Just a short drabble.

Prompt: Luffy just wants to be sad today.

I own nothing

Enjoy!

Ace scowled and looked back every so often to make sure the straw hat wearing boy wasn't following him. He had gotten up extra early and he saw Luffy's straw hat next to a big lump in the one blanket they had so he figured he was free for the day.

Ace continued on his journey until he was in the middle of the forest, where he saw the young boy without his straw hat. Ace cursed and hid behind a tree before he could be seen.

'What is he doing up so early? And why doesn't he have his stupid straw hat?' Ace asked himself as he watched Luffy. He scoffed when he saw the usual large grin that was almost always present on his face and was about slip away when Ace heard him talking. Curious, Ace moved a little closer to listen.

Luffy sniffled and his tears glistened in the sunlight that had just begun to show through the wooded area. His large grin never dropped as he starred up at the beautiful twilight sky.

Ace was amazed as the forest wildlife seemingly moved to comfort Luffy. "M, sorry forest, I don't mean to be sad. I swear I'll smile tomorrow, I'll laugh tomorrow, and I'll even chase Ace tomorrow!" Ace scowled at the small boy's words, but kept listing anyways.

"But today," Luffy's grin completely fell from his face and for the first time Ace saw Luffy look completely and utterly depressed as the tears began to flow down his face. "I just want to be sad." Luffy covered his eyes with his hands and he began to sob his little heart out.

Aces eyes softened as he starred at the heart breaking sight, but he didn't make a move to go towards Luffy. Ace starred for a few more minutes until he forced himself to look away, slipping into the trees and heading towards his destination.

Once Luffy was sure Ace was completely gone, his sobbing became harder and he curled into a little ball on the forest floor. "I don't want to be alone." He quietly whispered to himself. It was a few more hours before Luffy fell asleep right where he was, after exhausting himself out.

It was dusk before Luffy woke up. Groggily getting up and making his way back towards Dadan's house. It took him half an hour to navigate his way through the large trees of the forest and up the mountain to the bandits house.

He opened the door and walked in, avoiding bodies that slept soundly on the floor as he to the latter that lead to his bedroom. He climbed the latter and walked through the opened door. He didn't even get to his side of the room before he promptly fell down onto his face and slipped back under into unconsciousness.

Ace sighed as he watched the snoring child in the room. He sighed once more before he begrudgingly went over and covered Luffy with the only blanket in they had in the room and went back over to his side, turning over and finally getting some sleep that night.

Dadan watched from the doorway as the two got settled in and slept. She slipped from the doorway and back into her room after checking on the two boys Garp had pushed onto her. The mountain bandit snuggled back into her place on the floor next to her family.

"Stupid brat had me worried." She muttered as she slipped into a deep slumber, her dreams taking over.