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Ace knew something was wrong the moment he opened his eyes, after all he was sure he had fallen asleep in the storage room on the lowest level, hiding away while he planned his next attempt at taking Whitebeard’s head.
So, to wake up in a room he didn’t recognize at first glance had him on edge, it wasn’t like any on the rooms he had seen on the ship before, but that didn’t mean anything.
And he knew he was still on the ship, as he had looked out of the window and had seen the sea around them, the colour of the wood telling him he was still on board the Moby Dick, so he hadn’t been taken by a rival crew, or by his own – that last one stung, as he would have preferred that right now.
Not knowing what he needed to do now, he started browsing and nosing around in the room, to get an idea as to what room it might be, or whose room he was in.
It soon became obvious it was one of the commanders, with the way the desk was littered with reports. However, it was the books on the shelves, the clothing in the closet and even the coat hanging on the door who was the owner of this room.
It made him panic, thinking back as to how he could have possible ended up in this man’s room, not any man, no, Whitebeard’s first commander and the resident head doctor, Marco the Phoenix.
Swallowing thickly, he didn’t know what to do, it wasn’t like he could just open the door and walk out, not like this, not when he didn’t even know what was going on and how he got there. As he went to rub a hand through his hair, he noticed that it wasn’t even his own hand that did this, which made him freak out.
“you switch places with your soulmate soon after you meet them, to let you know who the other is. You meet, and soon after you switch bodies, to get a look at what they have and they get a look at what you have – you should enjoy it Ace, the switching, to get to know your future partner’s body as if it was your own.”
Sabo’s description as to what happens when you meet your soulmate popped into his mind and made him moan. This couldn’t be happening, his soulmate couldn’t possible be Marco the Phoenix, not when he had made it clear that he wanted to take Whitebeard’s head, which was something the blond would never allow.
Moaning once more, he let himself sit down on the bed, trying to think back about all the other things Sabo had told him about that day, when they were talking about soulmates. Sabo had been the smart one, so when Luffy had asked – especially seeing as the youngest was a romantic soul, who wanted to know how he could recognize his soulmate, after being told Makino and Shanks were just that.
“The length of the switch depends from couple to couple, some switch for an hour, some for a whole day, you’ll have to wait and see I guess.”
Ace swallowed again, he hoped they wouldn’t be staying like this for a whole day, he couldn’t bare to do that, and who knows what would happen when Marco realised what was going on, or when some of the other people on board noticed what was going on…
He sighed, he couldn’t believe that was happening now, when he had already been on board for a month, why now, why not when he had just come aboard, so he knew he would need to get off as soon as possible, instead of staying on this damn ship.
Nodding to himself, Ace decided that the moment he was back in his own body, he would call Deuce and get the hell off. No matter that he wanted to take Whitebeard’s head, he wouldn’t just stay on this ship for the sole reason that his soulmate was here. He needed to get off, as soon as possible and take the Spades to the other side of the New World, far away from Whitebeard territory.
With that in mind, he yawned and could feel a narcolepsy attack setting in, giving a small smile he was glad it set it, maybe it would mean he’d make up in his own body again.
--
As he woke up again, Ace heaved a sigh of relief, he was back in the room, or closet, he had fallen asleep in, away from everyone and especially away from Marco, who now that he knew, he couldn’t see again.
Rummaging through his stuff, he was glad the Whitebeards had allowed him a Den-Den to keep in contact with the Spades, he didn’t like that he would have to admit Deuce was right, but right now, he didn’t care, he just needed to get off this ship.
Punching in the number, he waited until the Den-Den started to ring, which it did after a little while. However, as soon as he heard Deuce’s voice, he couldn’t say anything, he didn’t know what to say and didn’t know what to do, until another voice from behind him said, “He’ll call you back -yoi.”
Before hanging up the Den-Den, just as Deuce asked him what was going on.
Freezing Ace didn’t know what to do, especially not about the man now standing behind him.
“We need to talk -yoi.”
Ace just shook his head, deliberately keeping from turning around so he wouldn’t have to look the blond, his soulmate in the eyes, not after they switched.
“We do, Ace, especially after what happened -yoi.”
Ace shook his head again, “we just pretend it didn’t happen.”
Marco sighed, “I don’t want to pretend it didn’t happen -yoi, and I don’t get why you would want to. We need to talk about this -yoi.”
Ace shook his head again, “so what, you can convince me how amazing this family thing you have going on is? Or how amazing a father figure Whitebeard is, I never had a father, and I don’t need one now.”
“Aren’t you glad to have found this -yoi?”
Ace scoffed, “found what? A crew that took me against my will and keeps holding me hostage ever since they took me. Gracefully letting me keep my Den-Den to keep in touch with my crew, but never once asking me if I wanted to go back to them.
Or is it the soulmate thing, then no, I am not happy to have found you, I don’t need you, and I will never need you. Just, stop whatever you think you’re supposed to be doing and leave me alone. I plan to be off this ship in a few hours, we’d never have to see each other again.”
He could hear Marco grind his teeth, “and what about what I want, I don’t plan on just letting you go -yoi?”
Ace sneered, “so what, you will continue to keep me here against my will, great going there, Commander.”
Marco grinded his teeth again, “would it really be so bad to stay here and have a family that cares for you -yoi?”
“I already have a family that cares for me, more than one even, so no, I don’t need another. And even if it was a family I wanted, it’s the father figure I don’t want.”
“What so bad about a father figure -yoi.”
Ace grinded his teeth and clenched his hands into fists, deliberating if telling his most guarded secret would have the other man backing off. He didn’t know, but he could feel the other drifting closer, soon the blond would start making arguments that made sense to him and might make him want to stay.
“Because I doubt Whitebeard would want Gol D. Roger’s son on his ship, just as much as I doubt that you would want a soulmate with that kind of blood.”
When he couldn’t hear the blond anymore, Ace scoffed, knowing he had been right in saying that, and while part of him was hoping that it would have had the opposite effect, he was once again reminded himself that little demons never got what they wanted. That for the first time since someone switched, this time it didn’t work out – he would never get a soulmate, and that was alright, he didn’t deserve one anyway.
As he looked around, he felt hurt that Marco wasn’t even there in the room anymore, the blond most likely couldn’t wait to get out of there, the moment he knew.
Cleaning up, and packing his stuff, Ace picked up his Den-Den again and called Deuce.
“Ace, thank god, I though someone happened when I heard Phoenix’s voice behind you. Are you alright?”
Ace hummed, “good enough. Can you come get me?”
Silence met him for a moment, “come get you? What happened to you taking whitebeard’s head?”
Ace shrugged, “lost cause, you were right.”
Deuce hummed, “you’re too stubborn to just realise that now, what happened?”
“Nothing happened, just come and get me!”
With that, Ace ended the call, shoved the snail into his bag and left the room. Going by the silence that met him, he guessed that it was night, giving him a much freer reign over the ship and in getting out of there. Especially now that his soulmate knew what, or who, Ace was and didn’t want him anyway.
As he made his way upwards towards the deck, part of him was happy to not see anyone, he had gotten along with Haruta and Thatch, and knew both of them would be sad to see him go. But he knew, for sure, that he didn’t belong here.
Going to stand at the balustrade, looking out over the water, to see if he couldn’t see the Piece of Spadille coming closer to pick him up. He couldn’t see anything out in the night, but he felt someone settling next to him. Looking sideways, he was shocked to see Marco lounging there.
“I went and asked, Oyaji doesn’t mind -yoi.”
Ace’s mind short circuited, running the words through his mind over and over again.
“Neither do I, for that matter -yoi.”
Turning wide eyes towards the blond, Ace opened and closed his mouth a few times, yet no sound came out.
“It doesn’t matter, Deuce will be here in a few moments to come and pick me up.”
Marco shook his head, “The Spades have been in the Moby 2 since your second month here -yoi. Something happened to the Piece of Spadille, they were forced to give her a sea burial and called us to ask to come on board. Knowing that you’d change your mind sooner or later -yoi.
Deuce also called to ask what was going on with you, so he won’t come, knowing you’d be so much happier here -yoi.”
Ace turned wide eyes towards Marco, “they’ve been here the whole time and they never told me?”
Marco just smiled and nodded, “they seemed to suspect you’d stay here -yoi.”
Ace didn’t see it that way, he only heard that his crew didn’t tell him they were on the same crew he was one now, that they had been here for a month, if on a different ship and didn’t see fit to tell him.
“I… see.”
With that he turned around, going back to the closet he had been in before, not even noticing Marco following behind him, until he tried to shut the door again, finding the blond there, stopping him from closing it fully.
“They didn’t say anything because we asked, Ace -yoi. We could see your drive lessening every week, and you have to be honest with yourself and with me, you haven’t had any drive behind your ‘attacks’ for weeks now, so we just assumed you’d admit you found your place here with us -yoi. Even more so after we switched, or so I assumed -yoi.”
Ace shook his head; he could feel tears burning in his eyes as he thought about all of this.
“Could you leave me alone, I need to think.”
He could hear Marco move, and the door close as he lowered himself onto the make-shift bed, his thought occupied with everything that had happened. He needed to think this over, talk with the Old Man, and Deuce before he made his decision. But for now, he just wanted to sleep off this emotional rollercoaster.
--
The next morning, he called Deuce again, the other man picking up after the first ring.
“Good morning, captain.”
Ace scoffed, “I don’t think I am your captain anymore, now am I?”
Silence met him on the other side of the line, making him sigh, “Marco told me what happened yesterday, I’m sorry I never noticed you were already here.”
Deuce sighed too, “I didn’t know how to tell you. The Spadille ran into some underwater rocks and the hull got damaged. I didn’t know what else to do in the open sea, so I called the main number for the Whitebeard Pirates and asked to be able to come onboard.”
“But you didn’t call me?”
“You weren’t that forthcoming with information, captain, and we needed to do something.”
Ace sighed, “are you happy?”
“We’d be happier together with you, Ace, but we aren’t unhappy here either.”
Ace just sighed, but didn’t say anything, which led to Deuce asking, “are you alright, captain?”
Ace just sighed, shaking his head, “not really, that’s why I called. I don’t know what to do now.”
“Do you want to stay?”
Ace hummed, “maybe.”
“And we know the crew wants you to stay, so what is your problem?”
“The fact that I found out yesterday that Marco the Phoenix is my soulmate, and in effort to scare him off, I told him my biggest secret.”
Silence greeted him from the other side, which made him sigh again.
“Deuce?”
As he got no answer, Ace worried his lip between his teeth, and hanging up. All that remained was talking with Whitebeard himself before he decided. Sighing one more, as he dreaded this, opening the door he listened for anyone up and about.
When he didn’t hear anyone, he left the closet he had been hiding in, making his way towards the room he knew to be Whitebeard’s. Knocking, he entered when a voice beckoned him to enter.
“This is a bad start to murder attempt, kid.”
Ace shook his head, “I’m done with that, I just came here to ask you what Marco asked yesterday, to know if I should stay on board, or if I should leave at the first harbour we stop at.”
Whitebeard looked at him in silence for a few moments, making Ace fidget, before he started smiling, “so it was you that was about?”
Ace nodded, “he… Marco and I we’re soulmates, we found out yesterday and I reacted badly. I’m not used to people actually being glad to have me around. People other then my little brother, that is, I tried to push him away with my worst secret. Which leads me to come here to see if you’d react as you reacted to him.”
“Son, Marco asked me if I would accept his soulmate no matter who his parents are, and the answer to that is that I don’t. We’re all children of the sea, this could be a new start, or a continuation of an already great life. I could care less, I just want to sail these seas with family with me – be they of my blood, or my heart.”
Ace looked down, “even if their father was Gol D. Roger?”
Blinking a few times, Whitebeard started laughing, “that’s what this is about? About you being Roger’s? Boy, I knew that the moment I saw you, you both have the same eyes, even if those freckles and face shape is all Rouge. But, to answer your question, no, I wouldn’t mind – I’d just be glad that a part of one of my best friends survived even though the Marines tried their best to stop that from happening.”
Ace gave a small smile, “thanks… Oyaji.”
Whitebeard only grinned, “now do me a favour and go find Marco, he’s been unbearable the whole day, thinking you would jump ship after everything that happened. He’s been waiting for his soulmate for a long time, so I, and everyone on board, will be very happy to know he had finally found his. Despite the rocky start you have a lot of people on board who like you on this ship, son. To know you are staying would be the highlight of their day.”
Ace nodded, the smile on his face becoming brighter, exiting the room, he made his way towards what he believed was his soulmate’s room, when a voice called out to him.
“Ace?”
Looking around, he saw Thatch standing there, “What are you doing coming out of Oyaji’s room, you didn’t try anything right? Because Marco’s been irritated this whole day, and I don’t think he’ll appreciate that.”
Ace shook his head, “I didn’t do anything like that, I just… I just wanted to ask Oyaji a question that I needed answered before I could decide I wanted to stay.”
The meaning behind those words reached Thatch, because the cook started grinning, “you’re staying?”
Ace nodded, “yeah, but I need to see Marco now, do you think you can help me find him?”
Thatch nodded, “he should be in his room, come on, I’ll guide you there.”
Smiling, Ace followed the other man, to a room not that far from where he was, he had been right about the location of his soulmate’s room.
Knocking, they could hear stumbling coming out of the room, before the blond opened the room, a glare on his face.
“What Thatch, I’m not in the mood for anything right now -yoi.”
Ace took a step forward, “not even for me staying?”
Marco blinked a few times, “you’re staying -yoi?”
Ace nodded, “I just went to talk to Oyaji, and I told Deuce, I think the former Spades will ask for a relocation though. Just for Deuce to tell me ‘I told you so’.”
Marco blinked one more time, before he closed the distance between himself and Ace, pushing Thatch to the side, to the grumbling of the chef cook.
Although he felt silence as Marco took a hold of Ace and kissed him just like that. Even more when Ace reciprocated.
“Thatch, can you tell the other commanders I’m going to be settling in my soulmate and I won’t be available tomorrow -yoi?”
The cook just blinked a few times, before he started cheering, “you got it, Marco. Have fun you two!”
Ace blushed at that, but entered the room as Marco lead him inside, taking a seat on the bed and looking around.
“I’d ask you what you’d think about it, but you already saw it -yoi.”
Ace grinned, “true, but never with you in it. I like it a lot, though.”
Marco just grinned right back, “I really am glad you’re staying -yoi.”
“So am I.”