly as tall as she was, and cried into his hair. Her son was so wonderful and thoughtful. He would become something great when he grew up, Rouge could see it.
Ace met his stepfather at the age of fifteen.
His stepfather, Monkey D Dragon was a great man. He had helped him and his mother for a while then fallen in love with Rouge. Ace was actually happy for them. Dragon was everything his mother deserved and the main thing was that he was always there, looking after her and her teenage son like his own. He actually saw this man as his father figure. Things were great - until Ace received the news that his mother was pregnant with Dragon's child. He had been dumbstruck to say at least. He didn't know what to say when Rouge and Dragon dropped the news to him. Rouge was swelling with pride and joy, she had held her hands over her stomach the whole time when Dragon had carefully told the teenager the news. The man had been nervous. True, he too was excited of the idea of getting a little child of his own, not that he didn't see Ace as his own.
The young man had accepted the new idea of another child but he couldn't shake off the weird feeling he had felt all the time until it was time for the labor. Ace was sixteen now and he was helping his mother all he could. Unknown to him was that Rouge had gotten ill while expecting the baby. When Ace had gotten to the hospital he had called Dragon to inform him where they were and that the labor had started. The man had told him that he was on his way.
It was storming like this on that day too.
The road had been slippery by the water and Dragon couldn't see well in front of him. So when the truck came from behind a tree it was too late for Dragon to slow down. He had died immediately.
Back at the hospital things weren't looking so good for Rouge.
She was at her lasts when the cry from the newborn erupted into the sterilized hospital air. Ace looked his newborn little brother eyes big as plates.
His little brother.
Rouge was panting hard but she wanted to hold her little baby.
The woman hugged the small child and told her older son that the baby's name was to be Monkey D Luffy. Ace only nodded and watched as his dying mother gave a loving kiss on his little brother's cheek and then on Ace's hand. The new big brother saw how his mother's eyes closed and she exhaled for the last time.
A nurse rushed to her side to check on her but when she saw that the woman was already dead. She carefully lifted the crying baby from the woman's limp arms and looked at Ace, who was in a daze. His mother was dead.
His mother was dead.
She had died after giving birth to that child.
That thing.
The baby was taken to a room with other newborn children.
Ace didn't know why but he had followed the nurse. He had stood in front of a big window and stared inside the room where his little brother was.
More nurses rushed in and Ace heard something about a car crash. Next they reeled in a bloodied man and a doctor ran next the stretcher reading out aloud some patient information. When the young teen heard the name "Monkey D Dragon", he knew. Ace knew that the man was dead. The sixteen-year-old turned his gaze back to the room and looked the small bed where his brother laid. He was alone with his brother.
Ace remembered feeling huge amount of hatred towards the small, innocent newborn which had been in this world only for thirty minutes. He was ashamed by the thoughts he had had back then when he was looking at the baby. He had thought about leaving the baby there.
A nurse had appeared next to Ace, she was the very same one who had taken the baby to the room behind the window. She looked the teen worriedly and asked if he needed something. Ace had shaken his head.
"Do you want to see your little brother?"
No, was what Ace had wanted to say but the nurse had pushed him in the room. Nowadays Ace was grateful for that. When he had seen the small, now clean, baby sleeping soundly on the small bed, swaddled in a fluffy blanket, his heart had burst. The baby was beautiful. He didn't have the freckles like Ace and Rouge did but he was something else.
Luffy stirred and looked up to meet a foreign face.
Ace stared the baby's eyes and felt hot tears falling down on his cheeks. His baby brother had their mother's warm, sweet eyes. Luffy seemed to notice the tears started to make a fuss until the nurse picked him up and gave to Ace, who nearly got a panic attack since he had no idea know how to hold a baby! Luffy relaxed once he was in Ace arms and he made an attempt to touch the teen's face with his small fist but failed. Carefully, Ace balance the baby with his other hand while with the other he touched the small, warm fist and brought it to his face. How amazing it had felt. The fist was so small and soft against his cheek, Ace had let out a small laugh. Luffy peered up curiously and touched the tear stained cheek once more before he pulled the teen from his bangs.
Ace had smiled and when he looked the baby's face once more he saw the most beautiful smile he had ever seen in his entire life. Luffy smiled him showing gums, the baby let out a cooing sound and then yawned. He rested his head against Ace's shoulder and drifted to sleep, sucking his thumb.
Ace was speechless.
To think that he had thought those cruel things about his baby brother outside of the room. He was ashamed and would always be.
The nurse had helped to put the baby back in the bed and smiled warmly to Ace.
"You are going to be a great big brother, Ace-kun."
The life from that had been a bit complicated. Ace had to work and at the same time he had to look after his little baby brother. For once, luck was on his side and Ace's boss took pity on the teen and his few weeks old brother. He organized the things so that Ace could work from home, from which Ace was eternally grateful.
Young Portgas didn't go to school but he read books and attended to various exams to get his certificate. His everyday life was busy, he had to either study, work or feed the baby who had learned to crawl and liked to examine the big house they had gotten from their deceased parents. Everyday Ace'd find himself from running after his little brother, feed his bottomless stomach (which actually was not a surprise since Ace too had one too), play with him and tug him in his small bed next to Ace's. He was always exhausted by the end of the day but when he saw his brother smiling in his sleep, he found himself smiling too.
When Ace turned eighteen he became Luffy's legal guardian. The little two-year-old already how to say small sentences and walk without falling. The young Portgas had felt his chest swell with pride and love when Luffy's first words had been his name. He still remembered the day like it was yesterday. Ace had been stresses by the overload of books he had to read for an exam and not only that, he had a night shift. Luffy had looked up to him curiously, tugged his sleeve and opened his mouth and after stuttering, he looked Ace straight in the eyes and said "Ace-nii".
The look on Ace's face must have been funny, because Luffy's face lit up and he let out a small giggle. The older had scooped his brother in his arms and hugged him tightly. From that he got more energy and got an A from his test, also he did his shifts so well that his boss gave him a promotion.
The two brothers had been living happily but of course nothing good lasts long. Ace got fired from his job because he had gotten too violent when a customer had insulted him and the restaurant he had been working in.
Ace had been desperate for finding a new job because Luffy's fourth birthday was closing in and he needed money for his birthday present and for the food. That was when he met his two best friends, Marco and Thatch.
It had been a normal day and Ace had taken Luffy to a park. He watched how his little sunshine played with other kids, namely with one with green hair. Women at the park were whispering gossips and he heard one about him and Luffy. A young mother asked her friend if Ace was a father and the kid who constantly ran between him and the swings was his son. The other woman frowned and said the man being rather young to be a father and ranted about teenage fathers and how thoughtless they were.
First of all, Ace wanted to go there and slap the woman across her face and yell at her, but he couldn't possibly do that. This wasn't actually the first time people mistook Luffy as his child but somehow Ace didn't mind that. His brother had never known about parental love because he had only Ace but he loved Ace more than anything. He had named Father's Day "Ace Day", on Mother's day they would visit Rouge's grave.
The 20-year-old man noticed two men with both having a funny hair-do chatting with Luffy, who then pointed at Ace with a wide smile on his face. Ace frowned. He had told Luffy not to talk with strangers. The two men came up to him and sat on the both side of the bench Ace had taken.
"Hello", said the one with a yellow, pineapple-looking hair-do.
"Hi!" said the one whose hair-do looked very similar to Elvis'. Ace glanced both of the men either side of him, and muttered "Hi".
"Is that your son over there?" the pineapple-head said, pointing Luffy who was playing at the swing set with his new green-haired friend. Ace threw a nasty glance at the man but nodded.
"He's my little brother."
The poor Elvis-impression voiced his surprise. "Your little brother?! How old is he and how old are you?! I bet you're pulling our legs here, he must be your son." the man patted Ace's back who was getting a bit irritated by the man's closeness.
"There's nothing wrong with telling us your true age, dude. We're not here to judge you. Marco over there is already twenty-two and he looks like he's a middle-aged woman!" the man laughed loudly and continued to his Ace's back. By now, the young Portgas was beyond mad and he hit the brunette's hand away from him. He stood up.
"I don't know what the hell you two are up to but if I see you going anywhere close to my brother again, I will kill you", Ace snarled dangerously, meaning every word.
Marco stood up and held his hands up reassuringly.
"We do not want any harm for you or your little brother, I promise you. Do forgive my brainless friend over here, Thatch has a poor sense of humor."
"Hey who are you calling brainless, birdman!?" Thatch, too, stood up and glared the bored-looking blond with fierce eyes. "You wanna go?!"
"Ace!" the called man turned around just in time to catch Luffy in his arms. The boy laughed happily and then looked curiously the two men, who were glaring each other.
"Ace-nii, who are the Pineapple and Beaver?" the kid whispered to Ace, who smirked.
"Beaver?!" Thatch yelled, Marco frowned at the Pineapple-name but said nothing. Luffy hugged Ace and hid his face in order to get away from the scary beaver. Ace glared the brunet warningly. Thatch puffed.
"Anyway, Ace-san we have a request for you from our boss. He wants you to join our gang, he's been watching you for a long time and now wants you to be one of us. What do you say?" Marco explained to Ace who look puzzled. He held Luffy safely in his arms and wondered if the men before him were okay up in their head.
"Excuse me?"
"You know, join our gang and be one us? Have you ever heard from Whitebeard?" Thatch went on. Ace's eyes widened. He sure had heard of the man. The young Portgas first stared Marco and Thatch then Luffy, who was playing with the strands of his hair. Ace bit his lip and then look at the two men again.
Marco nodded.
"We'll come and meet you tonight, okay? No need to let the lights on, we know where you live." and with that Marco started to drag Thatch away, who had completely ignored the meaningful look on Ace's eyes. The freckled man looked down and smiled to his brother, who was humming merely some melody he had come up with on his own.
He wouldn't discuss things like this in front of Luffy.
No, Luffy always came first.
On that night, after Ace had read his brother a good night story and he was sure the kid was asleep, he heard a knock on the door. Behind the door was Marco, but no Thatch. The young Portgas had led the man to the kitchen, where they talked for what felt like hours. It appeared that Ace had gained some powerful enemies when he got into a fight with the man at the restaurant. These men did not fear the law and since the young Portgas had beaten one of them, he was now being targeted by the whole gang. This gang would do anything to get their revenge, even if it meant to play dirty.
The leader of the Whitebeard gang had found out about the plan and decided to protect Ace because he had seen something familiar in the young man. So in order to prevent the young man's safety, Whitebeard wanted him to join his gang.
Ace considered about joining the gang but he had one condition: Luffy would be safe and their safety would be prevented. The worried big brother didn't want his brother to suffer from his decisions and his worst fear was that someone would take their revenge on Ace by using Luffy, his one and only brother.
"You don't need to worry. Our boss thinks highly about family and treats us like his sons and daughters. I can assure you that as long as he's alive he will be looking after you and your brother like his owns", Marco had reassured the young man.
Ace nodded and smiled.
He accepted the invitation.
Everything would be okay and Luffy would be safe.
Whitebeard got him a job and Ace got his money for his brother's birthday present. The boy had loved the reindeer-plushie, which didn't only make Ace happy but also Marco, Thatch and Whitebeard himself.
The whole gang had held a gigantic birthday party for the small boy. Luffy had been confused by the amount of foreign people in their living room but he took a particular liking on Whitebeard and sat on his lap the whole night. The old man had only laughed and told stories to the boy who listened to them in awe.
Marco and Thatch visited the two brothers frequently and Thatch started to like Luffy even more. He likes to pull pranks with the boy and also run around the house. Ace had been a little worried at first when he heard a scream from the second floor but then he saw a laughing Luffy running into the kitchen with a wet Thatch hot on his heels, he exhaled.
Marco often helped Ace with his studies and together with Thatch they kept company for Luffy when Ace had to go to work. It was pretty clear that the whole WB gang had taken a big liking on the two brothers, especially the boss himself.
Ace smiled fondly as he stared outside of the window and let his eyes close.
He was really happy to be alive and together with his most treasured person. True, Luffy may be his kid brother but he didn't mind if someone accidentally mistook him his father. He actually didn't correct them anymore. He loved Luffy with all of his heart and he'd gladly be his father if he had had a choice.
Giving the last glance at the storm outside of the window, Ace went back to his bed and pulled the covers off so he could get underneath them. When he put the covers back, Luffy was there snuggled against his chest seeking for warmth. Smiling softly, Ace pulled the small child against his chest and drifted to sleep.
[A/N] Uh yeah hi. XD I should be doing something else but this was so cute idea for a multiple chapter fic that I couldn't resist... ;_;'' I am (not) sorry.
YUP; So Ace is 20 and Luffy is 4,they have the same mother but different fathers.
I realized something while writing Little Red Riding Hood which is that I try too much. What I mean is that I try too hard to write too long chapters which only makes my job harder and more complicated since it takes a lot time to write a chapter with over 10k words, and since I'm perfectionist, it takes more time than with the other writers. (that and I sometimes can't English. *derp*) So I'll keep it simple with this one and not to try too much.
And you have probably guessed that this chap was not beta'd. ..betaed... beted... BEANS. Yeah, that. I tried to find some mistakes by myself and then my BFF read it too, and after giggling and rolling around she was ready with the other grammar mistakes... Wat?
Reviews are always welcome~ :3
- samettikettu, Ame. (somebody please help me to get rid of this headache!)