Mutual Destruction
Mutual Destruction
lokwey mustve been going through something
When Ace had held out his hand to her, she'd almost laughed at his absurd request, but despite that, she found herself running through back alleys towards his ship.
~ ♡ ~
Isuka rarely ever cried; it was something that held true throughout her childhood. She had vivid memories of her mother praising her for not crying when the other kids teased her or when they pushed her. Instead, she always stood back up and walked back to her home, ignoring the shouts. Her mum would be in the kitchen preparing dinner. She'd hug her, and her mum would turn around and bend down to wrap her arms around her, and despite feeling like she wanted to, Isuka never cried, and she never fought back.
She had told her mum, after one of those incidents, that she was going to become strong so that their pushes didn't hurt anymore, and when she was old enough, she was going to sail away and make lots of money so they could move to a bigger house, with a big garden for any plants her mum wanted. That should have been what happened.
She began spending the afternoons after school in the mountains, training to become stronger, or was trying to. She was there that fateful day too. She had accidentally stayed too long in the mountains, and it had become dark as she ran back towards her village, hoping her mum wouldn't be too mad or that her dad wouldn't ground her. What she should've returned to was a peaceful village, with the sound of light chatter as the families settled down for dinner. Instead, she returned to an inferno.
She was out of breath as she stood at the edge of the village, the houses were burning, and there were screams and cries filling her senses. She couldn't let herself be overwhelmed. She thought of her parents and began to run. This time she couldn't stop the tears from falling, overcome with a sense of dread.
She pushed past the fatigue in her legs, running out of necessity. Her lungs burned as the smoke seemed to thicken. She lived on the other edge of town; it would take too long to run around the edge, so she sprinted through the roads she once knew, now unrecognisable. The fire had touched everything. Everywhere she looked, homes were burning up in flames.
When she reached her home, or what was left of it, she could no longer hold herself up. Something had taken out the middle of the house, leaving the rest to collapse in on itself. It looked like something massive had been thrown at the row of houses since all of them were similarly damaged. The fire in this section of the village was dying down, there were still flames, but it wasn't the inferno the other sections of the village were.
On her knees, she crawled closer to the rubble, barely feeling the rough ground scratch at her skin. She couldn't see anything under the debris, but her tears were clouding her vision, and she didn't want to give up hope. She cried for her parents as she tried to claw at the rubble, picking up smaller pieces of wood or stone. Her hands brushed against something soft, and she frantically tried to pull it out; she fell back when the object finally came loose. It was a toy bunny that her mum had found earlier that day, she had asked Isuka whether she still wanted it, and Isuka had said no, that she was too old for toys like that. She looked at it now. The purple colour of its fur had faded, and one of its ears had burnt off in the fire, but she hugged it close, thankful to have something familiar.
She wiped some of her tears and placed the bunny to the side, and tried to go back to searching. The material was still hot, and she had to pull her hands back often. Just as she was able to stop the tears from flowing down her face, a piece of wood collapsed and fell on her hand. Crying even harder now, she pulled it out and cradled it close.
She sat there for a while, trying to ignore the pain, but it burned the more she tried to focus on something else. She hadn't given up hope, but everything was starting to catch up to her; her legs hurt to move, the scratches on her knees were bleeding, and her hand was burnt. She couldn't do anything but cry. She felt useless.
'Lieutenant Commander!' She looked up, picking the stuffed bunny up again; there were people nearby.
'Lieutenant Commander Draw, sir, we need to leave, we have the pirates in custody. We've rescued everyone we can, the village is going to collapse!'
'I can hear crying,' the small group of people rounded the corner, and Isuka could see that they were Marines. Marines had once landed on the island, and although they'd stayed on their ships, the kids had all snuck around trying to get a glimpse of them. She recognised their uniform, white and blue, the man in the middle had a large coat on, but she couldn't see the back.
'You were right sir, there is a child,' Isuka was standing up now, trying to stifle her sobs.
'My parents,' she tried to say, pointing at the rubble; the soldiers looked at her with pity.
The man walked up to her and bent down to his knees to level with her before wrapping his arms around her. 'You can let it all out,' he whispered before picking her up. One hand clung to his shirt, and the other kept a hold of her bunny as she cried.
'She's injured sir,' one of the men pointed out.
'The poor child, it's moments like this that show how much suffering pirates have caused; she's lost her village and parents,' the men seemed to agree with the statement, 'let's treat her on the ship along with the others, hopefully, she can find a new home.'
Isuka stayed silent until they reached the ship; the man put her down and let another crew member led her to the medics. A kind woman patched her up, cleaning her wounds and dressing them, she tried to ask questions, but Isuka continued to stay quiet, and the woman didn't prod further.
'There's a family willing to take you,' the man had returned, 'I'll take you there, they're setting up camp.'
'Can I stay?' she mumbled; she clutched her toy a bit harder.
'What?' he struggled to hear her murmuring.
'I'm really strong, I promise, I train everyday!' she shouted a bit louder, 'so please, let me fight as well, that's what you do right? You fight pirates,' she fiddled with the ear of the toy, 'so let me fight them as well.'
The medic put a hand on her shoulder, 'sweetheart calm down, it's okay, I know what you feel like, but sweetie, you're just too young.' Isuka didn't listen; she kept her eyes locked on the Lieutenant's, hoping she looked strong enough; the medic tried to usher her back into the chair.
'Wait,' he said to the medic and bent down again, 'are you sure?'
'I want to fight,' Isuka said back; she'd never been so sure of anything in her life. She was done taking things lying down. She wanted to fight, for her parents, for her village.
'Well then, I think it's settled; she'll join us,' he grinned at her, and Isuka sighed, relieved; the medic, on the other hand, seemed apprehensive.
Looking back at that now, she realised that she was too young, no child should have to go through what she went through, but no child should be joining the Marines either. She wondered if she was just another part of his extremist views, no one would question the man who'd gone back just to save a child he'd faintly heard crying. To him, her village was just in the way of his path to power, and he'd gotten what he wanted. He was promoted as the 'hero' he was seen as.
~ ♡ ~
After the incident, she'd vowed to herself that she would never cry again, that she'd get stronger and fight back, and that she'd destroy all pirates. So, for the next seven years, that's what she did, first as a chore girl on Draw's ship, training in her spare time with the crew. It was actually the medic who introduced her to the rapier as a weapon; she said there was an elegance the weapon held that suited her.
She was then left at a base; the seas were not for her, not yet. The officer of the base let her work there as a chore girl, allowing her to train in her spare time. She moved up the ranks fast, becoming one of the youngest ensigns. She was soon on a ship of her own, with a crew of her own, on the Grand Line. That's where she met Ace.
In a word, Ace was unpredictable. He was a wild card that was making the higher-ups nervous, being one the fastest-growing rookies at the young age of seventeen. So who else would be better suited to bring him down than the equally young Isuka? Having been on the Grand Line for a year now, Isuka had an impressive record, that was until she met Fire Fist Ace.
~ ♡ ~
If anyone had told her that when she'd first met Ace, she'd end up joining him; she would've stabbed them. Yet here she was, breaking the promises she'd made and on the deck of the Spadille as it sped away from the archipelago and made its way to the New World.
She'd promised she'd never cry again, but the weight of the years had crushed her all at once. The truth she believed, her one motivation in those difficult years of training was false. A blatant lie. So she let herself cry, feeling the tears stream down her face as she tried not to be too loud. She had also promised to always fight back, but her legs didn't let her move. The ache she felt that day made its way back to her muscles, the fear and betrayal she'd felt in the moment was something she had hoped never to feel again, but once again, she found herself on the floor. This time, she had nothing to clutch onto for hope.
So when Ace offered her a hand and made the most absurd request, she found herself accepting it. She let him drag her through the alleys, shouting directions at Deuce.
She found herself feeling thankful for the pair of them, they'd fought hard, and despite being on opposing sides, they'd offered her a hand instead of leaving her. So without thinking it through, when Ace had told her to jump, she'd followed.
Landing on the decking of Spadille felt different this time; she'd been on the ship plenty of times before. She could even make out all the marks she'd left trying to fight Ace. Ace still held onto her hand, she suddenly felt eyes on her. Of course, she thought, to them, she was still the enemy.
Before she could say anything, Deuce was leading her away, 'you have a crew to lead Ace, and Isuka needs rest,' Ace nodded, giving Isuka's hand a comforting squeeze before turning to address the rest of the Spades.
'I'm sure you all have questions, but first we need to get out of here, so full speed ahead!'
~ ♡ ~
Isuka found herself in the captain's quarters; Deuce had said it was the most private. No one would bother her, except for Kotatsu, who came and went when he pleased.
She looked around the cabin; it was bigger than hers and much more personal. The only thing she had from her childhood was the bunny, which she'd probably never see again, and the scar on her hand. Ace had photos and all sorts of knick-knacks from his travels strewn across the room. She saw one of him as a young child with two other kids. She recognised Luffy from Ace's stories, and she smiled, remembering the way his face lit up talking about his kid brother. There was another child that Isuka couldn't quite place, she didn't recognise him from any of his stories, even he had stories he kept private.
She saw pictures of the Spades in various different places; she could recollect having fought Ace in most of the places. Looking around, she felt like she was intruding. The Spades were a tight-knit family, one she felt she didn't belong in. She envied Ace as a leader; he had a relationship with his crew she could never have; her crew didn't joke around with her. They simply respected the hierarchy. Maybe she had made a mistake following Ace. She'd never feel like she belonged.
She found herself wanting to crawl up into a ball, so she sat down in the corner of his room and pulled her knees closer. She didn't know how long she'd stayed in the position, unmoving, her head resting on her knees.
'Isuka?' It was Ace, he was standing at the door, 'you there?'
She wiped her face with the back of her hand and looked up, 'yeah?' She winced at how hoarse and tired her voice sounded.
He stepped into the room to inspect where her voice came from, 'what are you doing over there? Was the bed not comfortable?' He chuckled at the little ball she'd curled up into.
'No, I, no it's just nice in the corner,' he offered a hand, and she took it, stumbling as she got up. Her legs ached a little from being in the same position for way too long.
He sat back down on his bed, patting the spot next to him so she could join him, 'so how do you like it?'
'About that,' she began, fiddling with her fingers. It would seem that Ace had noticed her hesitancy, and instead of allowing her to stand around awkwardly, he pulled her down next to him.
'You don't have to say anything; it's not easy getting used to different environments,' he looked over at her, she had her head turned down. 'Tonight you can sleep here, I'll be taking the night watch, so don't feel like you're intruding.'
'But I do, Ace, I really don't think I belong here,' she couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes; he'd been so kind, and she wasn't used to it.
'Why do you think that, this crew's full of people who aren't strictly pirates, they can be whoever they want to be.'
'I don't want to be selfish Ace, I couldn't do that to you,' she could feel the tears pricking the back of her eyes.
'You and your selfless heart,' he tilted her chin up to get a better look at her face, 'be selfish Isuka, let me be selfish for you.' He pulled his hand back, a little startled when she began to cry.
In between sobs, she spoke, 'you've always been like this. Aren't you worried?'
'About what?'
'I'm scared I'll destroy you Ace,' what good would come of her joining the crew? She could think of a million things that could go wrong, and she wished none of that on him, 'I don't want to hurt you.'
'You're worried you'll hurt me?' he asked almost incredulously, running a hand through his hair, 'Isuka I'm so scared I'll hurt you.' She looked up, confused, 'leave it to me to fall for a girl who'd been hurt by flames and pirates, and who am I, a pirate who can turn into flames.' He chuckled at how cruel fate had been.
She tried her best to wipe her tears yet again and took a hold of one of his hands, 'I'm strong Ace, you could never hurt me, I know you won't.'
'I know but I can still worry,' he smiled at her trust in him, 'if you want to leave I'm not stopping you, I would never force anything on crew members. You can just tell the Marines you were taken hostage, I'm sure they'll take you back.'
'But then they'll think worse of you, for crimes you've never committed,' her eyes were full of worry.
'They think enough of me already, you don't have to worry about that,' he brought his other hand to her face, brushing away a strand of hair.
They sat there quietly; Ace had removed his hand, suddenly aware of what he was doing. Isuka quietly contemplated what had been said, 'so it'll be mutual destruction?'
Ace burst out laughing; she was taken aback by it, 'yeah, you could put it like that.' He considered it for a second, 'mutual destruction.' He pulled back and stuck out his hand, 'so you'll stay?'
She wiped away all her tears and took a deep breath in before taking his hand, 'for as long as you'll have me.'
~ ♡ ~
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sudden kinship with everyone who posts like wow tumblr is so easy every time i post anything bsd gaiden-related and the same urls of the like 5 ppl who have read gaiden on tumblr (lightnovel ft. manga adaptation of all time. btw. stream bsd gaiden. it has tsujimura.) show up in my notes like clockwork. said with both affection and infinite amusement.
Priorities
a crackfic with zero plot
Deuce winced as he heard the familiar voice; they had managed about two days without getting into a fight. Which may be a record for Ace, but with how close Isuka’s voice was, it was just a matter of time before they were fighting. Deuce was unsure whether Ace had heard it too; he was easily distracted by the food surrounding them. They were in a market area, and if Ace hadn’t heard her voice, it would be best to keep it that way.
‘Hey, wasn’t that Isuka?’ Deuce cursed under his breath. He could never catch a break.
‘I don’t think so. Why would the Ensign be here? Hey, isn’t that your favourite snack,’ Deuce was using all his powers of distraction, but for some reason, Ace wasn’t listening.
‘Nah I’m pretty sure that’s her, where do you think it came from?’
Deuce sighed, ‘why do you go looking for trouble? If she hasn’t seen you yet we should probably leave.’
‘So you did hear her!’ He said incredulously.
‘Yeah at this point hearing her voice puts my body on autopilot, we need to leave.’
‘Oh come on, it would be rude to leave without saying hello.’
‘Since when have you cared about manners?’ Maybe he lived just to annoy Deuce; if he died early, the cause of death should be listed as Portgas D. Ace.
They hadn’t been able to pinpoint her location just yet, the marketplace was a bustling hub in the middle of the city, and one would think the Marine’s uniform would stand out.
‘Hey I’ll pay!’ They heard Isuka argue with someone, and Ace twirled around to see Isuka, not in her uniform but in casual clothing. There were two little kids next to her; one of them was clinging onto her leg, and she had a hand on the other one's head. From their angle, they couldn’t quite see who she was arguing with, but it was clear she was close to this person; otherwise, they wouldn't be arguing over the bill.
‘Who are those kids,’ Ace turned to Deuce, who looked just as confused; they didn’t know anything about her personal life.
‘Why don’t we order double, then we can both pay,’ Isuka’s shoulders sank, but it was because she was laughing. Ace grimaced slightly; Isuka barely ever laughed around them; she was too busy fighting them. Deuce wanted to point out that it wasn’t his fault Isuka didn’t laugh at his jokes. It was really that they were on opposite sides of the law and that most of them were insulting the Marines. He couldn’t, however, deny that she looked good when she wasn’t scowling. She looked younger and more peaceful.
‘Fine, fine, I can never win with you,’ she pulled out her purse and took out some bills while her friend asked for more from the vendor, who seemed quite pleased with all the sales he was making. Isuka carefully took the little parcels of food and gave them to the kids, the little one clutching her one and the older one grabbing a few more.
Both pirates snuck a little closer, trying to get a closer look at the other party. By the voice alone, they could tell it was a man, but nothing else. As they stopped, hidden behind a cart of sweets, they were finally able to see his face. He had one of those faces that exuded calmness. He was good-looking if you preferred plain and boring guys. He seemed tall and well built; he was probably a Marine, but what was really bothering Ace was why would the both of them be on vacation together.
‘Maybe we should help them with the food, we have quite a few parcels,’ the man suggested as he took a bag of food.
‘Yeah, we should,’ Isuka ruffled the younger one’s hair. She leaned over to take one of the bags from the man, but he refused to fork one over and pushed her forward instead. She held the younger one’s hand instead, carefully leading them through the crowds. They passed Ace and Deuce, the latter diving behind a stall to hide; Ace stood watching as they disappeared.
‘Do you think her radar is broken?’
‘Radar?’ Deuce questioned as he dusted himself off and apologised to the startled drink vendor.
‘Yeah her ‘Hunt Fire Fist’ at all costs one,’ Deuce decided he must’ve lost his mind out of hunger and tried to push him towards the food stalls.
‘I think you need some food, you’re talking crazy.’
‘No, you know how she never gives up on a chase, and no matter what crazy turns I take she always manages to find me, how? Her crazy find me radar.’
Ace looked proud of his explanation, but Deuce could only sigh, ‘sure buddy, but it looks like she’s taking a break, maybe she doesn’t want to fight you.’
‘Nope, how many times has she abandoned what she was doing to chase me?’ He pointed out, ‘no, something's going on, we’ve got to find out.’
Deuce buried his face in his hands and groaned, ‘why can’t things go my way for once,’ but Ace was already dragging him in the direction she was heading in.
They were walking for a while before Ace decided to jump on someone’s roof to try and locate the pair walking together. He caught sight of them walking toward the slums to the north of the city. He jumped back down to tell Deuce and broke into a run to catch up with them.
When they reached the slums, the little kid who had been holding onto Isuka’s hand let go and ran towards another kid, holding out the little parcel of food. Soon little kids were surrounding the two Marines, and they were handing out the food to whoever was there. Isuka was crouching down to talk to them, ruffling their hair and accepting little hugs. The little kids seemed overjoyed, running back to their houses to share.
When the food ran out, Isuka stood back up; they had just about enough for everyone. ‘It’s a good thing we bought double.’
‘See this is why you should listen to me, I’m always correct,’ he nudged her shoulder with his.
‘This is coming from the person who thought the red line was a literal red line in the middle of the sea,’ she pressed back.
‘I was 10. Give me a break,’ there was a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks.
Ace was getting more annoyed as she playfully teased him. Deuce, on the other hand, was more shocked to see this side of the Ensign that usually chased them. In her pursuit, she was ruthless and powerful, but now, seeing her laugh carelessly really proves how little they knew about her.
‘How about lunch,’ she suggested as they began to walk back. Deuce pulled Ace into a random house to hide, apologising to the terrified occupants.
‘Yes I am starving, it’s my treat though,’ he emphasised.
‘No it’s mine, take it as a way to congratulate you for your promotion.’
‘Exactly! My promotion, I should be treating you with my pay rise.’
She laughed, ‘you’re an Ensign now, I know exactly how measly the pay rise is. Let me treat you, plus I am older than you.’
‘By like 3 months, you don’t have to keep bringing that up.’
Ace waited for them to turn the corner as they walked past the house before following behind. Deuce thanked the family before running after him.
‘Ace I think we should stop now, clearly there’s nothing wrong, she’s just enjoying some time with her friend,’ Deuce stopped next to him and took a couple of breaths. ‘Although it’s a little weird seeing her so happy, I think the only time I’ve seen her smile was that time Kotatsu jumped her and ended up tickling her with his fur.’
‘Nope,’ he was being stubborn for no reason at all, ‘we have to get to the bottom of this mystery.’
‘What mystery? Last I checked we’ve been pointlessly following around a Marine and her probably Marine friend.’
Before he could get an answer out of Ace, the pair they were following turned a corner, ‘come on we’re going to lose them!’
It was a little while before they seemed to finally make a decision on where to eat. It was a restaurant that had a riverside view. They waited for them to be seated before entering themselves.
‘Could we get seats that have a clear view of that table?’ Ace pointed to where Isuka was sitting on the deck overlooking the river. She was finally using those sunglasses she always had in her hair.
The waitress seemed intrigued and was glad to help them spy on the two of them, she must’ve thought something was going on, and Deuce felt the need to clarify that there wasn’t anything actually happening. The waitress remained unconvinced and showed them upstairs to a seat on the balcony overlooking where Isuka was sitting. She bought them menus and a jug of water, and Deuce couldn’t stop fidgeting. They were at a semi-fancy restaurant, and they were following a Marine.
‘Hey don’t you think this has gone on for long enough?’ Ace simply glanced at the menu. ‘She seems happy, and that’s good because I don’t particularly want to spend the rest of our time at this island running from her, she’s kinda scary you know.’
‘Pffft, Isuka? Scary? You must be out of your mind,’ he paused, taking a sip from the glass of water in front of him, ‘she’s just mildly terrifying.’
‘See, even you have to admit she's clearly a lot more at ease right now and we should let her be. Wasn’t there like a million things you wanted to see, you’re not going to have any time if you spend all your time following her.’
Ace sighed, looking down at the pair of Marines; she was laughing at something he’d said, tucking her hair behind her ear. She was beautiful in a gentle way, looking soft in the way the sunlight hit her. She was beautiful in the way she fought as well, fierce, like fire.
Deuce rolled his eyes; Ace was never subtle; the look in his eyes as he watched her gave away his reasons. He said goodbye to all his plans, seeing as how Ace was simply not going to let this go.
'Fine, let's at least eat something while we're here,' Deuce called over the waitress so they could order something.
Ace immediately dived into the food as soon as it arrived, but he still managed to keep tabs on what Isuka was doing. Watched as she sipped her glittery drink and the way she gripped her cutlery.
It felt like hours had gone by as he waited for them to finish their conversation. Deuce was more shocked that Ace hadn’t spontaneously fallen asleep during the meal than by how long they could keep a conversation going.
When Isuka got up to pay, he watched as they fought over the bill before getting up himself. Before Deuce could point out that they needed to pay, Ace had left. He pulled out his wallet and placed some cash on the table before running after him.
~ ♡ ~
Deuce was already beyond bored as they hid behind a bush. Isuka and her friend had spent hours walking around town, visiting different shops.
Isuka had tried on so many clothes they’d never even thought she’d wear, but she looked stunning in all of them. There was this blue dress that had Ace tripping over the mannequin they were hiding behind.
They waited outside a bookstore for close to an hour, sat on a bench and shared a large newspaper to hide their faces. Isuka came out with a bag full of books at the end of it.
When they’d finally tired of walking, they sat on a park bench, and Ace decided to hide in a bush nearby in the hopes of catching parts of their conversation. Deuce mumbled something about his butt hurting from sitting on the hard ground, and Ace shushed him. To his dismay, they chatted about the books Isuka had purchased, something about them being a series she loved as a kid and didn’t know there were more books in the set. Ace still paid attention to her every word, no matter how boring. Deuce ended up lying down on the ground and taking a nap.
It was darker when Ace hurriedly woke him up, saying they were going to a bar to get a meal and some drinks. He pulled him up and continued his pursuit, with a sleepy Deuce trying not to bump into the street lights.
It was harder to sneak into the bar without the two Marines noticing them. It was much smaller than the restaurant, and they barely managed to make it to a table before Isuka saw them.
Isuka could clearly hold her alcohol as she easily downed many cups of liquor. That’s one thing they had in common, Ace loved to party and could easily outdrink most people. Unluckily for him, he often collapsed, making people think he was a lightweight. On the other hand, Deuce was a terrible lightweight, so he sipped at his cup, hoping no one would notice he was on the same cup from the beginning.
‘D’ya think she’s given up on me?’
‘Who Isuka?’ Deuce poked the table with his fork as they waited for their food.
‘Yeah, we’ve been following her all day and she hasn’t noticed us once. I know we’re not exactly amazing at subtlety so has she just given up?’
‘Isuka would never, she’s got that stubbornness about her,’ Deuce took a small sip of his drink, ‘she would never stop chasing you.’
Ace laughed, but it was sort of sad. Deuce patted him on the back, ‘maybe we’re just better at stalking people than we thought we were.’ And this time, Ace laughed for real.
For the next two hours, Ace had seemingly forgotten about Isuka laughing and chatting away on the other side of the room, and he joked with Deuce like normal. That was until Isuka had gotten up to pay and leave. She placed her sunglasses on the bar as she handed the shopkeeper some bills but left them there when she left the premises. Ace was immediately up and bolting out of the restaurant, grabbing her sunglasses to follow her.
Deuce shouted after him, but it was hopeless; he’d already gone. Begrudgingly he took out his wallet yet again and paid before running after him.
When he caught up, Ace was somehow on a rooftop, following the pair from a distance, and Deuce considered clambering up to join him but decided to stay on the ground.
They followed them for a while until they heard Isuka gasp loudly, and they stopped.
Isuka had been walking quietly and enjoying the crisp, cold air. She took a deep breath in and decided this was the best moment. She reached up to her head and feigned shock, ‘I left my sunglasses at the bar!’
‘Want me to come back with you?’
‘No, no, you go on ahead, I’ll get them myself,’ she pushed him forward before turning around to head back to the bar.
She turned the corner before leaving against the wall and calling out, ‘I know you’re there Fire Fist.’
He jumped down from somewhere, and Deuce simply stepped into the light. He was smiling at her, ‘how did you know?’
‘You’re not subtle,’ she smiled and held out her hand, ‘I’d like my sunglasses back, I assume you grabbed them on your way out. They were a gift from someone important.’
His smile dropped, and he stepped towards her, grabbing the sunglasses out of his pocket. He ignored her outstretched hand; instead, he stopped, unusually close to her. He placed the glasses back on her head, trying to remember the exact angle it fit between the vermillion strands of hair.
‘Where are they from him?’
‘Huh?’ Isuka was taken aback. She’d barely managed to register the fact that he was trying to adjust her hair, tucking loose strands behind her ear, let alone pay attention to his words.
‘You said they were a gift,’ he retracted his hands, happy with his work, ‘was it from him?’
‘Who? Ryu? No!’ She buried her face in her gloved hands; 'a different friend got me these, she’s a swordswoman like me. I haven’t seen her in ages.’
‘Oh,’ Ace rubbed his neck sheepishly; he’d jumped to conclusions again.
‘Why were you even following me Fire Fist, shouldn’t it be the other way around?’
‘That’s what I said!’ Deuce looked exhausted, and Isuka sympathised; keeping up with someone like Ace was hard work.
‘No reason,’ he looked down, kicking a random stone, ‘just thought it was odd you didn’t notice me.’
She couldn’t see his expression because his hat successfully covered his face, but she could easily guess that he probably looked like a sad puppy.
She burst out into laughter, and Ace looked up in shock, ‘of course I noticed you! It would be impossible not to! That hat is so obnoxiously orange!’
‘You did? Then why didn’t you do anything? Usually, you’re chasing me before I even see you.’ He chose to ignore the hat comment; to him, it was a perfectly acceptable colour.
‘My priorities have changed Fire Fist,’ she explained, but he looked so utterly shocked she had to elaborate further. ‘Well I’ve been receiving complaints from my crew lately about how catching you can’t always be my priority and that I also have to relax and enjoy meals. You know, not abandoning whatever I’m doing to pursue you.’
Deuce failed to suppress a laugh, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were aware how annoying it is.’
She glared at him but continued, ‘so when I saw you at the market I decided you weren’t my priority, my friend was and that I wasn’t going to abandon an old friend who I haven’t seen in a while to chase you.’
‘Aw, I’m not a priority anymore?’
‘Trust me Fire Fist, as soon as this little vacation is over you’re number one on my list. Right now my priorities are slightly different.’
‘Kinda sucks not being on your mind all the time.’
‘It’s kinda hard to forget you when you spent the whole day following me,’ she grumbled.
‘My bad, you know what, you have my word I won’t bother you the rest of your trip.’
‘I’m not sure the word of a pirate means much to me, but okay, no bothering each other.’
‘Deal,’ he smiled, sticking his hand out to her. She took it up begrudgingly, and he took the opportunity to pull her closer, ‘that blue dress was the best, you should totally get it. Also have fun with your little boyfriend Isuka.’
He pulled back and smiled at her, and before she could deny it, he jumped back to where Deuce was, ‘see you later, Ensign!’ He tipped his hat towards her and began to walk away, ‘just so you know, you’re always a priority to me!’
She blushed at the statement, though she didn’t know why, ‘he’s not my boyfriend you moron!’ She didn’t know if he could hear her but felt the need to clarify.
Deuce glanced over at Ace, who was grinning widely as she shouted at him. He rolled his eyes; what an odd pair.
~ ♡ ~
ayatsuji gets a bad rap for being unnecessarily mean/harsh but. let’s be real. if i was a death row prisoner kept alive only to solve cases the government are too stupid to figure out i would also be cussing out everyone who talks to me
fucking losing it at the concept of a reverse Holmes and Watson like there's this genius journalist who goes around solving crimes and writes about how he does it and then there's his useless himbo assistant who does fuck all and just follows him around absolutely out of his mind on cocaine
Tsujimura has never heard Ayatsuji laugh.
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