title: inferno of petals
summary: it wasn't long after he joined the crew, it was then that ace began to cough up flower petals. —marco/ace, marcoace
genre: romance/angst
a/n: i try my hand at writing hanahaki disease. i tried writing angst but uhh, it's not that angsty bc i cant write lol
also lame title. hope u like it! c: ((as always, im always worried that the i hope it isn't too ooc ;v;))
Ace didn't think of it too much. He had an uncomfortable feeling in his throat and he scratched it off as a cold. The feeling soon became unbearable and at one point while he was eating, his throat tightened and he soon was launched into a coughing fit. When the fit disappears, all of his plate were covered with colorful petals along with some of his chewed up food. Definitely not a good sign if he somehow managed to throw up petals so he blanched and got the hell away before someone questioned him.
Of course, he didn't know where it came from. How the hell did he managed to cough up flower petals? Was it a rare disease? Perhaps, it'll pass in a couple of days. And so, he gathered up the blue petals that were tinged with yellow and burned them. As he watched the petals disintegrating into ashes, the uncomfortable feeling in his throat never went away.
.
Ace finally realized what this goddamn sickness was after stumbling into the infirmary with lots of blood-covered petals in his hands. It was one of his more violent coughing fits and he finally had enough balls to go ask what the hell is happening. One of the nurse had told him that it was the Hanahaki disease.
"The what?" Ace asks, bewildered.
"Hanahaki disease," she repeats. "It happens when you suffer from a one-sided love. It only ends when they return your affections or get it surgically removed, although your romantic feelings will disappear."
"Oh," Ace says, quietly, as he stares at the petals.
"But be careful, don't wait too long," the nurse warns. "Eventually, your lungs will be filled with flowers and you will die."
.
At first, when he joined the Whitebeard Pirates, he absolutely loathed it. So, everyday, he tried to take Whitebeard's head but failed everytime. Looking back, that wasn't exactly a smart idea but hey, you gotta start somewhere, right? Then, he met that guy with a dumb haircut of a pineapple. At first, it began with mild annoyance then it soon grew into admiration then over the time, it evolved into a crush.
Every brush of skin contact left him tingling and face slightly hot. No, it wasn't his devil fruit acting up. He yearned for more, something beyond brief touches. But it seemed hopeless because the said person he loved will probably never return his feelings or even knew in the first place.
And so, a seed had started forming in his body that will eventually bloom into a beautiful flower.
.
"Yo, Ace."
The said man pauses his eating to look up and sees the first commander of the Whitebeard Pirates slide into the seat in front of him. He swallows the food in his mouth and gives a lopsided smile.
"Sup, Marco?"
And so, Ace listens as Marco drones about the events that were going on currently around the world while chewing intently and stopping to chime in a comment or two. Suddenly, Marco pauses and stares at Ace, who stares right back, confused. Without a word, Marco leans forward and Ace's breath hitches. Marco's arm outstretches and he gently wipes something off of Ace's face with a thumb.
"There was something on your face."
"Oh..." Ace swallows thickly and his cheeks involuntarily reddens.
There it is again. Ace's throat tightens and he fears that the flower petals will fall out.
Not now, he pleads silently. He quickly stands up from his seat, startling Marco.
"Whoa, what's wrong?"
Ace doesn't answer and he covers his mouth with his hand. A single petal slips through his lips and he pales. He bolts towards the exit of the canteen, not sparing a single look back at Marco, and to the security of his room, where he empties the remaining contents of his lunch mixed in with a bunch of petals. He looks at the waste bin and grimaces as he wipes his mouth.
He hears a knock on his cabin door and he wearily gets it. He opens the door to reveal Marco, wearing a concerned expression on his face.
"Ace, you alright, man?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Ace nods.
Marco doesn't look in the slightest bit convinced. "You sure? You didn't finish your lunch which is quite shocking and you look a bit pale..."
"I said I'm fine," Ace insists and forces himself to grin. "Just, uh, some food didn't agree with me!"
Marco purses his lips and he raises his hand towards Ace's head. He lifts Ace's bangs to feel his forehead and Ace could feel his face heats.
"D-don't touch me!" He blurts and shoves Marco away. Marco stumbles back several steps and stares at him, stunned for a moment. "Wait, I didn't mean-"
"I'm sorry, Ace." Marco's shocked expression quickly flickers into hurt momentarily before returning to normal. "I'll leave you alone for the meantime." He walks away, leaving Ace to watch him until he disappears from sight.
Ace locks himself away in his room and he mentally berates himself of how much an idiot he is. He flops on his bed and some petals falls from his mouth. He knows it's getting worse and curses at this stupid disease, while leaving himself to wonder what to do about it.
.
Today's a bleak day, gray clouds covers the sky, and Ace thinks a storm is going to whip up soon. Who knows next what's going to fall out from the sky? Rain, snow, hail, fireballs, lightning; who the heck knows but not him. This is the New World and weather is unpredictable here.
"Ace, there you are!" A loud voice pulls Ace out of his thoughts.
Ace whirls around and a small smile appears. "Hey, Thatch."
Thatch slings his arm around Ace's shoulder. "Hey, did you hear about the rumor spreading around?"
"Rumor?"
"Yeah, that Marco likes someone! That sneaky bastard wouldn't tell me a thing!" Thatch exclaims. "I'm trying to find that lucky woman or man, whichever he prefers, but to no avail."
"He...likes...someone?" Ace feels like the wooden floors beneath his feet break and its like he's falling into the freezing waters, where he can't swim and eventually drown.
"Yeah, we were talking about something though I can't remember the topic but he accidentally lets it slip that he likes someone," Thatch confirms. With a gleeful smile, he adds, "I swear on my name that I will definitely find them!"
Ace suddenly wants to go back to his room. Preferably to scream into his pillow. If his throat wasn't clogged with those stupid petals.
"Anyways, I just want to-" Thatch begins to talk but Ace interrupts him with a mutter of "sorry, I'm going back to my room" and dashes off to the direction of his room. He collides head on into someone and he looks up to say 'sorry' when the words dies in his throat.
"Sorry about that, Ace," Marco says.
"It's..." Ace starts but he nearly chokes at the accumulating petals. He covers his mouth with both of his hands.
Marco opens his mouth to say something but snaps it shut.
Ace manages a weak though slightly muffled "sorry and goodbye" and turns but Marco's hands shoots out to grab Ace's shoulder. Slightly miffed, Ace turns and stiffens when he sees that Marco is holding a blue petal with some drops of blood.
"Is this...yours?"
Ace begins to deny it but his knees hits the floor and hacks up blood covered petals onto his hands. Marco's eyes widens in alarm.
All Ace could do was let out a quiet, "Fuck."
"Should I take you to the nurse?" Marco offers but Ace rapidly shakes his head as he stands up.
"I'm fine," he says hoarsely.
"Should we talk?"
"No, I'm fine," Ace repeats.
"Please, Ace. I just want to help you," Marco says gently. "I care about you a lot and it hurts me to see you like this."
Ace bites the lower lip, anxiously, but he heaves a sigh, and reluctantly accepts.
.
"You sure you're okay in talking in my room?" Marco asks as he closes the door behind him and Ace nods. He didn't really want Marco to see that bloody mess in the waste bin back in his room.
Ace looks around, curiosity getting the better of him. He's never really been invited here but as expected, the first commander gets a pretty lavish room and it's even bigger than his own. "Wow, pretty cool room." He hears a dry chuckle from Marco.
"Yeah, I guess. Anyways, hanahaki disease, huh? I've heard about it and I seen it with my own eyes too. There are some bouts of those cases onboard too."
At the sound of the name, the petals seems to return at full force. Ace coughs and a few drifts from his mouth.
Marco seems oddly quiet for the whole ordeal. With a heavy sigh, he gravely asks, "So, does this mean you have someone you like?"
Ace timidly just nods and he opts to look at the wooden planks with great interest.
"...Do you mind telling me?"
"I...well," Ace trails off and he's beginning to feel like he's going to cry. Shit, he feels so insecure and weak right now. Marco is definitely going to...going to what? Hate him? Avoid him? Shit, he doesn't really know and he thinks Marco wouldn't even hate him but his mind is in jumbles right now and all he knows is that he's struggling to breathe. He clutches his chest and Marco is instantly at his side, rubbing soothing circles on his back. His knees feels weak so he collapses onto the bed.
"It's okay, we all have someone we like but you ought to tell them about your feelings or else this disease is gonna end up hurting you even more," Marco reasons and all Ace could think of was the conversation from earlier. Right, Marco has someone he likes... That realization hits him like a punch to the gut and he blinks away the tears in his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Ace going's to risk it like the fool he always was. So he opens his mouth to pop a question, "Who do you like?" He's not sure why he asked that because he's sure that if knew the answer to the question, it's going to break him but he still asked anyways. He wheezes and clutches his chest. Fuck this stupid disease.
"If you tell me who you like, I'll..." Ace hesitates. "...tell you mine."
"Are you sure?" Marco levels a serious gaze with him and Ace wordlessly nods his head.
"Well, it's..."
Ace is not sure if he wants to hear it now.
"You."
Suddenly, the uncomfortable feeling in his throat vanishes instantly and his heart seems to beat faster now. No blue and yellow petals escaping his lips. He can breathe easily now and he feels like the world just gotten a bit brighter. The sun peeks from behind the parting gray clouds, lighting up the room and shining onto the duo in the room.
"Really?" Ace whispers. "Me?"
"Why would I lie?" Marco raises an eyebrow. "Of course, I like you!"
The heavy weight, that was beginning to pile on his chest over time, disappears and Ace lets out a joyous laugh, eyes twinkling. "I'm an idiot, I'm such an idiot." Tears begins to escape his eyes but he's not sad - he's just relieved. He's definitely an idiot; he was worried about the disease and his unrequited feelings that it slowly began to eat him away but he's glad that he had been wrong and the burden is gone now.
Ace then remembers that he had to uphold his promise and a blush settles on his cheeks. He looks at Marco who stares back with loving eyes and a soft smile. "Uhm, I like you, too."
Marco instantly embraces him although, Ace was surprised at the sudden action, he quickly hugs back and sets his chin on Marco's shoulder. They stay like that for a while until...
"Ace, may I kiss you?" Marco wonders out of nowhere.
"Of course, yes, you don't have to ask, you idiot," Ace babbles and grabs a hold of Marco's collar to pull him down for a kiss. Marco hums in delight and cups Ace's face to deepen the kiss.
Ace was the first one to pull away, face flushed.
"Hmm, you look cute when you blush," Marco comments with a lazy smirk. Ace rolls his eyes and retaliates with playful punch to the chest.
"Shut up, I don't," Ace huffs but he starts to tilt his head up for another kiss but a loud explosion makes him pause in his advances. "What the fuck?"
A bunch of loud noises of gunshots starts to go off followed by explosions and whatever noises that Ace doesn't really know.
"Are you kidding me?" Marco dead pans.
"Must be another pirate attack," Ace muses.
Marco heaves an annoyed sigh. "Well, let's wipe the deck with them. They actually think they could take the Whitebeard Pirates on? Geez, they're fools but they're brave, I give them that."
Ace grins. "Right, let's give them the ass kicking that they'll regret for messing with us!"
Marco quirks an amused smile. "Sure." He slams the door open and races out of the room, with Ace following behind, to beat some no-name pirate crew into submission.