I should probably apologize for my long absence from this piece. But life is a bitch and sometimes it just can't be helped.

However I do need to give a huge shout out to the people who have reviewed, even after months of inactivity. Each time one of you did I got a burst of motivation that allowed me to write a little more of this chapter each time. Without out you awesome folks this chapter could have taken a lot longer to write (or have not been written at all honestly). So thanks!

This chapter is a little longer than the last two and I hope it was worth the wait, enjoy!

[Without further ado]

Ace pushed himself out of the shallow puddle, his hand sinking into the mud. Coughing and spitting out the colored, stagnant water that had made it into his mouth. Ace groaned, everything hurt, he was covered in the slime coated water and his arm was stuck. Following his appendage was when everything clicked into place.

"Marco!" Ace shouted yanking his arm free from under him to move Marco's head away from the water. He gently slapped his companion's face. "Come on Marco, wake up." Slowly Marco's eyes blinked open and Ace breathed a sigh of relief. However it was short lived. He could tell something was wrong right away by the dazed way he looked up at Ace.

Just as he opened his mouth to try and coerce Marco there was a shot and water splashed next to them. Ace snapped his head up and saw several of the Marine aiming at them from the top of the ridge while others ran to find their way down a safer path. Damn marines, Ace might praise them on their tenacity if he didn't have the unbridled urge to burn them into the mountainside.

"Sorry Marco" Ace mumbled as he slung the others arm over his shoulder so their joined arms were across their chests. His arm was screaming at him along with everywhere else in his body but he couldn't be bothered by it now. He couldn't let himself be. Not with Marco's expression slacked as his eyes lazily roaming. Hoping their luck with bullets kept up and they weren't shot in the back, Ace pushed forward. Their legs struggling to find holding in the sludge, well, Ace's anyways. Sharp pains shooting up with every step. But in seconds he made it to the grass, much thicker here than by the shore so his heavy boots barely sank into the wet ground. Ace just hoped that it was enough to not leave such visible tracks.

Marco and Ace ran deeper into the woods. Where the rain wasn't so heavy and their feet didn't sink so difficulty. But as the ran the exhaustion, the pain flaring through his body and the weight of Marco caught up. Ace's leg gave out and both of them slipped in the slick grass. The breath was knocked out of Ace when he fell onto his left arm, Marco dragged right on top of him. "Fuck" he gasped, clenching his eyes shut and pushing his head against the ground. Though nothing really distracted him from the pulsating pain.

Ace jolted at the sudden movement on him. It took him a moment to realize Marco was slowly pushing himself off of Ace. Or, more like rolling himself off. Both of them laid still trying to even out their breathing, trying to ignore their sharp aches. "I'm sorry." Ace looked up into blue eyes. He was relieved to see Marco's gaze a little more focused.

"You should be, you gain weight bird brain?" Ace snarked. Make jokes, the situation isn't as bad if people are smiling. The corner of Marco's mouth twitched up ever so slightly but it was enough for Ace. The moment hardly lasted a second however when voices were heard. The shouting of the marines trailing them just in the distance. Ace cursed under his breath and began to push himself up. Marco doing the same, his balance still wobbly. As he was aiding Marco, Ace was drawn to what was behind him.

"Come on, I need to check something out." He quietly said, urging Marco forward.

"What is it?" March whispered as they hobbled over to a large tree, bushes lining the trunk. Struggling to hold his arm up as he crouched Ace try to avoid the few thorns as he moved aside some of the brush.

"Shelter" Ace smiled looking up at Marco with a brow raised. Marco only looked at it a moment before shaking his head. As he opened his mouth, Ace spoke back up. "So you have a better plan?" Marco still shook his head.

"We need to keep moving. Pops will have noticed something-"

"We can't keep moving, Marco" Ace hissed dragging Marco down closer to him. A little more forcefully then probably necessary.

"Ace" Marco snapped back "we can't hide in a tree. They'll find us."

"You don't know that." Marco opened his mouth to retort but Ace continued on. "What I do know is that the more we run the slower we get." Ace ran his free hand through his wet, tangled hair. "We either get shot in the back running or we can catch our breaths for a fucking second!"

"Or we'll be captured if not executed in a tree!" He shook his head but stopped with a hiss and clushed the bleeding cut. Marco pulled his hand away, looking at it and sighed deeply. "Look Ace" he started, not looking away from his hand "this is not up for negotiation-"

"You want to keep running?" Marco looked up as Ace squared his shoulder and puffed out his chest. "Then you'll have to make me because I'm not running anymore." Marco narrowed his gaze, meeting Ace's challenge. Marco could be stubborn, as much so as Ace could be. Ace darted his look at the bleeding bump on Marco's head. He was sure that certainly wasn't helping matters either.

They both snapped their gaze back as a voice shouted. The marines were closer. Growling frustrated, Ace began to yank Marco in the tree. They didn't have time for this, to argue over nothing. Deciding that he'll feel bad about manhandling Marco later, Ace grabbed him close and moved the thorny brush back in place as naturally as he could make it look.

Marco didn't even have a moment to protest or move against him before Ace had them both shoved against the back of the hallowed tree. As footsteps got closer and voices got louder the more Marco and Ace tensed. Ace, not really thinking about it, intertwined his fingers of their joined hands together.

"We got blood over here!" A marine shouted, sounding about where they had collapsed. Ace squeezed Marco's hand and held his breath. Both pirate remained frozen, focusing on nothing but the dark brush in front of them. Not the spider that dropped above or the centipede that crawled over Ace's boot. Not the other tiny insects scurrying away from their home intruders. Just the sounds of voices they couldn't quite make out and footsteps that sounded too close.

For a moment Ace regretting his decision. He bit his lip and his muscles tightened, ready to throw his body over Marco's if need be. Not that it would do him either good being trapped in the tree and still chained to Ace. It felt like every muscle in his body pulled tightly, ready to spring into action. To do anything he can to protect Marco from the stupid tree he fucking trapped them in.

"Alright-" both Marco and Ace flinched at the voice, so close to them now "-looks like the area is clear. Spread out and keep looking!" The man ordered, a ranking officer probably. Intently, Marco and Ace held their breaths and listened as the marching and shuffling of the Marines slowly distanced themselves from them until they could hardly be heard in the distance. Even then, they couldn't let themselves relax until silenced blanketed over them for several moments.

Marco sighed and relaxed heavily the tree and Ace finally released his breath and hung his head. That was all too close for comfort. Having the chance to finally relax a moment, Ace realized how dark within the tree it was, the brush covering up what little daylight they had left. But even with such little light, one glance at Marco was enough to see he was a mess. Ace was sure he looked no better but he hadn't lost consciousness like Marco did. The cut above his temple long and caked with the scummy mud.

"Marco-"

"If you say I told you so I'm going to kick you." Ace blinked, having completely forgotten their small argument beforehand. After a beat, Ace couldn't help but snort which dissolved into poorly stifled laughter. Marco following suit quickly. The relief of having this moment to relax making it hard not to. They were in a dirty, dark hollow of a tree but at least they were somewhere dry and somewhat hidden. Ace hissed suddenly and wrapped his free arm around his midsection. "Ace?" Marco voiced, concerned.

"I'm alright, I don't think anything is broken." Think and knowing were two different things but that's not something Ace felt like dwelling on at the moment. Instead he watched as Marco leaned back again and sighed.

"I feel like shit." He breathed out.

"You look like shit." Ace couldn't help it, he was raised to be a little shit.

"I can still kick you, you know." Marco didn't even open his eyes but a small smile was there. It lingered but Ace couldn't help but trail his gaze back to the cut. He reached over with his right hand and unbuckled the blue pouch and pulled it from the loops on his pant leg. With it easier for him to access, Ace popped it open, not wanting to waste what little light he had to attend to the wound.

But as fast as Ace dug his hand in, he jerked it back with a hiss. Inspecting it carefully revealed that his jar had completely shattered, leaving the medicine splatter all over the bag and all through the wet gauze. Ace was tempted to just toss it all aside but one look at Marco's head had him unrolling the gauze. Hoping that by removing the first couple layers was enough to makes sure no glass and as little muck as possible was being wipes onto Marco's open cut. He hoped that enough of his remedy had soaked through the gauze as well to help with the swelling to help stop infection.

Getting an infection, especially on his head was they last thing they needed right now. So gingerly he unwrapped another layer and moved to dab away the mud and blood from Marco's cut. But Marco pulled back moaning at the touch. "Wha-what is that? What're you doing?" Marco's slurred speech was disconcerting but at least he still had some awareness. A concussion most likely but a mild one.

"What does it look like?" Ace wanted to hold onto Marco's head to steady it but his left arm was screaming at him. He figured Marco's right was in no better condition. "Will you-" Ace dabbed a little harder than he meant when Marco moved his head back again "-hold still for a second."

"Not before you." Marco breathed, never opening his eyes. Ace tried to keep his voice low, but he was exhausted and not in the mood for Marco to be stubborn. The man could heal almost instantly in any other circumstance but even when he couldn't Marco always put others aid above his own. Said it was his job. Idiot didn't seem to think that if the doctor didn't care for himself than who the hell was going to care for the people who need him.

"The faster you let me wrap your pineapple of a head, the faster I'll tend to myself." Marco grunted at that and cracked an eye open to glare at him. "Not that I have anything as serious as your cracked fruity noggin'." Great, now he was talking like Thatch.

Marco had stared at him for a moment, both eyes open and really looked at him. Not that he could see much, Ace could barely even see what he was doing. But after a moment Marco closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "Liar." Ace huffed at that but was thankful that Marco was actually letting him do what he needed. "You better actually do as you say" Marco smiled "Poppy face."

"Poppy face?" Ace scowled and flinched a moment later haven't not noticing Marco's free hand reach up to brush his cheeks.

"Like the seeds." It took Ace a moment to realize that Marco was talking about his freckles. While fair, considering his comment moments before, Ace still puffed up his cheeks as they grew warm.

"Shuttup" Ace muttered earning a soft chuckle. It turned out wrapping someone's head with one hand was difficult but after a couple tries and Marco complaining before finally reaching up to steady the bandage, Ace had got what little he had left wrapped around the gash. And with Ace no longer moving him, Marco was quick to fall asleep.

Listening to Marco's evened out breathing, Ace let himself relax, head lulling over onto Marco's shoulder. Sleep mercilessly tugging on his conscious. He thought about his own wounds, what Marco had told him he better do but it's not like he could do much about them. He had no more of his remedy and what little gauze he had left was wrapped around Marco's head. The aches and sharp pains were making themself known loud and clear. But he'll be fine, he just needed to rest. Once he got some sleep Ace was sure he'd be fine was his last thought before he lost the battle against sleep. Not realizing his joined hand still clutched in Marcos and the other over his right leg, fabric of his shorts clutched tightly.