This story only has one chapter left, and I'm not sure what to post to fill this space. I'd rather keep only three crossovers being posted at a time, so the next story won't be another crossover. Anyways, warning for a possibly upsetting scene. Enjoy~


"That was a very thoughtful gift, Ace," Sabo said as they all sat around the small coffee table at Koala's apartment. "I… I wish that I could forgive him like you have, because he does seem genuinely regretful and repentant. But I just can't."

"Sabo, I never asked you to. I just told you how our Christmas went," Ace said simply. He roasted another marshmallow over the little grill. It was way too cold outside to roast marshmallows, so Koala's gift to Sabo was the portable, high quality burner that was easy to roast marshmallows and other deserts on. So, they were roasting marshmallows in the warm confines of the living room.

A storm was outside, making the windows raddle. Not exactly white snow on Christmas morning. More like angry hail. They had light Christmas music playing. There was no Christmas tree, but there were lights and the tiny pile of presents.

Deuce and Koala didn't say anything about Ace and Sabo's exchange. "Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I probably wouldn't forgive him, either," Ace said honestly. "You're my brother and he hurt me. I understand how you feel. I'm not mad at you or holding a grudge." Sabo smiled softly and nodded.

Ace hoped Marco was having an acceptable Christmas. He'd check on him later. For now, he enjoyed his brother and his friends, playing card games once they were too full of smores. Well, once they ran out of supplies. Ace went to bed early, sleeping on Koala's couch since the storm was too bad for him to drive back in the dark. Luckily he brought his pills.

When he woke up, he was paralyzed and whimpered about it in fear. Sabo and Koala were in the bedroom, so Ace had to deal with it, making calming breaths even as he was trapped and imobile. After a minute or so, it faded and he was able to sit up. Deuce was showering in the single bathroom.

The four of them had had a sleep over due to the violent Christmas storm. Ace had a text when he checked his phone that someone had plugged into the charger thoughtfully. Merry Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas. I hope you had a good Christmas eve?

Not really.

I'm sorry. :(

Yeah. It's fine, the one I had with just you was perfect. Ace sent back a smiley emoji. He ate breakfast with his brother and friends before he scraped the ice off of his car windshield and made his way home. It was a three hour drive, so he definitely wouldn't have made it last night. The road was slippery, so he drove slower than usual.

All of the other cars on the freeway were as well. But there were the few reckless idiots, who stayed in the left lane and put everyone else in danger. He was at a stop light when a car came driving up behind him. Ace, being an AI, didn't need to fear for his life like humans did, so he was able to tell, in the split second, that this driver was going to crash into him. And he did.

Ace held onto the wheel tightly, closing his eyes, thinking he'd just spin out, and not start rolling over, the car crumpling around him. Once the car stilled and the scraping sounds ended, still slippery on the black ice, he thought it was over until another car crashed into his, which crashed into another, and then another.

A total of nine car pile up, Ace's taking most of the damage. He was so glad nobody else was in the car with him or he'd be laying next to a dead body. He could tell his leg arm had been crushed, the wires and vessels leaking all over the rest of him. He could feel a part of his face was damaged, too.

He tried to get out of the car, but he was trapped underneath other cars. Blood got in his eye. The blood in an AI isn't actually blood, but a sort of nutritious fuel that smells and looks like blood. It's what kept them "alive". He heard screaming and crying. Wishing he could see something, anything, he heard more and more cars crash.

This happened before. After a snowstorm, a car pile up would happen, many cars spinning out or slamming into others. He tried his best to unbuckle his seat belt, but it was to no avail. His phone was completely destroyed, broken in half and shattered completely. He had no way of calling for help.

The AI tried his hardest to not think about the human corpses that were no doubt in the cars around him. He hoped the guy that was speeding and hit him get injured, too. Or at least their car totaled so they couldn't be let off easy. He struggled to free himself, and finally the seatbelt snapped, which was alarming, as a seat belt was not meant to break, letting him hit the roof of the car beneath him.

He tried crawling through the glass and splintered metal. His leg was pinned, though, so he couldn't get out all the way. He was so glad he didn't feel any pain, just stiffness and discomfort. Not actual pain. But he was okay. He'd be repaired and just fine. His brain was intact, and his torso was whole.

It took over two hours for him to get help. He was the last to get it, being the center of the wreck. The sounds of dozens of ambulances and police cars echoed around the frozen highway. Finally, somebody pulled him out, helping him. "Thank god you're an AI," the EMT worker said. Ace agreed, though he was exhausted. He was lead to the group of ambulances for AIs and bots. There were two other AIs, both of them in similar states as Ace. He did his best to not look at the bodies being taken out of the crushed cars around the main pile up.

He and everyone else were driven to the nearest hospital, separated between the human emergency room and the AI ER. They got to working on the AI's damaged bodies immediately. This was serious enough that Rayleigh would not be doing the repairs. He was awake the whole time as his body was repaired.

It took seven hours and once he was done, he used a phone to call Sabo. He was frantic, having seen the car crash. Ace's car was memorable. A bright red color with a ton of stickers on the back. It was crumpled to nothing now. Luckily he had good insurance. "Hey. Sorry to worry you. I'm okay now, I've been repaired."

"What they hell happened?!" Sabo demanded, tears in his voice, very clear. So Ace explained the nightmare situation. He was just so glad nobody else had been in the car. Sabo sighed in relief, saying he'd never been so relieved that his brother was an AI.

"Me, too," Ace sighed. "I'll need a new car. I guess I'll take the bus before I buy another one." Sabo said he wished he could drive him. "Well, I could always just rent a car. That would be the easiest. I'll buy a new one and then collect the insurance money." He sighed. "It was scary, but I was also calm because I knew I'd survive."

Sabo said he was so relieved. They talked for awhile before Ace called Deuce and then Marco. Both had freaked out about it, but Ace was able to sooth them so they knew he was fine, he wasn't dead and he had been repaired. Marco had confessed that he would never know why he was mad about him being an AI. "It saved your life, I will always be thankful. I love you."

"I love you, too. Sure is a nice late present for Christmas," Ace complained, though with humor in his voice. "Can I see you soon?"

"Absolutely."

After he took an Uber back home, the price being incredibly expensive, he had himself dropped off at the airport where he rented a cheap car that wasn't too pricey but was also safe. Not that he really needed that. He'd survived being the heaviest hit in a huge car pile up.

He drove home, and crashed on the couch, finally the fear catching up with him as he sobbed into his pillow. He heard a knock on the door, and got up to open it, seeing it was Marco. He opened the door, and the taller man walked forward and hugged him, resting his cheek on his head.

"You're okay, Ace. Safe and unhurt," Marco soothed. Ace cried that it had been so scary. They walked in, closing the door behind them. Marco just rubbed his back while sitting on the couch.

"If someone had been with me, they'd be dead," he cried. "They're so fragile. People were dead." Marco was quiet and just let him talk while he made soft shushing noises that ended up putting Ace to sleep, probably knowing this worked. Sometimes it was good that he knew things about him.

Small things, like his favorite foods or favorite music. Not things that made him feel uncomfortable about not remembering. When he woke up, he was tucked into bed. He heard Marco in the living room, not having left him. He pulled the blankets off of him and walked into the living room.

He had his phone in his hand, the TV not on or anything, not wanting to wake Ace up, most likely. He put his phone down and gave Ace a warm smile. The younger walked to the couch and sat next to him, leaning against his shoulder. They put on a movie, and just relaxed. He was glad school had not started up again.

Ace need at least a couple days of emotional recovery from the terrible experience. Once Marco left after dinner, Ace felt so much better than he did when he first got home. After awhile, he got a text. Talk to me if you need. You can always talk to me.

I know, and I will. Ace was in love with Marco again. Again for Marco, but the first time for Ace. He liked it being the first time, he was experiencing it all as a new thing, and it was wonderful. He got what he wanted. To feel how he did in the photos from before. He still had a lot to grow with him, but he knew it would work out. Marco had no reason to leave him other than the AI "problem". But now, that one was out of the picture. And Marco never once looked impatient when Ace no doubt repeated himself and just couldn't realize.

He just looked at Ace like he was a god, shining bright with him. He always had so much love and fondness in his eyes. It made Ace feel completely special. He felt both of them barely had to try. It just came so naturally.

-x-

Marco noticed a another difference between the old Ace and this one. The previous Ace was all about passion. Making out everywhere, not caring about reactions of others. After the first time they made love, Ace was initiating it a lot of the time. Usually Marco was the more sensual one, Ace the sweeter one though he still enjoyed random romps.

This Ace was all about soft kisses, cuddles, hand holding. He had no problem with it, but it really was different. But, it was sweeter. Soft kisses, embraces. They felt more intimate, almost. He felt they showed more love than the passionate side he had had those many months ago. If was refreshing for something to be different. Really reminding him that it was different this time around.

He said nothing about the change. Even if he hadn't liked it, he'd never say that. Never, because he loved this Ace as much as the previous. The digital picture frame was loaded with new pictures, and he enjoyed sitting on the couch sometimes and just watching the new memories go by.

After four months of dating, four months of talking, cuddling, going on long, cold walks, going sledding in the snow, a ski resort that Ace was terrified of but had fun regardless, snorkeling together, countless dates at their favorite coffee shop, everything was just magical. And after those four months, when they were at Marco's apartment, they made the next step.

At first, Marco was the one to start it, gently pressing Ace into the couch, kissing him and then laying his head against the artificial heart that beat just like a human's, but when Ace started to pull Marco's shirt up, he worried. He didn't know how Ace would react. Their first time last time was fast and heated. This time, Ace was hesitant to just pull Marco's shirt off. He sat up and took it off for him. Ace had shaking hands as he took his own shirt off.

"Baby, you don't need to do anything you're uncomfortable with," Marco said both hands brushing thumbs across his cheeks. Ace looked down, face red.

"I know it's nothing special for you. To you, we've done it before. I'm just nervous. What if I'm not good at it like you remember me being?" Ace confessed, sounding ashamed.

Marco kissed his forehead. "Everything we do together, even if its just drinking coffee, is very special to me. Everything. You'll always be breathtaking, even if I've seen you like that before. You're always beautiful to me. And this is your first time. I have no unreasonable expectations. I just want you to be comfortable and enjoy it. And if you're not ready, then you're not ready. Even if you never wanted to do it, I would still love you with all my heart."

"Promise?" Ace asked quietly, eyes searching Marco's.

"I swear on all that I am, and all I will ever be," he said completely honestly, with a true smile. Ace smiled in relief, believing his lover fully. He moved forward, but was self-conscious the whole time until Marco really looked at him. Still toned, perfectly tan, all of the freckles he knew covered his body.

He'd counted them once. "Beautiful," Marco said, making Ace blush and his body relax a bit. Marco carried him to the bedroom, gently laying him on the bed. Marco knew what to do, how to do it, and what Ace liked. He made it the most special first time that he could, knowing every detail of his body, taking the lead but still letting him tell him if he wanted to stop.

He didn't, and Ace's second first time went better than the original first time. Marco knew Ace well, and there was no discomfort. They fell asleep together under the blankets, Marco kissing his sweaty forehead before falling asleep with his head over Ace's heart. His very human heart.

-x-

Ace sat with Marco in his big apartment, going through flashcards for Ace's midterm for his second semester of his private college. He was getting everything right, but was still worried. He'd memorized everything perfectly. Knew the answer to all of the practice questions, but he was still worried. He already had a 102% in this botany class, but he couldn't help but worry it would drop below 100%.

Marco didn't tease him about being an overachiever, instead praised him on his dedication. So, after days of flashcards, practice quizzes, practice essays, the midterm came. For all of his classes, he had a feeling he did well. But that one botany class, he felt the test was the hardest. Though he went over every question three times, reading through the essay over and over, he turned it in, leaving the room with a worried mind.

He stayed up right up until his bed time, finally able to see the grades. Since the classes were relatively small, the teachers graded much faster than at his community college. He got an A on everything! He cheered loudly before taking his pills and flopping onto his bed, relieved and relaxed.

Spring break was starting that weekend, and Ace had no plans. Marco did, however. They were celebrating Ace's success with some pizza and apple cider in his apartment on the floor. "I have a present for your success on your tests." Ace raised his brows in question. Marco handed him an envelop.

Ace opened it and saw a plane ticket to Hawaii, and brochures for all scuba diving practices, shark diving, swimming with dolphins, exploring the reefs. Every diving activity you could think of. Ace looked up at him with wide eyes. Marco was beaming. "What do you say?" Ace smiled a huge grin and hugged him.

"Yes! It'll be so fun!" Ace exclaimed. He was teary, so thankful Marco would do this for him. The blonde told him that he could pay for the hotel and car fees before he offered to pay for some of the activities.

"This is my present to you. You're not paying for any of it," Marco said brightly. Ace slept over that night, like he often did on the weekends, sleeping on his chest like he liked to do. Marco liked it, too. He usually played with Ace's hair at bed time. And he never complained at the semi-early bed time of 10:30. It was nice waking up with him being there when Ace was paralyzed. He always got him through the scary moments, always made him breakfast after that.

Sabo and Deuce were so happy with his opportunity to go to Hawaii and take advantage of all of the marine life there. They still hadn't forgiven Marco, and both he and Ace accepted it long ago. Marco only hoped one day they could forgive him, but he didn't expect it any time soon.