How to end a story you made because you were away from your computer and still wanna write a fic: Probably not like this.
Hope you'd enjoy!
"—I admit that while i have studied every Devil Fruit that was on board my ship, doctor, Commander Marco's is quite tricky. After all, there's simply not enough information when it comes to Mythical zoans,"
"Well, perhaps today, we have discovered something new, doctor. Phoenixes, as per the legend, were also known to rise from the dead, surely it is related to that?"
"But i have never heard that a Devil Fruit could allow you to cheat death, doctor! Would that not make it much more omnipotent than once thought?"
"Ah, but i have heard of one case, doctor. Perhaps you've heard of Soul King Brook?"
"Oh yes, i am quite a fan. But what does that have to do with anything, doctor?"
"Ah, he is actually a very close acquaintance to young Luffy in our ship. He is a Devil Fruit user whose fruit gave him a second life! Perhaps is was something of that effect?'
"How curious! Are you suggesting that—"
It was in the middle of this educational back and forth did Rayleigh reentered the infirmary, having helped Roger to return to his room and after some denial about being tired, watched his captain finally fall asleep. Once he made sure that he would be fine, he had returned, to find that the hallway on the front was less crowded than before, only occupied by several patient Commanders who gave him friendly smiles as he passed by them. Whitebeard was nowhere in sight, but one of them has commented that the old captain needed his rest after he had seen that his son was once again well.
Seems like he must've argued with Roger for far longer than he thought, if the excitement of Marco coming back to life has died down so significantly.
Meanwhile, the moment he entered he saw the two doctors seated right in front of the machine, lounging in a relaxed posture as if they had nothing better to do. Which is why he made his way over and say above Crocus' speech about the famous performer's fruit to ask, "Don't you have a patient to look after?"
Crocus and Whitebeard's doctor turned to him almost simultaneously. The flower crowned doctor's lips was pursed tightly as he replied, "Well, there's barely any need, is there? The fruit has taken care of everything. And besides, it's not like we can do anything right now," he huffed, turning his head to where Marco's bed was located, "Not with that still going on,"
Unlike before, the curtain separating the bed from the rest of the room has been pulled, almost shielding the view of the bed but not quite. And that little space allow Rayleigh to be able to see two tightly wrapped bodies almost melded into one, the sources of the odd wet noises he had been hearing since he entered the first time around.
He'd seen kisses and of course he had his own fair share of kisses - even to this age - but he had never seen one quite like that.
Not even the word kiss is appropriate to use in this context, Ace looks like he was devouring Marco's face. It's not like their gesture was sloppy - on the contrary, it seems way too familiar and well coordinated that speaks of plenty of experience - but it was enthusiastic, passionate, and the way the young man's hips are moving above the older's lap, it may look like something else. Something that made him really glad Roger is out of the room.
Finally, after minutes had passed, they separated for air - with a big, predictable gasp - and he heard Marco whispered, "Ace, come on," with a small chuckle, his eyes too fond and affectionate for other to be able to see the hint of exasperation in it.
Ace shook his head, still panting and with a heavy flush on his cheeks, "No, i'm not letting you go yet," he said in almost a whine, before latching his mouth onto the blonde's once more. Marco doesn't even look startled, and judging by how tightly his hands' grip on Ace's hips are, his earlier protest was only there for the sake of a protest. They wandered, sometimes higher and sometimes lower, and the moment it reached quite low enough, Rayleigh throws his face away with a hard blink.
"Not quite something you should be allowing in your infirmary, is it, Crocus?"
"You tell them to stop," the old doctor retorted.
There's something other than reluctance in the doctor's indignant reply, one that can only be explained by the glazed look on his eyes as they watched the pair on the partly concealed bed. And Rayleigh understood, somewhat. Far be it from them to separate a young couple - well, compared to them, Marco is still fairly young - who was nearly torn apart by death of all things. And as the borderline aggressive make out ended, Ace leaned his forehead against Marco's own, eyes closed and smile gentle as he whispered lowly, words uncaught by Rayleigh but definitely heard by Marco, as was intended.
The bespectacled man turned to the two doctors, and sighed, "Interesting conversation you two were having. Mind if i join in?"
"I have slept,"
Was the first words Roger announced as he wobbled his way in back to the infirmary, face still relatively pale and shoulder hunkered down. Rayleigh looked up from his cards for a second, "Only for an hour. You need to rest longer,"
"No more sleeping," the old man grumbled, swaying over to the table they had set up on the infirmary bed furthest away from the currently occupied one, "Why are you all playing cards, anyway? Shouldn't you be working on Phoenix or something?"
Whitebeard's doctor - whose name Rayleigh finally learned was Amox - placed his cards down with a sigh, mumbling a low 'i fold' before turning to Roger, "There's nothing else to worry about, i can assure you. Anything Commander Marco's devil fruit can do for him will do it better than any doctor in the world can," then he turned his gaze to the other bed, chuckling and looking amused, "And well, again, there's not much we can do right now without bothering them,"
Roger turned, and it must be a grave mistake for him because he actually, bodily flinched, "Oh come on,"
Rayleigh stifled down his snickers and twisted his body to be able to see the bed behind him. He remembered hearing Marco saying that the sitting position is killing his back, so Ace had him lie down against the board and pillow, while he laid on his side, back etched with Roger Pirate's jolly roger covering the view from the three men better than the curtain could. They can't exactly see anything that's going on, but for the last half an hour since they had established that position, they could still hear some little pecks and whispered sweet nothings, and if they both tilt their head just in the right angle, some more kissing and teeth-rottingly sweet eskimo kisses.
Right now, seems like Roger had just caught another kiss, with how close their heads are pressed against each other.
With another chuckle, Rayleigh politely looked away when Ace shifted closer with a hand strategically hidden between their bodies, just in time to catch Roger turning slightly green, "You really should get more rest. Blood loss isn't something to shrug easily,"
"Well, it's a good thing i'm in the infirmary then, isn't it? Where the doctors are," he quickly turned to them, eyes pointedly watching the scene before him, "Playing cards, apparently, because they can't do their job and chastise their patient for being seconds away from doing the dirty," as soon as the word left his mouth, his face turned sour, as if he has regretted his own words.
The three men simultaneously turned to him and said in the same bland tone, "You do it then,"
If Roger was surprised at their coordination, he didn't show it, but he did turned to the other bed again, face full of contemplation, and finally turned back to them, "That poker you playing? Deal me in. Ray, go sit down on the chair, will you? I'm the sick one, i get the bed,"
The game went on until quite late, and even changed location. Just as the sun reached the horizon, soon signalling the arrival of night time, Whitebeard appeared, alone without any of his commanders or crew, "Why are you both out here?" he asked, glancing to the door of the infirmary that both Rayleigh and Roger were blocking. Crocus has turned in for the day, citing that he wanted to chat with Tom about making similar medically-inclined machineries, while Dr. Amox returned to his own ship, wishing to note today's happenings to his log and make an update to Marco's profile accordingly for future researches.
Roger was the one who answered, voice gruff and rather vindictive, "Cuz we don't wanna bother them," The vitriol in his voice and the way he glared at Rayleigh make it look like it was the first mate's idea that he reluctantly agrees to, but Roger had been the one who wanted to leave after the two doctors retreated to do their own businesses, even though leaving mean they'd still be outside of the room. Rayleigh hadn't asked him why, because frankly, Roger was already squirming enough on his own, "You know, while they're doing that,"
"That?"
"Sleeping together,"
Whitebeard's eyebrows went up high, blinking several times to the door and lastly, to Roger himself. Rayleigh could already see the 'and you're fine with that?' question forming in his mind, though it was a different one that came out of him, "Not something people should be doing in an infirmary, is it?"
Rayleigh chuckled, shuffling the cards in his hands, "No, no, nothing like that. They both literally fell asleep in the same bed,"
It was rather a rather adorable sight, if it can be called that. Curled up against each other, with Ace's arms insistently around Marco as if he's trying to keep him from leaving - or being taken away - acting like the man was a favourite childhood teddy bear instead of another body. Marco in return had simply let it happen, his head against Ace's collarbone and a limp hand on the younger's waist. They even had their legs intertwined, and that was the last detail he saw before Roger urged him to get out.
Still, the reminder made Roger grumble under his breath, and Whitebeard to huff, "We should get moving soon," he said, lips pressed tight, "Word from one of my allies is that the marines caught wind of our location, and it's probably wise to depart before they caught both of crew in the same location and figures anything going on. It won't do good for the world to find out about any of this,"
Which made sense, considering, but Roger's reply had been a sulky, "You wake them up then,"
Just like everyone else before him, Whitebeard only glanced uncertainly at the door and mumbled, "I suppose the marines were far enough that we can leave on the first light instead,"
Roger gave an indignant harrumph, as if he had guessed that that was going to be the answer.
The three of them stayed in front of that door as the night goes by, playing card games after card games with no stakes to it. The two captains barely interacted to each other, but as time flows by, Rayleigh noticed that every time he wins - and he won a lot against these two - Roger and Whitebeard would look at each other with the same resigned expression that held much more than their defeat in his hand. They held that same expression every time to look at the door they sat in front of, and finally at one point, Roger spoke, lips curved downwards that expresses disapproval, "I'm not forming an alliance with you,"
It was non sequitur at best, but Whitebeard's reply came seconds later, as if he immediately understood, "As if i want to have an alliance with you,"
And at that point, Rayleigh realized that everything's going to be just fine for everyone.
OMAKE
"Alright, it was kind of understandable yesterday, but now this is just way too much,"
Over 3000 people who cannot read each other's minds probably knows they all shared Roger's sentiment. Every single one of them has gathered before Moby Dick's departure and Oro Jackson subsequently leaving the island, and it would all go without a hitch if Ace and Marco could really just let each other go and stop kissing right in the middle of the makeshift bridge between their ships.
In a way, Rayleigh thought it was Roger's fault. Ace and Marco's goodbye had been somber at best and a little heartbreaking, not because it was a separation, but because it was a separation both thought was permanent. Roger, the main reason why both men had that in mind in the first place, had acted his best in making it seems like he still doesn't approve of this relationship, something which fools approximately no one watching.
"So i told you that if i agree to save him you can't be with him again, so what?! Why are you even listening to me! You obviously didn't before this when you sneak around behind my back and dated an enemy!" he had exclaimed, with arms crossed and face tossed away from the scene, hiding it away from the two but not quite everyone else, "Really, I am appalled by today's pirates! Being taken down by seastone poisoning, listening to their parents, pah! That's not the pirate era i remember helping build! And to think, one of those weak willed pirates would be my son! I am mortified! What will your poor mother think?!"
It took the two of them quite a while to realize that it meant an actual approval, about the same time it took for everyone else in Oro Jackson to realize something that Rayleigh himself has years ago: Roger has gone senile with old age.
Back to this very moment, it seems that Roger's remark has reached the two, because finally, Ace willingly lets go of Marco - and vice versa - bright smiles on both of their lips and even an undeniable moisture to their eyes. Still the novelty of their relationship and near separation has obviously worn out as well, when the moment Ace slowly pulled his hands back, more people looked relieved than staring adoringly. Some, like Thatch and Sabo, seems torn between the two.
Luffy was still looking at them oddly and asked loudly, "Why are they trying to suck each other's mouth?" which made Sabo realize he had accidentally let his hands slipped away from covering Luffy's eyes and promptly panics.
"I'm going to miss you," Ace could be heard saying, already taking a step back but still close enough to allow their hands to be linked together. He sounded barely upset, knowing now that there won't be anything away from distance and obligation to their own respective crews to keep them from meeting each other again, "Take care of yourself, okay?"
Marco nodded indulgently, almost amused in his gesture, "See you soon,"
Ace grinned wider, leaning over to give him one last, thankfully short kiss before running back aboard Oro Jackson. Marco watched him leave before making his way to his own ship as well with a jog, a big and expectant grin on his face.
Just as he stepped foot on Moby Dick's deck and the crew on both ship began to pull the bridge away, the blond commander suddenly turned, and with one hand cupping the side of his mouth leaned against the rails and shouted, "Ace!"
As the young man turned, eyes wide and full of question, Rayleigh could hear Roger groaning next to him, "What now?" Even from afar, Whitebeard's large body made it easy for Rayleigh to catch the similar exasperated expression on the man's face.
If Marco noticed, he barely seems to react, only continuing to shout, even as their ships began to rock, a sign that both are ready to sail, "I love you! I'm sorry for only saying it only after dying, but i love you!"
"…'I'm sorry for only saying it only after dying'?"
Oh yeah, that did happened yesterday night, "Well, nothing like a dying declaration of love in the cells to keep the romance going, i suppose,"
Roger turned to him with furrowed brows, "What?"
Ace looks completely astonished, even awestruck - though in this current context, perhaps the word 'lovestruck' would fit better. He copied Marco's way to lean against the railing, almost stumbling due to the ship's rocking motion, a very happy and bright smile on his face, "It's okay, just tell me more often from now on!" he shouted back, eyes shining and illuminated by the first ray of sunlight of the day, "Because i love you too! I love you since we kissed in the treehouse!"
"What?!"
"Wait, our treehouse?! You better not mean our treehouse!"
"Ace, eww!"
Most of everyone around would be distracted by Roger, Sabo and Luffy's protest, but Rayleigh watched Ace, watched the smile on his face that seems to be etched there permanently even as Moby Dick slowly goes further and further away, sailing to a different direction as theirs. A far cry from the constant sorrow that was there before, even as Sabo and Luffy jostled him from behind demanding explanation about what happened and why their treehouse of all places.
He watched the three children's rowdiness, saw the silent acceptance and soft smile on Roger's face when he thinks no one was watching, and think that at last, their life can finally return to normal.
Well, until the inevitable time Oro Jackson and Moby Dick came across each other again, at least.
Again, i still can't believe the amount of people who likes and read this, but i appreciate and am thankful to all of you! There is originally a long chaptered fic this one was based on, but the more i write the structure the more i realize that it was so full of headcanon and deviating so badly from being canon-compliant, that it just seems like a bad idea to post. Also, i got lazy halfway.
Nevermind though, thank you so much for reading this fic, thank you for the favorites and follows, for the kind comments and i'll see you on the next update/fic!
