The second installment (the sequel) to Ace of Spades is now out.
Read 'The Hanged Man' once you've finished this one.
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A rascal with a penchant for making friends with the wrong people, you were often regarded as a troublemaker by...
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A week had passed since your last words with Ace, yet you still lay awake in bed. Unknown to the ravenette, you thought of him--of his last phrase to you.
You couldn't sleep, but it wasn't because of the warm body called Luffy clinging to you like a hot pocket, refusing to leave your side since that last incident, but rather, because of your turbulent thoughts.
Did you want Ace to go? Were you really okay with that?
Chopper and Usopp stirred above you, one of them smacking their lips in their sleep, freezing you in your spot.
Did you accidentally say something aloud?
After a moment of bated silence, you heard them readjust themselves before dozing back, your heart settling into a stable motion once more.
No, it had just been a figment of your imagination.
With a sigh, you laid back down and lifted your hand to your face, inspecting the tightly wrapped bandages in the low light. Law had done a superb job fixing you up, but you still felt hollow inside, like a part of yourself still hadn't healed from that incident.
Granted, it hadn't, but now that you had a chance to ponder on it, maybe you weren't as angry with Pudding as you thought you were, but rather yourself.
You were... a coward, after all.
Turning back on your side, fidgeting with the frayed ends of Luffy's blanket, you squeezed your eyes shut and willed the sleep to come, allowing the peaceful lull of the rain outside to spur you to the darkness, but when it hadn't, you flipped back to the other side, shocked to see Luffy's face a mere inch from yours.
Quickly moving down, you secured a safer location before letting your guard down again. You released another groan of relief as you arched against him to stretch out your sore limbs. Then with a dejected sigh, curling deeper within the blankets, you rolled away to the depths of your mind; wandering the dark roads with naught a bright thought.
"What am I doing?" You whispered to no one in particular.
Were you just going to let the clock run out and watch as Ace left somewhere far again; follow him until all you could see was his back?
You were fine with that though, weren't you? After all of those harsh words, wouldn't it have been better if he just left?
All these questions and no answers to fill that empty hole of curiosity in you was starting to scratch away at your sanity.
In your frustration, you lifted yourself into a sitting position and played with the edges of your bandaging, your nail scraping at it absentmindedly as that persistent nagging continued at the back of your head. Thankfully, your rousing hadn't awoken the others. So, with a hand tugging at the blanket, you shakily stood up in your spot and padded over at the bathroom, quietly closing the door before you flicked the light on; your irises expanding and constricting at the sudden intake of light.
