Chapter 42
He had no idea what was going on.
One moment they had been in a meeting then the next his whole world had been sent flying off course.
Marco couldn't help but stand there and stare at the pair. Eustass stared back at him with wide, panicked eyes, while the blonde Omega actually took a step back behind the redhead.
"Repeat that yoi," Marco said stiffly. "Because I must have misheard you."
"Why the hell did you have to follow us?" Kidd hissed, but he wasn't angry, his Alpha was full of confusion and panic.
It didn't know what to do in this situation, and neither did Marco.
"We can't just let a random gang leader wander about our base yoi," Marco said automatically, before he shook off the shock, instead growled lowly. "Now tell me what you just said."
"Fuck, okay, let me explain what happened!" Kidd cursed, throwing up his hands. "Okay, okay, Law and I were at my base, chilling out. Then we got a call from Ace. He had bottled Teach and hid. He said he needed us to cause some kind of distraction to lure Teach and his gang out, so I did. Law thought it was weird that Ace wasn't fighting his way out himself, until... Until..."
"Until Ace told Law that he was pregnant," Killer finished.
Marco blanked. His Alpha as silent as stone. Pregnant. Ace was pregnant. That meant a baby. A pup. Multiple pups depending how fertile Ace was.
It made his head spin. He could hear his heart pounding.
They were having a baby.
Marco grinned.
But he shook himself out of it, glaring at the pair who flinched.
"Did Trafalgar say how he was yoi? During the phone call? Did Ace sound alright? Was he stressed? He's been feeling stressed and that's not good for a baby yoi-"
"Holy shit!" Kidd cursed. "We don't bloody know anything. Law said he'd give Ace a check up when they had gotten somewhere safe! Law felt pissed off when he was rescuing Ace, then sorta relieved but freaked out. Then calm. I dunno what happened to them except for the fact that Law's with the fucking pink bastard now!"
Marco let out a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair. He began pacing.
"Okay, okay, okay, okay," Marco rambled, even as his Alpha purred contently.
The image of Ace warm and snuggled in their nest like he had been during his heat hit Marco like a brick. His Alpha growled proudly. They had filled their mate with their pups. Their seed was healthy and strong, able to push past the medication Ace had been given.
They were going to be a father.
Their mate would bear them strong pups. They would give their mate the perfect nest to rest in, and spoil them in affection.
Marco barely thought back the overwhelming dizziness of pride and love his Alpha attempted to wallop him with.
"Okay yoi..." Marco breathed in shakily.
"Fucking hell, you're terrifying me!" Kidd complained. "Are you dying over there?"
"Kidd!" Killer grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. "Imagine it was a random Whitebeard Commander coming over to tell you that Law was pregnant."
Kidd paled.
"Exactly!" Killer huffed.
Marco forced himself to take a deep breath in and compose himself. They didn't have time for this right now, not for a freak out, and oh God Ace and the baby-
He cut himself off. Meeting first. Plan and calculate.
Yes. Ace didn't need Marco having a meltdown. He needed Marco to be strong. To be the Phoenix, the Whitebeard's second in command.
Marco straightened himself back out. "Us three will be having a private meeting with Pops after this meeting is over. You're going to tell him everything you've told me yoi. Got it?"
"Yes."
"Good. We'll figure out what to do after that."
.::.
The meeting took hours. Kidd, Killer and Marco had returned looking all anxious and stressed. That had made Sabo's alarm bells go off. Instead of two it was now three horrified people.
What the hell happened with Ace and Law? And whose ass did Sabo have to murder?
He had been planning to stay back and lecture Dragon for endangering himself after the meeting, but instead he sneaked away after the punk bastard pair, Marco and Whitebeard himself.
He was going to kill Dragon after this. The idiot had assassins after him, and yet he just happily strolls into a meeting with multiple gang heads. There was a reason Sabo and Koala had tackled their boss and locked him in his room, despite the idiot biting them for it.
The little shit. Luffy was just as bad as him and the pair barely spoke all that much. All they did was their usual greetings, and ask how the other was getting on. It was a strange sight, but somehow suited them?
Sabo didn't get it. Damn Monkey D. family, driving him insane.
And the Portgas D. family. Poor Toshio, but the Matriarch was a bitch and deserved to be shot. If she even tried to look at Ace, Sabo would claw out her eyes. He swore to god he would murder her if she hurt Ace.
The four he was stalking went to a new meeting room, and Sabo sat himself against the door, setting up a little gadget so he could listen in easier. It enhanced sounds, and would allow him to listen into the conversation.
He'd get the damn punk bastard to talk. And find out what the hell happened to Ace.
Sabo was a protective brother, okay? All he wanted was for his brothers to be happy and safe. When that didn't happen, it pissed him off.
So sue him for listening in.
.::.
Whitebeard sat down, eyeing the red headed Alpha and his blonde Omega friend. The pair were just as nervous and stressed as before, and now Marco was the same way. His son's scent was full of terror, stress but also wonder and joy. It was baffling indeed.
It left him very worried about his youngest son.
"So, I believe you have finally come to terms with revealing everything?" Whitebeard asked, eyeing the brats. "I would like to know what has my son so stressed out. Especially now when we have no idea what has happened to Ace, who Trafalgar Law tried to break out unexpectedly."
"Yeah... Right..." Eustass grimaced. "From the beginning? We were at my base, and Ace called Law. He had said he bottled Teach-"
Whitebeard barely held back a snort of amusement. His little firecracker, still fighting back. He was proud of Ace for holding out, for staying strong, despite all the odds. But his son also endangered himself doing that.
They would need to talk about Ace's temper when they brought Ace back home.
"Ace told us he needed a distraction to get Teach and his men away from the pub. So he could escape. That's why my gang were bombing the shit out of everything Blackbeard owns in East Blue. But Law thought it was weird Ace wasn't fighting his way out... You see..." Eustass winced.
Whitebeard raised a brow. "Was he sick or injured?"
God help Teach if he had caused Ace anymore harm. Because Whitebeard had no mercy left in him.
"No... Not... Um..."
"Ace told Law was he's pregnant yoi."
Whitebeard blinked down at his son, who looked just as flabbergasted as Whitebeard himself felt. His mind went blank. His Alpha purred happily. They were having a new pup in the household. A baby. A grandchild.
His Alpha cooed happily at the thought, and Whitebeard couldn't help but grin.
But his grin fell.
Because they didn't know where Ace was.
A distressed scent flared up outside the office, and Whitebeard's brow furrowed. Someone was listening in on them? Little brat. Marco was already at the door, tearing it open to reveal Outlook Sabo, the blonde revolutionary brat.
He was wide eyed and white as a sheet.
"Did you say Ace is pregnant?" Sabo whispered hoarsely.
Marco's face matched his expression, the terrified but baffled look. Marco hesitantly nodded, excitement and nerves creeping off his scent.
Sabo fainted.
Funnily enough, Whitebeard was sure it would have been Marco who would have fainted at the news. But his son still looked as if he was processing everything.
Eustass Kidd was still pale, but the blonde one seemed much calmer now that everything was said aloud. He understood why the pair hadn't wanted to say anything. Revealing a pregnancy to someone's pack without said Omega or female Beta being around was a stressful situation. Whitebeard and Marco could have taken the news very badly, out of fear for Ace's safety.
But no, the old Alpha found himself happy as Larry.
All they needed to do was find Ace and bring him home safely.
"So Trafalgar Law is back in Dressrosa with his father?" Whitebeard murmured.
"Yeah..." Eustass nodded, eyeing him worryingly.
The brat was so hesitant. It was adorable and hilarious.
"Then I guess we'll have a few words with him at the wedding we're getting ready to crash," Whitebeard said, growling lowly.
If Doflamingo dared refused him, he'd tear apart the little shit. Old Alpha or not, Whitebeard still had his fangs and claws.
He eyed the red head. "You can relax, brat. I won't rip out your throat over this. I understand why you were reluctant to speak to us now. But, if you ever try to keep news of the well-being of one of my children away from me again, I won't be anywhere near as merciful as I am today."
Eustass just stared in blank distress at him.
"Sorry, my boss doesn't handle this sort of thing well..." the masked blonde winced. "Personal matters are not usually something we tend to deal with."
Whitebeard snorted. "If this is how he reacts to Ace being pregnant, then I can only imagine what would happen if Trafalgar Law ever told him he was pregnant."
Eustass's scent went wild for a moment, startling Marco, before the goth? Punk? Whatever kid paled further, and collapsed. The masked blonde barely caught him, an alarmed yelp escaping him.
Whitebeard threw his head back and laughed. He slapped his knee, shaking his head.
"Just the idea of it makes him faint! Guarararara!"
"Pops..." Marco sighed. "Stop torturing people yoi. Especially since I'm still processing."
Whitebeard snorted fondly. "I honestly thought you would have fainted at the news."
"I'm shocked but happy. I'm also angry, because we have no idea where Ace is," Marco said, eyes growing hard. "But I'll find him. No matter what."
Whitebeard smiled. "Then we'll bring him and the baby home."
Marco softened. "I'm going to be a dad, Pops."
He gently brushed his son's hair. "You and Ace are going to be such good parents." He leaned back in his chair. "But before that can happen, we better deal with these unconscious brats."
Marco sighed. "I'll get Sabo up."
.::.
Marco could feel his father's joy. The old Alpha had a spark of joy within him all while Marco was confused, scared, but beyond happy. He hadn't expect children, well, at least not so soon. But they were having a baby. After years of being kept separated by Teach they were having a family of their own. A baby pup. A baby. They could have a little girl or a little boy and that meant so many endless possibilities for the future.
His Alpha growled lowly, and Marco felt warm. Ace round with their pup, glowing healthily, like any pregnant man or woman did during their pregnancy. The idea made him want to go straight to his room back at the manor and fix up their nest. For some reason he wanted a supply of cookies, ice cream, and apple juice. He didn't know why, but they seemed very important.
But they had to find Ace first. Find his mate and bring him home. Once Ace was home everything would be perfect. They would be together again.
They just had to interrogate a certain fluffy pink bastard.
If Doflamingo dared try to hide anything, he'd rip the bastard apart. No matter how Law felt about it. The doctor tried to save Ace, but still. Doflamingo had done something, and it made Marco's blood boil.
If Ace was hurt or upset. There would be hell to pay.
Yeah, I caught that cold o.o It sucks xD It's been playing whack-a-mole with me for about a week, but at least now I'm starting to recover xD I was the sole survivor for the longest time, then finally my family managed to infect me o.o
Also the new puppy, he is a Bordie Collie called Flynn, managed to chew through wires and blow out the electricity. Thankfully he's unharmed, mostly looked a bit startled before pouncing on his toy rabbit. He's menace o.o We left him alone for five minutes. He causes way too much destruction in five minutes xD
I would also like to announce that The Wardens of Strar will be free on kindle to download as of the 11th until the 15th this month. So you've got a limited time to get a free copy if you're interested in my fantasy story!
Yasmiel is a young huntress from the quiet village of Horntale. When her life becomes entwined with the Wardens of Strar and the God of Death, she has to fight to save her family from the approaching darkness.
With the God of Death's undead army, the Mortem, hunting her at every turn, she must rely on the help of the Wardens of Strar, their Commander, and the mysterious voice inside her head.
But will she save her family and uncover the secrets of their past? Or will she be lost to the darkness forever?