Sorry, But It's Just a Dream
His mind's eye showed that he was surrounded by nothing short of a war. Visions of its memory did nothing but corrupt his dreaming. One vision in particular did the most damage. The memory of his brother's death. That single memory had haunted his dreams for the past two years. Every night he had the same dream and every night he awoke in a cold sweat with only thoughts of "what if". He acted as though the dreams and his dear brother's death didn't affect him, but they did. Everyone on the Strawhat crew knew the death had effected their captain more so than he chose to show or admit.
That night started like any other night. Luffy had shot out of bed as soon as his brother had died in the dream. To his luck, he had stopped himself before shouting his brother's name. A few times in the past, he had shouted Ace's name and woke up his crew. They couldn't be angry at him but he still felt bad. Deciding he wouldn't be able to sleep again for a while, Luffy got out of his bed and quietly walked onto the lawn deck.
As soon as he opened the door, Luffy could feel and smell the cool ocean breeze and even taste some of the salt water it carried. He closed the cabin door behind him and walked over to the railing. He looked at the ocean to calm his nerves when he saw a light reflecting off the water. He looked above himself and saw the lights from the crow's nest on. He grinned to himself when he remembered his first-mate and swordsman was on night watch.
Luffy quickly launched himself up the mast and to the room like crow's nest. He opened the trapdoor and entered the room before looking for his green haired friend. He soon found the swordsman sleeping on the bench that wrapped around the room and saw the man still holding one of his weights. Sighing, Luffy decided to let Zoro sleep and looked out the large window that followed the bench around the room and allowed vision for every direction. AS he walked to one side of the room, he saw his reflection, specifically the scar on his chest. He stared at the scar for a few minutes before looking away and sitting down. He hesitantly looked out the window and took up watch.
Though he was there physically, he wasn't there mentally. The only thing on Luffy's mind was his brother. He thought of only the good times when they were young. He thought of the times that he had spent with both his brothers. With Ace and Sabo. He mentally relived his childhood through memories and was saddened yet again when he remembered Sabo's death. He closed his eyes and focused on all the times he had with Ace, both good and bad. He remembered every 'Dine-and-Dash' they did, all their training, all their pranks, and Ace's departure from their home island. What he focused on most, was the events that happened before Ace left.
December 31st, the day before Ace's 17th birthday, Luffy was nothing short of nervous. He still had his fear of being alone and Ace was leaving the next day. He promised himself he would spend all day with Ace but the older was nowhere to be found. Luffy had checked their old base, their training grounds, the tree that held their pirate savings, Dadan's Kingdom, the village, the Grey Terminal, and even Goa Kingdom. He had checked everywhere but couldn't find his older brother. Eventually, he had found himself at Party Bar and talking to Makino. She was always able to help. She even explained that weird feeling he had whenever Ace was around, though at the time Luffy still didn't understand. After about an hour of talking to Makino, Ace had walked into the bar and grinned when he saw Luffy. Immediately, Luffy had tackled his older brother which ended with both on the floor and laughing. After they calmed down, Ace told Luffy he wanted to talk to him in private. The two brothers quickly sat up, said their good-bye's to Makino, and ran to the forest.
The two brothers had stopped in a clearing, both slightly winded after racing from the village. When Luffy had caught his breath, he looked around and was amazed. The sun was already starting to set which caused a beautiful light to color the already beautiful flowers around them. While Luffy was staring at everything, Ace had gently grabbed his hand. Luffy had looked at his hand and saw it in Ace's own, which caused him to blush lightly. When Ace had seen it, he couldn't help but chuckle. Ace hadn't thought it was funny. He thought it was adorable if anything. At the time, Luffy had thought his brother was laughing at him and had gotten frustrated causing him to let go of Ace's hand. Ace had quickly stopped laughing and apologized. When Luffy realized how cold his hand was, he shyly reached for Ace's hand again and smiled softly when he felt that familiar warmth.
After the sun had set, Ace had turned Luffy to him and pulled out a simple silver band with three small diamonds imbedded in it. Luffy had stared at it in awe as the moonlight shinned off the diamonds. Luffy had asked Ace how he had stolen such a beautiful ring. Ace had looked away shyly as he explained how he didn't steal it but rather he bought it with some of his pirate savings. Luffy was shocked and even more so when Ace had put the band on Luffy's ring finger. He told the younger to think of it however he wants; as a good-bye, as a way to remember, as a gift, or as a show of his love for the younger. Luffy had blushed brightly when he remembered what Makino told him about what it means to have a ring on that particular finger. Immediately, Luffy had broken into a large grin and hugged the older. Ace had felt nothing but happiness when he found out Luffy understood him. The two had laid there in the clearing until the moon was high in the sky and they had to go home. On the way home, Luffy had held Ace's hand and had even noticed an identical ring on Ace's finger which made him smile more. As soon as they got home, the two laid down side by side and shared a chaste kiss before falling asleep.
Luffy slowly opened his eyes and looked at his finger. The ring was no longer there which made him frown. Deciding to look for the item that was as precious as or maybe even more so than his signature straw hat, Luffy headed to the door to climb down from the crow's nest but was distracted when something caught his eye through the window. He ran over to see when he realized it was a small, one person raft. As the vessel got closer, it seemed to look more and more like Ace's personal raft, Striker. As soon as the person became more visible, Luffy's eyes widened and he can stare at nothing but the familiar orange cowboy hat that covered the man's face. Quickly, Luffy ran to the door and climbed down the mast before running to the side of his ship.
There, in the water, sat the exact raft Luffy thought it was. Backing away from the railing and Striker, Luffy bumped into something. He quickly turned around, expecting to see the mast, one of his nakama, or an imposter but instead saw the one person he never thought he'd see again. His brother, lover, and most precious person. He saw only Ace. The older stared at the younger in as much shock as the younger but for a different reason.
"Luffy… What are you doing up so late?" Ace asked, worry lacing his tone before a sudden thought hit him. "Oh! You have night watch, right?"
Luffy stared at the grin the older gave. It was a grin he longed to see for the past two years. He looked over the older and noticed three things; there was no scar on the older's chest – this he was thankful for –, the older was exactly as he remembered, and Ace was wearing the ring. When he saw the ring, Luffy felt saddened. He dropped his head sadly and didn't say anything. He closed his eyes in slight frustration along with confusion only for them to quickly open when he felt a warm hand holding his own.
"Looking for this?" Ace had asked as he lifted Luffy's ring to the younger's eye level and into his vision. Luffy's eyes widened as he looked up at Ace, who was smiling apologetically. Ace lifted Luffy's hand and slid the ring on the proper finger. "There. Now it's where it belongs."
"You're alive" was the only thing Luffy could say before he tightly hugged the older. Ace couldn't help but hug back as his smile softened. "You didn't die. You didn't break your promise. You didn't leave me…"
"Of course. I would never leave you, Lu. You know I would never break a promise." Ace stated while softly stroking Luffy's hair. "Not intentionally at least."
The two stayed in each other's arms for a while longer before both eventually sat on the grass of the lawn deck. Luffy sat on Ace's lap with his head on the older's chest while they held hands and Ace hummed a simple melody. The couple stayed in their perfect moment for who knows how long during the seemingly endless night.
"I'm happy you're alright." Ace's smooth yet quiet voice broke the silence.
"Where have you been? I thought you were dead Ace…" Luffy stated, not moving except for tightening his hand on Ace's.
Ace sighed. "I'm sorry that I left you. I can't go back, I can't change anything. I'm sorry that I said good-bye. I never meant to hurt you…" Ace paused before adding a few short words. "Sorry I waited so long…"
Luffy looked up at his sworn brother turned lover before looking at their rings and spinning Ace's with his thumb. "You didn't answer my question." Luffy looked up and into Ace's eyes. "Where were you?"
Ace's eyes widened when he saw the tears forming in Luffy's eyes. Past the tears, Ace saw nothing but pain, worry, sadness, and confusion. Ace felt his heart clench when he saw all the pain in the younger's eyes. He lifted his hands to Luffy's face and gently placed them on the younger's cheeks before softly wiping away the tears with his thumbs. "Looking for you." He spoke softly. "I was trying to find you Luffy."
"W-what…?" Luffy stuttered softly.
"I spent the past two years trying to find you. I searched everywhere Luffy. I couldn't find a trace after Marineford. I was so worried. I remember hearing you were injured and might die. I wouldn't accept that. I would never allow myself to think you were dead. Marco had told me you were in the newspaper and it terrified me. For a split second, I thought it would have been a report of your death. So when I saw you were alive, I immediately went searching for you. I had no clue where you were though. So imagine my happiness and excitement when I see you causing trouble again." Ace said with a shaky voice and a few unshed tears towards the end.
"Ace…" Luffy whispered in surprise.
"I finally found you and I couldn't be happier. I promise I'll always be by your side. Even after death, I'll be there for you. Forever Luffy. This promise, I intend to keep." Ace spoke, a few tears softly streaming down his cheeks.
"Ace… What's that supposed to mean…? You're alive right now. You kept your promise. Why are you acting like you didn't? Why are you acting like you actually died?! Please stop this Ace! I don't like it when you talk like that! You lived! So stop acting like you're a ghost!" Luffy shouted, fear and sadness obvious in his tone and eyes as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Luffy… I love you. Remember that always alright?" Ace asked softly.
"I know Ace… And I love you too… Which is why I don't like you talking like that." Luffy whispered.
"Lu… You don't understand…" Ace sighed.
"Yes I do! You're alive! You're right here and holding my hand!" Luffy shouted with fear and raising their held hands to prove his point, the light of the full moon above them shining off the rings as if to emphasize Luffy's point.
"Luffy… You need to wake up. You can't stay here." Ace took in a deep calming breath and blinked away the fresh tears. "I want to stay with you like this forever. But I can't anymore. It's like I said. I'm always by your side but I can never touch you. So this moment right now… It's nothing short of amazing. It's a dream come true for both of us but that's just it. It's just a dream."
Luffy was shocked. He couldn't believe what the love of his life was telling him. It couldn't be true. Dreams were never this real. The only way they were this real was if it was a memory. But right now wasn't a memory. "I don't believe you! You can't be Ace! Ace would never lie to me like this!" Luffy shouted as he stood from Ace's lap and backed away, fear, betrayal, and pain evident in his expression.
Ace was shocked by Luffy's outburst and slowly stood on his own two feet. He stood frozen for a few moments before seemingly appearing in front of Luffy. He quickly raised his hands to both sides of Luffy's head and slammed them on the wall behind the Strawhat captain. "You don't believe me?" Ace merely whispered, his head lowered just enough for his wavy hair to cover his eyes.
"I don't… Ace wouldn't lie." Luffy said but as soon as he finished his sentence, he felt something on his lips. His eyes widened when he realized they were Ace's lips on his own. Slowly, his eyes closed as his heart pounded and he leaned in for more. After a few chaste moments, the two pulled their lips apart but kept their foreheads together. "Ace…"
"Wake up Luffy. Wake up." Ace muttered. He repeated the words multiple times and with each repetition, his voice changed. The final repetition sounding exactly like Zoro.
When Luffy opened his eyes, he found himself in the crow's nest and using the window sill as a pillow. He looked around, searching for Ace but found only Zoro. He looked to the flooring and tried to fight back his few tears. He didn't want to admit it, but Ace had been right. It was only just a dream. That fact alone hurt Luffy more than anything. The one chance he had with his lover and he yelled at him. Luffy took a deep breath before wiping away his tears and looking at Zoro.
"Are you alright?" The green haired first-mate asked. "It didn't look like one of your usual dreams. Or did I wake you before the bad part?"
Luffy slowly shook his head. "No. It was a different dream. A good one." The captain said with a sad smile. "I'm gonna go back to bed. I'll see you in the morning Zoro." With that, the Strawhat captain stood and walked over to the entrance to the room and opened it before climbing down the mast, closing the door behind him. Once his sandaled feet touched the grass of the lawn deck, Luffy couldn't help but look around. He remembered the dream perfectly and could see a hazy outline of where he and Ace had been during the entire dream.
Luffy walked over to the railing and looked into the ocean again. He stayed there for a few moments, hoping to see Striker, but only saw the reflection of the moon on the water. Looking down with a sigh, he saw his most precious item. The ring Ace had given him five years ago was sitting on the finger it belonged on. He smiled softly before kissing the ring gently and whispered, "I miss you Ace." With one final look at the ocean, the nineteen year-old captain smiled before heading back into the men's cabin.
Unbeknownst to Luffy, a ghostly figure sat on the roof of the crow's nest and smiled at the young captain. He leaned back and held his left hand to the moon, staring at the silver band on his ring finger as his orange cowboy hat fell off his head. After a few moments of staring, Portgas D. Ace brought the ring to his lips and kissed it much like his younger lover. "I told you. I'll always be here Luffy. No matter what."
(This story was based off of two songs. 'Sorry' by Art of Dying and 'Just a Dream' by Sam Tsui. I came up with the idea a while ago but after my phone decided to play 'Just a Dream' multiple times in one hour, I chose to write this. The songs belong to their creators and One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda. All I own is the plot of the story. Sorry if it was kind of short and if it had errors. Too tired to proof read and don't know how to add more. That's all I've got to say for this one so… Fave, follow, read my other stuff, vote on my update polls, and review. Bai~! c(X )
Start time – 8:00 AM
End time – 12:10 AM