Chapter Title: Worry Tends to Foster Hope of a False Reality
Bedlam: Bedlam here! Sorry it's been a while, we've both been busy with life stuff. I want to thank you all for the fantastic reviews! I really feel the love. This chapter is a bit...different. It's a transition, but I hope you still enjoy it, since it was important and still enjoyable to write. I don't really have anything else to say beyond that other than to express my amusement that everyone seemed happy Ligi got eaten. Remind me to never piss any of you off!
Anjelle: I will admit, the delay was my fault. Beddy was finished her part but I had... some issues to work through. And then I updated my 11 other stories OTL But here we are with chapter 4! And just like Bedlam said, thank you SO much for your support! We love reading the reviews, they're really motivating especially after the long break we took! And a lot of you were wondering about how to pronounce Atche and Luhfi... Honestly, I say go with whatever you like. I, personally, pronounce them Ah-chey and Luh-fee but if you don't like that, imagine them however you wish!
What terrified Atche most was not being able to see. He'd spent so many long, endless hours in the darkness of that room, sound and touch the only reminders that his brother was there with him—that he wasn't alone. But sometimes that wasn't enough. Sometimes being able to feel the warmth of Luhfi's body against his, hearing his laboured breaths against the constriction of the collar, wasn't enough to ease his nerves.
Opening his eyes to that same darkness terrified him. He felt anxiety set in as he swerved his head around, searching for even the smallest light source. It was a fruitless effort; there was nothing but cold, uncaring blackness. He took a shivering breath.
Stay calm. Stay calm. You're going to be fine. You're going to—
"…A-Atche?"
The boy's eyes widened. He looked around, pointlessly searching through the darkness for his baby brother. He could hear his shaky, shivering breaths. They were a constant reminder of the night before, that monster looming over them with a heartless grin.
"I-I'm scared. Atche…?"
His mind flashed to that last night, their keeper's patience running thin. He remembered being lifted by clawed hands, Luhfi pulling blindly at his leg in the darkness of the room as he was met with deep red eyes. Terrifying eyes. Hateful eyes.
Atche's breath quickened, his body going cold as he recalled that hand around his neck, just beneath the collar, squeezing tighter and tighter before sending him thrashing towards the wall, turning to his brother and Luhfi SCREAMED—
Thatch yawned, leading Marco to sigh. "You're still tired yoi?"
The tiger gave him an incredulous look. "Do you know how much cats sleep?"
"I'm aware. It shocks me every time." The phoenix had been up all night watching the boys, leaving them little more than an hour ago in response to Thatch's arrival. Ace had woken briefly for a snack and they stayed with him until he fell asleep again, taking their leave as soon as his breaths evened out. They'd spent the last while shooting ideas back and forth about how, exactly, they were going to get two traumatised hatchlings onto a flying carriage to transport them to the main compound. So far every plan conjured ended in failure. They agreed that anything they'd do would result in the boys running away from them or the mythos once more losing the sliver of trust they'd gained. It was a depressing line of thought, more so when Marco realised that it was only a matter of time before Izo came, wondering what was taking them so long.
"It could be worse, you know," Thatch stated, ever the optimist. "The cubs are siblings, so at least they've had each other to lean on. It would have been a lot worse alone—"
The blond blinked, raising a hand to halt his friend's words. "…They're brothers?"
The redhead rolled his eyes as if to say 'you did not just ask that' before nodding. When he simply stared in reply he heard the other sigh. "Didn't you notice the family markers? They have the same colouring, bird-brain. And the same scent. What, did you think they were a bonded pair?" Continued silence had the tiger dropping his head into his palm. "I can't believe you."
In his defense, a lot had happened. He didn't have time to concentrate on trivial matters like that, his mind a clutter of worry and fear, all centering around the way their bodies trembled when he reached out to them. He'd noticed well enough that they were kin, but… that was about as far as his investigation went on that first day. Still, as he sat there across from his own brother, that short conversation put things into perspective. They didn't know much of anything about the humans, did they? Only hours earlier had they learned their names…
How old were they? Where were their parents? How had they come to be on that ship, shackled and bound by their own kind? Thinking about it had his stomach fluttering in unease, remembering just what it was about humans that sickened him. Mythos wouldn't do that. They wouldn't turn on their young like that, wouldn't treat them like lesser beings. Maybe that was why he couldn't hate those boys, even from the start: they were a product of the humans' savage ways. It made him sick.
"Marco, buddy," Thatch called, waiting for blue eyes to look up from the table. Having the bird's attention, he huffed and slumped back into his seat. "It's been getting to you, huh?"
"What?"
"Being around them—the humans," he added.
Marco was about to reject his claim when he looked back down at his hand, realising that his fist was clenched, fingers morphed into talons. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply to settle his nerves as he felt the familiar sting of his mortal form returning. Perhaps the cat was right; he was exhausted, dealing with them for only a few hours on his own. And they were so different, so subdued, compared to before. If they managed to fix them, to correct what Ligi did… would he be able to handle it?
He didn't voice his worries. "I'm fine."
"Sure you are." The sarcasm in his voice was almost nauseating. Then he sighed, concern entering his gaze. "Have you eaten?"
"I'm not hungry yoi," he stated, averting his eyes.
"You need to eat, featherhead. You're irritable when you're hungry."
"I'm not—"
"Yeah, yeah," Thatch interrupted as he stood from his seat, clearly not believing the blond. Marco couldn't blame him; Thatch always knew just what he was thinking. "Look, I'll make you some—"
A scream, raw and loud and desperate, erased his words.
Not a breath passed before they were at the door to the humans' room, sliding it open with enough force to splinter the wood around their fingers. Adrenaline rushed through Marco's veins as his eyes searched the room, spotting no danger, no abnormalities. The light from the doorway stretched across the floor, its end illuminating the ankles of two small, sobbing forms huddled together. He stared with wide eyes as Thatch headed over, swallowing the bile threatening to rise from his throat. There was nothing wrong, so why did Ace scream?
The phoenix opened his mouth to say something but found himself choking back his words as the boys backed away from the tiger, tears streaming down their faces as they shook their heads.
"Shhh, it's okay," Thatch purred, his voice calm and soothing as he held out a hand towards the boys. "We're not going to hurt you. You're safe."
His words seemed to do nothing for them, and the blond had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't just because they didn't understand him. He bit his lip. Even before they weren't like that—openly crying, terrified of their every move. "…What's wrong with them yoi?"
The redhead cursed under his breath as their crying grew louder and more frantic, reluctantly pulling back his outstretched hand. "Night terrors," he offered, "or at the very least, flashbacks."
Flashbacks—flashbacks to Ligi. So then…
"They're not seeing us."
"They're seeing him," Thatch continued with a nod, lifting himself from the floor to feel around for a candle.
Marco almost released his flames instinctively but held back, knowing they didn't need to see that. His fist tightened, nails digging into his palm as the knowledge that even in death that mutt was hurting them filled his mind. But slowly he relaxed and crouched low as he heard sounds of triumph off to the side where he could only assume his companion found what he was looking for.
Deep breath.
"Ace, Luffy," he called, getting no response. The hatchlings had backed themselves into the wall yet even still they tried to push further, mumbling human words he had yet to learn, voices and bodies trembling worse than when they saw his other form. They were terrified of him and he hated it.
To them, he was no different from the monsters in their nightmares.
Deep breath. In, out. Breathe. You just have to—
Wait. Those names, Ace and Luffy… The humans had no connection to them yet, did they? If Thatch was the one who named them, then…
He spoke again as the first candle was lit, not yet enough to illuminate the faces of the mythos. "Atche," he tried, voice low and calm, "Luhfi."
The brothers jumped slightly as they heard their names, Thatch continuing to light the candles one after another, illuminating Marco's figure just enough for the humans to see. Their eyes widened further.
Alright, good, the phoenix had their attention. They were seeing him. But where should he go from there? How was he to comfort them? His mind thought back to earlier in the night to the words the cat had taught him, trying to find one that he could use. It wasn't long before he had one, though with adrenaline rapidly fading from his body it was hard to recall the pronunciation of it. Swallowing, he reached out his hand just as he saw Thatch do earlier. "Safe, yoi." Their eyes began watering again. "Atche and Luhfi safe."
Marco saw Ace's lip quiver first but had no time to react as Luffy lunged at him, wrapping his arms tightly around the phoenix's waist. He tensed at the action, muscles clenched instinctively as the boy cried into his shirt but didn't move, forced himself still, left speechless when the elder joined his brother. Ace, who refused to touch him throughout the day, who was reluctant to even go near him, was clinging desperately to him like a lifeline, fat tears rolling down his cheeks.
When the tiger lowered himself beside them, Marco's frozen form turned to him, conveying all his turmoil through his eyes. What was he supposed to do now? But his only answer was a nudge and he cautiously lowered his hands to their backs. They flinched, of course, but beyond that neither pulled away, the fabric of his clothes bunched in their tiny hands.
Thatch breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad that's over," he stated, slapping his hand against the blond's shoulder. "Good job there, buddy."
The phoenix felt himself slump, his back curving slightly as the tension left his body. "What did I do yoi?" Naturally the redhead gave him an incredulous look, tilting his head. "I didn't do anything, so why…"
Suddenly what he was asking clicked. "You got through to them."
"How though?"
"Don't question it; just be happy it worked."
He snorted. Humans. He would never understand them. How could one word have them reaching for him so desperately? How did one broken, poor excuse for a sentence in their language snap them away from whatever they were seeing?
"Don't… Please don't leave," Ace hiccupped, burying his face in the fabric.
"I-is the bad man coming back? I-I don't want… He's scary."
Grey eyes and freckled cheeks turned his way, pleading with him for something he didn't understand. "P-please stay. I'm scared."
Luffy joined the elder in staring at Marco who turned to Thatch with questioning eyes. The tiger shook his head. "Sorry, I couldn't catch most of it," he admitted reluctantly. "They're slurring their words, so I don't think they're fully awake right now."
Looking back to the boys, blue met grey and Ace's eyes widened a second, something akin to realisation flashing across his face and he lowered his gaze to the bird's chest. "Stay?" he asked, though it was a word Marco hadn't learned. "Stay here?"
Luffy looked at his brother briefly before settling his eyes on that same spot in the middle of the blond's chest, refusing to go higher. He hated how they tried to not look directly at him—no doubt a result of Ligi's 'training'. "S-stay?"
"Marco…" He turned towards the sound of his name, barely able to pull his attention from the small forms attached to him. "Are they bothering you?"
"Hm?" He barely caught the words, his mind drifting elsewhere. The way they grabbed at him was unsettling, he had to admit. Being so close to humans after so long, it was hard not to pull back. But he resisted. He allowed them their comfort, as poor as it was. "I can handle it yoi." What would happen to them if he didn't—if he shoved them away coldly when they sought comfort?
"Good!" Thatch exclaimed, startling the boys as he once more clapped Marco on the shoulder. "Because that word they just used, that's their word for 'stay'."
He blinked. So that was it. Looking down at the expectant pairs of eyes glossy with tears, still locked on his chest, he nodded. "Stay."
They clung to him closer, their tears starting up again as they settled themselves against the one they feared hours earlier. Somehow Marco knew that, come morning, they wouldn't be so attached.
It's amazing the power fear holds over you.
The boys were finally asleep. That relieved the mythos, Marco especially, as he was finally able to get away from their touch. They each gathered one hatchling into their arms, laying them out carefully on the bed of pillows and blankets they were lying on before. The bird was sure to locate his old blanket, wrapping it securely over them. He was happy to note Ace latched onto it immediately.
"You alright, Marc?" Thatch questioned for the umpteenth time, leading him to roll his eyes.
"Fine," he assured, "I'm fine."
"You look tense." The blond sighed, having to agree. He felt tense. "If it gets to be too much, I can take over. Don't stress yourself."
The faintest of smiles found its way to his lips. He could appreciate the tiger's concern, and even more his support. "Too much yoi? Speaking from experience?"
"W-well…"
Having finished tucking them in, he stood and took a seat away from the humans, allowing his legs to stretch out in front of him, happy that, for the moment, he didn't have to worry about the children seeing them. The way he sat when they hatchlings were laying on him was awkward and uncomfortable, leading to cringe-worthy cramps in both of his knees. "I haven't eaten them. Would you call that progress?"
The redhead huffed, clearly understanding what the phoenix was implying. "That was one time." He gave him the look. "…In recent memory—LOOK, forget that, I wanna figure out what triggered their attack."
Marco glanced at the candles, watching as one of the flames flickered in the darkness. He recalled the day before, the room that reeked of waste with chilled air and walls that wept. "The darkness," he whispered.
Dark eyes settled on him carefully, jaw clenched. "…Where did you say he kept him?"
"I didn't."
"Then tell me now. You know—I know you know."
His mind was still there in that filthy room, seeing a burlap sack with a wet corner that smelled of ammonia. His instincts told him that room would never be truly clean again. "South hall. The wine closet."
Thatch sputtered, "The wine closet?" Immediately he slapped his hands over his mouth, glancing back to the young to make certain that he didn't wake them with his unintended outburst. "There's no light in there, Marco! Gods, how—no wonder they—argh, just… You sure there's nothing left of him? What I wouldn't give…"
"Sorry, yoi. Nothing past some waste."
"Even that sounds appetizing," he grumbled, settling himself next to the humans.
Marco noticed the way the tiger's eyes softened when he looked at them. If other mythos saw the great Byakko looking so gently at a pair of humans, what would they think? And if they knew Suzaku, out of all four Saint Beasts, attained human pets, how would they react? At some point he stopped caring, but still he wondered.
"…If it gets to be too much, I'll take them. I wouldn't mind."
The phoenix closed his eyes. "I know."
But they were his responsibility. He was at fault, and he would make things right.
"Hungry! Hungry! Atche, I'm hungry."
"Me, too." Two sets of eyes stared at him intently, burning a hole into the book he was striving to read. "He knows, Luhfi."
Marco refused to look up, even if he'd given up reading completely at that point. The book was a good shield, though. It helped him pretend that they were glaring at it, not that they wouldn't—couldn't meet his eyes, even if it was only for a little bit. He knew the moment he looked up at them they'd both freeze in fear, eyes darting anywhere but his face before they'd settle. He wondered how Thatch managed to sit there with such a calm smile during every flinch, every hesitant step forward the hatchlings made, where even a passing shadow could have them shying away, shaking in fear. It hurt to watch, and once again he wondered if that was the real reason behind the book—so he could pretend he didn't see. Turning the page, he felt more than saw both hatchlings tense and sighed, "Thatch is coming yoi. He said he was bringing a treat."
"What's she saying?"
"For the last time, it's a boy, Lu. I don't know. I wish I did." Ace let out a sigh, ruffling his younger brother's hair before he went back to staring intently at the book.
Marco shifted uncomfortably and tried to explain, eyes glancing up at them for a second. He was pleased when they both just tensed for a moment but that was it. "You're just going to have to wait."
The sound of the door unlocking had them both diving into the pillow fort's depths before they had even registered that it was Thatch on the other side. The tiger's smile never dropped, but he'd known the other long enough to catch the tightness around the eyes, the flash of sympathy that was locked away behind the ever-present grin. "Hey there, Marco! How are our favorite little human cubs doing?"
"Hungry, yoi."
"Yeah, kind of expected that." His friend hefted a clay jar and a simple bowl. "Brought them a nice treat for breakfast. Sorry it took so long; some idiot was in the cold pantry and moved my stuff around again."
"Oh? What is it?" Marco took the bowl and held it as Thatch opened the jar and shook out a variety of mixed berries until the bowl was full.
As he secured the jar he gestured for Marco to place the bowl of damp berries on the table. "Just fruit. Don't worry, I've seen humans eat all of these before, and I made sure they were still good. Might be a little over-ripe in some cases, but I think we've established that human cubs like sweets, too." Thatch glanced over at the mat where both of the little ones were staring at them intently but unwilling to move. "Ace, Luffy?" Both perked up and Marco felt his friend kick him under the table.
"Hungry, yes?"
"YES!" Luffy cheered, shooting from their protective circle of pillows, tugging on Ace as if to hurry the more reluctant hatchling along as they approached the table. It took a moment for both to get seated, the elder helping the smaller boy before settling himself. "Atche, are those...?"
Cautiously a hand reached out and picked a few berries out of the bowl, eyes darting up briefly to their faces in a silent check for approval. Neither mythos dared to move as Ace nibbled on one of the brightly coloured fruits before grinning. "They are, Luhfi. All kinds, too!" The bowl was pulled closer and both boys dug in.
"I think they like it." Thatch grinned at him.
"You're sure they're safe for them yoi?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it." Thatch leaned back. "Guess I need to try harder to get their names right, huh?" Thatch mused as they watched the two hatchlings share the bowl of berries between them. "I still can't believe you figured out how to pronounce them."
Marco shrugged, "They're not that hard."
"Says the bird. Really Marco, I'm impressed. You're going to have to help me so I don't keep screwing them up."
"Actually, I don't think we should use their old names often if we can avoid it." Marco held up a hand to forestall the protest he knew was coming, "I was thinking about what you said yesterday—how they were on that ship and how we can't return them. I don't want them to be trapped in the past, Thatch. The new names will help give them a fresh start. "
The way the tiger looked at him said he understood completely what he meant. After a moment his brother spoke, "I see. Well, if you think it's for the best then we'll stick with their new names. But I still want you to teach me how to say their old ones. Just in case, alright?" After a while he spoke again, "So, any new ideas on how to get them to the main compound?"
"No. You?"
"How do you feel about the window?"
"We are not backing up the carriage to the window yoi. Too risky, they could get hurt," he pointed out, watching them eat.
"We still need to move them either today or tomorrow at the latest. You know we're behind schedule as it is; the old man is probably wondering what's up. Not to mention Izo. You know how that guy gets."
Marco raised a lazy eyebrow, "Speaking of, what did you do to piss him off anyway?"
"I have no clue!" Thatch whined dramatically, flopping to the table. "He wasn't mad at me a few weeks ago!" Brownish eyes looked up at him pleadingly, "Help?"
"Leave me out of it yoi."
"Hey! I'm helping you out, brother."
He did have a point. "Maybe Izo will take pity on you. Besides, I think I'm going to have my hands full for a while." He frowned, catching sight of the scabs around Ace's neck. They were starting to look puffy again, meaning it was time to re-apply the salve. The last thing either hatchling needed was for those horrible marks to get infected. They were already going to scar as it was. "When are you planning on changing their bandages yoi?"
"Hmm? Oh, not until tonight. If we've managed to get them into the main compound today, I may wait until tomorrow and bathe them first. They could probably use it." The cat sniffed the air and let out a small sneeze. "Definitely need it."
"I want to help."
"Nah, I told you, I got it." Thatch grinned, walking around the table and carefully applying the salve to both boys while they continued to gobble up the berries. His hands were steady and he paused each time they flinched away to let them settle before continuing, gaze gentle.
Marco chewed the inside of his lip, watching as his friend finished up and sat once more. He knew that the other was just trying to look out for him, and he appreciated it, he really did. The phoenix had to know the extent of the damage his carelessness had caused, though. Because despite what Thatch said, every hour of fear and starvation, every bruise and cut was his fault. It was his fault that those noisy little hatchlings had been so cruelly treated for a week.
The little one, Luffy, was staring at Thatch's hand. It took Marco a moment to realize that the boy had been doing so for the last minute without even blinking, his expression frighteningly vacant. Hesitantly he reached out, knowing that they were not supposed to be making any sudden movements, but at the same time he was worried. What if the hatchling was having some sort of fit, or worse, a flashback? As his fingers brushed the soft fabric of the shirt, it seemed to break whatever trance Luffy had been under and the boy flinched away reflexively. That, he had expected. He had not expected the reaction to be so violent that the child would actually slide off the side of his chair onto the floor where he sat staring up at him with shocked, wide brown eyes.
"Sorry! Sorry yoi! I didn't mean to startle you, Luffy." He waited, braced for the inevitable growl from Ace, warning him off his brother as best he could. Instead the boy laughed. Marco was taken aback; even before, on that first day, he'd never heard the elder hatchling sound so happy. He was shocked as he looked to the youngling who was still calmly eating the berries, grinning down at his sibling who had started to giggle as well. "Ace?"
Grey eyes met his, and he knew something was wrong; he didn't even have to see how blown they were, or how the youth couldn't quite focus. Ace was looking him in the eye. "Yes?" The boy grinned wide, offering him a slightly squashed berry. "Want one? They're reeeeaaaaalllly goood, Mister-lady-bird-guy." He giggled.
"Thatch. Something is wrong."
His friend leaned forward, taking the berry from the lax hand. "I've noticed."
"Are they sick?" Luffy giggled as Marco gently picked him up and placed him back on the chair. He had to stop the little one from sliding right off again, though. "They don't feel warm. Humans get warm when they're sick, right?"
"I don't think they're sick." Thatch sniffed the berry.
"Then what's wrong with them yoi? They were fine a little while ago!"
Brows furrowed, the cat turned his attention to the half-empty bowl. "I think… I think maybe it's the berries."
"I thought you said they were safe! You said humans eat them all the time yoi!" he hissed, trying to keep his voice lowered so as not to frighten the two humans.
"Noooo! I want more!" Luffy whined, clambering onto the table as Thatch picked up the bowl.
"No. Luffy, no." He held the bowl out of reach, standing and moving away as Ace joined his brother in begging. "I swear to you I've seen humans down them by the fist-full and never act this way before, Marco."
"Then what's wrong?"
"I think it's because they're so tiny maybe? They're not sick, though." Popping one in his mouth he offered a sheepish laugh, "Oops."
Marco turned to glare at his friend, pulling both boys off the table before they could fall off the end and setting them on the floor. "What do you mean, 'oops'?"
"Well, you know those fruity little desserts Izo likes?" Thatch began, quickly pouring the rest of the bowl back into the clay jar.
It took him a moment to figure out what he was talking about. "The tarts that you claim taste like summer?" They were actually very good; everyone was fond of them and to this day the cat had never said how he'd made the fresh fruit so tangy. All Marco knew was it had to do with a blend of herbs Thatch soaked the berries in. He suddenly had a sinking feeling as Luffy tried to stand and tripped over nothing. "What about them?"
"Well… I might have accidently grabbed the fruit for those instead."
"You got them high. Off of berries. Is that even possible?" The herbs he used never affected mythos, but honestly Marco would have been surprised if they were overwhelming to humans; those creatures didn't seem to hold up well to many mythos delicacies.
"Maybe?" Thatch held up his hands, "In my defense, someone was in the cold-room, and they did move everything! That's not my fault. It is my fault that I didn't check to see if I grabbed the berries I've been prepping, though…"
"Why yoi?"
"Because Izo's mad at me and I don't know why!" Thatch whined. "I figured I'd try to smooth things over, alright? So I split the berries I got in town last week into two batches… and look, I'm sorry, alright? But look at the plus side."
His eyes narrowed dangerously, "What plus side?"
"Well, they're very agreeable right now, right?"
"Because they were drugged."
Thatch ignored his interruption. "Bet we could get them to the carriage and move them before they sober up."
He thought about it. Honestly, he wasn't comfortable with it, but looking at the two happily giggling messes he realized what Thatch was saying and found himself reluctantly agreeing that it might be their best chance. Quickly he strode over to the makeshift den the hatchlings had made and located his old blanket, remembering how fond Ace seemed to be of it. "Fine. But if they throw up on me yoi…"
"They're not that high… probably."
"Hey lady," Marco looked down at Luffy who was half hanging off his arm, "do you poop?"
"Lu… You-you don't ask questions like that!" Ace hiccupped, "Of COURSE he poops! Big flaming piles of—"
"Oops, wrong way, cub." Thatch's hand shot out and he caught the back of Ace's shirt before the child could wander off into the east wing. The boy just looked up at him with a wide, dopey smile.
"This is taking forever yoi." He sighed as Luffy finally let go of his arm in favor of running around them in circles. He suppressed the urge to rub the wrist the hatchling had clung to.
His friend barely glanced at him, eyes fixed on the two young humans who were now both chasing each other in some nameless game. "Well, did you expect it to be easy? They're tiny, they're hurt, and they're in complete la-la land right now. The only way we're going to get anywhere fast is if we carry them, you know."
"It's like herding ferrets," he pointed out as the two ran figure-eights around them before taking off down the hall as fast as their little human legs could carry them. "Worse, actually."
"It's not that bad, trust me." Thatch grinned at him. "At least they come when you call them, right, Luffy, Ace?" Both boys perked up and came charging back, running up to the man. "Hard part is going to be outside, waiting for the carriage."
Luffy tugged on the cat's white pants excitedly, "Thatch! Did'ya see, did'ya see? I almost caught Atche!"
"Bet you can't do it again!"
"What do you mean?"
"Ready-set-go!" The little one took off running down the hall, half stumbling, Ace on his heels.
"Well, it's not like it's ready to go, is it?" His friend shrugged, face pulling tight. "Think about it, Marc: we're going to be standing out there with the two cubs and you know how servants are. They're going to show up."
"They wouldn't dare," he felt his temper flare at the thought. "You and I both made it clear—"
"That they were not allowed in the same wing. Outside?" The little ones raced past them again, giggling as they overshot. "We might be better off carrying them. I honestly can't tell you how they're going to react to seeing all those mythos, Marco."
"I—Thatch, I don't think I can," he admitted shamefully. He wanted to help them, he really did, but even letting the little one hang off his arm tested his limits. He knew they were no threat to him, but that didn't mean he was in any way comfortable with being close to them like that, especially for the extended period they'd be required to hold them as the carriage readied. Watching the young humans once more trot a little ways ahead, he again questioned what he was even doing.
"Atche! Carry me!" Luffy's voice rang out with joy as the child launched himself at the other's back. Marco tensed instantly even as Thatch already sprang into action before Ace's cry of pain. Of course he would; he's seen what Ligi did to them. The boy's knees buckled instantly and he dropped, landing on his hands and knees, the younger hatchling circling him worriedly as he made a high-pitched keening noise that tore at Marco's heart. It reminded him too strongly of a wounded animal, not the hatchling that had been laughing just seconds before. "Sorry! Sorrysorrysorry! I forgot! I'm sorry!"
"It's alright." Ace muttered something, pulling Luffy close with shaking arms. "It'z ok. Doesn't hurt…"
Marco approached cautiously. Thatch was already running gentle hands along the human's back and sides while he just sat there. "Thatch?"
"It's fine. I don't think it made anything worse." Somehow that was a cold comfort, given the sound. It must have shown on his face, because his friend offered him a shaky smile. "Honest. I don't think he even felt it, really. He's too..." he made a vague gesture with his hand, indicating the glassy-eyed look both humans still had.
"Then why'd he cry?"
Thatch tapped his own head, "Didn't feel it here, I should say." He sighed and picked up the smaller of the two, shifting him so he rode on one hip. "His back sure felt it, though. Hate to say it bird, but looks like we're stuck carrying them anyway. I don't think he's up for more walking. Hand him to me?"
He looked down at the boy who was watching them with mild curiosity, tears still running down his face and had to agree with Thatch's assessment. Once again he felt a rush of gratitude towards the tiger who hadn't even asked if he'd carry one and promised he'd try to do better. He owed it to the hatchlings and to Thatch. Slowly and gently so as not to startle the child, he lifted him from under the armpits. The problem was if he handed him off like that, the hatchling's already abused back would be the only thing Thatch could reach, so he went to turn the boy, bringing him close to his body as he did so. Two thin arms instantly latched around his neck and he froze. "Thatch?" He gave a gentle tug, but the arms only tightened their hold. "He won't let go yoi."
"I can see that. Ace?" He got a face full of hair as the boy turned to look at his friend. "Come here?"
"You look short from here." The boy settled, making himself comfortable as his legs hooked around Marco's hips.
"I think you might be stuck with him for a while. Sorry."
Reminding himself he'd just promised to try to do better, he shifted Ace around until he was riding against his hip. "It's fine."
"No, really, I'm sorry."
"Let's just make this fast."
"You know—Lu's right. This is fun. I feel… tall." A hand freed itself and Marco found himself being poked in the cheek, Ace's grey eyes staring intently at him. "I like being tall." His eyes traced upwards towards the top of Marco's head. "How is your hair yellow?"
Marco sighed, trying to repress the shudder that went through his body as the hatchling combed his hair with tiny fingers, making small noises of wonder as he walked quickly down the hall. He could just hope that the carriage would not take that long to get ready, but with the way his day was shaping up it wasn't looking good. At least Thatch had been right so far about the little ones being easier to handle like this, though he was sure there were going to be repercussions from it. He just hoped they wouldn't stop eating. It would crush the tiger if that happened.
Ace flinched slightly when they stepped out into the bright light of the courtyard, burying his face into the crook of Marco's neck with a slight whimper. "Too bright yoi?" Grey eyes blinked up at him before the boy smiled, uncomprehending in both the language and his intoxication.
"Master Suzaku, Master Byakko, the carriage will be ready shortly. If it would please you to wait in the gazebo, my lords, I will watch after your... pets." A servant reached out to take Luffy from Thatch's arms.
The tiger's lips drew back in a silent snarl as the hatchling whined, clutching tighter to his loose tunic with an air of desperation as his eyes rolled. "Don't you dare touch them."
"Milord, wouldn't you be more comfortable if you didn't have to carry that thing, though?"
"Leave us. Do not bother us again with your worthless drivel until the carriage is ready," Marco said, blue eyes coldly looking down at the man who backed away quickly, muttering apologies. Ace had tensed in his arms during the exchange, clinging to him like a lifeline. He wondered if it was because he had met the servant during that week, or if it was because he was a stranger. The bird didn't know which one would be worse. "You're alright, Ace."
The hatchling flinched, "Yes?" He could feel the sob the boy swallowed. Small hands fisted in his robes, knuckles white as the small frame pressed closer into his chest. "You're not going to leave us again, are you? Please don't! I-I can't—please! We'll be good this time!"
"Uh-huh! We'll be extra good! I promise! I don't want to go back to the dog-monster-man, please don't make us..." Luffy sniffled, looking around with wide, frightened eyes at the staff that had started to gather.
Ace began to shake. Silent shuddering wracked his small frame as his eyes darted around the quickly-filling courtyard. A strangled whimper died on his lips as his body sagged in defeat and Marco once more felt enraged at what had been done to so thoroughly break such a spirited hatchling. He felt his body shift against his will, responding to the emotion.
"Remember the cubs," Thatch bit out, eyes on the crowd as well. His friend was right, of course; he didn't need to make this worse for them.
So he held his tongue and tried to calm down in an attempt to stop and reverse the transformation. He didn't notice at first that his elongated claws were poking Ace until the child turned to look, tilting his head before starting to play with them.
"Nice and sharp. Like a knife. We could... we could make sandwiches with them! That would be awesome! Right? Because I'm starving."
"I'm sorry yoi. Did I hurt you?"
Luffy stretched across Thatch, nearly falling out of the man's arms as he tried to get a look at Marco's hands as well. He grinned, "Oh yeah, Mister Lady is a bird. If we make a sandwich he can have the bread! Should we feed him crumbs? Mama fed the birds crumbs. Except the crows. She yelled at the crows. I don't like crows. Hey Atche, he's not a crow is he? Because I don't like them. But I like Mister Lady-guy. But not crows. Because Mama didn't. You think he likes crows? Hey Lady-bird, do YOU like crows?"
"What are they talking about?"
Thatch just shrugged helplessly. "Whatever it is, at least it's gotten their minds off our audience, right?"
"Small favor," he grumbled in reply, narrowing his eyes in annoyance at the staff as he counted the seconds. He wasn't planning on coming back to this compound anytime soon, and if he had his way, the little ones would never have to come back here.
"Sirs?" It was that infernal servant from before. Wisely he chose not to approach, instead standing midway between where they waited and where the carriage was. "Your carriage is ready. If you need any assistance?"
"That will be all from you." Thatch's smile was cold, predatory, as he glided past the servant and up the two steps into the semi-privacy of the carriage, Luffy held tightly in his arms. Marco was just a step behind him, barely sparing the stunned servant a glance as the man shut the door, his own face a mask of cool disinterest.
He settled his charge down on the cushioned bench across from where he and Thatch sat, next to where Luffy already sat fiddling with the window. "Please tell me you locked that yoi."
"And risk them falling out? Of course I did," came the slightly snappish reply. "Sorry."
"It's alright." The cabin was tense as the two mythos watched the children suddenly notice the crowd still gathered in the courtyard. Both hatchlings ducked down low on the bench, plastering themselves against the carriage walls as they huddled together. When the carriage rocked, finally rising off the ground, both he and Thatch let out equal sighs of relief.
He, at least, was ready for the squeals of delight from Luffy when he noticed they were airborne, chuckling at Thatch's discomfort. "Loud, isn't he? Were they like this the first time?"
"You have no idea yoi." He sighed as Luffy pointed something out to Ace.
"At least he's not scared." The carriage dipped slightly, hitting a patch of turbulence, earning twin shrieks, one of joy and one of alarm. Thatch winced, "They'll lose interest soon, right?"
Marco hid a smile, "Probably."
"Ow ow ow!" Thatch almost whimpered as Luffy smiled brightly up at him, tugging his hair and forcing the fierce tiger to lower his head. "Marco, please tell me what he is doing."
Marco finally gave it his full attention, looking away from where Ace was still trying to catch the rainbow on the seat. Taking in the sight of his friend being bullied by such a tiny human, he had to pause a moment to make sure he was seeing things right. It looked like the hatchling had gotten tired of kneeling in order to play with the man's long hair and was now slouched in his seat, but was unwilling to give up his new toy—which was what the great and mighty tiger had become: a child's plaything. "I think he's braiding your hair yoi."
"What?" He attempted to pull away and the young child made an unhappy sound, making him stop. "How does he even know how to do that?"
"You're asking me? I don't know the first thing about humans."
"Luhfi, what are you—oh hey! Cool! Let me try!"
Thatch chuckled good-naturedly as Ace threw himself on top of the man. "Gods no, not the other one, too!"
"Nooooo! Go do Miss-Mister-Marco-Bird!"
"Good idea—it could help him pick up girls!" And suddenly he had a lap full of grinning Ace. "I'm gonna make you pretty!"
"Is he going to do what I think he is yoi?" There was a tug on his hair and Thatch laughed. "This is going to be a long trip."
"Would you ease up, bird? You know he'll lose interest soon enough."
Marco gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to shove the boy off his lap. It was too much, too fast. Here he thought the carriage ride was going to be the easy part of moving them. He hadn't realized how much it was going to try his limits. "I'm trying."
"I know you are, and you're doing great, Marco. Just remember that they're not going to be like this later," the redhead reminded him, his smile slipping. Like he needed that when that morning they'd still been terrified of meeting their eyes, of accidental touches. He knew that come morning they'd be back to that at the very least. "Hey, they'll heal."
Ace slid off his lap, pouting. "His hair's too… poofy. Why is your hair poofy? Poofy-head."
"Physically, at least." The phoenix sighed, eyeing the bruises along the hatchling's neck and chin.
"WeCAN fix this. Stay positive," Thatch snapped, and both boys turned to look at him. He offered them a smile, digging the blanket out from next to the window and handing it to them. "Play with this, Ace, Luffy. You have to stay positive, Marco."
That was easy to say. Every time he looked at them, though, he found himself questioning if they could, or if the little ones would even let them try.
By the time the carriage began its descent, the boys' high was already starting to fade. They'd gotten quieter, albeit not returning to their timid nature quite yet. They'd complain every once in a while and, while Marco couldn't make out the words, he understood from body language that the aftereffects of eating the berries were starting to kick in. They clutched their heads every so often, clearly pained. He felt bad but, well, what could he do?
Finally it landed and both mythos instinctively looked out the windows, surveying the courtyard. The bird was happy to see that not much of a crowd had gathered; he assumed that since the servants had all been informed of the two pets to join the household, the novelty of it wore off. They'd been told a week ago, after all.
Thatch left first, gathering a squirming Luffy in his arms. Seeing that, Marco felt obliged to lift Ace, wondering if his back still ached. The boy had regained enough conscious thought to back away from the touch, curling up against the side and back walls. He sighed, a little disheartened. As aggravating as they were when off in la-la land, he preferred it to the way the youngling was looking at him then. "You let me carry you before yoi. I'm just going to do that again. Is that alright, Ace?"
"Dunno what you're saying," Ace muttered lowly, pulling his mouth taut. "And you dunno what I'm saying. Where's Luhfi?"
At the mention of the younger human's name Marco snapped his head towards the open door, looking out it to where his kin stood, rambling on to the little one who was pressing his hands against the tiger's face. Then he turned back to Ace. "Luffy's safe."
"Safe?"
He blinked, having not realised he used the human language until the boy replied, and nodded towards the door. Ace followed the motion, visibly relaxing when he saw what Marco had. The child tried to stand, his knees buckling as soon as he was to his feet, letting out a small whimper that made the blond's heart clench.
He bent low, reaching out towards the boy, waiting for a sign that he could pick him up.
Deep breaths. Relax.
Eventually Ace raised his arms, gesturing to be carried. Marco complied, thankful that he was still a little out of it. He didn't want to know how much the hatchling would have resisted otherwise.
When the two exited the carriage Ace winced and hid his face in the crook of Marco's neck, away from the sun. The bird didn't notice, though, his eyes falling immediately to the fair-skinned man robed in pink who was approaching Thatch in a quick stride.
Izo.
He found his way to Thatch's side before the turtle had gotten there, analyzing the very visible markings on the man's neck that peeked out from beneath the traditional regalia he was layered in. They climbed up along the sides of his head near his ears, fading out at eye level. He wondered if they would be a problem—if the boys would be alarmed when they saw them. Thatch's markings were easily hidden beneath his clothes—the man's habit of wearing long sleeves was helpful at times like those—and he'd been careful to wear long robes to hide his legs. He noticed before the way the humans' eyes always went immediately to the most visible mythos characteristics on whoever they met.
"Well, it's about time you two showed up," he stated as he stopped in front of them, his arms crossed over his chest. "You're late."
Thatch shifted the human to free one of his hands, rubbing his neck sheepishly. No doubt he was thinking back to how mad Izo was the last time they met. "We had a few complications." Luffy clutched tighter to the redhead, making him revise his statement, "A lot of complications."
Silver eyes narrowed skeptically on the tiger, "Oh?"
Instinctively Marco tightened his grip on Ace, holding him secure. The boy noticed, raising his head to look at Marco's face with glassy eyes.
"Feels weird. No one's carried me since Mama. Not like this."
That word, 'mama' or whatever it was… He'd heard it a few times since that morning. He'd have to ask Thatch what it meant at a more appropriate time—if he even knew.
"Poor kid," Izo murmured with a sigh, eyes sympathetic. When the two men stared at him he huffed, gesturing to the human. "Sounds like he's homesick."
The bird and cat shared a look before the latter gaped. "Wait, wait, wait," he started, startling Luffy with his slightly raised tone. "You understood him? You know a human language?"
"Well duh, I like humans, moron." That was the first Marco heard of it. Glancing at Thatch he assumed the tiger thought the same, his expression disbelieving. "Don't look at me like that—I bet I know more about them than you do." The redhead was speechless. "Yeah, that's right."
Apparently he was still irked by whatever had him so upset with Thatch.
The turtle's eyes softened as he returned his attention to the younglings. "I know a language or two, but it's been centuries since I've needed to use them. I'm not sure how well I can speak it."
"Do you remember where it's from yoi?" Marco asked, hating himself for it. He'd resigned to care for them; dumping them in the human realms had been deemed foolish. Yet still he asked.
It seemed his words did little more than cause the tiger to turn thoughtful eyes his way, as Izo shook his head. "Unfortunately I don't."
"It's fine," he assured, shifting Ace's weight to his other hip. He glanced around at the staff scattered about, deciding it best to save their introduction for later, looking to Izo. "Could you instruct the servants on where to move the luggage and meet us in the inner courtyard? I want to get them settled in yoi."
He seemed skeptical at first but nodded, walking past them towards the carriage. "Anything for my favourite brother."
The bird didn't miss the pout the redhead wore beside him.
They walked through the corridors of the southern wing until reaching a familiar door. Thatch was the one to pick the area days before they left for the other compound; he said it would be good for keeping the younglings. The first room was deceptively small—a public sitting area that lead into a slightly larger, less formal area that could be used as either a private study or another sitting room. There was a door on either wall that led to what was to become the phoenix's new bedroom and the room for the nestlings. Large screens on the far wall opened to reveal the inner courtyard—an important feature, Thatch told him, as human nestlings had energy to spare. With how hurt they were, the blond wasn't sure they'd be using it all that soon. But fresh air was good, right?
They didn't spend long in the room, sparing few words to the boys about where they were, and hurried to set them both down on the slight porch overlooking the grassy plains of the courtyard. Ace flinched when he was let go, the movement straining on his back for little more than a moment before he got comfortable.
"You okay, Atche?" Luffy scooted nearer to his brother, concern in his eyes. "Sorry…"
"M'fine."
Marco stiffened when brown eyes looked him over, grey following soon after. He noticed that they were blown like before, a sure sign the humans were still under the effects of the herbs they'd ingested. He didn't trust the grin that crossed the little one's face. "Hey, hey Atche," Luffy tugged eagerly on his brother's sleeve, "if Ladybird likes crows then… does that mean she's gonna marry one, since she's a bird too? Are they going to have little crow-babies? I don't like crows. Mama didn't like them. But little crows might be okay."
The blond raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was rambling about. He turned to Thatch who raised placating hands, "Don't look at me. Something about crows—that's all I caught."
He decided not to press, looking through the open doorway as they began their wait for Izo. The turtle wouldn't be long—he never wasted time, and he seemed pretty eager to get a good look at the humans.
"Don't be stupid, Lu, little birds look like monsters." Ace's brow creased in thought. "Hey… Marco's a monster. He's a monster bird already! His kids would be hideous! And on fire! Flaming ugly birds!"
"Don't!" Luffy chastised—or that was what it sounded like, at least. "You're gonna hurt Mister-Miss Monster Bird's feelings! She didn't ASK to be on fire, y'know!"
Low and behold, the fair-skinned mythos appeared in the doorway, approaching them. He stepped around the boys, stopping next to his mythos brethren. At first Marco thought he was going to speak, lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Instead be focused on the humans' faces, on their droopy, red eyes that seemed permanently fixed on Marco. The crossdresser pursed his lips. "They seem a little… off."
"I wonder if it hurts… Mister Ladybird Marco, does being on fire all the time hurt?" Was Ace trying to talk to him? Not knowing made him uneasy.
"Well DUH, he's on fire!"
"But phoenixes are firebirds!" Ace exclaimed in a slur. "They… like… they're s'pposed to be like that 'n stuff. And he's blue." Grey eyes found their way to the bird's head, unsettling the blond just as they did before. He didn't like being stared at like that. "Hey Marco-bird, why's your hair yellow? You're blue. It should be blue. It confuses me. 'S it because it's brighter? Like the sun? Do you use it to pick up girls?" A pause. "…How do you breed?"
Izo nearly choked, making Marco uneasy. He heard his name. Immediately the turtle spun on Thatch, eyes hard and disapproving. "What did you do?"
"Me?" the cat asked, feigning innocence. "Why do you think it was me? I mean Marco could have—"
"He drugged them yoi." The adults went silent.
Luffy giggled. "He's a bird, silly!"
"He WHAT?"
The boys did little more than jump at the sudden ferocity in Izo's tone, proving just how out of it they were. Ace even chose not to bring attention to it, continuing to ramble on. "No, breed like… like make babies. 'Cause he looks like people, but then 'e doesn't."
The brunet barely glanced at the child, brows furrowed and set on the redhead in front of him in warning. "Explain."
"Look, it was an accident! I swear! But—but it was a good thing!"
"You drugged human children, Thatch," Izo pointed. "There's nothing good about that."
It was at that point Marco felt the need to intervene. He knew how his brother felt—he'd reacted in much the same way—but there was some good that came of it, even if it wasn't the most honest of methods. If they had walked out of that room without them being like that… he didn't want to think about how the poor things would have reacted. So the blond stepped forward. "He's right, yoi. I don't think we could have gotten them here otherwise."
"Does he lay eggs? Is that why we're here—so that he can lay eggs and they can hatch and we're like their emergency rations if he can't find fatter people?"
The turtle pursed his lips. "What do you mean?"
"I don't think we'd taste very good… And I don't want to see him lay eggs…"
The mythos looked between each other, tensing, silently asking the other to explain. Thatch was the first to cave, heaving a sigh as he rubbed his neck and looked away from the youngest of the trio. "…There was an incident while we were gone. The servant we put in charge of caring for them didn't listen and…" Swallowing, he met silver eyes. "He abused them, Izo. Hurt 'em real bad."
Darkly rimmed eyes went wide and the mythos spun around. For the first time it seemed he noticed the scabs on the exposed necks of the younglings, the discoloured flesh that poked out from beneath their bandaged torsos. It seemed they hadn't noticed the new person, still fixated on Marco, but their focus shifted when Izo knelt in front of them, swaths of pink falling neatly to the ground. When they looked to his face he offered a forced smile.
"Hello there, little ones."
Luffy blinked, his mouth stretching into a smile, whereas Ace gaped, likely realising that the stranger spoke their language. "It's another pretty lady!"
Whatever the younger said seemed to be enough to snap the elder out of his stupor, tilting his head. "I-don't-think-so?"
They stared intently at Izo, silence stretching across the courtyard until Luffy opened his mouth, "Lady, why's your chest so flat?" He reached out his hand, groping Izo's chest. Immediately Marco felt the need to apologise, approaching them as Luffy's face sagged into a pout. "Awe… it's a boy."
"It is?" Ace followed his brother's example, pressing his hand next to the younger's.
The blond knelt down beside them, gently but firmly pulling their hands away from the mythos. "Sorry yoi. They're, uh, still out of it."
"As you've said…" He returned to smiling at the humans, though Marco could see the way he searched their wounds, analysing them. "Yes, little ones. I'm a boy."
Suddenly Luffy's hand shot up once again, this time to grope Marco's chest. He froze and stiffened as the boy grabbed at him, Luffy's face a mask of shocked realisation. "ATCHE! SHE'S A HE!"
"I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU THAT THIS WHOLE TIME!"
Peals of laughter escaped Izo's mouth, the mythos clearly amused by whatever they said in their outburst.
"What is it?" he couldn't help but ask as he pulled away from the human, internally cringing. He wasn't good at dealing with their touch when he wasn't braced for it. The other mythos seemed to notice, their eyes lingering on him longer than necessary.
Izo waved off his question, his smile more relaxed than before. "Nothing, nothing. You have two adorable humans, is all." He leant in closer to them, his expression falling once more as he looked them over. "…They're young."
Thatch stepped nearer, slumping down onto the edge of the wooden porch. "Well, yeah—told you that before, remember?"
The way Izo's head shot up to glare at the tiger had a knot forming in Marco's stomach. There was something foreboding in his words—something dangerous. He found himself subconsciously edging nearer to the children, an unknown feeling rising up from his core. The boys, in their drug-induced state, seemed to have had enough of sitting there as Luffy helped Ace to his feet, and they hobbled up to one of the old trees at the edge of the courtyard.
"You didn't tell me they were this young!" he shouted, biting back a growl as both of his brothers turned to stare at him with wide eyes. When neither moved to retort, to explain themselves, he shook his head. "You don't even know, do you?"
The world went quiet, nothing but the sound of the wind blowing past their ears as everything stilled. Thatch chanced a response first, swallowing. "…Know what—"
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Izo shouted, scaring the human boys. "Return them right now! They're barely hatchlings, you fools!"
Marco's body went cold.
The tiger was taken aback by the raw anger in his brother's voice. He collected himself and furrowed his brows, trying to appear unfazed by the sudden outburst. "We can't!" he growled back. "There's nowhere to return them to, even if we knew where they were from!"
Izo straightened, his face still hard as he looked down at the redhead. "What do you mean?"
Thatch didn't keep eye contact for long, glimpsing back to where Marco sat still stunned by those words. What did he mean, 'barely hatchlings'? They couldn't have been that young. He may not have had enough knowledge on humans to tell their age, but he knew that they couldn't be that young. But he didn't say that, didn't interrupt Byakko's words. "Marco told me they were found on a ship by one of Hancock's minions—a human ship, tied up," he admitted, being sure to emphasise just why they couldn't return them. "And after what that mutt did… They're messed up, Izo. Real messed up."
He hoped that it was understanding that he saw in the turtle's eyes, and hoped it was compassion that followed.
Ace rested against the trunk of the tree while Luffy jumped up, trying to reach a fruit on one of the low branches. After a few failed attempts Marco stood, half-dazed as his thoughts were still on what was said, and walked over to them. He grabbed two fruits, watching the slight colour change as they were plucked from their branches and handing them off to each child respectively. Unlike the last time he tried, they accepted, Luffy going so far as to utter what the bird knew as a word of gratitude in their language.
Izo released a frustrated sigh, carding a hand through his ebony strands as he watched the children eat. "There's no choice, then. But humans that young… they should be with their mother, not a pair of idiots like the two of you."
Thatch's interest was piqued at that and he turned towards the other, looking up. "How old do they look to you?"
Once more sighing, he lowered himself next to the redhead, moving stray hairs away from his face. "Given their size, I'd say… no more than four and six." He focused silver eyes on Marco. "That'd be before flying age, phoenix."
"WHAT?! There's no way!" Now it was the cat's turn to startle the children, apparently. Marco would have beaten him to it, had he not been speechless. "That can't be right! Ace is too independent, and they're too mature to be so young!"
"I'm telling you what I see, Byakko." The name was used mockingly. "Look at them, Thatch. Really look at them. They're tiny."
"Well yeah, but—"
"I've seen plenty of humans. Those boys right there? They're not even old enough to care for themselves. Left on their own they would die. Are you following?"
Pulling his mouth taut, the cat cursed. "…It doesn't seem right," he whispered, dropping his head into his hands.
Marco stared at nothing in particular as those words sunk in. Before he'd called them hatchlings simply because of how tiny they were, thinking all humans were small before adulthood. He thought it was normal—just another thing he wasn't aware of about humans. To know that his nickname for them was accurate, that they were so helpless, and that two boys barely out of infancy went through all of that, everything that was done to them, his stomach turned. He felt like he was going to be sick.
A tug on his fingers had him rolling his eyes downward, settling on Luffy's small frame. The boy slurred something in his native tongue, pointing up at the tree, and Marco could guess what he wanted. Wordlessly complying, he took two more fruits from the tree and gave one to the hatch—child. He wasn't ready to use that word while the shock was still fresh. The bird knelt, holding the second fruit out towards Ace who didn't seem to notice it at first. His eyes were out of focus so the blond snapped his fingers, altering him to the offering. He took it, staring blankly at it for a few moments before biting into it. It looked like they were starting to nod off, the effect of the herbs finally wearing off, and Marco found himself sitting across from them. They were only a few bites in when their eyes slipped shut, the fruits rolling from their hands—first Luffy's, then Ace's. Absently he went about adjusting their postures so that they weren't so awkward, his brothers' conversation behind him fading into the background as he thought.
It was strange: looking at them then, instead of seeing disgusting humans or abused boys, all he saw were frail younglings, fragile like glass.
Easy to break.
So... hope it lived up to your expectations! Odd place to leave it off, I know, but you'll see why we left it there next chapter (which we've already started on - I think we've got the first 2K down) Oh! For the berries, we were basically envisioning the effects of the herbs to be a mix between being drunk and being high, so that's why it's kind of weird. The herbs are found in the mythos realms and only cause those effects in humans, and we know these two don't know that much about humans *cough* Again, thank you for sticking around and reading and reviewing, we love that you've been enjoying it! And we've got a surprise for you in chapter 6, so hold out 'til then ;)
To our lovelies~
Tinnis: (B) Thank you very much! Personally I think it's because we work so well together and our styles mesh nicely. As for your question: There are no devil fruits in this story. (A) You should see our planning. We finish each other's ideas, it's scary e_e; But yes, what she said about devil fruits.
Tsuri182718: (B) It's fine that you don't speak English! Thank you for the review! (A) We appreciate that you reviewed despite that :D
Suki Miko: (B) We spend a lot of time plotting out everything for each chapter. Thatch won't be the only one spoiling them, I'm sure. As for the discrimination… I wouldn't say it'll be further developed, but we will elaborate more on it as the story progresses. (A) Oh they'll definitely be spoiled alright… Though I think we have to worry more about Marco than Thatch, because at least Thatch knows WHEN to spoil them XD Yeah, I'd say there'll be further development. It'll be explained in more detail and you'll certainly see more examples of it in future chapters.
Pilvenpiitaja: (B) Maybe… Don't hate us! You know you really love us, admit it. Because without us, there would be no story, right? (A) If you love the story then by extension you love us because we're the ones that wrote it :P
PheonixWing68: (B) Comments are always welcome! Don't feel awkward about it. Your review really brought a smile to my face. I'm always worried that I personally need to work on my writing, since I know my spelling isn't great and my grammar goes downhill when I get excited (Just ask Anj!). So Thank you very much! I too have noticed the lack of updaters. (A) Hey, we like comments, awkward or not! XD Yes Beddy, you make more mistakes the more excited you get, but so do I XD And you have me to read it over~ As for updates… I haven't noticed, but lately I haven't been reading much because I can't keep up with writing if I do :,D
Ukvari: (B) I apologize for the confusion about the different mythos. It will be a little less confusing as the story goes on, and there are the notes about the different types. (A) That's what the notes are for, hun :) They teach you about the mythos mentioned so it's easier to understand, since it CAN be confusing. I THINK the next new character won't be introduced until chapter 6.
Son Goshen: (B) Squees are good. I like squee-ing. Hahaha yes, failPapa!Marco. He tries though. So he gets points for that. Pillow and blanket forts are the best. (A) Yes, she, that's how the language barrier will be solved… *cough*
Goat-tea: (B) Kids are amazingly resilient. Also, when they're on the bed, Ace is talking really low. He's not aware that Thatch can hear him clearly right away. But yes, they start talking pretty fast. You are completely correct about what Ligi did. For mythos, it really was completely normal. After all, Teach was going to eat them and Doffy… well… yes. Mythos are not fond of humans. He still deserved to get eaten, though. As for Sekhmet, keep in mind that first off this is a race of mythos, not a god. Also, in Egyptian mythology Sekhmet was the goddess of healing and war. Originally she protected Ra, and when he was killed, she went crazy and started killing people until she was tamed and became a different, cow-headed goddess. So that's where the idea of Sekhmet's not liking humans comes from. (A) While they're doing better than Marco expected, I would say they're doing well… *cough* And yes, what Ligi did most mythos wouldn't find fault with. Thatch and Marco? They're the exceptions.
ScatteredPhilosopher: (B) You'll be seeing more of the other mythos clans eventually and how they all interact. Don't you dare yell at me for spoilers, Anj. It's kind of a given there will be more characters. (A) Lol I won't yell at you this time XD There will be a LOT of different characters and clans and species and all that lovely stuff. Right now, though? Right now we're focusing on our main characters.
Zealousfreak27: (B) Thank you very much! (A) Thank you~
Key46812: (B) We were a little unsure how well that was going to be received. I loved that scene, myself, even if he was just doing what was culturally acceptable. (A) Yeah, I was worried I'd scare people away when I wrote it XD
Blood Princess Red: (B) I'm glad you liked the story! Yeah, reading all three chapters in one sitting can be a bit of an emotional roller-coaster ride, huh? (A) Things go up and down a lot in this story XD
Fairy of the Fiz: (B) That is the kind of reaction you need to have when a bad guy get's eaten. That or a maniacal grin. I blame Anj for all the abuse we put them through, even though I wrote it. Because she spent all of the author notes last time blaming me. (A) Oi, oi, you came up with ALL of that, thank you. Or most of it. Over half, at least. Me? My sins only go as far as Marco contemplating snapping their necks. I'm cuddly and innocent in comparison.
aslMeno: (B) Their adorableness can never be overstated. I hate kids as a general rule and *I* think they're cute. You'll just have to keep reading to see the answers to your questions~ (A) Same, children are evil. But these two I'll make an exception for.
Blue Wolf Miko: (B) See? Luffy figured it out. It just took some inappropriate groping on his part. (A) I feel bad for that, we're taking Marco so far out of his comfort zone...
Setsuyme: (B) Well, I'm glad you took the time to stop and read it! Totally worth the read, am I right? We spend a lot of time plotting out everything and hashing out the details in order to get everything to flow well. It's a lot of fun, and Anj is great for bouncing ideas off of. Sometimes we get going and then it ties into another idea and we didn't even PLAN on that happening to start with! (A) And this is why you need to give things a fighting chance :P Yes, working on it with Beddy is fun! We already have parts of 5 and 6 planned o_o But things really changed… Beddy originally wanted them to be teens, for example.
Guest: (B) And here's the next update. (A) Here it is~
Sairakanzaki: (B) No, this won't be a MarcoXAce pair. (A) Ace is a little too young for that here… ^^;
Samettikettu: (B) Yeah, Thatch has no clue what he did wrong, either. It's going to be a long and difficult road ahead of them, but I think they'll manage. (A) This is gonna be a long story, and there'll be a looooot of stuff for them to go through. But, well, that'll come later.
Ghanathesayan4: (B) You're making me blush. Honestly I don't even notice half the time how complex we've made the mythos and human cultures anymore. (A) I didn't realise it was complex at all, I'll be honest ._.
Aerle: (B) Well, Ligi didn't even pretend to be sorry. But you're the first person to feel bad for him. Marco is kind of awkward, isn't he? (A) Lol he stood by what he did, right until the very end. I love awkward Marco. He's fun.
Blueh: (B) Marco's going to be feeling guilty for a long time. Especially since he really doesn't know what he's doing at all. Ligi did his job well, for all that he wasn't fun to write. (A) And with every chapter Marco's guilt grows muahahaha. And Beddy, don't lie, you got WAY too into writing it for it to not be fun.
Molly Grace 16: (B) Oh, he sure tasted nasty. (A) Most definitely.
God of Laundry Baskets: (B) Anj, look, look what we did! We spazzed someone again! I'm so proud of us. (A) As am I.
Ireadtomuch: (B) We may or may not see Dalmatian himself in this story. Since you have minions, I think they might already suspect you're evil, you know? (A) We felt an OC was most appropriate because it's something fresh and new. It was someone never seen before to introduce the new world. Lol I don't see why you'd want to give a false portrayal to your minions.
Caring16: (B) I, Bedlamwolf Aka Kitsune Foxfire am B and Anjelle is A. Thank you very much! (A) B = Bedlam, A = Anjelle
WeevilOne: (B) If you end up adopting a dog or two, I demand you name them Atche and Lufhi. (A) As do I.
FlightWulf: (B) Getting sleeping IS the downside when reading in bed. But as you pointed out it's still totally worth it, right? We try and catch all those, and I guess I should go back and fix it, since I'm the one who leaves the editing to Anj (she's better at catching things then I am normally). Thanks for pointing that out! (A) Yeah, we miss things once in a while but so long as it's readable I'm happy~
Silent Cannery: (B) Ligi's death would not be cannibalism, since as you pointed out, he's not a phoenix. Maybe I'll do a oneshot of his death. I think the reason we left it out was because it detracted from the plot, really. It's not that Luffy is more mature so much as he is trusting. Marco in his mind isn't a threat, and when he sees Marco upset, he's mimicking what his own brother does for him. Ace on the other hand is older and is more untrusting by nature. (A) Trust me, there'll be… umm… Well, there'll be parts to make up for Ligi's missing death scene *cough* Luffy doesn't understand the dangers of their situation the same way Ace does. Ace? He understands the reality of it. He understands that just because these guys haven't hurt them doesn't mean they won't. And thank you as usual for your fabulous review! It's nice to see people putting so much thought into reading :D
xXMissAmeXx: (B) I love how everyone is happy Ligi got eaten. See, Anj? I told you the art was good. (A) I hold firm to my opinion that it's not.
Guest: (B) He was stringy. And I myself am fond of long naps. (A) As am I.
Kickassdani: (B) Well, we'll slowdown sometimes, too. We do have our own individual stuff to work on. (A) Yes, and March was difficult for me.
Nimphy-Ryuu-chan: (B) Yeah, it's a fluffy chapter for the most part. Thatch WANTED to help, but Marco went off on his own there. Poor Thatch didn't get anything. You have so many questions that I can't answer without getting yelled at! I'll let Anj explain the pronunciation, because I'm evil. (A) I explained in the top AN since so many people were asking :P
SiqwithaQ: (B) So now you understand our half-random seeming comments in group chat, huh? Or at least a few of them. And yes, be proud of you help with the naming of the chapter! (A) Yes, be very proud!
Justa Little Puppy: (B) How did you manage that?! 0.0 I'm impressed. I can tell your tail is really wagging like mad. The almost bonding is adorable, isn't it? So cute and I don't usually like stuff that sweet. (A) It's cute, but if you look at the context it's still kinda depressing XD
Gundam-grrl: (B) Here it is! (A) Here ya go~
Bard of Chaos: (B) That's what I like to hear! (A) Same!
Fruitstogether: (B) Everyone loves that Marco ate him, huh? Ace and Luffy are very young, so it's not like they can teach the others much about the human world. (A) Yep. And language barrier, of course. And would they even listen?
ThiefofStealth: (B) I'm glad you enjoyed it! We'll update when we can… but things like our other stories and life do get in the way. (A) Yes, having 11 other stories kinda slows things down for me… *cough*
Aille: (B) Oh, if they ever realize… Yeah, Thatch got tripped up on not only the language barrier but cultural differences there as well. (A) There'll be more of that in the future… *cough*
Caitycaterpillar: (B) I can't say much without being yelled at for spoilers, but… you'll be seeing other people from the One Piece world as a whole as the story goes on. (A) Yes, there will be many, many more characters.
TheAnalei: (B) Yep. It's acceptable for Mythos to eat each other. When you're basically immortal, there's not a lot of ways to insure the other person stays dead other than eating them really. Marco IS trying, but it's not going to be easy at all for him. (A) Yeah. And if you want to blame someone for the eating, I will take full responsibility. It was my idea. He's trying, but he doesn't always get the mark…
Nugni: (B) Marco's got a lot of things to work through when it comes to his hatchlings. I think he confuses himself half the time. (A) Yeah, he overthinks, or under thinks, or just plain doesn't understand.
Frostheart D. Blaize: (B) It's probably better not to think too much on it. (A) What she said.
Rheassa: (B) Sorry for the delay. We do have other stories of our own and life. Life does kind of make it hard when we live in different countries and time zones. (A) Life makes things VERY difficult.
Hyousax Wilson Grim: (B) Well, there was no point in beating around the bush, was there? Aww we're a favorite! (A) Yay~
PhantoMNiGHT321: (B) Ligi was totally eaten. And Look, Luhfi figured it out! (A) Yes, yes he did.
Thank you all for the faves, follows and reviews~
*quote by T Jay Taylor
