Thanks to Vergina-spva and MyLadyDay for beta'ing
Marco stood frozen for a second next to Sabo as Ace arched his back and hissed at Luffy, taking a defensive stance. He had promised to keep Ace's brothers safe, so if Ace did pounce, he would have to do something.
It would be better to prevent that from happening, though.
"Luffy!" he called, throwing him a plastic toy ball with a little bell inside, which he dug out of his backpack.
Luffy caught it, turning back to Ace as he jingled the ball. "Look, Ace!"
Ace stopped, standing dead-still as his eyes followed the ball in Luffy's hand, only his tail flicking back and forth. Slowly, he sat down and lifted up a paw, only to give a soft tap against Luffy's hand.
The was no mauling, no blood, no screams.
Marco felt a slight jab of jealousy as he watched Luffy reach out to pet Ace, and Ace letting him. The closest Marco had gotten to not being eaten was when Thatch had used the catnip, and that hadn't been a pleasant experience either. Would Ace recognise Luffy? Or would his cat-instinct just tell him Luffy wasn't a threat?
The doorbell rang, and neither Luffy nor Sabo seemed inclined to answer it. Sabo was still frozen to the ground, and Luffy was playing with Ace.
As things seemed to be under control, at least for the moment, Marco decided to open the door himself. It was probably the gal who knew a guy who knew Haruta, anyway. Before he left, though, he decided to leave a little insurance.
Rummaging through the content of his backpack again, he pulled out a small plastic bag and pressed it into Sabo's hand.
Finally, Sabo seemed to wake from his trance and he looked at the bag. "What the hell is this? Weed? Because I think I'm already high!"
"It's catnip," Marco called over his shoulder. "Don't smoke it." He entered the hallway and opened the door. On the doorstep, a black haired woman with piercing blue eyes was standing.
"Ah," she said calmly when she saw him, "I was starting to think you had all been torn to pieces already."
"No, not yet," Marco replied dryly. "Are you the one who knows someone who knows Haruta?"
"I suppose I am. But call me Robin."
"Marco," he introduced himself, taking a second to listen if there was any screaming, but things still seemed calm in the living room. He let Robin pass and followed her inside the house.
Luffy was sitting on the floor while Ace was lying on his back, his paws wrapped around Luffy's hands as he playfully bit him. Sabo was still standing in the same spot, the bag of catnip intact in his hand.
"Well," Robin said, "it seems like you have things under control."
"Yeah, I don't really understand it. He's never that sweet with me," Marco said bitterly.
Robin shot him an amused look.
Luffy looked up. "Oh, hey Robin," he said.
She smiled back.
"Wait, you know her?" Marco asked, confused.
"Sure," Luffy said, waving the ball in front of Ace's face and laughing as Ace tried to catch it.
"Okay," Marco just said, turning back to Robin. "I'm still not sure how you can help to make him conscious in this state, though. He might not be trying to eat us at the moment, but he is still very much... cat."
"Cats are my specialty," Robin said. "You see, I'm a witch."
"I'm sure you are a lovely person," Sabo said, sounding exhausted.
She raised her eyebrow. "No, I mean I'm an actual witch." She pointed at her head, where suddenly a black pointy hat appeared.
Sabo gaped at her, stumbling back until he hit the couch and flopped down. "This can't be happening," he muttered, burying his face in his hands. "Witches, giant cats, and God knows what you are," he said almost accusingly to Marco. "At this point I wouldn't even be surprised if Koala turned out to be an actual koala bear!"
"There, there," Robin said. She snapped her fingers and a cup appeared in her hand, which she handed to Sabo. "Have some tea."
"I don't need your witch brews!" Sabo snapped.
Robin blinked. "It's camomile," she said.
Sabo groaned and let his head fall back against the back of the couch, but almost immediately he shot up again. "You!" he exclaimed. "Luffy, did you know about this?"
Luffy looked up from scratching Ace behind his ear, who was purring so loudly that the floor was practically vibrating. "Sure," he said.
"About who? Ace or her?" Sabo pointed at Robin.
Luffy looked at him with wide eyes. "Both," he said, as if it had been a silly question.
"How?!"
"Robin told me."
"And Ace?!"
Luffy hummed as he thought. "A few months ago, I had to pee at night and I heard something coming from Ace's room. And when I went in, I saw him turn into a cat and then go out of the window. Looking like this," he then told them. "I wanted to go after him, but I really had to pee and when I came back I couldn't find him."He pouted. "And the next morning he snuck inside and never said anything, so I thought it was a secret. You know, like when you-"
"Let's not talk about that!" Sabo interrupted him.
"Sabo, why aren't you petting Ace?" Luffy asked, pouting.
"'Cause I don't want to pet my brother."
"You pet me all the time!"
"That's because you're adorable."
"And so is Ace! Look at him!" Luffy turned Ace's head towards Sabo and Ace bared his white, pointy teeth.
"Kitten," Sabo said dryly. Still, he put away Robin's not so magical tea and sat down on the ground next to Luffy. Cautiously, he held out his hand. Ace looked at it suspiciously, sniffing it like it could explode at any minute. Then, he pressed his head against Sabo's hand.
"Wow, he still likes me!" Sabo exclaimed, surprised.
Marco decided to ignore the sting of jealousy. Instead, he turned to Robin. "You haven't really explained yet how you can help Ace."
"Yes, I should get to work, shouldn't I?" Robin said, rising from her seat on the arm of the couch. "To answer your question, I am an expert on cats. House cats, that is, though he seems mellow enough right now."
Marco huffed.
Robin smiled knowingly, before walking over to where Sabo and Luffy were still petting Ace. There, she crossed her arms before her chest and transformed into a cat. A small cat, that is. Sabo was startled, but Luffy just grinned.
Ace froze for a second, Luffy's hand still scratching his chin. He sat up, his tail sweeping from side to side as he seemed to be waiting for something. Robin sat in front of him, her tail around her front legs, and she eyed him calmly. It seemed like she wasn't doing anything, blinking slowly as she watched Ace.
Ace tilted his head and looked back at her.
"It... looks like they're talking?" Sabo said slowly as he and Luffy moved away from the scene.
"Maybe she can understand him," Luffy said.
They sat down on either side of Marco on the couch, and Marco wondered if he should feel intimidated.
"So," Sabo said, eyeing Ace and Robin, who were still sitting in the same position, "how long have you known this?"
"Couple of months," Marco answered truthfully. "Ace thought... he might be a werewolf after some weird experiences during a full moon. So he came to me."
"Why?" Sabo demanded.
Marco rolled his eyes. "Because I wrote a... book on the subject."
"Werewolves?"
"More mythological creatures in general."
"Is this the book?" Sabo asked, retrieving The Truth About Mythological Creatures from behind the couch. "I borrowed it from Ace. But are you saying all of this is actually true?"
"Of course."
"So, all mythological creatures are real?"
"I wouldn't say all of them," Marco said. "I'm sure you humans have some imagination."
"I still can't believe Ace didn't tell us, but he did tell you," Sabo said accusingly.
"I know it'll not make you like me more, but I'm afraid that's my fault," Marco said. The look Sabo gave him confirmed his suspicions. "But," he hastily continued, "not without good reason. Humans are not... great with keeping these kinds of secrets. The government wants to prevent mass hysteria, so they keep quiet about it, but they also want to use us for scientific purposes."
"You mean like weapons?" Sabo asked disbelievingly.
"Weapons, medicine... You name it. People have disappeared. Friends of mine have." Marco sighed. "So no, I can't say I was thrilled when Ace announced he was going to tell you. But, to be fair, I have never bonded with a human the way you do. So I trust you'll keep it a secret."
Sabo nodded, before looking over to where Ace and Robin were sitting. They hadn't moved at all, only flicking the tip of their tails ever so often as they continued to stare at each other. "I wonder what they are doing," Sabo mused out loud. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the bag of catnip. "Does this really work on Ace?"
Marco let out a snort. "Oh yes. I had to use it once, as a last resort. It was not pleasant."
"What do you mean, last resort?"
"Are you kidding me?" Marco huffed. "This is the first time I see him like this! Both times I was with him, he tried to eat my face. You don't have to be so happy about that," he added when Sabo grinned broadly.
"Why not? Ace didn't want us to beat you up, but it seems like he did our work for us," Sabo said smugly. "Besides, you must be so jealous he's nice to us! But I am curious what happened when you used this." He looked at the plastic bag.
"He became... high and lay on me for what felt like hours," Marco said, the event coming back to him all too vividly.
"Like that?" Sabo asked, trying – and failing – to hold his laughter as he pointed at Ace's enormous cat-shape.
"Yes," Marco said through gritted teeth.
"I would have paid to see that- Luffy, no!" Sabo exclaimed when Luffy suddenly snatched the bag from his hand and opened it to pour the content into his mouth.
"Gross!" Luffy exclaimed as he spit it out again. "That tastes like vegetables!"
Marco and Sabo ignored him as suddenly two pairs of cat eyes were aimed directly at them.
"Uh-oh."