They're fishing, sitting cross-legged against the old bridge. It's quiet.

Ace can't help it, he mentions (read: whines) that it's lonely now that Luffy's moved out.

Luffy hums noncommittally. "So how's Marco doing these days?"

Ace punches his shoulder. "Have I ever told you that you're a brat?"

Luffy laughs. "Yeah well, have I ever told you that you're too sensitive for your own good?"

"Have I ever told you that you're too short?"

"Ouch man, that's low!"

They chuckle a bit at that. They'd always had the same lame sense of humor.

"Have I ever thanked you?"

Ace wonders if he heard wrong. "For what?"

"For having me."

That knocks his breath out. Ace takes a while to collect his thoughts, staring into the rippling waters. "Not in those exact words. But you never had to. You told me with every crappy Father's Day card-"

"Hey!"

"And every weird clay sculpture-"

"You just won't admit my hippo was awesome!"

"Was that what it was? I thought it was a turd."

"Oi!"

"Not to mention," Ace grins, "Jumping my face and nearly strangling me every New Year's Eve!"

("Fivefourthreetwoone- Happy Birthday Ace! You're the bestest bestest BESTEST dad EVER!")

Ace quiets down. "You never forgot. Not a single time."

"How could I. You were everything to me. You still are."

"I dunno. You got a lot of people on your side now. You probably don't even need me worrying about you anymore," Ace laughs, the faintest bit of insecurity shaking his voice.

"Never. Ace is Ace, and that's never gonna change."

Ace lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I'm really lucky. So thank you for just," Luffy struggles with the magnitude of his thoughts, before finally settling with, "Just…existing."

Ace wraps his arm over Luffy's shoulder. He takes this moment in like a story. Writes it down perfectly, word for word. Stores it among his hefty bookshelf of memories. By now, he has enough to last a lifetime, or whatever's left of his own. And he wouldn't change a word of it, not for the world.

A/N: Thank you for coming along this journey. The story started as a weird thought when I woke up one morning. I almost didn't want to write it, but the story just kept expanding in my head, and I knew that I didn't type it up, it would just vanish on its own. It's been a long long looooooong time (for me anyway) with lots of hiatuses in between. But thank you for your encouragement, your kind words, and for the most part, for being patient with me. I hope you enjoyed it a little. I certainly had fun.