Hello, my lovelies!
So the plot bunnies for this fic keep multiplying. At a rather alarming rate. My brain is struggling to keep up. Good news is that I have more story to share with you! Bad news is my brain might explode soon. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
First off, no Son Goshen, this is not the one-shot I promised you. Sorry. That one is taking much longer than expected to write and I can tell you right now that it will definitely be more than a one-shot. And before the rest of you go into conniptions, NO. I AM NOT DOING REQUESTS FOR THIS FIC RIGHT NOW. Maybe in the future. It just so happened that I needed permission for this particular one-shot and that's what happened. So PLEASE do not fill my inbox with fic requests.
Moving on.
This shot takes place when Ace is 12 and Luffy is 9. It focuses mostly on Ace with a little Luffy, Garp, and a special someone else thrown in.
Warnings: Fluff, lots of fluff.
Disclaimer: Still no.
Now, ONWARD!
~Flowers~
Flowers are for girls, but every once in a while, they can be for boys too.
Ace idly twirls the flower steam between his fingers as he sits at his usual spot on the cliff that overlooks the sea. He doesn't know why he kept it, flowers are stupid and girly and definitely not something Ace would normally be caught dead carrying around. Maybe it's because Luffy gave him this one. Or maybe it's because it's a nice red color and not some frilly pink. Ace doesn't know why. He just knows that something is preventing him from throwing the flower away.
The Demon remembers when the Angel ran up to him that morning, proudly shoving the flower in his face.
"Look what I got Ace!"
Ace stares at the flower impassively. "It's just a flower," he says bluntly.
"Nu-huh! Makino says it's a special flower called a red haibisket," the Angel says proudly, completely butchering the word 'hibiscus' as he practically bounces in place.
"Uh-huh. And why should I care?" Ace asks.
He really doesn't. If Luffy wants to spend his time picking flowers, that's fine. Ace has better things to do. Like train.
"Cause it's for you silly!" Luffy exclaims, shoving the delicate flower into his hands.
"Wha –"
Ace is completely dumbfounded. Why the heck would Luffy give him a flower? That kind of stuff was for girls!
"It's from this nice lady," Luffy continues, oblivious to the Demon's growing confusion, "I had a dream about her last night. I don't remember a lot about what happened, but I remember her. She was really pretty and warm to, like being wrapped up in the biggest hug ever. She had really long, shiny hair and she had this big smile on her face. She had freckles and big, brown eyes just like you, Ace! And she had a flower just like that in her hair! She said she had a present for you and that I would find it when I woke up. She told me to give it to you because she couldn't. But she said that even though she isn't here to tell you, that doesn't mean she doesn't love you. She says she loves you with all her heart." Luffy grins and Ace can do nothing but stare at the Angel, wide-eyed. "And then I woke up and the flower was on my pillow. Makino told me what it was when she came to visit today!"
Ace looks down at the flower in his hands.
Someone loves him?
He wants to laugh and call it a joke, but this is Luffy. Little, curious, innocent Luffy.
So Ace's fingers curl around the stem. And while he might not believe Luffy about where the flower came from and what it means, he holds onto it anyway.
"Thought I might find you here! Thought you could hide, did you?"
The loud, booming voice snaps him back to the present. He looks over his shoulder to see Garp walking towards him, hands in his pockets. Ace doesn't jump up like he normally would; there's an unspoken rule about this cliff. It's a quiet place, for thinking and reflecting. Ace knows that Garp won't try to show him any "love" here.
"What do you want, geezer?"
When Garp doesn't say anything back, no yelling or crying, not even a simple spoken word, Ace turns to look back at his adopted grandfather.
Garp is looking at the flower in his hands. He has an expression on his face that Ace has never seen before. It's soft and compassionate and sad and guilty all at the same time.
"Gramps?"
His call seems to snap the man out of his daze. "Where did you get that?" he asks softly.
So taken aback by Garp's tone of voice, the answer slips from his lips of its own accord. "Luffy gave it to me. He said it was a gift from some lady he saw in a dream last night."
Garp is silent as he walks up to Ace and kneels in front of the twelve year old, gently, he takes the flower from Ace's limp fingers. Ace has no idea what to do; Garp has never acted this way around him before, not that he can remember at least. Ace doesn't know how to handle this sudden tenderness and if he's honest, it scares him a little. No one has ever really been gentle with him before. It's all new to him. Until Luffy, he hardly knew what affection was.
But Garp either doesn't notice or ignores Ace's complete confusion as he brings the flower up and gently places it in the little Demon's hair, somehow managing to arrange it so the flower will stay in place on its own. When he pulls away, it takes Ace a minute to realize what he's done. Once his brain catches up, he scowls at Garp.
"I'm not a girl, damnit!" he exclaims, hands flying to his head intending to rip the girly flower out of his hair.
"You look like her," Garp comments. Ace's hands freeze halfway to his head as he turns wide eyes towards Garp, hands slowly falling to his sides. "Your mother used to wear a flower just like that one in her hair. Every day if she could," Garp reminisces. Ace clings hungrily to every word, eyes never leaving the man's face. "She wore one every day of her pregnancy with you, even the day she gave birth."
Slowly, Ace brings a hand up to trace the delicate, red petals, Luffy's words echoing in his head.
"She had really long, shiny hair and she had this big smile on her face. She had freckles and big, brown eyes just like you, Ace! And she had a flower just like that in her hair!"
"She says she loves you with all her heart."
"I…look like her?" he asks haltingly, suddenly afraid to look Garp in the eye. This information is all new to him, something he's thirsted for for ages. This is the woman who died so he could live. And while he doesn't think the sacrifice was worth it, he knows that for whatever reason, Portgas D. Rouge loved him. Loves him.
Garp nods. "You've got her brown eyes. Her freckles too," the marine says shortly, repeating what Luffy had said earlier that day.
The flower was a gift from his mother.
"She says she loves you with all her heart."
Ace's lips curve up into a wide grin and his eyes feel a little wet. But he can't find it in himself to care because his mother still loves him even though he killed her. And even though he still hates himself for it, part of him is so happy that he feels like he might burst.
Garp sees the emotion on his grandson's face and can't help but grin. When Ace notices, he crosses his arms over his small chest and scowls, turning his head away.
"It's still stupid and girly," he says of the flower.
But Garp notices that the little Demon makes no move to take it out of his hair.
With a fleeting, almost grateful, look at Garp, Ace runs off in search of Luffy. Garp chuckles fondly after him as he races off into the trees.
Flowers are still really girly.
But, just this once, he's fine with that.
Way shorter than the last one, I know, but isn't Ace just precious? I love him so much. And the way Luffy is so perfect without even trying!
So there's another chapter. Next one will probably be out in a few days. If the plot bunnies let me write them all before multiplying again. (Seriously, there is no end to them!)
Until next time!
~Elri
