HEY I FORGOT TO SEND IN A PROMPT ON TIME SO I'M DOING IT NOW BECAUSE I WAS GOING THROUGH MY LIKES AND I FOUND A THING. MARCOACE CONTINUATION OF THE HISTORIAN ACE AND IMMORTAL KNIGHT MARCO STORY PLS AND THANK YOU I LOVE YOU YOU'RE THE BEST (i can dm you the link if you don't know what i mean)
“You must have been lonely,” Ace says softly, turning the helmet over in his hands as Marco watches him, mouth dry, unsure what to do. “Hundreds of years of keeping your distance.”
Ace glances up at him and Marco hates that he seems to look sadder, “That’s not fair to you. Being alone hurts more than anything,” his smile is soft as he puts the helmet back on the table. “My brother said that, I think he’s right.”
“He sounds like a smart person.”
“Luffy’s an idiot, but he does make a point occasionally.”
“Isn’t he an physics prodigy?” Marco mutters, trying to remember which of Ace’s siblings was which. He had heard plenty about them both over the months of letting Ace use his library for research.
“Being a physics prodigy doesn’t give him an ounce of common sense, but that is off topic, Marco and we both know it,” Ace pauses before one of the portraits. “You’re lonely.”
“Had. That’s past tense, Marco. It means you had someone and don’t anymore.”
Marco hums softly, “It’s not exactly easy to keep more than a few, not when you don’t age, Ace. They can be less than accepting in some cases. One of them called me a demon and tried to have me excommunicated.”
“Or want to know how you became immortal?”
“Some of them,” Marco agrees softly watching Ace move on to another picture. “Are you curious?”
“About how you found the Grail or why you pretended to age quickly and die when you reported it?” Ace asks, grinning brightly. “I’ve spent years on this legend, Marco. It’s not impossible to connect them.”
“Most people don’t connect an immortal knight to three brothers hunting the grail, my legend is older than that.”
Ace hums, “There’s more than one legend about people going after the grail. It might not have been your first trip, but it was one of your trips. Did the other two?”
“I don’t know,” Marco answers after a long moment. “One stayed behind and the other left me in Italy. If they’re still around, they haven’t come looking.”
Ace laughs, eyes bright as he looks back at him, “Do you?”
“You do have that and I’d hunt you down if you vanished. I care about you.”
Marco nods, feeling his chest grow tight, “I care for you too.”
“Now tell me about this one,” Ace demands, frowning at a picture that Marco was sure he remembered being taken. “Who is this?”
“This is one of my friends,” Marco answers easily, leaning in close and ignoring the warmth that comes from being close to Ace, knowing that he doesn’t have to lie to him about anything, and that Ace won’t abandon him yet. “It’s a rather long story.”
