Afterlife (Dead! Portgas D. Ace X Angel! Reader) AU

Roger and Rouge

Ace shook his head softly, deciding to forget about you for at least the remainder of the day so that he could focus on the issue at hand. His parents. They were waiting for him a little further down the road, and he had to keep on moving forward. Either with or without you.

Marching firmly, Ace ignored his accelerating heartbeat, decidedly thinking that the issues with his parents were going to end today.

Barely a minute passed once he saw two figures standing on the path, one much larger than the other. He felt his body freezing, limbs unable to move even a centimeter as his entire mind had shut down. The only thing he could think of was fleeting. He wanted to go back to you and to enjoy the comfort your presence bathed him in, but it was too late.

Both adults stared at him, hearts warming up as they were finally able to meet their son. Their beautiful creation, who had resented them so much, was right there, standing strongly and looking at them, analyzing them for the first time.

Taking in a deep breath, he kept walking, stopping his steps a couple of meters in front of the couple with a frown, waiting for them to make a move.

The first one to react was Rouge. She smiled brightly, eyes watering at the sight of the person in who her baby had turned into. Of course, she had seen him before through the sanctuary, following his steps throughout his entire life on earth ever since he was taken away from her into Garp's arms.

"Ace." She whispered in awe, feeling the need to envelope his son in a warm hug. She wanted to hold him tightly. He was finally there, physically in front of her. "My boy." She smiled, hand extending out to reach his own, but he didn't move. He didn't even blink.

The shock of meeting the two people that had brought him to this world being bigger than he had ever expected, he simply stood there staring at them. Overwhelming emotions prevented him of thinking straight, he didn't know what to say or what to do. He hated the man's guts, but he was still his father. He could see they loved him and that his parents had been waiting for this encounter for such a long time.

"I'm so sorry." Said Rouge, finally taking the initiative and hugging the boy tightly.

Unlike what Ace had expected, his body relaxed into the warm and loving affection of his mother, arms instantly wrapping behind her smaller form and head hiding into her hair.

"Oh, Ace." She breathed out, closing her eyes and massaging her son's head soothingly. She could feel his anxiety, stress, regret and anger, and she wanted anything but to be the cause of her son's pain. "I'm so sorry." She repeated.

Ace sniffled against his mother's hair, finding comfort in her touch as his instincts kicked in. This was his mother, and he knew she only wanted what was best for him. It was a feeling he couldn't explain, but he knew it was true. He had finally found his blood family.

Roger, on the other hand, stared at the pair shyly. He knew Ace's grudge was mostly against him, and he, for sure, knew that Ace wouldn't be as forgiving towards him as the way he was towards his mother, but he had prepared for this. He had to work hard on building a relationship with his boy.

"For what?" He mumbled, voice quivering ever so slightly as his face remained hidden in the freckled woman's blonde hair.

"Everything." She sighed, pulling him a couple of centimeters away so that she could get a better look at her child. "Nobody deserves to suffer as much as you did when you were just a boy." She said sweetly, grabbing her handsome son's cheek softly in the palm of her hand. He was warm and soft. He was her son. "I'm sorry we left you alone, but I promise there was not a single day I wasn't watching over you." She sobbed, hugging him tighter than before, as if that way she could confirm that her son was right there in front of her.