Throughout the Years Ace x Reader (Re-write)

Same Old, Same Old

Murdoc and I go way back. We've known each other since we were kids. He was a bit older than me, but that didn't stop me from hanging out with him and lighting a cigarette. I always admired him. He would always do things 'The Murdoc Niccals way!' or at least that's how he would put it. Looking up to him, he never cared what anyone thought or said. He always believed he would make it. Or well, you know, he'd be too drunk to give a shit. 

Only a bit after I met Murdoc, I met Ace. Ace came from a place called Townsville, an area absorbed in crime. He ran this gang made up of people who had gangrene, like himself. Oh, and guess what their name was, 'The Gangrene Gang' yeah, how clever. However, Ace was charming, and he used that to his advantage. He was good at manipulating and that's how he usually got around. Ace wasn't a bad guy, he just felt like that was the only way to survive. 

I have to admit I always thought he was pretty attractive the way he always wore glasses and carried himself like he was all that. He was about my age and always helped me with whatever I needed. He was someone I could rely on, both him and Murdoc.

We all usually hung out at some record shop or went to the closest concert to see if we could sneak in. What we'd normally do was hang out and smoke behind an abandoned building, well except for Ace. He was always so strict about smoking, whenever we'd take out a pack he would start going on and on about why they'll kill us. I'd always just tease him and then light up a cigarette. I just assumed that he was straight edge, but then I saw him swig a whole bottle of whisky under a minute. He was funny like that, but that's what made Ace, well Ace!

Eventually, I had lost contact with Ace and decided to help Murdoc create an A-list band. Even with so much failure, he still had the same spark he had when we were kids. Right when I was ready to abandon this whole thing for good, the day August 15th, 1997 hit, literally! Murdoc had crashed through a window trying to steal instruments and hit a guy! The poor lad was put in a coma and Murdoc and I had to take care of him. To make the situation worse, he threw him out a car window, which awoke him from the coma. But on the bright side, we had a vocalist! Then, soon after we got Noodle and Russell in the band, and I became the manager for Gorillaz!

Recently, Murdoc was put in jail for a crime he didn't commit. All we know is that a man named El Mierda had something to do with it. With Murdoc in jail, we had a problem. We needed to create an album, but we couldn't do that without a bassist. Noodle put out some posts that we needed a bassist but no one! Well, except for some stoners who could barely play a major scale. I had become desperate, we had to get this album done soon. That's when something amazing happened. 

I heard a knock on my door and invited them inside. It was Russell holding a letter, "I guess Murdoc sent us a bassist?" Russell gave me the letter to read. To summarize, Murdoc had got us a bassist to replace him for the time being and that he'd be here soon. I looked at Russel skeptically. "He didn't say who he was?" I looked at the letter again to see if I missed anything, but there wasn't a name or even a clue as to who this guy Murdoc sent us was. "Let's just hope he's good," Russell said before leaving the room. I sat on the couch surfing through the endless cycle of shows on the tv, wondering if this album was going to be a bust. I started to worry a bit. What if this bassist Murdoc sent was horrible. It didn't help that lately, I've been wary of Murdoc. I didn't trust him as much as I used to. Just before I was about to sink into worry, the doorbell rang. 

I opened the door to see a familiar face. Ace was right in front of me, standing with a guitar case in his hand. We were both stunned to see each other, we just stood in silence, looking into each other's eyes. He was just as I remembered. He even wore the same glasses as he always did when we were kids. At first, I thought I was in a dream. There was no way that Murdoc sent Ace. I thought we had all lost contact when Murdoc and I went looking for band members. How could Murdoc have got in contact with Ace? 

As much as I wanted to know, my old best friend was right in front of me and I wanted to cherish it. I threw my arms around Ace and squeezed him tight. He carefully put down the case and put his arms around my body, embracing me. His cologne smelled of vanilla and made me feel nostalgic and safe. Hugging him reminded me of all the times we had. 

"Y/n?! What are you doing here?" He smiled at me, looking at how I've grown. "I'm the manager for Gorillaz. What about you?" I asked even though I already knew Murdoc sent him. "Somehow Murdoc called me from jail and asked me if I could do him the favor of playing in place of him." It was exciting seeing him again when it had been years. We had all gone on to do big things, Ace had landed himself on a show called 'The Powerpuff girls', which I used to watch with Noodle. I grabbed a cigarette and put it in my mouth, but before I was able to light it, Ace grabbed it and gently placed it into his pocket "These will kill you, y'know?" He smiled mischievously at me.

"You haven't changed one bit."