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Literally posted a story a few minutes ago, but this is a one shot lol. Probably won't be a sequel, or at least not anytime soon. Enjoy~
It was chilly that day, and Ace was very nervous. The teen shivered in the cool air, even though he wasn't completely out in the open. He was inside the hallway that Phoenix Marco would be passed through off of the ship coming from Impel Down. Ace couldn't bring himself to be stationed there. He didn't want to see what kind of place it was in person.
Everyone knew how bad it was, even when most had never seen it. He hadn't visited there, thankfully. But he knew everyone was tortured in different ways. He didn't need to see to know it was bad. So he hoped that Marco wasn't too hurt. Well, Phoenix Marco. Ace didn't know him personally.
He was scared. What if he failed? What if he was then rejected? He rubbed at the mark on his upper thigh that nobody knew about but him. He bit his lip in worry. His ears were flattened against his head in fear and apprehension.
"What are you so scared about? He's handcuffed and weak," his "partner" said in a rude, condescending voice. Ace just ignored him, even if he was annoying and made him angry and irritated. Well, he was one who was going to be killed. Ace was already hiding the key where nobody would find it.
When the ship got there, Ace stood up with his spear. He wasn't wearing a hat since it would smoosh his ears down, the one part of his fruit he couldn't get to go away. They were always there, no matter if he was supposed to be in only human form. His face was shadowed when Marco was lead there, head down.
Ace didn't see his soul mark then, but had seen it was there in a photo that he had promptly destroyed so nobody else saw it. That was a year ago, when he was sixteen. But he knew it was there and had never said a thing. He was glad the pirate hid it from everybody or Ace would be screwed.
The people on the ship passed on Marco, who looked completely beat up and so tired. Well, when Ace uncuffed him, he'd heal just fine. It would be fine. Ace was going to do it, he was going to succeed. He didn't want to die, but at least if he did die, it would be while doing what he thought was right. The consequences would be severe if he was caught.
That's why, if he was abandoned, if Marco didn't leave with him like he hoped, he would kill himself, rather than going to Impel Down. He'd use his own claws of his beast form and slit his own throat. But he was determined to do it. He had his resolve. He'd come to this plan months ago, when Marco was first caught.
When he and three others took Marco and his chains, they all walked through the dark path and up the never ending staircase. It was so long that it gave Ace a lot of time to work. This place was used to break the prisoner's spirits, make them realize what was awaiting them when they got up the steps.
There was nobody behind them to see. He was looking nervous, and Marco noticed, though he still looked tired. Ace's cheeks turned red under his gaze and he looked away before he could tell nobody would hear.
He instantly turned into his mystery mythical zoan form and mauled the marines there, killing them before they could make a sound. Marco was shocked and stopped walking. Ace started hacking, knowing he was embarrassing himself. He forced himself to throw up, having not eaten before just for this reason.
The teen didn't want to completely humiliate himself, make a terrible first impression. When the water and key were spit up, he took it and unlocked Marco's hand cuffs, both of them falling to the ground. He undid the ones around his ankles, too, and he was covered in blue flames as all his injuries healed.
His face got its color back, and he looked at Ace in absolute confusion. Ace was shaking, though not in fear. "Why? Why did you do that?" he asked, keeping his voice low. Ace bit his lip and pulled down his shorts enough to show the matching soul mark on his thigh.
Marco's eyes widened and he touched Ace's face in shock. The age gap was immense, but Ace didn't really care. "Hang on," Marco said and transformed, grabbing onto Ace's middle as he flew up and away, high enough to not be spotted. Ace shut his eyes at the fear of heights. Once they were high enough, Ace looked down to see Marineford getting smaller before they headed away.
Ace watched as it got smaller, leaving his old life behind, hoping his future wasn't dark and lonely. Hoping he could be happy, not hated or made fun of for his appearance. It was uncomfortable, being in his talons, but he didn't really care. There was no going back, no matter what happened.
If Ace was killed, then he was killed. He was never returning to the marines. He left those assholes far behind. Marco transformed mid flight into his half form, still holding onto Ace tightly, but not too tightly.
"What's your name?" he asked, and Ace could almost hear a smile in his voice. He was shy and gave his name. He didn't know Marco, didn't want to disappoint him. He was always a disappointment, he didn't want to mess this up. He was a failure over all, but didn't want to be one to Marco.
"Ace," he said, like he was trying out the name. "Did you betray for me?" Ace didn't know what to say. But he ended up saying the truth.
He said, in a worried voice, worried that he'd mess it up, "I hate the marines. They're assholes, I was forced to be there. But then I saw the- the mark last year and I… wanted to meet you. I didn't know it would end up like this." Marco told him he didn't need to be shy or worried. He wasn't like others, he wouldn't judge Ace be appearances or this first impression.
Ace smiled, still shyly. He was asked what his fruit was. "I don't know. I just turn into six legged monster. My half form grows two more arms and claws. I don't know why the ears are always here." They embarrassed him all the time. He looked like some stuffed animal, with huge ears, foxlike ears, with way too much fluffy tuft coming out. It was embarrassing and he was always made fun of for it.
Marco said, "I like them. They look soft." Ace didn't think he was lying, but blushed. Ace asked where they were going. If he had a place he was aiming for. "I know what my family would have done to get there, to get me back. They probably had their ships coated to arrive under water. I can smell them even now," Marco explained patiently. He asked how old Ace was, surprised to hear he was only seventeen.
The teen knew Marco was over 20 years older than him, but again, it didn't matter. They were meant to be together, age gap or not. They flew further until they were above shadows in the water. They hovered over the water, Ace tensing and Marco promising he wouldn't drop him. Ace was still afraid.
They waited and the ships stopped under the surface. It was really a smart move that the marines had not expected at all. A fishman came up to the surface. "Marco!?" he shouted. "How… how the hell are you here?!" Marco grinned, Ace could hear it in his voice, and said that Ace had rescued him.
Namur grinned, exposing all of his sharp teeth, and dunked down before swimming back up with a bubble coral. "C'mon, let's not make a scene," Namur said happily. Since Marco was holding onto Ace with his feet and his arms were wings, Namur blew up the bubble that both of them entered.
Ace had never done this before, being underwater, but it was scary. And he was nervous about what would happen next. He was gripping his shorts as they drifted downwards and towards the huge bubble covered Moby Dick. "Don't worry, nobody is gonna hurt you," Marco said kindly. "Thank you, truly."
The teen nodded, face red. He had never been in a relationship and didn't really know how to act, how to not be annoying. Marco told him to be himself, no matter what he thought of it. That nobody would ever judge him badly. "Some of my brothers might think your ears are cute, though. Just a warning."
He nodded, knowing that was either the case or he was mocked for them. They reacted to his moods, having a wide range of motion, and both of them were flattened down on his head. When they reached the ship, Namur got inside the bigger bubble and Marco and Ace's bubble joined with the big ones.
They dropped to the ship, and Marco was swarmed. Ace backed away, nervous. There were so many people. People that Marco cared about. What if they didn't like him? What if they didn't want him there, he was a marine, after all. Defected or not. When he backed up, it was into the huge leg that belonged to Whitebeard.
He looked down at Ace in confusion, and Ace felt like shrinking away, maybe this wasn't a good idea. He should have let Marco free and not gone with him. Ace was worried, scared. "Pops!" Marco shouted and ran forward to hug him. Whitebeard hugged him back, laughing happily. The captain asked who Ace was. "This is Ace, and he saved me. And he happens to be my soulmate," Marco said, gently taking Ace's hand.
The teen was glad he didn't do anything more. He was nervous, and didn't know how he'd react to more touching at the moment. Everyone went quiet before shouting out thank yous to him, making him nod awkwardly. Then Marco deflated, and asked how Thatch was.
Who was Thatch? But he didn't ask, since it seemed like a somber moment. But Whitebeard grinned. "He woke up. He still cant move his lower left leg, but he's conscious." Tears were in Marco's eyes, so clearly Thatch was somebody very important to him.
He hurried inside, pulling Ace with him. As they walked inside, the ship was turned around, and they would quietly head back to the New World, unnoticed completely. Marco welcomed Ace happily, as did everybody else. Ace was still uncomfortable, but had hope that things might not be so bad.
Hopefully he could be optimistic, and have that optimism reflect real life.
BACK AT MARINEFORD
"Where the hell is he?!" Sengoku shouted when they found Marco was gone and there were three bloodied bodies and a puddle of vomit with the handcuffs laying in it. There was no sign of Ace or Marco, and nobody could see Ace betraying. He had no reason to, no reason to save Marco.
So, somehow the pirate escaped and took Ace, too. Maybe killed him away from Marineford. But hopefully the Whitebeard's didn't know this. After all, they were nowhere to be found, so Marco wouldn't be able to relay the information about him being free, and them not needing to come and fight.
But hours later, and the Whitebeards did not arrive. Even when it far passed the execution time for the first mate of their crew, they did not arrive, nobody did. Besides Blackbeard, who was now under arrest for defecting and breaking into Impel Down and freeing criminals on his way out.
He was livid, angry that Whitebeard wasn't there, Marco wasn't there, and now he was going to jail. Well, that was the plan, but he managed to escape. But he left empty handed and very disappointed. The whole world was waiting for this execution, and the marines lost the prisoner! Their most valuable prisoner since Gold Roger himself! An embarrassment to the world.
How would they spin this? They still didn't know where the Whitebeards were, so they could be on their way back to the New World and out of reach. What a disaster! A disgrace. Nobody worried much over Ace, though. He wasn't really important here, as well as nobody caring about the three that died and failed their duty.
The war with the Whitebeards did not happen, and the marines had to somehow repair their reputation as the pirate world mocked them mercilessly.