Chapter Text
For the rest of his vacation, Ace does not walk – he happily floats above the ground and calls Law nothing other than “mein zukünftiger Ehemann.” And he smiles so widely and infectiously that almost everyone he says it to catches his mood. He shares his best news with anyone he runs into, whether it is a random passerby or a tour guide in a museum, because keeping it inside is simply impossible. He is bursting to the point of sweet pain, and Ace finds the best way to release this delicious tension.
Torao, who taught him this phrase, usually smiles next to him, letting Ace do whatever he wants without correcting him or asking him to calm down. And then he even translates for Portgas D. what people say to him and vice versa. Mostly it is congratulations and wishes for a long, happy life together, which makes Ace love everyone he verbally interacts with. It is wonderful. Ace is in love with every moment of his existence and showers Law with even more love than usual. He literally clings to him and kisses him, asking to be kissed back at any convenient or inconvenient moment. Law never turns him down, and Ace genuinely believes that nobody on this planet could possibly be happier than him.
Yet, time is a cruel thing, and one morning brings a painful reality to his sweet paradise. He has to return home, an obligation he cannot escape, no matter how much he wishes to. Maturity and stability have quieted his reckless nature, instilling a deep sense of responsibility that he no longer fights against. And despite the agony inside and the lack of desire to let Law out of his embrace, he packs his suitcase with a heavy heart.
“You don't have to come with me to the airport,” Ace sighs, slowly folding his clothes. He is lying. Every extra minute with Law is a treasure, but he is terrified of breaking down. He knows the pain of long-distance separation all too well, and repeating that hell scares him. It is unavoidable, but at least this time it will be shorter. Torao will be back in a couple of months. “I'll definitely burst into tears there if you come along.”
“Not up for debate,” Trafalgar cuts him off and helps Ace with his things. Or rather, he packs some of his own clothes so Portgas D. will have something to sleep with when he gets back. “I didn't meet you when you arrived for obvious reasons. But I must see you off. Frau Kureha knows and lets me start work in the afternoon. The matter is closed.”
“You just want to see me cry, right? Admit it, you're a sadist,” Ace tries to hide his sadness with a fake, suspicious stare.
“Ace, I've seen you cry probably more than a thousand times under different circumstances. You won't scare or surprise me,” Torao smiles and lightly flicks Ace on the forehead, then, following a strange ritual, kisses the spot he touched. He adds, pulling back slightly: “Cry if that's what you need. It's actually healthy for your mind. I can be your tissue.”
“You will be my tissue, my love, because this is entirely your fault,” Portgas D. grumbles, frowning and pouting. “And by the way, how come you've seen me in tears a bunch of times, but I've never seen you cry? You usually just lower your head and tightly press your lips together, but… not a single tear. Do you never feel like it?”
“Sometimes, but I prefer to process it internally,” Law replies thoughtfully, shrugging. “My way of dealing with it is to have a smoke, process it, and rationally break down why I feel this way and what I can do about it. It helps me; it works better for me than crying. And no, Ace, I'm not a robot. I'm telling you honestly, and I'm sure of it.”
Portgas D. squints, jokingly leaning back, and stares at Torao with suspicion. He distracts himself as much as he can; Law understands his position. He doesn't think anything extra either, since Torao gives him no reason to doubt him. Ace is absolutely sure they are in the same longing, and for Torao, the level might even be worse. He is the one left here alone, but he holds up much better than Ace. Amazing, admirable. However, Ace transforms all of this into playfulness.
“How did you know that was exactly what I wanted to say? Your robot algorithms calculated it, right?” Ace specifies, lowering his chin a bit. “You can't fool me.”
“No, mein Lieblingsheulsuse [my beloved crybaby], you're just predictable. Or maybe I'm in the fortune-telling business,” Trafalgar jokes with a light chuckle, looking into his partner's eyes with a bit of a tease.
“Oh, I can play this game too. You just used that massive, terrifying German word on me again, didn't you? Something offensive?” Ace laughs, focusing on the unfamiliar phrase. He could barely pronounce “mein zukünftiger Ehemann” without a thick accent; there is no way he could handle this new one.
“Amazing, how did you guess?” Trafalgar teases with playful irony and laughs. No magic, obviously; they just know each other too well. “I'll give you a hint – I didn't say anything bad. It's just that you and Luffy have something in common. A nickname, for example, but without the “beloved” part for him.”
“Did you just call me a crybaby, my love?” Ace catches on instantly. Confident in his deduction, he moves closer to Law, leaning heavily on his hands. “Did I guess right?”
“Nothing gets past you, Portgas. And I'm probably very predictable too,” Law teases him openly, his smile turning into a smirk. He shows that he is not afraid of Ace's revenge at all. Big mistake, huge mistake; Portgas D. knows his little secret, and he doesn't mind using it in battle.
“Oof, well, you brought this on yourself,” Ace warns, a dangerous spark in his eyes, and lunges.
Law, anticipating the move, tried to protest with a quick “no, stop, anything but that,” but Ace is completely unstoppable.
He brings Law down to the floor, carefully shielding the back of his head with his palm. Pressing his lips to Law's neck, Ace slides his hands beneath his clothes, his fingers finding his ribs. Law lets out a soft gasp, laughing uncontrollably as he makes a weak attempt to break free. Portgas D. has no idea how the surgeon keeps a straight face when anyone else does it. But with Ace, he does not hold back – openly shows his emotions and his own fear of being tickled. A very cute fear, by the way, almost serving as proof that Law is not actually a robot. But Ace will not say that out loud; he will keep pushing the legend about androids infiltrating their home planet. And that he, Portgas D., was fated to make one of them give up on destroying humanity through the power of charisma and love. It works out successfully, if you are wondering, and it's all thanks to Ace.
The light, spontaneous game soon melts into gentle kisses, then loops right back into a tight embrace and Ace’s melancholic sigh. He cannot play the "everything's fine" game for long, and Portgas D. goes back to where he started. He buries his face tightly into Law's chest, breathes in his natural scent mixed with cologne, and grumbles about how much he is going to miss all of this. Inside, everything is tearing apart, pulling and aching, and Ace expects his tears to catch up with him eventually. Torao supports him with kisses on the crown of his head, squeezes a bit tighter with his arms, and promises that everything will be over soon and they will definitely never be apart for this long again. Ace knows it and believes it, yet at the same time, he feels that Law is on the same sad wavelength. Trafalgar shows it with his slightly trembling voice, the way he strokes Ace's shoulders, and his heart beating heavily under his bones. Portgas D. tries to heal it with kisses to his chest and confessions of love. It doesn’t help, since the departure is not moving anywhere and the separation will hurt immensely anyway, but they are powerless against circumstances. However, the process of comforting each other is sweet and aching to the core, and they are both ready to repeat it forever. With huge, intoxicating pleasure.
During the taxi ride to the airport, Ace rests his cheek against Law's shoulder and mindlessly plays with his partner's long, beautiful fingers. He feels genuinely offended by the entire world and lets out a heavy sigh every now and then, making it completely obvious how difficult this is for him. With every sigh and mutter, Torao gives a low chuckle and kisses the crown of his head; he rubs his nose against his hair and goes over the same promises. He has nothing else to offer right now, and Ace does his best to find some patience.
It makes the task easier that his status has changed from boyfriend to fiancé, but the joy of this fades a bit against the background of understandable life events. Temporarily, but Ace feels very sorry about this.
Ace, despite Torao’s punctual anxiety, leaves later than recommended for people who have a flight, and therefore gets right into the peak of his check-in. Not as late as Law feared, but acceptable enough not to drag out the goodbye. Ace cannot stand that, so a small, safe risk suits him perfectly.
Though it does not save him from the oncoming feelings.
Before saying goodbye, he drops off his bags, collects his boarding pass, and immediately returns to Torao to close out his vacation. Ace holds him in a tight embrace, burying his face in the curve of his neck, unable to breathe enough of the presence of the love of his life. It hurts with a bitter ache inside, and his arms refuse to unlock. Portgas D. even plays with the idea of hiding Law under his clothes or taking him aboard inside himself. But his incredibly tall future husband doesn't shrink, and he refuses to be a stowaway. How difficult of him.
“Ace, I know you don't want to. But it's time to go,” Law's voice is calm and soothing, speaking pure sense. Ace shakes his head but still listens, lifting his eyes to meet Torao's face. It looks sad, yet there is a smile on his lips. Probably for Ace's sake. Ace frowns, pouting his lower lip and sniffing. His eyes burn, and to support him, Law rests a hand against his cheek, stroking his freckles with his thumb. Ace feels the tears under his eyes and realizes he didn't hold them back after all. “You are such a crybaby, Portgas. My favorite, impossibly beautiful crybaby.”
He isn't even lying, though Ace genuinely believes he looks awful when he cries.
“I don't want to be without you anymore; I hate it,” Ace complains about the exact same thing, leaning into the tender touch. “I'm used to you being right here, and I'm not ready to be on my own again. Can we turn the clock forward somehow so I don't notice?”
“I'll try to work some magic for you,” Torao says with a smile, wiping another tear from Ace's other cheek. He admires him like this – vulnerable and open. Showing the sadness in his eyes, he leans down until his forehead rests against Ace's. He sighs, fully matching his partner's heavy emotions. In a voice quieter than before, cracking slightly, he adds: “Thank you for choosing to come here. This is the best gift of my life, and my happiest days here. I love you so much, and I'm going to miss you. I think I already do. More than I consciously realize. It scares me how emotional I can actually be. What are you doing to me?”
“I love you and cherish you, what else can I do? But you are teasing me. I am already here in tears, and I see you are trying to make me hysterical,” Ace grumbles playfully and drops a couple more proofs of his unashamed weaknesses. Torao will ruin him, truly. However, Ace does not mind spending his resources on him. Law accepts, loves, and values them, and it is not scary to share things with him. Especially when he says so many sweet things that goosebumps jump across his skin. Ace hides them with extra complaints-confessions: “Well, there, you got what you wanted. I hope you are happy!”
“Yes, I am genuinely very happy. And it is entirely your fault. Please take responsibility for it,” they both know exactly what Law means. Instead of continuing to swap words and playful blame, they occupy their lips with each other.
The kiss is tender and slow, tinted with a sweet kind of sadness. Ace loses himself in it, pouring every wordless proof of his deep love and attachment into the contact. Law matches his intensity, whispering confessions in the brief breaks and thanking Ace for simply existing. Portgas D. is also glad to exist, especially when he is hidden in the beloved, safe embrace of his partner. And he is on cloud nine that Torao chose exactly him for their future life together.
Their bittersweet goodbye is interrupted by the announcement that check-in for Ace's flight is about to end, and they have to let each other go. They press final parting words into each other's lips and reluctantly pull apart. Law asks him to stay in touch and text the moment he lands. Portgas D. grumbles that he will anyway, then tells Law to smoke less today. Law promises nothing – his own sadness needs a way out, and Ace gently chides him for it.
Giving Torao one final, incredibly tight hug, Ace walks toward the document control area before the next stage of security checks. Before stepping out of sight, he turns around. He catches Law's eyes; Law is waiting until Ace passes this step, waving his hand. Pure willpower keeps Ace from running back to wipe the subtle sadness off Law's face. Instead, he smiles and mouths clearly, “I love you”. He receives the same answer, a soft curve of the lips, and a small nod reminding him to keep moving. He obeys, steps up to the line, and hands his passport and boarding pass to the airport agent.
They let him through. Ace walks further and does not look back anymore. There is no chance, because the line moves fast, and his heart will not withstand another proof that Torao will be lonely without him. Sadness gnaws at him until the very boarding (and will do so for a long time), causing a dull weight on his heart. Ace does not cry anymore, truly, choosing to stay collected and strong. His safe wall is moving away from him, and in loneliness, he tries to keep a straight face. Not to attract unwanted attention and not to show his personal and sacred feelings to the public. The airport screening procedures help him distract himself, and Ace adds to his comfort by thinking about his family and the cats, whom he missed as well. Less than Torao, no offense to them, but still noticeably.
Once settled on the plane, Portgas D. receives a message from Torao and vividly pictures his small but righteous tantrum:
“Ace, you won't believe it! I just got a call from the workshop, let the devils take them, and they said the rings are ready. Thanks a fucking lot, right on time! Everything exactly as I asked!”
Portgas D. stares at the screen and lets out a genuine laugh. Law is clearly furious, and Ace completely gets it. He feels the same disappointment that his finger isn't wearing the physical proof of their new status. But he will manage to get through it, and in his reply, mixed with expressions of love, he tells Trafalgar to do the exact same. They will look at it as a reward for waiting and the definitive end of their separation, since they couldn't celebrate a bit sooner. A gift that Portgas D. will eagerly look forward to, alongside his even greater treasure. Just a little longer now; he tries to believe it, and he will absolutely wait for the love of his life back home. Never to let him go anywhere alone again. From now on, it's only together, regardless of the sacrifices either he or Law might have to make. No more separations, which sound easy in words but feel like crawling through hell in reality. Ace won't survive it a second time. And by the look of things, Law won't agree to such a setup again either.
They have had more than enough of this unfinished test. Thankfully, it isn't permanent. Even if it feels completely otherwise right now.