"Happy Halloween everybody!" Ace shouted above deck dressed as a devil, shirtless though, he had also painted flames on his chest, and was wearing two little devil horns, and a pointing tail.

"Aren't you excited?" Thatch said. Ace turned to him nodding eagerly.

"Of course! Me, and Luffy love Halloween, I miss him…" his cheery mood went done a bit. Thatch sweat-dropped trying to think of something to say that'll cheer hum up again.

"So… a devil?" Ace nodded fixing a horn that was starting to slip off.

"Yeah! I thought it be good, and if a activate my powers it'll look like I'm Satin." He grinned. He looked about the ship for the captain but didn't see him. "Where's Pops?" he asked. Thatch looked at Pop's room.

"Talking to Marco about something." He said trying to block Ace's way so he wouldn't disturb them. "But it's seemed like they wanted to… talk… alone… Ace!" he shouted as the sneaky little devil got passed. Ace stuck his tongue out at his friend.

"Have to do better then that!" he shouted. Thatch sighed; Marco was going get him for this. When Ace walked in he caught part of what they were saying.

"… Of course you have my blessing about it."
"Thank you Pops." Ace walked in fully making himself known.

"Happy Halloween Pops! Why aren't you out here watching us decorate?" he asked. Marco sent him a slight glare, and then to the door.

"I thought I told Thatch to keep everyone, mainly you out?"

"Hey!" Ace glared at the blonde. "And for your information he tried."

"Little devils are a pest to get rid of." Marco said looking at Ace's red pants, and painted chest. Ace said something about Marco being a perv, which started this odd yet funny argument between the two, in which Whitebeard watched with a laugh at his sons.

"Alright you brats get out of here! I need to get ready!" the captain continued to laugh. Ace stuck his tongue out at Marco dodging his hand that tried to hit him in the head.

"We'll see you in a bit Pops!" Ace said leaving out the door with Marco behind him.

"Marco!" Whitebeard called. Ace looked back at the blonde as he stopped to listen. "Good luck, and remember it will be hard." Marco nodded to his Pops.

"Thank you sir." After Marco closed door Ace asked him what he meant. "It's nothing for to worry about." Was Marco reply. Ace looked between the door, and Marco.

"What were you two talking about?"

"Again nothing for you to worry about." Huffing loudly Ace let it go… for now. He looked at what Marco was wearing, his usual wardrobe.

"Where's your costume?" Marco sighed. Ace was asking a lot of questions this morning.

"I'm not dressing up." He said watching Ace's jaw drop.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't… hey! What are you doing!?" Marco demanded as Ace dragged him to the deck. Thatch was helping put decorations when his two best friends came out; he smirked seeing the determined look in Ace's eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked the youngest. Ace stopped in front of him holding a firm grip on Marco wrist.

"I'm taking him to get a costume." Half of the crew's eyes looked they were ready to pop out.

"Say what?" Thatch asked with a cat like grin.

"He said he's not gonna dress up so I'm taking to find something." Ace told him dragging an unhappy first division captain off the ship. Thatch sent a look to his brothers before taking off to see how this was going to go.

"Mind if I tag along?" he asked.

"Yes!"

"No!" Ace smiled at the same time Marco growled. Thatch went with Ace answer he wasn't going to miss this. Marco tried to pull out of Ace's surprisingly strong hold but he couldn't butch it one bit, when they got into the village he had stopped all attempts.

"So what are you thinking Ace?" Marco asked. He didn't like dressing up for Halloween, and yet Ace found that everyone has to dress up for the Holiday. Ace shrugged his shoulders searching for a costume shop.

"I don't know… something that you'll be ok with." Marco nodded. He looked over his other friend who had a knowing smirk on his face. "Found one!" the younger shouted running into the shop, still dragging Marco. He started going through racks of costumes searching for something Marco would be ok with. "Why don't you like Halloween?" he asked holding a Marine costume up to Marco, who raised a brow at him.

"No." he said taking the costume, and putting it back on the rack. "It's not that I don't like Halloween I just don't care for the dressing is all." Ace sighed.

"I never met anyone who didn't like to dress up for today. Hell my grandpa likes to dress up, and you know how he is." Marco did know how the man was. He looked back for their other friend who had gone to flirt with the female worker here.

"That moron." He said. Ace looked behind him at Thatch chuckling.

"What do you thing of this one?" he asked holding a werewolf costume up.

"No big mask… or big costumes, and nothing flashy." If he was gonna be force he might as well-set boundaries. Ace nodded putting the costume back.

"What do you have Pops blessing for?" he asked without thinking, cursing himself. Marco looked to him with lazy eyes.

"So you heard something?" he said like he was confirming it. Ace blushed.

"Yeah… but that's it! I mean it." He defended himself. Marco nodded pulling out a black cape.

"Good." He muttered. "I asked him for his blessing to tell someone how I feel about them…" Ace was surprised to hear that Marco liked someone, and even more shock that he told him.

"Y-you like someone?" he asked barely looking in the other's eyes. Marco looked at him and indifferent look.

"Yeah. Why is that so hard to believe?" he asked. Ace shook his head.

"Of course not! That's great! Who is it?" Ace didn't know why but knowing Marco liked some made him feel sad? He didn't know. Marco looked back to Thatch who was flirting another lady.

"How bout I just be a vampire?" he asked still holding the black cape. Ace nodded not feeling all that into trying to find the perfect costume anymore.

"Sounds good to me!" he tried to sound cheerful but didn't work out by the concern look Marco was giving him.

"Are you ok Ace?" the blonde asked. Ace nodded taking the cape, a pack if fake fangs, and a pair of red contacts.

"Yeah why wouldn't I be? Now come on let's pay, and get Thatch." He said blushing when Marco's arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind.

"That's fine by me." Marco stayed there another moment or two before moving over to where the other friend was. Ace pushed the costume close to his chest; he could feel his heart beating out of control.

'What the fuck is wrong with you!? Snap out of it he's a guy. A GUY! You are not about to freak out like a teenage girl!' he scolded himself shaking the blush away. After they paid for the stuff they maid their way back to the ship, Ace quieter then normal, and lacking behind a bit.

"What's up with Ace?" Thatch asked Marco looking to said person with concern. Marco shrugged.

"I don't know…"

"Hmm? Take something pretty big to get the kid in the dumps." Thatch said eying his friend now. Marco shook his head ignoring the look. "So are you going to confess tonight?" Thatch asked to change the subject, this caught Ace's attention.

"Yeah but not in front of everyone." Marco sent a look to Thatch that said stay away.

"Don't worry I will, who know what'll happen after you tell…" he was cut off by a punch in the shoulder from Marco.

"Shut up!" he hissed.

'Marco's going to tell them tonight? Is it someone on the crew?' the rest of the day went by like normal but with a vary quiet Ace, ok maybe not so normal. Ace's body seemed to have been working on autopilot, doing as his brothers asked him to do without much thought.

"Uh Pops did you invite Red Hair Shanks?" Marco asked watching Shanks ship come up next to them. Pops sighed.

"No I didn't." he said.

"Happy Halloween old man!" Shanks said jumping over to the Moby Dick.

"What are you doing here brat?" Whitebeard asked. Shanks waved his hand.

"We seen you so I thought it be fun to party with the Whitebeard crew."

"And what are you doing in our territory?" Marco asked from Whitebeard's side.

"Just passing by." Shanks waved him off. "So how bout it?"

"I guess, I'm not gonna get rid of you anyway."

"Whoo!" Shanks cheered making his first mate shake his head. Shanks looked to someone wearing red pants that look familiar to him. When Ace turned to his name being called did he notice Shanks staring at him.

"Shanks?"

"Ace!" Ace was tackled to the ground by the red haired man, the scene reminding him of Luffy. "I didn't know you were a whitebeard pirate now, what happened to your crew?" Shanks asked getting off of the devil looking boy. Ace shrugged.

"Around. How have you been?"

"Good. Good. Have you seen your brother?" Ace shook his head.

"No. He'll be starting his over here soon though."

"Good." Marco watched with a sour at the two talking like they were best friends.

"I didn't know Ace knew Shanks." He said to the large man. Whitebeard could only nod, he to didn't know. Night fell soon, and the whitebeard pirates, and the Red haired pirates were enjoying their Halloween party. Ace had spent most of the party chatting with Shanks, and drinking more then normal.

"You seem to… be upset…" Shanks slurred drinking more. Ace nodded getting another drink.
"I am… Marco likes someone."
"And?" Shanks asked not seeing the problem.

"It upsets me to no ends, and I don't why! He's gonna tell this person tonight…" Shanks laughed loudly falling back. Ace was sure the man had lost it seeing as he couldn't stop laughing, or get up for that matter. "What?" he asked. Shanks motion him to come to his level with his hand, his face holding a huge smile. Ace bent to the man's level to hear what he was saying, he wasn't expecting though to pull on top of the man, or for the man to kiss him! Staring wide eyes at the man Ace couldn't seem to make his body move, he was to in shock. Thatch stared just as shock as Ace must've been feeling at the two. Although from where he stood it looked like Ace had kissed Shanks not the other way around.

"Uh Marco…?" he called for the blonde. Marco looked to him. He saw how shock Thatch was so he looked to where the other's eyes were stuck on, his heart seemed to have stopped seeing what he was seeing.

"What's going on?" he asked now next to his brother. Thatch only shrugged unable to answer.

"I… I don't know! Shanks seemed to have lost, and then they were kissing." Ace pulled away looking down at Shanks who was clearly smiling a big smile at the raven-haired. Ace covered his mouth about to ask what was that when Marco stormed over to them, grabbed his wrist, and dragged literally dragged him to the blonde's room. He was thrown onto the bed, hearing the door slam behind him.

"What the hell was that Marco!?" he demanded. Marco just stared at the younger with hard eyes. "Are you going to answer me?" silence. He huff. "Fine I'm leaving." He started to the door walking past Marco before getting thrown back onto the bed.

"What was that back there?" Marco finally spoke up. Ace looked to the bed blushing.

"I don't know." He grumbled.

"Really? Cause to me it looked like you two were making out…"
"We weren't making out!" Ace snapped. "Some Halloween party huh?" Marco sighed. Now what? "Why do you care if I was kissing Shanks? Shouldn't you be telling you crush how you feel?" Ace mumbled messing with his devil tail. Marco didn't know what to think at the moment. Should he tell him? What if he was rejected? What if he wasn't? All these thought ran through his head.

"You know your right." he finally said. Ace looked to him waiting to watch him leave the room; instead he leaned over the bed stopping in front of Ace. "Ace I think I fallen for you. Now go a head, and say you don't feel the same." He said ready for the rejection. Ace stared at him with wide eyes, shocked for the who know how many timed that day. Marco likes him? Does he like Marco?

"Marco…" he started.

"Don't worry I didn't think you would feel the same…" Marco interrupted starting to leave the room. Ace watched him heading to the door. He couldn't let him leave without knowing what he felt. He wrapped his arms around the older man's torso his cheeks flushed.

"You didn't let me say anything…" he said into his back.

"Go ahead."

"I… don't know if I like you like you do me… but I do feel something everyday, that I try to ignore it but just can't. I never been one to like someone so much, the only ones I ever let into my heart were my brothers. So please bare with me until I can figure it out for sure." He felt pathetic now saying such sissy things. Marco turned in Ace's arms.

"I'll wait as long as you need me to." He said capturing Ace's lips, wanting to make them his, and erase Shanks kiss from the boy's memories. Ace kissed back opening his mouth for Marco to come in. Marco explore every corner of the younger's mouth loving the taste he had. His hands went to Ace's hips pulling them close to his own.

"Marco! Ace where are you two!?" Thatch, and Izo sang outside of Marco's door. The two pulled away from their heated kiss to glare at the door.

"I'm gonna kill those two." Marco muttered.

"I can set them on fire." Ace offered a fireball in his hand already. Marco laughed pulling Ace closer to him he kissed his head.

"I think we're good." He said about walk out the room.

"Hey… Shanks kissed me, I didn't even know he was going to until he did it." Ace explained. He didn't want Marco to be mad at him anymore. Marco nodded taking Ace's hand, he took him out of the room making sure to slam the door open, and hit Thatch in the face.

"Ow…" he moaned holding his nose. He notice Ace tugged under Marco's arm his cape also draped over the devil boy. "You told him?" he asked in a weird voice. Marco nodded smiling down at Ace.

"Yes…"

"That's great! And you feel the same right!?" Thatch asked Ace. Ace nodded.

"I think so." When they rejoined the party Marco left Ace's side going off somewhere. Ace looked to Thatch who only shrugged equally confused. They followed the way the blonde had taken in time to see Marco punching Shanks in the face.

"Don't touch Ace again." he growled. Ace grabbed his arm stopping him from trying again.

"Bad Marco! Bad!" he shouted. Shanks only laughed though.

"So I was right? You two do like each other?" the new couple blushed. Marco was ready to kick Shanks again but Ace stopped him again.

"Stay away from him." the laugh of Whitebeard threw everyone's attention to him.

"Alright Marco I think he learned his lesson. Let's continue with the party I ain't getting younger!" he told them. Ace pulled Marco off to the side for a kiss.

"Leave Shanks alone, he's drunk, and crazy."
"I agree on the crazy part."
"Have I told you that you look hot as a vampire with red eyes?"

"You just did." Marco said kissing Ace again.

So… Halloween mention?