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Ace looked at Deuce. "Do you really need to leave?" Deuce hummed. "Kinda. They need a good navigator. Come on, who's better than me?" Ace sighed, but did give a small smile. "You're right. Be safe, okay?" Deuce nodded. "And you too. I don't want to come back and hear you have another case of you being the sickest they have ever seen, like the pneumonia case." Ace chuckled. "I will try, but I don't make any promises." Deuce chuckled. "I know. See you soon." Deuce said as he hugged her, and she savored it, before they parted and she looked at Deuce. "See you in a month." Deuce nodded. "We will. Love you." Ace nodded. "Love you too." Then Deuce heeded to the other small boat and sailed away.
Ace watched it sail away and when it was getting out of view, Marco came up to stand beside her. "It will go fine, yoi. It is not dangerous waters they're headed to. Just one of our islands." Ace nodded. "I know. I also know I will miss him." Marco nodded. "I get that. You two seem very close." Ace nodded. "And we are. We just… bonded." Marco nodded. "It is good you did. Everyone needs a good friend." Ace nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Deuce is so awesome." Marco hummed. "He is a good man, yoi." Ace nodded. "Yeah, he is." Ace then sighed. "Guess I'll head to my room to prepare for the day." She had some light duties today, just something to do. Marco nodded. "Sure, see me if you need some more duties to keep you occupied. Or just want a chat, yoi." Ace nodded, she knew that. "Yeah. See you later." Marco nodded. "We will. Have a good day." Marco then left, and Ace headed to prepare for the day.
Nothing special happened the next two weeks. And she really hoped Deuce would come back soon, she missed him a lot, but knew it was a while left. She did try to speak to the others and just seem a bit open. But it was so hard without Deuce as well. She always had him to run to, but not now. Hopefully, nothing special would happen the rest of the time he was away from the boat.
-x-
Whitebeard sat out on deck, the sun high on the sky as it was a good day, a warm day. After a bit, Vista came up and looked at him. "Pops. There is a huge storm heading for us. Snow, rain, thunder, everything, and it will hit tomorrow." Whitebeard nodded, even though it didn't seem like it now, seeing how warm it was, they were in the New World. "Thank you, son. Make sure we are prepared." Vista nodded. "I will. I will inform everyone and be on the alert." That was good and Vista headed to prepare. Whitebeard then tried to think on what he should do and where to be, and where to palace who. When he had figured that all out, he remembered something Marco had told him. Ace. She didn't like thunderstorms. Or 'didn't like' was putting it as mild as it could get. Someone should be with her as well, as Decue was still gone for about two more weeks. But who? Both on who he could spare, and who she would allow to be with her. She wasn't trusting them yet. But she trusted a few more than others. He would speak with Marco and figure this out with him. Later that day, he was in his room as evening came and he asked Marco to join him.
When the first commander came, the captain looked at him. "What do you think about Ace? For the storm." Marco hummed. "She will need support, yoi. She shouldn't be alone." Whitebeard nodded. "I agree. But who?" Marco gave a hum. "If it is allowed, I would like to put my name in the pot. Thatch was with her last time, and I know he can be a bit frantic, which I feel wouldn't help the best way. Maybe Haruta? Or Izou? She seems to trust them somewhat." The captain nodded. Those four sounded to be the best options. He thought for a bit, before he got an idea. "How about, you join her, and if you feel she doesn't want you, we can switch out." Marco thought for a second himself. "Sounds good, yoi. And I start?" Whitebeard nodded. "Yes, I think that sounds good. Hopefully we don't need to change, I think that would make her a bit more uncertain." Marco nodded. "Agree, yoi. I will update her." Whitebeard nodded, that sounded good. He hoped this would go fine.
-x-
Marco knocked at Ace's door, and when she answered, he asked to come inside, which she said fine too. When he was inside and Ace looked at him expectantly, he decided to just cut to the chase. "I just wanted to let you know, we're headed for a huge storm, yoi." Ace blinked. "What kind of storm?" Marco gave a small hum. "A mix of thunder, lightning, and snow storm." Ace blinked. "I've never been in one." Marco nodded. "More common in the New World, yoi. It is pretty rough, it is snowing, then raining, and snowing again, and just thunder all around." Ace blinked, before she looked a bit uncertain. "O-oh, it is that bad?" Marco gave a breath. "Unfortunately, yes." Ace gave a small nod, moving her hand a bit to her chest as she looked uncertain, and he moved his hand. "I just wanted to let you know in advance, that when it hits, I will join you through it. If you're against that, I can get someone else, yoi." He hoped this would help her.
Ace blinked, before she gave a small nod. "I… I would like that, for you to come." Marco nodded and gave a supporting smile. "Then I will come when I hear the thunder a bit away, yoi." Ace nodded and looked thankful. "Thank you, Marco." Marco shook his head. "It is nothing. I'll see you then, yoi." Ace nodded and he left, and he would keep an ear out for thunder, and when he heard it, he would head to Ace. He then went and did his duties, assigned everyone to where they needed to be, and when the snow started to fall heavy, it took half an hour before he heard thunder, and then he excused himself from what he was doing, before he went to Ace's room, where she seemed to have heard it herself as she had a worried look.
He was then invited inside and they started a chat, and he heard nothing for a bit, before Marco heard a loud thunder rumble through the ship, and as he heard it, he saw Ace moving her hands to her ears as she closed her eyes and flinched. When it passed and Ace moved her hands away, he moved a hand to her leg, somewhat startling her, making her look at him. "I know you're scared, yoi. But thunder can't hurt you." Ace sighed. "Like, I know, I know, it can't hurt me physically, but…" Marco nodded as Ace trialed off. "But it hurts mentally." Ace nodded, looking down, so Marco gave a supporting look. "Sometimes, what hurts mentally, hurts more than physically, yoi." Ace nodded. "Yeah, it does."
Marco nodded. "I also want to say, we don't care that you're scared, yoi. Or, don't care sounds wrong. We don't look down at you for it. Everyone has their own fears and reasons, trauma." Ace nodded, but gave a sigh. "It's just… so stupid." Marco shook his head. "No, it is not. You have your reasons, you're scared, yoi. Like how Thatch is utterly terrified of spiders, you're scared of thunder, like many others." Ace gave a small huff. "Scared of thunder like a child." Marco shook his head. "No, not like a child. Many are scared of thunder, yoi. Both children and adults alike. Please don't look down at yourself for it, because many are scared, and you have your reasons, like everyone does. Being scared of one thing doesn't define you, yoi." Ace sighed, but nodded.
Ace then looked at him. "Can you… can you really stay here the entire storm?" Marco nodded. "Most likely yes. If, by some chance, I, and only I, are needed, someone else would step in, yoi." Ace nodded slowly. "Like who?" Marco hummed. "Thatch, Izou, or Haruta, or someone else if you want to." Ace blinked. "Oh… that… that sounds good. I don't really… like to be alone in… storms." Marco nodded, on his way to speak when another thunder rumbled through the ship and Ace once again moved her hands to her ears as she whimpered and closed her eyes, and he moved a hand to her back. "It's okay, Ace." Ace nodded, but kept her eyes closed for a bit, with her hands over her ears, before she was sure it was over and moved her hands away and opened her eyes.
He then had some light conversation with Ace, with every thunder, she whimpered, closed her eyes, and moved her hands to her ears. She really was terrified of thunder. And he was sure, if he wasn't here, she would be worse. Most likely crying and hiding. Which he would get. She was scared, truly so, and had a right to be scared based on what he knew. When the thunder got lower and lower, before it was gone hours later, he moved to the window, which was covered, and moved it away as he looked out, and yes, he could see the sun far away, peeping through the skies. It was still raining a bit, but it was growing less the further away he looked.
"How does it look?" Asked Ace behind him, and he hummed as he turned to her and smiled. "It seems to have passed us now, yoi. I can see the sun, although it is far away." Ace gave a breath and moved a hand to her chest. "Thank God." She muttered, and he got she was relieved, it was over now. Or, for now at least. He knew there always was another storm, but hopefully, it was far away and a long time until it was here. But then again, they were in the New World, storms were common.
Ace then looked at him. "I think I am okay then, I mean, you can leave." Marco nodded a bit. "Are you sure?" Ace nodded. "Yes, I feel okay now." That was good. "Okay, come get me if you need me, okay, yoi?" Ace nodded. "Sure." He nodded, before he left. He then went out and made sure everything had gone fine, which it had. Minor damage and just a couple injuries, the worst one was a broken arm, from when one had fallen. It would heal fine. As everything outside was okay, he went and updated Pops, telling that Ace was also fine, telling how it had gone. And Pops was glad it had gone okay with Ace. Maybe this was a step in the right direction.
Two weeks later, nothing special happened in that time, the small boat came to them and then everyone boarded, including Deuce. As soon as he was about to ask how it had gone, Ace ran past him and jumped into Deuce's arms, giving a happy sound. "You're back!" Deuce nodded and hugged back. "I am!" They then hugged for a bit, before Deuce let Ace go, and Marco then got to ask how it had gone, and it seemed to have gone fine. Those needed then went with him to update Pops, which didn't include Deuce this time, which made Ace happy and the two went away, probably to Ace's room most likely. Ace was probably really glad to have Deuce back, which he got. Those two were so close. He then went to speak with Pops and those who were needed, and the trip had gone fine.
-x-
Deuce moved to sit on Ace's bed, Ace also sitting down, and he looked at her. "So, how was it? We met this terrible storm." Ace nodded. "Yeah, it hit us too. Did it go fine?" Deuce nodded. "Yes. We were on the island when it hit, so we weren't in danger." Ace gave a breath. "Thank God. If you had not made it, I don't know what I would have done." Deuce shook his head a bit with a small chuckle. "You're so dependent on me." Ace shrugged. "What if I am?" Deuce chuckled. "I am not complaining, not much at least. But how did the storm go? I hope you weren't stuck under your table crying. I hate it when you do that, I feel so bad for you." He really did, he wished Ace would get more sure nothing bad would happen this time.
Ace hummed. "It actually went very… fine. I was with… Marco." Deuce blinked, before he lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, do I have competition now?" Ace gave a dumb look. "Competition? What?" Deuce shrugged. "It would have been good if I had. If you could trust him as well." Ace shook her head. "But I have you." Deuce nodded. "I know, but it would be good to have one more as well. Or even more than that." Ace shook her head. "I don't need anyone else." Deuce sighed. "You should have more. You joined them, you joined the family. You need to trust them more." Ace sighed, shaking her head a bit, on her way to talk when only a breath left her.
Deuce moved a hand to her back. "Ace, I promise, they aren't like him." Ace shook her head with a sigh. "How can you know?" Deuce opened his mouth, before he sighed. "I can't promise with everything I have. But I feel like it. They are so close and loving, they would never hurt their own." Ace didn't look like she really believed it, and he knew this wouldn't just change out of nowhere. What that man had done to Ace, was so horrible and unforgiving. How Deuce wished he could go back in time and never let that man close to Ace, but he couldn't. He could only hope she would trust these ones, but then again, he also trusted him somewhat. But something always felt sketchy with him. Deuce didn't feel that here. But again, he could only hope.
And that's the chapter!
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