Unfathomable

Post War

The War was finally over. Marines and pirates alike moved to collect their dead and wounded.

Tate found herself unable to look away from the body. Marco stood close to him, whispering to Shanks.

She glanced down, seeing Ace's smiling face made her want to burst into tears, and hug him tightly like he used to do to her when they eventually saw each other after months of being apart. She would complain of the heat he radiated when standing so close but she never actually ment it. In fact she loved when Ace would just hold her in silence. And they could pretend they weren't on enemy crews, or pirates or children of wanted dangerous pirates. They could just be them. They didn't have to pretend, to put up the cocky facade or spit lies through their teeth about how they were going to kill each other when the other one slipped up. It was as close to peace as they could get. It only ever lasted for a few short days but that was enough for them. They both respected each others decision to stay in their respected crew, neither would ask the other to leave their family. And it just worked for them. It made the days a hundred times better when they were together, nobody had to know and they didn't have to explain themselves.

Looking at him now Tate was sure his body wasn't the same hot it once was, sure it was probably still hotter than regular people's temp. But it wasn't what she wanted and there was no need to cloud her loving memories with the feel of her most beloveds' dead body.

She felt her eyes glaze over as she remembered their last encounter together, when he was searching for Blackbeard and she was on her way into the New World to rejoin with her crew,

"Are you sure this is the best choice? I mean if Whitebeard said to leave it shouldn't you just..." Tate trails off. Ace sighs with a faraway look in his eyes.

He tightens his grip around her waist, "I can't... I know what Oyaji said but I just can't let this go, Teach killed his own brother and Teach was under me. I have to do it- for Oyaji, for Thatch, and for the whole world to know what happens when you mess with Whitebeards crew." He looks down and holds her gaze, his softening a little, "You understand right? What if one of your nakama killed Ben or Yassopp or-"

"I know Ace." Tate quickly cut him off with sigh, "I understand, I really do." Her eyes burned with tears,

"But I have such a bad feeling about this mission- I don't want to lose you." She chokes back a sob mentally scolding herself for being such a crybaby.

Ace wraps his arms tighter around her and the room was filled to the brim with desperation and a deep rooted need to love each other. The fear of the future outcome was pushed away, just for this one night they wouldn't worry about anything. Only each other.

The next day they had to say goodbye. Tate had to report to Akagami and Ace had to get back on Blackbeards trail.

"Please be safe." Ace tells Tate softly, reaching out to run his fingertips down her forearm and intertwine their fingers.

Tate scoffs, "Who are you telling to keep safe you narcoleptic nut."

"I love you too."

"So this is what shock feels like..." She whispers to herself, swallowing thickly and clutching her ring in her fists. She probably looked ridiculous, just standing there, staring. Hopefully her usually schooled expression didn't reveal anything. Clenching her eyes shut she bit her lip, feeling her iron facade crumbling each second she looked at her dead lovers corpse.

Marco and Shanks now stared at her. Their own expressions of worry and anger- with carefully concealed sadness in Marco's eyes. Slowly Tate joined them, standing between the two men and refusing to glance at the body at her feet.