#pre-marcoace

Marco can’t find his keys. He knows that Izou took his car keys at some point, probably right around the time that Thatch had started mixing his drinks instead of Jozu, but he was almost certain that his house key had been given back to him. Except, Marco pats at his pockets, fumbling his phone out of one and failing to get the fingerprint lock to recognize him. The numbers for the passcode were too blurry to even attempt.

“I just wanna go to bed,” Marco mutters frowning at the front door. “Did I, were you always red?”

The door doesn’t respond and Marco is glad he’s not that drunk at least. Or worried that one of his other siblings might have spiked the drinks with something else, like they’ve been prone to doing since the end of the last prank war. 

“Oh, thought I lost this,” Marco says pleased when he kicks the rug and finds his spare key, fumbling the lock open and kicking off his shoes. “They moved my couch?”

He doesn’t bother trying to make it to his bedroom, falling on the couch and dragging the blanket over the back of it down to cover himself. One foot pressed firmly to the floor as the room tries to start spinning on him to make it stop before falling asleep.

“What do you mean you don’t know any blonds other than Sanji?” Marco hears as he presses his face further into his couch. “I thought you knew more people than just your friends.” a long pause. “Then how did he get in my...”

The sound fades out for a few minutes and Marco almost thinks it’s carrying over from his neighbor’s house when he opens his eyes to peer at the couch. It’s a hideous shade of eye searing orange, the kind of thing that one of Haruta’s anime protagonists might wear, even if it’s far more comfortable than Marco’s staid blue one.

“I thought I told you to stop hiding my key under the mat? Luffy this is how you’re going to get me murdered,” Marco knows that voice, sitting up to catch sight of his neighbor frowning at a wall. “I have to go.”

There’s a long moment of silence, Marco isn’t sure what he’s suppose to say because he’s broken into his neighbor’s house.

“I’m so sorry,” Marco blurts out when his neighbor’s mouth opens. “I was really drunk last night and I don’t think my siblings remembered what house is mine. I swear all I did was fall down on your couch.”

“I know, you set off the alarm,” he nods to the box on the wall. “I’m Ace, I moved in here a few months ago.”

“Marco, I own the place next door,” Marco groans softly. “With the blue front door. I knew the door looked wrong.”

Ace snorts, “Yeah, it’s rather red isn’t is? Come on, the least I can do before shoving you out the front door is feed you.”

“You really don’t have to,” Marco says softly.

“I would do the same if you were my brother or one of his drunken friends showing up because it’s easier to direct to the house on 7th with the red door than an apartment building,” Ace grins. “Hope you like bacon.”

“I really am sorry about breaking into your house.”

“There’s more flowers,” Thatch states, his nose wrinkling as he takes a step backwards from the innocent looking pink flowers that had appeared over night, replacing the daisies that Marco was sure had been there the night before. “They’re like rabbits.”

“Flowers aren’t rabbits,” Marco smirks, kneeling down carefully to avoid touching the flowers. They had started showing up several days ago, not always the same color, but it was the same flower, which was about all they had found out so far. “If they were, we might have found out who or what was spreading them around the forest.”

“I’m sure that you’ll figure it out,” Thatch tries not to yawn, looking stranger than he normally did. “You’re quite the detective.”

Marco frowns at Thatch, “Is this a joke about my promotion?”

“Never. You deserved the promotion and I was just saying that if you could rise through the ranks to detective so quickly, you are sure to figure out what this is.”

“You’re trying to butter me up so that I’ll let you leave to get ready for your date instead of hunting down more information, aren’t you?” Thatch at least tries to look as if he feels guilty, probably for being caught out, but doesn’t deny it. “Get going, It’s almost dark and I actually want to be inside tonight instead of going through the flowers, probably be faster without you.”

“I am excellent help, I’ll have you know,” Thatch sniffs dramatically. “Thank you, Marco. I owe you for this.”

Marco waits for him to vanish, first from sight and then the range of his hearing, still counting to ten to make sure that Thatch wouldn’t come speeding back, “If he ever pays me back for all the things that he owes me, it might be kinder of me just to take his first born.”

The flowers don’t answer, swaying slightly in the breeze, and smelling amazing even to Marco’s enhanced sense of smell. There’s no rhyme or reason to where the flowers appear, moving over the forest and parts of their small town, but they were basically a trail. As if they had been made by someone walking randomly, sprouting where they had stayed too long.

“Now,” Marco stands, spotting the next patch of flowers. “Where are you going?”

The path leads deeper into the woods, deeper than Marco wants to go with the full moon set to rise soon. He’s in control, he would hadn’t have been promoted if he hadn’t been, but it’s still something he doesn’t like to chance. Not when too many of the people in town can be infected, even with their own powers.

“Are you lost?”

Marco stops, heart stopping in his chest, because he hadn’t heard anyone approaching. He hadn’t even heard the heartbeat until he heard the voice, but he turns, slowly, hand going to his taser automatically.

The young man, in shorts that go to just below his knees and a shirt that hangs open, smiles at him, “Are you lost? It can get a little confusing in here, do you need help home?”

“No,” Marco says, finally realizing that the man is standing in a patch of the flowers, one he had dismissed since the petals were older, not as soft as the newer ones. “Are you lost? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in town before.”

“I’m Ace!” he’s smiling still. “I’ve lived here a long time, but I slept alot, so I might have missed somethings. Who are you?”

“I’m Marco Newgate, I don’t think I’ve seen you around before?”

Ace disappears and appears from behind another tree, closer, “Newgate? Like Edward Newgate?”

“You know Pops?”

“I know lots of people,” Ace answers close enough for Marco to catch his scent, almost the same as the flowers, but just different enough to distinguish, “You’re the new detective, right? Shanks told me about you.”

“Did he?” Marco doesn’t understand how Ace, who he’s never met, knows both his father and the sheriff. “He never mentioned you.”

“I was sleeping,” Ace explains. “Because my mom got sick. But I’m back now, I live that way,” he points further into the forest. “It’s the biggest tree ever. Do you want to see?”

Marco nods, “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you?”

Ace frowns, “You won’t laugh?”

“I’m a werewolf, I don’t think I’m allowed to judge.” Marco answers.

“I’m a nymph,” Ace says like he expects Marco to say something. “Half nymph, mom was a nymph and that’s where I get my abilities. I think I have coffee, do you drink coffee?”

Marco nods, following Ace deeper into the forest, “You wouldn’t happen to leave flowers, would you? I’m actually trying to figure out where they’re coming from, Shanks thought it would be ‘good for me’.”

“Oh, they’re mine,” Ace grins. “Come on, we can’t have coffee if you’re a werewolf, dogs aren’t allowed coffee.”

Ace doesn’t understand how some people can meet and know instantly that they are soulmates, but others can take years to eventually become soulmates, as if the shared experience made them soulmates. It didn’t make sense and not even research can explain it.

“You’re lost in thought again,” Marco says lightly, smirking when Ace blinks and notices the food in front of him. “You didn’t even notice food. What’s going on in your head?”

“Soulmates,” Ace answers fiddling with his spoon. “They don’t make sense.”

Marco sighs, Ace would feel guilty for the number of times that they’ve talked about this but he doesn’t have an answer yet, “Even I don’t know more about soulmates, Ace.”

“You’re like a thousand years old.”

“I’m only a hundred, you are a thousand years old and we both know it,” Marco counters. “Eat before lunch gets cold.”

“And we’ve known each other for almost fifty years! How are we so old and still not aging? I mean, we haven’t met out soulmates yet!”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Marco smiles and Ace ducks his head slightly to avoid staring at him. “I don’t mind not having a soulmate. I have you and our family and friends.”

“You’re the reason everyone thinks we’re soulmates.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Ace snorts, “You would be the best soulmate.”

“I know. Now eat before your food gets cold. Also, your doctor appointment is tomorrow, don’t you dare skip again.”

“You aren’t my mother!”

Marco doesn’t know why people stare at the ocean, why they write epics about the color of it and the shifting hues of the sky. It’s all gray and and white and black in differing shades and schemes, nothing that could make him think that they must look amazing. Just like he doesn’t understand why Izo keeps making so annoyed noises about his clothing and mismatching colors, blue and purple were matching according to all the colors for the color blind books he had been forced to read.

“You’re distracted,” Haruta frowns, her arms crossed over her chest as she crosses her legs. “Why are you distracted, we have work.”

“I’m running on two hours of sleep and so much caffeine that Pops has literally cut me off and anyone seen giving me any will be in serious trouble,” Marco states tiredly. “And we weren’t talking about work, we were talking about dinner.”

“Which I want you to attend tonight, we’re going to a restaurant just down the street and it’s only going to be an hour or so.”

“When does it start?” Marco sighs tiredly, knowing that he isn’t going to get out of it without being sick and even then, she was sure to destroy him.

“Eight, don’t you dare be late.”

Marco sighs, “Fine, I’ll be there and I won’t be late.”

Marco was running late, almost twenty minutes late and he had already fended off two calls from Haruta as he stumbles into the restaurant, looking tiredly for any of his siblings and frowning when he doesn’t spot any of them.

“Can I help you, sir?” The host asks sounding bored and almost uninterested as he looked over the paper on his stand. “Do you have a reservation?”

“I thought I did, my sister set it up, would be under Newgate?”

“Newgate, Newgate,” He hums before nodding, “Marco Newgate, your date is already here,” He picked up a menu and finally looked up at him. “I’ll esc-”

Marco blinks rapidly, staring at the sudden stark red tie on the host’s neck, “You’re-”

“I am at work, seriously,” The host hisses at the ceiling, his eyes narrowed. “Couldn’t have done this at another time?”

“You said date?” Marco repeats in confusion because his soulmate could wait a few minutes while he got over Haruta’s lies. “I didn’t have a date, I was coming to have dinner with my family.”

The host glances at him, “No, you have a date,” He clicks at his station again. “Oh, blind date. I was suppose to say nothing, oops.”

“It’s fine, can you just lie and say that I never showed up?” He pauses shifting nervously. “And could I have your number? I mean, just to talk. I understand if you don’t want to.”

“No, I can lie. My name is Ace,” He scribbles something down on the back of a piece of receipt tape. “And that’s my number. Just, you can text me? We can see about where this goes?”

“Thank you,” He pauses as his phone rings again, Haruta’s name flashing on the screen. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to yell at my sister about this. But I’ll text you later?”

“You’re turning another girl down?” Ace asks leaning over Marco’s shoulder to look at the confession that the other had found in his locker, his hands hidden in his pockets to hide the way he can feel them get warm. “I thought you had already turned down every girl in the school, or did I miss something.”

“I have turned them all down. This is from a transfer,” Marco answers frowning at the letter. “And weird. I don’t think I’ve been confessed to by letter before.”

“It was bound to happen at some point. Do you want to come to my house today? I got that video game we saw last week.”

“That sounds good, I would like that,” Marco says smiling.

Ace feels his heart skip a beat, grinning back like it’s nothing, leaning against Marco’s desk, “How’s your dad?”

“If your dad quit trying to have so many drinking contests then he would be better, but he’s okay. His doctor says that he’s getting better, even with your dad’s horrible influence.”

“That’s good. Mom says that she’s trying to stop dad but she and Uncle Rayleigh can’t be around all the time.”

Marco nods, “Thanks.”

Marco is glad that Ace doesn’t lean any closer, his heart slamming into his chest as he forces himself to remain calm and collected. It hurts pretending but Marco can pretend well.

“So what time will you be over?”

“I could just drive us both to your place, if you’d like?” Marco offers.

“Ah, I can’t leave Striker at school over night,” Ace pouts and Marco bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself from doing something stupid. “Maybe I can meet you there?”

“That’s fine, we can meet at your place. Is directly after school okay?”

“That’s fine! I have to go to my next class, so keep out of trouble, Marco.”

Marco waves after Ace, waiting for him to vanish before dropping his head on his desk with a groan.

“You are so useless,” Izo sighs.

“I am not.”

Marco would really like it if Luffy stopped biting the other kids at the daycare, if Law would stop painting his 'patients', and if Nami and Vivi would just, please, stop playing that game.

Sabo had a secret, one that he guarded with his life since he was five and only told his baby brother Luffy and his pirate crew about it.  

Said secret was half the reason he set out to sea, at the age of seventeen, to be near it. It followed the ship at a safe distance, members of Sabo’s crew always a little wary of it but they didn’t doubt their captain when he said it would never harm them. 

“La la la, laaaa laaaaaa....”   

Still a few of the newbies couldn’t sleep at night as it sang, worried it would take them to the bottom of the sea if they let their guard down. 

“La la la, laaaaa laaaaa, la la- Sabo!”  

The members of the Dragon crew jumped out of their skins when it suddenly cut off its haunting song. It’s voice when speaking was always a bit hard to adjust to. When the creature sang it was smooth, hypnotizingly clear but while speaking it was rough and echoing.

Sometimes it sounded like death itself.

“Sabo! Sabo! Sabo!” 

The crew rushed out of their beds worried that something may have happened to the captain- it sounded distressed. Once they burst through the door of their sleeping quarters they were shocked to see it onboard.

It never left the waters, always peering up at them from the waves along side the boat, silver eyes shining and curious but never close enough to touch. 

The moonlight shone down on the Blue Flame beautifully, highlighting the ship’s many well-done carvings around the railing. It bathed two figures of the left side deck.

An unfamiliar blond man, half drowned it seemed and the secret of the captain.

“What’s wrong Ace?!”  Sabo shouted from the captain's room. 

He looked around confused before Rae shouted down at him

“He’s on the deck Cap!”

Sabo looked at her confused for a few seconds before rushing back into his room and climbing up the ladder. 

The reason this ship was so important was that the captain's room was build at the bottom of the boat little ways above the kneel.

It had cost the crew a fine penny to pay but it served its purpose. The little room had a window that could be opened from the inside, and a foldable balcony too. It was right above the water, and the captain could be in reaching distance of his secret whenever he wanted this way.  

Usually, the crew could find him there, feet dipped in the ocean while conversing with the creature that leaned on his thighs. Staring at Sabo like he was the one to put the stars in the sky at night and raise the sun each morning. 

“Help...not breathing...need air..” The creature said pushing on the blond man’s chest, trying to get the water out. The crew gave each other an awkward glance- Ace couldn’t produce oxygen, he could somehow survive in it but not make his own- until Foster stepped forward.

“I’ll give him CPR Ace...please step-er  shimmy away from him.” 

Slivers eyes turn to look at him confused until understanding drew on his face. The crew bites back a wince when its eyes grew sad but flopped away from the blond man.

They always felt bad asking it to move away from them but no one wanted to touch the creature in fear of falling under a charm. The captain was the only known person brave enough to make skin contact. 

Once Ace was a foot away Foster rushed forward and got to work. The man had taken a lot of water but there was still time to save him. Pushing against the chest with laced fingers the doctor counted a number of presses before placing his lips on the blond man and breathing.

Ace watched from the side hurt and lonely as the male he rescued got saved by the land dwellers.

“Ace?” A voice asked from his right. The sea creature turns to see Sabo- still dressed in his blue pajamas-giving him a worried look. The blond man reached out a hand running it through his sea damaged hair, before bringing him in for a warm hug.

Ace felt better already.

Even if the blond’s crew was staring at them in bewilderment like they always do whenever Sabo touched him. 

“He fell from...sky...” Ace stumbled to explain. Words were hard to make above water.  “I saw...and brought..to Sabo..”

“Then I have you to thank for saving my life little siren.” The new voice makes everyone jump- though not as high as Foster- and they whip around to see the blond man standing from his near drowning nonchalantly. 

He gives the shocked Ace a friendly smile walking over to him with a hand out for a handshake. The siren stares at it in wonder, and everyone on board hates how he seems like he isn’t sure if he’s allowed to take it.  “I’m Marco and you are?”

Sabo nudges his side, and Ace wraps his gils covered fingers around the hand shaking it rapidly. So obviously happy that someone is talking to him without fear.

”Ace!” He chirps. He then tilts his head studying the blond with intelligent eyes until he nods sure. “Phoenix.” 

The blond grins. “I am a Phoenix. It’s nice to meet other magical dwellers. It’s been years since I last saw a half-breed.”

Sabo jerks as Ace blinks.  “You know what he is?”

Marco’s grin turns into a soft smile. “Half siren half human I’m guessing? Completely harmless to anyone and yet able to charm at his will. “A gift to this world” as they are usually called in the New World yoi.”