Lbh: Hey guys, I'm really sorry for not updating sooner, I have a job and such now and everything is more hectic than usual. Thank you to all of you who stood by and waited patiently for my stories!
Chaos: Lbh does not own One Piece or the storyline to Thumbelina
Psycho Bunny: though she is only using a loose interpretation of the story line.
For the next few weeks, Ace accompanied Smoker to work, much to the joys of Hina and Tashigi. Smoker would deposit Ace on the desk every morning and Ace would promptly eat any food in sight before playing with the pens or retrieving small items to help out the two large humans who worked in that particular office.
Ace one such occasion found Ace doodling on a scrap of paper with a pen bigger than he was. It was somewhat sloppy, but Tashigi smiled to see it was the flower that was his birth and now his bed. She also noticed how he could handle the pen.
"Ace, that's a pretty picture. Is it difficult to hold the pen like that?"
Ace smiled, "Not really. It is more of an issue of what I want to draw than how to get it drawn. It took me the better part of the large hand moving around the clock to figure out the lines were actually something I recognized and wanted to draw."
Tashigi smiled, "How would you like to learn to read and write?"
Ace blinked, "You mean, I would be able to look at those large books Smoker-taisa reads and understand them?"
She nodded and he jumped up, "Yeah!"
So she got out two pieces of paper, setting one down in front of Ace and keeping one in front of her. "Now, I'm going to teach you a song to remember the alphabet. The alphabet is the basis of our language and it is what makes up words. There are 26 letters-"
"26?! That's a lot of letters!" He gasped as Tashigi laughed. Neither of them saw the grey haired man listening outside the office door or the slight smile that was on his face.
"Well Ace, That's why I am going to be teaching you a song and how to write the letters first. Come on my shoulder so you can see." She sang the alphabet song slowly, writing each letter as she sang. "Ok? Should I sing them again, or do you think you can write them out as I sing? I'll sing slowly and show you how to write them if you want."
He nodded, "I want to write them!" He ran down her shoulder and grabbed the pen he abandoned earlier. She held up the paper with the letters on it and slowly recited, "A…". She then pointed to the letter A. Ace concentrated on it and started drawing it, the result shaky and uneven, but an A nonetheless.
Tashigi smiled, "Very good, Ace! It's a little shaky, but the steady writing will come with time and practice. Let's try the B…"
They both continued on and the man outside moved away from the door, hands in his pockets. Hina walked up to him, "Hina knows what is on your mind, Smoker."
Smoker looked at her, then pushed past, "I don't know what you are talking about."
Hina turned, "Hina knows you are fond of him."
He stopped, but didn't turn around, "Why would you come to that conclusion?"
She smiled, "You would not allow any living being into your apartment and live with you for no specified amount of time without some emotional attachment."
He smiled, a small gesture but there, "Your delusional." He said before continuing to walk away.
When Smoker was walking home, Ace in his jacket collar, he stopped in a donut shop to pick up a dozen for both of them at home.
As he got in line, Ace asked him, "What's a donut?"
Smoker thought for a moment, "It's a piece of dough formed into a ring, then deep fried and either filled with a topping or coated with icing or sugar. Do you want something in particular?"
Ace was about to answer when gun shots were heard outside. Smoker turned and ran towards the window while everyone else cowered back. More gun shots sounded and two figures came around the corner, dressed in black and shooting behind them. They were carrying large burlap sacks and running from to cops who followed them behind the corner. Smoker opened the door and tackled one of them, wrestling the gun off of him and kicking out at the other one to trip him up. The officers were upon the first within seconds, restraining and cuffing the culprit. His partner got loose and ran down the street once more. Smoker chased after him.
Ace bounced in his collar, yelling, "Is this part of your job, Smoker?!"
Smoker gave a grunt of acknowledgment before a bang went off and he grabbed his shoulder, yelling in pain. The guy walked over to the fallen cop and picked him up, "Maybe I can ransom you for Tim- OW!" He yelled as Ace bit him, shaking his hand and sending Ace flying into a wall.
Smoker growled and kicked the guy's feet once more, knocking him down and disarming him. He trained his own gun on the man, fury in his eyes. "Don't. Move." He said before moving to pick up Ace, wincing as his injured shoulder screamed at him for forcing it to pick up the small human.
Three cops came around the corner, Tashigi being one of them, "Smoker! You've been shot!" She came up to him and started bandaging his wound. She whispered, "Where is Ace?"
He opened his hand slightly, Ace's limp body lying there, "He saved my life." He moved away, rounding the corner back to where the other robber Tim had been caught. There were EMT's standing around, but as soon as they saw the blood, they rushed forward to help. Three other cops were on stretchers, though only two of them were getting any attention. The third had blood running down her head, obviously dead.
Smoker's face hardened, allowing the EMT's to fix up his shoulder. The bullet went straight through, allowing a clean penetration and very little damage. It just hurt like a son of a bitch. When they walked away, having nothing to do once they bandaged him up, he opened his palm and tried to examine the extent of the damage on Ace. He blinked in confusion and his eyes narrowed when he felt absolutely nothing wrong with the tiny human. He was sure he had heard a crunch of tiny bones when the convict threw Ace against the wall. Now, there was nothing wrong with him. He was even stirring.
"…ugh…Smoker?" He sat up in the larger cop's hand, looking up. "Are you ok?"
Smoker nodded, "Yeah, the bullet went straight through. It's just a bit sore." His voice lowered a bit, "But you were thrown against a wall at a high speed for what you body is proportioned to. I heard the bones break. Why aren't they broken now?"
Ace shrugged, "I don't know. But I sure am hungry!" he smiled up at Smoker, who snorted.
"Alright then. We'll go get those donuts." He shrugged on his coat with some difficulty and left the scene, but not before Ace saw the dead woman.
Smoker went to place Ace on his shoulder, but noticed him staring at the deceased. He watched as Ace turned around, "What's wrong with her?"
Smoker looked away, "She is dead."
Ace narrowed his eyes, "Why is she dead?"
Smoker answered, "She was shot in the head. She will no longer walk around or talk. She isn't even there, really. It's just her body lying there."
The beta human nodded, before looking away, "What was her name?"
Smoker thought for a moment, "I think her name was Belmeil."
Lbh: Ok! I know it has been a really long time and this chapter is really short. I apologize. It did have a lot of action in it though! (hoping to appease)
I promise, even with work being hectic, I will update sooner. It always helps to circle back around into a fandom, (had a momentary lapse of judgment, but I'm back now! I swear!)
Chaos: Psycho and I will bug her until she finishes it!
