It's easy to open the door to other worlds, Ace thinks. He smiles as he calls the energy forward, and he can feel the flicker of life in Aratama as he ask for access to the Holy Ground. He doesn't even have the mirror – assumes Roger took it when he left this world – but he doesn't need it anymore. Ace thinks he'll let his parents keep it, in case they want to visit.
Luffy and Sabo flank Marco as Ace pushes the door open. He never got a great look at the Holy Ground before, and he doesn't really have time to do so now, and he leaves the trio behind as he enlarges Aratama, giving Roger hell his only thought.
It's part payback for stabbing him and part payback for being gone so long without even a word. Ace supposes Roger thought it was the best, but he's clearly an idiot who does too much by himself. Just as Ace needs Marco to stop him doing stupid things (including destroying the world), Roger needs Rouge.
"You're an idiot!" he shouts, the world around blurring as he chases after Roger. Admittedly it's a lot of fun, and Roger is fighting back. Ace remembers fighting him as a kid, and Roger would always go easy on him, tell him he is not ready. Well, Ace is ready now, and Roger can see that too.
"All you had to do was ask! All you had to do was sit down over dinner and have a chat." Ace pauses. He's got a few good hits in already, and Roger looks more battered than Ace feels.
"Instead you had to be cryptic, lock away any sense I had, and make me destroy the world we all love." Ace sets Aratama heavily on the ground, leaning on the hammer's handle. He doesn't want to fight anymore. He wants dinner more than anything, if he's honest. Dinner and a good night's sleep. Or perhaps not-so-much sleep if it's just him and Marco.
Roger looks a little wary, but he approaches Ace slowly. Ace no longer has to look up to meet his father's eyes, and he sighs. Their relationship won't be perfect for a while, but they're at a point where neither side needs to lie or hide anything from each other anymore.
"Just because you thought it was the only way doesn't make it so," Ace says, and Roger sighs. He looks younger, and Ace knows that years of pressure and worry are flowing off of him.
"Marco and I rule Kyōto now," Ace says proudly, and Roger raises an eyebrow.
"You met your grandfather then," he says, shaking his head. "He's probably enjoyed this entire show."
Roger opens his arms, and Ace nods. They hug, and it's everything Ace remembers as a child and more. He can feel Roger's pride and love in the way he shakes slightly, and Ace hopes he's showing his father the same love. He wouldn't have crossed worlds for just anyone, after all.
"You should stay here," Ace says, and Roger pulls back. Ace shrinks Aratama, glancing up to see tears in his father's eyes.
"I'd like that very much," he admits, wiping his eyes. "All those years… At least I got to have you. She's had nothing, absolutely nothing and-"
Ace nods. He doesn't understand, but he can see that Rouge has been alone for so long. Ace and Marco can't always be here, but Roger can – and should. They've both done their work. The Mirror World was created from their love, and now it's Marco and Ace's turn to sustain the world and make it grow.
They begin walking back to the others, who are grouped at what looked once to be a temple of some kind. Rouge is busy tucking flowers into Luffy's hair, and the others are relaxed, enjoying the worlds and the stars out in the space around them.
The group still as Ace and Roger join them, looking expectedly at them.
"Can I stay?" Roger asks quickly, smile on his lips, but Ace can see the worry in his eyes. Ace wants to scoff. As if Rouge will push him away after so long. Their love is pure, and Ace knows they're inseparable.
"Here?" Rouge asks in surprise, and Ace sees Luffy take the opportunity to put a few flowers in her hair. He smiles proudly, and Rouge turns to him, kissing his forehead.
"Yes," Roger replies, and the word is stiff. He shifts uneasily, and Ace rolls his eyes.
"But…" Rouge looks around, frowning in confusion. "There's nothing here," she says, and Ace wonders if he gets his denseness from her.
"There's you," Roger says quietly, and Rouge's mouth falls open, as if she really had no idea. She flushes as Luffy let out a laugh, throwing flowers in the air and standing.
It's the signal Rouge needs, and she stands, running to Roger and Ace. They're close enough that she can throw an arm around each of them, pulling them into a tight hug. She's crying, and Ace finds himself welling up, tears filling his eyes. He feels ridiculous, but it's also right. He can't imagine standing there, surrounded by the entire 13 worlds and not crying.
"Wait for me!" Luffy shouts, and they're joined by Sabo, Luffy and – of course – Marco. Rouge pulls them all in somehow, and it's the best hug Ace has ever had, with everyone he loves. This is their family, their love, and he'll always remember this moment for the rest of his life.
They part eventually, and they sit around the ruined temple, watching the stars twinkle. The planets nearby are what catch Ace's attention, and he wonders how many he's been to. Kyōto isn't visible from here, at least not right now, and Ace will have to ask if the Holy Ground moves, if one day Roger and Rouge will be looking out at their world.
"You should go," Rouge says eventually, and Ace looks over. Roger is asleep, head in her lap, and Rouge is sweeping her fingers gently through his hair. They look so content that Ace feels no regret as he stands.
"You can keep the mirror," he says, and Rouge taps Roger's shoulder gently. He wakes, eyes clear and alert, and relaxes when he realises where he is. "Come round any time you like."
He knows without seeing when Marco is at his side. He's been with Luffy and Sabo since they got here, and Ace is glad. He's been able to spend time with Marco, but they haven't, and if they're staying here permanently, Ace wants them to love Marco as much as he does. And vice versa, of course.
"Marco wants us to go shopping with him," Sabo says as he comes to stand beside Ace. He's wearing a smirk on his lips and Ace sighs, preparing himself for it. "Now you'll be moving into his room, he felt Luffy and I should get to sort our room out properly. He even asked if we wanted to split the room for privacy."
Sabo liked Marco, Ace could tell. It was clear that Luffy did, but Ace had been a little worried about Sabo. He was quieter, perhaps fiercer when it came to trusting, but if Marco had won his approval then Ace knew they would all be happy.
"Thank you," he says, pulling Sabo into a one-armed hug. "You're the best brother anyone could ask for."
Luffy jumps on his back, and Ace laughs as he sees the pout on Luffy's face.
"And you, and you," he adds. "You're the best brothers anyone could have."
The words settle Luffy, and he lets himself float upwards, waving down at Ace. He reaches for Sabo and pulls him upwards, waiting to head back home.
"Be careful," Rouge says as she steps up to say goodbye. She looks sad but not regretful, and Ace promises he'll visit at least once a week. Maybe they can do something to make the Holy Ground a little more inhabitable too – bring books and things for Rouge and Roger to do, maybe some comfortable chairs (do they even have a bed here? Ace has no idea).
"I will," Ace says, and she beams at him, kissing his cheek. She is warm and more than anything Ace imagined his mother would be like. He's glad he found her, glad that she is his mother, and he'll do everything he can to protect her and make her happy.
Roger's parting is more familiar, and Ace makes a joke about how he's glad they can actually say goodbye this time. It's maybe a bit cruel, as he doesn't laugh straight away, but then Roger seems to catch onto Ace's held-back laugh, and he shakes his head.
"I'm proud of you," he says, and looks just past Ace's shoulder. "Of both of you."
They stand before a planet as Ace summons the portal. As it forms, Ace looks down at the planet and wonders how many people are there. How many love and are loved? How many look up at the stars and wonder what is out there? They will never know what Ace knows, and he links his hand with Marco's. There are so many turns he could have made that would have taken Ace away from this moment, and he is glad for his mistakes, even if they could have cost him something terrible.
"Ready to go home?" Ace asks, and Marco squeezes his hand. They have a lot to do when they get back, but Ace knows they are already well on their way to fixing everything. He'll never need to chase after the ones he loves, never have to desperately travel through portals, hoping to find where he belongs, and Ace smiles as the portal fully forms, their door home a mere step away.
"Let's go," Marco says, and Ace nods, smiling as he pushes the portal open, the familiar bright-blue skies and warm sun of Kyōto greeting him.
Everything will be just fine.
.
It's a few months later that Ace wakes. He checks the clock first and holds back a groan. It's way too early for him to be up, but Ace doesn't think he'll be able to get back to sleep. It's not too far off a decent waking hour, though it's not often he actually gets up at a time like that. Marco is different, however, and while Ace prefers to work into the night, he'll be up with the early birds, breakfast sitting lovingly on the table for when Ace does emerge.
He hears the flush of the toilet and thinks that's probably why he woke. Ace listens as someone pads back to their room, and decides it must be Sabo. Luffy tends to stomp his way around, though he has no idea how heavy-footed he is when he chooses to walk instead of fly. Sabo's more self-aware.
They decided to keep a shared room, even when Marco made it clear he'd be happy to renovate. Ace sometimes spends the nights with them – and Marco joins them every now and then too – usually when they've spent a long day working, the Shrine breathing down their necks more than ever before.
The Shrine wants an everlasting portal, just like the connections to the other worlds. Ace has been able to hold them off with Marco and Whitebeard's help, but the council are wanting more control. There's only one town in this world, but Ace thinks the Shrine wants more, and he knows Marco's as angry about it as he is.
Ace doesn't blame the Shrine too much for their shrewdness. He did, technically, defect from them and aid in the death of their previous Head Priest. He also now wields the power to walk between worlds easily, his partner having the power of creation, so he understand why they want a little more control over Kyōto. Whitebeard had taken up his previous position of Head Priest, saying that everyone had found their places and it was time he returned to his. Rayleigh had gone with him and while the two of them do everything they can to help Marco and Ace, their efforts are growing more and more futile as the weeks turn.
Those are thoughts for the middle of the day, however, and Ace shifts, rolling onto his side. Marco's back is against his, but he feels Marco's leg shift in his sleep, leg tucking between Ace's. Ace has always delighted in the revelation that Marco is a cuddler. He's warm, and Ace sticks an arm out of the covers, closing his eyes and smiling.
They don't have work today. Though, what Marco and Ace do isn't really work. They sort of listen to complaints – if there are any – and either putter around the laboratories helping Izō and Sabo think of bizarre ideas or walk through the town. Sometimes they help fix things (since Ace had destroyed everything, the healing of this world is a bit slower, but Ace thinks it's a fair trade as they're connected to this land, Marco's powers tied to it. The world is a little slow as it bypasses through Marco first. The world only healed itself because Roger's power hadn't been fully accepted by Marco), sometimes they just visit and talk to people, but most of the time they enjoy each other's company. They've become explorers, charting the world and imagining a time where other towns could be made, in case the Shrine does get its way.
Ace sighs after a while, sleep still evading him. The sun isn't even up, and won't be for a while, and he doesn't know what to do with himself. He's bored, if he's honest, but he can hardly roll over and demand Marco pay him attention. Well, he can, and probably through creative means, but they've got a long day ahead of them.
It's family day. While Ace loves it, it is tiring, and he knows he'll end up crawling into any room with a bed tonight and sleeping. Roger and Rouge are set for Ace to pick them up at lunch, and Marco will be waiting for Whitebeard and Rayleigh at the Temple just after. After that, it's a whirlwind of a day. They'll pick a place to have a picnic lunch, Marco the provider of the food, and they'll return to the house later, drink and eat and probably play games or something silly. They'll talk and remind themselves that there is an entire room of people who love each other, of people who are willing to cross entire worlds just to be with each other.
Eventually, in the early hours of the morning most likely, they'll all return home, with at least half an hour of hugs, kisses and farewells, to be repeated the following week. It's a tradition, and Ace loves it.
The bed shifts, and Ace feels Marco roll over, throwing an arm over his stomach. Ace shuffles back and smiles, and he knows Marco is half-awake.
"Love you," Marco mumbles, and he's more sleep-talking than anything, but Ace still feels the hot-and-cold feeling of excitement he gets whenever he hears Marco say the words. He slip his arm back under the covers and lays his hand a little awkwardly over Marco's, bringing it up to his chest until he is cuddling it.
"Love you too," he says, and Marco's hand entwines their fingers as much as he can. All the thoughts he had before slip from Ace's mind, and he feels himself drifting, sleep coming easily this time.
The next time Ace awakes, sunlight is shining weakly through a gap between the window and curtains. Ace lets his eyes drift half-closed and he smiles as the sun shines on the table, illuminating the frame he'd picked up from the station ages ago. They have a similar photograph in the living room, but this was the first and it is precious to Ace. It's a little cramped, and Ace remembers pushing Luffy's face away from his and trying not to squish too much against Marco, but it's the best photo Ace has ever owned.
It's them, their entire family, crowded together. Thatch is centrepiece, smiling in his doggy-way and tail half-blurred as it had been wagging, with the rest of them filling the space around him. Sabo and Luffy had stood either side of Marco and Ace, Rouge and Roger on Ace's side and Whitebeard and Rayleigh the other. Everyone was smiling, and every time Ace looks at the photo he feels content. He knows that no matter what happens, these are the people he loves, and because they love him, he can do anything.
Though at the moment, Ace is just happy to lie in, wrapped up in Marco's arms as the birds begin their song outside.