It Has Been A Long, Long Time
But I'm back! Sort of, anyway. More OP AU-ness from long ago.
Title: Rumours (First Love)
Pairing: Nojiko=>Ace
Rating: G
Unlike her little sister who, at seventeen, probably still hadn't met a guy she thought was worth her time, Nojiko had had her first crush at the tender age of eleven. Even now, Nojiko can clearly remember the first time she saw him.
They had been on their own for a little more than six weeks, and the courts and Child Services were still trying to decide what to do with the latest pair of orphans to be dumped into the system. They had no family: their one known relation had been their foster-mother and she, too, had been without other family. It was always difficult to place older children in homes, or to find families that were willing to adopt them, even if they weren't precocious children (which the younger girl most certainly was).
No one was quite ready to breathe a sigh of relief when Makino-san stepped up to take them in, though. True, the girls had lived just around the block from the Ship all their lives, but... still, it was the Ship. Even if people were just about ready to give up on the girls (especially the thieving younger sister) they weren't quite ready to consign them to the delinquent factory that many considered the Ship to be.
The Chief of Police decided matters before the courts had a chance to embark on an epic bout of waffling. He declared that, "It's good enough for my damn grandkids, and it's good enough for these brats," and took them down to the Ship himself that very day.
The main door was opened by a black-haired kid a bit younger than Nami. Nojiko didn't get a good look at him, because as soon as the cry of, "Eh? Old man?" had left his mouth, the Chief of Police had chucked him through an (open) apartment door, and he crashed into a couch.
"That hurt!" came the kid's whine, but Nojiko hardly heard it. That's because, at that precise moment, she saw him. He was her own age, and slim, with messy black hair, dark eyes, and the most adorable freckles she had ever seen. He wasn't doing anything special - just slouching in a doorway, looking to see what all the fuss was about - but he was the absolute cutest boy Nojiko had ever met. The crush hit her like the Fist of Love the Chief of Police was currently using on his younger grandson.
"Cute girls," said Nojiko's crush, then turned and sauntered down the hallway, shouting for Makino-san.
That was how Nojiko met Ace, the boy she would adore, on and off, for the next eight years of her life. He was adorable when he was twelve, with his boyish charm and dancing eyes. Not that he'd known it, of course, and Nojiko would never have had the guts to tell him. They never really talked, anyway: at school, he was always with his friends, and at home all his time was taken up with his little brother, and Luffy's new best friend. It wasn't until years later that Nojiko realized the twinge she'd felt any time she saw Ace giving Nami a piggy-back, or sharing a chocolate bar with her and Luffy, was not sadness at being left out, but jealousy.
By the time they were fourteen, though, she couldn't have cared less what he did. At fourteen, Ace was obnoxious, with an ego big enough to fill the school gym. Besides, he'd gone from slim to skinny, and had one of the worst cases of acne in the entire school. Luffy and Nami still thought he was the coolest person in the world, though, which was probably why he was so insufferable.
At sixteen, Ace was the star of their high school. He wasn't slim or skinny or awkward in any way: he was lithe and toned, with the sort of chest muscles that wouldn't have been out of place on one of the models in Nojiko's magazines; his hair had gone from greasy to carelessly tousled; his eyes had never lost their sharpness, but now there was a fire behind them that warmed Nojiko's blood every time she saw it. He was captain of the cheerleading squad, and was so cool that a lot of the jocks tried to drop their sports and copy him.
One night, Nami caught Nojiko sighing over Ace's picture in the school newspaper. He had his arm looped around Nojiko's shoulders as they celebrated the soccer team's latest win - for the sake of her daydreams, she conveniently forgot to notice the girl that was similarly embraced on his other side. Nami had stared at the picture, and then at Nojiko's love-struck face - and her expression had turned to one of scorn. "You don't even know him," she'd sneered, and then left to go do whatever it was she did with Luffy and their new friend Usopp.
The worst part was that it was true: Nojiko didn't know Ace at all. She knew he was handsome and popular and smart (although he was a terrible student), that he wasn't rich at all, and that he took care of his little brother (which meant that he was responsible) but also that he lived at the Ship (which meant he was probably a bit of a Bad Boy, as Makino-san would say). But really, she didn't know him that well, and she didn't know anyone who did - except Nami. When Nojiko suggested they have the D Boys - as the brothers were known - over for burgers, Nami had given her that annoying, scornful look, and said that if she was trying to impress Ace, he liked chilli much better than burgers. When Nojiko had asked her, she'd known that his favourite colour was orange. She also - Nojiko suspected - knew the story behind the tattoo on Ace's arm, but of course she wouldn't tell Nojiko anything. At that point, Nojiko strongly suspected she was jealous of how close Nami was to Ace, but she was never entirely sure.
By the time they were eighteen, Nojiko had managed to get over her ridiculous crush. She was dating other guys - sweet, kind, respectable guys, with whom she had lots in common. If she had the odd daydream in which Ace suddenly appeared and swept her off her feet, then carried her away for a life of romance and adventure, well... what girl didn't have those dreams occasionally? Ace was undeniably handsome, and just a bit dangerous, so it was understandable that the mysterious man of her dreams should bear his face sometimes.
It probably helped that Ace wasn't around. Just days after the last exam of their high school careers he disappeared, and no one saw nor heard from him for over two years. Without a constant reminder of what an annoying bastard he was, Nojiko thought of him fondly, although not with longing.
Then he came back. He was much like he'd been at sixteen and eighteen, but older, more mature, and with a hotter fire burning in those beautiful black eyes. Recently, Nojiko had come to the conclusion that she might be in love with the bastard. She'd had this revelation a week after he'd reappeared at the Ship, slipping back into his old life as easily as if he'd never left. And now... now she just tried to avoid him as much as she could, because she'd realized long ago that Ace was pure trouble for a girl like her.
Balancing her grocery bag on her hip, Nojiko struggled with her keys. She needn't have bothered - the door wasn't closed properly, and swung open as soon as she tried to put the key in the lock. Inside, Luffy was sitting on the kitchen table - despite the number of times she'd told him not to - swinging his feet and grinning happily. Nami and Ace were on the sagging old couch, his shirt off, and her legs across his. The pair of them were throwing chips at Luffy, who was twisting in nigh-on-impossible ways to catch them in his mouth.
"Hey, welcome home," Nami called, spotting her. Her eyes were bright and happy, and not the least bit apologetic. Nojiko nodded, and tried to smile back, but inside she felt sick.
Title: Rumours (First Love)
Pairing: Nojiko=>Ace
Rating: G
Unlike her little sister who, at seventeen, probably still hadn't met a guy she thought was worth her time, Nojiko had had her first crush at the tender age of eleven. Even now, Nojiko can clearly remember the first time she saw him.
They had been on their own for a little more than six weeks, and the courts and Child Services were still trying to decide what to do with the latest pair of orphans to be dumped into the system. They had no family: their one known relation had been their foster-mother and she, too, had been without other family. It was always difficult to place older children in homes, or to find families that were willing to adopt them, even if they weren't precocious children (which the younger girl most certainly was).
No one was quite ready to breathe a sigh of relief when Makino-san stepped up to take them in, though. True, the girls had lived just around the block from the Ship all their lives, but... still, it was the Ship. Even if people were just about ready to give up on the girls (especially the thieving younger sister) they weren't quite ready to consign them to the delinquent factory that many considered the Ship to be.
The Chief of Police decided matters before the courts had a chance to embark on an epic bout of waffling. He declared that, "It's good enough for my damn grandkids, and it's good enough for these brats," and took them down to the Ship himself that very day.
The main door was opened by a black-haired kid a bit younger than Nami. Nojiko didn't get a good look at him, because as soon as the cry of, "Eh? Old man?" had left his mouth, the Chief of Police had chucked him through an (open) apartment door, and he crashed into a couch.
"That hurt!" came the kid's whine, but Nojiko hardly heard it. That's because, at that precise moment, she saw him. He was her own age, and slim, with messy black hair, dark eyes, and the most adorable freckles she had ever seen. He wasn't doing anything special - just slouching in a doorway, looking to see what all the fuss was about - but he was the absolute cutest boy Nojiko had ever met. The crush hit her like the Fist of Love the Chief of Police was currently using on his younger grandson.
"Cute girls," said Nojiko's crush, then turned and sauntered down the hallway, shouting for Makino-san.
That was how Nojiko met Ace, the boy she would adore, on and off, for the next eight years of her life. He was adorable when he was twelve, with his boyish charm and dancing eyes. Not that he'd known it, of course, and Nojiko would never have had the guts to tell him. They never really talked, anyway: at school, he was always with his friends, and at home all his time was taken up with his little brother, and Luffy's new best friend. It wasn't until years later that Nojiko realized the twinge she'd felt any time she saw Ace giving Nami a piggy-back, or sharing a chocolate bar with her and Luffy, was not sadness at being left out, but jealousy.
By the time they were fourteen, though, she couldn't have cared less what he did. At fourteen, Ace was obnoxious, with an ego big enough to fill the school gym. Besides, he'd gone from slim to skinny, and had one of the worst cases of acne in the entire school. Luffy and Nami still thought he was the coolest person in the world, though, which was probably why he was so insufferable.
At sixteen, Ace was the star of their high school. He wasn't slim or skinny or awkward in any way: he was lithe and toned, with the sort of chest muscles that wouldn't have been out of place on one of the models in Nojiko's magazines; his hair had gone from greasy to carelessly tousled; his eyes had never lost their sharpness, but now there was a fire behind them that warmed Nojiko's blood every time she saw it. He was captain of the cheerleading squad, and was so cool that a lot of the jocks tried to drop their sports and copy him.
One night, Nami caught Nojiko sighing over Ace's picture in the school newspaper. He had his arm looped around Nojiko's shoulders as they celebrated the soccer team's latest win - for the sake of her daydreams, she conveniently forgot to notice the girl that was similarly embraced on his other side. Nami had stared at the picture, and then at Nojiko's love-struck face - and her expression had turned to one of scorn. "You don't even know him," she'd sneered, and then left to go do whatever it was she did with Luffy and their new friend Usopp.
The worst part was that it was true: Nojiko didn't know Ace at all. She knew he was handsome and popular and smart (although he was a terrible student), that he wasn't rich at all, and that he took care of his little brother (which meant that he was responsible) but also that he lived at the Ship (which meant he was probably a bit of a Bad Boy, as Makino-san would say). But really, she didn't know him that well, and she didn't know anyone who did - except Nami. When Nojiko suggested they have the D Boys - as the brothers were known - over for burgers, Nami had given her that annoying, scornful look, and said that if she was trying to impress Ace, he liked chilli much better than burgers. When Nojiko had asked her, she'd known that his favourite colour was orange. She also - Nojiko suspected - knew the story behind the tattoo on Ace's arm, but of course she wouldn't tell Nojiko anything. At that point, Nojiko strongly suspected she was jealous of how close Nami was to Ace, but she was never entirely sure.
By the time they were eighteen, Nojiko had managed to get over her ridiculous crush. She was dating other guys - sweet, kind, respectable guys, with whom she had lots in common. If she had the odd daydream in which Ace suddenly appeared and swept her off her feet, then carried her away for a life of romance and adventure, well... what girl didn't have those dreams occasionally? Ace was undeniably handsome, and just a bit dangerous, so it was understandable that the mysterious man of her dreams should bear his face sometimes.
It probably helped that Ace wasn't around. Just days after the last exam of their high school careers he disappeared, and no one saw nor heard from him for over two years. Without a constant reminder of what an annoying bastard he was, Nojiko thought of him fondly, although not with longing.
Then he came back. He was much like he'd been at sixteen and eighteen, but older, more mature, and with a hotter fire burning in those beautiful black eyes. Recently, Nojiko had come to the conclusion that she might be in love with the bastard. She'd had this revelation a week after he'd reappeared at the Ship, slipping back into his old life as easily as if he'd never left. And now... now she just tried to avoid him as much as she could, because she'd realized long ago that Ace was pure trouble for a girl like her.
Balancing her grocery bag on her hip, Nojiko struggled with her keys. She needn't have bothered - the door wasn't closed properly, and swung open as soon as she tried to put the key in the lock. Inside, Luffy was sitting on the kitchen table - despite the number of times she'd told him not to - swinging his feet and grinning happily. Nami and Ace were on the sagging old couch, his shirt off, and her legs across his. The pair of them were throwing chips at Luffy, who was twisting in nigh-on-impossible ways to catch them in his mouth.
"Hey, welcome home," Nami called, spotting her. Her eyes were bright and happy, and not the least bit apologetic. Nojiko nodded, and tried to smile back, but inside she felt sick.