PELAGIC - Ace x Reader x Law

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Hostility

It had been an entire day and a half since I had blown up at the Whitebeard crew, and not once had I left the infirmary. Both dinner and breakfast sat cold on the table across from my bed, untouched and unwanted.

My anger had lessened to a faint simmer, now overtaken by fear and confusion. Had I been too hard on Ace? He thought he was doing the right thing. How was Doflamingo coping? Were they closing in at that very moment?

A knock against the door made me flinch, and I bit down on my tongue until I heard that familiar voice call through the wood.
"It's me. Are you ready to talk now, or should I come back later?" Ace asked in a surprisingly polite tone. Pulling my knees to my chest, I nodded, not that he could see it.
"Yeah...I guess..."

Hesitantly, Ace entered the infirmary, closing the door behind him and approaching until he was a few feet away, dragging the wheeled chair so he could take a seat. The silence was heavy for a while as I avoided his gaze, but he eventually cleared his throat and gripped the situation by the horns.

"I don't regret what we did. Whether you realise it or not, you had to get away from Dressrosa." Was he really starting off like that? He truly hadn't lost an ounce of audacity from his childhood. Gritting my teeth, I glared at him from the corner of my eye.

"What could you possibly know about my life, Ace? We haven't seen each other for a decade. I belong in Dressrosa, and it isn't your call to make." I wanted to snap at him, but my voice came out flat, much to my dismay.

The chair squeaked a little under Ace's weight as he shifted, looking entirely unconvinced by my words.
"I know all I need to. The fact that you said you were his when we were kids. How scared you were when he called you. When you begged me to come and save you one day. He raised you and now you're engaged to him, (Y/N). That's sick."

How could you possibly understand?

I knew it was sick, in a sense. Our relationship when I was growing up had suggested one thing, but my adulthood had spurred another. I understood that, but it wasn't for him to decide.
"Don't start on this shit, Forehead. I'll punch you again, and this time I'll break your nose." I threatened, hearing the chair complain as he deflated.

Raking a hand down his face, Ace sighed, his skin stretching downward and bouncing back once he pulled his hand away.
"Fine, forget it for now. There's other stuff we should talk about." Accepting his change of topic, I scooted around a little, not quite facing him completely.

"Fine. How's Sabo and Luffy? Did they end up being pirates too?" I asked, true interest apparent. I had often thought about all three of them, and how they had been going. Whether they had chosen to follow their dreams, or taken a different path.

When Ace took a sharp intake of breath, I faced him fully, dropping my knees and waiting for him to speak. Whatever he was about to say seemed like it wasn't going to be pleasant to hear.

"Uh...Luffy's good, last I saw him. Been a while now, but he's gotten stronger..." He began, toying with his bottom lip as he attempted to bring forth the words he needed. "But...Sabo...Not long after you left...Y'see, there was an incident, and he..."

My anger vanished in a metaphorical puff of smoke before he even managed to finish his sentence. Lunging until I was close to falling off the edge of the bed, I reached out and dragged Ace the rest of the way by the cuff of his shorts, eyes wide and pleading.

"Ace, tell me he isn't dead!" There was no way. Not Sabo. Not the charming bright spark that had welcomed me as his sister. There was no possible way that could be the case. Ace lowered his eyes to where my hand gripped his clothes.