Lots of fluffy comfort in this chapter. I finished editing my first crossover! I have two other ones and I am having a blast with them. I'll start posting the finally edited one after this fic is over, with only one chapter left :( I don't how big the crossover community is for the ones I wrote but I hope people enjoy them. You'll know once I post it ;) Enjoy~
The next morning, Ace woke up feeling like crap. He had a small headache, his nose was plugged and somehow runny at the same time, and he kept coughing. He was also freezing, which confused him. He was made of fire, he couldn't get cold. He was also a bit sweaty, though he was cold.
Marco wasn't there, so Ace must have slept in. He just wanted to go back to sleep, and pulled the blanket up over his head. It was hard to sleep with the coughing and itchy feeling in his throat. He assumed he'd caught an illness, and was worried. He hadn't been sick with a human virus since arriving there.
He had to go to the infirmary just to be sure it was nothing too alarming. He didn't think he was going to die, but better safe than sorry. He wrapped the blanket around himself and walked to the infirmary in his pyjamas. It seemed everyone was at breakfast, since he didn't run into anyone on his way to the infirmary.
When he entered, he looked for any of the nurses, and called out despite the shivers. "Ace? What are you here for?" Tami asked, coming out of the office. She noticed Ace looked ill immediately, Ace was sure.
"I don't feel good," Ace said, kind of unnecessarily. He didn't exactly look like he was having the time of his life.
"Alright, let me take your temperature," she said, and got out a thermometer, putting a plastic wrap over it for sanitary reasons. "Put this under your tongue," she said, and Ace did so. "99.2 degrees. Not too bad, but a temperature nonetheless." The nurses knew his normal temperature was in the medium 90s like most humans. And his fire logia didn't heat up the inside of his body, just his skin. They'd tested on that long ago.
"Is there something wrong with me?" he asked nervously.
Tami shook her head. "I doubt it. You have the symptoms of a common cold. But it is strange the incubation was so fast. Though, your blood pumps a lot faster it could have circulated quicker. I assume it was from one of the children you were close to. They might have been sick and not known it."
Ace asked, "What do I do? I can't take human pills." Tami shook her head.
"You need lots of bedrest, a lot of water, and healthy foods that are easy for you to digest. Mainly, soup. Thatch will be happy to help you. You should take a hot shower, and blow your nose often. Don't let yourself get more congested than normal," Tami said, and then left to get a box of tissues. "Wash your hands before leaving your room, we don't want it to spread. Marco won't need to worry about being around you since he's immune to all illnesses." Ace nodded, and Tami helped him back to the room. "I'll go tell Thatch to make you some soup. Yes, soup for breakfast. No french toast," Tami said when Ace looked like he was going to complain.
Ace had the lights turned off, and put the tissue box on the nightstand with the bathroom trash can next to the bed, and curled under the blankets in a ball, trying to keep warm and fall back asleep.
The next time he woke up was when Marco entered the room and woke him up, carrying a tray with a bowl of hot soup and some crackers on the side. "Hey, baby, how are you feeling?" Marco asked, setting the tray on the side of the bed Ace wasn't on.
"Like crap," Ace said in a scratchy, nasally voice before coughing into his elbow. "My nose is runny and clogged at the same time. How does that happen?"
"I don't know, I don't get it. I'm sure Whiskey or Tami would tell you," he said. Ace scooched up so he could lean against the headboard of the bed, and Marco put the tray over his lap. "Eat it slowly. And drink a lot of water." There was a big water bottle next to the tissue box on the bed. Ace nodded.
The warm soup felt nice down his throat, and tasted good. He'd had it before, chicken noodle soup with certain spices that mixed nicely together. Marco stayed with him for a while before he had to leave and help organize the trip off the ship, since people were going hunting in the forest for food. Though there was a limit, since the village lived off of some of the food in the forest. They couldn't do too much.
Ace nodded, and Marco took the tray away, empty of any food, while Ace brought the blankets back up to his stuffy nose and fell back asleep. The only person that seemed to be allowed in with Ace was Marco.
He didn't once leave the bedroom, very glad it had a little bathroom he could go to easily. He did take a shower, steaming up the bathroom. For anyone else, it would have burnt their skin badly. He stayed in his pyjamas still, but took one of Marco's robes from his closet and bundled up inside of it, under the blankets.
He fell asleep again in the warmth. The little trash by the bed was empty, since he burned the tissues once they were used. Less germs getting in the trash can. Marco came and checked on him often, but he was still asleep, so he didn't know. He day passed quickly but slowly at the same time. He slept most of it, but when he was awake, it felt like time just dragged on and on. He wanted to go outside, but wouldn't risk anyone else getting sick.
He hadn't touched the walls on his way to the infirmary, having been wrapped in a blanket and unable to. So there weren't any sick germs anywhere other than in his room. He wished he could do something useful, but he'd just get germs on the things he would be fixing for his duties.
It was lonely and too quiet. He woke up the last time with Marco crawling into bed next to him. "Hey, Ace. Are you feeling any better than last time?" Marco asked, wiping some of the sweat off of Ace's forehead. Ace shook his head. "Want me to make some tea?" He shook his head again, and instead moved to be closer, Marco wrapping his arms around Ace, his pyjamas, and the fluffy robe that he never seemed to wear. Ace didn't know why, it was so comfortable.
Ace fell asleep easily, breathing through his mouth instead of his stuffy nose. He didn't wake up until Marco did, later than usual for him. They were still at the island, and would be for many more days, most of which Ace would probably still be sick. He opened his eyes when Marco was getting up, gently unwrapping Ace's limbs from him.
"Eh?" Ace asked, groggy and still close to falling back to sleep. "Hey, Ace. I'm going to go get us some breakfast, okay? And some tea for you," Marco explained. Ace sniffled and then nodded. He still felt terrible, and was sick of being sick. He was glad, though, that nothing else seemed to be coming from it. Back on his home planet, if an animal virus or sickness spread to a human, it couldn't be spread back to the animals.
Was Ace basically the human in this situation with the humans passing on the virus to him like the animals did at home? Home planet, the Moby Dick was his home now. He rolled over onto his other side, and wiped his nose with the tissue before incinerating it easily. He adjusted his pillow, and closed his eyes slowly, only to be woken up a few minutes later with some food.
He sat up, sniffling loudly, and blinked slowly when the food was set in front of him. Marco also had a thermometer. "Here, baby, take your temperature before you eat," he said, and handed the thermometer to him, where he put it under his tongue. One at his home planet would have been electronic, sliding across the forehead. This one was another medical instrument stuck in the distant past back on his home world.
When Marco took the thing to read, his brows furrowed, and he looked concerned. "What? What is it?" Ace asked.
"Your temperature has risen since yesterday. Have you developed any more symptoms since yesterday?" Ace shook his head.
"Lots of goop in my throat, and still have the cough, chills and really sweaty," Ace listed. Marco asked if it was harder to breathe. "I don't know. A little faster than normal for me, but not that bad," Ace replied, and then took a drink of the hot soup, then some tea. They tasted delicious in his dry mouth. He hadn't drunk water since waking up.
Marco sat on the end of the bed, and Ace put his spoon down to cough into his arm harshly. He ate the rest of the food at a rapid pace, drinking the tea happily. At least, as happy as he could while being sick. He wanted to get back to normal.
"I'm gonna ask one of the nurses to come check on you," Marco said when he took the empty tray and brought it back to the kitchen. Ace laid back down, feeling so tired it was hard to lift even his limbs or head. He put both hands under his cheek, slowing his eyes and drifting off. He was so tired.
He was woken again when Whiskey came into the room, crouching next to Ace's head and waking him up. "Ace, Ace wake up," she said. He cracked an eye open and sighed, knowing he had to sit up again. Whiskey helped him up, supporting him until he was leaning against the headboard. "How are you feeling?" she asked. Ace was tired of being asked that. It was the same, crappy.
"Not good. Not much better than yesterday," he said, punctuated by coughs. Whiskey gently scolded him from sniffling instead of blowing his nose. So he did, though not much came out. He was asked if he was having trouble breathing. Ace hadn't noticed any real difference than his usual fast pace. So he shook his head.
"Your fever has gone up four degrees since yesterday. 103.1. That's usually a temperature where people need to be hospitalized. I would like to bring you to the infirmary for observation. You may be reacting to the virus more severely than a normal human. Then there's the underlying fragility of your heart."
Ace groaned, hating the infirmary. He'd been there too many times. "How about he stays in here and I'll stay and watch," Marco offered, taking pity on his partner, but Whiskey wasn't having it.
"No, he's coming whether he likes it or not. If he ends up needing a ventilator, then he has to be there as soon as possible. Moments can make all the difference. And the commanders' hall is not close to the infirmary." Ace really didn't want to go, it was a bright and cold feeling, the atmosphere of the room made him uncomfortable.
Marco sighed and helped Ace up, who had trouble standing up, holding his own weight. "Carry him, Marco. His body is too fatigued to walk on his own," Whiskey said, and walked after Ace, not taking any of the contaminated things in the room, including the water pitcher, the trashcan and any of the blankets that would need to be washed.
Ace was laid down on the hospital bed, having fallen back asleep on the way there, even though it was a short walk. Whiskey brought out some thick blankets, but not too thick, to put over him, still in the bathrobe. He was so out, barely reacting to Whiskey opening up the robe slightly and putting the stethoscope on his second heart. She frowned.
"His heartbeat is quicker than it usually is now," Whiskey said. Ace woke up at the words, turning his head to the side and looking at the physician and first mate.
"Is there something wrong with me?" Ace asked between coughs. Marco gave him a new box of tissues, and brought over a big bottle of water with a cap that he didn't need to uncap, he could just bite down and suck the water out. It was easier to use.
"Your symptoms are more severe than a regular cold, and I would give you medication if I felt comfortable. I'm just not taking any chances. Using human drugs on animals results in them dying, so I don't know how it'd react to you, who are not human." Ace's eyes closed slowly, and he was slipping back into sleep. "I will wake you up if you show anymore symptoms."
"Kay…" Ace said and then closed his eyes fully, drifting back to sleep. Whiskey covered his shivering form with the second blanket, and adjusted the pillow slightly so his head was in the middle and not the side. He didn't wake up for the rest of the day unless it was for meals.
He did need to be helped twice to use the bathroom, and almost fell asleep on the toilet. Sometime during the afternoon before dinner, he was given an IV drip of water since he was sleeping and unable to keep himself hydrated by drinking water often.
No one but Marco was allowed near Ace, so there weren't any visitors to see how he was. It was nice, he didn't need to wake up. At some point in his sleep, his breathing picked up, and he wheezed a bit.
It went unnoticed for several minutes before Tami came out, and ran over, trying to wake him up. Ace sluggishly opened his eyes. "Ace? Ace, can you hear me?" Tami asked loudly, so Ace's ears, which felt plugged, could hear her. He nodded. "Are you having trouble breathing?" Ace blinked, not noticing he was breathing abnormally. He clearly looked confused, and incoherent. But his wheezing told her that something was wrong.
His head was becoming a little fuzzy, and he passed out again. Tami swore, and ran into the storage room, calling for Whiskey for help. She brought out the ventilator and got it set up. "Ace? Ace wake up," Whiskey said, and shook him. He wasn't waking up, and they had no way to safely sedate him. So, they used his comatose state to put the ventilator in.
After Ace's attack from Teach, they'd done a thorough examination of organ systems. It functioned the same as humans except for the two hearts. The ventilator entered his lung, processing oxygen in, set faster than usual for Ace's normal breathing patterns. Stickers were put on him to monitor his heartbeat.
He didn't wake up the rest of the day, so he was set up with nutrients coming from an IV in his other elbow.
-x-
Marco was furious when he learned that Ace was in bad condition two hours after Ace was put on the ventilator. When he entered the room, he felt like yelling at the nurses, but they were monitoring Ace, and probably knew he'd get in the way or distract them at the most crucial moments.
Seeing Ace hooked up to machines and IV drips was a scary sight. His face was still flushed blue and sweaty. Tami was sitting on the chair, wearing a face mask, watching him. Marco walked over to the nurse and his lover's current bed.
"How is he? What's wrong with him?" Marco asked quietly, face blank except for the pursed lips. Tami looked up from Ace, and replied, "We think he has some type of pneumonia. He's been stable for a couple hours. His temperature has not risen, either. We think he's stable. The ventilator is helping a lot, though it will be bad when he wakes up. If someone wakes up with something down their throat, it causes them to panic and perhaps do more damage in their fretting to get it out," Tami explained.
Marco pulled a chair up and sat next to Ace. He put his hand on Ace's forehead, sweaty and clammy. His hair was stuck to his sweaty face. The sayla would need a shower soon. Ace stayed asleep for the rest of the day and night, Marco sleeping in the infirmary with him, head and arms on the bed.
He woke up to a choking sound, seeing Ace's eyes wide open with panic. "Ace! Calm down, it's to help you brea- Whiskey, Tami, someone come here!" he shouted when Ace wasn't processing his attempt at soothing. Whiskey ran in and worked to get the tube out of his throat fluidly, even as he was thrashing around. Even missing the uvula, keeping him from throwing up any food he had in his stomach from the day before.
It was 4 AM. Ace gasped for breath and held his throat, IVs being pulled until Whiskey rolled them closer to the bed so they weren't ripped out. "Ace? Ace are you alright?" the nurse asked loudly, voice a bit muffled behind her mask, leaning over him so her face was directly above his. Ace nodded, though he was breathing very fast, from the scare of having something stuck down his esophagus and into his lungs.
"How are you feeling? You've been unconscious since noon yesterday. We had to put you on a ventilator so you could breathe normally. Are you still having trouble breathing?" she asked.
Ace swallowed, and slowed his breathing with calming breaths. He wasn't wheezing, and he said, "I-I'm okay." His voice sounded dry, so Whiskey moved the bottle of water to his face, and he took it from her hands to drink several big gulps of water. "Still tired," he said.
"It's to be expected. We think that you have pneumonia. It's a lung infection. Your cold turned into that, which can happen if someone gets influenza. This is the third day of your sickness, and if you do have pneumonia, then you will be sick for at least or around two weeks," Whiskey explained. Ace's face fell.
"But what about my duties?" Ace asked.
Whiskey frowned at him. "Your health is more important than sewing up shirts that a hundred other people can do."
Ace looked ashamed. "I always get hurt or sick and can't do what I'm supposed to," he complained quietly. Marco ran put his hand on Ace's less sweaty face. He was looking better.
"It's no one's fault that you get sick or injured. Well, the first time it was Teach's fault. If this crew had a dozen members, you being sick and injured would be a problem. But there are over 1600 people on this ship. Losing your service will not make a difference. Besides, no one else wants to get sick. You may be contagious for a long time, so we need to keep you in isolation," Whiskey explained.
"I won't get to see Thatch? Or the kids again?" he asked, sounding devastated. Marco would tell Thatch later about how sad Ace was about not being able to see him. Whiskey shook her head.
"No, we don't know if what you have can spread to humans. You may be extremely contagious, we don't know," the head nurse explained. "You may have a type of coronavirus, while are pathogens that can spread from human to human by spreading the germs. When people cough, sneeze or even breathe, it sends out respiratory droplets that can contain the virus. If they enter another person's mouth, nose or eyes, they may possibly become sick, and the process repeats."
Ace frowned deeper, not wanting to hurt anyone else. "I'm sure Thatch could come visit if he wears a face mask and gloves," Marco offered. "He just won't touch you."
Whiskey disagreed with this. "If Thatch were not the head chef and an idiot, I would allow that. But since he is the head chef and idiot, I don't think it would be wise to have him see Ace. He might get better relatively quickly, or it could take longer.
The sayla looked very upset, and with good reason. He was going to be confined in the infirmary for possibly weeks. He didn't want that! And he wanted to see the kids again, even if one of them had made him sick. "Do I have to stay in here?"
The head nurse nodded. "After a few days, if you've been stable, then we can move you back to your and Marco's bedroom. Marco will be here to see you, he just has to wash his hands off before leaving after he touches you."
Marco gave him a smile. "I'd never leave you by yourself for weeks." Ace nodded, and his stomach growled. "Whiskey, can I go get him some food?"
"Yes, but I'll need to make a list for Thatch. Ace will be eating food rich in nutrients, no more simple soup. Meats, fish, fruits and green vegetables, whole grains, teas, honey and so on." Ace looked very happy that he didn't need to deal with soup anymore. It was yummy to everyone, but probably not fun to eat all day for each meal. Whiskey left to get a sheet of paper to write down what foods Ace would need to be served. Marco sat on the bed next to him.
"I'm sorry you're sick, baby," Marco said. Ace nodded.
"I bet I smell bad," Ace commented.
"You showered a few days ago," Marco pointed out.
"I didn't use soap or hair stuff."
"That stuff can wait until you can move on your own. I doubt the nurses care about someone who smells like BO," Marco replied, running his thumb up and down Ace's jaw. "You'll get better, you've been through worse. Did you ever get sick back on your home planet?" Ace nodded.
"Every year there was a sickness, but we had shots to prevent and tablets to get rid of it if someone did get sick. When planets first started to mingle, it spread different sicknesses between planets, but we had their help to cure or treat them. Multi-world cooperation was a must back then. Well, some viruses still appeared out of nowhere, but it usually wasn't like a pandemic," Ace explained. Marco, once again, was irate that earth was so far behind in development of Ace's planet.
"Sorry we're so behind," Marco said. Ace yawned, and said it wasn't his fault. As Ace's eyes started to close, his stomach reminded him that it wanted food. "Go ahead and sleep while Thatch makes your food," he said, and Ace drifted off. Marco kissed his fingers and pressed them to Ace's forehead.
He squirted some sanitizer on his hands to kill the germs and took the list from Whiskey, whose gloves were off. The phoenix zoan looked back once more before leaving the room. The phoenix inside was irate with him for leaving Ace, like it'd been every time he wasn't with Ace when he was sick. Which was quite often.
"Shut it, I'm getting food for him," he scolded, earning an angry lurtch from inside. But then it calmed down and didn't make itself known again. He went to the commanders' hall, and knocked on Thatch's door, since he probably wasn't awake yet. Thatch opened the door, shirtless and in pyjama pants, hair down since he hadn't done it up yet. "What?" he asked groggily.
"Ace woke up and is hungry. I can't cook the kind of food Whiskey said Ace needs," Marco explained. This woke Thatch up, and he hurried back inside his room to get dressed, putting a headband on to keep his hair out of his face. Marco had rarely seen him willingly leave his room in the morning without his pompadour. It took a while to do it up, like Izo's hair did as well.
Thatch and Marco hurried to the kitchen, where Thatch began to cook, reading the list of foods from Whiskey. For breakfast would be ginger oatmeal with honey mixed in to make it sweet. As he cooked, Marco explained the situation. "He was very upset when he was told he couldn't see you," Marco made sure to add.
The chef was upset with what he was hearing, knowing he'd hate being in isolation as well, especially since he was a social butterfly, like Ace sometimes was. But, he felt touched that Ace was upset specifically about not being able to see him. Thatch would miss him as well, but could understand Whiskey's decision. If anyone could spread germs the worst, it would be one of the cooks. Especially Thatch, since he handled most of the food, even if he wasn't the one cooking it. He made them look better before serving.
"Poor Ace," Thatch sighed, Marco nodding in agreement. "It sure is lucky that you can see him, though. Your power sure is useful."
"You're only just now realizing that?"
"No! Just, I'm glad he isn't going to be completely alone other than the demons," Thatch said dramatically.
Marco laughed. "They're not demons just cause you don't like yearly shots. Big baby," he said teasingly. "But he is gonna be alone a lot. I have my other responsibilities, going to meetings, helping out on deck when needed. Ace is gonna get lonely, and there's not really much I can do about it. Ace's absence won't directly affect the ships' functioning, but me? Me being missing for a long time could and probably would be detrimental," he explained, running a hand through his hair. "I can't imagine being quarantined in the infirmary. It's not exactly a very comfortable place to stay."
Thatch nodded, quickly making the oatmeal, which was pretty watery to go down easier. "You'll have to disinfect your room and wash all of the sheets and blankets." Marco nodded, knowing he'd have to do that. Not for himself, but if anyone else goes inside.
When Thatch finished the oatmeal with freshly squeezed orange juice, he said, "Hopefully this illness only happens to Ace and doesn't infect us. Or, another human infected him." He handed Marco the tray with the bowl and glass on it. "Tell Ace I hope he gets better soon."
"Will do."
When he got back to the infirmary, Ace was sleeping, head turned barely to the side with trademark drool coming from his mouth. The underside of his nose was a little shiny with mucus, but nothing too bad. He set down the tray on the bed next to Ace's, and gently woke him up.
"Eh?"
"Food is here. It's ginger oatmeal with honey, and some fresh orange juice," Marco explained patiently while Ace sat up. "Thatch says he hopes you get better soon." Marco knew Ace enough by now to know that, if he said Thatch would miss him too, Ace would feel guilty for making someone, a friend, upset.
He gladly ate the oatmeal, though at a slow pace. Much slower than usual. Once he was done, and drank all of the juice, Tami entered and took the Iv drip out that was giving nutrients. The water one stayed, since he'd sleep a lot would most likely not wake up from thirst. "I'll come check on him in an hour or so," Marco said quietly, Ace already asleep again.
Marco clearly had some sign of stress in his demeanor or body language. No one but Thatch knew about Ace's current situation. "Son? Is everything alright?" Pops asked at the table. Marco was picking at his food, not feeling right without Ace next to him, inhaling french toast at an amazing speed.
"Ace woke up. He's quarantined in the infirmary for maybe a few weeks. Whiskey thinks it's contagious, since it has the same symptoms as a coronavirus," Marco replied sadly. "Ace feels guilty about not being around to help or do his duties. Izo, can you write a letter to him, saying what you think about this? You're his commander, after all."
Those at the table frowned, but we glad that Ace had woken up and was no longer having to have a machine breathe for him. "Tsk. Why is he so insistent on not being 'useless'? He gets sick, like all people do! Why isn't he concerned about himself more than others?" Izo ranted.
Thatch sighed, sitting down when the conversation started. "Ace doesn't seem to have very high value in himself other than helping other people. Probably from his childhood." Those who had heard Ace's drunken secrets exposed knew that was most likely correct.
"That's why he should join the family," Namur said.
Marco and Thatch shook their heads. Marco was the one to reply, "Ace is happy enough being here. He doesn't want to join the family by name, so we really need to move on from that. It's not happening. I really doubt it will ever happen. But we need to respect that, even if not all of us understand why he feels this way."
"Marco is right. Ace is family enough without being it by name," Whitebeard spoke up. "So, Marco, will you tell us more about his condition?" Marco nodded and recounted the day before and that morning.
Jozu asked, "How will anyone else be able to use the infirmary if it's quarantined?" A few of the others nodded, wondering the same thing. Marco didn't have an answer, as that hadn't been brought up.
"Most likely his bed will be moved away from the others. If he sleeps most of the time, then he won't exactly be touching anything or anyone who might get infected. If it even is contagious. He most likely got it from a human. He wasn't around any animals or tainted meat anytime recently," the captain said.
Thatch then added, "If it did jump from a human to him, does that mean it can jump back to us?" The others shrugged.
"I'll ask later. But, the nurses seem to think this is the best plan to keep everyone else healthy. I just hope there are no complications."
-x-
Ace slept most of the day for the past six days, only getting up to keep bed sores from happening, and to shower. But the walks were just around the infirmary, with a facemask on him so his germs didn't go on anything else. He was also awake for meals and using the bathroom. But most of the time, he napped. And most of the times Marco had visited, Ace hadn't known it.
He only woke when Marco came with food. Marco was barred from sleeping with Ace because, after Ace had touched a clipboard and hadn't known it, Tami had touched it and grown ill. If Ace got germs on any part of Marco, not just his hands, he might be able to spread it. Though her symptoms were very mild, she was now not allowed to leave the infirmary, which now was completely quarantined.
Tami had been very calm, doing her job when it was necessary, and resting when it wasn't. Though Ace continued to be sick, Tami recovered after three days, while Ace had been sick for over a week. And he was getting more and more bored, only sleeping because there was nothing else to do. Whiskey, when interacting with Ace after Tami got better, she wore a real mask, not a surgical one, with a gown and gloves to make sure she did not get sick.
Ace was so lonely. He missed sleeping with Marco, and cuddling or getting close. Or even just seeing him. He also missed Thatch, and his comfortable bed. They had already left the island, the kids making Ace cards, though they didn't know the source of the illness, so Marco sprayed each card with disinfectant before bringing them on the ship. No one would probably know what got Ace sick.
The day after he had to have the ventilator, and through that night, his symptoms grew more and more manageable, but he was still showing signs of illness, small as they may be. On the second day of him not showing any sign he was still sick, no fever or other symptoms, he was allowed to leave after a bath and throwing his clothes away. He wouldn't wear the ones that he got during his 13 days in the infirmary.
The morning he left, it felt like he'd been released from a prison, and headed straight outside before seeing anyone else. He stood by the railing and took in a deep breath of the outside air. The feeling of a breeze was wonderful, and the sound of the sea and flags flapping almost brought tears to his eyes. He'd missed everyone so much, and hated being alone. It was the least happy he'd been on the ship. Even when no one liked him, he had Thatch and then Marco.
When word got out that Ace was outside, his closest friends ran out onto deck and Thatch started a dogpile on him. Thatch, Haruta, Nick and Mika hugged him, while Marco just beamed. Ace laughed, even if he was being crushed, and tried to hug them back.
When they let him up, Thatch was a mess, tears on his face. "I missed you!" Thatch cried. "Damnit, Ace! Why'd you have to worm your way into my heart so much!" He was being very dramatic. Ace just grinned.
"Well, I didn't do it on purpose," he replied in a joking voice, so happy. "You're just weird like that."
"How rude! And I put my sou chefs on breakfast just so I could come see you!" Thatch said in mock anger. "If you don't hurry back, the french toast may be gone, I don't know."
Ace laughed. "You'll just make me more if I ask."
"Tsk. Damn right I will," Thatch replied. "Now, go see your flaming chicken boyfriend." Ace smiled and nodded, before running to Marco and flinging himself into a hug. Marco hugged him back and twirled him around. Thatch "oooo"ed, but both ignored him. Marco pressed his forehead to Ace's.
"Missed you," Marco whispered against Ace's face. Ace nodded, meaning he'd missed Marco as well. "Finally, my bed won't be so empty at night. Felt so lonely. It must have been so much worse for you. It looks like it didn't spread, so we can move on from it to happier things," the phoenix said. His flames came out and wrapped around Ace, whose fire responded as well. "The phoenix missed you a lot, too. But, it eventually realized what was best for you was to get better on your own. I swear, it cares more about you than anyone else on this crew."
Ace laughed happily. It was funny that the phoenix sometimes got in mental arguments with Marco, usually about not being with Ace at all times. Since phoenix's were rare or didn't exist in the first place, no one knew if they were all like that. Clingy and affectionate.
Marco had told Ace a while ago that the phoenix hadn't gone against any of his choices for decades before Ace arrived and he grew to have feelings for the sayla. Haruta came up from behind and plopped Ace's hat on his head. Ace reached up to feel the brim, happy to have its comforting weight back. It had been pointless to wear while he was in bed and sick.
"When's the next island?" Ace wondered, wanting to be on land.
"We left one a couple days ago. It was uninhabited, so it was mostly just hunting and gathering fruits and vegetables. We didn't say anything because you needed to only think of getting well again," Marco explained. Ace nodded, understanding why and not upset. Not being able to explore an island with no people would have made him jealous and wanting to be out of the infirmary to go.
"The next island is not protected, pretty busy, but it has a nice beach we can go to. We've been there before, of course, so we know of a cove. Only I could access it by flying there. And now you can, too. We could have a nice private area."
Ace perked up at the nice thought of a private beach. "But we can't swim," he pointed out. They were at the back deck by then, Ace in Marco's lap now.
"But we can sit in the waves if we don't get too deep in. Can go hunting for crabs and just eat it there," Marco replied. Ace leaned down and kissed Marco's collarbone softly. He threaded his hands into Ace's clean and soft hair. He'd taken a disinfectant shower before leaving the infirmary, just to be safe. It was with harsh soap.
"I'm not good at cooking with my powers yet. Probably would burn them," Ace said, moving his lips to Marco's neck and stubbled jaw.
"What are you doing?" Marco wondered. He sighed at the kisses under his jaw and against his throat.
"I missed you."
"But anyone could see," Marco pointed out.
"Well, I wanted to be outside, too," Ace replied, kissing up Marco's jaw and to the corner of his mouth. Ace knew it was not characteristic of him to show affection like this where others could see, but he'd missed Marco so much. And he wanted to spend time with him like this since they'd been deprived of so much alone time together in their room. Lost so much cuddling. "I'm sorry I got sick."
Marco looked startled at the subject change, but Ace still wasn't showing his face to Marco. The phoenix zoan traced the pirate mark he knew was there on Ace's back, and said, "It wasn't your fault you got sick, Ace. And only Tami caught it and she's perfectly fine. So are you."
"Maybe, maybe not. I don't know what the sickness could do in the long term, but I don't really care right now. I just want to be happy I'm no longer trapped in that room. I hate the infirmary. It felt like a white prison," Ace said, voice sour. He knew something could be wrong from the sickness, and just because nothing had happened so far didn't mean there weren't underlying health problems.
Marco frowned deeply, and kissed Ace's head, probably knowing just as much as he did that Ace could be affected by the unknown sickness still and no one would know it. "Well, now you don't have to be there anymore. And you don't have to be one of the ones to disinfect the ward. The nurses took very good care of the situation. Better than the last time." Ace asked what he meant. No one had told him there was a previous outbreak of some sort of sickness.
Marco leaned back against the railing a bit more and began to talk. "About 25 years ago, we landed on an island that had fallen ill. They thought it was sickness from the birds, since they were dying and the citizens on the island were eating them, without knowing how they died. Many of those you know today were not on the crew at that time. Most of the commanders were not there back then.
"Anyways, one of us came into contact with a sick man, and then he got sick. Thirteen of us got sick before that time's medical officials, with male nurses, kept them in the infirmary and quarantined all of them. All thirteen were trapped in there for three weeks. One of the nurses got sick. We didn't realize it was from the previous island, so we had no idea how to treat it.
"Pops was smart and had us backtrack. That island had developed a cure. By the time we got there, eight of the thirteen had died, including one of the nurses. It was a mess, and was very tragic. Half the residents on the island died before they came up with a treatment. So you getting sick, and having Tami be ill with a less severe version, is nothing huge."
Ace nodded, feeling sad for the Whitebeards who had died and those who had been left to mourn. "So, diseases can spread really badly on pirate ships?"
Marco nodded. "It's a real risk. Since pirates and marines are in a confined space with many other people, hygiene and proper medical care is a must. Being in closed quarters with sick people spreads whatever illness it is exponentially. That's why you were quarantined," Marco explained.
Ace looked down, feeling bad, but it really wasn't his fault he got sick. Marco was right about that. And no one died from it, not him or the nurses who took care of him. The two stayed on the deck for a good hour, Marco catching Ace up on what happened while he was out of commision. When Ace asked how much work he had to do, Marco shut it down.
"Your division members have offered to take your shares for the next three days. You may not feel like it, but your fellow division members adore you. They want you to get back to normal, and you just came out of quarantine. Some relaxation time is needed and they all understand that. Izo has been very flexible. He would be for any of his members. So, don't worry about having a huge workload to suddenly have to go back to." Ace nodded with a smile, thankful for his friends.
Ace was glad he was in Izo's division for many reasons. It seemed like one of the light hearted ones, with the most relaxing duties, and vibrant people. Izo was a nice commander, who didn't treat Ace like he was special, but also took time to know him. Even before joining his division, Izo spent time with his members, even if it was only brief. He'd have conversations with them. Ace wasn't special himself, he was just around Izo more because of Marco and Thatch.
The sayla snuggled against Marco's broad chest, falling asleep with his cheek against Marco's collarbone. Marco made little circles with his thumbs on Ace's protruding hip bones while he napped. It was probably not a sleep-attack, but relaxation on finally being better again, and free of the infirmary.
Ace would enjoy his days outside more after being inside so long.