A Million Lifetimes {Portgas D. Ace x Reader}

Your Flashback

Your past was a touchy subject, it was something you didn't want to remember, and you were glad Ace never asked too many questions about it. Having a difficult and quite traumatic childhood himself, he understood that you would open up at your own time someday. No pressure at all, even if he got curious at times.

His brothers only said you had a hard childhood, and that was about it.

You knew he shared a very personal secret of his, something he was ashamed of, something he hid from the whole world. But he opened up to you because he trusted you. It was your time to show you trusted him too.

ꟷ Hey, fire boy... ꟷ you whispered, breaking the comfortable silence. You two were wrapped around one of your blankets stargazing. It was cold, but his devil fruit helped keeping you warm.

He said a soft "hm" and looked at you, a sign he was carefully paying attention, so you took a deep breath and continued.

ꟷ You always ask about my family and my past. And since you shared your secrets, I guess it's only fair I tell you about how my life was before pops showed up in my life...

Now, you knew some people had it worse, way worse. Like the unfortunate ones who became slaves, who got treated like as if they were nothing by the celestial dragons, being tortured and humiliated every day until those pieces of trash get bored and kill them. It doesn't change the fact that your childhood and teen years weren't the best.

When you're a kid, most of the times you see life as something easy and happy, and feel like your parents will live forever. You think everything is happy, without struggles. But when you were about nine or ten, your mother got sick and your father started to have problems bringing food home. It got hard feeding three kids and a wife with an unknown disease. Of course, your siblings and you gave most of your food to your mother, hoping she'd get well soon and eventually recover. Then everything could go back to normal.

It never happened. Your family couldn't afford a good doctor anyway.

When she passed away, your father changed. He didn't handle losing the love of his life and all the responsibility of being a single father while working most of the time. You don't blame him for trying to seek help from one of your aunts, his sister. She didn't have patience with kids and got stressed easily. Your father came from work always so tired, that if you mentioned the fact you didn't get fed, he wouldn't listen. He didn't want more issues.

Eventually she convinced him giving you and your siblings for adoption. The man who was supposed to take care of you believed it was for the best.

It wasn't anything formal, but an old lady, who was actually very kind, sweet and wealthy too, adopted you. Your brothers got adopted by other families and you haven't heard from them every since. To this day, you still wonder if they're alive and safe, hoping they're ok.

You spent the next three years living a comfortable live, getting love, food and education. And then it happened all over again. It felt like a karma you had to carry for some reason. She got sick, and due her advanced age, she asked her daughters to take care of you.

They did it at first, but eventually they didn't want this responsibility, and when their mother passed away, their behavior changed completely. They'd hide food from you, stop you from going to school or even going out. Once when they thought you were misbehaving, they threw many of your stuff out of the window.

At that time, you thought it was better leaving and try to survive in the streets than to stay there. Who knows what they were capable of.

So you left, with only a small amount money you got for your last birthday, and the only clothes you had were the ones you were wearing.

They didn't even try to find you. They just let you run away.

Some neighbors helped with food when they could, letting you stay in their house if it was too cold or raining, an old man gave you a few coins if you helped him with small services like cleaning his store or delivering food, but most of the time you were on your own.

It wasn't until you were seventeen, that the Moby Dick docked at your island, and pops felt extremely bad for you and decided you'd join his crew.

"Be my daughter, you'll be safer on our ship". At first, you were afraid. They were pirates after all. But they treated you better than any marines.

Ever since that day, over three years ago, you didn't have to be lonely anymore; you didn't have to struggle to take care of yourself, because you had so many brothers and a father figure who would always be there if you needed. You felt loved ever since.

When you finished telling everything, not with many details, you felt relief for being able to open up with him, he didn't say anything. There were no words. But he held you so tight, as if he was protecting you from everything.

ꟷ As long as you're my girl, I won't let anything bad happen to you. ꟷ he whispered, before kissing your head. ꟷ I'll make sure you'll never be alone, and that you'll always feel loved.

My girl?

ꟷ Your girl? ꟷ you whispered, feeling your heart skip a beat. Did he really see you like his girl?

He blushed right away, and stuttered a little.

ꟷ Only if you want to. I mean, I thought we... I'm sorry, if you don't want that, it's totally fine... ꟷ luckily for Ace, he didn't have time to finish his sentence, you stole a kiss before he could say anything else.

ꟷ I want to.

That's all he wanted to hear.

ꟷ I mean it, ok? I'll always be by your side. I promise.

ꟷ I trust you, Ace. I promise you'll never be alone, and I promise you're loved.