(Part 3)
Ace buried his hands into his head, groaning at the paperwork. They still didn't have enough money, not even after the sudden burst of business. He had enough to cover paying for the building, but only some of his staff.
He'd have to take it out his own pocket again, not that he had much left either.
A knock on the door startled him out his musings. Marco peaked his head in, throwing him a small smile. "Hey, you still working?"
"Trying to," Ace sighed. "But all I'm getting is a headache."
Marco frowned as he approached. "A headache yoi? Do you want to lie down-"
"I'm fine," Ace reassured. "It's just money troubles. I doubt I'll be able to afford the bus to work after paying all this off."
"Not even the sudden boom in business helped?"
"A little, I can pay the rent for my bar. It's paying my staff that's the hard part, but I won't let them go without."
Marco nodded. "Alright, well I'll pay for them this time yoi."
Ace snorted. "No, Marco. It's appreciated, but I can't have you paying my staff when you don't even work here."
"Ace," Marco called, surprisingly firm. Ace looked back up, and startled at how intense Marco's eyes were. "Let me help yoi. You've gone through a lot recently, and trying to handle all of this is only going to burden you further. I can handle it. I have no financial worries due to my family's wealth."
"But-"
"Let me help yoi," Marco insisted, his eyes growing soft. "I hate seeing you like this, you should be having fun, running your bar like you usually do. You shouldn't be so stressed out."
"Owning a business is stressful," Ace laughed. "I wouldn't trade it in though. I love it too much."
"Even if stress is bad for your health yoi?"
"It's not like it'll keep me up a night. My narcolepsy's pretty good at knocking me out," Ace joked.
Marco's frown only deepened. "You shouldn't joke about your health, Ace."
"I'm alright, Marco. I promise."
Marco glanced away. "You weren't 'alright' when that Bluejam guy was hurting you yoi."
"Well, I had you there to protect me," Ace said lightly, trying to ease up the tension.
Marco softened. "True. I would always protect you, Ace."
Ace laughed. "My knight in shining armour." He paused thoughtfully though. "Actually..."
Marco tilted his head. "What's wrong yoi?"
"Nothing, just..." Ace felt his cheeks burn. "Um, I was wondering if you wanted to maybe try going out on a date sometime? I-If you're too busy I understand-"
A pair of warm lips cut off his rambling. Ace moaned, reaching up to wrap his arms around Marco's neck. Marco's hand slipped into his hair, carefully massaging his head. Ace nearly melted into his grasp.
When Marco pulled away, they were both panting.
"I would love that, Ace."
Ace laughed wildly. "Yeah, I think I can see that!"
Marco grinned, brushing his cheek with his thumb. "We'll have to arrange a date soon then. Perhaps dinner?"
"I'd like that." Ace smiled.
"I'll pay."
"You don't have to-" Ace protested.
Marco kissed him again, this time slowly, deepening it. Ace's eyes fluttered, and he surrendered to the kiss.
Marco smiled as he pulled away. "I want to."
And before Ace could recollect his thoughts, Marco left.
The jerk.
.::.
Ace finished locking up the bar. It was two in the morning, and the streets were growing quiet. Except the drunken couple leaning heavily on each other, singing loudly as he passed them by on the street. He blew some hot air into his hands, trying to heat them up from the winter chill. It sucked walking back home in the dark, especially during winter. It was bloody freezing.
Thankfully he walked this route every night, so he knew he'd be fine. All he needed to do was go straight for twenty minutes, then make his right turn, then left, and by half an hour he'd be home.
It was very dark but the street lights kept the path in sight. It was very quiet too, the breeze though made the trees and bushes rustle, making it feel kind of creepy. Ace forced himself to ignore that though.
It was the same, normal route he walked most nights of the week. He was fine. He would get home, snuggle up in bed, and sleep, then get up tomorrow and come back into the bar for another round. There was no point in making himself paranoid.
He'd never sleep the night if he did that.
Ace felt eyes on him. He stopped and looked around, but no one was around. Ace was overthinking things. He had been ever since Bluejam attacked him.
He was fine.
Ace turned back to go on his way, but flinched. A blue bird masked man stood in front of him. Ace stumbled back, gasping. But before he could scream the man lunged. Ace was dragged up against the guy, and despite his struggles, the guy quickly forced a cloth into his mouth, gagging him. Ace desperately stomped on the man's foot, but the man merely grunted.
"Calm yourself," the man hushed. The voice sounded oddly familiar, but in his panic, he couldn't think of who it was. "You're alright. You're safe. Don't fight me."
Ace gasped around the gag when something slipped into his neck. He squirmed about harshly, screaming, but it was silenced by the gag. It wasn't long before his struggles weakened, and the world swayed. He slumped against the murderer, whimpering.
His thoughts grew cloudy as everything went dark.
.::.
Ace groaned softly, everything felt sluggish and heavy but he was also warm and comfortable. He was lying on his back, which wasn't so nice so he tried to turn over on to his side, trying to bury his head into the pillows, but his hands and feet resisted him. There was a rattle of what sounded like metal, and Ace managed to look up, and push his heavy eyelids open, blinking sleepily at his wrists.
The sight startled him awake. There were thick, padded straps around his wrists, the straps secured to the bed post by a thick, metal chain. That's when Ace remembered the blue bird mask standing in the darkness ambushing him, he remembering trying to scream, trying to get away, but he had been gagged and drugged and obviously kidnapped.
Ace let out a shaky breath. He was going to die, he was going to be murdered.
Shifting his feet made him recall that he was warm and comfortable. That while he was restrained the straps weren't hurting him, both his hands and feet were secured to the bedposts, and he was beneath thick, warm covers, with the softest mattress he had ever felt cushioned against his back.
He had also been changed into pyjamas, they looked like silk, and that baffled him.
Why would a murderer take the time to put him in fancy pyjamas?
Ace tugged at his wrists again, hoping to somehow loosen them, but they didn't budge, he was secured in place. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew that he wasn't safe. He had been kidnapped, and the only light in this room was the lamp sitting on a desk with nothing else on it.
He looked around, it was a big room, at least to Ace's standards. There was the bed he was trapped in, with matching bed side cabinets, a chest of drawers and the desk. There were two doors, but they were both shut.
He debated shouting, trying to scream for help, but that would just alert the serial killer that he was awake, and he didn't know when the guy would kill him, if he was going to? This was probably just some kind of game, to lure Ace into a false sense of security before striking. No, as much as Ace wanted to scream and curse, it was better to be silent in this case.
Funnily enough, the voice in his head cautioning him to stay quiet sounded a lot like Sabo.
Ace looked over the cabinet closest to him, but there was nothing he could use to try cut the strap. Not that he could reach it mind you, his hands were stuck above his head, out the way.
"Dammit." Ace slumped against the pillows, cursing his luck.
His stomach let out a grumble, reminding him he hadn't eat dinner, whenever that was. It was probably hours ago, maybe even days, and he couldn't help but think of Sabo and Luffy. Hopefully they had called Gramps and reported him missing, if Ace was lucky they could track him down, rescue him before he was murdered.
He shivered. All the news reports, all the bodies, with their hearts ripped out and a burnt talon marking them. Ace had no idea if this would be quick or not, not when all the bodies differed. Some look like they had been beaten and tortured, while others look quicker, and that terrified him. Ace had no idea how he was going to die here, if the bastard would take his time or not.
The fact that he was tied to a bed, being restrained, but comfortable, made him feel like the murderer wanted to toy with him, and the thought made him whimper.
It was the sound of a click that startled him, and he stiffened up, eyeing the door towards his left, which is where he thought the click had come from. The door opened up slowly, and a very familiar face smiled at him.
"Ah, you're awake. That's good."
Ace froze.
The man turned the dial beside the door, slowly lighting up the room, letting Ace's eyes adjust to it, however his gaze remained fixed on the blonde who began to approach, as Ace's heart pounded. The man's gaze was as tender as ever, and while it normally made Ace soften, feel comforted, he was now felt confused and terrified.
"W-What-" Ace tried to speak, his mouth felt dry.
"Your throat's dry." The man held up a glass of water to his lips, and Ace, still confused and overwhelmed, drank it willingly. "There we go, that should be better yoi."
"M-Marco-" Ace shivered, wide eyed and frightened.
Marco sat the tray of food down on the bedside cabinet, setting the glass of water aside, before sitting down on the edge of the bed, right at Ace's side.
"Hello, Ace. I'm glad to see you awake, you slept for quite a while yoi," Marco said, smiling. "You obviously needed the rest."
"Y-You're the serial killer..." Ace breathed out, trying to edge away from Marco, but he couldn't move, it wasn't the restraints stopping him either, he was just too shocked. "The blue masked bird..."
"I would honestly have preferred a properly name yoi," Marco mused. "Like 'Phoenix'. That would have been a nicer name, don't you think, Ace?"
Ace couldn't understand how Marco was being so calm and happy about all this. He was a serial killer and yet he was sitting here, content and relaxed and Ace didn't understand how anybody could be so at ease.
"How the hell can you sit here so happy and relaxed after you kidnapped me?" Ace snapped. "I have no idea what you're going to do to me and I'm terrified!" Ace's voice hitched, and he barely suppressed a sob. "I... You... You just kissed me and now you're going to kill me- Were you just playing me along-"
Marco startled.
"Kill you?" He softened considerably, much to Ace's confusion. "Oh no, Ace, I'm not going to kill you, I'd never hurt you. And I'd never lead you on. Don't think that, sweet. Please don't."
"You're a m-mu-murderer," Ace choked out. "H-How- Why wouldn't you?"
"Oh Ace, don't be scared, you're safe with me," Marco soothed, stroking his cheek, even as Ace found himself trembling, trying to calm down with deep breaths. "That's it. Deep breathes, darling. Calm yourself down yoi."
He didn't understand. Why was Marco doing all this? Why was he trying to calm him down? Ace whimpered, wondering if Marco was just toying with him, if this was all just some long game to gain Ace's friendship, trust and love and then crush it beneath his boot before killing him. Ace closed his eyes and trembled.
"Poor thing, I'm sorry for scaring you," Marco cooed, and Ace could feel Marco's warm, steady fingers brush over his cheek, trying to comfort him. "I'm not going to hurt you yoi. I promise. Nobody will hurt you anymore. Because nobody else knows you're here, and nobody can hear you either. It's just me and you, together as it should be."
A pair of hands cupped his face, thumbs brushing his cheeks, and Ace startled. He hadn't realised he had been crying, but no, he could feel the tear marks running down his cheeks, now that Marco was gently wiping them away.
"See?" Marco smiled. "I'm keeping you safe from everyone who would hurt you yoi."
"I-I don't understand," Ace admitted, as Marco lowered his hands, instead began to rub soothing circles over his side.
How was Marco keeping him safe? Marco was the one who kidnapped and terrified him.
"A lot of those people I killed, you recognised them, didn't you?"
"Not really," Ace frowned. "Maybe some? But mostly just Teach."
"Teach was always all over you, always flirting, asking you out on dates, no matter how many times you rejected him. It was only a matter of time before he became forceful." Marco scowled, and Ace felt a rush of fear hit him. "And I couldn't let that happen yoi. Not to you. Those other people were exactly the same. They wanted to hurt people, so I made sure they couldn't. Some of those guys had been planning on robbing you, and some of my family members, considering you own businesses and are bound to make cash, so I had to stop them yoi."
"You only met me six months ago, and yet you're killing people because they might have done something to me?" Ace gasped.
"Not might yoi." Marco's expression hardened. "Would have, and I refused to let them hurt you."
Marco smiled, all so suddenly, soft and tender, instead of cold and intimidating. "After all, it is the duty of a husband to take care of his wife."
Ace blinked, confused, before remembering Bonney's joke. A joke she made all of the time. Marco was insane. That was the only explanation for all this. He was insane.
"Marco, Bonney was only joking-" Ace tried.
"Oh no, she saw it, the entire truth yoi. How much I love and adore you," Marco's eyes softened, and his smile only grew warmer. "How I'd do anything to protect you. You've already been hurt by that faker, and I refuse to let anyone else hurt you. So I brought you here, where you'll be safe. I knew you were ready when you asked me out. Ready for us to be together! And now, here we are yoi."
"Marco, he's in jail, he died there."
"I know. I killed him yoi."
"So that means you have nothing to protect me from anymore. I'm fine-" Ace said.
"You will be fine yoi," Marco agreed happily. "Because you're here with me."
Ace's heart hammered. "No, no that's not what I mean-"
"You don't think you'll be safe with me?" Marco frowned, and Ace shied away.
Marco however still had a hand on his waist, and pulled him closer. Ace whimpered softly, but Marco ignored it.
"Marco, please stop-"
"Look at me, Ace."
Ace took in a deep breath, earning a nuzzle to his neck, and a kiss to his cheek.
"That's better, now look at me, love."
Ace forced himself to meet those blue eyes, those eyes he could get lost in most days, but right now the warmth he usually felt from them made him weary and disorientated. Marco's expression was firm, and his free hand reached up to take Ace's chin, making sure their eyes stayed locked.
"I'm keeping you safe, Ace. You may not understand it now, but one day you will yoi," Marco said, in a soft, warm voice. "But for now you don't, and that's alright, all you need to know is that I'm going to look after you. You won't need to go back to that dump of a house, no, you get to stay here, comfortable and loved."
"I am loved. I've got a family, Luffy and Sabo-" Ace begged.
Marco frowned. "Them? No, they didn't protect you from that faker. I did. I was the one who tackled him. I bet him, bet him until he was black and blue, until his face bled. Of course I stopped once he passed out, I had to tend to you, and in that state he couldn't hurt you again."
That frown thankfully turned into a smile, the frown unnerved Ace, at least the smile showed that Marco was in a good mood.
"So no, Ace. They aren't your family," Marco cooed, stroking his side once more. "But I am. I will always protect you, I will always love you, I will never leave you."
"This is insane! You can't just keep me tied down in here forever," Ace protested, yanking at the straps, the chains rattling.
"And I won't yoi." Marco smiled. "Once you start to calm down I'll loosen the chains enough to let you walk about your room, and then one day I'll untie you properly."
"Why did you have to start killing people?" Ace shook his head. "I don't understand. You just suddenly decided to kill them after you met me?"
"Oh no." Marco shook his head, chuckling. "Before that they were just works of art."
"W-What?"
Marco happily planted a kiss on his cheek, before leaning away. "Yep. I needed inspiration for my books, and well, I used to be a doctor until I found it really wasn't for me. So I used those skills to help my stories."
Ace shuddered. "You've been an author for years..."
"Yep. My first book was a complete mess so I had to get a bit more creative and study more to learn my craft properly. The first few times were so messy, but practise makes perfect as they say yoi."
"You can't just go around murdering innocent people!"
"They weren't innocent yoi," Marco said. "None of them were. So I gave them a purpose, made sure they couldn't hurt anyone else, while they supplied my art."
Marco leaned back, grabbing the tray and bringing it over to his lap. "Now, I think that's enough of this discussion. You've hardly ate anything yoi."
"Are you going to undo these restraints?" Ace asked weakly.
"Not yet. Not when you're agitated and upset," Marco replied, lifting off the bowl covering the tray, revealing soup, scrambled eggs and toast. "I'll be feeding you for today. Then we'll see how you're feeling tomorrow."
"I'm not a child, I don't need to be hand fed," Ace protested, even as Marco began to spoon up the vegetable soup.
"Ace, please try to behave for me right now. I know you're upset and confused, but I can't have you starving yourself yoi." Marco's expression hardened. "If you don't eat I'll have to force feed you, and you don't want that, nor do I."
Ace grimaced. "And what does force feeding imply?"
"Two ways, drug you enough to keep you calm and relaxed, or strap you down, put a pipe in your mouth, and pour the food in," Marco said firmly. "Do not make me go through that option, Ace."
Ace shuddered at the thought, he didn't want to be drugged up again, nor did he want to have a pipe down his throat. Marco would do it though, he was insane after all, he'd think it would be all for Ace's own good.
Feeling embarrassed he hesitantly opened his mouth, letting Marco ease the first bit of soup in his mouth. Marco rewarded him with a bright smile and a kiss to his forehead.
"Thank you, Ace."
He was fed until his stomach was completely warm and full. Ace couldn't help feel contented by it, but at the same time it frustrated him, considering he was Marco's prisoner. Marco however, looked so happy, as he gathered up the dishes.
"I'm glad you've finally gotten to eat your fill." Marco grinned, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I'll come back down soon and keep you company, but first I'll get these plates cleaned up yoi."
Marco looked content as he went over to the door, throwing a sweet smile his way. "See, Ace? We'll get used to this, and then once day we'll be a happy family. You and I, together, safe and sound."
Ace realised, once the door closed, that he couldn't hear Marco anymore. He couldn't hear his footsteps, or the clatter of the plates.
He couldn't hear anything outside, and he doubted that anyone could hear him.
Ace was trapped.
And that wraps up this short Halloween story I should have finished ages ago o.o Oops xD Hope you all enjoyed it, it was a fun little side project to work on. Just sadly it got side lined while I worked on the bigger stories like my fantasy one 'The Chosen Few' and my A/B/O story 'Calling For Home'. Along with my upcoming fantasy series 'The Wardens of Strar' which I hope to realise late this Summer or in Autumn time.
If you like fantasy stories please feel free to check out The Wardens of Strar on Facebook :)