"Ace? Is that you? What are you doing, yoi?"

Ace's entire body stiffens at the sound of Marco's voice. He is currently hiding behind a bush, kneeled down with one hand resting against the harsh bark of a nearby tree. Glaring over the thick green leaves, Ace was basically spying on the human village.

But it wasn't for no reason. Ace knows what he is doing, unfortunately.

He doesn't remember much from the night that he ended up in a trap. He knows all there is to know up until the point where he heard Sabo scream out his name. He remembers murmuring something to his brother, but what exactly is a mystery to him. His twin brother won't let out a word about it either.

Ace can recall waking up with his entire family surrounding him, including the old geezer. Garp had just returned from his trip with Hancock and Margaret and apparently came back the same night that Ace chased after Sabo. While his mother was fussing around him, making Kureha's job to redo the bandages and properly clean the wounds a lot harder, and his father was plotting murder, Garp was ranting. Ranting and scolding Ace.

Out of all wolves, he had to scold the one who got hurt.

"Why is it always the same damned story when I come home from a trip?! My sweet, precious grandsons keep getting hurt while I'm out of the pack for a while! God damn it, Ace!"

That old geezer. He has nothing to say about any of this. After all, he is the one to always go after Ace and his brothers over absolutely nothing. He is the one who can easily be blamed for breaking Luffy's ribs. Or for giving Sabo temporary memory loss.

Nonetheless, his parents didn't make it any easier for him either. After Kureha and Law, who is the one who always does the stitches for Kureha, were done, Rouge had been quite clear with him. He was not leaving their home until he was able to properly walk again. And once that was the case, he was not allowed to leave the cave until all the wounds were fully healed.

It was terrible.

Staying put in your own small home is something that Ace never wants to repeat, ever again. He had no place to hide from Luffy, or Sabo for that matter. Luffy was being a handful, always wanting to be the one who replaced the old bandages with new ones. He also didn't want to leave his big brother's side. He just had to be sure that Ace had someone to lean on.

It really wasn't that necessary considering how Rouge always made sure that Ace wasn't alone. Even Garp stayed close and that's saying something.

Sabo hadn't spoken a word to him for the first two days but after seemingly being assured that Ace was going to be just fine, he slowly started coming back to him. Ace knows why he was acting like that. He was the one to run out like some sort of lunatic. Knowing Sabo, his brother was only blaming himself for what had happened to Ace.

Ace has made sure that Sabo got it through his thick skull that he would never blame him. After all, it isn't Sabo who hurt him. It's the hunters. They are the ones to blame for their pain.

They're always the ones to blame.

But Ace is free now. After two long and damned weeks, he managed to successfully beg his mother to let him out of the cave. He hasn't seen the sun at all during those two weeks nor been able to do anything at all. Granted, his leg still hurts and bruises and yes, there are still some bandages around his leg but he can walk. It doesn't hurt as much as it used to anymore.

Also, his mother fixed his boot. There are no reasons not to go out anymore.

There was just one reason that stood out the most and was the main cause for Ace's annoying frustration.

That one reason is Marco.

The same Marco that is currently looking down at him with a very amused smile on his face, his arms crossed. He is not carrying anything with him today and still has the same lazy expression.

Nothing has changed in two weeks.

Ace flushes red at the sight of Marco and coughs, pulling his hat a little tighter considering how they are still on the border between the human village and the forest. He pushes himself up and looks away from Marco, scratching his cheek out of discomfort. He clears his throat again and says, "I – eh. You."

He points at Marco, who flutters his lashes for a second before he frowns as he asks, "Me,yoi?"

Ace's eye twitches and he snaps, "Yes, you! Follow me." Marco slightly tilts his head to the side and Ace is not going to let himself think that the gesture looks a little cute. He tosses several looks around and after making sure there are no other humans nearby, Ace doesn't wait for Marco to move his ass and just grabs his arm.

Without another word, Ace pulls him into the forest. Far into the forest. For whatever reason, Marco doesn't struggle against his tight hold and lets himself get dragged beneath the shadows of the trees without saying a word of protest.

It feels like they've been walking for an hour but Ace just needs to make sure they are out of a possibly danger zone. By now, he has learned of the places where there are no traps located. His father and the others went out on a witch hunt, trying to find the traps and get rid of them. They had success the first night, but the second night there were new traps. So they proceeded to get them away again. However, this time they were already gone by the time his pack got there.

Only to show up again the following night.

It is starting to turn into a game but Ace knows the rules. The traps always appear around the same areas. However, there are places in the forest that the hunters don't know of while the wolves do. Some of them are so easy to find and so close to the human village yet the hunters stay away from them.

Ace is not going to complain about that. At least it gives him a spot to talk to Marco to.

Ace drags Marco into an open field, not too far from the cave but not too close either. He makes sure to stand in a corner, where he is sure that no other wolf can see him talking to a human.

He finally lets go of Marco again and tosses a couple of looks over his shoulders once again, just to make sure of it. Marco watches him with a grin on his face and while he is probably at a loss of what to do, he seems to trust Ace enough to just let himself get dragged into unfamiliar territory.

Ace is not sure on how to feel about that.

"It appears that you want something from me, yoi. I mean, it took you two weeks but who's counting?"

Ace growls at Marco and snaps, "Don't make this any more difficult for me than it already is! Just... shut up for a moment and let me talk. But before anything: did you talk?"

Marco instantly shakes his head, answering with ease, "I told you I wouldn't, yoi."

Ace heavens a little sigh of relief before he coughs again as he starts scratching behind his head while sucking on his lip as he thinks on what to say next. Or more: how to say what he has been wanting to say for so long.

Marco chuckles at him and crosses his arms, looking at Ace with expecting eyes. Ace sighs and takes off his hat. Knowing there are no hunters nearby and with Marco already aware of his secret, Ace sees no use in keeping it on. He pushes it down to his back and ignores the human eyes that start sparkling with fascination as they move away from Ace's face to his ears.

He runs a hand through his thick hair and starts, feeling incredibly out of place, "You kind of, like, saved my life that day and because I'm not a complete ass, I wanted – I wanted to thank you. There, I said it. Oi!"

Marco has started to laugh, almost to the point where he is bending over. Ace turns bright red again and raises his fist, morphing it into a paw, "Stop laughing at me, bastard! I'm being serious here and you start mocking me! Damn you huma – Marco!"

Marco takes a deep breath and moves up again, wiping away a tear from his face. He chuckles and looks at Ace, saying, "I'm not mocking you, Ace. I'm merely surprised, yoi. I don't believe I have heard you be polite yet. Not once."

Ace scoffs and is now the one to cross his arms.

"I don't have to be polite to a human, do I?"

"Don't get me wrong, yoi. I understand where you're coming from. It's just amusing to me, that's all. I appreciate it, Ace. But you don't need to thank me, yoi. I only did what I had to do, nothing more and nothing less." Marco says, smiling at Ace. Ace blinks really fast at Marco. His cheeks turn a little red again and he is at a loss of words. But what can he say to that? Not a single human has ever been nice to him. Admittedly, all those humans were either a hunter or some bastard who started screaming at the sight of his ears. There hasn't been one on the list who didn't know of his real race.

Until Marco joined that list.

Noticing how Ace's tongue is stuck, Marco asks, pointing at Ace's leg, "How is that leg of yours doing, yoi? Is it healing? I'm happy to see you back on your feet though. I was worried about you."

"You? Y-You were worried? About me? Why would you waste your time on a monster like me?!" Ace loudly stutters out of pure shock, looking at Marco with widened eyes. The blonde doesn't look like he was kidding though and answers, with a very serious voice, "Ace, I don't know anything about you and your life, but this much is true: you're not a monster, yoi."

"Are we both talking about me? Because I damn know I'm a monster. You don't need to sweet talk me if that's what you're doing. I don't need it." Ace immediately replies. He is a monster, those are hard facts. He isn't like the mundanes, not one bit. He has to hide himself to not scare others, he has to fight to survive. Is that a very human thing to do? Not really. It are the monsters that scare the children.

He is a monster.

Marco sighs. He stares right through Ace and doesn't say anything for a while. He seems to be inspecting Ace's face, letting those eyes roam all over his rough skin. Ace's ears are twitching and he lets them hang down. He feels uncomfortable and he hates it. Just when he is about to say something about it, Marco finally breaks the annoying silence by saying, "Monsters aren't supposed to be cute. You are though, yoi. Conclusion: you're not a monster."

Ace gapes at him. He flushes bright red and exclaims, jumping back as he stutters, "O-oi! Cut the crap, Marco!"

"Ah! It does know my name, yoi!" Marco happily says, putting his hands on his hips. He firmly plants his sandaled feet in the grass and watches how Ace struggles to get himself back in a neutral position. He is fumbling about with his clothing and at a complete loss of what to do. He has never been in a situation like this. One where he doesn't have the control.

Ace hates feeling lost.

Ace is almost relieved when Marco starts talking again but he doesn't like the question that comes out of the blonde's mouth.

"Are you nervous or something,yoi?"

"Damn you, I don't get nervous! I have taught myself to never get nervous. I can't allow myself to get nervous." Ace replies instantly, though he knows he's lying through his teeth. He hasn't taught himself to never get nervous. He has just been forcing himself to push that emotion away, for the sake of his pack. For the sake of his brothers. If he gets nervous then so will they and Ace wants to prevent that from happening at all times. He doesn't want his brothers to ever feel scared. It's just not happening in Ace's books. Those who make his brothers nervous are very much dead meat to him.

Marco seems to ignore the obvious face that Ace is nervous and asks, genuine curiosity in his tone, "Why would that be,yoi?"

"It's my job as an older brother."

Marco isn't all too shocked by that answer. He almost expected to hear it come out of Ace's mouth. Or something of that sort. In these last two weeks, most his time thinking he has spent on Ace. He is curious about him. About his life. He has thought of Ace in a pack and Ace as a lone wolf. Ace in a pack seemed like a more logical answer, remembering the very desperate reaction he got from Ace that one night. A lone wolf probably wouldn't give a damn what happened to him but one in a pack most likely also thinks about the safety of the other wolves.

Ace sure did look like that was all he thought about.

Marco doesn't know anything about wolf packs. He has no clue about the dynamics in such a group. If they are all family members or just a group of very close friends that consider each other as family. The latter also made him think of his family as a pack and for some reason, it always made him laugh a little. It's a rather funny thought, him and his brothers as a pack. In some ways, they are, Marco guesses. If only he really knew what goes on in such a close-knitted pack.

But Ace is apparently a big brother. Marco doubts that he is the oldest of his pack, if there is one, so he can only guess that he has actual siblings.

Marco wants to be careful with the things he is asking but he can't stop himself from that question slipping over his lips.

"You have younger siblings that look up to you,yoi?"

Ace purses his lips, thinking about the answer. He seems like he doesn't want to give away too much about his life, which Marco fully understands. Of course, the boy has probably been living a very secretive life ever since he was born. Taught not to trust anyone. Who is he to be that one human that can actually be trusted? Marco knows he won't tell a soul (he has managed to not speak of this to his brothers. Not even to Pops. He hates having to lie to them but he doesn't want Ace to not trust him either. He knows his family will understand if he tells them) but Ace doesn't know that. Or doesn't want to believe that, Marco isn't too sure.

"You really didn't say shit to other people?" Ace asks with caution, looking at Marco with almost puppy-like eyes. Marco nods and answers with a little smile, "Of course I didn't, yoi. Did you see more people appear around here?"

Ace snorts. No, of course he didn't. Marco chuckles at the rather defeated look and says, "If you don't want to say anything, that's fine by me, yoi."

Ace holds up two fingers in a V-form, forcing them into Marco's vision. Marco tilts his head at the sign and asks, "Peace?"

Ace growls at him and snaps, Marco noting how his hands both turn into a paw, "How stupid can you get?! Two! Two fingers! I have two younger siblings!"

Marco grins at him, not taking his eyes off the two furry claws up in the air. Ace seems to notice and pulls them back right away, clearing his throat before he continues, "A twin brother and a stupid little brother."

That is surprising information though.

"You're a twin, yoi? That's unexpected."

Ace crosses his arms, stepping closer to where Marco is standing. He blows a piece of hair out of face and asks with a snort, "How is that unexpected in any way?" Marco chuckles at the reply, noting the way Ace is seemingly relaxing. It's nice to know that the wolf is slowly starting to feel less like a caged animal and more... mundane around him. He is very aware of the fact that Ace will most likely never not feel like a caged animal, especially in the presence of the human race, and the fact that Ace is at least not as tense as the first time they met almost feels like an honor to Marco.

The blonde shrugs and says, with a lazy grin resting on his lips, "You don't seem like a twin-type to me. I don't know, I can't really explain it, yoi."

"That is a stupid answer. Just for your information, we don't look alike. Like, at all. Maybe that will rest your soul." Ace bluntly bites back, though not with as much venom in his voice. Marco chuckles, "I suppose it does. I can't imagine another you running around wild, yoi."

Ace rolls his eyes, "He the complete opposite of me. My little brother on the other hand is like a cannon ball. It's really frustrating and stress-worthy on my part. But that's all you get to hear of them. They've been doing some illegal shit themselves as well and if you know too much about them, I'll be the one to get them into trouble. As an older brother, it is my responsibility to prevent that from happening."

Marco hums, nodding along. "I understand, yoi. It's also not my job to dig into your life." Ace seems surprised by that answer and narrows his eyes, leaning in closer as his arms stay crossed over one another.

"Are you serious about that? You don't want to know anything about our – my society? My ways of life? My family or my pack?"

"Oh, you have a pack, yoi?"

"DAMN IT!" Ace shouts loudly and he turns around to slam his head against a tree. Marco will be very surprised if that didn't hurt. He sighs and reaches out for the distressed wolf, saying in a loud voice, "Oi, I won't say a word, yoi. I haven't said anything for these past two weeks, I can do it again if that's what it takes. Your secret is safe with me, really. No need to crack your head open, yoi."

And to be fair, Marco already had a hunch there would be pack. There is simply no way for Ace to be roaming the forest all on his own. All of his reactions pretty much give it away but Marco doesn't care much about it. He understands the consequences when a pack gets discovered. Or when a lone wolf gets found out. It's an instant and humiliating death, that won't hurt a single soul among the living. It's instant discrimination and separation from each other.

Marco refuses to be the reason for that. Just the mere thought of him being forced away from Pops and his brothers haunts him. Or the simple idea of being killed for his race while his family faces the same trial, far away from him. He can only imagine the amount of stress Ace is under. He is not going to be the one to add up to that.

Ace turns away from the tree and Marco sighs at the sight of a red forehead. He dares to walk closer and carefully puts his hand on the red spot. Ace flinches but he doesn't pull away. Marco shakes his head and says, "You ought to be more careful, yoi. You already have a wounded leg, no need to add your forehead to that list."

"Why are you so nice to me?" Ace asks, very serious and cautious. He stares at Marco, practically demanding him to give him a serious answer. Marco stares back, just as hard, before he answers with a shrug, "I don't see the problem, yoi. I have been raised on the beliefs that everybody is the same and deserves equal rights. You are no exception, yoi. Not to mention the fun fact that I am not dead yet. You're being nice to me too, why wouldn't I return the favor?"

Ace is quiet for a moment. Marco can't read his mind nor expressions but he guesses that he is thinking very hard about what he said. It's rather saddening to think about how this might be the first time Ace has ever heard that in his life. He knows hunters can be very cruel and harsh against the werewolves but just how cruel were they towards Ace? It almost sends shivers down his spine to think about it. He'd rather not think about it.

"You just said you understood. About that family shit." Ace says in a quiet voice and Marco has to really listen to hear what those words. Marco nods and answers, "Yes, I do, yoi."

"Are those guys that were at that company you work for your family?"

Marco smiles, letting go of Ace. He puts his hands on his hips and says, "They were, yoi. The big guy is my Pops. The guys are my brothers. Younger brothers so to speak."

Ace frowns, clearly confused but not confused enough to ask questions. He vaguely waves his hand next to his temple and asks, "And you understand my frustration? How so? You live in a human village. I don't think you have to protect your younger brothers from the same amount of dangers as I need to do."

"You're right about the fact that I have the luxury to be living in a village, in a safe home without having to fear for my life every day. You're spot on, yoi. However," Marco raises his hand to put it behind his head, Ace following the movement with his eyes.

"It may not to be the same danger, I do have to keep my brothers safe of course, yoi. Danger comes in all shapes and sizes. It's my job to stop them from doing crazy stuff. One of them, Izo, he doesn't exactly have a knack for getting drunk, but he gets it too easily. It's frustrating in the least. When Izo is drunk, he doesn't see things the way they really are anymore, yoi. As a matter of fact, he won't be able to speak right either. So if some stranger decides to take advantage of that, he is no state to defend himself. I am, though."

Marco almost sneers at the thought of it again. A man, who came from far to see their company, had been keeping his eyes on Izo only from the second he arrived. At first Marco thought it was because Izo may come across as a girl without a second glance but it just didn't stop. Marco wasn't the only one to notice, Thatch and Jozu had seen it too. Basically all brothers saw it. All of them, except for Izo.

When the night had fallen, they all started drinking as a sign of agreement on the man's behalf. However, he kept giving Izo alcohol to the point where he was really drunk. Marco is very relieved that he kept watching the pair or else he wouldn't have been able to quite literally beat the man off the premises for inappropriately grabbing at Izo.

Ace studies his face for a while and slowly starts nodding.

"I guess I can understand. It's just... It's really frustrating, you know? They won't sit still and refuse to listen to every word I say! And if things turn out the way I predicted it, which is always the fucking case, they come crying that they didn't know! Especially my younger brother. I care for him, I really do, but sometimes I just want to strangle him."

Marco can't stop himself from laughing at Ace's words and before he can stop himself, he ruffles Ace's hair and says, "I can see you're struggling very hard, Ace. But I'm sure you're doing a great job, yoi. After all, none of us humans have seen a sight of them yet. I'd say you're a great big brother. And of course they won't listen to you, yoi. Mine refuse to take me for my word as well but almost come around when things get tough. They rely on you, even if they don't show it as much as you want them to."

Ace snorts but doesn't remove the hand. He looks at Marco and says, "Never in my life did I think I was going to be fucking lectured by a human."

"There is a first for everything, yoi."

Ace doesn't smile but there is a little chuckle that comes out, much to Marco's surprise. All that Ace has been doing is keep a straight face, snort or shout harsh words at him.

This is the first sign of a smile. A first.

Marco can't say he doesn't like it.

Ace directs the chuckle to the ground and mutters, "I suppose you're right. Damn it."