Hello everyone, here is the next chapter!

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Marco hummed as he looked over what he needed to get for an outing Ace and Thatch's class would have for the weekend next week. They had managed to score 100% on a set of tests and if they did, they would be allowed to go for this outing, which was to go into the woods to a set of cabins and stay there from Friday until Sunday, and Thatch was very excited, which he got. Ace hadn't said much, and he got the notification today that the trip was on and for parents who could come and help them. Whitebeard and Marco personally couldn't, but he knew others would. He knew 2 of the ones who already said yes. It was only Tuesday today, so they had time to find more people.

But as he was trying to figure this out, there was a small knock on his door, which was half open, and he turned to see Ace there, which made him smile. "Hey, Ace. You good, yoi?" He asked as he looked back at the papers, but when Ace didn't answer, he looked back at Ace who looked like he wanted to cry, which had him put the papers down and walked up to Ace. "Hey, what's up, yoi?" Ace took a breath, before he spoke in a low voice. "I don't want to go on the trip…" Marco blinked, but nodded. "It's okay, you don't need to. Why don't you want to go, yoi?" Ace tried to take a breath. "Because… what if it is a trap and…" Marco got where this was headed and moved a hand to Ace's back. "Hey, it is not a trap, yoi. I know this since there have been many before."

Ace didn't look to believe him and still looked on the verge of tears. "I don't want to go…" Marco nodded. "If you don't want to go, you don't go, yoi. It is okay. You can stay home." Ace looked up at him carefully. "I… can?" Marco nodded. "You can, yoi." Ace sniffled a bit. "Wha- what about Thatch? What if it is a trap? I don't want him to…" Marco moved and crouched down. "Ace, this is not a trap, and if it helps, I know some of the parents who will join, yoi. I promise you, Thatch will be okay." Ace sniffled and nodded, but still seemed unsure. Marco then got an idea. "How about, we on Friday go get you a phone, and you can message Thatch while he is away, yoi?"

Ace blinked. "A… phone?" Marco nodded. "Yes. You do need one, and getting one now would be perfect I feel, yoi. What do you think?" Ace nodded a bit slowly. "I would… like that." Marco smiled. "Good, yoi. Now, we have a plan for that day. And we can go after we say goodbye to Thatch by the bus, okay?" Ace nodded and seemed to be in a bit of a better mood. But still a bit unsure.

It was the next day they had a meeting with Azuruko, and Marco joined in on the meeting as Ace wanted that. As they spoke, they got on the topic of the trip, and Ace said he didn't want to go, which had Azuruko nod. "I see. Is there a specific reason as to why you don't want to go?" Ace nodded a bit. "What if… it is a trap?" Azuruko nodded. "Do you have any reasons to believe it is a trap? Has anyone said anything?" Ace blinked, before he shook his head. "No… But… what if it still is…" Azuruko nodded. "I see. You don't need to go unless you want to, I am sure you can stay home as well." Marco nodded and smiled at Ace. "Of course you can, yoi." Ace nodded a bit. "But… what about… Thatch?" Azuruko hummed. "He will be fine, as this isn't a trap. And you mentioned you would get a phone, so you can check up on him yourself." Ace blinked, before he nodded. "Yeah… But I want to… stay home." Azuruko nodded. "And I am sure that will go fine, Ace. I get you're scared."

Ace nodded, seeming glad to be heard. They then spoke a bit more before the session was up, and later, they went to the group meeting and after it, before the children were done, he spoke with Corazon and asked for them to come by on next Saturday, which they said they could, so Corazon could help set up the phone Ace would get on next Friday. It was all good, which was great.

The next week was calm, they had a meeting with Azuruko and the group, which all went fine, and the meetings with Azuruko was mostly for Ace to start to feel comfortable, which he got. It was a long road. Then Friday came, and they went to where the bus would take off from, and they then said goodbye to Thatch, who was still very excited for the trip, which was good. He was a bit sad Ace wouldn't join, but Marco had said they had some stuff they needed to do, and Thatch accepted it, and now they said goodbye, before Thatch got on the bus and they drove off after it, and as they did, Ace spoke. "Are you sure he will be okay?" Marco nodded. "I am, Ace. I really am, yoi." Ace nodded and took a breath, seeming to calm a bit down. They then went to the mall and got to a shop that sold cell phones and then got Ace the Samsung S24 Ultra, as it had a pen and he knew Ace liked to draw and now, he could draw on the phone as well. Ace seemed unsure about it, but did take it. When the shop worker tried to put on parental control, Marco stopped it and said he would fix it.

Not that Marco knew how exactly to do it all, he knew Corazon, Law's guardian, that he would help set it up, and he would come by with Law tomorrow as the house was mostly empty after all as most had things to do. Ace was also looking forward to Law coming over, which he got. They seemed to have become good friends. When they drove home, Ace did speak up after a bit. "Do… do I need to do anything as a thank you for the phone..?" Marco hummed. "No, yoi. It is a gift, and you do need a phone, yoi. Everyone has one. Well, not Haruta just yet, she is still a bit too young." Ace nodded. "So it is mine now?" Marco nodded. "It is, yoi. It is yours. I might ask to see it now and then, to make sure it is okay and such, but yes, it is yours." Ace nodded and seemed to look more at it, seeming to like it.

When they got home, Ace asked for Thatch's number, which he got and Ace said he would send a small message, which Marco felt was a good idea. And it wasn't long before Ace's phone chimed as he got a message and Ace smiled at it, which had Marco hum. "Was it from Thatch, yoi?" Ace nodded. "They just got to the place, and he says he is having fun." Marco smiled. "That's good, yoi. And Thatch will be fine." Ace nodded. "Yeah, it seems so. But… I am glad I didn't go." Marco nodded. "I get you're scared, but things will be fine, yoi." Ace nodded.

Ace then looked at him. "Also… can I get Trevor's number?" Marco nodded and gave Trevor's number to Ace, who said he would also send a message to him, and went to his room to check out his new phone. Then it was about 5 minutes later that his phone rang and he saw it was Trevor and answered it. "Hey, Trevor, anything up, yoi?" Trevor hummed. "Just wondering, did Ace get a phone?" Marco nodded. "He did, and I gave him your number, yoi. Hope it is okay." Maybe Trevor didn't like to give out his number? Trevor spoke quickly. "Yeah sure, it is okay. Just so you know he has a phone, was a bit surprised. He is young. And I just wanted to make sure you knew about it." Marco nodded. "Yes. But Thatch has a phone as well, and I feel it can help him." Trevor hummed. "I can see that, and I hope it will. Would it be okay if Ace came to see us on Sunday? If he is available?" Marco nodded. "Sure, that should work, yoi." Trevor hummed. "That's perfect. He seems very excited to have gotten a phone. Are there any parental controls in place?"

Marco hummed. "Not just yet, I have someone coming over tomorrow to help set up so I can see anything Ace searches up and such, yoi. I won't put a parental control on it, like my other children have, simply because I want to see what Ace will search on and such." Trevor hummed. "Hope that won't be a thing you regret, but I do get it. Sounds smart and like you have control." Marco nodded. "I feel like I have control, yoi. And I have a feeling it will go fine." Trevor chuckled. "I am so glad you got Ace as an emergency home, he is in such good hands now." Marco felt glad Trevor felt that. He was also glad he had gotten Ace away from that sick man and that he was now dead. He spoke a bit more with Trevor, before they hung up and the day went on.

When the next day came, most were out, beside Jozu, who was home as he had the day off. He did often work weekends as he was a police officer, and he was very proud of him. When the clock was nearing noon, Law and Corazon came, and Ace was very excited for it and they went to his room so Ace could show him around, before he showed off his phone a bit. Corazon also said which apps to install and what to do so he could see what Ace did on his phone without disturbing Ace, and showed how it was on his phone. It seemed to be very smart and worked well, so when the kids came down again, Marco asked to see Ace's phone and he put it in place, and mentioned to Ace that now, Marco could see who he talked to, and what he searched on, in case he saw anything concerning. Ace seemed okay with it. Which was good.

He did notice Ace having his book up and was drawing a bit as he spoke with Law, and when he asked Corazon about it, he said they had run into Mika and Trevor, and Ace was going to try and draw a sketch for a new prosthetic leg for Law, and Mika's grandfather would try and make it for him. That was a nice offer from her, and it seemed like Law liked the idea. He did see the sketch Ace had, which was almost done now, and it looked very amazing. They then had lunch together, before Law and Corazon left as they had something they would do before dinner, and Ace seemed to just be glad that Law could come over for a few hours and hoped to do it again.

When Sunday came, Ace went to be with Trevor and Mika, and showed off the sketch he had made for Law to Mika, and she said she would bring this to her grandfather and he would work his magic. It would just take a week or so as he worked fast. And Marco left them for a bit so he could get some house work done, and he trusted Mika and Trevor, they really seemed to want the best for Ace. When he picked Ace up later, he was in a good mood and newly showered, so it was clear he had been at the gym, but it was fine, he knew Trevor and Mika only wanted his best. When they got home, it wasn't long before he went to get Thatch from the bus stop and on the way home, Thatch spoke of how amazing it had been, but he did say he wished Ace would join. Marco said Ace could maybe next time, they would see how it went. And he knew Thatch had texted Ace a lot during this trip.

As everything was calm before dinner, he went on his phone and went to the app so he could see what Ace was doing, and he hadn't searched on much, nothing concerning, and he had started a few drawings it looked like, but none of them were finished. He could also see the messages between him and Trevor, and it was just Ace being excited he could now chat like this and he was glad he got a phone, even more a phone he could draw on. He was glad Ace enjoyed it. As there was nothing concerning, he went to the kitchen and started on dinner, and Thatch came to help, which was nice. He did realize he was a bit behind schedule, but it was fine. He would try and speed it up, but it wasn't a huge deal either.

As everything was coming along okay in the kitchen, he went out in the living room to check on something and Thatch did as well after a few seconds, as he wanted to try and have Thatch learn more on how to cook as he seemed to really like it. But after a couple minutes, Marco heard the fire alarm go off and ran to the kitchen, where the sound was coming from, to see a fire having started by the oven, and it was already spreading, and it was spreading fast. Marco closed the door to the kitchen, before he yelled. "Fire! Get out! Everyone get out, yoi!" He could hear everyone scurrying and he counted as he saw, and he saw Curiel already on the phone, most likely calling 911. But while he saw everyone who got out, he didn't see Ace. So Marco ran up to Ace's room, opening the door as he half yelled his name, but no reaction, and the room looked empty. But he had a place to check.

So Marco went to the bed and lifted the panel, to see Ace looking shocked and scared, and they didn't have time Marco felt like, so he moved a hand to Ace's arm and dragged him out, Ace crying now, looking so terrified, so Marco spoke. "There is a fire, we need to get out, now, yoi." Ace nodded, but still looked scared, so with a hand holding Ace's, they ran down and out the house, him seeing smoke coming from under the door to the kitchen. When he got outside, he was relieved to see everyone was outside, and he could hear the fire truck coming, and within one more minute, the firemen were here and started to put out the fire.

As most did that, one did speak with them, and he wasn't sure how this had happened entirely, when Thatch spoke. "I put it on high, since I know you wanted it to go fast… I didn't mean for this to happen!" Marco shook his head and hugged Thatch. "As long as you're all fine, it is okay. But, we will speak about being more careful in the kitchen, yoi." Thatch nodded and looked to feel guilty.

The fire was put out fast, and when it was safe to go inside, they went to look at the damage, and it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but would still need to fix this and remodel a bit. So they went on and called businesses who could do this, and they would come by on Tuesday to assess and then they would take it from there. He also did sit down with Thatch and had a long conversation to always be careful in the kitchen, and if Marco put the stove on something, to not change it without asking him first for now, so they didn't have a repeat. It was clear Thatch felt guilty, and Marco knew it wasn't something Thatch meant for to happen, but it had happened, and now they would handle it.

It was when things calmed down that Ace came to him, looking unsure. "Marco…?" Marco nodded. "Yes, Ace?" Ace looked unsure. "How did… how did you know I was under the bed?" Marco gave a breath, before he moved and crouched down so he could be at eye level with Ace. "I did since I know you like to hide under your bed, yoi. And it was a fire, we needed to get out. Didn't you hear the fire alarm?" Ace fidgeted. "I did hear it… But… Akainu said to not head out, even when the alarm went off… If I did… he would tie me to the bed and put the place on fire…" Marco hugged Ace. "No. You being safe is the most important thing, yoi. If you hear it, please get out of the house, okay?" Ace nodded. "I will…" Marco nodded and leaned back, giving a comforting look to Ace. "You are my most precious treasure, yoi. You being safe is all that matters for me." Ace nodded, still looking a bit unsure. And he hoped if this happened again, that Ace would get out of the house.

When the carpenters came to check the damage, they said it would take about a week to fix it, which was fine, and while it would cost some, they needed a kitchen that worked. They would also start working in the kitchen on Wednesday, starting fast, which was good. Trevor did also call, as Ace had sent a message they had a fire, and wondered if everyone was okay, which they were. The kitchen could always be fixed, and no one had gotten hurt. Which Trevor was glad about, that no one was hurt.

When Thursday came, he hummed when Trevor called and answered the phone. "Hey, Trevor. You okay?" Trevor gave a breath. "Yeah, I don't want to do this. As Ace said it to me in confidentiality, but I need to say something as well I feel." Marco blinked, wondering what it was. "Sure, yoi. What is it?" Trevor sighed. "Ace is feeling ill. As in he is feeling warm and nauseous. But he has never been allowed to be sick before, so he doesn't dare to tell you. I just, needed to tell you. I don't think he should do his usual things if he's sick." That Marco agreed on. "Thank you for telling me, yoi. I won't tell Ace you told me and try to ask him about it." Trevor gave a breath. "Yeah. Just, keep doing amazing, and it will go fine. Glad he got a phone before he got sick, so I could tell you." Marco hoped so, and he was glad about it as well. They then gave a goodbye and hung up, and Marco went into the app to see what Ace had said, and he sent a message that he felt ill, but he was scared to tell him and Whitebeard, since he was usually punished when sick.

So when school was out and he got his children home, he did ask to speak with Ace in private, as Ace did look to feel off, and when they were in Ace's room, Marco spoke. "Are you feeling okay, yoi? You look a bit warm, Ace." Ace blinked. "I am okay…" Marco nodded a bit. "Are you sure?" Marco held out his hand a bit. "Would it be okay if I felt your forehead for a fever?" Ace looked unsure and like he wanted to say no, but he knew Ace didn't like to go against things he asked or said, so he nodded. So Marco moved a hand to his forehead and blinked. "Ace, you are burning up, yoi." He said, as Ace was really warm. Ace spoke in a small voice. "It is nothing…" Marco shook his head. "It is not nothing. I think you should stay home tomorrow, yoi. You're sick, and I don't want you to get worse by pushing yourself."

Ace blinked. "But… school is important…" Marco nodded. "It is, but you are more important, yoi. It is Friday tomorrow, so you won't miss much school, how about you stay home for tomorrow and we see how you are over the weekend?" Ace nodded a bit. "Okay…" Marco smiled at Ace. "I want you to be well, Ace. And going to school sick, even with a fever, is not good, yoi." Ace nodded. "Okay… But… I will miss school for a day then." Marco nodded. "You will, and if anything special happens, I am sure Thatch can update you, okay?" Ace nodded. "Okay…" Then the day went on and it was decided that Whitebeard would stay home tomorrow with Ace. The workers would also work on the kitchen, so it was all good. Ace also did seem to feel a bit bad, but he didn't mention it, even when Marco tried to ask for it. But he would see how he was past the weekend.

-x-

Whitebeard was looking at his laptop, being home while Ace was sick, when he heard one of the contractors speak as he was in the living room. "Hey, kid. What's your name?" He heard a unsure sound, before Ace responded. "Ace…" The contractor spoke again. "You want to see something cool? Come here." Ace spoke again. "Um… I don't know…" Whitebeard looked up to see a contractor trying to show Ace the staple gun, and Ace didn't look like he wanted to be close to him, but also scared to say no, but his entire language scared he was scared. Whitebeard got up. "If my son says no, then it means no." The contractor shook his head. "Kids love this! Sometimes, they just need some encouragement. I got 3 at home." And then the man reached for Ace's arm, and Ace looked so scared.

Whitebeard moved his hand out and stopped the man's hand, glaring at him. "If you touch my son without his consent, or my consent, I will have you fired." The man blinked and nodded, going back to work. As he did, Whitebeard looked at Ace. "You okay, son?" Ace nodded, looking scared. Whitebeard then moved back to the laptop he had. "Want to look at some cartoons, son?" Ace blinked. "I… can?" Whitebeard nodded. "Sure you can. Come, you can choose." And Whitebeard handed the remote to Ace, who soon found something to watch. After that, it wasn't long before Ace fell asleep on the couch, which was okay. Whitebeard did move a hand carefully to his forehead, and he still seemed to have a high fever. He would offer some antipyretic when he was up. He hoped Ace would feel okay again soon, but he knew there were some things going around now and many were sick, so he could only hope.

And that's the chapter, hope you enjoyed

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