Roses and thorns

Sunlight - C. 40

Date: 23/7/1957 (Thursday, 8:30pm)

We split up on the way home, Jacko wanted to go home but the rest of us wanted to go see Ace. Yuuki decided it wasn't safe for Jacko to be alone so he, Robert and Vince went with him while we went to pick up Ace. As we reached the hospital, we noticed Ace was standing out the front. He seemed in pain from standing up, so Buddy and I helped him. We all laughed as he hobbled back home, just like old times.

"You been alright, baby?" Ace looked over to Zee and winked at her, she blushed and smiled brightly.

"Just happy to have you back." She was walking at the front of the group with Alice, they laughed and shoved each other about. I'd not seen Zee make friends with another girl since Daisy and Alice hadn't made real friends in a long time.

"Danny, you feelin' alright?" Ace looked over to Danny, who nodded his head. He wasn't talking a lot, but he wasn't really a talkative guy. He seemed more stoic. "You're actin' an awful lot like Yuuki."

"Yuuki is nothin' like that!" Alice looked over to Ace, who laughed at her. "He's not!"

"Strong, big, quiet and tough. That's Yuuki." I said.

"And Danny!" Buddy added in.

"I'm actin' like Danny." Danny interrupted, he smirked slightly while looking over to me.

"You feelin' a lot better, huh Dan?"

"Yeah, probably because I'm away from my folks for a while, and I got Yuuki and Alice to help me."

"It didn't take much convincing, Danny. You just had to get out of your head." Alice smiled at him and he smiled back, his cheeks turning pink.

"Hey Crash, you mind if you just take me home? I wanna see my brother."

"Sure."

"I'll go with him, just in case James attacks or somethin'" Zee looked over to Ace and he smiled at her.

"Sure that's the reason." Buddy giggled like a little kid, teasing them.

"Shut up you, at least I got a girl comin' home with me." Ace winked at her and she turned away quickly, hiding a blush. Alice nudged her and Zee shoved her, they began laughing amongst themselves.

---

Ace's P.O.V

Zee and I walked hand in hand with each other down the street, Crash and the others went home and left us two together, which was fine with me. I was just happy to have her by my side again. If I was honest, I thought I'd never get out of that hospital but I craved to leave every day. I hated seeing Nick in pain but he's been holding out for a surgery that the doctors said could potentially save his life. He was on the waiting list for it now.

"Is walking hurtin' you?" Zee asked me, she looked up at me with her tired blue eyes. It hurt a lot to walk, but I'd never admit it. Not to her anyway, all she ever does is worry about me.

"Nah, I'm tough." I sniffed and smiled at her, she nodded her head. "You guys let Vince into the group, did Danny take that well?"

"He felt so guilty, he was the one to patch him up completely. But Alice and Yuuki were helping him, like with everything else."

"Everything else?"

"Yeah, They've been a huge help to his mental health." She looked off at the trees and smiled, as if she was remembering something that made her happy. She didn't really show this side of herself to the boys, always putting up a tuff shell to protect herself.

"As long as Danny's feeling better and can fight now." We eventually walked up the driveway of my home, and the lights were all on. I smiled and opened up the door, my brother Peter was passed out on the couch. I shook him gently and he woke up slowly, he smiled.

"Hey kid brother." He laughed and sat up, I sat next to him slowly and he threw an arm around me. "Nearly scared me half to death, you did."

"Sorry, man. If I knew I'd get a hole punched into me, I woulda told ya." We both laughed as Zee sat with us, we were the only ones left in our little house. Peter worked all the time for us to live here, and I did my best to help pay off the house too. Some of Mom's inheritance money was the reason why we could live here, but my poor brother was tired all the time.

"Zee was cryin' over you being in the hospital, and I was too. Mainly because the bill in the mornin'"

"I'm real sorry-"

"It's alright kid. Zee stayin' over?"

"Yeah, she is." I threw my arm around her and she smiled.

"Keep it down you two." He got up and left the room, I felt my ears go hot after realising what we meant.