Here For You (MarAce Week 2023, 1):
Sooooo, it's almost 6am. I've had wonky sleep and have to go to work soon and my brain decided ANGST. Anyways, I've got an AU of Ace surviving Marineford- and I decided to write him having a mental break down after being in a coma for 2 years- hurt comfort it is.
Anyways! Sorry it's long but- enjoy!
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The sound of things being thrown around had startled Marco, causing him to awaken from his sleep. Beside him, the bed was empty...which could only mean one thing.
𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠...
Moving quickly, Marco threw the blankets off himself and made his way out of bed to locate the source of the noise, knowing all too well what he'd find once he got there. Ever since Ace came out of his two year coma, he had nights where he had mental break downs and Marco would always find him on the ground in a mess of things he broke.
Every time, the sight broke his heart. He knew Ace already had some troubles before the incident at Marineford, but now? They seemed so much worse. The self doubt and insecurities his lover already carried seemed to have doubled. The mental and emotional trauma from that day didn't help either. It was all taking a toll on his poor firefly. It didn't make Marco feel any differently about him though. He already swore to be there through everything, and he intended on keeping that promise.
Another crash shook the blonde from his thoughts as his bare feet lightly tapped against the floor. As he thought, the kitchen light was on. Shaking his head slightly, he slowed his steps and stopped just on the edge of the walk way to the kitchen. There, he stopped and listened for a few moments so he could assess the state Ace was in.
"Dammit-!" Ace shouted as quietly as possible. He knew Marco was just down the hall, so he was trying like hell to be quiet but he couldn't stop himself from throwing whatever he could get his hands on. The table had been flipped, chairs knocked over, dishes broken, it looked as if a tornado had torn through the kitchen and left it in ruins.
"Dammit...!" The raven whispered out once again as he slammed his fist down on the counter. His jaw then clenched tightly while his body started to tremble. Slowly, he slid to the floor and brought his knees to his chest. His hands came up to tightly grip his hair while his forehead was pressed against his knees.
The scars on his chest and back were aching again and all the thoughts he tried so hard to get rid of just came flooding back at once. He hated nights like this. They were so stressful...
As he sat there on the floor, a broken cry escaped from him. He had been trying so hard to keep the tears in, but he couldn't hold them back any longer. He couldn't hold anything back any longer...
Just as he finally started to cry, the sound of bare footsteps on the kitchen floor caught his attention, causing him to tense up a bit. He should of known... there was only one person that could be... meaning he once again woke up Marco with this...
Keeping his head down, Ace clenched his jaw once again. He was trying hard to keep it all in, but it was slowly slipping. He hated when Marco saw him like this. As if he didn't have enough to worry about already.
"Ace..." Marco finally spoke out after a few minutes of silence. He must of been analyzing to figure out the best way to go about this.
When the raven didn't reply, Marco let out a small sigh and slowly knelt himself down in front of his lover. While he couldn't see the other's face, he knew Ace was trying so hard to keep his emotions bottled up. No... that wasn't what needed to be done.
Shaking his head slightly, the Phoenix slowly brought his hands up and placed them on Ace's trembling shoulders.
"Ace...please..." Marco tried again, making sure to keep his voice as gentle as possible. He didn't want to startle or upset Ace any more than he already was. "Look at me, darling..."
Still, Ace didn't move. If anything he seemed to try and curl up more. No... that wouldn't do. Moving himself slowly, Marco carefully shifted so be could sit down next to Ace and pull him into his lap. One arm slid around his lover's waist while the other hand came up to gently rest upon those messy raven locks.
"Shh... it's alright, my love... I'm here for you, I promise. Let it all out." He hummed in a soothing tone before placing a gentle kiss right against Ace's temple. "Don't hold it back..."
The hand that was resting upon Ace's head slowly started to ruffle through his hair, while the arm around his waist tightened for security. Marco's gentle voice, and soothing touches slowly got Ace to break out of his shell. Within a few minutes, he let out a choked sob and covered his face with his hands.
"M-Marco...hic... I-I'm sorry...so s-sorry..." Ace finally cried out. "I...didn't mean to... hic..."
"Shhh.... it's okay, everything's okay..." Marco replied gently, though he wasn't sure if Ace was apologizing for the mess or the incident two years ago. Either way, it didn't matter. Marco held no grudge. He just wanted his lover to be alright.
"I told you, I'm here for you... I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." The Phoenix hummed softly, placing more gentle kisses against Ace's temple and tear-stained cheek.
"W-why...? You don't have to...hic...deal with this... With me..." Ace sounded so broken...so unsure about everything.
"I love you, yoi... You know that. It doesn't matter what you're going through, what battles you're facing, I will always be here and I will always love you for you. I give you my word on that." He tried to sound as reassuring as possible and to his surprise, Ace managed to unfold his body and finally turned to look at him. Seeing that sad expression... Marco felt his chest tighten.
"I...don't deserve someone like you..." Ace whispered out as he closed his eyes. That freckled face was a dark shade of red caused by all the crying he had been doing. Such a look didn't suit someone as beautiful as him.
"You deserve everything, my sweet firefly. Everything good in life." Marco hummed back as he gently wiped away the tears on the raven's cheeks. "And I intend to give you everything I possibly can."
Another sniffle escaped from Ace, but a small smile did manage to form. Slowly he was calming down and settling against Marco's bare chest.
"I...love you so much... Thank you for...hic... dealing with me..."
Before Marco could respond, Ace went limp in his grasp. His breathing was still a bit uneven, but it seemed he had ended up passing out.
Shaking his head slightly, he carefully scooped Ace up in his arms and carried him back to their shared room. The mess could wait. For now, Marco just wanted to get them both back into bed.
It wasn't the first time...and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but Marco was prepared for that. After all, he promised Ace he'd always be here for him, and he intended to hold that promise until the very end.
𝑼𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒐 𝒖𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕...
