So I was... kind of on an unannounced hiatus because of reasons. It was the longest one I've gone on since I started writing One Piece fics, and it's been hard to get back from, but here I am, finally, with another update! Chapters for all of my stories might be a little shorter than usual while I get used to it again (this one is actually the same as most of the chapters, though, since this story had short chapters to begin with XD) but hopefully you guys can bear with me!

Anyways, enough of my blathering. Enjoy!

When conscious thought returned to him, Marco was sure he would wake to a dark, dank cell. A persistent chill would plague his limbs, leaving him all but numb, and he would scrabble up from the cold, hard ground to stare blearily past the bars and out into the hallway and hope that today was one of the days the guard would bring him food on a whim.

But… that never happened.

Before opening his eyes he was bombarded by a rush of warmth cascading over him with the fall of a blanket. He stirred, burying himself deeper beneath it, nuzzling against the soft pillow resting beneath his head, determined to fall back asleep. As the seconds ticked by he found himself grow curious, peeking out into the room.

A wave of nostalgia hit him as he took in the wooden walls, the window by his bedside where sunlight streamed through. And for the first time in what felt like years, he smelled the sea.

Marco choked on a sob, his vision blurring into a mess of colours and shapes, eyes stinging as rolls of tears fell along his cheeks. He started to recall the night before, in the cell, and Ace… Ace came for him. Finally.

But… he said it had only been four days. All that time…

The boy wiped his eyes and looked down at himself, pleased to see new, proper-fitting clothes covering his form. The other ones had been far too small, ripped from his growth spurts and dirtied from the cell floor. There was no salvaging them, he knew. His arms and hands were clean, too, and he threw off the blanket-reluctantly, because he relished its warmth-to find his legs dirt-free as well. He felt significantly better than he did before he slept.

Smiling to himself, Marco scrambled across the mattress and peered out the window, his eyes shining as he took in nothing but blue skies and a calm sea, one of the most comforting sights he'd ever born witness to. Excitement swelled within him. This was real. He was home.

He laughed, the sound light and bubbly, and climbed off the bed, intent on going out to see the rest of the ship. But his eyes caught on a familiar picture frame, one of all of the commanders together, and hesitantly he walked over, grabbing it and holding it close to his chest. He noticed the captain first and smiled before his eyes began to wander about the photo at the faces of his brothers. Ace, Thatch, Jozu, Izo…

His eyes lingered over the blond at Oyaji's side, fingers trailing along the glass covering the picture. Mouth in a thin line, Marco looked at the man's chest before pulling his shirt away from his own, looking down the collar and tilting his head. He didn't have that mark there. His skin was perfectly clear, no ink, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. That was their symbol, wasn't it? Everyone from the crew wore it…

Maybe when he was a little bigger, he could, too.

Replacing the frame in its proper spot, the boy exited the room. The hall was bare, expectantly so, and he hesitantly headed up to the deck, peeking out. There were plenty of crewmembers around, two in the lookout and a dozen or so performing routine tasks, adjusting the sails and whatnot. They were all focused on their duties, so it wasn't hard for him to slip past them and into the mess hall. As much as he was happy to be back, he wasn't ready to face so many people.

Which was why going into the mess hall was a bad idea.

Many conversations halted when he entered, eyes immediately settling on him, causing his posture to go tense and rigid, and he had to resist the urge to find somewhere to hide. But soon they were smiling at him, raising their glasses in celebration and welcoming his return. No one approached, they allowed him his space, and he couldn't have been more grateful.

He found himself smiling back.

Ace and Thatch were in their usual seats, blathering on to one another as the former stuffed his face with generous amounts of food. It was a sight Marco had never found as endearing as he did that moment, and instantly his feet led him closer, coming to stand before the table. His newfound height felt strange, as he could easily see over it now. It looked… small, compared to before. He'd… grown a lot in four days…

A hand found its way to his hair, ruffling it into a disordered mess, and he looked to his left to see Ace grinning at him. "How ya feelin'?" he asked between bites before devouring even more of the mountain of sustenance set before him.

"...Better," he answered quietly, still feeling that persistent onset of shyness. "Hungry, yoi."

Thatch chuckled from his right and he turned his head, met with a soft, gentle smile. "I'll bet. I'll go get you a plate." He stood to his full height. "We're gonna try to put some weight on ya, alright?"

Marco nodded and muffled a word of thanks as he watched the man go before taking his usual spot beside Ace at the table, drumming his tails anxiously across the top. He remembered Thatch's cooking. It was amazing-far more so than the bread and other things he'd occasionally be fed in prison. Just the thought of tasting it again had saliva pooling in his mouth. God he was hungry.

The boy was pulled from his thoughts when a glass of water was slid towards him, and he looked up questioningly at Ace.

"Stay hydrated. It'll help."

He nodded, taking the glass with his two hands and sipping from it slowly.

"How's it feel, being back?"

Marco started at his reflection in the water shyly, shifting in place. "...Strange, but nice. I missed it. It was… scary in there."

An arm suddenly wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him into the pirate's side. He didn't protest, leaning into it and finding comfort in Ace's abnormally high body heat. It was familiar-nostalgic-and he found he'd missed it gravely during their time apart.

"Don't worry; we'll make sure you never have to go back there, alright?"

Blue eyes met grey and he smiled, nodding. "I know, yoi." There it was again-that strange, verbal tic. It just flowed freely from his mouth, and he couldn't stop it.

The blond blinked away his thoughts when a plate was set down in front of him, and he looked up to give Thatch an appreciative glance before picking up his utensils and starting to slowly eat. His stomach turned and he couldn't help but feel annoyed with it. All that time it'd been complaining, wanting food, and now that there was a whole plateful in front of him it no longer wanted anything? But he ate anyway-slowly, carefully, so that he didn't make himself sick.

It tasted amazing. As expected from Thatch. He'd always-

Always…

Marco shook his head. He wasn't going to dwell on those out-of-place thoughts; he'd done more than enough of that when he was alone in that place.

"...Thank you, Thatch."

A soft smile graced the redhead's lips. "No problem, kid."

Marco smiled, staying completely still as Izo stood before him, humming as he placed a piece of half-finished clothing against his chest, his eyes narrowed as he carefully measured it.

"Mmm… still a little too small," he noted, placing the fabric on his work desk and retrieving another, this time holding it to his legs.

He'd missed Izo-and the clothes he made. They were always so comfortable, and they fit perfectly, and he hadn't even realized just how much he appreciated the man's efforts until he was stuck with the ill-fitting clothes from before. It felt great to be standing there again, having his measurements taken, old clothes refitted and new ones being made.

The boy's eyes flitted over to Ace who was sitting on a chair in the corner, arms folded over his chest and a smile across his face as he did as Izo had instructed and kept out of the way. They'd stuck together all morning, partially because Marco wasn't sure what to do and partially because Ace made him feel safe. He was the first person the phoenix saw after birth… Maybe that had something to do with it?

It was around noon that Izo found them, and he was more than happy to comply with his request-to lend himself to the man for his current task. He hadn't even noticed that the shirt and shorts he had on were a little too small until it was pointed out to him. They were a significant improvement from before, and he couldn't ask for more.

"Now," Izo started, holding up fabrics in three different colours, "which one do you like best?"

Marco thought for a moment, starting at each before raising to point at the one of the far left. "That one, yoi."

Izo paused at the distinctive verbal tic-everyone did, for some reason-before smiling and nodding at him. "Alright then. Same old Marco."

He tilted his head. "What?"

"It's nothing, little one."

Night fell and Marco was exhausted. That was the most stimulation he'd had in what felt like a long, long time. He'd stuck with Ace throughout the vast majority of daylight hours and followed Thatch during the evening-he even got to help cook dinner, which was a lot of fun, as he'd never done anything like that before, and Thatch said he was a natural which made him proud-and now he found himself clambering up the mast to the crow's nest. It took him a while because of how tired he was, but he eventually managed, peeking his head onto the platform to see Ace staring out at the water.

Marco hefted himself up with a short grunt-perhaps he should have just flown up and saved himself the trouble-and stumbled over to the fire user to stare out beside him. Ace noticed him after a while and smiled, patting his head.

"Hey, kid. Came to keep me company?"

"Mhmm. Thatch is sleeping, yoi."

The pirate snorted, turning back to stare off into the horizon. "Shouldn't you be sleeping, too?"

"I'm not tired," he lied. In truth he was, but he didn't want to rest quite yet. He kept wondering… maybe that was a dream, and if he slept then he'd wake up and everything would be gone, and he'd be back in that cell, his stomach empty, his body weak, and without the company of his family to fight away the silence. That thought scared him, and he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to sleep again because of it.

Ace shrugged, accepting the answer easily, and smiled. Marco couldn't help but match the expression as a light breeze blew past. It felt so comforting, so right that all of his troubles seemed to magically lift from his shoulders. The salty smell of the sea floated along it, and he couldn't help but feel so at home. The ocean had always been his sanctuary. Always.

"...Ace?" he tried, pulling his mouth taut as he watched the waves.

"Hm?"

"...What was I like? Before this?"

Grey eyes snapped his way, locked into him in a wide, unblinking stare. "You…" For a while the commander was quiet, still, just looking at him and causing Marco to squirm nervously. But eventually he broke away, running a hand through his hair as he let out a shivering sigh. "Well… you were, uh, the first division commander. Oyaji's right-hand man."

Marco started at him curiously. He remembered… the first division commander was the one who saved Ace, wasn't he? The 'big brother' Thatch talked about? A small smile crept onto his face as he faced away, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. He… helped, then. That was good.

So he had been right. The man in the picture was…

Ace snorted. "You were older than me. And stronger. More responsible-that's for sure."

Marco leaned forward excitedly. "Really?"

"Yep."

He paused to take that all in. Maybe he'd… remember all of that, eventually. He'd like that. And… he knew he was growing really fast-they'd told him, multiple times. Then maybe he could protect his family, to make up for all they'd done for him. For caring for him, and protecting him, and taking him in even though… he wasn't the same.

Staring at the bright blanket of stars overhead, his smiled broadened. "Ace?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"I… like this family. I missed it, yoi."

Ace returned the expression, ruffling his hair once more. "We miss ya, too, brat."

So this chapter's main purpose was to get Marco used to the crew again. There'll be a little more of that next chapter when we start with the last mini-arc of the story. That's right, we're nearing the end. But after it finishes I may write additional little drabbles on occasion if I get inspiration. Anyways, hope you guys liked that!

To my lovelies~

Ireadtomuch: *pets* Yes, Marco went through a lot. But he'll recover. Physically he's somewhere around... I'd say about 12-13.

Spadenon: Yes, yes he is XD

Magic Morgana: Awe, you're so sweet, I'm sure Marco would appreciate that 3 He isn't getting actual memories back, mostly just feelings, and he knows there was a before but doesn't know what, exactly, that before is. As for the phoenix thing, that'll be touched upon more next chapter. It has to do with him not understanding what devil fruits are, and thinking he's different from everyone else. Yep. Basically because of how fast he was aging and because he had no external stimuli to judge the time by, he couldn't possibly tell how much time passed, and the haze of pain made it even harder, so even though he knows it was 4 days now, it still doesn't feel like it for him. You're very welcome, dear :)

xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx: So am I, actually XD Writing Marco in there was painful :'D

Collette Nicole: Thanks, glad you like it!

Trich: I may have taken a long time coming back from the shit that kept me away, but I won't abandon anything, worry not ;)

Vergina-spva: Thank you for your patience :'D I had to stop writing for a while so there was a big delay, but... I'm back now! I've persevered! Hopefully my readers haven't all moved on by now X'D

Okinawa Angel: Marco deserves all the hugs. You're very welcome, hun :)

Yvonne Park: Physically Marco's around 12-13 now. That'll change quickly, though *cough* And nope, this is the first time in the story's canon :)

Musicmegamaniac: Thank you, you're so sweet ;_; Yes, everyone loves the egg bit XD I missed the yoi, too. I have a story where Marco isn't really, well, Marco, and he doesn't use the verbal tic, and I'm always tempted to put it in XD Don't worry, things'll be a little happier now :'D Kinda depressing, but there'll be more fluff.

Satan-chan: I believe I replied in PM, but in case I didn't, he was talking about Marco as being his first mate and the first person to join his crew, so...

weirdo19745: Yes, there is lots of fluff XD You're welcome~

Blue Foam: I'm really happy to hear you like it, hun! Marco won't ever be exactly the same, he grew up differently, after all, but he's starting to regain some of his former traits. He's still a kid, though, so he's not going to act as himself until he's grown up. You're welcome, hun~

Ahhh I love you guys. I MISSED you guys. Just so much. Reading over all your reviews just now and replying made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside... I'm so happy to be back ;_; Thanks so much for reading!

Adieu~