I posted another story! It's fluffy and very different from anything else I've written, so go check it out! The feels begin in this chapter! And the next chapter is a certain school event that goes to hell. Enjoy~


The next day, after he'd gotten breakfast, Eraser Head came up to him and said his performance during the exam was exemplary. And not just the acting, but how well he synced with All Might. "Oh, thanks," Ace said a bit awkwardly.

"Your villain character was also quite impressive."

Ace thanked him again, saying it was always fun to try something completely different than usual. After all, how he'd acted was nothing like his personality in that world. And he'd first arrived months ago, even if he didn't spend all of that time there. So, the teachers seemed to have already judged him as not a villain. He wasn't.

"You were never going to burn them, were you?"

Ace said he gave them superficial burns. They were painful, but would disappear relatively quickly. "Anyways, I have to go to work."

"Mirio is still in class. What do you do when he's not there in the beginning?" he asked. If his voice wasn't always monotone, he might have sounded curious.

Ace replied that he helped out with paperwork for Nighteye when he wasn't on patrol but Mirio wasn't there. He wasn't trusted enough and didn't know the city enough to do it himself. "I'm used to doing paperwork from my duty at home. Anyways, bye," Ace said. It was the day after the exam and the students were all sore and achy, so they got one day off. He walked to the agency and entered with a knock.

He didn't see what Nighteye was doing on his computer, but bowed and said he was ready for any paperwork to do. He was diligent about it, and Nigtheye appreciated it since none of the others ever offered to do it. There was a mountain of it, but he could do it just fine.

"Ace, I've seen footage of your fight with All Might," he said. Ace thought he was going to comment on his acting, and he did. "You played a great villain. But that's not what stood out to me. You fought with All Might seamlessly. I was impressed, having been his sidekick once."

Ace immediately said that he wasn't a sidekick, and Nighteye made sure he knew that he wasn't insinuating that. So Ace lost his momentary offense and said that he was good at adapting to others' fighting styles since his brothers were all so different and it demanded that. He got to doing the paperwork but was also able to talk at the same time.

"What was it like, being All Might's sidekick?" he asked curiously, finishing another paper. They were reports from others that were in lists that he compiled into summaries.

"It was enjoyable, and we became close friends. I was the brains and he was the brawn. We worked well together, even if our quirks are very different. When he got injured, we had a falling out, as I didn't approve of him continuing to fight. You know the injury I am talking about," Nighteye explained.

Ace nodded. "He was very strong to still live with that injury. I've gotten badly injured many times, but even I don't think I'd survive that long. I… have a question. I don't know if you'll answer it." Nighteye told him he could ask. "Is All Might losing his powers?"

Nighteye turned cold. "Why would you ask that?" He didn't sound angry or upset, more like guarded and wary.

"Every time I visit, a couple days or weeks, when I come back he feels a little bit weaker. Still very, very strong, but my haki just seems to show that he's losing some of it. I know it's not my place to ask, but I just want to know if I'm wrong, if my haki is messed up, because that would be concerning," he said seriously.

Nighteye sighed. "He is, but I can't tell you why." Ace thanked him for confirming.

"I won't tell anybody. I have no reason to, and telling somebody someone else's secrets is one of the lowest things you can do. Disgusting," Ace said in an angry voice. Nighteye said nothing of the change in demeanor. "Sorry, I got emotional just then. It's just a personal issue."

Nighteye said he understood. "What do you think of Mirio? You seem to get along quite well only knowing each other a couple days." Ace smiled.

"He's probably one of the top three of the nicest people I've ever met. He just seems to radiate cheer. Plus, he's pretty strong and that's cool. His quirk is very interesting, and he is physically and mentally strong as well. And he's easy to get along with," Ace listed. Nighteye nodded in agreement.

"I believe he could become the number 1 hero someday. He's charismatic and determined to do the best for the common people." Ace was pretty much the opposite when he was determined to common people. He wasn't cruel or violent, but he wasn't super nice to everyone. Especially when so many are scared of him and his strength.

Ace agreed that Mirio could go far in this world. "You on the other hand, would not be the friendliest hero." Ace laughed, agreeing. "You seem charismatic and nice to those you know, but glare at everyone else."

"Well I didn't want to be well known here. And now people know my name and epithet. I just wanted to help out in the background, not in the spotlight," Ace explained honestly. "I don't want people calling me a hero when I'm not. I just help Mirio out and those at the school. Being nice to people I like doesn't make me a hero."

Nighteye nodded. "It's hard to put everyone before yourself, but some people are just made to be like that. Others must adopt that mindset, and were not born with it. That is why we have hero training. Not only to strengthen quirks and the body, but to learn about how to be a good hero in other ways."

Ace agreed that hero training would be helpful, but confessed that school looked boring. "I could never sit still and listen to someone all day like that. I'd probably fall asleep." Nighteye already knew about his narcolepsy, since it was something pretty important, even if it only happened when he'd bored or hadn't gotten enough sleep.

Nighteye went back to his laptop, but they were still speaking. Ace was almost done with that day's paper work that he could do and not somebody else needing to do it. "You said you're a leader in your world." Ace nodded.

"Yeah, I'm a commander on my crew. I have a little over 100 people under me. That's why I'm used to paperwork. I do it all the time," Ace explained. Nighteye looked interested, as he hadn't heard much about it other than that he was a leader from All Might.

He said, "That is a lot of people for someone so young." Ace laughed and said he was appointed to that seat when he was 19.

"A lot of stuff has happened since then. I've matured a lot. I was such a rude brat, to be honest. I don't understand why my family wanted me," he joked. "I guess they saw past my hard demeanor to the real me. Who knows, they're a weird bunch." His face fell for just a moment.

Nighteye saw though. "You miss them." Ace nodded, saying all the time. "What will you do if your plan does not work?"

"I don't like to think about that. What happens happens. We'll deal with it if we cross that bridge," he said softly, and Nighteye backed off. When Mirio arrived, he was grinning at Ace.

"I heard about you helping with the exam and fighting alongside All Might!" he said in an impressed voice. Ace nodded, saying it was pretty fun to do. Mirio bowed to Nighteye and changed into his hero clothes before they went on patrol.

He and Mirio didn't find anything or anyone, but Nighteye had allowed them to go further from the surrounding area. Once Ace was more used to the job and work, they would be able to visit sections from the agency by using the bullet train. Ace didn't want to ride it, but it would be necessary. But he couldn't but look forward to new things. He would tell everyone all about it.

When they were on their way back, Mirio was talking about how he was looking forward to meeting class 1-A, Ace was unable to hear the full sentence before he was landing on a very familiar bed.

-x-

He was home, after two weeks. Well a little over two weeks. His longest visit there so far. At least this time he wasn't severely distressed and he was doing something productive. And he had so many stories to tell! He left his room and found Thatch sitting beside the door. "Thatch!" he shouted and hugged him.

The other was happy, but not as happy as Ace. Ace was overjoyed while Thatch was purely happy. "How long was I gone?" Ace asked, assuming it was a couple days at least. But he was shocked when Thatch told him he was gone for only an hour. Ace was stunned, and dropped his hands.

"How long was it for you?" Thatch asked tentatively, his hand on Ace's shoulder in comfort, worried about him. How upset he'd gotten so quickly. Ace put his hand over Thatch's. Ace replied that it had been over two weeks. And he was gone for an hour here. 1/360 hours. He was gone for fifteen days. And here he'd only left an hour ago.

He sat down against the wall and put his head in his hands. There was no way to predict the time change, since it had been different each time. There was no traceable pattern. Thatch sat next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "How was it this time? Will you tell me the happy stuff?" he asked softly. Ace nodded.

"I arrived while a competition was happening with the youngest kids in the school. There was an obstacle race and then some battles. It was fun, kept my mind off of everything that had happened. I was allowed to sit with the teachers. They're nice, I think they like me even though I refuse to be a hero.

He scoffed. "There was this kid, I call him Freckles, who had no control over his power. I was so irritated. He kept breaking his fingers over and over to send wind at his opponent. He literally broke two of his fingers twice. And an arm!" Thatch gasped. "I know, right?!"

Thatch was engaged with the story, listening raptly, a face of wonder on. Ace was glad he could make Thatch happy like that. That he enjoyed hearing about his time away. "Then I was given an internship to pass the time. With Mirio, the guy who reminds me of you. On our first day, we caught some villain who started crying. Then we were heading back where there was a building on fire.

"So I went over to just put it out. And guess what happened next?" Ace asked animatedly. "Two fucking nomus just wreaking havoc! How is that a coincidence, y'know? It was just so weird. And they were scared of me. They stopped rampaging and just cowered, unable to move. I had them kill themselves again.

"Hand-Guy showed up. Man does he hate me. It was so funny. He's like, 'You!' and I said, 'Yup, me. Are you doing naughty things again?' and sorta taunted him. And that's apparently looked down up there, but it was so funny pissing him off. He swore to kill me and I was like 'good luck with that'. It was funny."

Thatch was laughing his ass off. "Man I wish I could see all that stuff, too! What else happened? Tell me everything!" Having Thatch so enthusiastic made Ace more relaxed and calm. Not worrying about the weird time changes. The unpredictability of when he disappeared. Well, at least he always ended up in the two same spots. In the field at U.A. and in his room on the Moby Dick.

Ace then told him about the exam that Ace was evil in. Thatch thought that was funny, too. That he scared the brats badly. He talked about how teaming up with All Might was easy, even if they only fought once. Back when they were seeing if Ace was strong enough to guard the wall. That felt like forever ago.

"Apparently he's losing his quirk. I don't know how, but I feel bad for him. If I lost my fire powers, I'd be devastated," Ace confessed. "I can just tell he gets weaker every time I appear. Poor guy." Thatch looked sad, too. He'd spoken to him before, had gotten along with the guy. And Ace was friends with him, so he was sad for that reason as well.

While he was talking, just about finishing the story, Marco came running over, grinning. Ace stood and Marco hugged him. "I was so worried! I thought you'd be gone for so long, and it was only a few hours." Ace smiled, and said how long it had been for him. Marco frowned, and apologized.

Thatch said, "Wait till you hear what happened this time!" Ace was fine with repeating what had happened, and soon he was sitting on Pops' knee while the others sat around his chair to listen. They were rapt just like Thatch had been. Asking questions. Everybody was interested in the other world.

They thought it was funny he was Firefist Ace there as well. "I can't believe you taunted the guy again," Izo said, shaking his head.

Ace laughed. "Third time, too! Hand-Guy is hella creepy."

Haruta said, "I think it's funny you're going around Endeavor's back to tutor his son! Low blow, man. When did you get so nice?" he asked. Ace shot back that he'd get in trouble if he was immature. He'd already been lightly scorned about taunting his enemy. It was just so natural!

Ace added, "Plus, another fire user is interesting, isn't it? To compare and contrast? How would you feel if there was another phoenix, Marco?" Marco said he'd be interested. "See? I'm doing everything to pass the time. Not doing anything brings my one true enemy: boredom. And boredom brings sadness. You all know I hate being sad!" The crew all nodded. Everyone knew Ace was angry with himself when sad, and had somebody do something with him to distract himself.

So it made sense he was doing all of these things he would never do at home. To distract himself. "I think you think worse of yourself than you are, son," Pops suddenly said. Ace turned around and asked what he meant. "All of these people think you're good, could be of help to their society. Yet you continue to tell them you are not a good person. You are a good person. You don't hurt innocent citizens, and prefer to cause major injury than to kill. I realize you wouldn't want to be a hero. You're a pirate. But, you are not a bad person. And you help them as a distraction. Would a bad person move to do that, or more negative things?"

Ace frowned. "But I'm a pirate. I've killed, and commit crimes all of the time," he pointed out, not understanding why Pops was saying these things. He smiled at Ace.

"And have you done any of those things there? Have you harmed anyone innocent? Have you killed anybody? Do you loot and thieve? Do you fight others just for the fun of it, no matter who they are?" he listed. Ace was still frowning. "Who you are here is a product of this world. That world is different."

Ace sighed, looking away. "I'm a pirate, Pops," Ace muttered.

"Here you are. You have to adapt there. Do what you want, not based on what you like to do here. There are no pirates there, and you are not a so-called villain. This world is completely different, son. You can't compare anything to here," Pops explained kindly. The crew nodded. At least, those closest to him.

Ace insisted that he didn't want to be a hero. "What if it rubs off here? What if I start not liking being a pirate? I can't handle that!" he said. Pops pat his head.

"Even if you did change, you'd still have to be a pirate. You're wanted by the marines and bounty hunters. Besides, you love and stay with us for more reasons just because we are all pirates. I doubt you'd suddenly become a saint, my son. You must adapt there, and if that includes adopting some out of character things, then so be it," Whitebeard said, sounding proud.

"There is no such thing as a hero here, Ace. The marines are not heroes, pirates are not heroes. You are not a bad pirate. Yes, you've done bad things, but there are so many pirates worse than you. And I think as a crew, we're a tiny bit heroes. As a crew, we do good things. We protect our islands, we support our allies, we repay debts and return kindness when it is given. We don't murder for fun, we don't hurt innocent people.

"You cannot think you are a bad person because this world makes us have to do 'bad' things. Everything we are, everyone in this world, is a product of our environments and lives. This other world you can visit, it's simply incomparable. Do you understand?" Whitebeard finished.

Ace was still frowning. Everything Pops said was true. But it wasn't just because he didn't want to be a "good person". He didn't want the weight of being a hero. Plus, he was telling the truth when he said he didn't save people he didn't know. Or at least, not all of them. Not many of them.

He'd helped out before, on the Spade crew and the Whitebeards. But he just… he wasn't a hero. He didn't have the right qualities. And that didn't bother him. They might think he was strong and charismatic, but he was selfish. He just was, and he wasn't ashamed of it. He did what he wanted, and didn't do what he didn't want to do.

Ace stayed with Pops the rest of the day. He was on one shoulder, the one that didn't belong to Marco. "I'm worried, Pops. What if this continues forever? I… I miss everyone, I miss the Moby Dick. The school is so unfamiliar, not cozy. Made of stone, cold and uninviting. My bed sucks, my room is shitty, I have no private bathroom. I don't have Thatch's cooking, I can't spar with anyone, I can't be myself." He balled his fists. "I'm so stupid. I'm never exploring a spooky place ever again!"

Whitebeard said, "If that happens, we will deal with it then. You might need to build a life there. Learn more about it. You say you avoid the technology. If this becomes the norm, you will have to learn things about that world. We will still be here for you, still love you every moment you're gone." He was so kind, Ace couldn't understand why he was called a cruel monster. He didn't kill just to kill for fun.

"I feel like my life has been ripped away. Just shoved into another life. I feel lost. I'm scared here, not knowing when I'm going to disappear. How can I go on missions? How can I lead them if I disappear? I'd let everyone down, maybe even be responsible for failures or deaths.

"I love being a commander, but-" Whitebeard cut him off sternly.

"Ace, I will not demote you for something you cannot control. You clearly don't want this, and it's punishment enough on its own. Punishment for nothing, and I won't punish you for nothing either. It's been three years my son. You are a wonderful commander. Your division loves you, the whole ship loves you.

"And we will support you through this, for however long it may last," he finished sternly. Ace swallowed and nodded. "We have four weeks left. You stayed for two last time."

Ace replied that it would be much longer for Ace if the two weeks continued in the other world as well. "That is true, and I'm sorry that it is. I wish someone else could come with you, but we just can't risk it. I feel terrible, making you be alone."

"No, it would be worse if another person came, too. I think one is enough, even if I wish I had company of someone I could relate to more. One of our own," Ace explained. "You shouldn't feel guilty about that." Whitebeard smiled at him fondly.

He looked to the sea and said, "You are strong, smart and resilient. I have no doubt you can weather this kind of sea. The sea of the unknown." Ace smiled softly, and said that he secretly missed Pops the most.

"I'll admit, I force myself to not think of you. It hurts more to miss you than the others," he confessed quietly. "It is fun, though, being so overpowered there. Hah, I'm actually pretty strong. Here, I'm not nearly close to being as strong as others. And haki has helped me a lot. I'm so thankful I was taught here."

Whitebeard said that haki was indeed probably more useful than many devil fruits. Ace agreed. "Some of the fruits - quirks are super stupid. This perverted, lazy student can just pull sticky purple balls off of his head. Like, how is that useful? And there are others that had bad side effects. Someone has this laser beam that comes from his stomach but using it for more than a few seconds makes him so nauseous he can't move.

"One guy can use electricity but shorts out his brain if he uses too much. Like, he can't talk. Another one only gets powerful by eating sugar, but can overdose on sugar and become dumb," Ace explained. "Why would you want a power that gives you negative side effects?"

"Oh, and did I tell you about my horror stories I told them? Where I brought up the hobby hobby fruit and freaked them all out?" Whitebeard laughed, thinking it was funny. Ace enjoyed talking to Pops so much. He missed him and his kindness. And his fond expressions. He just missed everything about his life here.

But they were right. He can't be so upset, and had to be prepared if this didn't end once they take out the nightmare cave. He still didn't want to be a hero, no matter how much they praised him for being a good person. It just didn't feel like him. He enjoyed breaking rules, making trouble.

He was like a completely different person there. He felt wrong. At the time, he did feel like himself, but when he was brought back home, looking back it was as if he were a stranger in his own body. He had two different personalities. And he definitely liked one more than the other.

Ace was upset and confused and scared, and couldn't sleep even though he was home in his own bed surrounded by his loved ones. I'm not a good person. Everyone thinks too highly of me. I'm a monster, was born a monster and I'd always have that over my head.

Then his brain argued that he wasn't the son of a monster there. There was no bounty on his head because of his bloodline. But he was still not a good person. Right? He didn't think he was bad, and was a better pirate than some, but he still did things that truly good people would look down upon.

All Might doesn't look down on you. He knows what you are, the things you've done.

Ace rolled over and sighed before determining he wouldn't be sleeping, and went outside on the highest yardarm. He walked along it before sitting down, loving seeing the stars. They were so hard to see in the other world. He wondered if the constellations were different. Was that world on another planet? He knew nothing about where it was in relation to Ace's world.

So many things were similar while so many weren't. The food, the water, the plants, the sky, clouds and sun. It was all similar or the same. And yet everything else was different. A different world, with strange people, no devil fruits, no pirates. He'd asked All Might once, if pirates existed. He said no. But somehow he knew on their ship what pirates were.

Maybe it was just him, or coming to that world somehow put knowledge in his head. The skull and crossbones on his back hadn't been identified. Surely, if there were pirates or ever had been, they'd recognize it. It was easier if they didn't. He would rather be a villain than go to their jail. He would never be in a prison. Ever. They couldn't make him unless they submerged him in water for every single day.

Two days after Ace arrived, they had a fight with marines, and Ace was himself again. He was an asshole. As he went all out, he taunted them. He angered them, pushing buttons, driving them into more of a fit every second, and then taking that as an advantage to defeat them in the most humiliating way. It was amazing.

After that, Ace had challenged the nearest brother, who was Jozu, and demanded if that was how a hero acted. "Why are you asking me, I don't know," the huge man said, and Ace huffed before finding Marco and demanding the same answer.

Marco grinned. "Maybe in that world you won't be firefist, but a button pusher," he joked, not answering Ace's answer. Pops laughed at the whole thing. The others laughed as well, and Ace eventually gave up on arguing and sighed, walking to Thatch, asking him for sweets.

After he'd confessed that Thatch's food was one of the top things he missed, the chef couldn't not make anything Ace wanted. "Hey, that's not fair!" Haruta accused. Thatch said, "You have these all the time. My dear baby brother Ace may lose his opportunity of enjoying my food. I must make up for that time he misses!" His fist was up, and Ace snickered.

Being here, coming back, was so refreshing. Like a breath of clean, fresh air. Which was a problem in the other world. Apparently humans were ruining the planet with their technology. Another thing his world was better at.

There were still another two days till the next island, and Ace had been there for fourteen days. Two weeks exactly. He was on edge the whole next day. Jumping at every noise, sticking like glue to at least one brother at a time, wearing his hat all day, even during naps. It was scary; he was afraid of being snatched away again. Even if it was only an hour for his crew, even if it wasn't long enough to truly miss him dearly, it was to him.

He didn't know when he'd come back, but had a feeling it would no longer be a couple hours or even a couple days. But he tried to keep these thoughts away. He was on Pops' knee, arms wrapped around himself, jumping at every noise. He flinched when the captain touched his back.

"Enjoy your time, son. If you leave, then you will have made the most of your time with your family," his father said kindly. Ace never sensed any pity in his voice. It was always care or sympathy. He never made Ace feel less than he was. That was Pops' real superpower. Ace still, to this day, dealt with self-esteem issues and Pops was always there to make him know he was more than he thought he was.

"It's hard. I whine about it so much, I'm sorry," Ace stressed with an annoyed sigh.

Whitebeard smiled. "I do not mind you 'whining' to me. I want you to express your feelings to me when you are comfortable. I will always be there for you. We all lo-" and Ace landed on his back on the hard ground.

He turned on his stomach, and started to sob, punching his fists into the ground. Why did he have to leave then? Why during those words? The universe hated him, why couldn't it give him that. Why did it rip it away THEN?! Was his life just a big joke? The universe thought it was funny to make him miserable?

When he realized that it was getting late, and he was still crying, he stopped, and instead curled into a ball and sat in the grass, looking at his boots. He was trying to clear his mind, move on. Pops had said the words so many times, it wasn't as if it was the first time he'd ever heard him or anybody else say they loved him.