Hello everyone! I know how badly I've been neglecting these drabbles, and I do apologize for leaving you guys alone for so long. I dearly missed this place - both the fandom and the pairing. I seem to be on a PPG kick so I'll ride this wave of interest as long as I can, don't you worry.

The last drabble/oneshot I out up (Swan Song, in case you skipped) had some begging for a sequel. While I never intended for there to be one, when this fell out of my fingers I believe it's a decent follow up to the other, if only because Ace is still in sort of a funk. That being said, there is no pressure or need to read the previous drabble. It stands fine on its own (at least I believe so - to each his/her own).

Please enjoy :D

The Citysville Bridge was nice at night, even if it was only half finished and a potential hazard to anyone going into or coming out of the city or town. It was just a big eyesore now, really. Useless and broken. Unneeded. Fit to be replaced.

Ace spit over the edge and told himself not to act like such a fucking girl.

The lead Gagnreen had been coming her more and more often, lately. He'd been thinking a lot more too. About everything. He felt kind of old for some reason, felt like he needed to stop for a little while and think. His gang may or may not have noticed – the wintery months made them all sluggish and lazy. It was too cold to pick for food. There was too much of a risk in holding someplace up. Snake, being a cold-blooded critter, was out of commission more often that not, so they were a man short. Not to say they didn't try, but more often that not Ace gave into the temptation of free food at the soup kitchen and free clothes lifted or gifted from the Salvation Army. If the rest of the guys had any objection, they knew better than to say it.

As for the leaving thing – Ace had done that for a long time now. It started out just to test them – see if they would turn tail and run off and abandon him. No one did. They started looking for him instead, concerned about him. He started designating leaders. Snake was his first choice, but he'd been giving Lil' Arturo chances and he seemed to be doing all right. Snake was still second, though, and he kept an eye on things, designated or not. He left most of the time to get laid, or go steal minor stuff, or just to scope out new places and score some easy cash. He came and left whenever the hell he felt like it.

He discovered the bridge on one of his travels. Well, not so much discovered but actually figured out where it was. At first it was nothing. Just a blip, a location marker on his wandering routes. But something kept drawing him back. Normally compulsion to do something like this wouldn't have bothered him.

But he kept teetering on the thought of quitting.

It was just a random thought. Just a little twinge of something. But his brain held onto it and kept picking at it. It made plans for him. He just needed to cross the bridge. He'd be on his own again then. A fresh start. He could swipe so makeup or powder or some shit and cover his green. Start over with a new gang. Make a name for himself in an even worse city – probably be better off, too. He could dodge cops better than most, it was the damned Powerpuffs that gave him hell. It couldn't be that hard. He'd be big time there. It'd be easy for him.

"Ace?"

"Snake?"

The lead Gangreen made no move to turn around or acknowledge the thinner gangster. He didn't really want to move. The iron bar was too comfortable to move. Snake slid up behind him, off to the side a little and hissed softly, so Ace dignified him with a peek over his shoulder and a sideways glance. Snake just smiled, slithering closer.

"What'sss the mattersss, bossss?" Snake asked quietly, pulling his hands out of his coat pockets.

"Ain't it a lil cold for you to be outside?"

"I have thessse coatssss." He murmured "And I wasss getting worriedss"

"I'm fine. Go home, Snake." Ace urged, looking out over the twisted metal "I'm right behind you."

"I don'tss believesss you."

Ace shrugged and continued looking out. Snake hissed, his hiss catching a little and stuttering while he shivered. The reptile shuffled closer and patted his covered arms, rubbing them a bit to warm himself. Ace would have reached out to help, but he quelled that impulse long enough to eye Snake. Snake eyed him back. He then shivered and fell forward, landing on Ace's back. He drew his hands from his pockets to wrap his arms around his leader's shoulders, fisting his hands somewhere between Ace's scarf and his neck.

He reached up to clasp the serpents freezing hands in his own.

"I was thinking." Ace muttered

"Bad thinkingsss or good thinkingsss?"

"A lil' of both."

Snake went quiet, nestling closer to his boss. Ace could feel the thick coverings more readily than the thin body itself. He worried about the kid – he could get really sick out here in the cold like this. He was fucking freezing as it was. The reptiles frigid skin trembled and slid closer to his. As cold as Ace was, Snake apparently found some warmth in there somewhere, somehow. The serpent was rather good at finding things where no one else did. It was as annoying as impressive, at least in Ace's opinion.

"Yousss… weren't really thinkingsss of leavingss, were youss?" Snake asked quietly, pressing his cold face closer into Ace's scarf "Were yousss?"

Ace decided not to answer.

"D-Don'tsss. Okay?" he murmured, shaking a bit "Please don'tsss."

"Why? You'd miss me?"

"Yesss." He whispered, pressing his cold face to Ace's, kissing it awkwardly.

Ace smiled at the attempt, squeezing the thin hands but made no move to move otherwise. This is what kept him firmly rooted in Townsville. Sure, he could cross the gnarled bridge and start over. Sure he could rustle up another gang, go big time and get rich damn fast. He could be well off. But how long would it last? How long before he got shot or backstabbed? Some part of Ace, however small, knew he'd never get this again. An even smaller part tried to convince him that all the money in the world couldn't tempt him to give this up.

While Ace was skeptical of that really tiny part, he kind of found himself agreeing with it. He wasn't exactly sure what the 'this' was – the loyalty, the respect, the name, the infamy, or maybe the thin boy wrapped around his shoulders – but he wasn't exactly opposed to it. Citisville could rot.

The wind chose that moment to bite particularly hard, forcing Snake to shiver and shake, trying to generate body heat. Ace did him one better. He pushed off the support beam and turned, shielding the cold blooded Gangreen from the gust. Snake remained still, his face pressing into the front of Ace's jacket. Even through the fabric he could still feel the reptiles frozen skin press into his chest. Snake's tongue flickered for a moment before he raised his head. The lead Gangreen smirked, sliding his hands from under the scarf (where Snake happily kept his own frozen fingers) to the sides of the pointed reptile's face.

"Let's go home." Ace murmured, leaning down and pressing a kiss between the serpent's eyes.

"You meansss it?" Snake asked softly, attempting to keep Ace as close as he could possibly get.

"Where the hell else would I go?"

Not as sad this time around, right? It's always a good thing to come back on a nicer note- or at least I think so. R&R if you're so inclined and have a pleasant day