Zoysite - sweetst mum. Yes to thatch!

"Are you staying the night-yoi?"

Sabo hummed, a finger caressing the steaming mug of coffee in his hand, "If you don't mind having me, I wouldn't mind taking your fluffy bed."

A stoic yet obviously amused face looked to the curly blond, "Taking my bed huh?"

"You're not going to make your guest sleep on the couch, are you?"

"You know that I'm still a pirate, right?"

"A very polite pirate with a very soft bed."

Snorting the blond stood, "Alright, let me change the sheets to fresh ones for you."

Raising an eyebrow Sabo looked to Marco with a knowing grin, "You're going to make it not look like nest-"

"Shut up-yoi."

Sabo laughed and let Marco walk off into a different room. Laugh slowing down as he looked into the steam, releasing one hand from the mug to let small flames flicker from it. "One year... One year since you've left us... Ace-"

'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-' BOOM

Jumping up Sabo ran outside, Marco literally flying behind him as they ran for the source of the sound. That had been a scream and an explosion. Was someone hurt? Did someone attack? Sphinx's location shouldn't be known!

They arrived at a cloud of smoke not too far from the small house Marco lived in and both got into a fight position until they heard voices.

"-amnit Ace! Why would you just make us drop like that!"

"We made it, didn't we! Hahahah"

The fighting stance of both the men weakened slightly, those voices- breath caught in each of their throats as a figure they knew shouldn't be walking anymore stepped out of the clouds. A cheeky grin on his face as if he wasn't buried up the hill behind them.

"Ace-"

Ace. His very own big brother who he was never able to meet in person again as adult looked him straight in the eye, the smile getting a feral edge.

"Ace-"

"YOU FUCKING DIPSHIT!"

WHAM!

Marco's eyes who were already filled with tears widened as his cute little brother and lover that shouldn't be here rushed forward with fire he shouldn't have and SUCKERPUNCHED his long-lost brother in the face!

He couldn't do anything then stare at the raven straddling the blond on the floor and beating him up. Should he help them? Sabo was not doing anything either.

"Yo birdy!"

"!" Turning back to the cloud Marco was greeted by another person he never thought he would see again. Was this an illusion? A hallucination. He thought he was passed the fase of imagining that his loved ones were still around.

"Moooh Birdy! Are you crying? I knew you always found my pompadour impressive, but that's a little much!"

He wanted to retort, say it looked as stupid as always, but he couldn't. Even if this was a hallucination created by his own mind, he couldn't insult his late brother even knowing he would have found it hilarious.

A whine was there that almost made him believe it was real. "C'moooon! Don't ignore me! Look to Sabo! He's accepting that Ace is back!... probably hard to think he's not real when he's slamming fists in your face... anyway! Why don't you give your favorite brother a hug hmmmmm?"

Marco stepped forward but stopped, he wanted to, he really wanted to, but he would just pass through, wouldn't he?

"C'mooooooooooooooooonnn! Birdy! I know you want it!"

That's it. Screw that this was a hallucination! He wanted a hug from his brother –who he would never admit may be his favourite- even if he wouldn't feel it being returned!

So carefully he stepped to before the chef a determent look on his face as he raised his arms and moved them around the other, fully prepared to let them hover himself to make the hug look real, only... Only to actually feel warm skin under his arm.

Before he could say something the other's arms were around him too and he felt the squeeze, a real breathtaking squeeze.

"Haah that's more like it!"

The voice echoed in his ears and like a child he clung to the white fabric, "T-thatch."

"The one and only! Now don't you start crying, these clothes are freshly washed with holy washing powder!"

A small laugh left the bliond at that, not even knowing what the joke really meant, but he didn't care. He had his brother in his arms. His brother that somehow had the same presence as he had years before, gelt warm, heard talking, like he was really alive.

"How-"

"YOU BETTER BE BEATING THAT BIRD UP, THATCH!"

"Shit- I am!"

"I DON'T HEAR SCREAMS OF PAIN!"

"I- I'm beating him up so hard he doesn't even get the chance!"

Thatch sweat dropped at the evil laughter coming from his younger brother, "Hehhehe that's how you do it! Show him Thatch! Hahaahaha!"

Hearing this Thatch really wondered how Ace even got into heaven...

"Beat me up-yoi?"

"Yea because you- oh no no no!" Thatch pulled away a bit, holding Marco's shoulder and... damn... he looked pathetic. Tears and snot covering his face, one nostril even fully glued shut by thick gooey- ew ew ew! "Close your eyes, Marco."

Going through his pockets he found a tissue and moved to clean his eldest brother's face, he hoped he didn't need to change diapers too, Marco wasn't that old right? "Good," blue eyes opened again to stare at him, and he ignored it in favor of using the tissue to grab his nose, "now blow."

"..."

"Blow or I'm sticking my finger up your nostril."

The noise of air being blown through far too much snot echoed and the tissue filled so fucking much Thatch was scarred it was going to leak over his hands. Yet he made the blond repeat it until it sounded like his airway was clear and he carefully removed the tissue and folded it, using the tiniest clean piece to wipe the last snots away.

"There we go... What do I do with this..." With a look around he threw the tissue towards Ace, the poor fabric being obliterated by the fire around the duo.

"You-you're real-yoi."

"Ofcourse I'm real. I didn't wipe your snot for nothing!"

Marco laughed a real hearty laugh full of joy as he embraced the other again, "Thatch!"

"Haha that's more like it-"

"THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE YOU'RE BEATING HIM UP!"

"I'm beating his sanity out of him, that not good enough for you!"

"Oh Excuse me, sorry! Go ahead!"

"That's what I thought." Thatch pulled back rolling his shoulders, "Alright, Marco. I need you to act like I'm beating you up for a bit. Give me a scream or like a bird screech or something or oooooooohhhh maybe yell some things like 'oh noo Thatch! You're so strong! Please spare my poor chicken bones!' Yeaaaa! I think that would be pretty convincing!"

While he had a big smile on his face, Marco's face looked at him with one eyebrow raised,. "What's with that look!"

"Nothing nothing-yoi. Why do you want to beat me up?"

"ah ah, I don't want to beat you up, Ace wants me to beat you up."

"But I didn't do anything? I've been faithful! I didn't sleep around. I visit his grave every evening, why does he want to beat me up?"

Thatch sighed, rubbing his face, "Look, we both know your boyfriend has some screws loose, so just act with me and I'll explain later, okay? I can explain now, but then I won't assure that Ace isn't coming over here himself- don't fucking give me the look that say you want to be beaten to pulp." Thatch waved his arms to the blond on the floor, "look at him! You want to be like that! I think his face is redder then Ace's flames and I swear it's swelling and turning all shades of purple!"

"I heal-yoi."

"I'ma be whooping your ass for real- wait no no! I'm not touching your ass, that's Ace's business. Just let's spar and let me win, you want Ace happy right?"

"I do."

"There we go. So... SCREAM FOR ME BIRDY!"

"YOI!"

A laugh tore from Thatch as he actually caught the other by surprise by swiping his feet from under him, maybe he would have just a tiny bit off fun. It's been forever since he sparred with his older brother after all.