Heavy in Your Arms

"Failure?" Ace whispered. His shoulders hunched forward and his ink black hair caked in blood flopped in front of his eyes. "Take back what you just said!" He turned to face Akainu.

The Marine continued to antagonize Ace by slandering Whitebeard's name and calling him a coward.

Luffy tried to make Ace leave but the older man was unmoveable. That is until he launched forward and tried to punch Akainu. As soon as he touched the other man's skin he jolted back in pain and clutched his hand. It was burned by the other man's devil fruit power.

Luffy tried to go after Ace one more time when he fell to his knees. The vivre card that was sown into his hat by Nami what felt like years ago floated to the ground. He reached to pick it up when he heard Ace scream out his name.

"LUFFY!!"

The next moments were fuzzy for Luffy. He watched with wide eyes as Ace forced his way in between Luffy and Akainu. In him doing so, the lava fist that was meant for Luffy struck through Ace's stomach.

Luffy felt like he couldn't breathe. The heat was suffocating, not the familiar warmth that came from the fire devil fruit. The air was thick from the lava and Luffy could only manage to take shuddered breaths.

There was an uproar once Akainu removed his fist from Ace's torso. Luffy knew this but he couldn't hear anything. His ears were ringing as Ace dropped to his knees.

Jimbei stopped Akainu from doing any more damage to Ace and others joined him in keeping the Marine back.

In what seemed like slow motion, Ace slumped forward into Luffy's arms. He was heavy, basically limp and made of muscles.

"I'm sorry... Luffy..." Ace's voice was a raspy whisper of what it usually was.

"Ace! We've gotta hurry and get you treated-"

"I'm sorry I couldn't let you save me properly... Please forgive me."

Luffy's brain felt like it was beginning to short circuit. "What are you talking about? Don't say stupid things like that!"

"Nonononononono!"

"It's no good!" Ace clung to Luffy's shoulders, "I can tell when my own end has come!" He kept pausing for a moment to pant, "He burned my insides... I'm not coming back from this... So Luffy..." Luffy felt one of Ace's hands pet the back of his head. "Listen up!"

"What are you talking about? Ace... Are you going to die?" Luffy's breath began to pick up. "No! No - you promised! You told me, didn't you ace? You said you wouldn't die!" He let out a whine and pulled Ace closer to him.

"You can't die - You can't -"

The large beads of Ace's necklace dug into his skin but Luffy continued to clutch at him with all his might.

"You know... If it weren't for the Sabo thing... and having a little brother like you to look out for... I would have never... even wanted to live..." He buried his face into Luffy's shoulder and continued to mumble into his ear. "Nobody else wanted me to, after all... So it was only natural."

"I want you to live. Ace I wanted you to stay alive. You can't die now. I need you -"

"Oh yeah... If you ever happen to run across Dadan... Could you tell her goodbye from me? It's weird... Now that I'm about to die... I even feel like I miss that Idiot..." Ace paused for a second. "I just have one regret..."

"I do too..."

"That I won't be able to see... Your dream come to pass... But I know you. You'll pull it off for sure! You're my brother after all..."

"Oh Kami-Sama please no! I can't lose them both!"

"Just like we promised back then... I have no regrets... About how I lived my life!"

"No! You're lying!" Luffy reverently denied.

Ace's breath kept brushed Luffy's ear as he panted for air. "No... It's true... It looks like what I really wanted in the end... Wasn't fame or renown at all... It was an answer to a question... Of whether I should have been born."

"Yes, yes you should have! I wouldn't have been able to meet you if You hadn't!"

"My voice... is getting quiet... Luffy, I want you to listen to what I say now... And tell it to the guys afterward..."

"Old man...! All you guys...! And... Luffy... Even though I've been a good for nothing my whole life... Even though I carry the blood of a demon within me..."

"You're not a demon! You're not a good for nothing! You blind idiot -"

"Thank You for loving me!!"

Luffy felt Ace's tears soak into his vest and choked back his own tears.

"Please don't go..." Luffy whispered to himself. Ace had gone limp after his final words and slumped to the side.

Luffy felt nothing at that moment. He looked down at his brother. Blood had dripped from his nose and mouth causing the skin to be stained red. Memories ran through his mind. How their relationship changed so drastically from when they were kids to adults. How his own feelings changed as he got older.

He loved his brother. He was in love with Ace. Luffy wasn't sure when it happened, but it did. Now it was too late. He was a coward. Unable to confess his sin to anyone. It remained trapped in a seastone prison by his heart.

"WhywhywhywhywhyWHYWHYWHYWHY?! Why did he die for me? Why did he sacrifice himself? Why couldn't I tell him? Why was I a coward? Why did he have to die? Why am I always alone? Why do you always leave me? Why couldn't you see how much I love you? Why did you leave me?!"

"N - no... Ace... I love you, no... Nonononono -"

He couldn't think straight. He couldn't focus on what as going on. He could hear fighting but could do nothing to stop it.

"ACE!" Luffy choked out a grotesque sob and crumpled in on himself. His best friend was gone. His brother... His secret... His sin...

He could only think of how heavy Ace was in his arms. What would it have been like if he was alive?

His never to be.