One Piece One Shots (Requests: Closed)

Yours Truly (Ace, AU)

I'll get to requests as soon as I can! I swear! I was just listening to the song, and thought... that'd be cute! So here it is! I felt as though... it would only fit with Ace because the whole band thing was going to go differently... but I like how it turned out! Thank you guys so much for your support! Ace... would you like to say something?

Ace: Yes. Thank you all for being such amazing readers! You're all the best miss author-chan could ask for! Enjoy the one shot! Oh. But why am I not shirtless?

Because I said so. It's snowing Ace.

Song: Yours Truly
Artist: Paradise Fears
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  His fingers grip tightly to the paper before he stops in front of the blue, chained-up, out-of-order, mailbox. He sighs deeply as he pushes the envelope into the slot, and waits to hear it flop onto the bottom. When the soft thud reaches his ears he reaches us and rubs the old rusty key with his thumb.
  He walks away, the bitter cold already making him regret the decision to place the letter in the box. As if she'd actually respond in this weather. He turns back in the direction of the box to see a (h/c) haired girl holding onto the hand of her mother as they take a walk.
  She turns back and meets his eyes, a smile forms on her lips as she waves. She looks like she's lived a nice life. I wonder where she is... the girl I talk with...? His eyes downcast and he continues to walk back to the orphanage. Someday, I'll find her.
  She watches him as he walks away with a saddened look upon her face. It happened by chance, her finding a key that lead to the out-of-order mailbox. Her opening the box up, and discovering a letter addressed to nobody. She read it, and she felt compelled to answer. No matter how late it is, I'm responding, she told herself.
  When she did, it shocked her that the person also replied back. She was so happy that it wasn't too late, but now... as she stands there watching a boy a little older than her walk away looking dejected... she doesn't know what to do.
  "Come on, (Y/n)," her mother pulls her arm slightly and they walk away. "We don't want to be late to the funeral."
  The little (h/c) haired girl nods, "I know mommy. Daddy would be disappointed... wouldn't he?"
  Her mother sighs before pulling the smaller form into a hug, "That's not it. I'm sure he'd be really proud of you."
  Tears escape the younger girl's eyes as she clings to the larger heat source. The pain causing her to forget about the boy, the cold air causes her lungs to burn as the tears start to freeze to her face. Her mother picks her up and carries her to the funeral home.
  Warmth washes over him as he steps into the orphanage. Laughter echoes in the room as everyone listens to Pop's stories. But the ten year-old boy couldn't care less about any of it. Then again, he can't really hide anything from his brothers, Sabo, who's the same age as him, and Luffy, being seven.
  "Ace! You're okay! Sabo and I were worried about you! You didn't tell anyone where you were going, we thought that... some-" the older boy just continues walking pass him, not even acknowledging the presence of his brother. "Ace! Ace!"
   A blonde curly haired boy comes up and stands next to the seven year-old. The brunette looks to him with tears speckling his eyes, "What's wrong with him today, Sabo?"
  The older male puts his arm around Luffy and ruffles his hair, "It's the anniversary of his father's death, Lu. He always gets this way, every year. It's best if you just leave him alone."
  "Oh... do you think he'll ever get over it?" Luffy sniffles, "I don't like it when it's just two of us..."
  Sabo smiles as he pulls him closer, "I... believe... he'll be... able to move on when he finds the right person."
  Ace rushes up the steps and into the room that gives him the best view of  the mailbox. He sets up camp at the window and steaks out. Today was the day he told her what she did for him that day.
  He was desperate; he didn't know what to do. He was so afraid, so he wrote a letter. A letter addressed to no one, but someone cared enough to reply. He always wanted to know who was the person who told him life was worth living.
  He was only nine at the time, but he was already depressed and felt like no one could understand, because not even he did. But the girl who responded to him... told him he wasn't alone. That there are people out there who care about him, and it's true. He has Sabo, Luffy, Marco, Thatch, Pop's, and everyone else at the orphanage.
  The letter he wrote today, went a little something like this:
Dear My Someday,
This may sound strange, but I can't believe we've been talking for a year already, almost two, and we haven't met each other in person. You've helped me through some of the darkest times in my life... and you helped me realize that... life isn't so bad. So... I really... I would really appreciate it... if we could meet sometime. You mean so much to me. I'll be waiting for you. I'll wait for you until the world ends, and then some. Don't ever leave me.
Ace.
  She buries her head into her pillow before grabbing a pencil and paper. Tears start to form in her eyes. She bites her lip before she starts to put the words into paper:
Dear... My Never,
This is my half-hearted goodbye, the other half wants to still try. Remembering words that you said, but I guess we let go now. We'll be out on our own now. How you always wanted this all out, but now I guess it's too late. But my one wish for you is that you find yourself, don't settle for less or for anyone else. I pray that you dream like the dreamer I know you can be. Follow them. I'll be waiting for you as well, if you continue to wait... I'll come back and find you, Ace.
Signed,
Yours truly.
  He opens his eyes as the sun starts to rise. He squints as he sits up, a blanket falling from his shoulders, and he spots a (h/c) haired girl in a(f/c) jacket standing in front of the mailbox. His heart leaps as he sees her slip a letter inside the box, but it sinks as he sees her get into a car, packed with boxes, and drive away.
  Luffy walks into the room and sees his brother crying; his strong, older brother with tears streaming down his face. He runs up to him and pulls him into a hug. Ace just stands there and accepts it; there's comfort in the embrace. He feels someone else wrap their arms around him, and he knows that it's Sabo. Ace lets out a sob. Man, I'm showing too much emotion. I'm the oldest, I need to be stronger.
    Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, and months turn into years. High school ends in a blur. He made friends, but not as much as Luffy. He may have had girlfriends, but none of them could ever measure up to what that girl did to him. Man, I didn't know her name. There's no way... that she'll ever come back.
  He sticks his hands in his pocket as he walks into the bar. The stage already looking barren as the last band steps off of it. He grabs the strap of his guitar and sighs. A slap on the back jolts him into the world, he turns around to see Sabo, Marco, and Luffy.
"Don't think you can do a job alone, Ace," Sabo smiles at Ace before continuing, "We are a band after all."
"No one asked you guys to be-" he feels Luffy wrap his arms around him like a python, "Lu... y-you're k-ki-"
"But we promised to stay by you until you meet her again, or at least be happy with a girl! I like being in the band with you! Pop's likes out music as well! It's the least we can do for letting him take us in and take care of us!" Luffy looks up at him. "We can't just let it slide! A promise is a promise!"
The older brunette sighs, "Alright. Let's blow this house away... one last time."
"One last time? Is the band breaking up?" Luffy follows Ace up into the stage, "But I love this band!"
"Luffy... we need to start focusing on getting a real job, a steady job. Well, at least Sabo an Marco. Though Marco already has one. He just needs to find somebody to live his pineapple stature," Ace dodges Marco as he fakes a punch, "Alright! Alright! Let's just... get this over with..."
Once the show is over, they all exit the bar. Luffy being underage, it was bound to happen that they were kicked out anyway, "So what now? Are we going to go home? What? I know! We should celebrate with dinner!"
Everyone agrees and they start off toward the restaurant, it isn't until Sabo looks behind them, that they notice Ace isn't following, "Ace? Are you coming? Luffy's paying."
"Hey!" Luffy cries out before looking at Ace, "Aw... alright. Fine! Ace, let's go. I'm hungry~!"
"Ah... um... I think I'll head to the... I'm not hungry, so I'll go home," Ace rubs the back of his neck as snow starts to fall again.
"Sure," Marco shakes his head, "Just don't spend too long out in the snow, Ace. We'll see you back a Whitebeard's."
"Don't catch a cold," Sabo grabs Luffy's shoulder and they walk away. They know exactly where he's going, but they won't let Luffy know that Ace is totally lying to his face.
Ace sighs as the snow crunches beneath his feet. The blue, chained, out-of-order, mailbox is now rusted. It's been rusted for several years, but it still works for the purpose he uses it for: a memoir of a past life.
He stops dead in his tracks as he sees a woman, with (h/c) strands slightly covering her (e/c) orbs, because of the way her head is titled, in a (f/c) jacket and a black scarf. Tears rush down her face as she reads a letter in her hand; the chains from the mailbox on the ground and in the snow, while the door was completely ajar.
His heart stops as he watches her fall into her knees; a small rusted key in her hand glistens slightly. His ebony eyes widen as she closes her eyes and smiles. Even with sobs wracking her body, she smiles.
The letter he put in there, wasn't from years and years ago, he slipped it in there yesterday. He updated the letter everyday. He left then in there, but in a box. That read: "Read the one in top first. It's the most recent".
She covers her mouth as she rereads the letter:
Dear Tomorrow,
I still know that you might leave. I keep holding on tightly, to the words that you said. Of all the things I've let go of, and the way that I've grown up. You're the one thing I'm sure of that I could never forget. Because it's impossible to fly without wind on your wings. You're the air that I breathe and the songs that I sing. Without you I never found much to believe, but you taught me to be the person that I'm meant to be. So maybe for once we can settle the score, because the road to my heart leads me straight to your door. I've tried to forget, but you told me to wait. I'm still waiting. I want you to find me, I'm not even hiding.
Yours truly,
Ace.
He clears his throat and she looks up at him, "I... I uhm... see you found my letter."
"A-Ace?" she wipes away her tears as he nods, "Well, this is awkward."
"Yeah... I... didn't actually expect you to come back... are you... alone?" he looks away feeling stupid, "I just made that even weirder. I'm sorry. Just ignore that question. I... I don't even know your name. What is it?"
"Oh. Of course! I'm so stupid! I never told you my name! It's (Y/n). I'm (Y/n), Ace. It's nice to meet you," she stands up before brushing her pants off, "And... yeah... I came here alone. I have no body left. My only living relative, my mom, died a few months ago."
"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that," he walks toward her and quietly apologizes to her before pulling her into a hug, "But I'm here to help you if you need it. Just like you were for me."
She wraps her arms around him and buries her head into his shoulder, "Thank you, Ace. I needed to hear that."
  "Whatever you need and whenever you need it," he runs his fingers through her hair, "I'll be here for you. Just tell me. It's the least I could do. You are the one who stole my heart at age nine."
  "I'm pretty sure you stole mine too," she wipes away her tears, "Let's get to know each other... all over again."
  "I wouldn't mind. I actually would really enjoy that, (Y/n). You're really beautiful, did you know that?" he places his forehead on hers and stares into her (e/c) orbs. He starts to lean in to close off the space between them.
  "Ace! So this is where you were! We were seriously scared when we got home and you weren't there!"

~Yours Truly End~