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Everyone who’d ever met Ace, knew he was fiercely loyal. They knew from the start of joining the crew, if you wronged someone Ace cared about be prepared.
So it was only natural for the one he fell in love with to be just as protective and caring as he was.
Ace wasn’t particularly looking for a relationship, he was just being himself. He didn’t even truly know what he wanted in a relationship, if he even wanted one at all. Being a pirate was as dangerous as it was freeing, especially when you had a secret as big as Ace’s. His bloodline had always been a problem for growing up.
Garp telling him at such a young age didn’t help. Asking people if they thought he had the right to live or not definitely made things worse.
Then, he began to gather a crew, his family away from home. He met people who valued him, just like Sabo and Luffy. They valued him, but didn’t know his inner struggle.
Except, Deuce.
Deuce found things out about him that he was too scared to let anyone know, was told things that even his little brothers didn’t know or even understand.
It was…amazing!
The blue haired man stayed with him on nights that were too hard alone. He didn’t see Ace as someone above him, he saw him as an equal. He taught Ace the true meaning of a lot of things, but he’ll only think about the two that always stuck out to him.
Unconditional love, Deuce’s love for Ace’s had no limit, no restrictions and didn’t need to be repaid. He loved Ace for himself, treated Ace as softly and glass-like as the fire user craved on the days that it was too much.
And Ace returned the feelings anyway he could, despite Deuce’s reassurance and attempt at deflection.
The second thing he taught Ace was devotion. If Ace represented loyalty, Deuce represented devotion. Two halves of the same whole, supporting one another and never leaving each other behind.
For better or worse they stuck together.
Ace and Deuce. Loyalty and Devotion, both fiercely protective of the other and dangerous to those who wish to hurt anyone they love.
They would do anything for one another and it was a breath of fresh air to Ace’s tired, hurt lungs.