Hello everyone, here is the next chapter!
I hope you will enjoy this
Read and relax
Marco looked at Ace as they had eaten breakfast. "Ready to go to the hospital? You might get to take the cast off, yoi." He hoped so, and Ace seemed to be having no pain. Ace nodded slowly. "I think I am… Will I still have that doctor? Bay?" Marco nodded. "Most likely yes." Ace nodded. "Then I am ready." That had Marco smile, glad about that. They then left for the hospital, and after a bit, Bay came and got them with a smile and headed to a room, where Ace sat down beside him, and Bay did as well as she looked at Ace. "How are you, Ace?" Ace gave a small sound. "Good…" Bay nodded. "Is your wrist feeling okay?" Ace nodded. "I think so." Bay nodded. "Good. Now, we should take another x-ray to be sure. Do you remember how that went?" Ace nodded, which had Bay speak. "Is it okay if we take one or two? Just like last time." Ace nodded, which had Bay smile and led them to the x-ray room as they took one, going as the last time.
They then went back to the last room and Bay put up the x-rays she had and looked at them, before she hummed, grabbed one more x-ray sheet and showed it, before she looked at them as she pointed at the last one she got. "See this line?" They both nodded, before she pointed to the same place on the one she put up first. "It is not here, meaning your wrist has healed very well, Ace. If you want to, we can take the cast off, as long as you promise to be a bit careful." Ace nodded. "I can do that." Bay smiled. "Good. Now, I just need to grab a few things." Bay then did that, grabbing a small saw, before she came back.
As she did, she showed the saw to Ace. "This will look and seem scary, as I need to cut the cast off. But there is cotton between the cast and your skin, and this saw can't handle the cotton, so I will not cut you. I promise. If you want me to stop or need a break, just say so and I will stop." Ace nodded and looked nervous, Marco moving his hand to Ace's left one to hold it as Bay cut it off. As the saw started and she moved it to the cast, Ace's grip tightened, and Marco gave a reassuring squeeze. A few minutes later, the cast was cut and Bay turned the saw off, before she used her hands to take the cast off.
As it was off, Ace still sat still, before Bay looked at Ace. "May I touch your hand and wrist?" Ace nodded and Bay did, moving it a bit as she said. "Should you feel any pain now, tell me at once." Ace nodded, and Bay moved it around, before she was done and nodded. "Everything seems fine. Now, just be a bit careful. What I mean with that is that you should not put too much strain on it. Normal use is okay, but not hard punching or carrying things over 60 pounds. You can train if you do that, to some extent for the next week or two, before more and more until there is no restriction. Should you feel any discomfort or pain, that is a sign you need to stop and take it easier. Should you get pain that lasts more than 5 minutes, tell your guardian, okay?" Ace nodded.
Bay then went and got a small box and showed it to Ace. "Here, pick something, a small token since you were so good." Ace looked in the box, sending a look at him, making Marco nod, before Ace moved and took a pencil out that had the shape of a syringe and had blue liquid in it, and he felt it was a pen that wrote in blue.
As Ace had taken it, Bay smiled. "Good choice. Those are very nice." Ace gave a small nod, then they Bay said they were all done, and should they need to go to the hospital again, to ask for her, and Marco said that he would remember that, Bay was a very good doctor and a perfect doctor for Ace. They then left and Bay followed them out, before they got to the car, and Marco gave a smile to Ace. "This went well, yoi." Ace nodded. "It did. She is… kind." Marco nodded. "She is. I am very glad we got her, yoi." Ace nodded. "I am as well." That was good.
When next week came, they went to the court as Trevor had his hearing today, and he hoped for the best. Shanks had said it would go fine, so Ace joining shouldn't be an issue. When they got to the courtroom and they sat down to see how it went. Ace was by him and they sat a bit back and to the side to keep a bit away. He didn't know how this went and didn't want to sit in the front. The trial then started and the crime Trevor was blamed for was put forward, before they went over evidence, and they even showed CCTV evidence to prove Trevor's alibi was solid, and there was no question about it, on the video was clearly Trevor, which was date and time stamped. Trevor was far away from where he allegedly did the crime he was accused of, which was to assault and rob Akainu. This was a no brainer Marco felt like. Trevor was innocent.
When everything was put forth, the judge nodded and looked at Trevor. "Mr Cage, after seeing all the evidence and going over everything that was used as proof in the last trial, I now see that we took Akainu's testimony too seriously. You are from this moment on acquitted and free. We will remove this prison sentence from your record, although it might take some time to truly remove it all. The state and court will also give you 500 000 in compensation for your imprisonment that was under false allegations. You will get a 4 month stay at a hotel until you can find a place to stay. Should you need more, please reach out to the court. You are free to go and you will get all the paperwork you need within 2 hours by the secretary in the reception room." Everyone cheered and was happy and Ace was as well.
They then left and went to the room where you waited before you got the courtroom you were needed in and what you needed to prepare for. After a bit, a door opened and Trevor came out and some journalists asked some questions, but Trevor gave a short answer before he refused to ask more and they all left him alone. Trevor then moved towards the woman behind the desk, when Trevor looked towards them as Ace took some steps towards him. Abd as Trevor looked at Ace, he blinked, before he looked excited and smiled. "Ace!" He almost yelled before he moved towards Ace, who rushed to meet Trevor and the two hugged. Marco also moved towards them.
When they parted, Trevor looked at Ace. "You look good! How are you!" Ace smiled. "I am… okay." Trevor blinked. "You are fully okay, not just ok?" Ace nodded, which had Trevor look shocked, before he smiled. "That's good! I was surprised when that bastard didn't show up to testify against me. He's probably somewhere, ready to punch me." Ace shook his head. "No, he can't. He's dead." Trevor blinked. "He's dead? Really dead? How?" Ace gave a small sound. "Um, there was a thing where he punched someone and got sent to jail until he was cleared and I got sent to an emergency home, but then some… things came forward, and there was a trial, and he got sent to prison for what he did… to me. And he was killed in prison for what he did. And I got adopted by the emergency home." Ace then turned to look at him and saw he was close and looked back at Trevor and used a hand to motion at him. "This is Marco. He adopted me, with his fiance Whitebeard."
Marco gave a smile to him and held his hand out. "I am Marco Fishback, yoi." Trevor took and shook his hand. "I'm Trevor Cage. I feel I owe my freedom to you." Marco hummed. "Ace helped. He said that you were put in jail unfairly, yoi. With some help from a detective who helped build the case against Akainu, we got you a fair trial. And this time, Akainu couldn't testify as he was killed." Trevor nodded. "I am feeling mad that he was killed in prison." Marco blinked, shocked that Trevor was mad that he was dead, when Trevor continued. "I wanted to kill that bastard myself." That made sense.
Marco looked at Trevor. "Don't feel obliged to say yes, but if you wish, we can help arrange a place for you to live, and we would love to offer you a job, yoi. My fiance and I are CEOs and owners of a company. Ace really seems to like you and I would love to help you back on your feet." Trevor blinked. "I would like that, but could I get some time to think? This is… a lot." Marco nodded. "No issue." Marco grabbed a card he had and gave it to Trevor. "Here is my card, it has my personal number, don't be afraid to call." Trevor took it. "I am grateful for this. Thank you." Marco shook his head. "No issue. Ace seems to really like you, and we needed to get you justice, yoi." Trevor smiled. "And I appreciate it so much. I still can't believe I am free." Marco smiled. "You are now, and I will wait for the phone call or message from you." Trevor nodded. "Will do, I just need to figure out some stuff." Marco nodded. "No issue." He then moved a hand to Ace's back. "Let us go for, let Trevor get his bearings back." Ace nodded and got a last hug from Trevor, before they left.
As they left and was halfway out the door, he heard a small scream of happiness and saw a woman running to hug Trevor, who hugged back. He was glad they got to help Trevor. They then left, and the day went on. The next day, he got a message from an unknown number, which said it was Trevor and this was his new number, and if he could call in an hour, which he could. And an hour later, Trevor called and he picked up, Trevor speaking first. "It's Trevor. I now have the hotel room and everything is in order for me to stay there until I can find a house or apartment. I am thinking of a house." Marco nodded. "I get that. A house is very good to have, yoi." Trevor spoke after. "Yeah. Would it be okay if Ace could come over here once? I legit don't have a lot to do and while I love to lie and do nothing right now, with no one telling me when to do stuff, it is also a bit boring. I've already read one book, watched movies, played games on my phone, slept past 7am and stayed up after 10pm. This is amazing. But it's boring at times."
Marco chuckled. He got that. "We can try and arrange it, it is Saturday tomorrow, so Ace has the day off from school, yoi. But Whitebeard and I are a bit busy with things." Trevor hummed. "Idea. They clean the rooms between 12pm and 2pm, so no one can be in their rooms then. Maybe Ace and I can hang in the lobby of the hotel?" That sounded good, but he was still wary. He didn't know Trevor, but being in the lobby could be good, so there were people around them. Marco gave a small nod to himself before he spoke. "How about I drop Ace off at 12:30pm, and pick him up at 2pm, yoi?" Trevor sounded glad as he spoke. "I would love that. Haven't seen Ace in a long time. He is such an amazing person." That Marco agreed on.
He then shared a few more words, before they hung up. When the next day came, he went and dropped Ace off with Trevor, and hoped for the best. He would be sure to be here a bit before 2pm. As he left Ace, he did go and speak with the reception, and they confirmed what Trevor had said. Even the door keys, which were electronic, didn't work between 12pm and 2pm, if anyone wanted something from their room, they needed to be followed up, locked in, and then watched before they left, and they had 10 minutes. That was good to know.
Then he went back to Whitebeard and told how it went and what the receptionist had said and Whitebeard felt it was good as well. It was an hour later thatMarco took up his phone when he got a message and blinked when he saw it was from Trevor. It said 'Took Ace out a trip, we are at Madison Drive 4, tell the one in the reception you're there for me. We will be done at 2pm as planned.' Marco wasn't sure what was there, but told Whitebeard about it, who also seemed a bit unsure. They didn't know Trevor well, the reason they were okay with him being with Trevor at the hotel. So there were people around them. But if Trevor had malicious intentions, why tell him where they were?
When the clock was nearing 2, he left and parked the car and walked into the building at just before 2pm, and was shocked to see it was a place which had just a reception and 6 doors and he could hear different music playing in the background. The woman behind the desk smiled. "Hi, can I help you? We have no rooms available right now, but one will open at 2:30pm." Marco blinked. "I'm here for Trevor Cage, yoi." The woman nodded. "Ah, I see. He is down that corridor, room 2. It has glass walls so you can find Trevor easily. Should you have issues, just come back and I will help you find him."
Marco nodded and walked to the door she said and opened it and was shocked at the loud music he was met with. He could also hear some yelling, he could hear Trevor's voice yell words like 'Punch harder', 'kick', and other words loudly over the music. He also recognized the song. It was 'A sky full of stars', but it wasn't Coldplay who sang this version. He then walked a bit and saw there were glass walls and it was like a sort of hidden small gym. It had different equipment and such and was some working out, but not many. He then turned towards Trevor's voice and saw a bit away that Trevor was behind a punching bag, holding it steady as Ace was hitting and kicking it based on what Trevor said to do, but used mostly his left hand, barely using his right one as it was still recovering after breaking his wrist. And it seemed like Ace was very good at it, like it was something he had done before. It looked very controlled and contained, and Ace looked very good at it.
As he moved closer and into the room, a bit to the side and behind Ace as he kicked and punched the punching bag, a woman looked at him and moved over so she could speak without shouting. "I guess you're Marco?" Marco nodded and the woman spoke again. "I'm Mika. They will just finish this song and Ace is ready to go." Marco nodded and looked at her. "What is this place, yoi?" Mika hummed. "This is a small gym where you can train without being in a large gym where there are many people. You get privacy as you get a hallway or a room, and they have different size rooms and hallways, this is the medium one." Marco nodded and looked at Ace. "He seems very good at this, yoi." Mika nodded. "Yeah. Trevor wants to give Ace a healthy outlet for his feelings. Get it out in a controlled environment." Marco nodded, this seemed very smart.
The song then started to end as the music faded and he was on his way to move to Ace when Mika stopped him. "The song is not over yet. The best part hasn't happened." Marco blinked, he knew this song. "What more is there, yoi?" Mika hummed. "Not much, this is a cover that Taron Egerton made for a movie. Trevor always lets Ace end by going all out. This has been very controlled and contained, but at times you need to not do it all controlled." The music then ended before he could hear drums being hit, and Trevor moved from holding the punching bag and grabbed a barbell that had no weights on it and Ace took it and Trevor moved to say something to Ace as he stood behind him, before he took some steps back.
And as the voice started to sing again, it sounded more unrestrained and angry, and Ace started to hit the punching bag as hard as he could as the man sang on more and more angry, before he screamed the last word sort of uncontrolled and Ace landed the last hit, then there was some more drums, and Ace breathed hard, he hadn't before when he did it more controlled. Mika spoke. "When he has got a lot he needs to get out, it is perfect to end with what is basically a heavy stick and go all out as he is already a bit drained from using his body." Marco nodded, this was amazing.
Ace then put the barbell down and Trevor moved his hands out. "You did great!" Ace then smiled and moved to give him a double high five. Trevor then motioned towards him. "Marco is also already here." Ace then turned towards him and looked sweaty but happy and content, still breathing a bit hard. Trevor then moved a hand to Ace's back. "This was so fun. I am so glad you didn't lose your skill while I was gone." Ace nodded and looked at Trevor. "I enjoy doing this." Trevor smiled. "That is good. Tell me if you want to go again." Ace smiled and moved over to him and Marco moved some hair out of his face. "You need a shower, yoi." Ace nodded. "I know. Can I shower at home? Or should I shower here so I don't dirty the car?" Marco blinked. "Of course you can shower at home, yoi. The car seats can handle some sweat." Ace blinked and seemed a bit shocked, before he smiled. "That's good. The home shower is better than those here." Marco nodded and realized that Akainu might have told Ace not to dirty the car.
Marco then looked at Trevor. "I know it is short notice, but would you like to join dinner at our house, yoi? We will have salmon and eat at 5pm." Trevor blinked. "I would love to. Let me just get back to the hotel room and shower, and I will come." Ace nodded. "I can come pick you up if you want to, yoi. Also drop you off at your hotel." Trevor hummed. "Nah. I borrowed a car from Mika." He said as he gave a thank you wave to Mika, who chuckled. "It is nothing. I owe you so much for helping me through a hard time. I also have like 3 cars."
Trevor smiled at her, before he looked back at him. "So, meet by your place in an hour or two?" Marco nodded, that was good and Ace looked happy as well. Then they left and Ace looked happy. Marco did ask if his wrist felt okay, and Ace said it did as he had been careful and told Trevor about it. That was good. When they got home, Ace went to shower and Marco got started on dinner. Whitebeard came not long after and Marco told how it had gone, and he was glad Trevor was good and was glad he would meet him today.
When Trevor came just before dinner started, Ace was so happy to see him again, and Trevor said hi to everyone, before they went to eat, speaking as they did, and he acted what he would call perfect for Ace. When they had eaten, Trevor helped clear the table, and when they were in the kitchen, him, Trevor, and Whitebeard, Whitebeard spoke and looked at Trevor. "I need to ask, how do you understand Ace so well? You seem to get him. You don't need to answer if it is personal." Marco looked at Trevor as well, also curious. The kids weren't here right now.
Trevor hummed. "No issue. My father was an asshole. He used to hit me and my older brother. He was a narcissist and an awful person. My mother was also a victim of him, she had nothing and nowhere to go. My father expected the best from us and pushed us way too hard. Hated his guts, same with my brother. He was favored by my dad as he had better grades and easily broke rules and stole things. When I was young, I met Mika, who was doing martial arts, a good mix but liked kickboxing, but didn't like to just do kickboxing. I was very good and I had a lot of anger I needed to get out, and Mika's mother gave me a healthy outlet, the same I am giving Ace. I was also very good at it."
Trevor gave a breath. "When I was 15 and my brother 17, he felt entitled to everything my father and mother had, but my father said no and to continue doing his best so he could get a job as he would be kicked out when he was 18, this made him mad. So the logical thing in my brother's mind was to grab a knife and kill our dad. He was hanging with the wrong crowd. Then he killed our mom as he felt she was a downweight, then he tried to kill me. But I had been doing martial arts for some years now and I tried to stop him from killing me as well, but when I landed a punch on him, he realized I was stronger and ran outside and in front of a trailer and died as well. I told the police everything and they actually believed me. I had a clean record, my brother did not, and I had many marks and scars from my father. I was supposed to go into foster care, but Mika's family took me in until I was 18 and I moved out. They helped me so much. Then I met Akainu a few years later and he seemed… off."
Trevor gave another breath. "Then I met Ace and I found out a bit about what was going on, and gave Ace an outlet. I will be honest, I was sure it was minor abuse, not what it actually was. Akainu also knew about my past. One day he said he would let me use Ace if I wanted and I found out everything, and it all made sense. I now connected all the dots and I was horrified, but I needed to do this right. Akainu was a trust symbol. All lies. No one would believe me over him. So I started to plan. But just a few days before I would take Ace away and run away, as no one would help me, Akainu framed me. He used my past against me, that I killed my family on purpose. Twisted the events against me, twisted my words and my skill in martial arts. I had no chance. My word, a no one, against what everyone believed to be a trust symbol. I knew I would lose."
Marco nodded, he felt bad for Trevor. "I am glad we managed to help you, yoi. Ace seems to really like you, and you give him a healthy outlet for all this." Trevor hummed. "I want to help him. He is such a strong and amazing kid." That Marco agreed on and nodded.
The next weeks went fine, Trevor even got himself a place, a house. He got it with Mika, and found out they were a couple. They were taking it slow as Trevor just got back out. Mika was an owner of a gym, not the one where Ace had been, but another one, more for women. Ace would also join Trevor and Mika again tomorrow at the gym, which was a Saturday, then join them for dinner afterwards, which was good. Trevor seemed to be good for Ace, which was good.
When Saturday came, Ace seemed very satisfied when they got back, as this time, Trevor came and picked up Ace and then drove them back here, and Trevor was allowed to borrow the shower, and showered just before Ace, and when Ace was in the shower, they spoke with Trevor. They didn't speak about anything special, but as the gym came up and how private it was, just since it seemed to be small and private to keep strangers out and away from Ace, Trevor gave a small gasp as he got his phone out. "I need to show you something! I show this to many, but Ace's face is not visible, you would not know it is Ace. I respect privacy. But Mika is so awesome." Marco blinked. "You took a video of Ace this time, yoi?" Whitebeard looked a bit shocked as well. Trevor shook his head. "Oh no, I didn't. This video is from about a month before I got sent to jail. I knew Ace felt a bit iffy about touch, especially from males, and even worse when it was strangers that were male. We had some others at time who trained with us and I didn't know what to do as I didn't want to have Ace stop being at the gym because he was uncomfortable. I asked Mika for ideas, and well, Mika is a savage, she is so awesome, she made a plan, and this is it and it worked."
Trevor then used the phone a bit as he hummed. "Just need to find it in my cloud… Here!" He said as he showed the phone screen which was a paused video almost halfway through. He could see Ace hanging from a set of monkey bars, seeming to either do pull ups or moving across by grabbing the next bar, and there was a bit of space between the bars on this one. It was also taken behind Ace, so he could just see Ace's back, but Marco knew it was Ace based on what Trevor told and that he was good at recognizing people. Trevor then pointed to a man that was barely in frame, a man that was maybe in his late 20s. "This is a friend of someone that we know, we told him to leave Ace alone, he is able to do what he does and we are watching. He decided he knew better. This is what Mika's plan was."
Trevor then started the video and he saw Ace was both doing pull ups and moving across, and he was high up as the bars were high, but there was a mattress under it. The man then walked over to Ace and moved his hand a bit out, as if wanting to help Ace down as he was nearing the end of the monkey bars. The man spoke. "Hey, do you need help getting down? It is very hi-" The man didn't get to finish as Mika moved to him and held a water bottle with a spray funktion and started to spray him in his face. "Bad man! Leave the kid alone! You know the rules!" The man spoke. "I just want to he-" Mika sprayed him again. "He has a voice! He is able to ask if he needs it!" Mika said as she sprayed him more. The man tried to speak more, but didn't get to as with each start, Mika sprayed him again. The man left after a couple seconds, understanding he had no chance against Mika.
As the man moved away, Mika looked at Ace. "Do you need help getting down?" Ace shook his head as he let go and landed well. Mika nodded and did something to the bottle so it could spray further and sprayed towards where the man left, and Marco could hear him make a startled sound as Mika said. "Not everyone needs help just since they are smaller! You need to respect people! Even children! Bad man!" The man tried to speak, but Mika sprayed him again, and he didn't speak that time and Mika seemed satisfied. Mika was now in the full shot and Marco saw something on her leg he found weird. Trevor then spoke. "I usually stop the video here when showing it to others." Marco nodded and the video went on.
Trevor in the video then laughed and waved at Mika. "You're awesome, Mika!" Mika gave a humorous look to Trevor as she held the spray bottle out. "I will spray you as well!" Trevor laughed. "I know you will! That's why I love you!" Mika gave a playful look, before she turned and gave the spray bottle to Ace. "Take him down!" Ace grabbed the bottle, now turning so they could see Ace's face, before Ace started to run towards Trevor, who started to run away as he laughed, same with Ace, then the video stopped.
Trevor laughed. "Mika is so awesome, and I know she looks small, but holy God she is terrifying. She can take me down easily. She is a champion in a lot of different martial arts, but best in kickboxing and some tae kwon do. She also teaches self defense classes, she is so terrifying. A pair of guys, about your size Whitebeard, tried to rob her. Well, they needed to go to the ER after Mika defended herself. She is so awesome."
Marco nodded, that was clear. "She seems nice and calm." Trevor nodded. "She is, as long as you don't make her mad or annoyed. She seems like a defenseless and weak woman, but she is anything but." Marco nodded, but he saw something he wanted to ask about. "When Mika was in the shot fully, her leg looked a bit…" Trevor blinked. "Oh. I forget not everyone knows and all that. She lost her leg in a car accident when she was 6, and has a prosthetic. She has many cool ones. Her grandfather makes them." Marco nodded, that he didn't know. Mika was very good at using a prosthetic then.
Next week, on monday, Ace had an appointment with the psychiatrist, and Marco would join this one. As they were there, the psychiatrist looked at him. "I mentioned something to Ace, and I would like to mention it to you as well." Marco nodded, which had the psychiatrist continue. "There is a group that is held in this building for trauma and abuse victims, they take in new people every 6 months, and the intake is next week, and I think it could be good for Ace. It has no more than at max, 10 people. But it is usually 4 to 8 people, and there are 2 people who hold the group, who have a group license and a lot of education and experience with people who have been in bad situations and holding groups like this. Many, most, have benefited greatly from these groups. If you want to join, they need a week in advance to know, so I need an answer at the next appointment, which is the day before the last day of the intake. And Ace," Said the psychiatrist as he looked at Ace. "Should you decide to go and change your mind, that is no issue as well. You don't even need a reason why. If you want to stop, that is fine." Ace nodded, and Marco would be sure to ask Ace more about this when they were home. He felt Ace could benefit from this group, maybe meet some others who are from bad backgrounds and homes.
Marco looked at the psychiatrist. "How often is this group, yoi?" The psychiatrist hummed. "It is 3 times a week, many who start the group go on two, the one on Tuesday and Thursday, there is also one on Monday, but that is the most 'crowded', as it can be up to 15 people and many show up as it has more people and 3 who hold the group and we take more in on that specific group. I would recommend you start with the one on Tuesday and Thursday, it is at 5pm to 6pm. Many also start with one group each week." Marco nodded and looked at Ace with a smile. "If you want to, it would fit as we eat between 6:30 and 7pm, yoi. You don't need to decide now, but I think it might be good for you." Ace nodded a bit. "I will… think about it." Marco nodded, he would accept that as well.
The psychiatrist then looked at him. "Also, so I have said it. Adults are not allowed in the room, beside the group holders. But, every child also has what we call a 'help' button. You push it, a device we give the adult to the child will vibrate and you can go get your child, as many have issues with leaving on their own accord if it gets too much. You will be in a separate room and have your own sort of meeting with another group holder." Marco nodded, that was good to know.
The psychiatrist looked at Ace. "I do think this could be good for you, to have others you can talk with, and listen to others who have had a hard time in their life. The ages vary, but most are between 9 and 14. The group holder is very good at her job, and she has a sort of helper there, and he is good as well. If you want to try, I would like you to try two weeks, so that is either 2 or 4 meetings, and then we can see if you still want to quit. Okay?" Ace gave a small nod. Marco hoped Ace would go.
When they were on their way home, they spoke about the group and Ace was unsure, but said he would think about it. And the next day, after school, Ace said he wanted to try, which was good. He did call the psychiatrist the next day to say Ace wanted to try and to put him on the list now, in case there was many. But the psychiatrist did say there was some open spots, and Ace just got one. That was good.
-x-
Ace sat down on a chair and felt very uncomfortable. He was in the first group today, and he now regretted this. He had been helped in from outside by a woman, Marco with them to the floor they were at, before Marco was taken to another room and Ace in this room. The woman who had helped him here moved to sit on a chair as well and looked at everyone when they closed the door. "Hi, everyone. This is a support group for those who have had a rough past. You do not need to speak if you don't want to, but we like if you can try, but you don't need to yet if it is scary as we have some new faces." She then held her hand out to the adult beside her. "This is Claus, he will be my second hand." Claus nodded at them. "Hello everyone, I hope we will all get to know each other to some degree." The woman spoke again. "Should you need to, do not be afraid to leave the room, either since a sore topic is brought up or you need a break. Your parents/guardians are in the room to the left. If you just need a break, you can be in the hallway or in the room to the right, which is empty and has some food, drinks, and plushies to hug with comfy chairs. We do as for you to not leave the you can press the button you all got and your guardian will come. Did everyone get that?" They all nodded.
The woman smiled at them. "Now to me. I go by Cioup. This is since my real name is very unique and for confidentiality I choose to use a nickname as if you type my real name in on google, my personal information comes up. This is also why that if you don't want to say your real name, that is fine. Just keep it civil and good. And if you don't want to say your name at all, that is also fine. No one will be forced to do anything here. But, we appreciate it if you don't use your last names. Now, I hope this group will help you. Many get what they need by sharing and getting inputs, many get what they need by listening. So, feel free to do what you feel comfortable with. So, let us get started." Ace nodded and Cioup said some things.
As she had, one boy spoke up and said a bit about his situation and Ace listened, same when one girl spoke. When it was a small break a bit later, he felt this might be good. He still didn't quite know if he would dare to speak, but he felt listening was good as well as many of them felt unsure as well. When the break was, Ace sat on his chair while some went to grab some snacks and drinks. A boy on the chair next to him looked at him. "Hi, you're new. It is okay if you don't want to speak, that is scary. But I am Law." Ace looked at Law and made a small wave. "Hi, I am Ace. You've been here before?" Law nodded. "Yes, for half a year. I like it here and I really like the group leader, Cioup. She has helped me a lot. You can get private sessions with her. May I… ask for a favor?" Ace blinked. "Y-yes." Ace felt unsure.
Law gave a careful look. "My leg… it isn't the best, could I ask if you could get me a cup of water?" Ace blinked and got up fast. "Sure. Just water?" Law nodded. "Yes, thank you." Ace shook his head and said it was nothing, then he went and got the cup of water and went back to Law and held it out. Law gave a unsure and hesitant look as Ace held the cup out. "I'm… I just, I don't like touch… Could you place it down?" Ace blinked and did without question as he said. "Know the feeling. It can be uncomfortable." As he had put it down and Law took it up, Law said. "Thank you." And Ace shook his head. "It is nothing. If you need anything else, just ask. I promise I won't touch you." Law gave a smile to him. "Thank you. Many don't respect it and mock me." Ace blinked. "I would never do that. If you are scared of it or uncomfortable, people should respect that." Law smiled. "I like you. You're kind." Ace smiled back. "You seem kind as well." Law gave a smile and then they spoke a bit before the group started again. He liked Law.
When the group was over he met up with Marco again and they walked back to the car and as they rode back home, Marco spoke about casual things, which had Ace confused, and spoke up when they were about halfway. "Don't you… want to know what we spoke about?" Marco hummed. "Only if you're comfortable sharing it, yoi. You are allowed to have conversations and meetings where I don't know what you spoke about." Ace blinked, he wasn't used to that. Marco sent a comforting look at him. "How did you feel it went?" Ace gave a small sound. "Good… I think. I want to go again, I think." Marco nodded. "Good, yoi. I think it might be good for you."Ace felt the same now as well.
When the next group was, he spoke more with Law and felt he liked to speak with him, which also made him a bit nervous. He had never had a friend before, and he remembered what he was told if he ever got a friend… But Marco and Whitebeard were so different from Akainu, that might mean this was okay. Ace at least hoped so.
-x-
Marco walked out of the group and waited in the hallway for Ace. While Ace had his group, the adults had their own group where they could bring up concerns and things that had happened to share and maybe get ideas how to help their child. He felt it was very useful. When it was over and he and Ace went to the car and started the drive home, Marco looked at Ace. "How was the group today, yoi?" Ace gave a small sound. "It went okay. I think… I think I made a friend." Marco smiled at Ace. "That is good, Ace. Friends are good to have, yoi." Marco was glad, as this friend might also understand Ace a bit as he was also in the group. Ace smiled and looked happy, which was good.
The next day they went to the home Trevor had gotten with Mika, and Marco showed Ace inside and Trevor gave a smile as he met them by the door, smiling. "Ace! Are you ready for an awesome day!" Ace nodded. "I am." Trevor grinned. "How have you been? School okay? Things okay?" Ace nodded. "It is. I started this group and I think… I think I made a friend." Trevor blinked, before he looked ecstatic. "You did?! Oh my God! You did!" Trevor then turned to yell something behind him. "Mika! Ace made a friend!" He heard a shriek of happiness before he saw Mika inside as she ran to another room. "Ace did?! I will get the ice cream! Screw pizza! We will order sushi! And then more ice cream!" Trevor then moved to lead Ace inside. "You need to tell me everything! How old is he or she? Are they cool? Do you have the same interests? You need to tell me everything while we eat!" Ace nodded and looked happy.
Trevor then looked at him. "You can pick him up as planned. We will be here." Trevor then looked back at Ace. "Now! Tell me everything!" Trevor seemed really excited about this and he didn't get why.
It was an hour later, just before he would leave to get Ace, when Marco looked at his phone when he got a message from Trevor and it said 'when you show, just walk in, the door is unlocked. Ace is asleep.' Good to know. When he got there, he walked in and saw Ace asleep on the couch, Mika and Trevor playing a game of cards. When they saw him, Trevor smiled. "You're here, good. Ace is exhausted. Mika can help carry him out in the car." Marco nodded, that sounded good. Marco then looked at Trevor. "Why did you seem so excited Ace made a friend, yoi?" Trevor hummed. "That bastard Akainu never let Ace have a friend. Said if he ever did, Akainu would kill them or use them, or both. This is the first friend Ace has made. Of course I am excited!"
Marco nodded and now he got it. He now felt bad for not making it a bigger deal, and that's when he also realized he didn't even know this new friend's name. He knew nothing about him or her. He would try and ask more about Ace's new friend. He would see if they could invite him or her over. He was glad Ace got a friend. Mika then moved to lift Ace and Marco looked at Trevor. "Is there a reason you asked Mika to carry Ace, yoi?" Trevor blinked. "Oh, I can. But if there is touch I can avoid, I do. Just a small line I put for myself when I found out the true nature of his abuse, especially if it is more than a small hug and high five and such." Marco smiled and nodded. Trevor really was a good guy, he was glad Ace had Trevor and they had helped him out of prison.
And that's the chapter, hope you enjoyed!
We are moving along and I just needed to introduce the group, and Trevor and Mika, as they will be important for later
If you have any ideas, don't be afraid to share them!
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If you also want to, I have a Twitter, my name is Azuruko, and I have a discord, my tag/username is just azuruko, as well as a server (Instant invite: discord . gg / 6hzMhbR) where everyone is welcomed! Updates is also posted there, both on discord and on twitter