Finally an update! You guys happy? I'm happy :D I feel accomplished. And I don't know why.

ALSO THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME: Kitsune Foxfire/Bedlamwolf and I have started a collab on our new joint account called BedlamAnjelle (we're so original). It's called Immortality is What We Leave Behindand it's a full fantasy AU with mythical creatures. There are no (main) pairings and it centers around Ace and Luffy (as children) and Marco, with Thatch and Izo and some future characters being very important as well. We're really proud of it and are having A LOT of fun with it so we would REALLY appreciate it if you took a look if it sounds like something you would enjoy. Plus the chapters are long so it'll keep you entertained for longer~ Thanks in advance to anyone who checks it out.

And now, onto the chapter~

Feeling self-conscious under the boy's stare, Marco had turned away to continue cooking, completely ignoring the youth as he gawked unabashedly at the back of his head. He probably thought the blond was ignoring his question but really he just couldn't think of how to respond. Normally he was more careful than that. Normally he didn't let people see. Was he careless because it was Ace—because he knew before? It was possible. Still, he couldn't help but curse inwardly knowing just how confused the poor boy was. He had enough of that without knowing his butler and former roommate could instantly heal.

"Oi…" Ace called quietly from behind as he dumped the noodles into the boiling pot and stirred, continuing to prepare their dinner without breaking a step. "Y-you can't just pretend… Marco, I need to know what that was. I-it looked like a flame, right where the water…"

He pulled his mouth taut, noting the distress in the kid's voice. If that's how he was after spotting the small flicker of a flame then he would have to be be sure not to transform while Ace was in the building; giant, flaming blue birds didn't tend to do good things to people's nerves.

Suddenly a hand arrived on his shoulder and he stopped, glancing back at the boy with a sigh. He looked determined, brows furrowed as though he wouldn't back down, so he couldn't just brush the incident off and pretend it didn't happen. But explaining was such a bother, and to an amnesiac of all things… Ace didn't even remember the day they met, or any of the following encounters. If he had, it would have made things easier. Well, he couldn't avoid it.

"Sit down yoi," the blond commanded, turning away once more, "or at least go explore the living room. I'll answer your questions after dinner."

He heard a groan, almost a growl, escape the other's throat as he stormed out of the room, muttering a reluctant "Fine" as he went. As soon as he heard the footsteps fade into the distance he turned around, looking down the kitchen entrance to the living room, watching as his old roommate once more retrieved the photo album from the shelf and flopped down on the couch, still not daring to open it. Was he scared of what he would find?

Well, in any case, Marco had bought himself a bit of time. It wasn't much, seeing as it wouldn't take long for the pasta to cook, but it was something. As he went about readying the sauce and setting the table he pondered how best to let Ace in. It'd been hard enough last time, those scant few years ago, opening up and explaining just what he was to an almost-stranger, but doing so again? It would be hard. His whole existence thrived on secrecy. Without it…

He bit his lip, once more stirring the pot. Last time Ace had accepted it wholeheartedly. He didn't even blink when Marco revealed his body's secrets, be it regeneration or his other form. But Ace didn't know about the drug, about the effects—he was completely oblivious. His biggest worry wasn't setting people on fire, it was getting his servant to stop being so scared of him. He didn't stay up at night wondering if he could stay in control, instead sleeping soundly—and not just because of his narcolepsy. In a way, the blond was a little envious.

Before long Marco was draining the water into the sink, steam rising up to roll over his skin as he lifted the strainer and gave it a shake, just for good measure. He moved back to the stove and briefly wondered what they had in the way of beverages as he dropped the pasta back into the pot and held the saucepan up to his nose, sniffing it to assure he'd marinated it to his guest's liking. Satisfied, he poured it over the noodles and began tossing them, mixing them as he thought.

Ace normally made dinner. Marco's responsibility was breakfast since he had a habit of waking at the break of dawn and both worked through lunch so when they came home, exhausted from work, Ace would set the stove for whatever he was in the mood for and went about making enough for the two of them—which was a lot, considering the boy's insurmountable appetite.

…He may have missed it, just a bit.

To stall further, the blond went about measuring out servings of the rather bland meal and scooping them onto the two empty plates at the table, being sure to give Ace twice as much. Then he grabbed the bowl of shredded cheese from off the counter, sprinkling it atop the mess of spaghetti on each plate. Their dinner was rather lazy, he admitted, but with how tired and stressed he was he didn't feel the need to make anything more. It wasn't like he'd expected his guest, after all.

The moment came where he could no longer push back speaking to Ace and he trekked into the living room, watching as the boy finally gathered the courage to open the album's front cover. He took the heir's deep concentration as a chance to lightly step over, standing directly behind the couch and peering down at the book held within tense hands.

The picture he was looking at was of the three of them: Marco, Ace and Thatch. If the blond remembered correctly, it was taken the day they moved into that house. Ace had spent a month sleeping on his sofa and he'd decided to talk to him about it, about why he never went home or found someone else to stay with—why always his apartment? After an evening-long discussion and a lot of back-and-forth debating they'd come to a decision and, two weeks later, Thatch helped them move. The photo showed Ace's bedroom, boxes piled high behind him as he grinned at the camera, Marco installing a shelf to the left and Thatch's figure reflected in the mirror on the far wall with a sloppy smirk, camera in hand.

Absently the blond leaned forward, his forearms resting on the back of the couch as Ace turned the page. His mind flashed back to each event—to birthdays and holidays and even a funeral—with every image that met his eye. Eventually the heir came across a photo with a smiling young girl, waves of hair cascading down her back as she folded her hands over her uniform, Ace in a hospital gown beside her.

"…Vivi?" He could hear the confusion in Ace's voice, the silent questions running through his mind.

"That was the first time I met her," Marco supplied, ignoring it as the youth jolted and spun around, "but you seemed to know her from before yoi."

"Marco, you scared the—" Ace seemed to think better of his comment, shaking his head in a visual show of his confliction before opening his mouth again. "What do you mean? When'd I meet her?"

He shrugged. "You didn't say. Dinner's ready, by the way." And with that he spun around, heading back into the kitchen. Ace followed closely behind.

They sat across from one another, those gray eyes locking onto his with furrowed brows even as he, rather violently, shoved his fork into the tangled mess on his plate. Those eyes were suspicious, promising a world of inquiry as soon as the opportune chance arrived.

Marco sighed. "Are you going to stare at me all night or are you going to eat yoi?" He wasn't given a response, the unending stare of his old roommate all the answer he needed as he swallowed his first mouthful. Apparently he wasn't allowed to eat in peace. "It's bothering you that much?"

"I know what I saw, Marco. I saw you get hit and then…"

"And then?" he pressed.

"Then… I don't know what exactly, but…"

Considering Ace hadn't eaten a single bite of his meal, it was easy to see how much it was bothering him; since when did that bottomless pit not devour everything in sight? And Marco had to admit, though begrudgingly, that he was more avoiding it for his own nervousness than he was for fear of Ace's confusion worsening. It wasn't something he openly brought up in conversation.

"Fine," he said, coming off a bit whinier than he cared to admit as he set down his utensils. The eyes across from him blinked as he stood, grabbing a knife from the counter drawer and holding it up to his palm, being sure the other could see his demonstration.

Ace swallowed. "Marco, what are you—" Before the boy could finish he'd sliced through his hand, wincing as the blade tore through his skin, a trail of red following in its wake. "O-oi! What the hell are you doing?!"

The heir shot to his feet and grabbed the knife from Marco's grasp, using his other hand to pull the blond's wrist towards him. But only seconds later both the injury and the blood burst into a mesh of blue and yellow flames. Ace startled, his grip on the blade failing, allowing it to clatter to the floor. All was silent as he watched the heatless fire burn, fizzling out to reveal clean, unbloodied steel.

"It's…" The youth craned his neck around to watch as the last of Marco's cut closed, revealing untouched skin. Slowly, hesitantly, Ace ran his fingers across the open palm, checking for some sort of trick. When he found none and met Marco's gaze with large, confused eyes, the blond felt his body go tense. "…What are you?"

Three words—just three short syllables—yet those words had his heart clench with anxiety. "Are you scared, yoi?"

Silence stretched as Ace continued holding his hand, his thumb massaging the place that should have been split by the blade of the knife, deep in thought. Finally his shoulders sagged and he looked up once more, gray meeting blue as he pulled his mouth taut. "A little, yeah."

He was afraid of that.

"You could have hurt yourself, you idiot!"

Marco blinked as Ace came close, glaring daggers at him. "…What?"

The freckled youth growled under his breath as he released the appendage to cross his arms over his chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack, asshole! I thought I was going to have to take your stupid ass to the hospital for stitches!"

Both men remained frozen like that for several stretching moments, Marco trying to register that reaction as Ace mumbled insults under his breath. That… that reaction was even more relaxed than the first time he was told. He wasn't sure what to say.

"So," Ace began, his face losing its angry undertones as he worriedly glanced back at his friend's arm, "you gonna explain what the hell that was?"

Taking a deep breath, Marco sat himself at the table once more and watched as Ace followed suit, shoving a mouthful of spaghetti into the black hole beneath his nose. He was relieved, both that Ace hadn't panicked and that he was eating, but now he had to think of how to explain it to someone who knew nothing of what he was, what he'd become. Last time Ace was already aware. Even before they met he'd known. Everyone he'd told knew, not that there were very many in that category. Still, this was a first for him.

As the other ate, Marco spoke. "Do you remember what a phoenix is yoi?"

Ace blinked, pausing in his consumption as he thought. "Mmmm… fire bird, right? It heals and gets reborn whenever it di—" The boy stopped himself, gasping as realization hit. "Are… are you trying to tell me that you're a bird? Marco, I love you like a brother, but if you're some chicken on steroids then—"

"I'm not yoi," he assured, not wanting to hear the rest of where that comment was headed, "not really."

"Then I'm confused. Thoroughly," he added, standing from his seat to rummage through the fridge. Was he so relaxed because he'd already lived through that situation before or because that was just his nature?

The blond leaned back in his chair, accepting it when a can of beer was tossed his way. "I wasn't before, at least."

"So you are a bird?"

"…In a way," he admitted reluctantly. "The important thing is that I can heal yoi. But I wasn't always like this." He opened the can with a pop, took his first sip and relished in the taste. He didn't drink much; Thatch brought those over earlier in the week.

"So?" Ace pressed, returning to his seat with his own can, "what happened?"

"You're taking this rather calmly," Marco mused, the corners of his mouth curving into a smirk.

Heaving a sigh, the heir deflated. "Being told things that I don't understand… It's kind of an everyday thing for me."

Fair enough. "There's a drug yoi. It was originally being tested on subjects with physical handicaps—people who couldn't walk, mostly. The theory was that it could fix nervous system and spinal cord damage, but I don't know the details."

Ace's interest piqued at that. He leaned forward, absently twirling his fork around some noodles as he listened. "So what'd it actually do?"

"For most people, nothing," he admitted, laughing at the pout of disappointment the boy shared. "But there were a few who it affected yoi. And each one was affected differently. I—"

"—Became able to heal?"

"Yeah," he affirmed with a nod. "And Thatch—"

"Wait, wait, wait, he's taken it too? And had weird side-effects?" He waited for the confirming grunt from his friend, brooding over being interrupted twice in a row. He didn't like being cut off. "What was it?"

Half-lidded eyes stared back at him and Marco shook his head, much to Ace's displeasure. After rethinking it, it wasn't his secret to tell. "He'll tell you eventually yoi. The participants it affected were brought in for further testing but the drug ended up for auction in some underground markets. It's hard to come by now, but it's still sold."

Ace hummed in thought. "So you're a bird?"

"…Yes."

"Can I see?"

"No."

The youth flopped down on his bed, Marco standing in the doorway leaning against the frame. That was the first time he'd seen the inside of the room since Ace's accident and, to be honest, he didn't want to linger. The air felt stale. But he forced himself to remain still. After dinner Ace had tried his best to remain casual. He failed miserable and Marco could tell that being a little uneasy was an understatement; it became all too clear that he said that because he didn't want to worry the blond when every time they got close he tensed. He was bothered by it, no matter what he said to the contrary. Still, he was trying to accept it. So Marco would try too.

Flipping onto his back, staring at the ceiling, Ace sighed. "I like this room. It feels like home—not like the mansion. That place is cold."

"Oh?" he noised, content with just listening to him ramble.

"Mm," he sounded with a nod. "I don't like it there. I'm sleeping here tonight. I'm staying and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

He closed his eyes, not intending to argue, "Alright."

Ace shot up, staring at him with surprise. "…You're just going to let me? No 'you need to be with your parents'? No 'stop being stubborn yoi'?"

His eyes narrowed. "Are you mocking me yoi?" Deciding he didn't want an answer, he shook his head. "This is just as much your home as it is mine. I won't turn you away."

At first the heir blinked, shocked, but moments later his mouth turned into a grin. "Then can you show me your bird self?"

"How is that related to this?"

"Come on! We're roommates, right? Brothers?" The word had slipped from his mouth before he could stop it, hands slapping over his lips as though to trap anything else from being said. "...I don't know why I…"

Blue eyes slid closed and he heaved a sigh, walking over to the bed to tousle the boy's hair. Even if he was twenty years old, to Marco he was just a kid. He always would be. And wearing such a confused, unsure expression as he was, he only looked younger. Yes, they were brothers; they always would be, even if Ace never remembered why.

When gray eyes and freckled cheeks turned to him with a quizzical stare he stiffened, hoping that what he was doing wasn't a mistake. He felt his flames flicker within his chest, bursting to life on his skin as he started to shift. Familiar pains engulfed his body as arms became wings, toes to talons, those pools of gray going impossibly wide. As the aching settled, the morph complete, he couldn't help but think that everything was happening too fast. Ace didn't even know about his own ability, was unaware of the day years ago when he tried the drug for himself. He shouldn't have told him. He should have been more careful. And he never should have shown him his other form.

But as a cautious hand reached out towards him, fingers pressed lightly against his neck, his apprehension was forgotten. Even if just for the moment, it was nice to feel like things were normal.

Marco couldn't sleep. That didn't seem to be the case for his guest, though, when he heard light snoring coming from the room across from his, the occasional incoherent muttering accompanying it. He opened the door a bit, looking in on the figure sprawled across the mattress, a leg brushing against the floor.

"Luffy…" the boy mumbled, turning in his sleep. Marco rolled his eyes.

He dragged himself into the living room, eyes scanning the bookshelf for something to read. Eventually his sight caught on an old, bound book and, after a silent debate with himself, he pulled it from its place. Plopping down on the armchair nearby, he flipped through the pages of photos not unlike Ace's album, his eyes settling on one of three men in wheelchairs, one missing a leg, and smiled.

Feels like yesterday.

So I hope you enjoyed the update~ No Luffy this time, but it's a chapter that's important to the overall plot so hopefully you guys still enjoyed it. Drop a review and tell me what you think, yeah? :D I'm happy to see most of you didn't mind the devil fruits being added. It wasn't a spontaneous decision, it was planned from the beginning, but I milked the start of the fic too much so it feels kind of random... There were hints! I swear!

ALSO I HAVE A TUMBLR. You can bother me on it. The name is anjellesblog and you can find a direct link on my profile XD

To my lovelies~

Shirani-Chan: Awe you're too sweet XD I hope you were just as excited for this chapter as well.

baccamarielle: ACTUALLY I had 2 versions of this story plotted out in my ideas document and the other version was where the Ace that woke up was canon Ace after he died at Marineford. I was soooo tempted to write that but I thought it was a little too predictable. Might make it a bonus one day, though :)

Sachiel Angelo: You'll have to wait and see who has devil fruits and who doesn't~ As you can guess by the Thatch comment, not all of them are the same as canon.

ssspooky: Sorry, that's how I write. If you want faster development you'll have to look elsewhere because I don't like stories like that :/

Frostheart D. Blaize: That's an... extreme reaction o.o

TheAnalei: You'll have to wait and see~ Well Marco's explanation could have been better, but... it worked in the end XD Canada's awesome, but it's not that great since living expenses are so high...

goldengirl555: You know I can't answer those questions :P

teengens: Well it's not sudden, there were hints earlier it's just they were hard to catch... hope you don't stop reading now :,D

shadowmarialove: I'm glad you like XD

Angelic Fluffle: ...No idea how to reply to your review.

94Insane: No! Hints are bad! BAD! Awe, you're sweet~ But still no!

MysteriousEyez: Well it IS modern times but... never said there wouldn't be devil fruits :P Only they work a little differently in this world. They're not the exact same thing. Yes, it's REALLY messed up for Ace. See, he SEEMS to accept it, right? But that's because we weren't seeing it from his perspective muahahaha. Now THAT will be fun to write :3 Ace and Lu's next encounter should be... entertaining XD

Diclonious57: Yes, yes you do.

Yueres De Leo: Glad you like~

Bluebird42: Yep, but is remembering a good thing or a bad thing?

LuckyDream: Devil fruits were INTENDED to be medicine. Now they're something else. You'll see in future updates~ Lol well we'll see how much of a problem transforming turned out to be when we see Ace's perspective. As Marco suggests, he's not as okay with it as he appears.

Guest: I can't tell you about what the ending will be like! NO! BAD! Lol there'll be more stuff like the movie later on. I like exploiting canon wherever I can XD There'll even be a scene involving Marineford.

kickassdani: You're welcome, my lovely~~

Kitsune Foxfire: You know I can't answer any of those questions :P But Marco basically told you that Ace has one. As for how he got hurt... you'll see. It'll be explained. There are a LOT of hints in this chapter so I'm sure you'll pick up on some.

Kei-kei Yuki: Flattery will get you nowhere XD But here's more~

Picu: o.o

CrazySarahify: Here's an update! I'm glad some of you guys are happy about the development :)

oblivion9032: That reveal will be a while, my friend :P

xXoAnonymousoXx: Oh yeah? You should try my fic Divide XD Veeery slow development though. I annoy people with that.

booklovertotheend: You're so sweet ;_; Happy to hear you like the powers!

So as you may be able to tell from this chapter, the story has a little more to it than "asshole Ace gets hit in the head and tries to make up for being an asshole after waking up with amnesia" and I'm hoping you'll like that. Still not a very complex plot, but a little deeper than it first appears. I hope you enjoyed and sorry for the update delay! Now I gotta take a painkiller for my knee. It hurts. A lot.

Adieu~