Please don't kill me! *hides behind a rock*
He hadn't seen them coming. How could he have? The first punch hit Ace squarely in the solar plexus. He fell backwards, bending over and clutching his stomach.
They didn't just want his wallet. The wanted to cause someone pain, and he just happened to be the first person they came across.
They were incredibly lucky that he couldn't defend himself.
Ace didn't have time to catch a breath, before another punch was thrown, this time hitting him in the face. Ace felt his lip split and blood start flowing down his chin. He heard the first drop hit the ground. His body followed soon after.
He hadn't believed Luffy when his brother had told him that the streets were a dangerous place at night. He hadn't listened to Sabo when he'd told him not to go out past 7 PM. Nothing ever happened to him, anyway. His life was, for lack of better terms, mundane. And now, as he was being kicked and punched as he lied there, he wished he had.
He wondered when it was going to end. He wondered if it was going to end. They had already taken his wallet- he'd felt a hand slip into his jacket pocket before. What more could they want? Was killing someone their idea of fun?
He ripped from his musings as he heard a crack, followed by a sharp pain in his chest. They must've broken a rib. Ace moved to place his hand over the injured area, to protect it from further harm.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Ace turned his head in the direction of a male voice.
"C'mon guys, let's go!" The voice was so young. Teenagers? Ace heard them run the other way, their feet hitting the sidewalk hard and loud. Slowly, Ace pushed himself up. His whole body hurt like a bitch, but he didn't think they broke any bones besides his rib. Speaking of which, it was getting a little hard to breathe. Ace was sure that in a day or two, he would look like a child's drawing- painted different shades of purple, blue, green and yellow. He didn't react as one set of footsteps quickly neared him.
"Are you alright? They didn't hurt you too badly, did they?" Ace turned his head towards the voice. The hand that wasn't supporting him against the wall of the building behind him travelled to his lips to try and stop the blood flow.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he replied shakily. The man came even closer.
"Shit, you don't look so good," the man replied, not giving a second thought to what Ace had just said. "Hang on, I'm calling 911." Ace could hear his clothes rustle as he reached for his phone.
"No, seriously, I'm fine." Honestly, he was far from that, but he didn't want to be around this man any longer than he had to. He just wanted to get his phone and call either Luffy or Sabo. Either one was fine, really. He just wanted to be around someone he trusted. "Where are my things?" Ace asked. The man slowly put his phone back in his pocket.
"…They're right in front of you."
Marco looked at the face of the man before him, who looked as though he'd fall over again any second.
"Fuck…" he breathed, as he took in the sight of his eyes. They were completely clouded, with no visible pupil. He was blind. Those gangster wannabes had attacked a blind man. He grimaced in disgust.
Marco didn't stare for too long. Instead, he turned his gaze towards a pair of broken sunglasses, a shopping bag, and a white cane with a red tip lying before him. No wonder he hadn't tried to defend himself. How could he, when he had no idea where anything was? He picked up the items and handed them to the other man, making sure that they came in contact with his skin so that he would know they were there. After a slight flinch at the unexpected gesture, he easily took them from him. The man started rummaging in the bag, before pulling out a phone. He pressed a button. When nothing happened, he put it away again, groaning.
"Damn it! Voice operated shit doesn't work when it's needed," he ground out. Marco took out his own phone again.
"Do you want to use mine? You can… umm… tell me the number and I'll dial it for you." The stranger furrowed his eyebrows in displeasure, before reluctantly voicing the phone number he wanted to call. When he finished dialing, Marco read it back to him to make sure he got it right, getting a nod of the head as confirmation.
"My name's Marco," he said as he pressed the call button and gave the other man the phone.
"I'm Ace."
