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chenziee · 2 months

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The Plight of the (not) house cat

This is the second of my pieces for the amazing @opmarcozine! You can find it in the digital add-on 💙

Last chance to grab yourself a copy!

[ READ ON AO3 | KO-FI | COMM INFO ]

—————

The first time it happened, Kotatsu didn't pay it any mind. After all, Ace could hang out with whomever he wanted. The Spade Pirates were now a part of the Whitebeards so it was only right they socialise with them. Kotatsu himself liked to play with some of them… Blamenco in particular was fun, always carrying toys and snacks that he would sneak to Kotatsu when the Spades—especially Deuce—weren't looking.

It was fine for Ace to hang out with the first division commander. Perfectly reasonable.

But was it still reasonable if they were together everyday, every waking hour? Was it still reasonable if Ace seemed to completely forget about everyone else—forget about Kotatsu?

No, he didn't miss his captain and he most definitely wasn't jealous.

Kotatsu simply thought it was unfair. To other people.

He finally reached a breaking point one calm afternoon on the Moby Dick. It was a beautiful day too, just begging for a nap in his favourite corner of the deck—the one that was just secluded enough to give him some peace from the training and fighting people, but still close enough to know if something happened. The sun warmed the wood up all day there as well, making it perfect for the lynx to rest, relax, and enjoy his moment of repose.

But that day, he was shocked and disgusted to find his spot already occupied.

And not only that; it was occupied by the stupid big bird man in his hybrid form, a large book propped up against one of his legs while Ace slept on his lap using a wing as a goddamn blanket. For a moment, Kotatsu could do nothing but stare at the scene with wide eyes and an open mouth, completely frozen in place while the bird flipped a page lazily as if he wasn't completely ruining Kotatsu's day.

That was his spot. His corner, his sun, and his captain. Kotatsu was the one Ace was supposed to nap with, not some ugly blue canary.

Maybe Kotatsu should hunt him for sport one of these days? It was what he deserved.

"Kotatsu? What are you doing?"

Kotatsu didn't even move to acknowledge Skull's confused question. He refused to look away, refused to give up his silent fight. The lynx only swished his tail in annoyance from where he was sitting motionlessly, a few metres away from the… cuddle party, staring intently at the two men in an effort to get them to leave.

"You know you can just join them, right?" Skull asked with something that sounded suspiciously like amusement in his voice.

Kotatsu bristled, an angry hiss that he didn't bother to suppress, escaping him at the very suggestion. Join them? Why the hell should he? Why would he even want to? How preposterous.

Finally, Kotatsu sighed and got up, leaving the two bastards who stole his spot and a smug looking Skull behind in search of a new, nicer spot to nap. As he slowly walked away, however, he came to a decision. He was going to watch this Marco and he was going to make sure Ace remembered where he belonged.

—————

From that day on, Kotatsu made it his mission to keep an eye on his captain. Whenever he sensed there might be foul play at work, he would sniff Ace out… and inevitably find him in the company of that stupid bird. In the bird’s cabin, in Ace’s bunk in the communal cabin, in the kitchen, in the crows nest. The last one was admittedly the worst place by far as Kotatsu, with his four legs and no hands, had no way to get all the way up there—and especially down from there—safely.

Most often, however, they could be found in the infirmary.

Ace would sleep on one of the cots while Marco tended to his patients or they would just chat absentmindedly while Ace sharpened his daggers and Marco worked on the crew’s medical records. Or they would both be on the bed Ace had managed to claim for his own in the few months since they had become a part of the crew.

Just like they were doing right now.

Kotatsu wasn't sure what exactly it was that they were doing but he sure as hell knew he didn’t like it. The bird was resting his back against the headboard with Ace sitting in his lap, the bird’s hands resting on Ace’s thighs with his thumbs rubbing circles into the fabric of his shorts. The captain had one of his hands on the bird’s naked chest, the fingers of the other one tangled in the little hair the bird had left on his stupid, weirdly shaved head.

Their faces were squished together in a way that couldn’t be comfortable in Kotatsu’s opinion. He was pretty sure he saw one of their tongues moving into the other’s mouth and briefly, Kotatsu wondered since when had humans groomed each other.

Not that it mattered to him.

He bristled when he realised neither of them was even going to acknowledge his presence. They didn’t even notice Kotatsu opening the infirmary door and walking inside, nor did they pay it any attention when he meowed in irritation at them. Huffing to himself, Kotatsu looked around the infirmary, his eyes scanning the room carefully until they fell on the cabinet in the back of the room that was full of bottles with herbs, creams, pills, and liquid medications.

A series of loud crashes followed only moments later; glass shattering, shards and contents scattering all over the floor.

“What the—” Ace yelped as he jumped in shock, finally separating himself from the bird.

Said bird wasn’t far behind in his reaction. “What happened?!” he asked with a slight panic in his voice as he whipped his head around to find the source of the sudden noise.

If it were possible for him, Kotatsu would be smirking evilly right then. As it was though, he could only stare the two of them in the eyes when they had finally noticed him sitting proudly next to the cabinet, which was now missing nearly half of its contents thanks to Kotatsu’s handiwork.

“Kotatsu, what the fuck?” Ace asked with exasperation when he managed to process what had happened.

“I hope you realise you’ll be paying for all this, yoi,” Marco told Ace, giving the other man an unimpressed look.

“Why me?!” Ace protested immediately.

A lazy, amused smile appeared on Marco’s face. “He’s your cat. And he can’t very well pay the money back himself.”

“Fuck you.” Ace groaned. “And fuck you, too,” he added, throwing an annoyed look at Koatsu.

Kotatsu only meowed in satisfaction.

—————

To Kotatsu’s horror, the two of them started locking the door after that. That meant Kotatsu was forced to sit in front of the door, complaining loudly and demanding to be let inside. Unfortunately, the door never opened and the single one positive result of this tactic was more pets and treats from the rest of the crew.

However, being reduced to a demanding house cat didn’t sit well with Kotatsu and so, after a while, he stopped trying.

—————

It was about a month of stalking and glaring later that everything changed.

After an ugly run in with a marine fleet, Kotatsu found himself finally allowed into the infirmary again—unfortunately, it was as a patient because of the… minor injury of a broken hind leg he had sustained. He didn’t want to be treated by the stupid bird but since he could barely walk, he could do nothing about it except snarl at him with questionable results and focus on Ace’s warm hand rubbing his ears.

Completely ignoring Kotatsu’s complaints, Marco examined Kotatsu's leg, touching it carefully to gauge the extent and severity of the injury. It didn’t take him long to sigh and nod at one of the nurses, who only nodded back and went to rummage through one of the cabinets.

“Okay, Kotatsu. I have good news and bad news, yoi. Good news, it’s not too serious and will heal quickly. Bad news, I will have to reset the bone so it’s in the right place,” he explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

Kotatsu huffed. He had expected as much; this wasn’t his first fracture, after all. It had happened once before, back when he was kept in the freak show. He still remembered how much the resetting hurt, the pain almost making him pass out. He had never wanted to go through it again… but he supposed at least this time, he had Ace next to him.

“It’s not going to be too bad,” his captain said in a soothing tone when he noticed Kotatsu tensing. “Just sting a little, you big baby.”

Sting? A little?

“Yep,” the nurse, Tate, agreed. “Here I go.”

With wide eyes, Kotasu stared as Tate took a syringe and injected him with something several times around the swollen fracture. This… wasn't what he was expecting. And what he was expecting even less was the numbness that followed—all feeling in the area went away and with it, the pain.

Kotatsu blinked, watching in awe as Marco took an expert hold of his leg… then set it right as if it were nothing and Kotatsu barely felt a thing. It was so different from the freak show treatment that he didn't know how to react.

"See? Not too bad, right?" Marco said with a smile, scratching Kotatsu below the chin briefly. "Now I'm gonna do a quick treatment and Tate will finish you all up, yoi."

Kotatsu chirped in acknowledgement, and only then did Marco nod at him and turned back to his leg. A second later, blue fire crackled in his palm and he slowly, carefully brought it to Kotatsu's injury, letting the fire gently lick at the fur and skin. He waited a moment, gauging Kotatsu's reaction but when the lynx didn't protest, he pushed the flames further.

It was… strange, seeing his leg on fire but not burning. Instead, comfortable warmth spread from the area of the injury, covering his entire leg in the feeling of being huddled into a soft, fluffy blanket in front of a fireplace.

It was surprisingly pleasant; not like the burning heat of Ace's bright red flame. Not like the scorching power that blue flames usually carried. A warm flame, a safe haven, a healing hand.

And Kotatsu had to fight really hard to not start purring.

"There, all done, yoi." Marco nodded in satisfaction when the flames died out. "Tate will wrap the leg up now. No running and jumping around until I say so, understand?" he added with a stern look in Kotatsu's direction.

Kotatsu glared at him, baring his teeth in a voiceless hiss to indicate his annoyance at this treatment. He wasn't stupid, alright?

"Okay, next patient. Take your kitty and go after Tate's done, yoi," Marco said to Ace then.

"Are you kicking me out?" Ace asked in a mock scandalised tone.

Marco huffed out a small laugh. "Yes."

"Asshole." Ace's tone was amused now, obviously fighting back laughter.

"Brat," Marco shot back without hesitation. "I'll see you later."

And when the bird leaned over, pressing his mouth to Ace's in that weird way they sometimes did and that always made Kotatsu bristle and the rest of the crew to tell them to 'get a room,' whatever that meant… Kotatsu was shocked to realise he didn't mind that much anymore.

Maybe the bird wasn't all that bad after all.

—————

"What the hell is going on here?!" Ace asked no one in particular.

In the time since the Spade Pirates had joined the Whitebeard Pirates, he had never once seen Kotatsu and Marco get along. It was always glares and hissing and raised eyebrows and 'Ace, he's sitting on my paperwork again, yoi!'

Nothing, and he meant nothing… could have prepared him for the sight that met him when he walked to the quiet, sunny corner on the Moby Dick's deck. He had expected to find Kotatsu there, ready for a nap and possibly willing to let Ace join him but instead, there Kotatsu was, sleeping soundly while curled up next to Marco.

Marco, whom Kotatsu was ready to eat at the first opportunity, whom the lynx hated and messed around with constantly since they met. Ace had assumed it was because of some cat-and-bird thing but then why did he seem so… comfortable now, huddled under the phoenix’s wing?

It didn't make sense. It was bizarre. It wasn't fair.

That was his spot.

"Ace? Why do you look like you're about to combust?" Skull asked, voice full of confusion as he stopped right behind Ace.

"What—what are they doing?" Ace asked back instead of replying.

"Hm?" Skull hummed. "You mean Kotatsu? Apparently, he likes how warm Marco’s power is.”

Ace didn’t say anything. He simply continued glaring at the scene before him, seething. How dare they? Ace felt like he was being cheated on. By the both of them. At once.

“I feel like I’ve had this conversation already but you do know you can just join them, right?” Skull asked and Ace was positive he had his eyebrows raised under that mask of his.

Asshole.

Shrugging as if it didn’t matter to him, Ace turned on his heel, uttering a simple. “No, thank you.”

As he walked away—while pointedly ignoring Skull’s all too amused laughter—Ace came to a decision; he was going to watch these two and he was going to make sure they damn well remembered who they belonged to.

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