[Video] With ash in your mouth, you'll ask it to burn again

[burnt_offering]

[The SmartSnail comes on suddenly, and two jeering youths can be seen making obscene gestures and laughing at the phone they've found. They seem to be pleased with themselves, and their unpleasant adventure starts with flipping up their middle fingers and slapping their butts at the camera.

Ah, the joys of youth.] Finders keepers, bitches. Whoever dropped this? Your loss! We got new tech now! [They give up on selfie time, and decide to use the camera function to keep a record of their destruction. They drag knives into every surface, kick over anything in their path, and brag about their piracy prowess in slurred drunk voices as the continue.] Oh shit, what's that? Hey, can you see-" [The name of the person is slurred beyond being audible, and they pull out a flashlight and shine it into the distance. They drag the weak light jerkily over a wide area, but find themselves staring at a grave . The light hits the top of it at first, and they murmur and mumble in slurred voices about what they could do if they took it apart.] So this is where the sorry bastard ended up. Guess the stones are worth something if nothing el-[A high pitched shriek emits from one of the men as he shines the light from the top of the grave, and then down to a huddled figure shaking at the bottom of it. The figure's back is facing the camera, scarred grotesquely, and a soft noise emits from the direction they're sitting in as they slowly rock back and forth.] Shit. Just a drunk. Go home! We claimed this place! Get out![No response comes.] Fuck off, and go! [One of them comes closer, and tries to kick at the figure while the other laughs and films.

But as he does, the form ignites. And the camera is dropped, shutting off as it meets the ground hard.]

Comments

[raiseyou]

[ Fire like Marco's never fucking felt before roils into his chest the moment he sees the grave. He was just watching for the hell of it, honestly, frowning at the stupid antics but keeping tabs on it like he's kept tabs on everything since the warp. Now? Now there's blue fire crawling up his chest and face from just left of center. If they touch a single piece of stone or bead of that necklace - ]

[ But then the form comes into view, and the blue flame dies. ]

[ Marred and burnt it may be, there's no mistaking the remnants of that tattoo. ]

[ The last of the blue flames sweep away just as the red ones erupt onscreen, only to explode again, bursting into full phoenix in seconds as soon as the feed goes blank. ]

[ At least he doesn't need to track the feed. He knows exactly where to go. ]

[burnt_offering]

[By time Marco arrives the hooligans are long gone, afraid that the ghost of Ace will come after them with his ghostly fire for desecrating his resting place. Or however they're spinning it at the bar they've holed themselves up in. They'll have stories to tell for the rest of their lives, and footage to prove themselves right. And to prove how stupid they are, in the process.

Ace however, is still there by the grave.The fire is gone again, and he's leaning against it now. Shaking and quiet, trying to find something in his mind and body that makes sense.

He died. Did he die? Was it just a dream?

He's cold and he hurts and he's so afraid. He was ripped from the afterlife, tossed into a new world, and he doesn't understand any of this. And his mind is reeling, burdened with trauma and the struggles of living once more.]

[raiseyou]

[ Marco doesn't, per se, believe in a God in the traditional sense. But a sweep of something like thank god rushes through his chest all the same as he descends toward the graves and sees the crumpled form still there. Still there. ]

[ There. Here. ]

[ He reaches the ground already changing back, half man and half fire, stumbling just once to balance sandal against talon. Then he's in a half sprint, dropping to his knees in the dirt and hauling Ace off the grave and into his arms. He knows Ace, knows him in a stronger way than family or nakama could really explain, and he doesn't bother to reach carefully, to touch a shoulder, to be wary of startling the other man. Fuck that. He just hauls his brother back by the shoulders and turns him so they're chest to chest, holding the other man as he shakes. ]

[burnt_offering]

[Even when he was kicked at, when the two idiots threw rocks to try to keep him from following, he hadn't really realized they were there. Ace was too deep in this sickening weighted place inside of him, his mind building up scenario after scenario, trying to remember the gap in time that he can't place, to even really acknowledge life around him. The burning that came was involuntary, a reaction to keep him safe from even the weakest of threats.

The fact that nothing happens defensively when he's grabbed by Marco is a testament to their bond. And suddenly, every snaps. His mind opens in a way that he's not quite ready for, and the ache in his torso is worse by far, and he clings and claws at him. There's not enough contact, not enough to hold to, no amount of Marco's presence feels like enough at first.

And he sobs. He met death with dignity, but this maddening fear and pain have built up. And all he can do is press his face against Marco and cry out the agony that he can't find words for.

He died. And he wasn't even allowed to rest.]

[raiseyou]

[ Marco can't rightly say he expected this reaction, but it's also not surprising. Ace has always been unpredictable and wild. And somehow, underneath where he's strong and unbreakable, a certain, indescribable kind of fragile. He has a heart bigger than their whole damn fleet and it's both bursting and full of room for anyone who needs it... but there's always been a desperation in him. It became the less outward and flashy part of him over time, but it never went away. ]

[ And he died. And now he's back. And there's no question that he knows it and remembers it with how he bursts, that this wellspring of emotion is more than just seeing his own name engraved in stone. Marco says nothing, just holds onto him through the scramble of grappling and scratching, holds him tight. And when the sobbing comes, he threads his fingers into that thick, wild unkempt hair and holds Ace to his chest, keeping his own tears silent so he can be something strong and stable for Ace to anchor to after the black sea of who knows what. ]

[burnt_offering]

[Ace cries. And he cries. And he holds onto Marco and cries until he finally makes a disgusting noise and pushes himself away hard. He's not going to be sick on him, and he doesn't want to be ill at all, but he's worked himself up until there's no holding the uglier parts of sorrow back. And he stumbles away with a wobbly gait, empties his stomach, and struggles back over to what right now is the only thing that feels like life to him.

Marco. Ace bites at his lower lip, not sure what he wants to say, or what he's trying to hold back. And instead he just unceremoniously flops against him, winding his arms around for any comfort or stability he can get. He's still confused, but if he could be ill, then he's probably not dead after all.

Did he die at all? He doesn't understand. Dead people don't come back. They don't hurt either. Or do they?

If he wasn't dead, where had he gone?] It was cold. [He's not sure if he's still cold or not. Or why he thinks this is the most important bit of information to come up.] Shit, Marco. Did I die? I think I died. I can't remember. What happened? You know, right? [He looks a little steadier but his eyes are wild with fear.]

[raiseyou]

[ Cold. ]

[ Somehow, that's the worst part of all of this. ]

[ Marco keeps his grief as silent as he can, biting his lip and holding on, until that retch comes. He doesn't recoil, but he lets Ace, lets him have that space no matter how much it tears at him. The least he can give him is the dignity of not throwing up on either of them. ]

[ But as soon as he turns back Marco's on his feet, meeting him halfway, the shelf of his hand a brace for Ace's shaky hand and his body a buoy in this storm. ]

[ Ace collapses and Marco sits down with him, less fully on the grave and more in the grass just next to it. Pulls the smaller man into his lap. ]

[ But it was cold. ]

[ And a snivel finally sticks in Marco's nose, his teeth biting into his lip to try to hold it back. But when Ace just... asks like that... Fuck. He drops his face into the other's boiling hot neck - Ace's skin always runs hot, always burning like the fire inside him, and that more than anything is what makes the cold sound so wrong - and his own damn bursts and he sobs, once, gritting his teeth and holding tight and no, no, fuck, he has to be the rock here, fuck. ]

Idiot. [ Fuck. ] You've been dead for two fucking years, fuck, how are you even here you bastard we've all missed you so fucking much...

[burnt_offering]

"I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to be here! I don't know how I'm here. I'm-I don't want to die!"

[All of his world is shaking at hearing Marco's one horrible sob, it reverberates and he's still so confused. And he feels so damn guilty. He hurt one of his brothers, no, he hurt all of his brothers. Pops too. And he left them and went to that cold place of darkness that he can't remember no matter how hard he tries to.

He failed them. All of them.] "So sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to go."

[Two years, two years. So much can happen in two years, and he just clings again, refusing to move away for anything now. And he trembles, another fit coming fast and hard, leaving him unable to stop the tears this time.] "I'm okay. I'm okay. It's okay. Is Luffy alright? What happened? Pops? It's kind of blurry, what happened at the end. I can't remember exactly. I... Please." [He's not sure what he's asking for, honestly. He doesn't know if it's for information, for more comfort, for anything at all. Maybe he's just pleading with his own existence, not talking to Marco at all. It's just too much, and he doesn't know what to say.

So he just breathes slowly for a moment, trying to work his hand against Marco's back, trying to be soothing when he's still sobbing himself.] I'm here. I'm here now. I don't want to go back. [Soothing is a lot easier when you're not fresh from the grave, unfortunately.]

[raiseyou]

[ Ace, you... you idiot. ]

[ Marco's eyes clench shut more tightly, and he lets Ace ramble and sob for as long as it's frantic, letting him let it go. But when that clumsy hand tries to rub and soothe his back he scoffs and tightens his hold, grabbing Ace's arms and pulling them, carefully but firmly, up over his shoulders, around his neck. Stop trying to be strong every second, dammit. ]

Luffy's fine. Akainu didn't kill Luffy. We all stood in the way. Jimbei took off with Luffy. Trafalgar took Luffy in his submarine. Luffy's safe. It's been two years and Luffy's still okay, Luffy's still safe.

[ And still dethroning maniacs, but they can get to that. For now he just repeats Ace's baby brother's name, another port in a storm, an anchor and a promise. He's seen this kind of grief from survivors before, weathered it... but how do you get experience comforting people who returned from the dead? He'll have to hope it's similar, learn as he goes. Keep finding things to tether Ace here. ]

You're not going back. I won't let anyone touch you.

[ He will be the goddamn mooring line himself if he has to. ]

[bigdenergy]

[Luffy's not sure how he got here; he has a general concept that the world has gone awfully strange lately, things and people appearing and disappearing, but he was there and now he's here and he's not bothering to waste much effort on trying to figure out the whys and wherefores behind what is evident: he's not where he was.

Instead, he moves forward, looking for -- something, not sure what, but driven by a restless nagging sense of incompleteness that he naturally associates with hunger. Instinct tells him there is something here that is important, that he needs, and Luffy has always been a creature of instinct, so he follows it, drawn to wander with a purposeful directionlessness, seeking and searching until he sees two figures up ahead. In the dimness of night, he hesitates, pauses, squints through the darkness to see them clearly, feeling that tug that tells him this is important...

And suddenly, abruptly, he's anchorless, his head spinning worse than any maelstrom, and his whole body feels light, as though there's no ground under his feet, like he's been disconnected from the earth and loosed from gravity and he's just floating--

(he's running, flinging himself forward with a mad rush)

-- until he crashes face-first into his brother's chest, a sound that is both a sob and a scream tearing itself out of his throat because it hurts, it hurts, the feelings inside of him are too much and too big, they're more than he can hold, they're going to crush him, tear him apart with their sheer mass, he can't even tell what he's feeling because he's feeling everything but most importantly what he's feeling is warmth, is the beat of a heart and the push-pull of breathing and the ripple of muscles and it's Ace.

It's Ace and Luffy can only cling to him and press his face into that solidity that has been irrevocably, irretrievably lost to him for the past two years of forever, because forever is over and Ace is here.]

[burnt_offering]

[By the time Luffy arrives, Ace had been held and comforted, and allowed to cry himself sick and then cry some more. He thought he'd had it out of his system, that he'd be alright. Or at least alright as someone could be after all of that. That there wasn't another tear in his body left to be shed for any reason at all.

He was wrong. Oh, he was so wrong. And all of the sudden he's being clung to and even before he was touched he just knew. And his arms go around Luffy, and he's trying to tell him it's okay, he's trying to comfort him because that's what good big brothers do, but all that comes out is a choked noise and tears. And he's sobbing again, and he's not sure why at all. He's back! He's okay! He made it, somehow, and in his mind he's got no excuse to be crying again. But it's happening and he just squeezes as tightly as he can safely manage.

They're going to be okay. They will. And he finally forces out something that somewhat sounds like "It's okay". And then something that's almost "Sorry".And although his words are failing him right now, and although he's in so much pain and so confused, he's got people he loves with him. And that changes everything.

And this time, he won't fail him by dying. ]

[bigdenergy]

[Luffy's arms worm their way around Ace, and around and around -- as do his legs, as though he can physically hold Ace back from leaving him a second time, as though he's the only anchor to keep his brother here again.

He's sobbing, and Ace is sobbing, but he's not sad (but he kind of is sad) and the part that matters is that Ace is here and Luffy can hear him, can listen. Soft and choked as his voice is, it's a far cry from the last time he heard it (and his mind shies away from that memory, which is fine, it isn't needed here) -- it's whole, it's alive, he's alive, he's whole, Luffy's arms closing over a solid back and his face pressed into an equally solid chest, and it feels like waking up after a potent nightmare. This is real.

(That was real, too -- no nightmare. But this is real, and this is now and now is always more real than then)

He doesn't try to pull back, doesn't try to look up, but his wailing manages to transmute itself into syllables, into words -- muffled because his face is buried against Ace's chest, and he doesn't think about trying to be intelligible, doesn't think about anything but Ace, here and now and whole and here.]

You're here -- you're alive -- Ace -- I'm sorry -- I didn't -- I couldn't -- but you're --

[They don't make sense, none of it makes sense, he can't make sense but making sense is overrated, and Ace surely understand him, because it's Ace and they're brothers and when have they ever needed words to really get each other?

He's here. Luffy's here. They're together again. And Luffy is stronger than ever and he will never let Ace be taken from the world again.]

[burnt_offering]

I'm here. It's okay, it's fine now. I'm not going anywhere. Don't be sorry. It's good now.

[His heart is breaking with every wail, every syllable seeped in raw human emotion, Luffy is so real and raw and intense, and all he can do is hold onto him and try to be comforting while soaking up the wild force that is his brother. While Marco was an anchor, something soothing and protective, Luffy is the wild itself. And he almost feels like he's going to be alright, with this energetic beast wrapped against him like a octopus.

Luffy never goes the subtle route. His existence is too much, in the best sort of way. And Ace hums a little, listening and holding and just taking in all that Luffy is. The warmth and power of the would be king.] It's okay. Come on, no more crying. [His own voice cracks when he speaks, as he tries to ignore the tears streaming out of his own eyes and how close he is to sobbing all over again.] It was crappy of me to leave you for so long. Two years, right? I wanna know everything that happened. I bet your bounty went way up. [He forces a smile, and hugs him a little tighter. He didn't think it was possible to feel this much, but the sadness and fear are starting to give way a bit. Leaving room for more. And that more is making it easier to handle being alive again.]

[bigdenergy]

[Ace can say "don't be sorry" all he likes and it won't change what's true -- but it's also true that Luffy isn't the sort to stubbornly stay sad. It's not in his fundamental nature to cling to melancholy, and when he looks up at Ace, his face red and blotchy and covered with tears and snot (and Ace is wearing a bit of that too, sorry), he's smiling wide, clouds breaking in the face of the sun. That too-big feeling of seeing Ace alive again is diminishing, is breaking down into something he can digest, and in the place of its suffocating weight he feels lightness, a bubbling in his heart that turns into laughter even as tears continue to leak from his eyes, even as his nose continues to run all over his upper lip.]

Yeah... it's so big! The last time they updated posters I actually thought they'd dropped it cause I lost count of all the zeroes!

[Two years feels like forever, and there's so much that he wants Ace to be proud of him for, so that his mind is a kaleidoscope of memories, shimmering fragments of adventure and danger and wonder whirling about his head. How can he choose just one to let fall out of his mouth first? He just wants to bask in his brother's returned presence, and let eveything else fall by the wayside. ]

[burnt_offering]

Right? I'm gonna have to get a recent poster, I'm way behind.

[They're a mess, the two of them, all tear stained faces, runny noses and hearts ready to burst from happiness. And Ace is overwhelmed, in the best of ways. Mind spinning, manic joy rushing through him, and he swears he can do anything, anything at all. This is a second chance, if this horrible force called death can't keep them truly separated, what can manage to? Fuck the world, fuck the forces that are against him. They can't win.

He's still pretty confused overall, it's going to take some time for him to feel right again, but he's alive and Luffy's here and that's good enough for now. He can worry about what happened, the place he went to, the darkness that can't be remembered well or thought about without his stomach souring and his heart racing. He'll figure out what he's forgotten later, what he needs to do, and move on with a sense of power and victory.

Because he's alive.] You can tell me about it later. We'll eat and talk and figure it all out. [He sniffles again, but shakes it off this time. It's easier to when he's got Luffy to focus on.]

[bigdenergy]

[He's way behind cause he was dead, and that's not a skull joke -- not with Ace. The thought starts to form in Luffy's mind, but doesn't make it as far as words before he shies away and accepts the distraction dangled in front of him.]

Eat? Is there food around here somewhere?

[Best way to avoid deep and painful conversations, that. Dangle the prospect of food in front of the eternally voracious. But Luffy isn't letting go quite yet, either; holding tight to Ace, feeling him whole and solid and real is too intoxicating.]

[burnt_offering]

Not here. But I'm going with Marco, he's got food. For now. Maybe not after you're done eating though.

[Everything hurts. His mind hurts like it's been fractured at it's core, his body aches from wounds that have little evidence of their existence now, even his happiness is so intense that it's nearly agonizing. Making him feel like his heart is about to rip itself open just to have some relief.

So small talk, fun things, teasing and play and family are his focus. He can pull himself back further, as he lets Luffy cling to him and talks about food instead of pain and stress.

One step at a time. The grave. The Rise. And now recovery.]

[chief_of_staff]

[Sabo is new to this place; he hasn't been here long at all, and he's honestly still trying to figure out what's going on, what's here, and if everything he sees is real or not.

But when he watches the feed, the first thing he thinks is that this can't be real. Ace is dead -- he read that in the paper. The paper, for all of its faults, never actually lies. Besides, that headline in the paper was enough to send all of his past memories, what he recalled and knew about his brothers, flooding back.

Staring at the feed, he's tempted to go to where he believes the grave is, based off of its location in the real world, but pauses. There's no way that these kids would damage a grave, right? Leaning closer to the device, he narrows his eyes in a futile effort to watch their every move, still sure that they wouldn't, they couldn't do a thing to a grave, but then --

Is that ...]

A--

[He's talking to himself, obviously, but the words come out slowly, quietly, as if he isn't saying them at all. This is a dream, it has to be, he can't be alive --]

Ace?

[After the feed ends, the revolutionary stares into the distance, into nothing for about fifteen minutes or so, fighting back any tears that are stubbornly trying to form. Eventually, he stands, puts on his hat and grabs his pipe, and then heads out to where the grave should be. He has to get to the bottom of this.

Once he arrives, he notices the figure that looks like his late brother, and before he can do a thing, say a thing at all, he falls to his knees.]

[burnt_offering]

[By time Sabo arrives, Ace has cried it out against Marco, cried it out holding Luffy, and he's finally happy enough to be done with that physical outpouring of feeling. It's going to be alright, he's coming to terms with his death and existing in this world, or any other for that matter once more. He's got some of his loved ones with him, and although he's still finding himself confused and lacking the clarity of mind he'd like to have he's doing better, so much better already.

He's sitting quietly now, trying to have a moment of peace to himself away from the hovering guardian phoenix and clinging rubber brother that haven't let him go since they learned that he was alive. He wants to be near them, he wants to have that reminder that he's loved and that he's going to be alright, but the energy has been a bit much to handle. So he finds himself just out of reach, still watched but allowed something along the line of personal space, and just breathing. In and out, slow and quiet, fingers running lazily against his scarred torso.

But then there's someone else there, fancy looking bastard, and it doesn't even have a clue how important he is. And he's quiet, trying to figure out what to say, today has just been so much.

He finally just sighs, and does his best .] You ok? [God, he sounds so tired. He almost doesn't recognize his own voice.]

[chief_of_staff]

[It takes a good minute or so for Sabo to actually answer that, as he honestly isn't sure. How can Ace be talking to him? How can he be alive? Is he alive? Those scars ... they certainly appear to be ones he received during Marineford, which means he should be dead, but he's speaking, moving, breathing ...]

I don't know.

[He sighs and pushes himself up, slowly, eventually taking a few steps forward to get a closer look at the other man.]

You're Ace, correct?

[How is this happening? How is this real?]

[burnt_offering]

[I don't know. Ace makes a sound that's just short of a laugh at that, and then shudders. The pain is still there, the exhaustion is ripping at him, but he feels so good somehow despite that. And he doesn't know if he's okay either. But somehow, a little bit of company in that sentiment is nice, in it's own odd sort of way.] Yeah? Join the party.

[Ace eyes Sabo cautiously as he comes closer, something seems stranger about this situation than he can actually put his finger on, and gods he's stressed about this. He feels like he's missing something. And he's not sure why, so it's pissing him off a little too.]

Last time I checked. [His fingers press hard against the scarring then, as if he's trying to force his fingers through, to see if there's actually anything beneath.

Why does he feel so strange right now? There's a nagging feeling inside of him when he looks at the face of his companion, and he can't pin down the feeling's meaning or origin no matter how much he tries to. This is all ridiculous. Why did he come back? And who is this man?]

[chief_of_staff]

[Sabo's eyes focus on what Ace is doing; particularly, he's focused on the fingers pressing into the scars. It almost appears as if he's trying to reach inside of them, somehow. After a few moments of observation, the blond takes another step forward and flops down onto the grass, legs sprawled out but upper body remaining upright. He cautiously holds out one of his hands, still unsure whether this is all real or just a passing dream.]

Do you know who I am?

[The brother who abandoned you, who forgot you, who didn't come to try and save you in your time of need.]

Do you -- recognize me?

[He swallows. There's a lump in his throat, and it's difficult for him to speak clearly.]

[burnt_offering]

[Every word makes Ace curl in on himself a little, and it makes him madder. What the hell is he missing? He swears he knows this person, but he's so confused right now. He knows that Marco is holding back information from him, things that he doesn't think Ace can handle at the moment. He knows that he's missing massive chunks of time surrounding his death, things that are just missing from his mind. And he's completely forgotten the place he went between the last breath and here.

Who the fuck is this guy? He shivers, and sits up a little more. No need to act like a scared kid, even if he feels like one.]

I think I know you. Don't know from where, though. [He swallows hard, and peers at his face again. His eyes... Damn, they're the most familiar thing of all.] Don't take it personally. I'm missing a lot of stuff right now. [This time, he feels almost frantic when he looks at Sabo. Shit shit shit, where does he know him from? Why does it hurt to look at him? He's near tears again, because something is clicking.

And then it does. And he's struggling to his feet, trying to get another look, because there's no way this is possible.] No way...

[chief_of_staff]

[Sabo continues to sit, watching Ace's every move, listening to his every word. He's intrigued, but also concerned. Concerned about what to do, what to say if Ace figures out who he is. How can he apologize for forgetting everything, for not being there to help try and save him from death?

When Ace speaks, Sabo says nothing. He just remains silent, thoughts of the fateful day where he found out about Ace's death and all of his memories came flooding back circling in his mind. It was overwhelming -- so much so that he fell into a coma for three days. What if that happens again, right now?

He sighs softly, but when he sees Ace start to stand, slowly, and he hears those quiet words, the realization hits him that he's figured it out. The blond is Sabo, the brother he thought died as a child on a small boat.]

You figured it out, haven't you?

[He actually chuckles softly, but only to hide the fact that he's starting to cry. He looks away.]

I'm Sabo.

[burnt_offering]

[Luffy had told him, earlier. That Sabo had survived, but it all seemed so surreal then, he's just now lucid enough that he's not clinging and begging to not die again, or struggling through denial over what had happened at all. He heard, he knew, but it seemed like a dream. Hardly anything more real or tangible than what had happened to himself.

He'd acted like a scared child in Marco's arms, and held Luffy close and used him as an emotion crutch so he'd have someone to focus on and something to focus on but his own trauma, and then there's this.

This is too much, and this time while he's crying, he's laughing too and he's not sure why. He all but tackles Sabo, arms winding around him and once again today he's felt so happy that it's literally painful somehow.

Sabo really is alive, his brother survived and nothing can top that. Not even coming back to life.] You're okay! Sabo, dammit. I- Damn, you look so cool, I wanna know everything you've been up to. How did you get here? You're alive, I'm alive, Luffy's here too. This is-[It all dissolves into laughter that reflects his happiness. It's going to be amazing, now that the three of them are back together again.]