"Do you know what's happening here?" Ace whispered to Thatch.

"No idea." The eldest replied.

Sabo passed through quietly with a sleeping Luffy on his back.

"He's totally stealing my friend." Ace pouted watching you grip Marco's shirt in your sleep.

The two of you ended up lying down completely on the sofa. Marco had one arm draped around your shoulders while the other was tucked between the side of his head and the couch. Your face was buried in his chest while you seemed to clutch his shirt for dear life.

"Will you shut up yoi." Marco whispered, eyes still shut, "She's finally actually sleeping."

"I'll take her to her room." Thatch crossed the room while Marco gently uncoiled your death grip on his clothes.

You stirred and grimaced as you were lifted away from your heat source and carried down the hall to your room under the stairs.

"What time is it?" You yawned as Thatch placed you on your mattress.

"Close to midnight." He replied, "You crashed on the couch. Try to get some more rest."

He pulled your blanket up to your chin.

"You're such a good mom Thatchy." You gave him a cheeky smile.

"And you're an awful child." He brushed your hair out of your face and stood, "G'night F/N."

"Night." You murmured rolling over in search of warmth.

You'd managed to sleep the entire day away. For a moment you wondered what Marco had been up to all afternoon and felt a bit guilty for falling asleep. It was much needed though. You hadn't managed more than two hours at a time every night for the last few weeks. Waking up angry or sad and pacing or reading until it was time to get ready for work.

Worse, you had no appetite. Thatch had tried to remedy that with making your favorite things but just a few nibbles and you were done.

Two years didn't seem like much to most people, maybe not long enough to be this depressed. But it was a brightly burning passionate relationship - or so you'd been lead to believe. You had stayed up late with each other making plans, a house, marriage, little curly browed babies - the whole nine. And poof it was gone.

Stupid.

That did it. You were wide awake now.

The door slowly creaked open and softly shut as bare feet padded across the faux wood floor.

"Ace...did you not learn from this morning?" You asked sternly.

"I knew you were awake." He whispered rolling into the bed with you.

"What do you think you're doing?" You flopped over to face him.

"Marco is trying to steal you from me." His face was dead serious.

"Well firstly, I don't know what that means. And B. I don't belong to you." You jabbed your index finger into his chest.

"You were my friend first!" His bottom lip jutted out.

"We're still bff's. I'm not understanding the issue." You furrowed your brows.

"Well you went straight to him this morning and you guys were pretty cozy on the couch."

"I did not and what?" You remembered leaning on him before you passed out but surely he didn't sit there all day with you.

"Yeah... You were all curled up on him when we got home." His lips curled into a mischievous grin as he scanned your bewildered expression, "That sneaky fuck."

"What?" You felt your cheeks heat up.

"Nothing." He sat up, "Wanna play a game?"

"Ok... But something I'm good at." You slipped out of bed and turned on the TV and game system.

___________

"Hey F/N." Marco knocked stirring you, "Have you seen or heard from Ace?"

"Present." Ace mumbled dangling halfway off your bed.

The door swung open and Marco marched over to the raven plucking him up by his shirt collar.

"Wha?!" Ace sputtered his ruby eyes snapping open as his own body weight worked against him.

"Why can't you let F/N alone yoi? She told you not to come in here yesterday." The blond scolded, stopping when he heard you laugh.

Not sarcastic chuckles or fake airy laughs you'd been famous for as of late. It was a good hardy laugh that echoed off the walls as Ace fought his way out of his brother's grip. Marco turned to you his half lidded eyes widened enough for you to see his clear blue irises.

"Sorry..." You started, catching your breath, "I couldn't get back to sleep so we played video games all night."

Ace gave Marco a smug glare before the blond dropped him to the floor.

"That's fucked up F/N, you didn't even try to help me." The raven stood with a pout.

"Quit being a baby yoi."

"He's just jealous." You stretched, "He thinks you're trying to steal me."

Marco turned back to his younger brother ears slightly flushed and murmured something you couldn't hear.

"No way!" The freckled male protested.

"Hey, you guys bicker somewhere else. I wanna get in the shower."

Marco stalked out catching Luffy as he raced toward your door.

"She needs a bit yoi."

Ace deflated shoulders slumping and followed his brothers out.

"What's on the agenda today?" You asked emerging from your room.

"I was going to go to the store for Thatch while he's at work." Sabo replied from the sofa.

"Mind if I tag along?" You plopped down next to him.

"Me too!" Ace and Luffy called from the floor eyes still glued to the tv.

"We can all go I guess?" Sabo stood and grabbed his keys.

The five of you piled into Sabo's jeep. Luffy sandwiched himself between you and Marco in the back seat because Ace cheated and called shotgun from the kitchen.

The moment you arrived at the store it was chaos. Luffy climbed into a cart that Ace was recklessly steering.

"We're adults right?" You bumped Marco's arm.

"Some things never change yoi." He smirked.

Sabo split the list between himself and you agreeing to meet up at the checkouts in 20 minutes. Ace took off running hopping onto the bottom rack of the cart and riding it through the store nearly missing a child and a display of cans.

"No wonder you always look tired and Thatch has gray hairs." You chuckled to the older brother.

"Say that to his face." Marco laughed.

You could hear Luffy's cackle three aisles over.

"We're gonna get kicked out aren't we."

"Not if we hurry and pretend they don't belong to us yoi." He took control of the cart while you guided him through the aisles.

It didn't take too long for you to gather the items Thatch had scribbled down.

"I think that's it." You crossed the last item off triumphantly.

"I have to get one more thing from the pharmacy."

"I don't want to be with you when you buy condoms." You joked.

"Shut it." He deadpanned, "I'm not getting condoms."

You followed him down the pain reliever aisle to an end cap that was stocked with nicotine gum.

"He chooses life!" You snaked your arms around his torso pressing your forehead into his back as he reached for a sweet mint flavored pack.

"You said it was gross right?" He cleared his throat making you retract your arms.

A loud crash echoed through the neighboring houseware department.

"We gotta get outta here."