Au Taste : Chapter 2 (Sabo x Ace x Marco x Reader)

Chapter 2

“Oy! Anyone in there?”

Sabo jerked away from the hand waving in his face in surprise, “What!?”

“Your marshmallow was on fire, but I think it’s disintegrated into burnt sugar particles by now,” his brother Ace informed him dryly, “Which wouldn’t have happened if you responded the first time I called your name.”

“Oh, sorry,” Sabo acknowledged, glancing at the end of the stick he’d been using to toast marshmallows for s’mores and finding nothing but faint charred remains on the end of it. Absently he wondered if it was worth it to try to make another one before deciding he wasn’t hungry and throwing the stick into the campfire to burn. Watching the stick slowly turn to ash he absently wondered how (name) was doing back at the Blood House.

After she’d left last week he’d confronted Thatch on why Hannah had winked at him, concerned and feeling more than a bit protective of his new friend. However Thatch had refused to tell him anything until he’d given some information first.

The redheaded vampire wanted to know exactly what had gone down in the booth she’d been sitting at because it smelled like blood and piss, and if he knew any details on why (name) was so protective of her friend.

Deciding that getting the information he wanted would be worth the trade he hadn’t spared any detail. He’d told his fellow vampire all about the government dog, Spandam, and how the pretty human woman had been completely unafraid of both him and of Sabo despite seeing how strong he was, along with being so immune to Spandam’s thrall that she could actually smell it.

Both he and Thatch had been impressed by her bravery, as humans tended to get upset or afraid when vampires had confrontations in their vicinity. This particular human though had not only stood her ground, but maintained her wits and sharp tongue, along with proving she truly was capable of protecting herself landing a few hits of her own when the vampire attacked her. Even if the vampire in question was a weakling, it was still incredibly impressive for a human.

Thatch had then admitted that he and Hannah had actually talked a bit about (name) too, as he was curious about the overprotective friend who had come with his feeding partner for the evening. He hadn’t gotten too many details, far more interested in the pretty and very sweet girl offering her blood, but what he had gotten was that the two were very close.

Apparently the two girls had known each other a long time, since grade school, and had been good friends since their very first meeting. Of the two of them (name) was the stronger one, but also the less trusting one, and it had been very obvious that Hannah respected and cared for (name) a lot. She’d admitted she considered the other girl family with ease.

Sabo then told Thatch what he had gleaned from (name) about why she was so protective of her friend. To say Thatch was livid was an understatement. Sabo didn’t actually know the Whitebeard coven member well, but the one thing he did know, thanks to Ace, was that the man was laidback to a fault. If he was getting this worked up over Hannah’s treatment, it was either because he liked her a whole hell of a lot, or because he felt very strongly about the proper treatment of humans.

Sabo got the feeling it was a bit of both, and after Thatch had calmed down some they discussed keeping an ear out for any information regarding the vampire who’d almost inadvertently gotten Hannah killed. Thatch mused that maybe between himself and his mate Izo they could wheedle it out of her when she came back next week.

Sabo had been more than a little surprised that the other vampire was bringing his notoriously picky mate to meet a human, but Thatch had gotten a strange, surprisingly soft look on his face, and insisted that Hannah was something special, and he was sure Izo would like her.

Part of Sabo, the part that always liked to know everything, was wondering if Thatch’s being here in the first place, and now bringing Izo in meant the rumors were true and the couple was looking for a third. He didn’t dare ask though, partly out of respect for the other vampire and partly because if Ace ever found out he was prying into the love lives of his friends his fiery brother would wreak supreme vengeance.

He came to regret that shortly thereafter though as Thatch began to tease him about (name). Apparently he’d caught on to Sabo’s embarrassment, and admiration for the woman and was not above taking ruthless advantage and teasing the hell out of him.

It had taken a lot of ribbing, but eventually Sabo had, had enough and confessed to liking her, a lot, which was strange as they’d only spoken briefly. Thatch had warned him if he liked her he better call dibs quick, because even in the short interaction with her he could tell she was something special, something interesting.

Of course in order to rile Sabo even further he’d admitted that the thing (friend name) had been asking him not to forget was to bring along a friend for (name) to meet and talk to next week. He’d been warned that (name) would in all likelihood not allow this vampire to feed on her, but Hannah hadn’t wanted her to be lonely.

Plus apparently (name) had never actually been fed on by a vampire before. Hannah had told Thatch it was partly because it was hard for (name) to trust people, and partly because she hadn’t found the right vampire. Hannah had also admitted sadly that she thought maybe part of (name’s) refusal was because of some of Hannah’s bad experiences.

She’d been desperately hoping to introduce (name) to a nice, preferably male, vampire, and finally get her to try the feeding thing. Thus she’d asked Thatch if he had any friends who might be willing to get to know (name) well enough to convince her to try.

That was before they’d realized that (name) had met Sabo, and Thatch had wondered if she might call it off, but apparently she was still moving forward with it. Since Thatch had agreed to it already, and it was what Hannah wanted he was not going to be backing out despite knowing now that Sabo was interested.

Sabo had insisted he wasn’t just interested in her blood, he liked her and wanted to know her. She was a bit of a puzzle and he’d always had a bit of a weakness for puzzles.

Thatch had been somewhat sympathetic, but not enough to change his mind. He’d told Sabo that he’d been looking to find a mate for several of his coven brothers for a long time now, being a self-proclaimed match-maker. The Whitebeard coven was pretty notorious for the number of single males it held, largely in part because they were so picky.

He’d admitted that (friend name) had been so intriguing to him that he would’ve brought along the best for her friend either way, but upon actually meeting said friend and hearing what Sabo had told him about her he was actually starting to hope one of them would take a genuine interest in her.

Sabo hadn’t been pleased with that, and could admit to himself it was because he, like all vampires was more than a bit possessive especially of his pretty new friend, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now, only hope, rather selfishly, that (name) didn’t like whoever Thatch had brought for her to meet, and that she would still be interested in meeting with him the week after.

The thought of seeing her again, brought a surge of nervous anticipation, coupled embarrassment. He really hoped she had liked him as much as he liked her. She’d called him a white knight hadn’t she? Girls liked that kind of thing, didn’t they? It…

“Alright that’s it!” the frustrated cry pulled him from his musings and brought his attention to his brother just in time to get his guard up a bit as Ace launched himself at him. Seeing their fight their younger brother Luffy, never one to be left out, immediately joined in to make it a free-for-all.

The resulting tussle between them resulted in several bruises, a couple of knocked down trees, and an almost accident with the campfire, but at the end of it all three were satisfied, panting for breath and exhausted as they lay in a circle, heads together, in the center of a clearing that they were going to be camping in for the night.

“Now are you going to tell us what the hell is going on with you?” Ace demanded from his spot on the ground.

“What?” Sabo asked confused.

“Don’t be stupid, even Luffy’s noticed something’s on your mind besides hanging out with us,” Ace snapped annoyed.

“Sabo’s been daydreaming all day! You didn’t even notice when I took your hotdogs and you burnt your marshmallow!” Luffy chimed in anxiously.

“It’s nothing,” Sabo told them, feeling warm at their concern, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Too late,” Ace bit out with a frustrated huff.

“Come on Sabo! Brothers shouldn’t keep secrets from each other,” Luffy insisted with a worried frown, “Right Ace?”

“That’s right Lu,” Ace confirmed shooting Sabo a vindicated look, knowing that if Luffy was now insisting then Sabo would have to cave. After all a concerned Luffy, while sweet, could also be terribly annoying.

“I told you it’s nothing,” Sabo insisted, then heaved a sigh, “It’s just… I met someone the other night at the Blood House at the central district.”

“Human or vampire?” Ace asked interestedly, propping himself up on his elbows so he could see his blond brother better.

“Human, a woman,” Sabo admitted.

“So?” Luffy asked curiously, “It’s just a woman.”

“She’s not just a woman!” Sabo snapped immediately, then flushed and groaned as both his brothers gaped at him in surprise.

“She was special okay? And interesting,” he admitted covering his face with his hands.

“Interesting how?” Ace prompted suspiciously.

Knowing neither brother would let it go now the whole story spilled from his lips, about meeting her, and his conversation with Ace’s coven mate Thatch after.

“So Thatch thought she was interesting too?” Ace asked really intrigued now. Neither Sabo nor Thatch took an interest in specific humans very often.

“Her friend Hannah more than her, but yes her too,” Sabo rejoined tiredly.

“Huh, I guess that’s why he asked me if I wanted to go to the Blood House today, and here I thought he was just anxious about Izo meeting the girl he found,” Ace mused aloud.

“He asked you?!” Sabo demanded shocked.

“Oy! I will have you know that I am a catch,” Ace informed him with a smirk, “Now I’m almost sorry I had to say no, though.”

“Do you know who he took?” Sabo asked completely ignoring the previous statement.

“No, probably Jizo, Vista or Haruta though. They’re the ones looking for mates right now,” Ace told him with a shrug before eyeing him interestedly, “You’re actually really anxious about this girl huh?”

Sabo said nothing, but the pink tinge to his cheeks gave him away as he refused to meet Ace’s eyes.

“I wanna meet (name),” Luffy announced suddenly, surprising both his brothers, “I wanna see an interesting human too.”

“I don’t think…” Sabo began, trying to discourage him without hurting his feelings, not wanting (name) to be bombarded by his overenthusiastic little brother just yet.

“That’s a great idea Lu!” Ace butted in eagerly a teasing grin on his face, which had never really lost the vicious edge it had held since childhood, not that Sabo could say anything as he knew his was just as bad.

“When did you say you were meeting her again? Next Saturday right?” Ace mused a wicked twinkle in his eye, “I’m not doing anything then. How about you Luffy?”

“Nope!” Luffy chirped eagerly, “Don’t think so.”

“I would really…” Sabo tried one last time.

“Okay it’s settled!” Ace interrupted cheerfully, “We meet next week at the Blood house, to meet Sabo’s new friend.”

Sabo groaned as Luffy cheered his agreement in the background, burying his head in his hands. He just hoped (name) would forgive him for unleashing his two brothers on her without warning, and still want to talk to him afterwards.

…~oO*Oo~…

“I really don’t see why all this was necessary,” (name) complained to Hannah unhappily, tugging at the skirt she’d been forced to wear, “You’re the one trying to impress Thatch’s mate not me.”

“Thatch told me that Izo is very fashion forward and stylish,” Hannah rejoined instantly, “And I really want him to like me and since you’re my friend what you wear reflects on me too. Are you really sure I look okay?”

(Name) eyed her friend thoroughly, looking to see if anything was out of place, knowing that Hannah wouldn’t be satisfied with a simple ‘you look fine.’ Her friend was wearing a sea foam green dress with a sweetheart neckline and ruffled skirt that fell to her knees. Around her waist was a pale green band that emphasized her small waist. The neckline was very vogue right now because while the actual neckline was sweetheart, above that it had a sheer piece of lace that fastened around her neck, giving a teasing view of the skin beneath.

The color was one they both agreed went nicely with her chin length straight honey blond hair and cornflower blue eyes. They’d gone with a slightly smoky eye in a subtle gold color to emphasize the warm color of her skin, and compliment the light pink gloss she wore on her lips.

For accessories she had gold bangles on her wrist, and pretty fawn colored flats. In her ears she wore simple diamond studs, and she had a small over the shoulder fawn colored purse to match her shoes. She looked good, and Thatch and his mate Izo had better approve or she would be having words with them.

“You look great Hannah,” she assured her, “Izo will definitely approve.”

Hannah looked back at her, inspecting her in turn. She had somehow allowed herself to be talked into a skirt. She’d argued for pants, trying to use the Spanda guy’s attack on her last time as an excuse, but Hannah was hearing none of it, insisting on the tight black pencil skirt. Luckily in compromise she’d been allowed to wear her knee high black boots, though Hannah had raised a skeptical eyebrow at the three-inch heels, trying to throw her argument about being able to fight back at her.

Hannah had quickly eaten those words though, as she proved more than capable of fighting in those heels, doing a backflip to prove her point. She’d nearly ripped the skirt in the process though, and Hannah had thrown a fit, while she pouted at the missed opportunity.

On top she was wearing a shimmery silver long sleeved top that flowed nicely around her and felt silky smooth on her skin. It was very modestly cut in the front, but from the back, not so much. Outside of the thick piece of stretch knit material that held the shirt down around her hips, a small loop around her neck and the back parts of her billowing sleeves her back was entirely bare, which made her feel very exposed.

However it made Hannah happy, so she wasn’t about to complain. Her thick curly brown hair was held up and away from her neck in a high messy bun, and her blue-grey eyes were outlined in black to give them extra pop. On her lips she wore the same pale pink gloss as her friend.

For accessories she wore small silver hoops, along with small diamond studs in the two other piercings in her earlobes, and another in the cartilage on her right ear. In her hand she carried a small black clutch that held her phone and money.

All in all she felt very fashionable and more than a bit wary, knowing she looked like she was there to let a vampire feed on her. For Hannah’s sake though, she resigned herself to a night fending off creeps who wouldn’t take no for an answer. To that end she had several daggers hidden on her person, not that Hannah knew that.

“You look good too (name) we’ll definitely knock them dead,” Hannah said confidently as they paid their entry fee to the bored looking vampire at the door and headed inside.

“Look there they are!” Hannah hissed into her ear, pulling her from her thoughts and gesturing to a table near the back. She noted with amusement that it was actually the same spot she’d been in last time before Spanda had bugged her, standing in front of the booth.

Glancing over the occupants she immediately recognized Thatch, the pompadour was pretty unmistakable. He was again wearing a nice white button down and black slacks. The person he was sitting with was a surprise though.

He had a very strange haircut, with all but the top of his head shaved, the blonde tufts of hair on the top sticking up everywhere. He was wearing a long sleeved purple shirt rolled to the elbows, it was completely open, exposing a muscular torso with the symbol of the Whitebeard Coven tattooed over an impressively toned chest and abs.

On his legs he wore loose dark blue capris, with a lighter blue sash tied around his waist emphasized by a heavy golden belt. On his feet he wore what looked like old fashioned straw sandals that laced up his shins and an odd band around his right shin that reminded her of a hula skirt.

She immediately grabbed her friends arm to halt their progress and hissed incredulously, “That’s Izo? Fashion conscious, gorgeous Izo?”

Yes the man was attractive, at least from this distance, but in no way would she call any of what he was wearing ‘fashion forward.’

“No!” Hannah hissed back when she saw who she was indicating, giving her an ‘are you an idiot’ look, “That’s Izo in the booth!”

(Name) glanced back and saw the two men had shifted aside revealing a third man, and she had to double take to actually make sure he was a man, giving his chest a very thorough glance just to make sure. Even then she wasn’t sure because Izo was obviously the most beautiful man she’d ever seen in her life. His long black hair was piled elegantly on his head, his make-up was immaculate, and he was wearing the most recent designer kimono to come out of the Doskoi Panda line.

“Well damn,” was all she could think to say, until she registered again that there were three men there instead of the promised two.

“And who’s the blond then?” she asked suspiciously, turning her wary gaze on her friend.

“Who knows?” Hannah told her faux casually, “Only one way to find out though!”

(Name) allowed herself to be dragged forward, quietly plotting revenge. She’d known Hannah too long to think she didn’t have something to do with this. Unfortunately it was too late to back out now. Especially since Thatch had obviously spotted them and was waving and grinning widely in their direction.

“Well, well, looks like my two favorite human women have arrived at last,” he moved forward to happily sweep Hannah into a warm embrace, lingering slightly, and whispering something in her ear that made her giggle, before turning to a shocked (name) and hugging her too before she could protest.

“This is my beautiful mate Izo,” Thatch told them gesturing to the dark haired vampire, who’d stood on their arrival to greet them. Izo quickly shook hands with both of them, eyeing them both rather boredly, though he seemed to be more focused on Hannah.

“And this is our good friend Marco,” he finished gesturing to the blond, who also shook their hands.

Up close she noticed his face was rather long, and his eyes were heavy lidded, giving him a slightly bored look naturally, combined with his thick lips and slight scruff it made him more rugged than traditionally handsome. Not that it made him any less attractive.

There was also an air about him that made her a bit wary. He was strong, very strong. She’d been trained to notice such things, and while she’d noticed Thatch and Izo were very strong for vampires as well, this one was on a whole other level from them.

“Izo and Marco, these are my new friends Hannah and (name),” he told them finishing out the introduction.

“Nice to meet you,” Hannah chirped happily to both of them, while (name) simply nodded politely.

“I figured we could all chat for a while and get to know one another better, so (name) won’t have to worry as much when Hannah comes to the back with us,” Thatch said cheerfully gesturing to the booth.

“I see they rebuilt it,” (name) remarked wryly, “So long as it was cleaned thoroughly I suppose I don’t mind.”

Izo’s nose wrinkled in distaste, “I would certainly hope they did.”

“Of course, of course,” Thatch assured him immediately with a grin, proving it by sliding in first, and gesturing for Hannah to follow. She did so and Izo slid in next to her leaving her and Marco to sit together on the opposite side.

She fought the urge to glare at Hannah for her obvious matchmaking attempts, that she had obviously coerced Thatch if not Izo into helping her with. Then glanced up at the blond and back to the booth.

“Ladies first ~yoi,” he said politely gesturing for her to go.

The idea of being boxed in on all sides by powerful vampires with no way to escape was not at all appealing to her, “This lady is wearing a skirt, and I’m sorry to say booths and skirts don’t mix well thank you very much.”

She heard a snort from the other side of the table, but didn’t relinquish eye contact with Marco. He offered her an amused grin, but acquiesced sliding in first. She spent another couple seconds cursing her friend in her mind before carefully sliding in next to him.

“So how was your week? Any other fun vampire encounters?” Thatch asked apparently perfectly happy to be the icebreaker at the table.

“Not too bad,” Hannah answered immediately a bright smile on her face, “As for vampire encounters, yes actually. My class just got its first vampire student. We spent all week in briefings with some of the vampire teachers and the student’s Coven. She seems to be settling in well enough, though her father appears to be a bit overprotective I think its to be expected. She’s the youngest of his Coven I think, and a bit shy.”

“You’re a teacher then?” Marco asked politely.

“Yes, I teach kindergarten,” Hannah told him happily.

“You like kids?” Thatch asked interestedly, apparently they hadn’t actually talked about this last week.

“I love them,” Hannah answered completely unabashed, “Especially at that age, where they think school is wonderful, and we get to do all sorts of fun things together. What about you guys what do you do?”

“I’m a chef,” Thatch proclaimed excitedly, “I do a lot of private catering, and all the food stuff for our Coven, you know outside the blood thing.”

“I mostly work for pops, that’s the head of our Coven Whitebeard,” Marco admitted with a shrug at a prompting look from Thatch, “But I do a bit of fire rescue on the side.”

Everyone turned to Izo who heaved a put upon sigh, “I’m a fashion designer with Doskoi Panda, though I’m in the process of creating my own line.”

“That’s exciting,” Hannah told him with a smile, “What’s your focus?”

“Mostly formal wear,” Izo replied with an elegant shrug, a bored look on his face. The conversation lagged for a moment before Hannah turned desperately to her obviously Izo was not impressed, and it was beginning to become awkward.

“So what do you do (name)?” Thatch asked apparently sensing the lag and hoping to salvage the conversation.

“A little bit of everything really,” she told him casually, “I actually did some cooking for a while, was an EMT for a bit, worked in retail until I got bored, did some interning in different businesses, right now I do specialized weapons and self-defense training on the side.”

“What kind of weapons ~yoi?” Marco prompted interestedly.

“All sorts, knives, swords, guns, I’m actually a licensed firearms instructor,” she admitted.

“Firearms huh?” Izo asked looking interested for the first time all night, “What’s your preferred brand then?”

“I’m a Sig Saur girl, when I use them, though I prefer knives myself, Hannah’s the Annie Oakley of the two of us,” (name) told them.

Izo looked skeptically at the innocent looking Hannah who gave her a flat look, “How many times have I told you not to call me that?”

“I lost count, and I’ll stop calling you that when you stop carrying that piece in your purse, besides you earned the nickname, you did win that national competitive shooting competition remember?” she prompted with a grin.

Hannah hugged her purse defensively to her chest as all the males eyed it with shock, “Don’t judge me! I know for a fact you have at least three knives on you right now. Don’t think I don’t know you snuck them out!”

“They would’ve been much easier to sneak if you hadn’t forced me into this skirt,” she told her friend dryly.

“It looks good on you, and it makes your ass look fabulous, I refuse to have regrets,” Hannah argued back.

“She’s right you know, it does look very nice on you,” Izo piped in with a smile.

“You see?!” Hannah insisted gesturing at Izo, not even realizing what she was doing too focused on the argument to worry about impressing him, “Izo agrees with me, and Izo obviously knows fashion so I win.”

“Just because Izo works in fashion doesn’t make him the be all end all of all things fashionable, and I could’ve looked just as nice in pants and had much more space for my knives,” she told her purposely provoking her friend.

Hannah gasped mortally offended, “I will have you know that Izo obviously knows fashion, because the Kimono he’s wearing is perfectly tailored to him. Do you see how the pale lavender nicely compliments his skin tone? Plus it’s obvious someone has worked on it masterfully because this particular Doskoi Panda kimono only came out for women. See how it’s been fit to set nicely and take in his broader shoulders? The darker purple collar has been added, before it only had those dark purple accents, but the collar gives it a more masculine flair while emphasizing a slender neck. The red sashing at the hips helps balance off the wide collar, and emphasize a nice figure! No one who dresses that well can be considered anything less than fashion expert!”

“Alright I get it geez, Izo is very lovely,” she told her friend amused at her very long and very detailed rant, but it had gotten the job done, as Izo was now beaming at Hannah.

“I really like the red myself! Plus the sashing actually gives me room for this,” Izo put in, lifting a bit to reveal the handles of two pistols on his hips.

“Smith and Wesson!” Hannah said rapturously eyeing the two guns hungrily, and the two were off chatting away happily about all things guns and fashion while the rest of the table looked on.

(Name) smirked, completely satisfied with herself, even as Thatch practically glowed watching the two interact, his eyes shining happily.

“That was very well done ~yoi,” a soft voice whispered in her ear raising goose bumps on her skin, quiet enough to not interrupt the two chatting across from them.

She turned to look at Marco propping her elbow on the back of the booth and angling her body toward him, giving him her most innocent look, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Marco just smirked at her, clearly amused, “I would really like to know how we went from discussing our careers to arguing about guns and fashion.”

“So would I, it certainly has been an interesting conversation,” she countered saucily, admitting to nothing.

“I think that you are a very interesting woman Miss (name),” Marco told her with a slow smile.

“I’m sorry I don’t think I can say the same, seeing as I know absolutely nothing about you,” she told him candidly.

“Ouch, you’re also apparently a cruel woman ~yoi,” Marco told her chuckling, “Or is that your way of asking me about myself?”

“If you’ve got something to share with the class, then by all means,” she told him gesturing for him to go ahead. The sound of cloth rustling interrupted their conversation, and they turned around to see Thatch, Izo, and Hannah all standing to leave.

“Sorry,” Thatch said with a mischievous smile on his face, “We didn’t mean to interrupt you two, but we’re going to head back to the back rooms now. We’ll see you in a bit.”

“Have fun you two,” Izo put in with a conspiratorial grin.

“Play nice (name),” Hannah warned her with a smirk, before the three of them set off arm in arm.

“I think I might’ve created a monster,” (name) mused aloud with a sigh.

“You have no idea,” Marco told her wryly.

“Oh?” she prompted interestedly.

“Izo and Thatch are the nosiest, pushiest match-making couple who ever lived,” Marco informed her bluntly.

She groaned and fought the urge to bang her had on the table in exasperation, “Hannah is just as bad.”

The two of them shared a commiserating glance, before she turned away and slid out of the booth.

“Going somewhere ~yoi?” Marco asked with a slight frown, “I didn’t realize my company was so abhorrent.”

“Just over here,” she assured him, sliding into the other side of the booth, “I have no interest in getting a crick in my neck or back, twisting around like that just to talk to you.”

“So what do you want to talk about for the next few hours?” she asked settling in comfortably.

“You really think it will take them that long?” Marco asked in surprise.

“It certainly did last time,” she admitted with a wry smile, “And for some reason I get the feeling that if we ditch each other or them, we’ll never hear the end of it.”

“You’re probably right,” he acknowledged with a tired sigh, “At least it’s with good company this time, so tell me about you then.”