#maracesabo

Okay, I realize this took me an eternity to write T^T I am sorry for that, and I dunno how you feel about angst?? But I mean you can’t give me that prompt and expect nothing less of angst??

Prompt from this post – 9. things you said when i was crying

Ao3 ~ FF.net

For Tumblr, read under the cut, enjoy!~ 

“Hey, why are you crying, are you okay?” a small voice asked off to Ace’s side.

Startled Ace shot up from the floor and glared at the boy that was standing in front of him. “I’m not crying you are!” Ace said, much too prideful to admit to such a baby habit.

“No I’m not, yoi.” the boy said with a crease in his brow. “You have a cut on your cheek. Did you fall? I have band aides and disinfectant.”

“I said I ain’t crying!” Ace yelled and wiped angrily at his eyes and bleeding cheek, wincing when the action brought upon a new burst of pain to his face. “Why do you care anyway, s'not like I know you.”

The boy’s blue eyes looked at Ace quietly, and Ace had to look away. He hated when people looked at him, he knew what they saw after all; Ace was dressed in nothing more than rags, his mother was unemployed and with her questionable health, they were barely getting by as it was. He was grimy and dirty, his hair was matted and he was pretty sure he stunk to hell and back.

“My name’s Marco Newgate, yoi.” the boy said with an offered smile along with his extended hand.

Ace looked at the hand with mistrust, people weren’t generally kind to him after all. Adults were always trying to send him back to school when he needed to stay home and take care of his mother, and most recently they were beginning to insist in something they called “alternative housing.” Other kids were different, but not for the better, they looked at Ace with disapproving eyes and disgust, they mocked him and threw pebbles as much as insults. To Ace, the whole world was against him and his mom, and he cared not to know anyone else.

And the older kids…they were just as cruel.

“I ain’t got any more, okay!” Ace snapped and bit his bottom lip, trying to force the new set of tears to remain inside and not spill over.

“Any more wha–”

“Hey Marco! What are you doing?” A new voice called down the alley and Ace flinched back from the sound, cornering himself once again while the wretched sense of helplessness and fear threatened to claw themselves back up his throat.

Marco’s hand retreated as the boy peered behind him and he stepped aside, “Sabo, sorry I left you to handle the guys all by yourself, you didn’t hurt them too bad did you, yoi?”

The new boy, Sabo, laughed as he joined Marco. “I gave them Hell alright, but if you’re asking if they can still chew solids? Then yeah, some of them.”

Marco sighed, and Ace gulped when he saw the splatters of blood on the pipe the new boy brandished behind him. Were they new bullies? Ace really didn’t have anything else to spare, all of his earnings had been taken by the older kids when they had jumped him.

“Hey aren’t you in my class?” Sabo snapped Ace out of his thoughts and brought the other set of eyes on Ace again, now both Marco and Sabo were regarding him strangely.

“You are aren’t you, though you’ve been absent for a week now…” Sabo’s voice trailed off and alarm filled his eyes. “You were the kid those others were wailing on? You okay?”

Ace was quiet, unsure of where the meeting was going, they kept staring and he kept fighting back the tears, wishing he could go home and check on his mother, hoping she was better that day.

“Hey if you keep biting your lip like that, it’ll start bleeding too, yoi.” Marco chimed in. “You don’t have to worry about those guys anymore, they’re gone and learned their lesson.”

“Yeah!” Sabo added, “Those punks will think twice before beating on anyone again…so wait, does this mean this is yours?” Sabo asked pulling a small orange colored pouch from his pocket.

Ace heard himself gasp and before he knew it, he had snatched the pouch out of Sabo’s hands, the hefty weight in his hands and clinking of change bringing a small sense of comfort to the boy as he brought the pouch closer to his chest and his glaring eyes turned over to Sabo.

“So it is yours.” Sabo hummed, unaffected by the rude action Ace had displayed. “Are you saving up for the new Skypea game?”

“Oh yeah, that’s coming out soon isn’t it, yoi.” Marco mused and smiled to Ace again. “And now that you’re calmer, how about that wound?”

Ace sized them both up, the boy who claimed that was in his class, and Marco, someone he had never met before. Ace was naturally untrusting of others and for good reasons, but they were making no moves to hurt him and they had–sort of–gotten his money back.

With a curt nod, Ace relaxed his stance and slipped the orange pouch into his fallen backpack.

“So, want to tell us your name?” Marco asked as he took off his bag and began to pull out a few supplies, the first was a clean white rag that he sprayed with a small bottle and began to pat Ace’s face.

Ace hissed as his cut burned, and made to pull away, but Sabo was there to place a hand in his hair gently. “He’s just cleaning it, don’t panic you’re in good hands. Marco might not look it but he has had two years training in first aid.”

“And I get in extra practice whenever this knucklehead decides he’s going to challenge kids three times his size, not to mention my siblings get in just about the same amount of trouble, yoi.” Marco confessed with a very proud grin.

Ace looked away and mumbled, “Name’s Ace, I would’ve beat them up you know.”

“Then why didn'tcha.” Sabo asked, voice both challenging and curious.

“Mom says I can’t get in any more trouble… cuz if I get in trouble then they’ll take me away.”

“Take you away, yoi?” Marco asked pausing in his cleaning Ace’s wound.

“Yeah…” Ace chewed on his lip until it stung and for a strange reason, he decided to trust the two kids, Marco and Sabo. “Old man Garp has been able to keep the ladies in suits away, but he says if the cops get me one more time, then he won’t be able to stop them from taking me away to another house.”

“Take you away to another house?” Sabo frowned, “You mean like fostering? It isn’t so bad you know.”

“My mom needs me!” Ace yelled and immediately felt bad, his shoulders slumping. “She’s sick and she needs me more than ever, so that’s why I sold all of my toys and things I don’t need at the pawn shop.”

“How sick is she Ace, yoi?” Marco’s words were soft and gentle, bringing more tears to Ace’s eyes.

He shook his head, he honestly didn’t know how bad it was now, but she had run out of medication the day before, and for the past couple of days she rarely woke. “She hasn’t left her bed in the past few days…she calls me Roger sometimes…Roger was my dad.” Ace confessed, his voice wavering as the dam he had kept up began to spill, letting loose his tears with it.

“She doesn’t remember me half of the time and she doesn’t know what day it is anymore. Sometimes she doesn’t even wake up, and others…she was supposed to get better, Gramps said she was gonna get better but he lied!”

Sabo and Marco looked at one another and silently they pulled Ace into a reassuring hug, saying nothing as the boy began to bawl, his sobs echoing off of the walls of the alley. His soul was barely held together and though Sabo and Marco didn’t completely understand it, they wanted to help.

“I can ask my dad for help, if that’s okay, yoi” Marco said, breaking the silence. “He’s friends with a couple of doctors, and until your mom gets better you can stay with us, we have tons of rooms in our house.”

“Yeah,” Sabo nodded, “Marco’s family is real nice, he was able to get me away from my home. You don’t have to be alone anymore, Ace. Let us help you.”

Let us help you.

Ace’s cries became louder as he finally returned the hug to the two boys, clinging to them as if his life and sanity depended on it. They were mere strangers, and for all he knew they were only offering him empty promises, but empty or not he would take them.

“Thank you.” Ace managed between wheezes and strangled sobs.

Never in his life, however, would he have imagined the following words to be said to him. “Of course, what are friends for, yoi.”