First one-shot:
Behind The Curtains
Synopsis: Criminals AU
The Whitebeards are a wide known business family, good at hiding their true work as an underground gang. Ace is a kid who started at a young age, very skilled.. and very cute to a certain blond.
Word count: 11060
Enjoy reading! ^^
A/N: Sorry for any mistakes. I didn't really re-check after I finished this 😭
A/N2: Sorry for the re-post! I did a mistake and had to fix it...
XXX
"DON'T LET HIM RUN AWAY! HE TURNED LEFT!"
"WE NEED BACKUP!"
"HE'S HERE!"
"SHOOT HIM!"
On the busy days of October, in an empty street a group of police officers were running after someone in a black hood. Accompanied with a lot of gun shots, the rain is falling heavily from the sky, making this day colder than it already is.
"Catch me if you can!" The person in black hood yelled, and just in a blink, he was gone. The police officers looked around themselves confusedly.
"Shit. He ran away! Sir Smoker!" The officers then left the alleyway and met up with the other group. While the police were continuing to look out, the culprit that they were searching for was actually right next to them. He was inside the buildings, but the police were searching for him outside the buildings..
"You are so late, idiot! They were so close to catching me this time!" The black hooded guy whisper shouted at his savior, who is also his friend. The savior rolled his eyes and threw him clothes.
"Oh, don't you whine that you're getting slow, Firefist. Change. We have a meeting with sir Whitebeard." Firefist sighed and changed into the clothes his friend gave him, and looked at himself in the mirror. Smiling, he turned to his friend and gave him a thumbs up.
"I'm happy you know my fashion taste, Mask." Mask chuckled and shook his head before leaving the room with Firefist following behind.
"So, where we going?" Firefist asked as he went inside the kitchen to grab something to eat. Mask sat down on the couch in the kitchen and grabbed himself a drink.
"The meeting will be held out of the city. We will travel for probably 6 hours or more." He opened his drink and drunk while Firefist ate some leftovers, humming.
"So.. this Whitebeard guy. What does he want." He asked as he ate.
"Hmm.. he wants to work with us. I don't think we will have any problems with the Whitebeards." Firefist raised his eyebrow to Mask's response, and asked,
"What makes you think that?" Mask smiled and put away his empty can of drink.
"Sir Whitebeard and his gang are quite respected around the world. You might not know because you are dumb and careless, but their way of doing things are very different from the others. They do their work with respect and kindness." Firefist hummed and finished his food. He then looked at Mask nonchalantly and smiled, though his eyes were dark and empty.
"I will believe once I see it. And I'm only accepting to go because they saved Skull, Mihar and Saber on their last mission!" Mask shrugged and they got up to leave the house. They both weren't worried about the police officers because none of them knew how Firefist looked without his hood. So that was a plus for him. And Mask did his work underground, meaning, he was never seen by the police. Firefist was more of a guy to work at night times and be seen without revealing his identity, because, in his words, 'he likes the adventure'.
The two left together and went to Mask's car and sat inside. Mask sat in the driver's seat and Firefist sat besides him. Mask drove and while he does that, Firefist prepared their fake identity cards for when police checks their car. And soon enough, they encountered a few police groups that were looking inside cars.
"I will need to see your identities, sirs. And also your driving license too." The police officers asked them once Mask rolled down the window.
"Of course, officer." Mask answered and took the fake cards and gave them to the officer. He examined them and looked at the two.
"We also need to search your car throughoutly..." The officer looked at their names and continued, "..Mr Yoshida and Mr Sato." Mask smiled and let them look through the car while they waited outside. After about 10 minutes, the officer told them that they were free to go and report anything they see that's suspicious. The two thanked him and left in the car.
"That went smoothly, don't you think, Sato-chan~?" Mask broke the silence after they were away from the police cars. Firefist chuckled and hit him lightly.
"Whatever, Yoshida."
"It's Mr Yoshida to you."
XXX
After driving for hours and hours, they finally reached the desired town and went to a hotel to check in for a few nights. It was a well known hotel, hotel 'All Blue'. The design suits it's name too, it's technically all blue. It has the ocean theme on it's walls, a lot of ocean and marine life paintings too. It's an interesting place to see.
"Hello and welcome to Hotel 'All Blue'. Would you like a room for two for tonight, or..?" The lady in the reception welcomed them and asked. As Firefist was looking around the hotel, Mask did the talk for them.
"Yes, we would like a room for two. For a week, if possible." The lady nodded and asked for them to pay, which Mask did. After the payment she gave Mask a room key and told them to go to the 3rd floor. Mask smiled and thanked her. To not attract eyes on them, the two were acting like friends on vacation and they were going to act for the whole time that they'll be staying here.
"Where should we go next, Yoshi?" Firefist asked once Mask was done with the talking.
"I don't know, it's our first time here. We'll see later let's go and put these in our room for now. I'm starviinngg~" Before they were able to leave, the receptionist lady called for them with an uncertain smile on her face.
"I don't mean to butt in your business, but if it's your first time here and you want to eat, there's a really nice restaurant right next to our hotel. You can buy local foods of this town from there too." She smiled and gave them a mini menu of the restaurant. Mask smiled back and thanked her. The two then left to go to their room. Once in private, they both dropped the act.
"Firefist. The time is close. We should leave." Mask said as soon as he looked at the time. Firefist sighed and threw his backpack on one of the beds. After changing, they then left the hotel together.
After driving in the car for about 15 minutes, Mask informed Firefist that they have reached the place. It was a fancy building that belongs to the Whitebeards company. The same company that also works as an underground gang. Although.. If ever someone told about this to others, all of them would be dead. No one dared to say a word.
The two walked inside the building and they were met with a man in suit greeting them.
"Welcome, sirs. Table for..?" Firefist smiled and gave the man a card. After he looked at the card, the man told them to follow him and took the two to the third floor of the building. There, they were taken to a room with big double doors.
"This is the meeting hall, sirs. Boss and his men are waiting for you. Please enter." They thanked the man and entered the room after knocking. Once inside, all the eyes were drawn on them.
There were a total of 16 people inside, other than them. 15 of those were the commanders, as the gang referred to them. And of course, the boss, Whitebeard himself. They bowed and greeted them. The two then went and sat down on the empty seats across from the others.
"Shall we start the meeting then?" Whitebeard asked once they sat down, and the meeting started..
"Phoenix, please tell them our main goal and why they were called here." Whitebeard asked his first commander, who is a blond man in a blue suit. His hair looked weirdly similar to a pineapple, Firefist thought. Phoenix, as Whitebeard stated, stood up and started talking.
"Firstly, we thank you both for coming here even if you were busy. Our main goal is to take out a man called Blackbeard. I am sure you have encountered him before. You two were called in for that purpose. And.. We have heard sir Firefist here can get us information from the government itself. Am I right, Firefist?" Firefist smiled at Phoenix whose eyes were on him. Though it is a smile, his eyes were as always dull.
"Of course. But don't forget that it'll cost you a lot depending on your needs and mine. Do remember that I'm only here because I respect Whitebeard and you guys have saved my friends. Now, may I know what your information is about that you need?" He smiled again and stared intensely at the blond man.
While they were talking, Mask on the other hand was examining everyone around the meeting table. He recognized all of the commanders, thanks to their other information bringer. Although.. one of them looked injured. Even with a suit on, Mask could see that the fourth commander's body is bandaged underneath. This could have a do with Blackbeard guy, but they'll know about it eventually.
"The money is not a problem, you should know. And-"
"Phoenix." Whitebeard cut Phoenix's words and gave him a look. Phoenix nodded and sat down after that. Then Whitebeard looked at the two and stared for a few minutes, which they did back to him with no fear evident on their faces. Whitebeard then looked at one of the commanders and that commander, Mask realized it was the 12th commander, gave them a file. Firefist took it and started reading through it while Mask just stared at Whitebeard.
"I see, so this is the problem." Firefist mumbled as he read, and nodded to himself.
"May I say something, Whitebeard? But don't take it to heart." Whitebeard nodded i. response to Firefist's question.
"Why do I have to be accompanied by your first commander? Do you not trust me? Which is understandable. But still. You know how I work. I am a man who is true to his words." Firefist was now sending Whitebeard a small glare, which the others took as a threat and pointed their guns at Firefist and Mask. They both were fairly calm during that, and it surprised the other gang group. Whitebeard chuckled a bit and shook his head.
"You are indeed a cheeky brat. Don't get me wrong, I understand how you work and respect it. But Phoenix has to accompany you so there are no problems in the going of your operation." Whitebeard said with a small smile on. He then raised his hand up and with only that movement all of the commanders put their guns down.
"I also apologize for my children's behavior." At that, Firefist raised his eyebrow and eyed Whitebeard. Children, he says?
"Well. I got the job. I'll inform you about the prize after my job is done. Oi, Phoenix." Firefist accepted the job and called for Phoenix. The blond glared at him a bit but sighed and nodded.
"Tomorrow at midnight. Be here." Phoenix said and they all stood up to finish the meeting. Mask and Firefist bowed and left the room, then the building and went to the restaurant next to their hotel to eat.
"He is interesting." Whitebeard pointed out after the two left.
...
XXX
"You are late."
"No, I'm on time, you are just early. Hop in." As soon as Firefist came with his car, Phoenix rolled his eyes and sat inside on the passenger seat. He took out a plan of the building they were going to sneak in. He showed it to Firefist and started explaining.
"This is the entrance, and this us the back side of the building. We will sneak in from one of the door in here which leads to a storage. From that storage's window we can go inside the building. And yes, it has a window that shows the inside of the building. From there we will follow this way. And to this room. We have to disable the security cameras first, which is my job. You'll go this way. Here, take this, we cab talk via these mini earphones. I'll inform you of anyone going your way while you search for what we need." Firefist nodded as he listened to Phoenix explain, and took the mini earphones and put it on. Once everything was clear, Firefist drove to a parking lot which hasn't been used for years.
From there they continued on foot, and in 20 minutes they reached the back side of the building. Phoenix looked out for anyone incoming while Firefist forcefully opened the door to the storage. Sneakily they went inside and locked the door so it wouldn't be suspicious. Luckily, at this time of the day no one visits the storage and there are only the guards left in here.
They made it to the window and took a look in. There were two guards talking so Phoenix decided to look for another window while Firefist waited to see what the guards would do. After 5 minutes, Phoenix called Firefist to go to the left corner of the storage, that he found a small window here. Firefist left the still talking guards and went to him. The window was small but big enough for them to go through, so they did that.
Once inside they looked around and were happy to see no guards in this way. So, with Firefist leading the way, the two sneakily went around the building trying to find their desired location. Phoenix then pointed out that he had to go to the second floor where the security systems are. And Firefist had to go to the third floor, where important documents are storaged. So, they went upstairs and Phoenix silently made his way to the security room, while Firefist continued going up to the third floor.
There he was met with 3 separate ways to go, and if he remembers the floor mapping correctly, then he must go to the right. He heard footsteps and quickly but silently ran back and hid behind the stairs, waiting for the guard to walk by. Judging by how guards are situated around this building, for each floor there are up to 8 or 9 guards walking around and they don't leave the floors. But a small information about this department that he remembers is that from time to time, probably after each 3-4 hours, all the guardians change floors and teams randomly so there won't be any consequences.
Once the guard walked by him, he whispered to the mini earphones to inform Phoenix about that and went on his way to the storage rooms.
...
Firefist said that they might not have enough time to finish this before the teams change, but Phoenix believes that they'll do it with Firefist's sneaking abilities and his high-improved technology information. So with those they'll be able to finish just in time.
As a matter of fact, he is right now in front of the security room and listening in to hear if someone is inside. But all he could hear was light snoozing sounds, which means whoever is inside is sleeping right now. But there might be another person watching, so he had to be careful. Taking out his phone and a small camera, he squished the camera inside from the gap between the door and floor. Then he activated it and connected it with his phone to watch inside. He was relieved to see that the only guard in was asleep.
So he slowly opened the door and walked in, closing it after. He took out a handkerchief soaked in chloroform and slowly approached the man. He puts the handkerchief on the man's mouth and holds him firmly with his spare hand so that he doesn't escape from his hold. Being held harshly, the man wakes up and tries to fight back, but after a few minutes of struggling he falls unconscious on the chair. Phoenix then puts the handkerchief back in his bag and starts his work in the security room.
He sat on the chair in front of the computers and started working on completely shutting down all emergency alarms. After he was done with that in 7 minutes, he took out a small machine thing from his bag and made it work, this is used to ban all and every phones and other devices from working around them, so they won't be able to get help.
"You are safe to go. I repeat, you are safe." Phoenix then talked to hus earphones. After a few seconds he heard a muffled 'okay' sound, and thought that Firefist was most likely whispering. He made sure that everything was back to its order before he came in, and then left the room without leaving any traces - he didn't have to wipe off any fingerprints because as Firefist he uses gloves.
After going out Phoenix went upstairs to look for Firefist so that they can get this done quickly but on his way he heard footsteps so he hid and waited for the person to go by.
"I'm done." He then heard on his earphones, and that same voice came over from the upstairs too. Meaning, Firefist is the one coming his way. And he was right.
"I know you are there. Come on we will jump down from the second floor there are people in the storage." He heard Firefist say, but not to his earphones, the man knew he was there. Honestly though, he is amazed by Firefist's abilities now.
XXX
The rest of their way back went smoothly as it did that day. The two were able to escape without being seen and made a rush out of the area. All the way back the two talked about each other's talents, some experiences and smiled, even laughed together at some memories.
Firefist stopped by the company building and gave Phoenix all the documents he needed.
"Thanks for the ride, Ace." Phoenix said as soon as the car stopped, smiling at Firefist. He smiled back and said,
"It's my pleasure, Marco." Despite the two revealing and knowing about each other's true identity, they laughed and waved it off. They knew that both wouldn't do anything bad to each other, that's why they were okay with it.
"Don't forget to keep it a secret. You don't even know my surname." Firefist- well, Ace said after laughing. Marco looked at him and shook his head.
"No, I know it. But don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. I believe mine is safe with you too, since you already know my surname." Marco then winked at him and they laughed again, nodding.
"The money will be sent to your bank account." The blond man then said his goodbye and left the car, Ace driving away after.
XXX
"The mission was successful. We didn't meet with any obstacles and it went smoothly, yoi. All the needed files are here, oyaji. Rakuyo, can you send the money to Firefist's bank account?" Rakuyo nodded and took out his laptop, on his way to send the money to Firefist. Whitebeard was looking through the documents they have stolen, to see if the information they wanted is written here. And the small nod he gave meant that he found the information. Marco was talking to others, answering their questions about the mission and Firefist. Of course, he didn't tell anything about Firefist being Ace. But then... Jozu had to ruin it for him. Bastard.
"I have done my research, actually. And I'm pretty impressed of Firefist." The third commander, Jozu spoke. They all looked at him to see what he found out in his research. Jozu is one of the best researchers they have, and he can remember the most confusing stuff about people or organizations. He is the information giver of their family/gang.
"He is good at hiding his real identity. But, that doesn't stop me from finding out who he really is. His name is Portgas D Ace. He uses his mother's surname, Portgas D. If we dug up to his father... He is Gol D Roger's son." The listeners' eyes widened after hearing that name. Minus Marco, since he already knew of that. Jozu might be the best researcher they have, but before him was Marco. Not like he's bragging about it.
Gol D Roger. The legend of a guy, and the king of all criminals and gangs and more. He had died 20 years ago, the government had executed him in front of cameras broadcasted to all TVs. But after his death, several rumors had started about the man having a child. The government searched everywhere for that child, but couldn't find anything.
"So he really does have a child. Ace, huh? Gurarara... Ace was the name of his gun. Typical Roger. So, how did Ace survive the government? With his mother.. I guess she is Rouge. Roger told me about a Rouge, I didn't know her surname." Whitebeard spoke, his voice full of nostalgia and eyes of sadness. He and Roger.. they were close friends other than rivals. Whitebeard loved Roger like a brother would. It's sad how things turned out, but no can help it.
"No, not really. He survived alone his whole life, or that's what I think he did. I don't know who helped him, or anything for that matter. But I do know that Rouge didn't make it alive, she died after Ace's birth. 20 years ago. For the next 12 years, nothing of Ace was heard. And then he started at 12, making a name for himself." Whitebeard nodded sadly as Jozu spoke. It seems neither Roger nor Rouge could make it into their child's life. He felt bad for Ace, and he questioned who really looked after Ace for 12 years. And.. starting this kind of life at a very young age is very dangerous.. He hopes Ace knew what he was doing.
"Also, oyaji. There was clearly someone looking after Ace, but I couldn't find it out." Jozu then gave the last information he had in his hands and sat down. Whitebeard hummed, in thought. Maybe this someone is a person they know.. Maybe a complete stranger. Who knows.
XXX
"Ara, I see you're back. How did the mission go?" A short black haired woman asked as she saw Firefist Ace walk inside. He gave a warm smile to her and sat down on a stool. They were inside a bar that belonged to the woman.
"Hi, Shakky. Mission went well. Where is he?" Ace said. Shakky smiled at him and pointed to a door, saying he's sleeping. She then gave Ace something warm to drink and they talked for about an hour before some customers arrived. They stopped talking about work and switched to their daily normal life, until he woke up.
The door cracked as it opened and Ace looked to his right to see an old man walking up to them. Rayleigh.
"Ace? I thought you wouldn't come back for a few more days. It's good to see you, kid." Rayleigh said as he ruffled Ace's hair, chuckling when he saw Ace's blinding smile. Ace himself chuckled and gave a thumbs up to him, continuing with,
"I finished all my work and I won't take any for 1 or 2 days. So I'll be with you guys here." Rayleigh smiled and nodded, happy he would stay for a while even if it wouldn't be long enough. It's never enough, Ace is always working and he's always in danger but Rayleigh understands. He was once in Ace's place too, taking missions non-stop and never getting out of danger. But he retired from old age and he wanted to live normally the rest of his life.
Rayleigh is also a criminal, he has worked as an assassin for many years and had done underground work for a lot of gangs in exchange of money and safety. He did this for many years, name it be with his friends or alone, he never stopped. Even with Ace by his side. That is until he met Shakky, the one person who dragged him away from his death. At that time, Rayleigh was working himself to death. Literally. He had accepted a really dangerous work, assassinating a known nobleman in his own mansion. Which, to no surprise, was full of guards who wanted him dead. He had managed to kill the man, but in the process he sustained a bad injury that almost killed him. Which is where Shakky came to help- she found him bleeding to death and brought him to her home, which is also a bar she manages. She tended his wounds and when he woke up, she gave him medicine and food. After that their relationship kind of grew, and after years, this is where they are right now. Rayleigh retired for Shakky and Ace, and now they are living in the bar happily. Well.. until the policemen find out who he is, they'll be happy.
Ace smiled and stared at the man he looks up to, Rayleigh. He has always been someone to look up to for Ace, someone who saved him when no one did, someone who wanted him alive when no one did.
What is the full story?
XXX
"Rayleigh... I need you to do something for me. Something important.."
"Roger? What- Is something wrong?"
"My time is almost up, Rayleigh. But.. I've met a woman. She is pregnant with our baby, but if the government finds out.. You know they will kill the baby." Rayleigh's eyes widened as his boss, Roger spoke, sadness evident in his eyes and tone. He would have never guessed that Roger has a woman in his life, and she is also pregnant. But this is Roger they're talking about, of course he has secrets. A woman with his child... Whoa. Rayleigh never thought there would be a woman insane enough to love Roger, and strong enough for Roger to fall in love with.
"What do you want me to do, boss?" Roger chuckled, looking up at Rayleigh from where he is sitting. He gave him a piece of paper which had Rouge's, his lover's coordinates in it.
"This is my last mission for you. And my last wish... After I die, I want you to find her and help her. Don't let the government find them first, or they'll both die. I trust you, Rayleigh. Please... give them a happy, safe life for me.." Roger finished with a sad glance to his necklace on the table, he took it and opened the case. It showed the picture of a beautiful woman, blonde hair, fierce black eyes, adorable freckles on her cheeks and a blinding smile. She was Rouge, the woman who managed to snatch Roger's heart. The woman who is carrying their child. Rayleigh smiled upon seeing her, and bowed to his boss.
"Your wish is my command." He said, accepting the last mission and every bit of danger it comes with.
A few weeks later Roger was executed. And then, Rayleigh's mission began. Rouge and her child lives in a town that's across the ocean, which meant it would take a while for him to reach them. But he was determined, so he hastily went on his journey to find Rouge.
After a few months of travelling, he finally found the town. Baterilla. He walked around the town, but realized something was wrong. The townspeople weren't outside like any other towns, instead, there were a lot of government and police cars around here. He instantly knew they had found out about Rouge or Roger having a child, so he put on his hood and hurried to Rouge's house. She lived on a cliff that overlooked the ocean, just past the town. Luckily he managed to find Rouge in time before the others found her, and smiled at her who had a knife in her right hand and embraced her belly with her left hand, eyes challenging him to do something, anything. Rayleigh closed the door and raised his hands above his head.
"I'm here to help you, Rouge-san. My name is Rayleigh and I work for Roger. Or, I was, before everything.. His last wish was for me to find you, find the child and protect you. Please, let me finish my mission and honor my boss." He tried to explain. The woman eyed him and narrowed her eyes.
"Why should I trust you?!" She asked, angry at the man trying to get to her. Rayleigh smiled and looked at the necklace he had on, indicating Rouge to look at it too. Her eyes slowly went down and to the necklace, giving a small gasp. Rayleigh slowly raised it up and took it off. He put it on the floor and took a few steps back for Rouge to take it. Rouge understood, slowly taking the necklace and opening it.
Inside, she saw her photo and right next to it was Roger's photo with a small paper. She read it, it was Roger's handwriting and he wrote 'Trust me' on the paper. Rouge felt tears picking in her eyes, and she looked at the man again.
"I'll trust Roger's words, not you." She said and put the knife in its sheath. Rayleigh smiled and agreed, happy she was willing to trust at least Roger. He heard faint footsteps approaching and quickly told Rouge that they need to leave, and she nodded, pointing to a baggage. She smiled and said she couldn't carry it, thus the reason she hasn't left. Rayleigh laughed a bit and went to take the baggage, then went out to check if it was safe. He saw a group of people far away, looking at the sea. He left the house and pointed for Rouge to follow.
The two went through the forest, passing the village and slowly approaching a black Mercedes-Benz G-Class car, which actually belonged to a close friend of Rayleigh's. They got in the car and Rayleigh quickly drove away from the village to a city that is three towns and one village away from Baterilla.
"Where are you taking us?" Rouge asked after they had left Baterilla's borders. Rayleigh slowed the car a bit so it doesn't get too dangerous, since the roads are in a bad shape.
"We are going to a place in East Blue since that's the safest place for you right now. But we have to stop by the city of Red Line. I know a close friend there, the car belongs to him."
XXX
"What do you mean she can't give birth?!" Rayleigh asked angrily, his voice full of despair and worry. It's been 2 months and a half now, they have been with Crocus for a week now and he has been helping Rouge with her pregnancy. It was already past her birth time, but she hasn't given birth yet and it was really messing with her health. Both mental and physical. She was so worried about her child that she fell sick, bedridden and going weak. Crocus was doing everything he could to help her get better, but she was just getting worse and worse day to day. This, had come up to their point right now.
"It's either the baby or her, Rayleigh! I... I never wanted to disappoint myself and Roger-san, but, I can't save both of them. We have to at least save Rouge-san!" Crocus yelled at him, lost in his own feelings that he didn't even realize that as a doctor, he hadn't thought about his patient's feelings. Rayleigh shook his head in anger and forced some sense into his head. He basically punched Crocus.
"Are you crazy?! It's not for us to decide their future, Crocus! Even if we fail Roger.. Even if we fail to protect both of them.. It's not for us to decide. I'll... ask Rouge-san..." Rayleigh finished as his voice grew sadder, turning to walk to the room where Rouge is staying. He already knew Rouge's answer. He just had to make sure of it.
XXX
"I'm so sorry, Rayleigh.." Crocus sadly said as they looked at the recently dug grave in front of them- Rouge's grave. Rayleigh had a newborn boy in his hands, remembering the boy's parents' last words to him..
"Please... give them a happy, safe life for me.."
"Please give my baby Ace a smile on his face, Rayleigh..."
He was angry at himself. Even if this was something he couldn't interfere, couldn't help, he was angry. Angry that he disappointed his boss. Roger's last wish... Rouge's last wish...
He will make sure this child lives well.
Well... Having a newborn to look after as a wanted criminal isn't the best thing, but.. Rayleigh enjoyed his time with Ace. Of course, there were a lot of times when they had tough days, and with Ace having the stomach of a fully grown bear, Rayleigh had to seek for a place to stay in and give Ace safety.
The way he handled it wasn't the best, though. He worked a lot, for many companies and gangs. He asked a friend to look after Ace while he worked in exchange of money and safety. He was basically working himself to death for the sake of Ace and his life.
XXX
He had accepted a dangerous one-man work in Sabaody Archipelago, a city known for it's lawless areas. And then there were high ranked noblemen who also lived there, just not in the lawless areas, that is. His job was to kill one of those noblemen, in his own household.
Of course, Rayleigh finished the job, killing the man off but sustaining a very bad injury while doing so, he had to escape and run while being chased. He ran until his feet gave up- he couldn't afford dying right now, Ace is still a child. Ace still can't protect himself. Just then he blacked out and fell face first on the ground. But unbeknownst to him, a lady had taken him inside.. Shakky.
Yep, he fell in love with her later on and they both took Ace in their care. Rayleigh also abandoned his criminal life for the two, starting a normal... or well, semi-normal life from now on.
XXX
Back to the present, a few weeks after Ace's mission with Marco~
XXX
"Oh~? What's the famous Phoenix doing here?" Ace asked with a huge grin on his face as he saw Marco walk in the bar. He was taking a few weeks off, not really needing to inform anyone because he doesn't have a boss- doesn't work for any gang. Marco looked at him with raised brows, clearly surprised to see him in a bar like this.
"I could ask you the same, Firefist yoi." The older man answered with humor, sitting on a stool and seeing that Ace is the only one in here right now. He was on his way to ask who works here, but Ace stood up and went behind the bartender's table while he sat on a stool. The younger man smiled at him and asked,
"What would you like, sir?" He smiled back and raised one brow,
"Didn't know you could make drinks now. What, you dropped being Firefist? Are you Firewine or something like that now?" Marco asked as he laughed, Ace also laughing at his words.
"Nope, this is basically my home." The raven head responded for him and asked what he wanted again, making Marco think for a moment.
"Give me something you recommend then, Firefist." Ace just shook his head and turned out, thinking of what to prepare.
"Do you like vodka? Also, sweet or sour?" He asked the man, turning around for a moment with a bottle of vodka in his hand.
"I would like some vodka, and.. Make it sweet just like you, darling." Marco winked at him making Ace quickly turn back, blushing. What is that guy thinking?
Ace prepared White Russian for him, and gave it to the blond. As he started drinking, someone walked down from the stairs- a woman with short hair, Marco saw. Ace smiled at her and said good morning to the woman.
"Oh, we have a customer.. Welcome to the bar, sir." She quickly welcomed Marco and changed places with Ace as the raven head went to sit one stool next to Marco.
"Ace, when will you go back to work?" The woman asked him, and he shrugged.
"I'll stay a while more. Those stupid bastards really drive me crazy with how demanding they are.. think they can control me, ugh. 'm trying hard to not kill them." Ace made an angry face as Shakky chuckled but then gave him a look, probably as to why he was giving off very obvious hints about himself, while there's a stranger in the room. Marco smiled weird, and went back to his drink while of course listening. What? You can't shun Marco, he wants to know more about Ace.
"If you're worried about that blondie, don't worry he's in this too." Ace then stated dryly, making Marco almost choke.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh yea, I probably shouldn't have said that. Forget about it, okay?" Ace said, not even one bit of emotion in his voice as he got up to prepare something for himself too. Marco just stared at him, but Shakky wasn't too surprised from his actions. He is like this sometimes... most of the times.. maybe all the time...
"Ace, did you just reveal something about me?" Marco asked after a minute and Ace gave an approving hum. He then turned to look at him in the eye,
"She knows I kill. You know I kill. And I know you kill. So now she also knows you kill." There was only one thing Marco could think of;
What the fuck kind of logic is that?
XXX
"Are you just going to stay in here?"
"Can't I? I payed for the night, so it shouldn't be a problem."
"Yea but this is my room, Phoenix. You are in my room." It was already late at night and Marco had decided to spend the night in here, and he payed Shakky to rent a room for the night since there was a sign saying "one room available for one night". Turns out... It was Ace's room, and they had forgotten to take the sign off during Ace's stay... But after he talked Shakky to agreement, Rayleigh also agreeing because he is amused, Marco is now staying the night in Ace's room with Ace. A night with Ace... Do not think anything weird. Do not.
"Are you worried about something, darling? Or am I too hot for you to handle for the night?" Marco smirked at him, making Ace mumble something -probably swearing- under his breath. Ace turned his back to Marco and the blond chuckled. Ace was sleeping on the bed, his bed while Marco slept on the floor. It was the only way Ace had agreed, but even like this he didn't like the idea at all. Whatever.
...
When the morning came, Marco woke up first and stared at Ace's sleeping face for... about 20 minutes. He HAD to take a photo of Ace. The younger male looked so.. cute and peaceful like this.. After taking a picture of the sleeping beauty, he left the room and walked downstairs. He saw Shakky and Rayleigh making breakfast together so he helped them a bit. After a few minutes, Ace came down and they all started eating breakfast. ...It was.. peaceful to eat like this. It reminded Marco of the days when their family would eat together, throwing out gang works away for the moment. Just like a family... A family... with Ace...
Okay, no, he was just getting more creepy about Ace now,
Does he really loves Ace?
Well... He might... or he really does...
HE DOESN'T KNOW, OKAY?
XXX
"Uhhh..."
Marco stared at the man in front of him, seeing that he is the one who has been following him for the past few hours.
"Ace."
The said man sent him a sheepish look and gave him a thumbs up.
"Hi, Marco!" Marco sighed, knowing that Ace won't leave him alone now. For a few days, at least. But.. deep inside.. he enjoyed it. Even if Ace would always be annoying him. He enjoyed Ace's company..
It has been a few months since he met Ace at that bar and stayed the night here, they have.. Grown closer after that, somehow. They were given more missions by his old man, and they often went together. But Marco is happy about it. He could be with his darling longer this way. Even if he thinks that his old man, Whitebeard is playing the matchmaker.
"I guess you'll come with me. I'm going home, just so you know." Marco said and went inside his car, Ace following him to sit on the passenger side. Ace grinned at him and he looked away to hide his blush. He's acting like a highschool girl who's in love. He knows that. Don't bully him for that. IT'S ACE. YOU'D BLUSH TOO. I KNOW I WOULD.
Anyways, Marco started driving to his home, and no not his father's home, he has his own apartment a bit away from his father's mansion. He was going to go to his father's, but... Ace is with him, so.. Yeah.
After 10 minutes of driving and listening to Ace's stories about a kid named Luffy, they finally arrived and got out of the car. He lived on the first floor, so they didn't have to go upstairs or anything. Going inside the apartment, Ace made himself feel at home and just sat in the living room, looking around. Marco, once again, sighed.
"Hey, Marco. Don't you live with Newgate?" Ace asked after Marco put the groceries he had brought into the fridge. He went back in the living room to sit with Ace.
"I do, but I can't go there with you, can I?" Marco humoured. Ace just puffed his cheeks -cute!- and looked away. Marco chuckled and asked if he wants something to eat or drink. Instantly, Ace beamed at the mention of food.
"Whaddya have?!" He asked, maybe drooling a bit too much...
"Uh... I have meat-"
"Yes please."
..."Okay. Let's go to the kitchen."
Marco started cooking the meat, while a very hungry and excited Ace watched all his movement from behind the table. The inconsiderate part of his brain wondered if this is what married life with Ace would be like... He shook the thought off.
After a while, he was done with the food and served a plate for Ace and one for himself. They ate together and then Ace forced Marco to watch a movie with him, so they did. They watched a comedy movie in the living room and, before they knew it, both of them fell asleep a little near the end of the movie. As criminals, being able to rest like this once in awhile was really nice for them. They have, surprisingly, trusted each other enough to fall asleep like this, being able to relax for once.
XXX
"So, your boss wants me to take place in a mission with you again?" Ace asked as he was handed a paper by Marco, full of details about a mission Whitebeard asked him to participate in. Marco nodded at his question. He sighed, seeing that they wouldn't be alone on the mission. From the Whitebeards gang, not only Marco but also Izou, Jozu and Vista would join. The old man had also asked him to call Deuce too, as this mission would be very dangerous. Ace honestly thought that this many people might be a problem, so he asked Marco to talk with Whitebeard.
"I don't think oyaji will listen to you, yoi. He won't give up if he has made his mind." Marco answered. Ace stiffly ignored the fact that Marco called his boss 'oyaji', but the reason was because he already knew that Whitebeard was like a father to the gang, thus the reason why they are a gang family. Also in business too. Ace sighed, he didn't like working with more than 3 people, and right now he had to work with 5 people. He was determined to make it 3, so he still went to talk with Whitebeard.
...
"Whitebeard, I want to talk to you about the mission details. We might need to do some changes." Ace said as he walked inside the meeting room in Whitebeard's company building. He saw that some of the commanders were here too, not all but some of them. Marco was also following him behind, him coming inside too. Whitebeard put the files in his hand down and gestured for him to sit. He sat, with Marco sitting right next to him. Whitebeard then asked what the problem was.
"The first problem is the number of people. I do not accept any jobs that require me to work with more than 3 people. And I respect you, Whitebeard. So I'd like it if you respected me. Otherwise, say goodbye to working with me and any of my friends." Ace said, strength and disapproval in his voice. Whitebeard looked into his eyes for a moment, understanding why he is saying these. He knew that Ace only accepted group works of 4, only taking 3 people with himself. He never, and I mean never accepts more than 3 and Whitebeard wanted him to take 5 people with him to form a group of 6. He sighed and nodded.
"I understand why, Firefist. I'm sorry for how inconsiderate I was. We can go with a group of 4, I guess. So, I believe I can take Jozu and Vista off the work. Do you have any problems with it, my sons?" Since the two were in the room with them, Whitebeard asked Jozu and Vista and both of them said they don't have any problems, agreeing to their boss and father's choices. This way, Marco, Izou, Ace and Deuce will be going to the mission. Ace nodded,
"I appreciate it, Whitebeard. But there's one more problem, about our strategy. I believe I can talk of this with others though, am I right?" Whitebeard chuckled, saying how much of a cheeky brat he was, but did agree that they could talk their strategy and that didn't need his approval. Whitebeard himself had an important meeting to attend elsewhere, the reason why he couldn't join them in the mission. If not, he would have loved to be able to capture Blackbeard himself.
So yes, their mission was to finally capture Blackbeard and take him to a far away mansion the Whitebeards family owned. It was where they took their 'preys', usually to torture them/make them talk/or just kill them there. While it may sound like an easy mission, it was not, as Blackbeard himself is strong and has managed to get some people to fight for him.
They were to go to the hideout of Blackbeard, somewhere that Ace helped to find. Ace's help was pretty important for them, as not only did Ace owe to them for saving some of his friends, but also he was really strong despite his age, even surpassing some of the commanders. But, still.. Maybe more people would have been better for this mission, but Ace won't accept to work with more than 3.
Anyways. Ace asked to have a quick meeting with Izo and Marco about their mission. When asked why Deuce wouldn't join them, he pointed out that Deuce was in another mission for the day, and would join them tonight. He wanted to go on with the mission as quick as possible, seeing how Blackbeard and his subordinates are getting ready for something big.
XXX
It was a day later, past midnight that the four of them were in front of the hideout of Blackbeard and his men. It was an old, abandoned building used to storage big weapons and different kinds of guns. In front of the giant doorway, stood two men guarding the area. They saw three men on top of the building too, and probably more than 15 men would be inside with Blackbeard. "Firefist" Ace and "Phoenix" Marco were down the hill to the left of the building, hiding behind trees and bushes. On top of the hill stood "Twin Guns" Izo, ready with his guns. And in front of the building behind a big tree, was "Masked" Deuce with his mask off. He was wearing casual clothes, only had his gun secured on his belt in the open.
With a friendly smile, Deuce started approaching the two guards, instantly alarming them. Ace, Marco and Izo couldn't hear what they were talking about, but it seemed to go as they planned when Deuce was welcomed inside. They have talked about this, and Deuce had a small device in his hand with a button which if he pressed, would alarm Ace on a similar device of his own. He would press the button one time as soon as he got to talk with Blackbeard, if not then he would press it two times. Three times if he was captured.
After a few minutes, Ace got the alarm and it only rung one time, initiating that plan was going well. He looked up at Izo and nodded at him, the geisha styled man nodding back. Then, with Marco he slowly inched his way towards the main entrance, and once they were a but closer to the entrance Izo quickly shot the three men on the roof with his twin guns. He then ran down to join the two. As Izo started shooting, Ace and Marco beat the guards and went inside, taking out their guns and starting to kill whoever they saw- of course, careful of Deuce if he was here.
Hearing a commotion outside his 'office', Blackbeard was alarmed and quickly took notice of how Deuce got his gun out and pointed it at him. One of his men that was inside with them also took out a gun, pointing it at Deuce. Although the threat, Deuce grinned and with surprising speed, he shot the other guy. Just then Marco barged in and pointed his gun at Blackbeard too. Quickly he was followed by Ace and Izo. Ace by now had blood all over himself, same as Marco but the blond had dodged most of the blood. Though Izo was perfectly clean. The four grinned and looked at Blackbeard, who was now red from anger.
"Accept your loss, Blackbeard!" Marco shouted, "You will pay for your actions, yoi!" He finished his words, but as he was stepping closer to Blackbeard, somehow he dropped his guard even though they were still inside enemy territory. Blackbeard grinned as an unexpected man teared through the ceiling, catching Marco off guard. But before the man was able to shoot Marco with his gun, Ace found his body acting on its own and he guarded the blond with himself, taking the shot instead.
In that event, Marco caught Ace's falling body in shock, staring at the intensely bleeding wound on Ace's torso, the bullet narrowly missing from hitting Ace's heart. Marco found it hard to breath at that moment, just staring at Ace, but he was brought back to earth when he heard another gunshot and someone -Izo?- yelling his name.
He quickly got a hold of himself and looked up at the man who shot Ace. He was pointing one gun at Marco and another gun at Izo. Behind the man was Blackbeard, grinning with a gun held at Deuce's head.
"ZEAHAHAHAH! You thought you could defeated me?! And you even hired Firefist for me to kill, Zehahahah!" Blackbeard shouted at them, amusement clear in his voice. His filthy laugh and villainous aura filled the room they were in. Marco could momentarily hear Thatch almost giving his last breath, saying Teach is a traitor. But he held back his anger, he needed to think clear right now.
"First commander Phoenix. I suggest you stand up and step away from Firefist before I explode both of your brains." Blackbeard said with a menacing aura, challenging Marco to disagree with him. But Marco was in control enough to not let his anger act, and he stood and took a few steps back, staring at Ace.
"Zehahaha... Who thought we would meet again, eh, Firefist?" Marco's and Izo's eyes widened when Blackbeard spoke those words, he had met Ace before?! And of course, Deuce knew about it, but didn't give any comments on it.
"Hmm? You don't know about this, do you, commanders?" The bastard stared at them and gave another laugh. He was about to tell them something, but out of nowhere, Blackbeard was shot in the stomach; it was Ace. Ace was alive. Thank God.
Blackbeard groaned in pain and clutched his wound, his follower or whoever the fuck that other bastard is, screamed and tried to help him, dropping his guard. Seeing this as a chance, Izo shot three times; two at the follower, one at Blackbeard. The other man instantly died, Marco noticed, but Blackbeard was still breathing. He was barely alive.
Marco and Deuce crouched down besides Ace to try and tend his wound a bit, to at least stop the bleeding until they went back to the mansion. Izo called Whitebeard to report what had happened, and wanted the medics to be ready when they come back. They were going back to the main mansion, they didn't have time to go anywhere too far away with Ace like this.
During that time, Blackbeard had fought his consciousness and managed to grab his gun. His hands shaking, he pointed the gun at Ace. He at least wanted to bring one man down with him and Ace was the best option since he was already injured. He shot, and right after that he closed his eyes falling unconscious.
Marco's ears rung when another gunshot was heard, and he faintly heard Ace groan in pain, Deuce and Izo scream something. The rest of that, he didn't remember, all he knew was that Ace was shot again and his condition only worsened.
He doesn't know how they ended up in the mansion after that. He doesn't know how he got here and was now waiting in front of the build-in infirmary with Deuce.
XXX
"He'll be fine. He needs to rest though, he lost a lot of blood. I recommend he takes at least a week off and just rests." Their doctor, who is also a part of their big family, Whitey Bay informed as she left the infirmary while Tate and a few other nurses stayed inside to treat Ace furthermore. She was probably going to rest herself. They thanked Bay and went inside to check on Ace. He was still asleep and was hooked to a few machines. It felt like a punch to his heart for Marco to see Ace like this. Ace is his darling, after all...
"He'll be okay. Things worse than this happened to him and still, he somehow manages to survive everytime." Deuce told him, seeing how gloomy he was looking at Ace. Honestly, Marco could laugh at himself right now. He was never like this with people outside his family and some close friends, but then here he is... Getting worried over Ace.
He really does love Firefist, eh?
XXX
"...Huh?"
Suddenly hearing a voice, Marco looked up to see Ace awake and hurried to his side.
"Ace, yoi!" Ace looked over at him, full of confusion and tired. Marco sighed in relief upon seeing that Ace is okay and awake. The confusion was to be expected, since Ace woke up in unfamiliar surroundings. He smiled at Ace,
"Welcome back, darling." Ace smiled back and thanked him. He tried to get up but his wounds still weren't fully recovered, so it hurt a lot.
"You should rest for a while. You got shot 2 times."
...Ace nodded and relaxed back on the bed. Marco looked at him,
"Why did you take the shot for me..?" Ace sighed and looked back at Marco, a tint of pink on his cheeks.. Cute...
"My body acted on its own. I.. didn't want you to get hurt.. I wanted to protect you." Ace said silently. At his words, Marco's eyes widened and he suddenly bowed his head, surprising Ace.
"Ace! I promise you to protect you better from now on, yoi!" Marco vowed, completely shocking Ace.
"E-eehhh?"
XXX
"Haahhh.. Being out of the infirmary is so~ nice!" Ace said as he breathed in the air outside, Marco by his side. They were still in Edward's mansion, but to be honest, it doesn't matter anymore. Because Marco knows that Edward has already accepted his first son's love towards Firefist Ace. And...
Marco now wanted to confess already.
"Hey, Ace?" Marco started, and after hearing a hum he continued, "Would you want to go on a date with me?" Ace looked at him dumbfounded.
"Huh? Come again?"
"Go on a date with me, yoi."
Ace turned to look at Marco, blushing hard. He was surprised to hear those words from Marco, but he was hit with surprise again upon seeing Marco blushing too. Finding it hard to talk, Ace was stuttering some crap but couldn't give a true answer to Marco. Honestly.. He was a bit frustrated with that. Ace, he...
He had long ago accepted that he likes Marco. But.. It caught him off guard to hear that Marco likes him too... That their feelings are mutual...
But now.. He couldn't accept Marco's date just because he was so embarrassed and.. and... You get it!
Ace couldn't hold himself anymore, as words didn't seem to help him because he apparently can't talk when asked out on a date. By Marco. The blond, handsome, cool guy who he likes. When this was the case, Ace thought 'Fuck it!' and with his face extremely blushing, he grabbed Marco by his shoulders, surprising the older male.
And then... He kissed Marco.
HE KISSED MARCO.
⁄ ( ⁄ ⁄ • ⁄ - ⁄ • ⁄ ⁄ ) ⁄
After a moment of surprise and shock, Marco melted into the kiss and grabbed Ace by his waist, holding him closer to himself. He felt like crying. He might, but not right now.
Is this a dream? If yes, he doesn't want to wake up.
XXX
It was not a dream.
Marco is shocked when the next day came to find Ace sleeping by his side.
The first thing he did was to stare at Ace's sleeping face for maybe an hour. And then he took a picture of him, just like he did that day when he was in Ace's room. And now...Ace is in his room...
And this is not a dream.
Anyways. They decided to go on their first date that day, since Ace felt better and was taking a few days off. Marco just got the okay from his oyaji, thanking him for helping Marco out.
They went to a fancy restaurant, which was a bit far away. The Baratie. It was owned by Zeff, who is a popular chef, and he had many talented chefs working for him. The most famous being some blondie named Sanji. Marco asked specifically for him, just so they could get the best food for their first date. He hadn't told where they are going to Ace, wanting to surprise him. But Ace also counter-attacked him with his own (unexpected) surprise, when he told that a friend of his worked here...
"Hello and welcome to Baratie. What ma- ... Ace?!"
"Huh? Sanji! I thought you are a chef?"
So Ace's friend who works here is Sanji... Though Marco was surprised, he was still happy that Sanji is someone Ace trusts. He... was not jealous. Nope. Never.
"I'm on a date with Marco! Oh, right, Marco, meet Sanji- he's my brother's friend. And Sanji, meet Marco!" Marco internally sighed to see that Sanji is just Ace's brother's friend. Wait- Ace has a brother?!
"Nice to meet you, yoi." Marco said and offered a smile, met with the other blond's own smile. He was a handsome man, being honest here, but... What's up with his brows?
...
Anyway. They ordered their food and talked while waiting for the order to be cooked. They both asked each other questions about their lives, wanting to know each other better. Marco decided to ask about Ace having a brother, and the raven head revealed that he actually has two brothers.
"Haha, yea! I have two brothers, though not by blood. Sabo and Luffy. Sabo is the same age as me. Luffy is three years younger though. They are in other cities right now, we're kinda separated away... Sabo works as a talented researcher and Luffy is studying. Actually, we can meet them next month!" Ace explained happily, talking about his brothers. It was obvious in his voice that he loves them, Marco saw a loving big brother in him, and he was happy for Ace that he has his brothers. They sounded cool, and he would like to meet them with Ace.
"Sure, yoi. I'd like to meet them." He gave a warm smile at Ace and the raven head smiled back at him, shining so bright. Marco chuckled and after a minute, their food was served by Sanji, telling them to enjoy. The two started eating, still continuing their conversation and they learned a lot of things about each other.
Like, Marco choose the nickname 'Phoenix' because he has always been mesmerized by the fictional creature as a child, and growing up he decided to use that as his nickname. And Ace choose to use 'Firefist' because one time while training with his foster father and also his sensei, Rayleigh, the old man had told him that his punches felt as if they were on fire- indicating his strengh even as a kid. Ace loved that and was determined to be stronger, to make his 'fire fists' stronger.
And, did you know that Marco actually wasn't the first adopted son of Whitebeard? He was just the first one to get the approval from their father, also the strongest amongst them, thus making him the honored first son and first commander.
And, and, did you know that Ace actually never hated his real father here?! Because Rayleigh is the best former father and one of the best first mates, keeping a good profile of his boss for Ace!
Anyways, they had very fun fime together, and at the end of their meal, Marco decided to ask Ace to be his boyfriend for real. Because he had only asked Ace on a date, but Marco wanted it to be more than just one date. He wanted to live the rest of his life with Ace. He wanted to create the best memories of his life with him. He wanted to homd Ace close and be by his side. He wanted to eventually marry Ace someday..
"Ahem, Ace?" Marco started by clearing his throat and calling Ace's name, successfully gaining the other's interest.
"I wanted to ask you something, yoi." Marco said as he took something out of his pocket- a small, square box. It was black in color and looked elegant, even if it was just a simple box. Ace looked at it, wondering what was inside and Marco opened the box for him, continuing his words,
"Will you be my boyfriend for real?" He asked, and Ace gave a small gasp. Both at his words and what was inside the box. It was a golden necklace with a small, blue phoenix on it. Ace loved it so much and looked at Marco's eyes.
"You silly... Of course I'll be your boyfriend! But you didn't have to do this..." Ace answered, so happy that his heart was going to literally dance from happiness. He slowly took the necklace out when Marco told him it was necessary. Ace put the necklace on and stared at it for a while, before Marco showed a similar necklace of his. But this time, instead of a phoenix, Marco's necklace had a small fire. Ace smiled at how thoughtful Marco was, and literally jumped from his seat to go and hug Marco to death.
"Thank you for being the best, Marcoo!" He said, and Marco laughed, hugging him back. It was followed by a thank you from Marco too.
"And thank you also for being the best, Ace, yoi." Marco said and gave Ace a kiss on his lips, Ace kissing him back. They had apparently forgotten that they weren't alone in the restaurant, as they quickly found out the others had been watching them for a while now. And there was applause all over the restaurant, encouraging the new couple. They both blushed, embarrassed that so many people were watching him, but they were happy to be encouraged like this.
They wanted to stay happy like this forever.
..
.
The end of,
"Behind the Curtains"
XXX
THIS IS IT!
How was it?
Was the ending too cliche?
Or was it too long?
DOESN'T MATTER! I'll try to weekly update this book and post all 7 one-shots!
I hope you like it!
I'll try to make all of them long, haha! :D
Stay safeee everyone!❤️❤️