One Piece One Shots (Requests: Closed)

Secret Place (Crocodile, AU)

Well, I tried harder with this one shot. Can you tell?

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  The old house, with its wildly overgrown garden, was silent, secretive; that made it the perfect place for a secret hideout. Ever since the two of them were little children, they would go there and play. They were away from prying eyes; it was just the two of them, free to do whatever they please.
  They'd make promises; ones they'd try to, but never keep. They'd be a happy family; one that they never had for themselves at home. They'd laugh and have fun; something that would only last for a few more years before fading to nothing but a mere memory.
  When looking back at those years where they only had each other and that house, it felt like they could take the world by storm. Yet, they knew, that it was only a figment of their imagination. They were poor and had no opportunity for good education.
  After a few years, they both went their separate ways. After getting an anonymous sponsor for her college tuition, she left him. The first broken promise: A̶l̶w̶a̶y̶s̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶g̶e̶t̶h̶e̶r̶.
While she pursued her dream career, he was stuck in that rundown town. He was happy for her, and kind of happy that she didn't have to see him resort to the criminal life. He was glad, that she got the chance to leave.
And she still wrote to him. First it was daily, then school started getting in the way and it went to weekly. He didn't mind as long as he heard from her and when he did, he'd write back. But soon after that, their chats became monthly. Then not at all. Their second broken promise: A̶l̶w̶a̶y̶s̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶y̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶t̶a̶c̶t̶.
Then something even worse happened, the old house was demolished. All of their drawings and toys were buried. He was there when it happened, and she was blissfully ignorant. He would never admit it, but it did hurt slightly. They had wanted to buy that house. They wanted to live in it. The third promise to get broken: L̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶o̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶g̶e̶t̶h̶e̶r̶.
He still heard about her from other people around the town. Apparently, she still talked to her parents occasionally. Probably because they got cell phones, but he couldn't afford it. He would tell people why. He should've been able to, but it seemed it was spending all his money on something else.
It wasn't until she graduated from college that he got a phone, and her number. They talked, but not a lot. She had a boyfriend, then that boyfriend became her fiancé. She invited him to the wedding, but he didn't go. That was the last promise he would let get broken: G̶e̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶r̶r̶i̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶o̶n̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶.
He ignored her when she texted him. And if he texted back, it would be small words, and excuses like he's at work or something. He didn't care. He had tried so hard to be happy for her, but it just wasn't working. And eventually, he started to feel guilty about it. But deep down, all humans are selfish, and it was a totally acceptable way to react to jealousy. He just shut down.
He had lost everything he had planned since he was a child. She still had everything and more. And she married a total stranger. He was so far gone into a pit of despair, that he never even knew that her marriage didn't last. The man cheated on her and as soon as she found out she filed for divorce.
Once it was settled, she moved back to the small town. Only, she finds that it's not the same as when she left it. It feels bigger, lonelier. Her best friend is no longer speaking to her and she doesn't know anything about him. She doesn't even know what he looks like anymore.
  Somehow, she thought that it would be easier to come back than it really is. So she stands in front of the empty lot that the old house once stood. Someone had bought the land, they planned on building a new home right over her past safe haven. The one place she felt would never abandon her, just gone.
  She's frozen in place, completely bewildered. Suddenly realizing, just how Crocodile must have felt when he experienced it by himself. But it must have been worse. Because he knew, that she had no clue what was happening. She was completely unaware of everything he went through while she was gone. He never told her.
  She couldn't help but question why. Was he worried that it would affect her while she studied? Did he really care for her that deeply? Just how often did he want to tell her, but still didn't? How many times did he come close to snapping at her?
  "Strange to see it so empty, isn't it?" she turns around and her eyes meet dark, black ones. The man has a scar across his face, the mark throwing her off for only a few second before she recognizes him.
  He raises an eyebrow at her surprised expression before he takes a step back as she tries to hug him, "What? You didn't remember that I live in this town? Has all these years away messed with your memory that badly, (Y/n)?"
  She looks at him, he definitely changed. He wasn't always this hostile. She folds her arms across her chest, "Well aren't you just rude?"
He shrugs, walking away from her, towards the yellow tape around the foundation of the house. She trails after him, wanting to stop him. Someone bought this land, and he's just trespassing. Well, now she is too.
He stops suddenly, turning around to stare at her. They stand two feet apart, him studying her. And she's there, wondering what he's thinking. A little worried that he'll find her unattractive, that he'll tell her that he didn't want to see her again. But a few seconds later, without speaking, he continues to move again.
Her heartbeat starts to slow down, but as she watches him step over the tape, it increases again. She reaches out to stop him, but her fingers fall short. He moves further away from her and she can't help but think that this must have been how he felt when she left.
Yet, he stops and looks back at her, beckoning her to follow him. Instinctively, she takes a step forward and climbs over the tape herself. He gives her a small smirk before he continues moving. He walks through the rubble with ease, while she struggles every once in a while on where to place her feet. But he never gets any farther ahead of her then when they first started out.
They walk in silence, through the ruble and even past the yellow tape on the other side of the building. They didn't even stop after they reached the edge of the backyard. Instead, he takes her through the streets and alleyways.
"It's getting pretty dark out... shouldn't we turn back?" she rubs her hands on her arms trying to warm herself up.
"I never told you to follow me," he takes off his jacket and throws it at her. "Maybe you should head back. Your husband will be getting worried about you, wouldn't he?"
"We..." she lets out a sigh, stuggling to keep up and put on the price of clothing. "Didn't last. I'm officially single again."
"Good," he makes a sharp turn and she speeds up to keep him in her line of sight.
She wants to ask why he would say that, but instead she just asks him, "What about you? Do you have anyone special?"
He doesn't respond, and instead climbs a fire escape to some random building up to the roof. Once she gets to the top after him, her eyes widen. It feels like their old secret hideout. And the stars are breathtaking.
"After they demolished the one place I could get away from the world, I discovered this," he turns around and looks at her. "And to answer your question, no. There was only one person I ever wanted to marry in my life."
He takes a step closer to her, a small smile on his face as he pulls her into his arms, "And that's you."
She's taken by surprise as he places his lips on hers, and the only thing she can say in response is, "Good."

~Secret Place End~