Injured Bird

Summary: Shanks finds Ace wounded on the side of the road again and takes him home to nurse him back to health.
Pairing: Ace x Shanks, Shanks x Ace
Request from: azab
Warnings: AU, ooc-ness. Yes, Shanks has both arms in this. Don't like it? Sue me. =_=

x x x

It was a rather dark and gloomy day with nothing but constant rain and gray clouds. Shanks was driving home from work in his old red chevy truck while smoking a cigarette, a rather bored expression on his tired face. Work had been long today and the rain only seemed to make it longer. He glanced at the gray sky through his windshield and gave a sigh. He didn't really like rainy days, they only seemed to bring bad luck for him. But as he glanced back to the road from the sky, he noticed something laying on the grass near the road and suddenly realized it was a man. He immediately pulled over and jumped out of his truck, running over to the person and kneeling to their side. Upon further inspection, he instantly recognized the man as Portgas D. Ace, a good friend of his. He noticed several small cuts and bruised on Ace's back and tattoo. He gently rolled him onto his back and gave a curse at what he say. A rather large gash laid on the middle of his chest spilling out deep red blood. He also noted two rather ugly and dark bruises near the ribcage area and figures a rib or two had to be broken. Ace's elbow-pad was missing and Shanks found the exposed elbow a deep purplish color and thought it was either fractured or broken. Knowing that the male didn't want to go to a hospital, Shanks lifted his friend carefully and slowly walked back to the car. Blood from the chest wound soon stained Shanks' thin baggy white shirt and olive green pants. "Dammit," he growled as he recovered his balance from slipping in the mud. "These were the last pair of unstained clothes I had."

Once he was back at his house, Shanks laid out a towel on the couch to set Ace on before running to the bathroom for gauze and disinfectants. He quickly got to work, sterilizing any cuts before tightly bandaging them and icing any swelling that was in view. For the youngster's elbow, he had a few extra elbow-pads and slipped one back on it. He'd have to ask the male how it felt once he woken up. For the broken ribs, all he could do was wrap them up and keep Ace off his feet for a while. As for the main gash, Shanks had a little trouble with it. For a while, it wouldn't stop bleeding, but finally slowed to a near stop and he quickly cleaned it, sowed it up with a sterile needle and bandaged it too. "One day you're gonna get yourself killed, Ace." After that, he pulled a chair over near the couch and sat in wait for the man to awaken.

Several hours passed and finally Ace awoke slowly, blinking as he tried to recall how he got there. Last thing he remembered was being attacked in an alley. He propped himself onto his elbows but flinched as he moved his left one, guessing it was probably fractured and bruised. He looked down at his battered body and saw he was already bandaged up and taken care. That's when he looked to the side and saw Shanks asleep in chair with a rather concerned expression. 'Shanks…' This had been the third time Shanks found Ace wounded and unconscious somewhere remote and that bothered Ace. Why couldn't it have been Marco or Thatch or Whitebeard? Why was it always Shanks? It frustrated Ace because he already owed so much to the man. Before Ace had met Luffy, Shanks had taken care of Luffy and even saved his life on a few occasions. And now he's saved Ace's life three times. He was becoming a bother to the red-haired man. Ace bit his lower lip as it quivered slightly. 'Why am I such a good for nothing? Why am I always such a bother!' A tear ran down his cheek as brought his knees to his chest, ignoring the pain it caused.

"I don't deserve to live," he whispered quietly. Shanks stirred from his sleep and instantly noticed Ace curled up trembling on the couch. Ace must have heard him stir because he seemed to lean away from the red-haired man. "I'm sorry I'm such a bother," Ace whispered and gave a sniff before he regained control of his emotions. Frankly, Shanks was surprised Ace even shed a tear, seeing as the male usually always had a wall up to hide his emotions. But right now, that wall was down and Shanks could only guess what was going through Ace's racing mind. His gaze softened and brought his chair closer to the couch.

"Hey, you're not a bother," he replied quietly as he rubbed Ace's shoulder. "You're never a bother." Ace shook his head.

"You're always taking care of me, you must get sick of it." Shanks continued to rub the male's shoulder comfortingly.

"No, I don't mind it. I really don't."

"Why do you bother? I don't deserve to live anyway." Shanks suddenly stopped his movement and tensed up, his anger quickly rising.

"That's not true," he stated seriously. "The townspeople are wrong, they're just idiots who've lost their way." Then his voice softened once again. "Ace, believe it or not, Roger wasn't a bad man. I respected the man because he stood up for his friends no matter what and stood for what he believed in. He always thought of others before he thought of himself, much like yourself. And he too also refused to run from any fight," Shanks chuckled lightly. "Do you understand, Ace? You deserve to live just as much as anyone else." Ace remained silent, but gave a tiny nod, earning a smile from Shanks. "Good. Now, how about we get you somewhere more comfortable." Shanks stood up and picked Ace up bridal style and headed towards the bedroom. Ace looked up at the red-haired man with a blank look. When Ace looked at him that way, Shanks always thought Ace looked like an injured bird who needed to be nursed back to health but refused to ask for help. And no matter how many times that bird injured itself, Shanks would always be there to nurse it. Shanks stood next to the black silk-sheeted bed and glanced at Ace with a smile. "Hope you don't mind sleeping in my bed, the guest bed is filled with rubbish I need to toss. That okay–" Ace suddenly leaned up and captured Shanks in a kiss. Shanks stared down at the teen in surprise before returning the kiss. He pulled away with a smile and set Ace onto the bed. But as he pulled away, he found Ace's hand gripping his shirt tightly and the male had such a pleading expression.

"Stay with me, please? I… I don't want to be alone." Shanks chuckled quietly and crawled onto the bed next to the freckled teen, holding him in a comforting hug. Ace continued to hang onto Shanks' baggy shirt until soft snores could be heard. Shanks place a kiss on the teen's forehead and whispered into his ear.

"You're never gonna be alone, Ace. I promise. And nothing will ever harm you again. Not while I'm around."

Maybe rainy days weren't so bad after all.

xxx
I hope that was okay? I really didn't know what to do, so I kind of just winged it. I hope it wasn't too short and rushed? My first request story! Got any requests you want? Message me or review it to me! Thank you!

~roo the ice elemental