Birds of Feather

Chapter 33: Options

Waking up was rough. The strange sensation of your dream clings to you and it takes you a minute to realize you're even awake at all. The pain in your body is foreign because you didn't feel it while you were in the Library - or the dream Library - and the sheets cling to you in a way that feels too heavy. Like they mean to consume you in retribution.

It takes a moment longer to realize you did not sleep in your bed last night. That the odd feeling of the sheets was because you were in someone else's bed. Confusion shifts to understanding as you piece together the events of the night before. Pain zings through you when you move too quickly and you let yourself sink back into the mattress.

Marco took you to his family's home because it was closer than your home. He'd used his devil fruit's powers to ease your wounds, but it had sapped what was left of your strength. Even so you still hurt, but that was a testament to just how roughly you and Teach had clashed. At the end of things the only thing keeping you moving was adrenaline, and with that gone even rest couldn't stave off the ache of your one-sided fight with Teach.

You stared at the ceiling and wondered idly if he was really dead.

It was true that you didn't know much about your own devil fruit because of your fear of getting caught. You never shared the Library with anyone else, never mind throwing someone in there on their own. You didn't know if that space really would eat someone to incorporate their knowledge or not.

You only even knew you could turn into an owl because you felt the need to do something and had ducked into the Library to test things out. Past actually changing into the shape and changing back, you'd never done anything else.

You'd spent years trying to make sure no one even knew you had a devil fruit, and while that hadn't worked out for you, you'd like to think you at least mitigated the risks.

A soft knock at the door precedes Marco entering. He smiles when he sees you're awake, tray of food in his hands.

"I wasn't sure if you were still sleeping, yoi." He explains, setting the tray down nearby. "And I didn't want to come in without warning." He sits down on the edge of the bed. "How'd you sleep?"

"Well enough." You answer, wincing as you sit up.

"Hey, no, hold on." Marco's hands are on your shoulders, but you shift and give him a reassuring smile and he helps you sit up instead of trying to get you to lay back down.

"I'm just stiff from sleeping." You reassure him. "I mean, things still ache, but nothing feels too bad."

"After you eat we'll need to change your bandages anyway."

You start to remind him he's a veterinarian, and then you remember that he spent years as the doctor on an Emperor's ship. "What time is it?"

"Close to ten," he answers, setting the tray across your lap. "It was after one when we got back here, yoi. Ivan wants you to call him once you're up for it. He's been coordinating with Vista about getting us to Drop Island without anyone noticing."

"Vistaaaah- ah, one of your many brothers." You nod as you begin eating. "I remember you talking about him. I..." You stop, looking down at your food. "You never mentioned Teach, I really should've known better."

"I should've told you about him." Marco insists, sitting at the end of the bed. "I knew he was focused on his goal, but I didn't think it was going to be to such an extent."

You shake your head. "With how everything came together for him, it was probably for the best it unfolded the way it did. I don't want to think about how poorly things could've gone if they'd happened differently."