Chapter 4
Ace and Luffy were shown the entirety of the Newgate estate which housed so many rooms, hallways, staircases, and closets Ace was certain he'd get lost at least once. Luffy, no doubt, would get lost multiple times.
To which Luffy unashamedly admitted to Marco and Mr. Newgate. "Woah! This place is so big, I bet I'll get super lost!"
"It does take some getting used to," Marco told him with a lazy smile that Ace suspected was the man's general expression.
"Once you've lived here long enough," Mr. Newgate broke in, turning down yet another hallway. "I suspect you won't get lost anymore."
'Like we'll be here long enough to get used to this place,' Ace thought, gazing dead ahead.
On his right, hand clutched in his big brother's, Luffy's head constantly swiveled about as he tried to take in all the sights. "I hope so," Luffy pauses long enough to say before excitedly pointing something out to Ace, who nodded in return.
Eventually, they came to a stop in front of a door of darkened wood.
"This is your room, Ace," Mr. Newgate said, twisting the handle and pushing open the door.
Hesitant at first, Ace just stood there openmouthed as he gazed into the bedroom. That is until Luffy gave his back a good shove and he found himself stumbling forward into the room.
"Holy shit," Ace let slip, unable to hide his surprise.
Painted dark red and gray, the room was three times the size of his and Luffy's old room back at Dadan's house. At its center was a queen-sized bed outfitted with a gray comforter set and covered with plush pillows. It even had an actual headboard! Only Dadan's bed had had a headboard. Other pieces of furniture included two nightstands on each side of the bed, a chest of drawers, a desk complete, and a pair of bookcases filled with a variety of titles.
"The closet is over there. It's a walk-in, so there's plenty of room for whatever you want to store there," Mr. Newgate pointed to a couple of doors that slid open and closed. He pointed to another corner of the room where a short hallway led to another door. "Over here is the bathroom."
"I get my own bathroom?" Ace tentatively moved towards the bathroom to peek inside. Like the room, it was painted in the same color scheme. The floors were wooden, but the counter was made from marble while the bathtub was porcelain like the toilet.
"Yep," he heard Mr. Newgate call out, sounding amused. "Your brother has his own bathroom too."
Ace's head snapped up. He suddenly noticed how quiet it had become. "Where's Luffy?" Ace asked, rushing out of the bathroom frantically.
"Marco took him down the hall to show him his room," Newgate explained.
As if on cue, they heard Luffy call out loudly, "Ace, come see my room! It's amazing!"
Not waiting for Mr. Newgate, Ace darted from the room and down the hall where he had heard Luffy's voice from. He hurried inside to find a hyperactive Luffy scrambling about a pirate themed bedroom. The room had been painted to resemble the ocean—complete with pictures of swimming sea animals. Underneath the large window was a pirate chest, painted a rustic shade of brown and a matching barrel beside it. Along the wall beside the window was a brown bookcase, smaller than the ones in Ace's rooms and filled with titles more suited towards kids Luffy's age. What really made the room was the bed, in Ace's opinion. It had been built to resemble a pirate ship—complete with a mast with a black flag and a jolly roger sewn into it.
"Look, Ace! This is so cool!" Luffy started to tug him towards his brand-new bed.
Like the flag, the comforter was black with the same jolly roger emblazoned in its center. A long shelf, closest to the wall, lined the left side of the bed-ship where a couple of stuffed animals sat. Tucked beneath the shelf were some extra pillows and a rolled-up quilt. Luffy practically squealed as he excitedly showed Ace a switch on the mast which, when flipped up, turned on a light that glowed from its top.
It was impressive, Ace grudgingly admitted as he climbed down from the bed—Luffy right behind him. Yet… Ace bit his lip, worried as he thought about Luffy sleeping by himself.
"Don't you think it's cool, Ace?" Luffy asked him, tugging on his brother's sleeves.
"It's really cool, Lu," Ace told him, rather impressed if not a bit overwhelmed by it all as well. He didn't want to think about how much it had all cost Mr. Newgate. Crouching down to Luffy's level, Ace eyed his baby brother with concern. "Luffy, do you think you'll be alright sleeping by yourself in here?"
Troubled by his brother's unexpected question, Luffy pulled the brim of his hat down over his ears. A nervous habit he picked up not long after they ended up at Dadan's. Luffy had gotten so carried away in his excitement over his new room, he hadn't given much thought to the fact he and Ace now had separate rooms.
"Um," Luffy glanced down at his feet.
"Ace, I know you two are used to sharing a room, but why don't you think your brother will be alright sleeping alone?" Newgate asked.
Directing a frown at Newgate, Ace got to his feet. "It's none of your damn business, old man," he snapped.
Marco stepped forward, his normally lazy expression twitching into a frown of his own. "There's no reason to speak to Pops that way yoi. He is yours and your brother's guardian from now on, so your wellbeing is our priority," Marco said, crossing his arms over his chest. "So, how about answering Pops instead of snapping at him, Ace."
Sensing an impending argument, Luffy jumped between the two of them and declared loudly, "I'll be fine, Ace. I really like my new room and I want sleep in it! It's the coolest room in the whole, wide world!"
Ace glared at Marco one last time before he looked at Luffy, who grinned up at him with that impossibly wide grin of his that somehow always filled Ace with warmth. Ace exhaled, forcing himself to calm down. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Don't worry about me, Ace," Luffy giggled. "I'll be fine!"
"If you're sure," Ace knocked back his brother's hat to ruffle his hair, causing Luffy to laugh. He always loved it with his brother did that.
Marco started to say something, but held back when Newgate stalled him with a raised hand and a simple, "Let's drop it for now, Marco."
Then Newgate shot Marco a 'give them time' look. Marco nodded.
"Pardon," Thatch called out, knocking on the open door and effectively dispelling any leftover tensions. "Just wanted to tell you guys dinner's ready."
"Already?" Marco glanced down at his watch then over towards the window. It had grown dark without any of them noticing.
Mouth beginning to water, Luffy instantly forgot about the whole room thing at Thatch's mention of dinner. "Food! I'm hungry! Hey, Thatchy, is there meat?" Luffy asked, running over to Thatch.
"Yep! Tonight's a special occasion, so I made roast beef with potatoes with the usual fixings of carrots, potatoes, onions, and mushrooms. As a treat, I made a chocolate cake for dessert—Ah! Luffy, hold on!" Before he could finish talking, Luffy raced out of the room in the direction of the kitchens. Led by his nose. Thatch rushed out after Luffy, only to have Ace zoom past him in a trail of smoke.
"Luffy! Stop running or you'll—" there was a yelp followed by the sound of crashing. "—fall."
"I'm okay!" Luffy shouted from the bottom of the stairs.
-xxx-
During dinner, Thatch told the boys to eat as much as they liked and to not hold back if they wanted seconds. Ace and Luffy, however, were not used to asking for seconds since the budget had always been tight at Dadan's, and had to be prompted by their new guardian to ask for more.
"Gurarara, there's plenty to eat, boys," Newgate indicated the spread before them.
Thatch bobbed his head in agreement, his pompadour bouncing comically as he did. "Pops is right, Ace. Luffy. Eat as much as you like, just don't overeat though."
Ace and Luffy shared a glance, shrugged, then requested seconds which Thatch happily supplied. "Is everything good?" He asked, setting Luffy's second plate down in front of him.
"Mhmm!" Luffy exclaimed around a mouthful of beef.
Ace smiled cheekily at Luffy. "It sure beats Dadan's cooking any day."
"It wasn't all bad. Ooooh, I really liked it when she made Hamburger Helper. Yummy!"
Thatch let out a squeak and put his hands to his mouth. His face the picture of horror. "Hamburger Helper!" Thatch scoffed.
Marco and Newgate shared a knowing look which went over the boys' heads.
Thatch leaned forward to take up one of Ace and Luffy's hands into his own, giving them a squeeze. "I swear on my life you won't ever have to eat that stuff again while in this house."
"What's wrong with it?" Luffy asked Thatch, head tilting to one side. Ace raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn't care.
"What's wrong with it?" Thatch repeated. He patted the top of Luffy's bare head. His hat, as per table manners, hung behind his chair. "It's, how to put this, um, it's what I like to call fake food in a box."
"Oh, well, it tastes yummy to me!" Luffy rubbed his stomach for added effect.
"Yeah, just wait until I make it homemade with fresh ingredients. You won't want to go back to eating that box crap."
"It tastes even better?"
"Way better, kid," Thatch winked at him. Then laughed when Luffy demanded he make his version for dinner tomorrow. "Haha, sure thing, Luffy!"
As he chomped down on a forkful of vegetables, Luffy peered into Thatch's face and noticed the curved scar around his left eye. Luffy pointed out, "You've got a scar like me!"
Everyone, minus Luffy, noticed how Ace tensed in his seat at Luffy's statement.
"You're right! While a young chef, just starting out, I was goofing off and forgot I had a knife in my hand. Next thing I know," Thatch made a cutting motion against his face. "I cut myself. I learned my lesson after that, huh! So, how'd you get yours?"
Luffy puffed his cheeks out and put his hands on his hips as he flat out said, "I stabbed myself."
Thatch and Marco's eyes went wide. Newgate, on the other hand, frowned as he asked, "Why is that, Luffy?"
Ace's dropped his balled fists into his lap.
"Because, I wanted to prove I was brave!"
"An older kid named Lucci told Luffy he was a wimp and a crybaby, so Luffy decided to prove he wasn't by stabbing himself in the face with a knife he swiped from the kitchen," Ace clarified through a clenched jaw. Remembering the events of what happened always made him angry. "Even though he was a couple of years older than me, I still kicked his ass."
"You broke his arm, Ace."
"So? Lucci deserved it after what he said to you. I'd do it again," and he would too. "Lucci was a prick who had a mile long stick up his sorry ass."
"This happened while you were in Dadan's care? How old were you yoi?"
"Yeah. After that, Lucci was moved to another home. No big loss there since everyone, even Dadan, was happy to see him go. Luffy was four, almost five and I just turned twelve, I think," Ace shrugged. Noticing their stares, he frowned at them. "What?"
"How old was this Lucci kid?" Thatch asked, curious to know.
"Fifteen," Ace supplied.
"And you, a then twelve-year old, broke his arm?" Ace just shrugged at Thatch.
"He used a metal pipe!" Luffy added around another large mouthful.
The three men all turned to stare at Ace who defiantly glowered back at them. He sure as shit wasn't the tiniest bit sorry for breaking Lucci's arm that day. Lucci deserved it after filling his little brother's head with all that crap, causing Luffy to think such things.
"I'm done," Ace announced, standing up from the table with his plate in hand to carry into the kitchen. But, when Thatch tells him not to worry about it, Ace set the plate back down and turned to his little brother. "Luffy, do you want to bathe with me before bed?"
"Mh-hm!" Luffy swallowed his last bite before nodding his head vigorously. Grabbing his treasured hat, Luffy got up to follow Ace out of the dining room while throwing, "Thank you for dinner, Thatchy! It was the yummiest ever!" over his shoulder.
-xxx-
Later, once Ace and Luffy were sound asleep in their new beds, Edward Newgate joined Marco and Thatch in the kitchen to help them clean up after dinner.
"Are they asleep yoi?" Drying a plate before putting it up, Marco turned towards his father figure.
"Yes, they're snoozing away like a couple of hibernating bears, guarara," Newgate rumbled.
Thatch shook his head, his expression amused. "Man, that Ace sure is a fireball and Luffy is the cutest kid ever."
"You've already grown fond of them, Thatch?" Newgate asked and Thatch nodded his head, smiling. "I'm glad. Marco?"
"Same here, Pops. They're a bit rough around the edges, especially Ace, but weren't we all yoi?"
"Maybe you were, Marco," Thatch teased, reaching out to ruffle the fringe of Marco's hair only to have his hand pushed away. "Anyway, considering where they're coming from, it's not shocking those two are the way they are. However, all I think those two need is a little love and care. I've got high hopes that the welcoming party we're throwing tomorrow for them will be a good start."
"I hope so as well," Newgate said, putting away dishes musingly. "This party is also a great way for the boys to meet the rest of our family."
"I know everyone else is dying to meet them yoi. All of them are coming, Pops. We're still taking Ace and Luffy out tomorrow while the party is being set up yoi?"
"Indeed. I was thinking while we were out, we'll take the Ace and Luffy to get some new clothes. Makino mentioned that those two only have a handful of outfits and you must have noticed their clothes don't fit very well," Newgate crossed his arms over his chest thoughtfully.
Marco and Thatch nodded their heads in unison, though it was Marco who spoke up.
"Good idea, Pops. We'll spend the day shopping and by the time we get back, you guys," he pointed to Thatch. "Should be finished setting up by then, right?"
"With Izo running the show? Pft, we'll be done in no time."
"Are you seriously going to make homemade hamburger helper tomorrow yoi?" Marco had to ask, watching Thatch put away the last of the dishes before pulling down a recipe book. Followed by three more recipe books.
"If that's what Luffy wants," Thatch told him without glancing up from his books. "Since it's mostly for Luffy, I'm only going to make a small amount while the main course will be glazed swordfish with a cream sauce, a side of grilled vegetables and fresh baked rolls. There will be appetizers, of course, as well as dessert. Chocolate covered strawberries, a fruit tart and cookies, because I know kids love cookies."
Clapping his chef on the shoulder, Newgate nodded approvingly at Thatch's choices for tomorrow. "I'll leave you to your planning. Goodnight, Thatch."
"Goodnight, Pops. You heading to bed too, Marco?"
Marco nodded, smothering a yawn as he did so. It had been a long day and tomorrow, he knew without a doubt, was going to be another long one. "Yep. Night, Thatch. Be sure to get some sleep too yoi."
Thatch acknowledged his brother's words with a grunt. Once they left, he returned to flipping through his recipe books and writing out a plan for tomorrow's party. Everything had to be perfect.
-xxx-
It started how it always started: with a hissing sound and a tingling sensation that took over his whole body. Then came those cold, cold dreadful hands. They gripped and grasped at his limbs until they reached his neck where he felt them close around his throat. Tight.
Unable to move or speak or scream, Luffy gasped. The hands pressed tighter against his throat.
His heart pounded in his chest as he watched, helpless, as the rest of the woman emerged from the shadows to crouch on his chest. Her feet dug into his chest, and Luffy panicked as he gasped for air.
From her perch on his chest, the woman leaned forward to whisper in a hissing voice, "It's your fault I died. It's your fault. Your fault."
Luffy cried out in his mind, 'Ace! Ace! Ace! She's back! Ace, help me! ACE!'
Then Luffy could blink. As quickly as she came, the horrific woman was gone.
And Luffy was able to breathe again.
His body jerked as he started to take in huge gulps of air. A sheen of sweat on his face, Luffy clambered to get out of bed, meaning to run straight to the safety of his big brother's bed, only to stop himself. Luffy bit his lip. No. No. No. He'd told Ace he'd be fine sleeping alone. He couldn't go back on his word after assuring Ace he'd be fine with it.
The small boy closed his eyes, deciding not to bother his big brother.
"It's only a nightmare," Luffy chanted, voice soft as he lay back down in his new bed. He grabbed his hat from the shelf beside him and held it to his chest, hand gripping its brim. "It's just a bad dream. It's not real. It's not real."
Luffy remained that way until, unable to hold his eyes open any longer, he fell into a fitful sleep where the face of a mother he had never known haunted his dreams.
-to be continued-
Thank you for your reviews! I'm SUPER pleased people like this story so far.