(This is an AU where Ace is with Thatch while he muses late at night about his new found Devil Fruit. Teach poisons Ace with seastone though and stabs Thatch.)
(Seastone AU)
"Zehahaha, struggling to make a decision with that fruit Commander Thatch?" Teach grinned as Ace closed his eyes and stretched, yawning into his palm.
Thatch groaned, hanging his head despairingly, as the thunder began to boom in the sky. Ace opened his eyes and glanced up, seeing the dark clouds twisting, getting ready to brew a storm. Marco had said it wouldn't be too bad, mostly just noisy. Ace agreed of course, he was the one to help check the weather forecast earlier before it had grown dark, but still.
He winced, something sharp pinched his neck, and automatically he reached up to feel his neck. It felt like a bug had bitten him. Almost immediately though he felt woozy and drained, his head spinning.
He wavered for a moment before his legs turned to jelly and gave out on him. He could only cling to the railing and Thatch whirled round, looking baffled. "Ace? What's-"
Ace rested his head on his arms and moaned pitifully. He felt so weak. Like he was being sapped of all his energy. Nothing had ever affected him this badly, not even seastone. It didn't feel like narcolepsy either.
He flinched when he heard Thatch cry out in pain, a loud boom echoing through the sky as the thunder began. Ace barely managed to raise his head when he heard a thump, seeing Thatch collapse to the ground. Ace's sight swam but he swore he saw a red patch growing on Thatch's back.
"Tha..." Ace slurred, he tried to reach out but his grip slipped on the railing and he hit the deck, wincing when his head smacked off the wood.
What was going on? Thatch was making low, pained noises and Ace felt so weak. Something had jabbed him in the neck, did it cause this? Ace couldn't move his hands and frowned when a large hand pulled him up and shoved him back against the railing.
"No need to lie in Thatch's blood, Commander," Teach's blurry form said, laughing darkly. "Just lean back and rest against the railing for a bit."
He was holding something... It looked like a dagger... There was red dripping off it. Ace's eyes widened when his fuzzy head connected the dots, barely.
"Wh-What-" Ace tried to hiss but he felt sick, he wanted to be sick.
Everything was so heavy.
"I injected you with seastone," Teach smirked, Ace could barely focus on his expression, his head was pounding now. "That should keep you nice and docile for a while. Plenty time for me to get away with this."
He held up a purple, fuzzy thing. Ace had to focus on it to make it out and his heart leapt. It was Thatch's fruit. Ace struggled to see Thatch, he was a blur of white and red. Red. He was hurt. Ace managed to push away from the wall and press his hands against a damp patch on Thatch's back and all he heard was Teach laughing.
"Zehahaha, oh Ace. I'm sorry. The wound's just too deep. You might have been able to help but you've been poisoned. You can feel it can't you?" A warm breath suddenly hissed into his ear and a hand slipped into his hair, yanking his head up.
Ace whimpered, he could hardly think. All he could manage was to press his hands down. He had to stop something.
What was he stopping exactly? It was something to do with Thatch.
He was so tired... His body was growing heavier, from the back of his neck down to his arms and legs. He wanted to sleep. Just close his eyes...
"The seastone. I bet you can feel it making it's way through your body. I bet you'll pass out pretty soon," Teach chuckled. "Don't worry though. You'll live. I don't want you dead Commander, not when I have such a brilliant offer to make you."
Ace bit his lip, shaking his head, trying to force himself to focus. Thatch was hurt. Teach had hurt him. His vision swam once more though and his thoughts grew cloudy. He couldn't pass out though. Thatch... Thatch needed... He needed...
Ace lost the last of his strength. He felt it slip from him and his eyes closed as his body went limp. He didn't feel the faint pulse of haki that tore free from him. All he felt was sick and cold and so incredibly weak.
"Help... Thatch..." he managed to whisper before darkness consumed him.
FizUQ, So the Stop AU (for what I have planned so far) is how to stop Ace from leaving the Moby Dick to go after Teach, and/or/maybe how to stop him from dying to Akainu at Marineford :)