#They just grow two babies like plants and they’re fucking cherished

[suf-lives-rent-free]

Fragments

Everything below is just my opinion; I am in no way trying to say that how I feel about this is the one correct take or whatever.

I know a lot of people like this episode and what happens in it, but I don’t.  I totally understand that some people just don’t want to see any negativity, period, but negativity is not inherently bad or wrong.

Negative opinions, even about something you enjoy, can be valid too - regardless of whether you happen to agree with them or not.

Also I get very salty near the end of this, and that might be entertaining to people who stan this episode?

I am aware that a lot of people – the majority, I’m pretty sure – think that the episode is a masterpiece. And on some level, I see where they’re coming from with that assessment.

The episode is boarded beautifully, the backgrounds – especially during the training montage – are stunning as always.  The music is fantastic, and the performances are great too.  In these respects, Fragments is a stand-out episode; I agree.

(Like look at this.  Gorgeous.)

However, something that’s bothered me since I saw the episode is the writers’ decision to write it into the story that Steven shatters Jasper.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: I just don’t get it.  I’m purposefully misinterpreting the story to say it’s bad.  Steven brings her back to life; and it’s not like he meant to do it in the first place.  I just don’t have the capacity to understand the sublime nature of the show’s storytelling.  I’m an SU crit and all I want to do is make the real fans feel about themselves for liking it.

Uhhhh... no.  Nah.  That ain’t it chief.

It’s true; I am not a writer.  I’m just a passive consumer of media.  However, I do not agree with the viewpoint that in order to properly understand or critique a thing you need to have the expertise and/or experience in order to make something similar.

For example, if I were to put something I drew when I was 10 years old next to something I drew yesterday, it shouldn’t take a person who has had an education in fine art to tell you that the latter drawing is better-looking than the former.

That’s how I approach media consumption and criticism; when I criticise a writing decision, I am doing so as a consumer.  I’m not saying I could write it better, or even that my opinion is objectively correct and the writer is wrong or bad.  I’m just saying that I didn’t like a thing.  Which, I would hope, is allowed?

Okay, defensive hedging over, back to the point; I don’t like that they had Steven shatter Jasper.

[I get markedly saltier from this point on, fyi]

Full admission of bias here: one of the things I really cherish about the original show is how they wrote Steven’s character; he’s a boy with interests that don’t rigidly conform to gender stereotypes.  He likes ‘boyish’ things and ‘girly’ things, and that’s okay; thats just him.  In cartoons when I was growing up, characters like Steven would be the butt of jokes about being ‘girly’ or thinly-veiled homophobia.  I find him very relatable, and I want to acknowledge that yes, that is probably a significant part of why I have such an issue with this episode’s twist.

I am not trying to say that he’s a perfect baby angel or whatever; Steven regularly gets frustrated and angry. He does some pretty manipulative and dickish things to people around him (stop trying to make Larsadie happen, Steven. It’s not going to happen).  He is a flawed character who fucks up sometimes. And he’s not 100% peaceful either; he acts violently when he defends himself against corrupted Gems and Homeworld Gems (and Crystal Gems on occasion *cough*Bismuth*cough*).  

However, he has a pacifistic temperament; whenever it’s possible, he prefers that problems be solved without needless violence or hurt.  And I like that; in most media, it’s rare to have a male protagonist who wants to solve their problems without jumping straight to punching things.

When he accidentally frees Centipeedle, he convinces the Gems to step off and allow him to try and rehabilitate her peacefully; he even notices that the Gems’ weapons are a trigger for her, and make them put them away.  He frees Lapis against the Gems’ wishes because he recognizes that keeping her prisoner is wrong, and when she steals the ocean, he talks it out and heals her so she can leave Earth peacefully.

He tries to aid Jasper when she starts corrupting, fixes Eyeball’s gemstone when she’s cracked and tries talking Bismuth down when she attacks him with the breaking point.  In all of these situations, his words and help are ignored or rejected; he’s forced to resort to violence.  And it traumatises him.  

We get an entire episode dedicated to the fact that he’s been struggling with processing these awful things that happened.

Even in Future, Steven shows hesitation about engaging in unncecessary violence; he gives into Jasper’s goading for a fight after what’s implied to be dozens of failed tries at making her come to Little Homeschool, and he spends an entire episode trying to keep Lapis from squashing the two rogue Lapis Lazulis. 

The only time he hops into a fight willingly is after Eyeball and Aquamarine hold Greg hostage, and even then they pose a clear threat to his and Greg’s safety and have made it clear that they want to hurt him emotionally and physically.  Even at that, he stops and switches tactics to talking them down as soon as they lose their focus and start bickering with each other.

(I mean, he fails.  But it’s the thought that counts.)

I personally find it really jarring that the writers found it appropriate to write it into the series that this same character – over the course of three (3) days – goes from disliking mindless violence for mindless violence’s sake to happily engaging in the destruction of plants and animals* and has done a total 180 on his willingness to spar with Jasper, to the point that he instigates their rematch.

*(You best believe plenty of small mammals and birds – y’know, like the nest Steven saved in the first episode – died as he and Jasper felled tree after tree, not to mention all of those displaced by the destruction of their habitats, and the potential loss of food sources from some of those trees.)

You’re telling me that it’s a reasonable character beat for this boy to gleefully laugh like an anime supervillain at his sudden new-found joy in fighting, then pin Jasper in place, taunt her for helping him get so strong, and hit her so hard that she breaks into pieces and dies?

You’re telling me that that’s an in-character thing for Steven Quartz Diamond Cutie-Pie DeMayo Universe do to another character?

(And yes I am purposefully dancing around talking about the mental health stuff because if I did that I’d have to go on a whole other tangent about Growing Pains and fuck I just don’t feel like it right now lmao)

Going back to Mindful Education, another big thing we see Steven struggle with is the idea that his mother shattered Pink Diamond.  This knowledge sits heavily with him; it makes him sympathetic to the Diamonds, even under the circumstances in which he sees them (escaping from the Human Zoo, and being on trial for said murder). 

He sees their grief, and he feels awful.  He questions who Rose Quartz even was.  He knows, based on what Garnet said, that Rose had to do it; there was no other way to free Earth.  But he still feels awful seeing the pain that Pink’s loss has caused Blue and Yellow Diamond.

In Steven Universe, shattering is clearly equated with execution/death multiple times.  When Pearl and Garnet fret over the crack in Amethyst’s gemstone worsening.  When Blue Diamond threatens to break Ruby.  When Bismuth introduces the breaking point, and Steven recoils at the sight of what it does.  If you want to take the fact that Gem shards are sentient and desperate to become whole again into account, you could even argue that it’s a fate worse than death. This particular act of violence is treated very, very seriously.

When we find out that Rose shattered Pink Diamond, there is a season and a half long arc unpacking the implications and consequences of this one action, and how this knowledge forever alters Steven’s mental image of his mother.  And she didn’t even kill anyone.  It was a lie!

In Steven Universe Future, Steven shatters Jasper 4 episodes before the end of the series.  And it’s only brought up twice; once for a big *gasp* moment during his breakdown in Everything’s Fine, and in I Am My Monster by Pearl, when she has to fill-in Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot.  Notably, it is never discussed around or by Jasper.  Y’know.  The person who actually died.

No indication of how (or even if) what Steven did is affecting his own self-image after his initial breakdown, how Jasper feels about what she went through beyond falling back into the Era 1 and 2 mindset.  No inkling of how the knowledge that Steven killed somebody has affected how anyone in his life thinks or feels about him; when Pearl brings it up in I Am My Monster, she seems to not even really believe it’s true.

If there are any consequences or talks about this incident, they’re skipped over between I Am My Monster and The Future, and we’re expected to assume that Steven and his therapist are dealing with it, I guess?

And yes.  It was an accident.  He did bring her back to life.  But it still happened.  If you hit someone over the head and they stop breathing, just because the paramedics are able to resusitate and stabilize them afterwards doesn’t mean you never hit them.

But here, it’s shoved aside because dwelling on it would take far too much time, and risks framing Steven in an unsympathetic way when he’s meant to be on the cusp of a breakdown.

It just feels like careless writing to me.  They really, really wanted their big action scene with Steven and Jasper, but didn’t think (or maybe weren’t interested in thinking) about the seriousness or consequences of what Steven shattering someone would entail.

In my opinion, Steven shattering Jasper is one of the cheapest, laziest things they could have ever done with his character (and hers, for that matter).  To me, the entire thing feels entirely out of character.  It’s pure shock value; nothing more.

So yeah.  That particular writing decision just does not work for me.  And if you disagree... well that’s fine?  It’s fine.  We can agree to disagree?  I’ve read a lot of defense/praise for this episode, and honestly even after processing all of those opinions and all the time my thoughts about this plotline have been stewing in my brain, I still feel the same way.

[kbstories]

Sedimentation

sed·i·men·ta·tion (n.) The process of establishing and reinforcing meaning through repetition.

First and foremost, Ace is a big brother - not the only one Luffy's ever had, but the one he has left.

(Or: Luffy and Ace get more time at Alabasta because I said so.)

Tags: Reunions, Family Feels, Brotherhood, Introspection, References to (Presumed) Character Death, (It’s Sabo)

Set in Alabasta. No additional warnings apply.

***

Even for a man made of fire, Alabasta is an uncomfortably warm place to be. The ground is arid to the point every step will kick up dust, and a fine haze of sand lingers in the air that turns the horizon into an indistinct flickering mess and makes every swallow rasp in the throat with grit.

From his vantage point high above, Ace slouches with his legs hanging off the ledge of a flat-roofed house and lets his gaze roam the streets below. His unknowing hosts bumble about downstairs, the muffled sounds of banging pots and laughter announcing it’s time for lunch; for a moment, Ace holds his stomach that rumbles a complaint, loud and insistent.

Just a little longer, he promises himself.

Not a single cloud graces the sky with its presence and the population below with a modicum of shade. Nanohana is a ghost town at noon, its inhabitants fleeing into their homes for a nap until the weather outside stops actively trying to cook them alive. Things didn’t use to be this bad – at least, from what Ace can recall of his first trip here, back when he was still captain of the Spade Pirates – but a lot can happen in three years.

Ace pulls his lips into a pout, the heat immediately stealing whatever moisture is left on them. No sign of Monkey D. Luffy.

Fingers drumming a tuneless beat against the brim of his hat, Ace thinks. Perhaps it had been a little foolish to assume Luffy would show up just like that, much less anywhere within the spectrum of ‘on time’. Even this early into the Grand Line, the waves are tricksters and the currents are more likely to lead to ruin than to any expectable outcome. Still: There had been rumors of a rookie crew demolishing Whisky Peak mere weeks ago, and a bombshell report out of the kingdom of Drum announced the rather violent eviction of its current (now former) ruler. Ace frowns, remembering the state of things he witnessed himself not too long ago.

Good fucking riddance.

Well, Ace has always figured the day his little brother sailed across Reverse Mountain would be followed by chaos and destruction all around. With the world tilting on its axis and spinning more and more out of control with every passing day, it’s hard to say how it’s going to look like a month down the road, a year, two. The powers that be aren’t ready for someone like Luffy, not that Luffy would particularly care about that.

A fond chuckle bursts out of him at the thought. Whatever happens, Ace can't wait to see where all of it is headed.

First things first. Ace flicks his hat back on his head and gets up, patting sand off his shorts. It’s everywhere, stuck to his lashes and making the sweat on his back feel tacky and gross. He sighs. Shower first, then food. His meal will taste all the better knowing the tattoo of Father’s jolly roger is as it should be: untainted and shown off with pride.

And then, with some luck, he will finally be able to see his brother again.

*

Getting cannonballed into by 140 pounds of rubber is quite an experience, no matter how many times one has been subjected to it. On instinct, Ace’s arms shoot out to grab on to whichever piece of Luffy’s clothes he can reach and he turns in a lazy half-circle, automatically aligning his center of gravity around the excited bundle of limbs clinging to his head. It makes breathing an impossibility for a moment or five but it’s worth it every single time.

“Ace! It’s really you!”

“Hello to you too, Lu”, Ace laughs, his grin almost as toothy as his brother’s now that they can enjoy their reunion in peace and sans Marine meddling. In a play as old as time itself, Luffy settles with his legs bracketing Ace’s shoulders and his head firmly planted on–

“Oh! You still have your hat, too!”

–the top of his hat, chin nudging its crown into a more comfortable position with surprising gentleness. Ace can’t see the smile on Luffy’s face like this but he knows it’s there judging by the way dumbfounded astonishment morphs into fondness on the faces of his crew members.

Bowing as politely as he can, he smiles and says: “Portgas D. Ace, Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates... and Luffy’s brother. Nice to finally meet you.”

Among the sputtering of “Whitebeard? The Whitebeard?” and “Wait, brother?!”, a guy with green hair and three swords makes the fastest recovery from general disbelief. He nods at Ace and smirks, “Likewise”, voice heavy with a confidence that rivals Luffy’s own. Seems like he’s the oldest in the bunch, too, which isn’t saying much since they all look about Luffy’s age and– Is that a reindeer?

(It’s hard to tell as whoever it is currently is trying to hide behind the main mast, ‘trying’ being the key word.)

They’re all strong though, Ace can tell. Inexperienced and fresh-faced and full of potential, just like their captain. His smile only grows.

So this is Luffy’s crew.

“Oi Luffy, when were you gonna tell us you have a brother?”

Happily wriggling his feet against Ace’s stomach, Luffy hmms as if deep in thought. “Dunno!” is the answer he comes up with after careful consideration, and Ace chuckles along with some of the crew. “It never came up, you know? Ace has his own adventures and stuff.”

If the heat was tough before, it’s unbearable now with Luffy’s furnace of a body compounding the issue. Ace lets him stay, stepping on his brother’s ship with a murmured “May I?” and a quick nod from a woman with short, red hair. The caravel is small but charming and cozy, so much so Ace feels immediately at ease. One of the many worries nipping at his nerves ever since he saw the name Strawhat Luffy under the words DEAD OR ALIVE is laid to rest then and there.

“Hey Ace, what are you doing here anyways?”

By now Luffy’s practically humming with unspent energy; Ace sighs and unceremoniously dumps him on deck, fixing his lopsided hat and necklace smoothly. Luffy is undeterred, snickering and effortlessly climbing a few feet up the mast to look at his brother from there.

“Taking care of business”, Ace answers casually yet can’t help the way his smile slips a little. The memory of Thatch bleeding out in his arms is too fresh, too grim to repress entirely. Luffy’s head tilts to the side but Ace waves him away before he can ask.

“Don’t worry, I can handle it. I just figured if I’m already around these parts I might as well meet up with my baby brother.”

When he left that message on Drum, Ace had figured he’d just say hi to his brother, tell his crew to watch over him (or else) and be on his merry way to put down Blackbeard like the mangy fratricidal dog he is. It’s only after he’s successfully ticked off the second item on that list – the crew looks sufficiently humbled and that green-haired dude Zoro grins at him, clearly approving, and why does Ace feel like he just passed some sort of test? – that he finally realizes he didn't account for one thing in this brilliant plan of his.

Because his brother is Luffy, and the moment Ace makes to leave he finds himself the target of a kicked-puppy-look-of-doom so heart-rending he feels terrible for even thinking that way.

“Lu, c’mon now, I…”

“But Ace! It’s been three years and so much has happened and we just met and–”

And that’s that. The whiny note in Luffy’s voice effectively shreds through whatever resistance Ace has left (which, if he’s honest with himself, wasn’t much to begin with). At the end of the day, he missed his little brother and it’s not like life hasn’t taught him – over and over and over again – to cherish the fleeting moments he has with those he loves. Ace pinches the bridge of his nose and groans.

“Fine. One night, okay? One. I really have to go after that.”

Luffy cheers, gloom immediately forgotten, and it’s then that Ace notices his crew is breathing a sigh of relief, too. So they're already aware a sad Luffy is to be avoided at all costs. Good.

The blonde one – Sanji the cook, Ace reminds himself – asks him what he’d like to eat and without thinking he says, “Anything with jolokia in it”, and Sanji shrugs, “Alright, coming right up”, and strolls away in the direction of the galley before it crosses Ace’s mind that those peppers are really hard to find and he’s already had lunch just an hour prior. He distinctly remembers Luffy eating his weight at the bar earlier, too, and he is yelling for meat at the top of his lungs.

Oh well. Might as well try out Luffy’s cook and see for himself that his gluttonous brother is well cared f–

Someone clears their throat to draw his attention. “Mr. Portgas”, a woman says, voice pleasant and measured in a way only diplomats speak. On this ship, with that captain, finding someone so eloquent is the thing that ends up surprising Ace the most.

“Ace, please. What's the matter?”

She smiles, an obvious appreciation for his manners even if it doesn’t pierce through the troubled look swirling in her eyes. “Ace, sorry. I'm Vivi, then. Would you mind if we continue along the coast and up the river during the night? We, um, we have somewhere to be and time is of the essence.”

Ace blinks. Isn’t that a question for your captain? Then again, Luffy is currently busy hounding his cook for scraps and knowing him, he’s not really the authoritarian type anyways, captain or no. 

“Uh. I don’t really care, I can set off from wherever with Striker.”

Vivi follows the gesture he makes to his trusty fire-powered speed boat but her interest is polite, half-hearted at best. “I see. I appreciate it, thank you.”

Not we but I, huh? Be it paranoia or justified caution, Ace knows the devil is in the details and this Vivi, she has something to hide. Yet nothing disturbs the air of trust the others seem to place in her: A secret kept only from strangers, then.

“A-ceee.”

Ah. Ace shakes himself out of the analytical stare he’s fixed her with, and to Vivi’s credit she merely locks her jaw and stares back, all pretense stripped to reveal a core of steely determination underneath. Luffy is pouting at him, draped across the railing of the forecastle and clearly unhappy with the subtle tension rising around them.

“Stop being all serious and come here, I want you to meet Merry!”

Scratching his neck, Ace huffs a breath – “Alright, jeez. Give me a second.” – and he nods at Vivi, both an apology and a concession to what they discussed. “Let me know if I can help with… whatever’s going on. It sounds important.”

The smile she gives him is more genuine, this time. “It is. You’ve already done enough keeping the Marine off our backs, though.”

Ace shrugs, have it your way, and before Luffy can start getting annoying for real, he launches himself in a column of fire to his brother’s side. “Okay, then. Who’s this Merry?”

*

The Strawhats truly are a crazy bunch and Ace is fascinated. It didn’t take long at all for Sanji to bust out of the kitchen with a mouth-watering amount of food, and Luffy disappears from Ace’s side so fast he basically teleports to the cook’s side. Shaking his head, Ace climbs down the stairs leading up to Merry’s figurehead at a more measured pace, watching the crew deal with his brother’s antics like it’s nothing, as easy as breathing. Hands fly and insults right along with them as they somehow wrangle him into sitting down properly and keeping to his own plate (for the most part) and Luffy does, beaming bright as the sun in their midst.

It softens something in Ace’s heart to witness it – Luffy has grown in the time they spent apart, stronger in many ways and mellowed out in others and unchanged where it matters. Perhaps his crew doesn’t realize it yet but it’s no small feat, to accept him just as he is.

Then, a rubbery arm wraps around Ace’s waist and he’s pulled (literally rather than figuratively) into the fray.

Lunch is a loud and boisterous affair. Ace gives as good as he gets, fighting for every delicious bite from where he’s squeezed in-between Luffy and a guy as gangly and awkward as they come, and he can’t remember a time he saw devastation quite like when Usopp dares him to try his Tabasco Shot and it does absolutely nothing. “I fried my sense for spicy food years ago”, Ace admits between peals of laughter, and Usopp’s eyes light up before he scrambles to his little workshop haphazardly placed in the middle of the deck.

“Don’t go anywhere! You’re my test subject now!”

It’s a good while later that things start to settle down on the Going Merry as she makes her way up the Sandora River. One by one, the Strawhats disperse to their own corners of the ship, clearing out the mess left behind and cycling through their duties without a single input from their captain – be it by design or implicit understanding, it’s hard to tell. And while Luffy is all-too-happy to hog his brother’s attention, Ace soaks up the obvious joy radiating from his voice and the unique cadence of his laughter.

Crouching on one of Merry’s horns, head pillowed on the palm of his hand, he lets himself be regaled by story after story of their adventures, told in that nonsensical style of narration Ace knows better than his mother tongue. Luffy sprawls all over his ship’s figurehead like it’s an extension of his body, hands a blur as he acts out what he means with gestures and grimaces.

For being a crew from what is considered the weakest Blue, the Strawhat Pirates have caused quite the stir. Ace smirks. About time people stopped underestimating the underdogs.

After all, his mouth still burns from the final rendition of Usopp’s self-made tabasco, one the sniper declared as his new weapon with a glint of triumph in his eyes.

It dawns on him, as Luffy imitates climbing with clawed fingers and a short-lived scowl on his face (“–it was so high, Ace, and there was ice everywhere and no more bunnies to help us, you know? And then–”), that Monkey D. Luffy is a good captain. It’s not a lack of faith in Luffy’s abilities or a big brother’s sense of superiority that ever put that into question: The truth is that Luffy is trusting and kind-hearted to a fault, the devotion to his friends easily spanning all oceans and beyond. Absolute loyalty, rare as it is in this jaded world, is one hell of a double-edged sword to fight your battles with, and the Strawhats strive for it with the same fervor as the dreams they wrote across their hearts and souls.

It’s the same brand of recklessness that nearly got the Spade Pirates killed, back when Father was still Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, and Ace had a personal vendetta against the universe itself (and the man it called King) to carry out.

History has a nasty habit of repeating itself, of transmitting a sin from father to child and brother to brother, and Ace hadn’t known shit about that when they’d raised their cups of sake that day and swore to be family until the end.

Yet here Luffy is, giving out pieces of his heart and expecting everyone to fall into step beside him. Even their current quest across Alabasta seems to be driven by some favor or other – keeping a low profile, for one, seems completely antithetical to the small crew made large by their personalities – and Ace worries.

It's in moments like these that he wishes he wasn’t the only big brother Luffy has left.

“Ace?”

Luffy’s eyes are big and serious, hands having come to rest on his knees and brows drawing into a pensive line while Ace was lost in his head. It’s second nature to join him then, cross-legged and close enough to brush shoulders. “What is it?”, Ace asks quietly as he takes off his hat, lets it spin between his fingers – he offers it to Luffy, “Here”, a soft smile sneaking on his lips as his brother takes it and starts toying with it.

The distraction doesn’t work as well as it used to, and that’s alright. The main point is that, even as a kid, having something to keep his hands busy always helped Luffy parse through the thoughts bouncing around in his head.

Then, finally: “Where’s White-guy? He’s your captain, right?”

The questions are unexpectedly solemn, and Ace raises his eyebrows, waits for Luffy to elaborate. There’s a frustrated twist to his brother’s mouth, something small and annoyed.

“Like… It’s not fair. Does he know you’re all alone out here?”

Just like that, the pieces rearrange in Ace’s mind to produce a whole, and yeah, that would be a fault in Luffy’s eyes. “Hm, I get what you mean. Father…” Ace sighs. Where to begin?

“Every captain is different, and for him, we’re his sons. There was– Someone killed one of his sons, one of us, and Father didn’t want me to go after him but I insisted. It’s as if I tried to kill you, or you me. It’s unforgiveable, you see? So that’s why I’m here – I’m gonna bring that fucker to justice.”

A fraction of the anger seething within him seeps into Ace’s voice and it’s been years since he let himself be driven by hatred like this. But Luffy, he’s known Ace from a time everything that came out of his mouth was laced with lethal intent, and spite was all he knew how to reach for.

There is no unease in Luffy’s gaze now either, and when he returns Ace’s hat to him, his hands are steady and unbothered by hesitation.

“That won’t happen. Why would I want to kill you?”

Luffy says it with such earnestness, like he couldn’t come up with a single reason if given a hundred years to think about it; Ace laughs and puts his hat back on his head, and love surges through him like the fire in his veins.

“Exactly. It shouldn’t.”

“So your new dad is a good guy after all?”

“He’s the best”, Ace says with a conviction he feels down to his bones, and Luffy smiles right along with him. “I want you to meet him someday, Lu, you and your crew. I don’t think I can change your mind about who should be Pirate King–”

“Never.”

“–but you’ll like him. And you could meet my crew, too. And our flag ship looks like a whale. A big white one.”

“Really? That’s cool!”

“Right?!”

They laugh just as they used to whilst pretending to sleep at night, hushed and with their heads bowed close to each other as if to fit under the same blanket. It’s quiet for a while, afterwards, Ace listening to the lapping of the waves against wood and watching the cloudless sky go by and Luffy watching him.

Ace guesses he’s thinking of his inevitable departure tomorrow but there is little he can do about that. Even as his big brother, Ace can’t protect Luffy from everything in life.

The touch to his shoulder comes a bit sudden and Ace almost jumps, takes in the pensive look on Luffy’s face and then the careful motion of his finger as he traces heavy, inked lines: Gently, he writes A, then C, then E, and returns upwards to brush over the crossed-out S with his thumb.

“Do you think he’d be proud of us?”

Ace hums, glances down at the tattoo. It had been the first thing he’d gotten with his own money – paid with treasure, Sabo would’ve loved that – and it’s a little faded now but it still fills Ace with determination, to know Sabo is with him and his memory will continue to exist as long as Ace draws breath.

“Sabo? Yeah, I think so. He’d be happy we kept our deal and sailed out to sea.” Ace chuckles, rubbing his shoulder fondly. “Perhaps a little miffed that I’m definitely the oldest brother now but, well. What do you think?”

“Mhm, I think so too. And we’re free now, right? Just like we said.”

“Yeah. We are.”

Luffy huffs a laugh, leaning back against Merry and linking his arms behind his head like he doesn’t have a care in the world. No regrets, huh, Sabo? Ace’s chest feels warm with nostalgia and he makes himself comfortable, too, gazing towards the sea and imagining Sabo sailing ahead of them, eyes fixed on the horizon and his flag waving proudly in the wind.

We promised, after all.

[matchingbatbites]

Part 1

Steve visits Eddie often. He loves being around the other man, loves how kind Eddie is, how funny he is for someone who rules the dead. He seems to love making Steve laugh and is always cracking jokes that send the goddess into giggles.

Honestly, Steve spends more time than he should in the Underworld, but Eddie has so many duties to tend to, it makes more sense for Steve to come to him than the other way around.

It’s nearly a year since he met Eddie that his joy is brought to an end. Steve is summoned to Olympus, is told that his visits are sending the world into chaos.

He didn’t know that traveling to the Underworld would cut the human world off from his magic, that the plants that bloomed with his presence would die off when the connection is severed.

Zeus bans him from visiting Hades, and Steve ignores the smug look on Ares’ face, the pitying looks from Hera and Aphrodite. Not all of the gods are here to witness his humiliation, but there are enough to make him flush with shame, to have him leaving as soon as he's able to.

Aphrodite catches him before he gets too far, her hair and robes both immaculate even as tears stream down her face. “Ares told them where you were going. I tried to stop him, but he’s… bitter. Jealous.”

She takes his hand, holds it between her own. “I can tell that your feelings are true, and that Hades feels the same for you. I wish I could help you, Persephone. You both deserve happiness.”

And like a stroke of lightning, Steve knows what must be done.

He thanks her and leaves Olympus, finds the nearest gate and descends into the Underworld. Cerberus is given three loving pets as Steve passes by, heading to the garden behind Eddie’s home.

The plants have been thriving thanks to Steve’s frequent visits, the flowers are in full bloom and the plants that can fruit are full and heavy with produce. He plucks a pomegranate from its branch, and stares at it as he remembers.

The goddess had found Eddie eating one on his third or fourth visit, and the older had stopped him when he’d gone to grab a few of the seeds for himself.

“You can’t eat anything grown in this realm. You’ll be stuck here if you do.”

Eddie had looked almost sad as he’d said it, and Steve had tipped his head to the side.

“Are you saying you don’t want me around?”

“No! I mean, I would-” Eddie stopped himself, took a breath. “You don’t belong down here. This place is far too dark, too bleak. It doesn’t deserve you.”

And Steve could read between the lines, could hear what Eddie wasn’t saying. He had ignored it at the time, let Eddie be right, but now? Now Steve knows that Eddie is the only one who deserves him.

Call him selfish, but no one has ever treated Steve the way Eddie does, has cared for him so, and he wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his days in the Underworld, side by side with the man he loves.

He tears open the pomegranate as a voice comes from the house.

“Steve? I didn’t realize you were here.”

Steve turns to face him, and Eddie’s eyes drop to Steve’s hands, dripping with red as he holds the fruit in his hands. His face pales and his eyes jump back to Steve’s.

“What are you doing?” he asks, taking a cautious step forward.

“Do you love me?” Steve asks in return. Just seeing Eddie has firmed his decision, and he stands, unwavering as he watches the other man pause at the question.

“I do. More than anything.” Eddie seems nervous, but his voice is steady, and Steve knows he's telling the truth.

“If I asked it, would you let me stay? Let me stand by your side for the rest of time itself?”

Eddie steps closer, now in arms reach. “I would. I would not turn you away, even if it meant my life.”

Steve’s eyes don’t waver from Eddie’s as he scrapes a handful of seeds from the fruit and shoves them in his mouth.

The juice is tart at first, but is followed by a delicious sweetness, something that reminds Steve of Eddie himself, and as he swallows, Steve can feel the shift within him.

Hands grab his face and the fruit falls to the ground as Steve grabs Eddie in return, both meeting in a desperate kiss. Magic flows between them, invisible threads tying them together in a bond so concrete, even the Fates themselves could not cut them.

They pull back after a moment, and Steve’s eyes drop to the red smear across Eddie’s mouth, something that is surely mirrored across his own.

“My wonderful little goddess,” Eddie mutters, awestruck as he places another kiss to Steve’s lips, more tender than the last.

“You're stuck with me now,” the goddess responds, sending them both into giggles, and yeah. It feels good to be selfish.

(Later, Steve will cut a deal with the rest of the gods. He will come back for half a year at a time and tend to his duties, leaving his beloved twin Demeter in charge while he’s gone, in exchange for Zeus’ blessing to have children. Zeus will have no choice but to agree.)

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Tagging @stardustonpages because they respectfully asked for more <3