I got a really sweet review from last chapter and I was really motivated to update. Thank you all so much!
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"Hey are you feeling alright?" Sabo asked, sitting next to him on his bed.
This was Ace's room apparently, but even for an adult, the room felt too large for him alone.
"You used to share with your brothers," Rouge- his mother- had told him earlier. "They moved to their own rooms when…" She didn't meet his eyes when saying that, so Ace had decided to leave that alone for the moment- not that it took a genius to figure out what she meant.
"It's kinda lonely," he said as he lay back. It was a king size, bigger than his bed back home- well, his bed in Moby anyways. There wasn't room for big beds like this one since they shared rooms. It was too clean here too with the exception of the dust covered surfaces. At home, his and Izo's shared room had always been cluttered, whether it be his own clothes or paperwork that he ended up neglecting or Izo's scattered fabrics from working on a new design.
"Aw, if you're scared, Lu and I can always camp in here with you."
Ace elbowed him. "I'm not scared, you jerk. Stop laughing."
"Sorry." Sabo was still grinning, though he stopped his quiet snickers. "Sure you're okay though?"
How could he say yes to that? "I… I just thought that I was prepared to meet my family."
It was a lot to take in, no matter how long her had thought about it both before and after the journey. Not only did he have a family, one that had been waiting for his return all these years, but they were royalty.
He was still trying to wrap his mind it. What were the odds that he, a lost prince, was found by Whitebeard, a king? And on top of all that there was a matter of his father- the biological one.
Ace stared up at the portraits that seemed to tower above him. The one to his left was of Rouge, though dressed much more grandly than she was currently (Ace would not have guessed without Sabo telling him). Her portrait looked quite different with grand jewels upon her ears and neck, head adorned with a sparkling crown instead of a hibiscus. The tell tale sign that it was Rouge though, was the gentle, reassuring smile and the loving look in her brown eyes.
"Ridiculous, aren't they?" Rouge said, walking up beside him. "I've never been one for all the fancy jewels, but it's a tradition to have portraits of the king and queen. Well, your father had fun with it at least."
Ace turned his gaze to the portrait of the king- his father- on his right. The man was grinning wide as if he were laughing. Ace could tell that he didn't have a care in the world even if he was the king.
"There's a serious version, though he insisted on this one, and well, it's what he would have wanted."
"What happened to him?" Ace asked before he could stop himself. They hadn't told him anything yet, though it was clear that the man wasn't around if Rouge was the sovereign.
"He died the year after you disappeared," Rouge answered, her voice was quiet. "Roger was very sick. Incurable."
Roger… The name sounded familiar, though he couldn't quite place it at the moment. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Your loss as well, Ace." She took his hand. "Your father loved you very much."
Even if she said that Ace felt nothing, but he didn't voice this fact, squeezing her hand in reassurance instead.
"I'm sure you have many questions."
That was an understatement.
"Why don't you rest for now though?"
A knock on the door broke Ace out of his thoughts, though Sabo was the one who stood to go answer it. A green-haired woman entered with a smile. "It's so nice to meet you again, Ace!"
"Ace, this is Makino. She helped take care of us when we were younger," Sabo said.
Ace shook her hand, returning the smile despite his muddled thoughts. "Nice to meet you too. Did you need something?"
"Your mother wanted to know if you two were ready."
Ace's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Ready for what?"
"I think we're ready," Sabo said. "We'll head over now."
"Good. She's starting her speech soon."
"Speech?"
"I told you this earlier, Ace. Mom wanted to announce your return to the people."
"Um…" Ace was at a loss for words. He, in fact, did not remember Sabo telling him this. It's not like he was the worst listener, but it was hard to focus right now. On top of that, he wasn't read, but Sabo pulled him along anyways.
"It'll be quick. You don't even have to say anything," Sabo reassured. "She probably wants to get it over with anyways. Spend some time with you."
Ace could understand that. She was his mother after all, even though that was weird to think about. They never had an actual "mother figure" in Moby. The closest thing they had were the nurses, and they were more like sisters.
There was a lot to adjust to, and the crowds were included in that too. He had made public appearances in the past a few times (once when Pops took him in and another when he became a commander) but having complete strangers stare at him for seemingly endless moments still made his stomach swim. His own inner confusion didn't help the matter either.
The crowd, which had previously been alive with whispers, fell into a dead silence once he stepped onto the balcony. Suddenly, he felt very alone.
Yet that coldness was swiftly washed away when he felt warm fingers slip into his hand, which had previously been limp at his side. He looked up and Rouge was smiling that warm smile at him. "Welcome home, my son." she whispered, so quiet that it was only a single breath.
She squeezed his hand tight, waiting patiently until Ace nodded. When he did, she raised their joined hands high in the air:
"People of Raftel, our prince has returned home!"
Marco collapsed on the ground, panting as the palms of his hands were soiled with mud. His pants would be ruined too, but he needed to get somewhere inside.
It started raining during his flight, and his powers didn't mix at all with the water. He could resist rain for a little while, but his flames could flicker out with torrential downpour. He couldn't afford to get sick now like the last time he had been out for too long.
"You shouldn't have given me your shirt." Ace frowned at him, absentmindedly fiddling with the heavy blankets on Marco's bed.
"You're still wearing it though," Marco chuckled weakly. He was secretly glad that Ace wasn't as energetic a the moment. He still needed to recover after all, and he wasn't sure if he could take the noise- or Ace moving around too much. "I'll be fine in a few hours, Ace. I'm just cold."
"But I don't like seeing you like this."
"I promise that it won't last much longer." Marco shut his and tired it seemed. "I'm sorry we couldn't train more."
Ace let go of the blankets, choosing to take Marco's hand instead. It was warm. "Don't apologize, idiot. I should have been the one-"
"I would never let that happen."
"Well, maybe neither of you would be in this situation if you actually wore a shirt like you're supposed to, Ace." It was Whitey Bay, and judging from her tone, she didn't seem happy.
Marco would have snorted if he wasn't feeling so weak, instead choosing to say, "Like that would ever happen."
"Hey!" Ace protested.
"That's fair, though usually you're not that wreckless, Marco."
"I did what was necessary."
"Next time, just wait for the rain to end," she said, rolling her eyes. "Make sure he doesn't leave the bed, Ace. I don't care how fast he heals. He needs to rest for a few days."
"Roger that!" He grinned at Marco as Whitey Bay left the room. "You heard her! No moving!"
'But your training,' he wanted to protest, but Ace cut him off.
"And no buts! I'll make sure you stay here even if I have to watch you myself!"
Marco held in a sigh. Ace was getting way into his newfound role. "Alright then, but no complaining if you get antsy."
"I can stay still every once in awhile!"
Such things were true, especially when he fell asleep right at Marco's side
Marco made sure to bring a warm cup of soup back to his inn room. He had learned from that prior incident, and he wasn't going to let a delay happen because of recklessness. If he- they- lost Ace because of that, he would never forgive himself.
Many "ifs" were running through his mind besides just that. He wished he had tried harder to take Ace back home earlier. If he had done that, Ace would have been safe. He had told himself that many times before, and even if Pops and Izo had told him not to blame himself, it was impossible.
He was probably just too protective of Ace. He could think of a few reasons why, even though he was sure he would never admit it to anyone.
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