Dear shockandlock,

I'm your secret valentine! -murmurs- hope you're not disappointed . I'm really really sorry for posting this so late... Uni is killing me! :(

This is a fluffy marcoace 3 chaptered fanfiction, and hope you like it. :) The last third chapter is still in the making -I'm so sorry!- but I'll post it as soon as I finish it! I promise I'll finish it tonight!

Sammy

It was a nice morning for a walk in the park, or a sit in the park, under the sun, with your shirt open, for Ace. He was looking over his brother as Luffy played around with some other boys he'd just met a few moments ago when his phone went off. He grinned when he saw who that was.

"Hey, Sanji."

"Ace, how are you doi—IDIOT MOSSBRAIN! DO YOU CALL THAT POTATO PEALING?"

Ace snickered at his friend's outburst tipped the phone slightly away from his ear slightly as Sanji started cursing and yelling some more at his boyfriend and Zoro's voice was just as clear as Sanji's when he retorted:

"I see Zoro is helping you in the kitchen again." Ace couldn't stop some soft chuckles from escaping him.

"It's really a pain, don't laugh, shithead," Sanji said with a sigh then continued, "anyway, I was calling because I've just seen this post on Tumblr and thought you might be interested. You got a minute?"

Ace sat up straighter and glanced at his little brother, who seemed to be having too much fun to come and bother him any time soon, then replied, "Yeah, I'm doing nothing now, what is it?"

"Good. I found a post Nami-san posted about a pet shelter finding over forty little puppies. The shelter doesn't have enough spaces for this huge number and asked if people in the area are willing to foster some puppies. We don't have to take them for a long period! Just a couple of weeks, according to the pet shelter manager anyway, something about having some pets adopted abroad and travelling in two weeks so spaces will be available then. I don't know, you interested in fostering a puppy or two with me?" Sanji asked finally, knowing Ace loved dogs.

"That's really cool!" Ace said with a grin. "I'll check that post and tell you what I'll do." Somehow his voice lost a tiny bit of his previous enthusiasm. "I gotta ask Marco first though, since we've just moved in together, he's got a saying in this too."

"Of course, of course! Just think about it and check it with your boyfriend. Last thing I remember he used to take this big dog out to walk on his days off. Even used to stop by to grab a bite and see if I had any leftovers for that dog... Hmm, what was his name? Steve?"

Ace chuckled. "Stephan. Yeah, Marco still does that at times, you know. Whenever Pops asks him to."

"Cool. Hope he doesn't mind then. I'll be waiting for your reply, Zoro here doesn't mind but I thought we'd go together, eh?"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks for telling me Sanji. I'll get back to you soo—OI, LUFFY! Sanji, gotta go." Ace quickly hung up on Sanji and ran to his young brother who was about to fall from a high tree.

"I'm home," Ace called as soon as he entered his and Marco's apartment and closed the door, having seen Marco's car parked in the building parking lot and it was around now that Marco came home from work anyway.

"Welcome back. Had fun at the park with Luffy?" Came Marco's voice from the bedroom, still changing his clothes into more comfortable pants and again going against wearing any shirts.

Ace took off his shoes and strolled to the bedroom, discarding his shirt and throwing it in the laundry bin on his way and hugging Marco's back, hiding his face in the blond's shoulder. "It was a nice day to spend at the park… and the hospital." Ace sighed and kissed Marco's shoulder.

Marco just chuckled, having already expected that Luffy would get into trouble yet again, and having to pay the doctors a visit. "Will he be alright?" He asked, concerned about the energetic boy's health after getting injured so many times.

"Yeah, yeah, it's Luffy we're talking about. He was laughing the whole time he was getting stitched." Ace shook his head with a small smile. "Anyway, how was work? I'm going to prepare something really quick for dinner." He said and pulled away slightly from his embrace around Marco's back. The blond took that as his chance and turned around swiftly in Ace's arms, wrapping his own arms around the freckled young man and hugging him properly.

"Ah, today I had Izou visit me and tell me I needed to help Smoker in some investigation. Nothing too complicated though; I managed to pull the info he needed, so luckily it was done before I left the office." Marco kissed Ace's forehead. "And why don't we just have something quick? Just some instant noodles, what do you say?" Marco suggested, not wanting to bother himself or his boyfriend with dinner after knowing they both had a busy day.

Ace smiled, his eyes showing slight relief at Marco's suggestion and he pecked Marco's lips lightly. "You thought I was going to prepare anything else, old man?" Ace teased and quickly slid out of Marco's arms as he started tightening them around his waist, laughing at Marco's threatening growl and leaving to the kitchen.

Half an hour later the couple was sitting on the couch, cuddling with a blanket around their shoulders and two bowls of noodles in their hands, with Marco going through TV channels to see what they could watch.

"So, Sanji called me today while I was in the park," Ace started, continuing when Marco gave him a hum to continue, "he was telling me about this pet shelter that had found over forty little puppies and took them in. Only the shelter currently doesn't have enough space to host all those little guys and asked if people can maybe foster a puppy or two for a couple of weeks till the dogs and cats that got adopted abroad are safely on their way to their new owners."

Marco gave up on finding anything interesting in the TV and just closed it, turning slightly to bring Ace to rest against his chest. "Ah, I see. You want to go and check them out then I presume?" He asked and smiled slightly when he got a nod from Ace.

"It's a great responsibility, though, Ace. It will need to be taken care of and fed well and taken for walks and such, of course you know that." When Marco received another nod from his boyfriend, he nodded as well. "Okay then. Did he tell you where that shelter is?"

Ace hummed as he got his phone out and checked out the Tumblr post Sanji had tagged him in. "Well, according to Nami's post, cuz that's the source of Sanji's info, it's shop number 16, Calm Belt street."

"Not too far, good. I've got Friday off, how about we go together then? Maybe grab lunch on our way, too?" Marco said with a smile and Ace couldn't help but grin back at him. "You suggest the most brilliant ideas sometimes." Ace chuckled and hugged Marco's torso as best as he could with one arm, murmuring a quiet "Thank you" before he suddenly fell asleep. Thanks to Marco's quick reflexes, he managed to take Ace's bowl and his own and put them on the coffee table in front of the couch before anything got spilled.

Slowly moving as to not wake Ace up, Marco turned and got Ace on his lap, resting his own legs on the couch and sighing at the warmth his boyfriend emitted, even though he was shirtless and it was still winter.

The blond only intended on resting his eyes for a bit until Ace woke up, but soon he was sound asleep with Ace on top of him. He vaguely remembered seeing the walls move around him, then Ace's face came into view and it seemed like the freckled young man was smiling and telling him something but Marco didn't quite get it. He was glad that he was now resting again on the much softer surface that was their bed and, of course, with Ace's weight pleasantly present on top of his chest. And that's how Marco went back to a sound, deep sleep.