Chapter Text
Ace looked up from the blank screen of his laptop in a class he stopped paying attention to a while ago. A student was coming in late. He normally wouldn’t take any notice of it, as he often came in late himself, but this guy had an eye-catching sense of style. Apparently, he thought casually wearing a full on top hat was the move. Ace stared at him as he disrupted the monotonous droning of the professor, trying and failing to find a seat quietly. Is this guy serious? Ace thought. Top hat noticed several people staring and quickly took off said hat, apologizing for the disturbance he had caused.
Whatever… Ace turned back to his own non-existent notes. He smirked to himself, noting how the guy had taken a seat in the front row. If Sabo were alive, he would probably be just like this guy. Ace peered down at his hat again. It was dark blue like his brother used to wear, but no signature goggles. Ace smiled and shook his head. That was… silly. He was being silly. He closed the tabs on his laptop and pulled out his phone. ‘Almost done with class for today, where u at?’ Text sent. Ace put his phone down and stared off into space. He only got an answer about half the time, but he was sure he could count on any of Luffy’s odd friends to let him know whether they had seen his younger brother if he asked them.
Luffy liked to wander, and he was off of school right now for spring break. He could be in any of the usual spots. The bench outside the news station where the weather girl took her breaks; the Baratie, a five star restaurant where he could guilt trip his cook friend for food; the auto repair shop where he hung out with a few of the mechanics; the library or the music hall on campus. Ace wasn’t sure what friends he had made in the last two places yet, but he had to have found people he liked there. That was always the case when he kept returning to new places.
Luffy would be 18 soon and had already moved in with Ace. Their last foster mother Dadan was a nice woman, underneath all the layers of toughness, but Luffy had missed Ace too much after he had moved out on his own. Luffy didn’t do well being alone, and if he was honest, neither did Ace. They had always been together as long as Ace could remember. They had lived with their Gramps for a short time, but he had proven too busy and too… harsh to be raising children. All Ace knew was that he didn’t want to go into the navy like the old geezer. He didn’t know what he really wanted. He always felt like he was searching…
Ace was snapped out of his thoughts by people getting up and leaving. Class was over. He gathered his things and checked his phone again. No answer. Looks like he would have to find Luffy on his own today. The auto repair shop was across the street, so he could check there first. As Ace left he caught a glimpse of Top hat again. He kind of stood out in the crowd with such an obnoxiously large choice of headwear, but Ace couldn’t hate it. He didn’t remember seeing him before, but then again he didn’t pay much attention to the countless faces around him. He had to find his little brother before he ended up doing something stupid… again.
Ace stopped short when he left the building and let out a breath of relief. Luffy was standing outside the nearby college of medicine talking to some kid. Ace wasn’t sure what either of them were doing here, Luffy technically wasn’t supposed to be walking around campus without having an actual student with him. And the other kid looked to be only 15 or 16, definitely too young to be in college. Ace hurried over calling to him. “Oi Luffy!”
Luffy turned and got the biggest smile on his face. He waved and jumped around wildly as Ace got closer, only to end up tripping over his own feet and tumbling rather ungracefully to the ground. The other kid gasped and tried to catch him, but hadn’t been ready for him to trip over virtually nothing. Luffy giggled as Ace caught up and knelt beside him. “Luffy, What are you doing? You know you’re not supposed to be over here by yourself. I would have come and picked you up if you had waited a little longer,” Ace expressed disapprovingly. Luffy was just smiling at him, not listening. He flinched slightly when Ace brushed his hand over his knee and found it partially skinned and bleeding.
“See, you’ve gone and hurt yourself again…” Ace muttered. The other kid standing there took a step forward. “O-oh, don’t worry. I have some disinfectant and a bandaid in my bag.” He crouched down and started digging through his stuff. “Ace! This is my friend Chopper!” Luffy said proudly. The kid paused, swallowing down his absolute shock and trying to appear normal. “Fr-iend?…” Chopper whispered to himself. Ace looked at him questioningly and he quickly went back to digging in his bag. “Chopper huh? That’s a funny name.” Chopper clenched his jaw and held his breath, wanting to run and hide. “Nice to meet you Chopper. Thanks for helping my brother out,” Ace stated with a smile.
Chopper froze in place. Both Luffy and Ace were smiling at him now. “Yeah! Chopper’s the best!” Luffy exclaimed. Chopper blushed and turned his face away. “It’s nothing. Don’t make such a big deal!” he blustered, unable to keep from smiling. “So are you waiting for someone here too?” Ace asked as Chopper cleaned Luffy’s knee. “Uh- oh… no I’m pre-med,” Chopper stammered. “Really?” Ace marveled, impressed. Chopper blushed again in embarrassment. “You look young,” Ace observed. “…I’m 15,” Chopper almost whispered. “Almost 16, Chopper’s really smart!” Luffy interjected.
“Yeah, he’d have to be if he’s already in college,” Ace agreed. He stood and offered Chopper a hand up after he was done. Chopper hesitated, but took it. Ace pulled him to his feet and handed his bag back to him, brushing him off. Then he grabbed Luffy under the arms and stood him up. Luffy let himself be handled like a newborn puppy, then immediately fell into Ace and wrapped his arms around him. “Aaaaaaace! I’ve been waiting forever!” Luffy complained.
“It wasn’t that long,” Ace chided, hugging him back. He looked at Chopper. “Well, we gotta get going. Thanks aga-“ “Thank you Chopper!” Luffy pushed off of Ace and wrapped his arms around the boy, who flinched in terror. “You really are the best! I’ll come back and see you again okay!” Luffy let go and grabbed Ace, running off with him in tow. Chopper stared after them in silence. “O-kay,” he whispered.