Kind of a separate little story that inspired my other one. :)
Luffy stood in the rain, remembering.
Remembering magma, and fire, and pain, feeling it all crashing down in front of his eyes, remembering screaming like he would never see the sun again, because Ace had been his sun, had been a constant, had promised, promised that he would chase all the shadows away, but no shadow had never felt longer as his brothers shadow when he fell, when Luffy was afraid to make a sound because if he did everything would crumble, and he would never stop crying until he cried an ocean and drowned himself, and with it, the anguish that tore his heart and hurt more than anything Akainu could have done, would have done.
Luffy stood in the rain, remembering.
Failure, and bitter irony, because his strength had failed him when he needed it most, except for that one time in a field of green matching his First Mate's hair. He had never felt so fragile, because he had declared to the world that he would save his brother or die, so why was he alive and Ace on the cold stone of the plaza, a puddle of blood slowly pooling around him? He had told Whitebeard, Bon Clay, so many others, and they had sacrificed for him, and he had failed them. He had sacrificed so much himself, ten years of a life that could have been spent happy, his nakama around him, and in the end, did it matter?
Luffy stood in the rain, remembering.
The sudden onslaught of memories from a happy time, when they were still the demon trio, Ace and Sabo and Luffy and his days had been filled with love and laughter and brotherhood and dine-and-dashes. When the only worry was that Gramps would come and beat them up, when the biggest challenge was defeating the tiger king, when he could sleep at night knowing that Sabo and Ace were with him and always looking after their little brother, because he was their brother who didn't think and loved meat and had a smile that could surpass the stars.
Luffy stood in the rain, remembering.
A childhood dream they had all lived out, in their own way, to be a pirate, to be free. Ace had thought he was a demon because of the blood that ran through his veins, the blood that was so precious to him and Sabo, the blood that spilled over his hands and stained his skin in crimson. He couldn't see that it didn't matter, because he was Ace. Until they made him see. Sabo had hated the people who had given him life, the same people who didn't love him like they should've, the people who discarded him, because he was a tool, and once a tool rusted, it was thrown into the trash, where it would never be seen again. He thought that once they knew, they would hate him, but it didn't matter, because he was anything but a noble, even though he was born one. Luffy himself lived with a grandfather who didn't approve of his dream, didn't give him touch or hugs or affection, whos love was shown in beatings and harsh training, who had no idea how to properly raise a child and only knew how to train marines.
They were all outcasts, the three of them, until they gave each other a home.
Thank you…for loving me!
Love them, they did. More than they could have thought possible.
Luffy smiled and ran back inside as Sanji shouted, "DINNER!" He shoved pass Chopper, vaulted over Usopp, sliding into his seat in record time.
We love you, Ace, forever and always.