Fourth one-shot:
Family time
Synopsis:
Ace and Marco have been married for a few years now. And they have been wanting something for quite a while.
Word count: 13260-ish
Inspiration from Shadow22739! Thank you, Shadow! (～￣▽￣)～
WARNING:
MATURE THEMES AT THE START! (I did it! :0)
This is my first time writing it, but yes, I finally wrote.. that! lmao
In case you want to skip that bit, because the story isn't just smut (of course), it starts and ends with: (!)
XXX
"Maarrrrcccooooooo... When are you gonna come hooommeeee?"
As he talked with his husband on the phone, Marco chuckled when the other male started whining and groaning as if he was in great pain. Marco knew better than to fall in Ace's game of I-don't-feel-well-so-come-home.
"You know that I have to stay longer today, yoi. I'll be home in a few hours." He answered, shaking his head when he heard Ace groan and curse his work.
"Then buy me cupcakes when you comee!" His husband said lastly, and Marco knew Ace was on his way to hang up the phone. But he knew how to handle the situation without having a sad and angry Ace once he goes home.
"I'll buy some chocolate milk too, yoi. I love you so much." He said with a smile in his voice. Marco heard some shuffling on the phone and then a sniffle- was Ace really crying?
"Ace? Yoi, Ace, are you crying?" He asked. It was his break time right now, he had about 5 more minutes before going back to treating patients so if Ace was crying, he wanted to calm him down before leaving. He heard another sniffle and then Ace spoke, his voice soft.
"M-Marcoo! You are too fucking sweet!" His husband said, making him laugh. Oh. He was crying because of that.
"Love, I want you to calm down, okay? You might trigger your narcolepsy and I don't want that to happen, yoi." He said carefully. Sometimes Marco needed to remind Ace that strong emotions trigger his narcolepsy, one of which being laughter- which Ace did a lot. Of course, laughing and being happy in general is a good thing but sometimes if it's too strong, it'll trigger his narcolepsy and he'll fall asleep.
"Okay... But I still want cupcakes.. and chocolate milk." He chuckled, and reassured Ace that he will get them on his way home.
"Sorry, love, but I need to go now. Break time is over. I love you, yoi." He said to the phone, talking a bit faster than his usual pace.
"Mm-hm! Love you too, Mar! See ya!" He said goodbye to his husband and put his phone in his pocket. Going outside his office, Marco was immediately called by a nurse to aid one of the patients. He went with the nurse and continued doing his work.
XXX
After almost two hours Marco was finally done with the work. He was happy that he had tomorrow off fully, the main reason he stayed later today. While on his way home, Marco made sure to buy some cupcakes and chocolate milk for Ace just like he promised. Ace loved cupcakes, but he loved it more when Thatch, Marco's brother-in-law cooked it. [Again with Thatch being the brother-in-law theme! I just like the idea of Thatch x Izo]
Upon arriving home, he heard footsteps running towards him and then at a great speed, Ace crashed himself onto Marco, hugging him tightly. They both laughed as Marco couldn't hold his stand with Ace on him, both falling to the floor.
"Hello to you too, my love." Marco greeted and Ace giggled,
"Welcome back, Marco!" They both smiled and Marco swiftly but carefully stood up, carrying Ace in bridal style to the living room. He sat Ace down on the couch first before sitting down himself.
"Hello too, Phoenix." He greeted their pet bird, Phoenix. The bird chirped back and ruffled its feathers. Phoenix is a blue colored indian ring-necked parakeet, medium sized and family friendly. He put the cupcakes and the milk on the table and stared longingly at Ace. He was tired but he could still enjoy the rest of his night with his husband. Smirking, Ace sat himself on Marco's lap and faced him. Marco smirked back and put his hands on Ace's waist, bringing him closer to give him a kiss.
"Mm... Ace, yoi. I love you so much.." Marco mumbled and continued kissing Ace, earning a moan from the raven head. After kissing him for a few minutes on the couch, he stopped and smiled at Ace.
"I'll take a shower before we take this to bed." Despite his smile, Ace groaned and grabbed his face a bit too roughly.
"Marco, no! I want your cock in me right now!" The sudden declaration made Marco laugh out of shock and he hugged Ace, Ace hugging him back with a hearty laugh too.
"My love, I want to be clean first, yoi. It was a rough day at the hospital." Ace pouted like a child but agreed to wait for Marco and went upstairs to their room, while Marco went to take a quick shower. They lived in a ground house which might be too big for a family of three (with Phoenix) like them, but they don't mind it since Marco had brought the house way before even meeting Ace.
After taking a shower, he didn't really bother with clothes, knowing what was waiting for him upstairs and just walked to their bedroom with a single towel around his waist. The door was closed so while half expecting Ace to jump him, he opened the door. To see that Ace wasn't here or on the bed... He quickly gazed around the room and noticed a crack in the closet, walking closer to it, but mid way through he stopped when the door opened... to reveal his husband.
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(!)
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Ace was smirking, completely naked and practically ran at him. Marco almost immediately opened his arms to welcome Ace in.
"Marrr~" His husband gave him a quick kiss, "-coo~!" Giggling, Ace gave him another kiss and laughed more at Marco's surprised face. Hmm... maybe it has been too long since their last time, Marco had to work a lot the past week too. Their hospital's medical director won't leave him alone.
"You seem eager, yoi." Marco teased, earning a whine from the raven head. He laughed and walked to the bed with Ace, and sat on the bed with Ace facing him.
"Work your magic on me, love." Marco said and Ace smiled, his always so beautiful freckles shining with the tint of blush on his cheeks. In other words, Ace looked so, so fucking cute right now. And Marco wanted to see more than just a measly blush, no, he wanted to see all the lewd faces Ace could make for him.
He smiled as his husband kneeled down in front of him and Marco took off the towel, revealing his very excited cock. Ace grabbed it gently and looked at it for a bit before smiling up at his husband and opening his mouth. He slowly and teasingly licked the cock's edge, smirking when Marco moaned and it throbbed in his hold. Soon, Ace took it fully in his mouth and, in Marco's words, started doing 'his magic'. Marco moaned and put his right hand on Ace's head, eyes watching the latter's every move with visible need. The need and want of his husband.
Ace sucked with more strength as Marco groaned and moaned. And with a pop, Ace freed Marco's member and reached his hand to the bedside table to grab the lube he had put there earlier. Before Ace was able to proceed, Marco took the lube himself and pulled Ace up on the bed. The raven head crawled on all fours on the bed and raised his butt up a bit for his husband. Marco opened the lube and poured some on Ace's hole, then put it aside for the time being.
Coating his fingers with some lube and gently rubbing it around Ace's hole, the blond inserted one finger in, Ace giving a small gasp as he did so. He slowly moved his finger in and out, twirling it inside, and finally added another finger in too. Ace was in a fit of moaning and gasping, clearly enjoying every move Marco did. But soon enough Marco stopped using his fingers and instead opted to use something more fun, stroking his eager cock.
"I'm going in now, love." He whispered to Ace's ear, slowly pushing his cock in. In a fast move, Marco pushed it all in and Ace moaned loudly, making Marco shush him.
"I love your loud moans but the next door will hear if you're too loud, yoi." He teased and started working his hips at a slow pace, and increased his speed and strength with every thrust. Ace moaned, not even able to answer Marco's words, enjoying his night too much. Yep. It has been too long since their last time, that is confirmed.
"A-ah haa.. M-Marrr~ ah! I-I- I'm cl..closee! Ha.." Ace had managed to say in mid moans, and Marco gently turned Ace on his back to give him kisses. His kisses mumbled Ace's voice but they didn't stop moaning into the kiss, Marco speeding up a bit.
"I-I'm close too, yoii-" Marco whispered and bit into Ace's neck while thrusting with more strength, making Ace groan louder. With his left hand, Marco started stroking Ace's cock. They both moaned following each other, Marco's thrusts becoming more quick and soon enough, they reached their climax. With a loud moan, they both cummed, Marco filling Ace inside and he thought that their neighbors might have heard Ace, but it didn't matter.
Heavily breathing now, Marco looked down at his husband to see him already out of it. It seems he gave up to narcolepsy, again. Marco was actually surprised Ace didn't have a narcolepsy attack in the middle of having sex, but it was good that he had it after that. Smiling at his husband's sweet sweet face, Marco gave him a small kiss and carried him to the bathroom for cleanup.
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(!)
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XXX
Waking up, the first thing he noticed was the gentle warmth of his husband's embrace. Marco was hugging Ace and it was already morning, meaning he had a narcolepsy attack last night. But he knew Marco didn't mind it at all, his husband is affectionate and helps him a lot. Ace snuggled closer to Marco, he always loved it when they cuddled like this. Marco was still asleep and he understood why, after all, he had a long day of work yesterday and they even had some fun despite that. Marco is the best husband ever!
He suddenly felt his husband give him a kiss on his head and looked up to see Marco smiling at him. He smiled back and hugged Marco close.
"Good morning, love!"
"Good morning to you too, sunshine. How are you, yoi?" Ace hummed, saying he was alright and just sleepy. Marco smiled and didn't even bother getting up, because, why would he? It's one of his rare off days, he would enjoy all the time he has.
"I didn't get to eat the cupcakes.." Oh. Marco completely forgot about that, and he's sure they are still on the table in the living room. With a laugh, the blond dismissed it and said they would eat later. Or maybe they could go to Izo's, he's sure they are both home too. Or maybe... Maybe Marco could tell Ace about this one thing he can't get his mind off of.. Hm, yea, sounds like a plan. But first comes lazying around. He might be a doctor and all, but everyone loves lazy days.
Anygays. After spending some more time in bed, the couple decided to finally get out of the bed and go on with their day. Phoenix was totally mad at them for waking up late, but he could manage. The birdy is quite intelligent and he has his own room, too. They went downstairs and Ace watched Marco prepare breakfast for them with Phoenix sitting on the blond's shoulder. While eating breakfast, which also included the cupcakes and chocolate milk they forgot last night, Marco asked something.. rather shocking.
"Ehm... Ace, yoi?" The blond doctor started, wanting to get this out of his heart because he didn't know when else to say this. Ace hummed as a reply, since well, his mouth was full with cupcakes. Marco chuckled before continuing,
"I have an important question for you." He said, and so Ace stopped eating for a minute to listen. He actually stopped eating, yes, I know right?!
"Uh.. Well, you see... yoi.. I've been wanting to.. y'know.. adopt a child, i-if you also want.. and yoi, yeah." Marco managed to ask, and suddenly Ace burst into a coughing fit making Marco all the more concerned about his question being too early.
Sure, they have been married for more than a year, dated for two full years before that and have known each other a year more, yes, but still.. It might be early for Ace to have- or in their case, adopt children. Marco would totally understand if Ace thought that way, it's understandable that a child equals a lot of responsibilities. With their lifestyle, too. Marco is a doctor who works a lot, he's one of the best surgeons out there. Ace, on the other hand, has stopped working before they married due to his medical state. Narcolepsy doesn't go well with most jobs out there.
Ace sighed once he drank some water and stared at Marco, making him feel uncomfortable under the stare. But... then, the raven head huffed and looked away from him, oh God, no, had he angered Ace?!
"A-Ace?"
"Hmph!" Marco heard the shatters of a piece of his heart and sweat dropped, SOMETHING IS WRONG.
"Love, yoi, what's wrong?" To be honest, he was afraid and didn't want to know but he also did want to know... Just what's happening?
"I wanted to ask you that BEFORE you, Marco! How could you?!"
...
Those words, Marco first couldn't understand. His eyes widened as the actual meaning behind that sentence hit him- HIS HUSBAND HAD THOUGHT ABOUT ADOPTION TOO.
A breath he didn't know that he was holding left him and he happily sighed, Ace could be cruel sometimes. He went to hug his husband and gave him a kiss.
"That means we both want to adopt, yes?" He asked, feeling more confident after what Ace said. It didn't take long for the raven head to give in, the kiss was honestly enough but he smiled and hugged Marco back.
"Yeeaa!" He said and they both chuckled. They would be adopting a child... Their small family will be growing.. Ahh, this is a dream come true!
XXX
"So, what age should we look for?" Marco asked as they were sitting in the living room, done with breakfast and looking for an orphanage where they could adopt a child. Ace hummed, it didn't really matter, so he said that. Phoenix was also with them too, starting to randomly sing sometimes. He had his own corner right next to the couches in the living room, where he has this perch kinda thingy that he can sit on with some toys hung on it.
"It doesn't matter to me either, yoi. But I think starting from 4 or 5 is okay for an idea. What do you think?" Marco guessed it would be better to start around those ages. It just seemed right to him and Ace agreed, too. They were looking at their laptop, looking for an orphanage that wouldn't be too far away.
"Found it." Marco mumbled as he came upon a site, the address being closer to them. It was still about one hour away but this one was the closest to them, since they lived a bit further away from the city. They weren't exactly in a separated area or anything and they had plenty more children in the neighborhood, which would allow their future kid to play with others their age. Hopefully.
The site had some photos of the orphanage and it looked like a decent place. It seemed pretty normal. The director's phone number was put in, in case anybody wanted to talk and the couple knew they had to do a few more things before actually adopting. The CPS had to come and check their living standards, their home and everything they could supply for a kid, their family background and their own backgrounds too. Marco worried about their age gap for the first time in years. But, it's okay since they both love each other. He looked at Ace and smiled, seeing Ace being eager about having a son or a daughter. Or even both!
XXX
They had talked with the CPS and the orphanage. After giving them their information, the CPS agreed on coming to check out their house at the weekend. And soon enough, Saturday morning at 11 AM, their doorbell rang and Marco rushed to open the door. In front of him stood a man in a black suit and a woman in a fancy, black dress. Marco smiled at them.
"Hello, yoi. You must be the CPS officers, welcome." He greeted them and welcomed the two in. Ace was waiting behind Marco and when he saw the CPS officers, he greeted them too.
"Hello, mr Marco and mr Ace. It's nice to finally meet you. My name is Ken, and my partner here is Olivia. We hope everything goes well for you two on adopting a child." The two smiled and they thanked them, happy that the officers weren't too tough like they thought. Instead, the two seemed like friendly people which is nice.
"It's nice to meet you, mr Ken and mrs Olivia. Would you like to start right away?" Marco asked them, and they both nodded.
"Yes, we can start with some important questions. And then if that goes satisfyingly, we can move on to the household." Olivia said. Marco and Ace nodded. They invited the two to their living room and they sat on the couches. Olivia and Ken were looking around when Ace asked them if they wanted tea or coffee to drink. Olivia said tea would be okay and Ken agreed, thanking him. He asked Marco if he wanted some but the blond didn't, so he just made three cups of tea and took some leftover cupcakes with other sweets, offering it to the CPS officers.
"Thank you, mr Ace. Now, may we start with the questions?" Ken said as he took a sip from his tea, smiling. Marco looked at his husband and they both nodded, agreeing to start right away. Olivia put her cup of tea on the table and took out a notebook and a pen, opening it to write some things. She then looked at them and asked,
"First things first, why do you want to adopt? You both can answer, I need answers from both of you." The couple nodded and Ace waited for Marco to go first, since he is the most confident one out of the two.
"As you can see, I'm an old guy, yoi." He ignored Ace's small chuckle. "I've always wanted to have children, much like my father, via adopting. Adoption helps us to give unfortunate children a place to call home and people to call family. I myself was an orphan before my father adopted me, it helps a lot with understanding their feelings, yoi. I want them, even if it's just one child, to feel the warmth of a family. And I know Ace wants that too, yoi." Olivia nodded and made some notes on her notebook, and Ken looked at Ace waiting for him to talk. Ace smiled and started,
"I too have been an orphan just like Marco, but a bit different in case. I know how hard it can be to grow up without a family's love, I understand that and I want to help whoever I can. And.. I've always wanted to grow our family from the time Marco proposed to me." Ken nodded, taking his own notes too like Olivia. The next question came from Ken.
"Very well. How do you want to adopt?" The couple had talked about this beforehand. There was the domestic infant adoption, which they wouldn't be choosing because they don't really want a newborn baby, instead, they could go with a toddler. Explaining the situation, they talked about it with the two CPS officers and while talking Marco noticed that one of them, Olivia, was looking at something oddly. He turned to see Phoenix. Marco was sure they hadn't forgotten to include that they have a pet, but he guessed they forgot to say that it's a pet bird. Ken and Ace noticed this too, eyes falling on Phoenix who was sleeping in peace despite having guests over.
"So you have a pet bird." Ken muttered and pointed to the blue bird.
"Ah, yes. We have mentioned having a pet, but I think I forgot to say he's a bird, yoi." The two hummed and took another note, looking back at them.
"Well, we can talk about the bird later.. Now, what jobs do you have?" Olivia then asked, taking her eyes off of the now awake bird. It seems their eyes on him woke him up, but if he's still sleepy, he'll drift off easily. Well, that aside. Olivia's question must be answered now.
"I am a doctor at the main hospital. A surgeon, to be specific." Marco answered for his part, and the two CPS looked at Ace for his answer. Ace smiled nervously.
"I had stopped working before our marriage because of my narcolepsy." He said and the CPS officers shared a look before taking some notes. The next question was mostly aimed at Ace, though.
"Since you stopped working before marrying mr Marco, how did you manage on your own?" Ken asked, narrowing his eyes a bit. Ace felt uncomfortable under the gaze but he didn't let it show and answered their question in a calm manner.
"Fortunately I wasn't alone, my family.. step family helped me through the most of it. And I had Marco too, we were dating at that time but he never stopped helping me." Ace smiled at his husband and Marco held his hand, giving a smile. The CPS officers shared another look with each other, which made Ace wonder if this was a bad thing or not. He didn't know if he could start working as his narcolepsy would only worsen, but maybe he should...
Anygays. The CPS asked some more questions and then they moved on to the house, Ace showing the first floor to Ken and Marco showing the second floor to Olivia. After a few more hours of talking with the CPS and showing them around, the CPS thanked them and left. The two were quite nervous if they would be able to adopt or not.
But after a few days, their worry was replaced with happiness when they received an email from CPS saying that they can finally start looking for a kid. With great happiness and excitement, the married couple decided to go to the orphanage the next day since it was Saturday, and they did so.
XXX
"Oh, then you must be Marco Newgate and Ace D Portgas. We received an email from the CPS about you, please come in."
The couple were now at the orphanage, talking with one of the workers. The lady welcomed them inside and they followed her to a waiting room. Sitting down on one of the many couches around a big table, they waited for the lady to come back. After a few minutes, she came with a laptop and smiled at them.
"Can you tell me what ages you are looking for? Also female or male, too. And if you have any cultural preferences, tell me." The lady asked, preparing some things on the laptop. They nodded and Marco answered her questions.
"We aren't really looking for specific things, yoi. Their culture and sex doesn't matter to us, but.. We don't want babies or toddlers. I work and my husband has some health problems, and we also have a pet. We don't want the child to be too afraid of.. ehm.. everything, yoi." He explained and the lady chuckled, nodding. She said it was nice that they didn't care about cultural differences. She then asked if it would be okay for them to look for children older than 5 and younger than 12. They said it was okay so the lady showed them the laptop, a lot of kids shown in it.
They started looking through the kids, there were a lot of them. But.. one kid caught their eyes after looking through 5 kids. So they asked the lady for more information since on the laptop it only had the kid's name and age.
"Miss, can you tell us some more about this boy, Ash?" Ace asked before the lady skipped that boy and she nodded.
"Ash, no surname. He's 9 right now. We found him on our door 9 years ago, his name and birth date written on a note next to him. He's been with us since that. He's healthy, but quite shy. Most families don't want to adopt him because of his shyness and how quiet he is. So far, about 3 families didn't want him after spending a day with him." They both nodded sadly as the lady explained. There were still kids left to look through so they continued after glancing at each other, their minds still on Ash. He seemed like a sweet boy, they didn't understand how someone could not want him just because he is shy.
At the end of the list, the lady asked them if they had anything in mind or would look at more kids of different ages. But.. they wanted Ash.
"Actually, yoi.. I think that Ash is perfect." Marco smiled. Ace nodded eagerly and grinned, catching the worker off guard. But she nodded and told them to wait a bit. Maybe they could meet right now. After about 20 minutes, the lady came with a blond boy. Ash.
"Ash, meet Marco and Ace. They are looking to adopt and they want to meet you. Here, say hi." The lady encouraged Ash but he was only behind her, looking fearfully at the two men. Ace and Marco smiled welcomingly and waved at him, the boy slowly waving back.
"Hi there, Ash. Do you want to talk with us?" Ace asked with the most friendly and welcoming tone. The kid looked nervous and worried, but he nodded. The lady- her name is Erica. I've been calling her 'the lady' and it's getting old. Erica smiled and sat down on the next couch with Ash, facing Ace and Marco. Ash nervously looked around and played with his fingers.
"Thank you, Ash. My name is Ace and this is my husband, Marco. It's nice to meet you." Ace softly talked to the boy. Marco waved, too and Ash waved back. For some reason, the young blond seemed to like these two...
"...Hi..." He said in a small voice. Ace grinned at the kid and Ash looked down, cheeks turning red. Marco grinned too, thinking that this kid is just so cute.
"Do you have any questions for us, yoi?" Marco then asked, wanting the 9 year old to feel comfortable with them if they wanted to adopt him. At first, Ash looked unsure but then he finally asked his question.
"Why me?" The married couple smiled.
"You seem like a sweet kid, Ash. We want to give you a family. Be your family. No matter how shy you are, yoi." Marco said and Ace nodded, agreeing with his husband. The younger blond stared at them for a while before a tiny smile made its way on his face.
XXX
"So, do you really want to adopt Ash? I feel like Ash had no problems with you two, it's the first time after a while that he talked with adults, actually. If you want to try, since tomorrow is a Sunday, you can take Ash home to stay for the night. But you need to bring him back tomorrow and we will keep in contact, of course." The couple looked at each other and smiled. Of course they wanted Ash! He is just such a cute boy, and his shyness can be solved with love and warmth! Hopefully. The two said yes at the same time and Erica smiled. She went to talk to the orphanage's director for them and called them in.
Inside the director's office, the couple signed more documents about looking after Ash for the night and most of tomorrow, agreeing to keep Ash safe and away from any possible dangers. After that, they went to tell Ash the news. At first Ash looked very afraid but he agreed to go with them, which is most likely a plus for them. They put Ash's few belongings in the car. Ash sat at the back, Ace at the passenger seat and Marco driving. They drove listening to music and sometimes doing small talks.
XXX
While Ace was trying to find the keys, Marco remembered something. Something that might spook Ash... Phoenix. Now, he didn't know if the boy was afraid of birds, but he hoped that Ash liked them. Phoenix isn't a big bird but he also isn't the smallest, he is medium sized and I guess average. But Marco guessed it wouldn't be much of a problem since Phoenix is quite friendly and actually likes little kids. He always tried to protect Haruta, Marco's little sister, from everyone and everything.
Ace then finally found the keys and they could enter the house.
"And welcome to our house!" Ace excitedly said as he threw his hands towards the house, Marco laughed at him. He tried not to touch Ash much but he slowly encouraged the kid to go inside. Before that though, he had to go first to make sure Phoenix wouldn't fly right onto Ash's face.
"Oh, also... Ash, do you like birds?" Marco asked when all three were inside and Phoenix still wasn't in sight. He guessed the bird was sleeping or eating or just doing other bird things. Ash seemed taken aback by the strange question and tilted his head to the side.
"Do I like-.. Uhm.. y-yea?" He answered a bit unsure but Marco smiled and waved it off.
"You see, yoi. We have a pet bird and I don't want you to be afraid of him. His name is Phoenix and he is a friendly blue bird." The older blond said and turned his head to the living room when he heard Ace laugh and Phoenix made some kind of bird-yelling sound. And then the bird started screaming his name randomly.
"Hear that? That's Phoenix." He laughed and smiled softly seeing a smile from the boy. Maybe Phoenix will help them a lot with Ash.
"Go in, feel comfortable around. I will go and prepare the bed for you to sleep. If you need anything, just tell Ace or me." Marco said and went upstairs, Ash slowly walking towards the living room where Ace and Phoenix were. His face lit up seeing Phoenix and he watched from afar, looking excitedly at the bird. Hmm.. seems he likes Phoenix. Ace smiled and waves at him to come closer.
"Don't worry, he doesn't bite! Come and say hi to him, Ash." The raven head said and Ash gulped before slowly approaching Phoenix. The blue bird examined him a bit, bobbing his head up and down.
'Hello! Hi!' Phoenix chirped out and Ash actually smiled, like a genuine smile. Ace grinned happily. That's it, Phoenix! You're the best boy! He watched as the kid tried to touch Phoenix, only to take his hand back in what seems to be fear. To encourage Ash, Ace went and patted Phoenix head, the blue bird bowing his head for more pats. He loved it whenever someone gave him pats like Ace did.
"Do you want to try too? He likes being pat." Ace said softly and the blond kid nodded, raising his hand above Phoenix's head and giving him small, careful pats. Phoenix opened his mouth and bowed his head more, making happy birb noises. At that moment Marco came down and smiled seeing Ash.
"I'll prepare dinner, yoi. Do you like spaghetti?" Marco asked Ash and the kid nodded slowly. Alright, he'll be making spaghetti then. Ace said he was going to help and they asked if Ash wanted to stay here or with them in the kitchen, since the two worried he would be uncomfortable alone.
"..Can.. Can Phoenix come too?" Ash asked, his voice seemingly higher than before. It was good that Ash was getting confident talking with them. They both smiled and told him that it was okay since Phoenix had a special feeder perch with some more toys in the kitchen too. Marco, being the closest with Phoenix, called him and the bird flew to sit on his shoulder, scaring Ash with the sudden movement. But Ash forgot that real quick when he saw Phoenix sitting on Marco's shoulder and playing with Marco's hair.
The three went inside the kitchen and Marco put Phoenix on his perch, starting to prepare some spaghetti with Ace's help while Ash played with their pet. After the dinner was ready, they ate together and talked some more. Or more like the couple tried to talk with Ash but Ash would shy out of the conversation quickly.
Once they were done with the dinner, Ace started cleaning and Marco took Ash and Phoenix back to the living room and looked at Ash a bit before talking.
"Would you like me to give you a tour? You can see your room too, yoi." Ash stared up at the older blond a bit confused. He really got a room? At first he thought Marco was kidding about that, but he did want a tour around the house not wanting to get lost or accidentally barge in someone else's room. He slowly nodded and Marco smiled.
He started with the room right next to the stairs going up, it was the laundry room and you could enter the bathroom from there. Next, they had Phoenix's room on the first floor which had a big cage, a lot of toys and perches around the room and food and vitamins for the blue bird. Marco could see that Ash liked this room. The walls were painted like a jungle which gave real home vibes to the bird. They had a door opening to their backyard, and another door to the garage.
Going upstairs, there were a total of 5 rooms and a spare bathroom there. 4 of those rooms being bedrooms and one being a home office for whenever Marco had to work from home. Marco showed every room to Ash, starting from the guest bedrooms which were okay, with just beds and bedside tables. He showed him and Ace's room to Ash and then finally Ash's personal room. They had decorated the room a bit, it had a bed, bedside table and lamp, a wardrobe, a small table and a chair. Ash liked the room, it seemed, since he smiled some more. Marco really couldn't understand how people disliked Ash.
"What time do you usually go to sleep, Ash? Do you have any schedules?" He asked the kid once they went downstairs and sat on the couch. Ace was watching the TV and turned its volume down to listen to them. Ash nodded a bit.
"We go to sleep by 9:30 pm. And uh.. I usually do my homework in the afternoon." Marco nodded, he'd keep that in mind. He didn't know if Ash would be staying for that long, or if he even wanted to stay or not, but it's nice to know. Ash asked where Phoenix was since he couldn't see the blue bird around and Ace pointed to the bird's room, saying he was probably eating or playing. Ash nodded, but.. that's it, he just nodded, he didn't go and play with the bird. But he looked like he really wanted to see the bird more. Marco shot Ace a look and Ace nodded, turning to Ash.
"If you wanna play with him, you're free to do so." He said and Ash looked up, wondering why these two were being so nice. Usually, people didn't like him because he didn't talk with them. Didn't look at them. To be honest.. he was afraid of them, too, like others, but.. Ace and Marco seemed much, much nicer than anyone he had met. The younger blond nodded slowly and decided to give it a go, slowly standing up and walking towards Phoenix's room.
He was about to close the door since he felt nervous about the two watching him, but he remembered Marco saying they always kept this door open for Phoenix so he didn't. Instead he opted to sometimes glance at them, and started watching Phoenix as he ate. This blue bird is the best! He has always loved the idea of having pets, and pet birds were his favorite. While many kids would like to have dogs or cats, Ash loved birds more. They are magnificent animals and they have wings! They can fricking fly! I'm sure sometime in your life you had wished to fly looking at the birds flying around so freely, Ash also wished to fly too. To be so free.
He suddenly remembered the two men and glanced towards them, seeing that they were minding their own business. Surprisingly, they weren't staring at him, watching his every move like this one time another man did. They seemed.. peaceful.. Ace was maybe asleep with his head on Marco's shoulder, he didn't know, and Marco was reading a book with his glasses on. Maybe.. maybe this family would be the best for him... They seemed so nice, too. He smiled at them and turned to look at Phoenix when the bird made a sound. The blue bird had his head tilted, a toy in his beak, bobbing his head up and down.
XXX
Marco checked the time. It was past 9 PM, so that means it's almost time for Ash to sleep. Looking to his right, he smiled seeing his husband asleep. He looked up to Phoenix's room, Ash was still playing with the bird. Good. Putting the book aside, Marco carefully laid Ace on the couch and went to Ash. He knocked on the door softly to make sure Ash knew he was there and smiled when the boy turned at him.
"Hey, Ash. I see you are enjoying your time with Phoenix, but it's almost your time to sleep, yoi. Did you bring pajamas with you?" Marco asked, keeping his tone soft. Ash nodded, pointing to his bag on the armchair. Marco said 'good' and swiftly turned at Ace when he heard a small noise, frowning when he saw Ace look at something in the empty room, wide eyed. He hurried to Ace's side, holding his hand and blocking his view of whatever he was seeing.
"It's okay, love. There's nothing here, nothing will hurt you. I'm here, yoi, you're safe." He whispered, caressing Ace's cheeks and looking softly at his scared eyes. He saw Ash approaching and looked at him,
"Don't worry, this happens." He said to help the kid with how scared he looked, and he understood that. It must be scary to see someone be so scared of nothing in particular, not even moving. He turned his head to Ace when he felt Ace's grip on his hand tighten and the raven head was looking at him this time, not at whatever he saw behind him. He smiled, despite the fact that Ace had started shaking a bit.
"Hi, love. You can see me, right? I'm here, yoi. And Ash is here too. We are okay, you are okay. Ash, can you say hi?" Marco didn't really want to force Ash to do anything, but he wanted Ash to see that this wasn't too bad and he also wanted Ace to know that Ash is still here. Ash looked unsure, scared, worried. But surprisingly and fortunately, he complied with Marco.
"Hi..." The young boy said, a bit louder than his usual tone so Ace could hear him. Ace's shaking calmed down and he started breathing heavily, jolting up to hug Marco tightly. Marco hugged him and stroked his back, whispering it's okay. He looked over to Ash and mouthed him 'thank you' which Ash nodded to, watching the two hug. Whatever happened was scary, but Ash guessed this happens a lot with how Marco handled the situation.
"Sorry about that.. Been a while since one happened." Ace murmured loud enough for both of them to hear and Ash, once again, wondered what that was. Ace seemed to just.. stare at nothing.. but it had to be something...
"Ash, yoi. Don't worry about it, okay? That was a sleep paralysis hallucination, it happens sometimes. Basically, sometimes after waking up, Ace can't move or speak. Mostly when this happens he also sees.. creatures, which is the hallucination part, yoi." Marco explained for him while Ace stretched, seeming to be out of it already. Huh.. That.. explains a bit. He still wondered why Ace forgot about it fairly quick but guessed this has happened too many times already. He nodded at the explanation and the married couple smiled. Marco then said it was time to sleep, which he agreed to since he was already getting sleepy.
He went upstairs to his room that Marco showed earlier and changed into his PJs. Putting his clothes in his backpack, he looked around the room more and then out the window. His room overlooked their neighbor's backyard, but it was okay since the building didn't really block his view of the sky. He liked seeing the sky, it was beautiful, and since his bed is right next to the window he could look outside while in bed. It was overall a nice room. Maybe more colors on the walls could do, but since this is a spare bedroom, it was understandable that they didn't decorate much. After a bit, he heard a knock on his door and turned to look, seeing Marco open the door to peek inside, Ace's head following. The two smiled at him and waved.
"I see you are all set, yoi. We just wanted to check on you! Do you need anything?" The blond one asked. Ash was about to shy out his question but decided he was too thirsty to do so.
"Can I.. ehm.. have water?" He asked, his voice maybe too quiet but thankfully the two heard him. Ace was the one to answer his question.
"Of course you can!" The raven head told his husband to get Ash some water and Marco just chuckled before obeying, going downstairs to get water for the boy. Ace smiled when Ash shyly blushed, looking away from the door and avoiding eye contact.
"You like your room? It's plain, but once this phase is all over, we can decorate it however you want." Ace commented shortly after Marco left. Ash's head sprung up, what?!
"W-wait-.. you still.. wanna adopt m-me?" Ash asked, totally confused. He couldn't understand how they could still want him when he's like this. He couldn't understand these two at all, actually. Being so nice and caring with him... The young boy wondered if they would change once they adopted him.. But, Ace looked dumbfounded by his question. He stared for a long minute before grinning.
"Of course we want to adopt you! Just because you're shy doesn't mean that we won't!" Marco came with the water by that time and stared at the two as Ash's eyes started watering. But he turned around to the window, not wanting them to look at him be a crybaby. The two didn't comment on that, which he's thankful for. One of them -probably Marco- came inside to put the water cup on the bedside table and went back to the door.
"Goodnight, Ash. Have a wonderful sleep."
"Goodnight, yoi. Sleep tight."
He wanted to say goodnight back, but he didn't. He wouldn't fall into their trap. Not yet, at least.
XXX
When the morning came and he woke up in an unfamiliar room, his first instinct was to be afraid. But then Ash remembered that he had spent the night with Marco and Ace, the couple that wanted to adopt him. He sighed, looking around. He still had his water by his side and he had forgotten to drink it last night since he got kind of emotional, so he drank his water and hopped out of the bed. Changing from his PJs to his every day clothes, Ash quietly went to the door and pushed his ear against it to listen if they were awake. And surely enough, he heard faint chattering from downstairs with Phoenix clearly screaming 'food'. He chuckled and opened the door to go downstairs.
The three of them were in the kitchen, it seemed Marco and Ace were keeping their voices down which explains why their chatter was faint and Phoenix's cries for food were clear. He entered the kitchen and they instantly looked at him, smiling. Ash waved a bit and averted their eyes.
"Good morning, kid."
"Morning, Ash. Did you sleep well?" Ace asked and he just nodded, not really wanting to talk. But Ace still continued the clearly one-sided conversation saying that it's good he could sleep well. Marco was preparing breakfast while Ace was giving some vegetables to Phoenix. He looked at Ash and showed him the vegetable pieces in his hand.
"Do you want to try and feed him?" The raven head asked. Ash really wanted to, but.. he didn't know if it would be okay. Well, Ace did ask him himself so of course it'll be okay! He nodded a bit uncertain but accepted it when Ace gave him the vegetable pieces. He looked at them in his hand before stretching his hand out to Phoenix. Phoenix instantly dived to eat the vegetables, and his beak sometimes tickled Ash's hand, he couldn't help but smile at that.
Their breakfast went okay and since the orphanage demanded to have Ash back after breakfast, Marco and Ace drove him back and even brought him some cupcakes on the way since Ace really liked them and apparently wanted Ash to taste the cupcakes. He thanked the two and went back to the orphanage with one of the workers, wondering if they would even come back for him.. They probably won't and will look for another kid who is more open than him. Who is better than him...
If he's honest, he liked the couple. They were nice and caring, not rude like many others he had met. They were encouraging and they even respected his personal bubble and boundaries. If he had the chance to go with them, he totally would and his guts say that he should, but Ash is sure they won't come back.
XXX
He was proven wrong after about two weeks.
It was a normal monday for Ash. He woke up, changed his clothes, ate, went to school, had the usual school schedule, went back to the orphanage, changed his clothes and started doing his homework when all of a sudden Erica came with a huge grin and told him to get ready.. His first thought was: What's this woman on? But he rolled his eyes and asked her what was happening. When Erica told him that he was going to spend a few nights with a family, he froze and looked at her with wide eyes. But.. but he hasn't even agreed! He doesn't even know what kind of rude weirdo would want him now!
With a fearful look, he asked who and why and how and when and- Erica stopped him and pointed at something from the window which looks at the corridors. And yes, they have windows that open to the corridors just so the workers can take a look in without opening the doors. Right in front of the room they use to study is a waiting/meeting room for parents looking for children, and its doors were open so he could see inside. He saw the director talking, and in front of him were..
Marco and Ace.
They.. they really came back for him? He thought they'd never come back, but.. here they are, in that room talking with the director. Slowly, Ash stood up and walked towards them despite Erica calling for him to not go, since the adults were talking about him. But Ash didn't mind her, he wanted to know if they really wanted to adopt him. If they really came back for him. He entered the room and instantly caught the three's eyes, but his gaze was shifted on Ace and Marco. He ignored the director's questions as of now.
"Why..?" Was the only thing he could ask, and surprisingly the two understood what he was asking for as they smiled at him,
"Because we believe in you." That was it. There was no hate in their eyes. Not even an ounce of secrecy or nervousness that'd point out that they are lying. No, nothing like that. Instead their eyes were filled with hope, love, trust and warmth. Ash felt tears tickling his eyes but he didn't move, didn't dare to. He just stood there and lowered his head, a tiny sob coming from his mouth as he couldn't hold his tears anymore. He heard Ace and Marco stand up, walk closer to him. He was ready to be scolded, to be yelled at, to be told to stop crying and not to be a crybaby, but... it never came. Instead he was surrounded by warm hand hugging him close, stroking his back and head slowly, gently. Looking up he saw Marco in front of him, smiling softly.
"Shh, it's okay, yoi. It's okay to be sad, to cry, but you don't have to be alone, alright? We really want to help you, Ash. I promise you." Ash cried as they tried to help him calm down. They really wanted to help him? They won't leave him alone after just a day, right?
After a while, he calmed down finally and said sorry, but the two told him not to worry about it. They then told him to get ready, since Ash was going to spend a week with them before they could fully adopt him. Ash just nodded and left the room to go back to the dorms, where they all got a room of four. He started packing everything he had, mostly his books and other stuff. He didn't really have many clothes, but it was enough for him to make it through the year. Once he was done packing, he put on his bag and went to the waiting room. Ace, Marco and the director were still talking, the director was laughing at something Marco said when he reached them. Ace waved him over and he went to his side, of course keeping a few feet away since he was still not fully sure of their true intents. They seemed sincere, but still. He had to be at least a bit suspicious for his own good.
"Thank you so much, sir. We will make sure to keep in contact with mr Ken and mrs Olivia, too. It was a pleasure to meet you, yoi." Marco thanked and the director wished everything to go well with them. He finally had hope for Ash, to be in a family like Marco and Ace's. The two seemed like good lads, so he would believe in them to keep Ash safe.
"The pleasure is mine." He said, and continued their talk as he accompanied them to the outside doors to their car. He looked at Ash and smiled before they went.
"Keep in mind that there are still nice people in this world, kid." He whispered to Ash and the blond boy nodded, looking down to hide his small smile. But it didn't go unnoticed by the director and he smiled, too. He then said goodbye to them all and went inside after their car left.
"It seems like Ash will do good with them." The old man stated, Erica standing by his side with a relieved smile.
"I hope Ash opens up to them. I'm sure they will be able to adopt him and help him." The woman said as the car disappeared with a right turn, giving a happy sigh.
XXX
He was a bit uncomfortable, since he'd be spending a full week with Marco and Ace. They are nice, but.. after what happened, for some reason he feels like he could open up to the two and it makes him uncomfortable. It's also annoying. Why would he open up to them when they were going to just dump him like everyone did? Whatever. He dismissed the feeling for now. While they were in the car, Ace mentioned that they will be eating pizza so they need to buy pizza. So, Marco steered the wheel to the right and drove towards the nearest Domino's. Ace asked them what they wanted to eat, or well, more like asked for Ash since he already knew what his husband would want. Ash hummed.
"Mmm.. can I.. have, uhm.. pepperoni.. and can they add extra cheese? I.. ehm.. I like cheese.." Ash muttered. Ace nodded and wrote that on his phone, turning his head to Marco.
"Usual pineapple?" He asked, and the blond nodded with a grin. He chuckled and once Marco pulled over the Domino's Ace left the car. After a while, he came back with a few pizza boxes and put them on the back seats next to Ash. The young blond looked at the amount of pizza and wondered if they had guests coming over or not.. And there was also a very tiny box, with "Special order" written on it, he wondered what that was.
XXX
The answer is no. They didn't have any guests. It was just Ace's black hole that needed to be fed. And the special order was just a tiny pizza for Phoenix. It had pineapple and even lettuce on it, no sauce since that'd be bad for Phoenix. Just like Marco, the blue bird loved pineapple on pizza. It seemed that they had done this a few times before since Phoenix eagerly started biting the boxes once he saw them.
But overall, dinner went by nice and Ash was now playing with Phoenix in the living room. Marco was looking at something on his laptop and Ace was on the phone with someone. Ash wondered if he could continue his homework here, since they had a coffee table in front of the couch and so to find out, he went to grab his school bag.
He came back and sat down on the carpet, taking out his English book. Their teacher gave them a reading work for tomorrow and they had to do some small tasks about what they read. He had taken a look at the content of the text and it was about rabbits. It looked easy, so he shouldn't have any problems. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Marco looking at him but he ignored it for the time being.
He spent the rest of his evening doing that, just reading about rabbits. Marco told him to ask one of them if he had any questions, which thankfully he didn't. Ash really didn't want to communicate with the two right now, but of course he couldn't run away from the occasional small talks and the married couple asking him how he was.
XXX
When the next day came, he wasn't expecting to be woken up by Marco himself. It was 7:00am, and since his school was about an hour away (it's in the same street as the orphanage) they had to leave earlier. The two told him about this last night when they wanted Ash to try and go to sleep earlier, since he had to wake up early too. It seemed that Ace was still asleep, same with Phoenix since Marco was being very silent around the house.
Ash wakes up pretty easily, so he immediately went to the bathroom, then changed into his school uniform and readied his backpack. He was downstairs in 15 minutes. Marco had prepared breakfast for them and put Ace's share in the fridge already, and also prepared him a lunchbox, which he really wasn't expecting.
But he took it and thanked Marco, grateful that he was thoughtful even after a very silent day with him. They ate together, Marco asking about if he had any questions about his homework since Ash wouldn't ask himself. But the younger blond said no so the older one dismissed it and they left the house together after Marco wrote down a small note for Ace and put it on the table.
The drive to Ash's school went.. okay. They didn't talk much and half of the time Marco was on the phone with a doctor or a nurse, telling them what to do with a patient. He had tried conversating with Ash but since the younger blond wasn't cooperating, he eventually gave up.
"Have a great day at school, yoi. Don't get into trouble and stay safe. When will you leave?" Marco already had Ash's school schedule for the week by now but he wanted to make sure that he got it right. Ash said he'd be out by 1 PM, which was okay. Ace would be long awake by that time, he could come and pick up Ash. Marco waved Ash goodbye after the kid thanked him and then left when Ash entered the building.
XXX
It was 1:05 PM, Ace was waiting in front of the school Marco sent him the location of. This is 5 minutes of walk away from the orphanage, it was a nice school but if they were going to adopt Ash, they needed to look for a school closer to them. He didn't want Ash to be overwhelmed by everything, yes, but a school this far wouldn't be nice for Ash himself since he'd have to always wake up and sleep early. And the road is boring.
His eyes looked around the crowd of kids leaving the school building, looking for a certain blond. And there, he saw him! Ash left the building, but unlike the other children, he seemed.. alone.. Did he not have any friends? They couldn't let their kid's childhood go without any friendships! That'd be cruel!
Once Ash saw him Ace hid his concern behind a big grin and waved at the blond. He was waiting for Ash to wave back or just nod, acknowledging that he saw him, but it never came. Instead the kid looked around in a nervous manner and speed walked up to him. At first he didn't say anything so Ace was about to talk, but Ash beat him to it.
"..why are you here?" He asked in a small voice. Ace took it that Ash still thought they didn't care about him or something, but he was confused when some of the kids stared and laughed clearly at Ash. Ah. Bullying. His old enemy. Ace actually had to hold himself back from confronting those children, they were just children but how dare they laugh at his precious boy! Without even thinking about it twice, Ace protectively put his arm on Ash's back and guided him out of the school grounds and to the bus stop. He looked down with a small frown once they were out of sight of those kids.
"Ash... are they bullying you? Please tell me the truth." He asked the kid. Ash just shook his head, not even looking up, not daring to look up. This kid... Does he not understand that they really want to help him? It seems they really have to show Ash how much they actually want him in their family, how they want to help him and keep him safe. Ace sighed, knowing he'd have to talk about this with Marco before they both talked with Ash. He wouldn't just open up so easily, he still has these thick walls around his heart protecting him from getting hurt further than he already is.
They simply have to break those walls and warm Ash's freezing heart. Well, of course, it's simple when you put it into words. Unfortunately, human emotions are more than what words can describe and it'll actually never be enough to tell someone's feelings. Ash.. he is in a very dark place right now, lost and looking for light in his life. Ace vowed to be that light in Ash's life and show him the beautiful part of the world, fill his heart with the most needed childishness, warmness, freedom and a loving family.
XXX
It was afternoon, only Ace, Ash and Phoenix were home since Marco was still working. He'd be back after dinner since the older blond has a longer shift today. Ace was feeding Phoenix some fresh fruits they brought, and there were bigger slices of them on a plate for Ash. The boy was doing his homework, and sometimes would glance up at Ace thinking he wasn't seen. Ace eventually asked if he had any questions or not, Ash seemed to be unsure about asking them.
"Ehm.. yea.. this question." Ash replied, showing a math problem and looking nervous. Ace smiled and looked at it.
"Let's see... Masked man..? Reminds me of Deuce.." Ace started reading, taking an invisible note to talk with Deuce sometime. "anyway! The masked man has 41 masks. That's a lot of masks for one man, isn't it?" Ash chuckled a bit at that, it sure was a lot for one person. But still, silly math questions will always be silly. "He brought 29 more, but 5 broke on the way home. His friend asked for masks, so he gave his friend 3 masks. How many masks does Masked man have now? Hmm, we have a mask addict. Well, how did you solve this question?" With a smile, Ash showed Ace his answer sheet and the raven head hummed, looking through it. He smiled proudly.
"Wow, that's so good! You got the solution way right, but I say you double check that answer there. Let's do this again, okay? Step by step, let's go." Ash nodded, feeling much more okay now that Ace didn't react badly when he asked the question. It was an easy one, so he awaited the man to tell him how stupid he is but it never came. He felt extra happy about that.
"He had 41 masks, and went to buy 28 more. So, that means..?" Ace looked at Ash for an answer and confidently said,
"We add 29 to 41!" Ace smiled,
"That's right, good job! And that will makee..." Ace once again looked over at Ash who yelled '70!'. Ace said good job once again and grinned. "Oh, but what's that? He broke 5 on the way home? He's so clumsy, haha! Can you tell me how many he has now?" Ash laughed with Ace, Masked man really is clumsy. He nodded at the raven head's question and answered that the man had 65 masks. Ace nodded, smiling. "And if he gave 3 to his friend?"
"That means he has 62 left! I see where I made the mistake, I got 63 before this. Thank you, Ace!" The blond kid grinned, unaware of what just happened and momentarily ignoring this and going back to his quiz after Ace praised him. He felt happy, beyond the happiness he had ever been. He couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun with an adult, adults were supposed to be boring, not fun like Ace and Marco! Ace smiled and ruffled Ash's hair a bit, happy that the kid didn't shy out of the conversation this time. Maybe helping with his homework would be a good way to talk with him, since he seems more confident when doing his homework...
XXX
"Hm? You think he's getting bullied, yoi?" Ace nodded with a small frown. If that was the case, they better talk about it with the orphanage too. They couldn't bare their kid (they have already guessed they'll be able to fully adopt Ash) getting bullied at school. School is supposed to be a fun place. Well, as much fun as it can be. And he's still in 3rd grade, they didn't want something like this to ruin his childhood.
"Can you go to school earlier tomorrow to see if this is true? If yes, I'll talk with the orphanage director, yoi. And we can talk with Ash too." Marco suggested and Ace nodded, it'd be nice to do so. As parents.. future parents, it's their job to help their kid and give him love and safety.
XXX
It had started to get colder and colder, since winter was coming, but on this particular day, it was so, so cold. Not to mention that rain had started sometime in the morning. The wind died once it started pouring, but it didn't change the coldness at all.
Marco had made Ash put on something warmer and gave him his umbrella. Ash refused at first, but accepted it when Marco noted that he would be in the car and won't need it. He also made sure to ask for Ash's favorite color, which confused the kid but he still did tell him that it was sky blue. Marco made sure to buy a sky blue colored umbrella for him.
Ace went to the school to pick up Ash a bit earlier just like Marco asked him to. And sure enough, he saw two bigger guys laughing at Ash who was trying his best to be as small as possible and hopefully hide his whole existence. It didn't seem to work at all, but it was something funny to the other two for they started laughing more. Ace couldn't take it anymore and decided to step in. It was still raining, but he closed his umbrella and basically ran to stand in front of Ash protectively.
"You two." He said menacingly, glaring at the now frightened kids. "What do you think you are doing bullying my son, huh?!" The kids flinched with shock and confusion in their eyes, and Ash had the equal amount of shock too. The bigger one out of two muttered somethings in between family, orphan, who, what but Ace didn't care and it made him angrier.
He saw two women approaching them and it turned out to be their parents. He explained the situation and demanded the two to give their kids proper education, or else he'd have a word with the school director. The women apologized and made their kids apologize to Ash and Ace. It wasn't really enough, but Ace decided being too angry would be too bad. He gently pulled Ash with him as he left the two families without even acknowledging their apology. He was just too angry.
"..A-Ace?" Ash called after a moment once they left the school property, sounding a bit afraid. Ace stopped in his tracks and smiled softly,
"It's okay, Ash, I'm not angry at you. I promise. I'm angry at them for what they did to you. If this ever happens again, tell a teacher or just tell us so we can talk with the school, is that okay?" He asked, keeping his tone gentle and kind. Ash nodded with tears in his eyes. Before his tears were even able to fall down, Ace wiped them away with his thumb and gave Ash a small, encouraging pat on the head. They then continued walking in the rain, forgetting they actually had umbrellas to protect them from it. But the comforting sounds of rain falling from the sky and the feeling of raindrops on you was so enjoyable that even if they remembered the umbrellas, they still wouldn't have used it.
XXX
When Wednesday came and Ace and Ash were back home after Ash's school, there was an unexpected knock on their door. Ace was sure they didn't have any guests coming over, so he first looked through the peephole and saw that Ken and Olivia from CPS were here. He opened the door for them and welcomed them in, knowing that the two were here to check how Ash was doing and if he was okay.
"Hello, Ace. We hope this is a good time to check in, although we couldn't send an email that we were coming." Olivia told as she gave him an apologetic look, but Ace waved it off, telling them they came right in time and Ash was back from school. The two happily nodded and went to the living room with Ace.
Ash was doing his homework on the table again, sitting on the carpet as he feels more comfortable like that. When he saw two strangers in suits come inside, he was instantly alarmed and stood up, taking a few steps back. He saw Ace giving him a comforting smile, and seeing that Ace was still here and smiling meant they weren't bad people.. right? Phoenix stared at them too, but without minding the silence.
"Ah, right. Ash, meet Ken and Olivia. They are from the CPS and are here to see how we are doing, and if we are really fit to be your family." Ash nodded as the raven head explained, looking at the two. They waved at him and said hi, so he waved back shyly. He wanted to hide, but.. that'd be bad for Ace and Marco.
"We wanted to talk with you in private, Ash. Is that okay?" Olivia asked as they sat, and Ash shot a look at Ace. A look that wanted help and answers. Ace went closer to him and put his hand on Ash's head.
"I'm sorry, kid. This is a must. Don't worry, they are nice people. If it makes you feel better, Phoenix will stay with you through it and I'll be right in the kitchen. You can tell them to stop anytime if you ever feel uncomfortable." Olivia and Ken gave an affirmative nod that indeed they can stop if Ash ever feels uncomfortable or unsafe, they didn't want the kid to be frightened. Ash nodded and said he'd talk with them, so Ace smiled and told him he's such a brave kid. Then, the raven head went to the kitchen and now he was alo- no, he's not alone, he has Phoenix. Yea. Phoenix will help him.
Gulping nervously, he went to the armchair closest to Phoenix and looked at the CPS officers. They said 'lets start' with a smile and Ash just nodded.
"Do you like Marco and Ace?" Ken asked first and without a thought Ash nodded; he liked the two. They were different from all the rude people he'd met. The two nodded and wrote something in their notebooks.
"How do they treat you?" The second question came from Olivia and he was kind of disappointed that he had to talk to answer this question.
"They are.. kind.. Nicer than many adults I met... uhm.. they help me.. with lots of things.. and they never yell at me, or judge me.. A-and Ace even protected me..!" Ash finished with a small smile, remembering yesterday. The officers looked confused but they didn't ask more on that, surprisingly, and moved on to another question.
"How do you like it here?" Ken asked. Ash thought for a moment before answering.
"Ehm.. it's.. it's quiet and I like the quiet. We have.. Phoenix too. He's a cute bird, I like playing with him. I even have my own room! I never had one before.." Olivia and Ken seemed happy with his answers so he was getting confident in them, he really wanted to stay here. And if this was going to help, he'd answer all of their questions.
So, the two CPS officers continued asking more questions and Ash answered all of them truthfully. At the end of their talk, they thanked him and called for Ace who came quickly. They thanked Ace too, wishing them a good day before leaving. Ace told Ash he did a good job even though he never heard what they talked about or if Ash even answered all the questions. He figured it went fine by their smiles.
XXX
It was Friday and Ace was asleep on the couch. He had set a timer for himself to wake up in about 30 minutes and had told Ash to wake him up if something happened in that period of time. Ash nodded and went to do his homework while Ace slept. But after about 20 minutes, the blond boy heard the doorbell ring and looked up. Did they have guests over? Or was it those two from CPS again?
Ash contemplated answering the door himself or waking up Ace, but he chose the latter since he was afraid of whoever was outside the door. He knew it wouldn't be Marco, if it was him the older blond would have let himself in without ringing the bell. He shook Ace a bit and the raven head woke up, a bit drowsy and looked around confusedly. He asked what happened but before Ash was able to answer, the doorbell rang again. Ace understood and stood up, walking to the door while Ash stayed behind the wall and peeked at the door to see who it was.
"Oh- Hi Thatch, Izo." Ace greeted two people as he opened the door. A man and a woman. They seemed like they knew each other and were close since they hugged. Ace welcomed them in and Ash ran back into the living room to Phoenix's side- how the bird would protect him, he didn't know. But it was still comforting. Soon enough Ace came into his sight and the two right next to him, talking about how long it'd been. And then Ace gasped and looked at him, making the other two to look at Ash too.
"Aaaahhhh, Ash, I'm sorryyy!" The raven whined as he ran up to Ash, hugging him. He then pointed at the two after breaking the hug.
"Look, that guy in the kimono and makeup who looks like a woman is Marco's brother, Izo" Izo waved at Ash with a kind smile. "And the other guy with bread for his hair-" "HEY!" "-is Thatch, Izo's husband." Thatch waves at him too, with a big, silly grin. Ash waved at them and hid behind Ace shyly. Izo aww'ed and Thatch's hand flew to his heart, Ash is so cute.
"Do you want to introduce yourself?" Ace asked as they all moved to sit on the couches. Ash didn't really want to, but.. they were Marco's family. Marco's family meant his future family, too... so..
"H-hi.. my name's Ash and I'm 9 years old.." The kid said and earned a big grin from the three. Then, Thatch groaned for some reason.
"I should have baked some sweets before coming here!" The bread-haired guy whined, slumping on Izo who said it was his fault. They seemed like a nice duo, just like Ace and Marco. Ash smiled. Maybe.. it wouldn't be so bad. Being adopted by Ace and Marco...
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"Yes, you just have to sign here and here. I'm sorry we didn't prepare this sooner, we actually thought you would want another child to adopt..."
"It's okay, yoi. We understand, but right now, we just want Ash to call us his family and our house his home. Also, we'll need Ash's school information, too. We wanted to enroll him in a nearby school, yoi."
"Okay, give me a second."
Ace and Marco were at the orphanage again, and this time, it'd be their last visit until they hope to adopt another kid. They were finally done with all the extra steps and officially would be Ash's parents soon! How exciting is that?!
Anygays. The story is getting too fucking long so let's just get this over because I'm tired. 🙌
(Wanted to write more of them bonding, but.. I'm already late again)
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A week passed by and everything was going fine for the now family of four, including their pet bird Phoenix. Ash was very, VERY happy to be finally adopted by Marco and Ace, he loved the two so much! They are fun, kind, caring, loving, and everything good! He could finally smile and laugh as much as he wanted, be free and open about his emotions. He could love and be loved. He could have friends now too, since they enrolled him in another school which is close to their house.
Ash loved his family so much. Spending time with them was always fun and they didn't fight! Small arguments would sometimes happen, yes, but they were unimportant and nothing like that could ever break their family.
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"Ash, yoi! Come on, we'll be late!"
"I'm hereee daaddd!" Ash laughed as he was picked up by Marco and carried outside. Ace followed them behind with Phoenix on his shoulder, hurrying outside. They were supposed to have a photo of them taken by a professional photographer this noon, but it was already past noon and they were kind of late to be outside. The photographer had agreed to take the photo in their backyard, which is a very nice place to take the photo in. They weren't worried about Phoenix flying away since Marco had taught the bird to stay with them or come back to them while outside.
"Finally, you are out here. Please go on and give me a free pose first, then we can move on with more poses." The family all nodded and went to stay where the photographer had pointed, posing a free and I guess realistic pose as a family. Marco still had Ash in his arms and Ash was going for a hug, both smiling. Ace hugged Marco from his side with Phoenix on his shoulder. The photographer seemed to like this pose and took a few shots before moving on to other poses...
In the end, they thanked the photographer and had the first free pose they did framed so they could put it on the shelves. They looked cute in the photo.
(I did a small fanart of they photo, but since we can't put them in fanfiction, you can view it on Wattpad!)
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Thanks for readinggg! This is by far the longest oneshot, I wonder if one of the others can exceed this... welp, that depends on my mood and time. :p
Stay safe everyone!
Also a small question, should I (somewhere in the future) continue this story as a separate book? I had more ideas to put but I didn't have the time to do so and it'd have been too long for a one-shot. I think that the ideal one-shot length is somewhere in-between 1k-10k and here I am, writing more than 10k lmao. Please let me know about your ideas! There aren't enough MarAce family fanfics out there! D: