one for the road; portgas d. ace

When Ace met Maya

The first droplet fell on its own. Ace saw it gently leaning on the deck of his ship, waiting for her companions to show up right there as well.

 
Ace didn't really like the rain, but also he didn't not like it. The rain reminded him of happy memories that were hidden somewhere in the back of his mind, memories of a woman he met a long time ago and his little brother's laugh when he experienced it for the first time. Rain brought nostalgic memories to mind as well, memories of a woman he would never forget and the little brother he had not seen in years.

 
Ace was twenty seven years old. He almost died twice. He died once. Then he was brought back. And then he died again.

 
His ship was messy and small and barely fit two people at most, but he was used to be alone, so it didn't matter. His ship was also his dearest possession and he didn't enjoy navigating during storms, so he stopped at the first town on sight and went to find some place to rest.

 
The tavern he stumbled upon looked very similar to Makino's, so he was drawn inside by an insufferable nostalgia. He sat at the counter and looked around for someone to ask for some food and a bed. When he finally saw the host, he smiled and waited for her to finish whatever she was doing so that she could pay attention to him.

 
"What can I do for you?" She said. Ace watched her search for a pen somewhere between the curl pattern of her hair, then take the notepad from the pocket of her apron and gaze up to meet Ace's eyes.

 
"I'd like something warm to eat and a bed to sleep, if that's available." He replied, slowly feeling his eyelids close from the impending narcoleptic attack he was about to experience.
He saw the host smile before falling asleep.

 
When he woke up, a few minutes later, a plate of hot soup and some keys were placed right in front of him. The memory of the host smiling gave him a hint of peace, so similar to Dadan's that he truly felt like he was at home in that place.

"Thank you." He said, bowing his head in gratitude.

 
Ace had changed a lot those past years. He wasn't a pirate anymore, for starters. He lost too much to be able to live that life again without having to face the consequences. Besides, his brother had accomplished what everyone else was trying to do, so what was the point of being a pirate anyway. He had grown and matured. He wasn't a hot head anymore, nor was he as stupidly edgy as he was in the past. It didn't mean he wanted to stop navigating, though, that was like cutting one of his hands off.

 
"You know, if you keep staring at that soup without eating it, I'll just take it from you and eat it myself." A feminine voice said, from his left. A woman, that somehow Ace hadn't even noticed. "It looks delicious."

Ace didn't really have the strength to talk to strangers right now. He was feeling tired and sick and he wasn't usually this dull, but he couldn't do much about it.

He slowly turned his head in her direction, expecting anything but dazzling green eyes and a smirk. Long black hair rested on her shoulders and back, some strands on her face.

 
"No." He responded, too stunned to remember what she was even talking about in the first place. "Sorry. Who are you?" He asked, then. "I don't think we've met."

 
She laughed. Ace wondered if it was fake, such a melodious laugh would be wasted if faked. "I'm Maya. And no, we've never met. I'd definitely remember a face like yours."

 
"Ace." He replied, and somehow he felt exposed. He wasn't some anonymous person in the world. He had been on a lot of people's mouths during his prime years and he knew there was a high chance that this woman knew who he was and maybe wanted nothing to do with him anymore, which was kind of...

 
"Nice name." She said. And then she added, not a hint of fear in her voice: "So, back to the soup. Are you eating that or not?"

 
It was Ace's turn to laugh this time. It had been a long time since he felt the increasing sensation of a laughter forming in his chest. So he let it go. And it was nice. "Yes, sure. I'll just order another one. Are you hungry?" He asked, closing the distance between them with a jump in the stool next to hers. The plate was now in front of Maya, and she looked silently grateful. "How long have you not been eating?"

 
The fact was, just looking at her, Ace was sure she was too prideful to admit a weakness in front of someone she just met. "Not too long. A few days. I'm saving money to go home." She replied, shrugging it off like it was normal not to eat for days.

 
"Where are you from?" He asked.

 
"Somewhere in the East Blue. I lived there with my mother but... I had to leave." She responded. And there it was, the pang of extreme pain that yet had to show up that night, hurting him stronger than a blade. "I'd like to go back now. I'm done running away."

Ace was so curious about this woman's life that he kept asking questions at the expense of being inappropriate. "What were you running away from?"

 
Maya forced a smile and, again, Ace thought what a waste it was not to see what a genuine smile of hers looked like. "Memories." She whispered.

An uncontrolled impulse grew into his mind and before he could stop himself from saying something he was definitely going to regret, he spilled the truth in front of a stranger, after hiding it from everyone for years. "You know, I'm kind of from there as well."

"Kind of?" Maya said.

 
Ace scratched the back of his head, where his ponytail was. He liked his hair like that way more than when he wore them untied. He sighed. "How old are you?"

 
"I'm twenty five, why?" She replied, curious, as she kept eating his soup. Her cheeks were pink from the heat.

 
"Have you ever heard of Strawhat Luffy?" He questioned, wondering if his brother was okay, wherever he was. It was basically impossible not to know him. He cancelled the entire government, after all.

 
Maya nodded as she brought the spoon to her mouth. "Sure. He's pretty famous. What does that have to do with you being from the east blue?"

Ace rolled his eyes. Was she really that oblivious?
"He's my brother." He admitted.

"Okay?" Maya waited for something else to happen. But Ace wasn't telling her anything. "So what? That's it?"

"The Kingdom of Goa is under his supervision now, and I let him down in a way that costed us a lot. So I don't think I'm welcome there anymore." He explained. Ace knew that that knowledge didn't actually explain much, but that was the best he could do.

Maya looked at him, silently. Her gaze was focused on the soup, but it was obvious that she was thinking about something else. "I get it. But that doesn't make any sense. Did he tell you that you're not welcome anymore? That sounds very unrealistic, knowing the kind of man Strawhat is. And before you ask me, no, I've never personally met him, but everyone knows he's... kind."

"Yeah, but..." Ace started, but found himself at a loss of words. He was tired, the journey to get there had been long enough to absorb all of his energies and talking about Luffy was difficult. Especially when he voiced out loud the only thing that had the ability to keep him awake at night. Talking about Rei was also something he didn't want to get accustomed to. She wasn't there anymore, there was no need to bring her up more than necessary. "I miss him. Everyday. But I'm not ready to face him."

 
"In the name of oversharing, I think you should do it." She answered, finally done with the soup. She looked slightly healthier now. Ace wondered if she knew how incredibly stunning she was. "Thank you, for the meal. I'll just go to sleep now, it's been a long day."

"Where are you staying? Can we meet again tomorrow?" He asked, in a rush caused by the slight fear he might never see her again.

 
Maya smiled, placing the stool right under the counter where it originally was. She took something from her backpack and gave it to Ace.

 
"Here. It's a Den Den Mushi with my number on it. If you ever change your mind about going back home, I might hitch a ride on that ship of yours. Goodnight, stranger." She replied, blinking in his direction before getting out of the tavern.

 
Well, Ace thought, that escalated quickly.