Chapter Text
Marco landed next to Ace’s beaten body, tears close to spilling from his eyes, before his entire body froze at the smallest sound of raspy, wet breaths…
Dropping to his knees, he leaned closer to Ace’s mouth, eyes wide. The rest of their crew and the marines most likely thought he was saying last minute words, but in reality he was waiting for it.
One…two…three…
Another wheezy rasp, but it sounded quieter, almost gone…
Not even thinking about his place, Marco lit a a small flame underneath the sheet covering Ace’s grevious wound as his talons came out in place of his feet as his arms flared into his wings, in three beats of his blue and gold covered wings, he was in the air and sailing as fast as possible to the Moby Dick.
He had to save Ace…
Ace had to see Oyaji again…
See Thatch again…
Say “I love you” to Marco again…
Marco had to be faster than before. Ace had slipped from his fingers to chase a traitor, he wasn’t fast enough to stop Akainu…he had to at least be fast enough to save his life…!
As he flew, he noticed Ace’s little brother watching as he flew by before realization dawned on his childish features, turned and began to sprint in the direction Marco was going, just a little bit of hope returning to his eyes and the phoenix prayed for everything out there that Marco could be fast enough this time.
That he could save his lover.
⸺
When Marco landed, Thatch and Izou instantly approached, their faces pale and twisted in grief, before they noticed the look on Marco’s face as the blond laid his cargo down gently and dropped to his knees.
“Marco…” The sniper started, eyes distraught.
“No, he’s still there, otherwise, my flames wouldn’t be healing.” As he finished his statement, he ripped the sheet off to reveal the little part of Ace that he’d put his flame on to keep it going.
The wound was nasty and made bile rise in Marco’s throat as he realized he’d managed to catch a small part of Ace’s heart and that was what he was regenerating in this moment.
Thatch choked, a watery weak sound as the chef fell to his knees next to his brothers, broad shoulders shaking. His brother was so big, but this reminded the blond of just how big hearted he was as well, how despite his intimidating appearance, he was still a big softy on the inside.
Especially when it had to do with someone he cared about.
“He’s still alive…” The brunette, all but, sobbed as he looked at the small flame in front of them.
“Barely, yoi.” huffed Marco, focusing all his remaining energy on regenerating Ace’s heart. “He won’t be if we don’t get him help.”
“And I have the perfect guy for the job,” Luffy’s voice yelped as he ran forward, dragging a taller person behind him. “Torao!”
“Mugiwara-ya…” The person being dragged behind the younger pirate was Trafalgar Law. Otherwise known as the Surgeon of Death.
“Are you telling me you can’t save him?” scowled Luffy, his eyes suddenly turning desperately towards the other.
The man seemed to crumble a bit, face softening just the littlest, before a sigh puffed from his nose. “I’ll do what I can to help Hiken-ya…it’s the least I owe him.” Marco remembered Deuce admitting they once ran into the other captain back when they were still the Spade Pirates. The blond commander never bothered to learn the full story, but he was grateful for the extra help. “Fushichou-ya, don’t stop regenerating his heart. I need that to be at least functioning until I get the surgery started.”
Marco nodded, but he could tell from the worried looks he received from Thatch and Izou that he probably didn’t look like he had much left in him.
That was probably true, but for Ace, he’d push until he was down for the count.
Without hesitating, Marco leaned down and gathered Ace into his arms, blue eyes flicked down to check on the growth of his heart, relief filled the Phoenix when he noticed that a good portion had already started to regrow and was pumping slowly.
Still too slowly for Marco’s liking, but enough to show that he was still there.
For now, that was enough.
⸻
Ace was drifting between the line of blissful darkness and a never ending burning pain that rattled him to his very core. It ached, pulled at his very soul and burnedburNEDBURNED…
But every time he almost got to stay in the blissful feeling of nothingness, something pulled him back repeatedly, even as voices continued to ring in his ears, unrecognizable through the fluff of darkness and definitely unintelligible in the throes of the burning pain.
Ah, he wished he could see them again and apologize for everything.
For dying, for starting the war…for being born.
It was his fault that Sabo died when they were children…he wasn’t strong enough to try and go save him before the idiot decided to go and set sail by himself, nor was he strong enough to even avenge his middle brother’s death.
How pathetic.
It was his fault that Luffy had to watch his older brother die, just like his other brother, only worse because it was right in front of him. Man, could Ace get any worse?
Oh wait, he can.
Teach, who was under his command, betrayed and killed Thatch, one of the nicest brothers on the Whitebeard Pirates, all for an Akuma no Mi and again, Ace was unable to avenge another brother.
Oyaji took so many hits for him, even with his declining health…did he even survive?
God, Ace wanted the darkness to just take him, to make him stop thinking about his failures.
Not to mention, alongside Luffy, he’d left Marco all alone…
If he could, Ace would cry and scream, throw an old fashioned tantrum, but he can’t. He’s stuck in between this damn void, so all he can do is wish it to disappear…
He just wished he could see them all one last time…
⸺
“Fuck, we’re losing him,” grunted Law as Ace’s BP and heartrate started to fall again, the wheezing raspy breaths that had been getting stronger, getting quieter and quieter once more, Law quickly double checked the IV connected to Ace’s arm to make sure the blood transfusion was still in tact and going.
“Nononono…Ace, love, please!” Marco almost begged as he worked on cleaning out the fluids trying to escape into the slowly being patched up chest cavity, Deuce gave a choked sob beside him as they both worked to bring back their precious fire user, even if they loved him in different ways, they loved him nonetheless and didn’t want to lose him.
“Come on, Hiken-ya,” growled Law as he worked on stitching another patch of flesh into the gaping wound. “You’re stronger than this, don’t let your death be on the fucking table of all things. Mugiwara-ya still needs you.”
“Please, Ace,” Deuce choked out, face pale as he rubbed a cloth across Marco’s forehead, the blond sweating as he worked on regenerating the important organs for the love of his life. “Marco needs you, a lot of people still need you around.”
Marco groaned as he felt his visioning darkening on the edges, but he managed to push it off. Ace needed just a little bit more from him…the only thing left to regenerate was his lungs, important for the body to breathe on its own, for Ace to breathe at all.
“Hold on, his pulse is picking up again…” sputtered Law as he readjusted one of the IV’s in Ace’s arm. “We still have a chance, hang in there a little longer, Fushichou-ya.” Marco could only grunt, focusing his all on his powers as Deuce and Law worked around him.
If the wound wasn’t everything on the inside and out being burned into nothingness, he’d be able to help them, but since he was doing the job of fixing everything gone, he couldn’t move and help, so he settled for this. Healing and cleaning the insides.
As painful as it was to hear the noises going on around him.
The Phoenix didn’t know how long he’d sat there, healing and cleaning, watching things slowly grow back and begin to function again, failing at other points before starting again. The noises in the background slowly faded away as his vision tunneled and he continued, but at some point, Deuce grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into a hug and suddenly…
The noise returned .
He heard the sound of a heart monitor, the sound of wheezing, uneven breaths and Law panting behind him as Deuce thanked them both repeatedly, despite having a huge part in this as well.
It aws in that moment, Marco broke. His face scrunched up, cheeks tinting a slight red from the force of his smile as he laughed wetly and hugged the masked man back, shoving his face into the other’s shoulder, his own shaking as he laughed and cried.
They’d done it. They’d kept Ace around.
⸻
After they’d made sure Ace was truly stable and slid a feeding tube into place, along with an extra IV, the trio left to get cleaned up and let the good news be known. Marco was dead on his feet, but determined to be there for the reveal.
Afterwards, he will gladly pass out for the next century, if given the chance.
Once done with cleaning up, Deuce led Law and Marco- the two were absolutely dead on their feet -to the upper deck where everyone was waiting. Whitebeard was seated at his usual chair, Luffy sitting at his feet in the fetal position and the commander’s scattered around with a few other of their crew mates here and there. “Okay, yoi. We’ve finished the surgery.”
“How is he?” Luffy immediately sprang to his feet, dark eyes alight in worry and fear. “Is Ace okay?” He takes in their haggard appearance and the way Marco and Deuce look like they’re about to fall over in a dead sleep, but his question remains in the quiet deck.
“Hiken-ya gave a struggle, I’ll say that, it was almost like he wanted to die.” snorted Law darkly, arms crossed over his chest and eyes serious. “But we managed to keep him stable and alive. He’s resting, but we have no idea when he’ll wake up.”
That’s all it took for the tension to disperse. Whitebeard grins at his eldest son and the super rookie next to him as Luffy’s face stretched into that ‘D’ shaped grin that Marco had seen too often on Ace’s face, while the rest either burst into relieved laughter or sobs.
It truly was a miracle night.
And Marco firmly believed that, even as Thatch and Izou mothered him to his rooms, the busy bodies.