he should have known. ace thought he was quiet, that no one had saw him wander through the moby, past his division and deeper into the bowels. he remembered their warnings. of the friends he had made. the horrors they had told.

'i heard you were talking to other divisions,' marco smiled sweetly.

he wondered if this was what blenheim saw, before she was sent to her death. if he looked just as charming when he 'mourned' the second division. were they also struck with fear, sweat on their neck and their hands clammy.

'you look pale ace, maybe you should go see bay,' the phoenix, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulders.

ace winced at the strength of his hold, the searing heat that came from marco's hand. the smell of smoke reached his nose, and he gasped at the white hot pain that branded him.

marco leant in, 'lets not talk about what you heard huh', harsh whispers drew his attention from the pain.

ace's eyes watered when he faced the phoenix only to be met with soft eyes, 'yo-.'

the commander extinguished his flames, 'don't look at me like that, really ace you should go get checked out.'

ace nodded, shuddering when marco released his hold and left the boy shaking with a wave and a smile.

he clutched his left shoulder, nearly doubling over at the immense pain that went through his body at a meer graze. his tears spilled over when he saw the mark that marco had left, something that would never go away. an obvious and memorable warning.

2 days later
he woke up to darkness, his body stiff and the smell of burning flesh etched into his memory. he reached for his shoulder, panic coursing through his veins, but was stopped by leather.

ace looked at his arm and found it bound with cuffs. he tugged and tugged, desperate to escape.

'hold steady lad, he didn't get you,' bay's voice reached him, her rough voice calming him. he wasn't in the infirmary.

ace breathed in deeply and slowly let it out. he was fine. he was in the company of friends.

fergus came barreling down the dark corridor, a small flame not far behind. the sound of clinking metal echoing through the hull.

bay held ace close, the boy's breathe growing heavier as the flame grew closer.

'it'll be alright lad, its not him.'

the boy shook his head, clutching onto her shirt, knuckles pale.

'fire.'

fergus struggled to catch his breathe when he reached the pair. coughing each time he opened his mouth to speak.

'easy fergus, still need you kicking,' bay chuckled.

'rakuyo. coming here. pops,' he managed to get out, collapsing to the ground with a grunt.

'there's a lad, ace sit with him. wont be long til rakuyo is here.'

ace nodded, taking a spot beside the wheezing man. fergus smiled at the boy shakily, concern all over his face.

'and he's alright?,' rakuyo was pulled aside by the woman.

ace laughed as the cold metal of the mace rubbed itself on his face. macey clinked around him, butting her nose into his side. that earned her more laughter from the boy.

'he's alive. but he's.. reacting badly to fire.'

rakuyo watched as the boy hugged the mace impossibly close, tears of laughter drying on his cheeks.

'but bay, he is fire. how will he..'

ace turned to fergus, 'she's like a big puppy.'

'aye,' fergus laid a gentle hand on macey, chuckling when the weapon leaned into it.

'fergus mentioned pops.'

rakuyo tensed at her words, clutching his arm tight, 'he wants to see ace. but marco.. he told pops that ace was acting weird.'

bay turned to the commander, fear in her eyes, ' he didn't.. rakuyo tell me he didn't. ace is no more than a wee pup.'

'he shouldn't be sent to his death..'

rakuyo kept ace close as they made their way through the ship to pops' room. to his unknown fate. the boy never letting go of macey, his only lifeline in this mess.

the commander hid ace the higher they went, passed fellow commanders and division halls. he feared what would happen if someone saw ace. he did not want to think how ace would react if marco caught wind of the boy, if he showed his mug to the traumatized teen.

when they reached their father's room, he felt ace cling closer to him, heard his breathe hitch.

there the phoenix stood, guarding whitebeard's door. he walked passed them, sending ace a friendly smile with glinting eyes. a continued warning to not tell, to not reveal the man for what he was.

maybe they should have listened to bay, to never tell their father of what marco had done. what he was willing to do, to have a 'perfect' family.

tears streamed down pops' face. they felt the moby rock dangerously. could feel the anguish that radiated off him.

ace shook in his hold, eyes locked on their fathers contorted form. the air cracking with each minute that passed.

[newgate did not want to believe it. that his precious son would be capable of such a thing, that he would dream of such atrocities. he wanted to call blasphemy.

but the raised and mottled scar that covered the entirety of ace's, his youngest son, shoulder down to the collar bone was clear proof.

the ache in his heart was too great.]