This is my entry for opbigbang, hosted by the wonderful imperialmint. Thanks to her for hosting this event and kicking my ass to get me to write this story xD I'd also like to thank my partner jocos-ity, for making such wonderful art and for being such a lovely, lovely partner and putting up with me and my procrastinating ways. This story would not be what it is without her, and you should check out all her amazing stuff, including the cover image) over on tumblr ( .com/post/116112838793/my-submission-to-the-opbigbang2015-one-of-them). The cover is by her and is posted with permission. Finally, I'd like to thank phoenix0725 for betaing last minute for me when my beta got lost in the wilds of France.
Warnings: explicit sex in an office and surgery/hospitalization of a secondary character.
Ace's fist slammed into the punching bag, the sound causing other gym patrons to look at him curiously, but he ignored them as he continued his relentless blows. There were only two hours left and he still hadn't decided. He couldn't believe those backstabbing, brown-nosing, baboons could do this to him. Part of him knew that it made sense to them financially, but he'd thought his investors were better than money grubbing worms. How naive he'd been.
The punching bag came hurtling back at him, and Ace dodged it expertly before spinning into a roundhouse kick, the force as his foot connected causing the chain holding it up to strain. He knew he was being foolish- he had no choice but to accept the offer- but he couldn't help it. His dream of starting up and running his own company, of designing what he wished, of freedom was gone, disintegrated into microscopic pieces.
He was going to have a boss.
The furious blows stopped, and Ace slumped for a moment, staring at the gym mat as the punching bag swung back and forth, the motion lessening until it came to a stop. Ace glanced up at the clock and grimaced, but he headed for the showers, ignoring the crowd of onlookers that had grown during his workout.
After showering and changing into comfortable clothes, Ace drove to Whitebeard's headquarters, trying to convince himself that he was going to turn down their offer to buy his company. He'd heard a rumor they were doing poorly anyway, and they hadn't had any really impressive new products in quite some time. That was probably why they wanted him in the first place. None of them could come up with anything on their own, so they had to force start ups into selling to them to keep going.
Ace parked and trudged into the enormous building, glaring at the cheerful-looking whale logo. He walked up to the reception desk and gave his name to the receptionist, trying not to be impressed by the enormous lobby and the excessive amounts of steel and glass. To his disappointment, not only did the receptionist not even blink at his slightly ratty jeans and open button down shirt, but he was dressed only slightly more professionally.
"Mr. Portgas? Mr. Phoenix is expecting you in the main conference room." He handed Ace a visitor's badge with his name on it. "Here's your pass, just go up in the elevator, you can't miss it."
"Thanks!" Ace said, smiling nicely. It wasn't his fault, after all, and he was going to maybe end up seeing him everyday he went to work for years. Ace repressed a shudder and made his way to the elevators. The doors had slid shut behind him before he realized he had no clue which floor to go to. There was no handy plaque giving directions either. Ace sighed before noticing a card reader. On whim he tapped his visitor pass to it, and the elevator starting rising, the fourth floor button illuminated like he's chosen it.
He tried really hard to keep from being impressed, but it was pretty cool if that was actually the correct floor. The elevator slid to a halt, and Ace stepped out cautiously. The conference room was walled in glass again, and it really would be impossible to miss. Despite himself, Ace was glad to see he was fifteen minutes early, and there was only one person in the room.
The man looked up from his laptop when Ace came in and smiled so warmly that Ace felt himself respond in kind, even though this must surely be one of the higher ups or at least a lawyer or secretary. The blond man rose and reached out a hand as Ace crossed the room. Ace took the offered hand, shaking it firmly.
"Hey, I'm Marco. I look forward to working with you." Despite the reminder of what he was about to do Ace couldn't help but return Marco's warm smile. If they'd be working together, at least Marco probably wasn't one of the people that lost him his company. Or well, made his investors force him to sell or go under.
"You're early. The lawyers will be here in a bit, but take a seat while you wait." Ace realized he still clasped Marco's hand and let go hastily, deciding to take a seat one over from where Marco sat at the round table. He fought down a blush when Marco quirked a brow at his choice, but turned to investigate the room. It was so... staid.
Apart from the non-traditional choice of a round table, it was no different than any other company board room, and Ace shoved down his disappointment. He might not have wanted to work there, but if he was going to be working for a big tech company, there ought to at least be bean bags in the conference room. He turned back to Marco, who'd shut his laptop, and was watching him with amusement.
"There's another one with the bean bags. The stuffed suits complain that it is beneath their dignity though, so we meet up here when the fussier lawyers are needed." Ace blinked, and Marco laughed. "No, I don't read minds: we just get that question a lot."
"That'd be a bit more believable if you didn't just answer the next question I had, Marco," Ace said, glaring at Marco in faux suspicion. It was hard to maintain his serious expression, when Marco looked so taken aback, and Ace chuckled. Marco's eyes widened, and then he grinned. He was just about to speak when the door opened, and a large man in a suit entered.
"Mr. Portgas, Mr. Phoenix, you're both here already. Excellent," he said, and Ace froze in his seat.
"Hey, Visita," Marco said casually, "I told you to stop calling me that. It's weird."
"You're the boss now Marco, it's important to show respect." Marco sighed, slumping back in his chair, and rolled his eyes. Ace sat perfectly straight, ignoring the glance Mar- Mr. Phoenix sent him and turning his attention to the papers given to him by Visita. He nodded politely as Visita began going through all of the documents, reading through everything thoroughly, but none of it seemed different what Sabo told him to expect, until he got to the last section.
The price for the company, which was just the patents Ace had gotten so far, and his notes and ideas, was what everyone had agreed upon, and while the amount was still staggering to Ace, almost all of it would go to his heartless investors. The balance would go to paying off his debts. Ace skimmed that part but gaped at the amount for his yearly salary.
Maybe being stuck working here for three years wouldn't be so bad: he might even have enough to make his own way again, this time without the soulless slimebags. He read through his contract briefly, making sure to avoid Marco's gaze as Vista continued his rather droning explanation. The pen felt heavy in his hand when he picked it up to sign the contract that would steal away his dream.
Ace had made his escape as quickly as was polite, glad it was Friday and he had some time to sulk before he started, and went to pick up Luffy from his work in relief. At least he'd be able to pick up Luffy relatively easily now that they worked so close together; it would really help out Sabo since Ace's hours would be more flexible, and Sanji and Nami never appreciated it when Luffy hung out too long after work.
Luffy's excited chatter about his day at the pub where he waited tables (and ate all of the food if you listened to his coworkers) cheered Ace up instantly, and even with the rush hour traffic, they had a great time singing along with the radio with complete disregard for the words or melody. By the time they got home, Sabo had already started dinner, and roasting chicken permeated the house with it's heavenly aroma.
"Welcome back! Dinner will be done in ten minutes or so, so stay out of the kitchen until then! Ace could you set the table?" Sabo had really gone all out with dinner tonight, and Ace clapped him on the shoulder in thanks before getting out the plates and silverware. Dinner was ready right when Sabo said it would be, and all three gathered around their tiny table that was practically groaning from the sheer amount of food.
Ace noticed right away that all of his favorites were on the table, even mountains of mashed potatoes, something Sabo always refused to make because they were "too much work", but he didn't have time to comment as the fell on the food ravenously. When every plate was all but licked clean, Ace began on the dishes, unsurprised when instead of turning on the television, both of his brothers followed him into the miniscule kitchen.
"You guys are just in the way. There's no room for you," Ace said as he ran the water and got out the drying rack. They laughed and swung up to sit on the counter, taking up all of the room remaining.
Luffy grinned. "You'd be lonely without us, admit it!"
"I don't need you jerks to hover over me while I wash the ridiculous amount of dishes. Go watch tv or something."
"Nope, we're happy here, right Luffy?" Sabo expertly caught the dishrag Ace threw at him and tossed it back into the sink, splashing Ace. They both laughed when he glowered at them, and Ace sighed.
"Fine. I signed it over. I start work there Monday." Silence fell as both of them turned serious, and Ace scrubbed at little harder than necessary.
"I'm sorry, Ace," Sabo said, and Luffy nodded, pulling his hat over his eyes.
"It's okay. It had to be done, and who knows?" Ace chuckled weakly. "Maybe it will turn out to be for the best."
He felt their gazes boring into him, trying to see if he was really okay with it all. Ace turned to them and gave a small smile.
"At the very least, at the rate they're paying me, we ought to be able to finish off our student loans, and maybe even pay off the house," Ace said, and immediately wished to take it back.
"Ace, I swear if you did this for the money-" Sabo stopped when Ace held up a hand.
"I did this because it was the only way I could keep working on my project. It might not be completely mine anymore, but at least it isn't scrapped completely. This is just... a detour."
Both of them stared at him stonily until Ace had finished the dishes.
"C'mon guys, let's watch a movie or something. It's Friday night, and there's plenty of time until Monday to worry," Ace said and smiled. Luffy tilted his head, pouting at Ace's false smile to let Ace know he say right through him, and the look Sabo gave him wasn't much better. Eventually Luffy sighed quietly then brightened, dragging them both off without a word.
Marco checked the clock once again. It was finally half past one, so he closed the figures he'd been looking through with the first smile he'd worn all day. He'd wanted to allow Ace a little time to get settled before he went to discuss the details of his project and the expo, but he'd had all morning and a bit of time after lunch, so by now he'd surely be ready to get down to business.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Ace's project really needed to be what he'd hoped it would be when he offered to buy the company. Marco shook his head as he tidied up the papers on the desk; he'd read through the documents the investor of Ace's company had given him. The only thing they had to worry about was getting it done in time.
The office was spotless when Marco finally got up to head over to Ace's new office. It was a couple floors lower than Marco's, and Marco took the stairs without even thinking about it. He paused outside the open door, smiling at the laughter the emanated from the room. He'd been going to tell everyone to give Ace a warm welcome, and it seemed like he wouldn't need to.
Marco knocked politely on the door frame before entering the packed room. There was already a party going on in the office- the kind the Whitebeard's specialized in. The room was full of people, and random food was on every available surface. The were balloons everywhere, and it was hard to even see most of the people in the tiny room. Ace was laughing at his desk, obviously enjoying the party, and Marco smiled to see him already fitting in so well.
"Marco!" Thatch cheered, and everyone raised their glass. Marco raised a brow at them, but they just laughed, and he shook his head and chuckled, accepting the "punch" someone shoved in his hand. Who was he to stand in the way of tradition, after all?
The crowd managed to shuffle aside to let Marco through to the guest of honor. He stopped in front of the desk, looking down at Thatch, one brow raised in question.
"You know we have perfectly good conference rooms, and you're welcome to use them." Thatch laughed and threw an arm around Marco.
"But this is tradition Marco! You can't go against tradition, even for comfort and logic!" Marco shook his head but didn't comment, turning to Ace.
"I hope you're settling in?" Ace's expression had faltered, turning almost stony, and Marco smiled, hoping to let him know he wasn't in trouble. They had parties like this for far less meaningful reasons. The last Marco had stumbled in on (and that was how you had to find them, no one was allowed to invite anyone- they just started) had been for Thatch successfully jumping over 7 chairs in a row.
"Yes, I'm fine," Ace said, and Marco blinked at the terse tone.
"Well, if you want to stop by my office before you go home? It won't take long, I just want to make sure you have everything you need for your project."
"Fine." Marco glanced at Thatch to make sure he wasn't the only one, and Thatch gave him a measured nod. He'd get to the bottom of it. Marco smiled and excused himself, draining his punch, and making his way back to the door, a frown on his face as soon as he closed the door.
Ace had been perfectly friendly when they'd met yesterday. True, afterwards he'd been in a bit of a rush, but what had changed? They didn't have time to waste on petty problems.
Ace left the building with an air of relief. He'd made it a whole day without running into Marco. There were only two days left, and then it would be the weekend, and he'd be free of Marco for two whole days.
Part of him wondered if he was being immature: everyone sung Marco's praises, and he'd been nothing but kind- in person. Thatch and Izo seemed to all but worship him underneath their playful remarks, and he certainly liked them. If there was one thing that Ace was glad about in the whole losing his company thing, he really did enjoy having coworkers.
Both of them were in other departments, Thatch in the accounting, and Izo in graphic design. Ace knew they had to have other electrical engineers around- he'd met some even- but he didn't have a department. Marco had told him on his first day that he was to work on his project in his own way, and if he needed any expertise outside of his own, they'd be happy to assign him help.
Ace was confused by the whole thing. They wanted his tech- that's why forced the sale- so why all the freedom? It shocked him he was still even involved with his project if he was being honest. Every company wanted the next best processor, and Ace had no shame in saying his would be leagues faster than anything the competition had to offer.
Thatch had told him that it was their company's way when he'd voiced his confusion. Their company was a family, he'd said, and they believed in letting people live up to their own potential. People who had their own project kept them, and if they needed help anyone would chip in, though of course, some people were assigned to other projects. If they had an idea, they wrote up a proposal, and Marco would chose which got worked on and by whom.
It certainly didn't sound like a company that would force smaller companies to belong, but business was a cutthroat world as Sabo liked to remind him. Most from examples from his business law textbooks, but just because they were biased didn't mean they weren't true.
Marco might have everyone else fooled, but it wouldn't work on Ace. He was doing fine with Teach, Thatch, and Izo. He didn't need to be friendly with his boss, even if everyone else was. Teach was proving himself to be enormously helpful, and Ace was fairly sure he'd have a working prototype by next week.
He'd been almost there for quite some time now, but he'd lacked materials, and he couldn't afford to make more than one. With the ridiculously many resources of his new company- Thatch insisted family, but Ace would not be family with Marco of all people- there was nothing from stopping him from being done but the actual making of it.
He slammed the door of his car as he got in at the thought. He would have been months behind on his own, and he knew it, and it was not a welcome thought. Ace sighed and rested his head on the steering wheel. Teach had assured him that everything would be in by Thursday, and he'd have everything he'd need.
Ace laughed, the sound echoing emptily in the car. He needed to pick up Luffy and get himself out of this funk. He perked up a bit. Maybe Sanji would have something for him.
Marco waited in the booth Thatch had steered him to, not because he wanted to be here, but because Thatch could be persistent, and it was too much trouble to avoid him. Not to mention, Ace had warmed right up to Thatch, so at least he could get some news. Marco sank back into the worn faux leather of the booth. Thankfully, Thatch was already on his way back with the beers; it wasn't busy at all on a Wednesday night since everyone had work tomorrow.
It'd had been years since Marco had gotten drunk enough to be hungover, but the idea had its appeal since it meant he could avoid Ace tomorrow and just stay at home. He'd not taken a sick day since Pops had turned over the company to him, so they could make do without him for a day. But then he wouldn't get to see Ace.
Thatch flopped down across from him, almost sloshing the beer, and slide one over to him. Marco caught it deftly, but he didn't drink. Thatch raised a brow.
"Want to talk about it?"
"No," Marco said. "There's nothing to talk about." Thatch hummed and swallowed some of his own down.
"Really? You're not even going to bother with the whole nothing's-wrong facade?" Marco sighed.
"Either way, there's still nothing to say on the matter."
Thatch peered at him. "You really are bummed out the kid doesn't like you, huh?" Marco's fingers tightened on the glass, but he didn't answer. They let the silence stretch uncomfortably- something that hadn't happened between them in years. Finally, Thatch spoke.
"You know, he didn't want to sell. He wanted to keep his creative freedom." Marco raised his gaze from the condensation forming on the side of his glass.
"Then why-"
"The investors threatened to pull everything. Ace wanted to finish his project, and the only way he could do that was by accepting the offer, even if it wouldn't be on his own terms anymore. Your offer, and now, it's your terms. It's no wonder he's a bit unhappy with you."
Marco stared. Ace thought he was the reason he'd lost his company? He exhaled slowly, then finally took a drink.
"No wonder he hates my guts."
"I think he'll warm up again." Thatch paused, raising his glass to his mouth to empty his beer. "Eventually." He just laughed at Marco's irritated gaze.
Thatch signaled the bartender for another round. "Why does it matter, anyway? It's not like you'll even work with the kid that often. You don't have to ever, if you don't want to."
"I... There's no particular reason. I just don't like being loathed by one of the employees. And Pops and I think he's promising enough that he will be working with me soon."
"So, it is because you like him," Thatch said, just as Marco had taken a drink, and he almost spit out the beer. As it was far more of it went up his nose that he'd have liked. "Izo and I thought so."
Before Marco could do more that stutter Thatch continued musingly. "You know, he stares at you a lot. He must have thought no one was looking. Like he's trying to figure out a puzzle or something." Thatch shook his head. "I wouldn't worry if I were you. The kid will come around eventually. Now, will you stop moping, so we can have some fun now?"
"Thatch, it is Wednesday night. Why are we even here?"
A shout rang across the busy pub, and they both turned to look at what caused the ruckus. Marco had to work to keep his jaw from dropping when he saw a young man throw himself at none other than Ace. He glared at Thatch, but Thatch looked just as baffled as he felt.
Marco couldn't hear them from across the way, but he could tell the young man was babbling as he clung to Ace, and Ace looked to be more relaxed and happy than Marco had ever seen him. Before Marco could make sense of the scene, Thatch was already shouting over to them.
"Ace! What's up, man?" Ace turned around, eyes still bright as he turned to Thatch, and Marco felt something in him clench when the light in Ace's eyes died when he caught sight of whom Thatch was with. The man said something, and Ace barely had time to respond before the young man was dragging them over, ignoring Ace's heels which were obviously digging into the ground.
"Hi, I'm Luffy!" The grin was the most impressive Marco had ever seen, splitting his face nearly in two.
"Luffy?" Thatch asked. "Ace has told me a lot about you!" Marco took a sip of his beer, wanting to drown the sinking feeling in his stomach.
Luffy laughed and shoved Ace so he ended up sitting on the booth next to Marco, and dashed off to the bar, muttering something about food. Marco wasn't quite sure how this had happened, and could take solace only in the fact that Ace looked almost equally like he'd been spun around like a tornado.
Thatch seemed to take everything in stride somehow. "So this is where your brother works? We've been coming here for years! Who knew?"
"Yeah," Ace said, scowling as he settled back into the booth, close enough that Marco could feel the heat coming off him. Marco looked back and forth between them, trying to catch up. The scowl faded from Ace's face he watched Luffy at the bar, bouncing around as he talked with a blond man.
Finally the man shooed him back to the table, and Luffy all but flung himself next to Thatch. Marco expected him to start chattering immediately, but he kept silent as he passed Ace a beer, staring at Marco intently. Ace frowned down at the beer.
"Luffy, I can't drink this, we're going home remember?" Ace passed it to Thatch, who took it without question.
"We have to have dinner first." Luffy nodded and smiled at Marco, before finally shifting his gaze to Ace. Marco was a bit unnerved at the whole encounter. "Sabo's got a date tonight. If we go home, it's instant noodles." Ace blanched, and Marco and Thatch shared an amused glance.
"You're right. We should definitely stay here. Is Sanji going to take pity on us?"
"Yeah, I convinced him." Luffy laughed and then turned to Marco. "Pineapple man, are you going to eat with us?" Ace and Thatch snickered, but Marco saw Ace give Luffy a thoughtful look. The whole interaction seemed a bit weird, but Marco was glad to have Ace talking to him (well, near him) without the wooden tone he'd come to adopt whenever he was forced to interact with Marco.
Marco traded a glance with Thatch. "Sure, I guess."
Ace glared at the sun, which was just know bothering to rise as he made his way from his car to the company, blinking at the weak light. He'd been working long, rather irregular hours to finish the processor, and when he'd finally finished it last night, he'd been far too excited to sleep. Unfortunately for him, Marco was still there and sent him home, but he'd been too keyed up to sleep. So here he was, swiping in at some godforsaken hour.
Marco had been perfectly polite at the dinner a week ago, and Ace could tell he'd been trying to make it as painless as possible. He obviously knew that Ace was less than pleased with him (how could he not?), but instead of confronting him, he just tried to give Ace his space. Ace scowled at his reflection in the elevators as he waited to go up.
Luffy, the traitor, had taken to Marco, and Ace did have to admit it was funny watching Luffy with him and Thatch, but still. Luffy knew what Marco had done! They'd eaten well, thanks to Sanji, and Thatch and Marco had barely raised a brow at the amount of food they'd eaten.
Ace had barely seen Marco since then, really only when Thatch or Teach or someone called him in to kick Ace out when he was on a roll, and he was glad for it. It was admittedly a bit easier to keep up his dislike when Marco wasn't actually around. The elevator came, and Ace stepped on, stumbling a bit on the threshold.
The elevator slid to a stop on his floor, and Ace carefully made his way to his office. Maybe he should take a nap before driving home. He unlocked his door and picked his way through the typical mess to his desk, freezing at the sight of his open drawers. He knew they'd been closed when he'd left. He always made sure everything was locked up tight. Well, everything important, he thought, looking at the state of the room.
HIs phone was in his hand before he'd consciously thought of it, and he thoroughly combed his desk as it rang.
" 'ello?" A pang of guilt rushed through Ace at the sleep laden voice. "Ace, do you know what time it is? Go to sleep, for god's sake."
"Marco, it's gone. Someone must have stolen it."
There was a brief pause. "You're sure? No, of course you are." All traces of sleep were gone now. "I'll be there in twenty minutes. Call the police and sit tight. Don't contact anyone else."
It had been two hours since Marco had gotten there, and people were starting to trickle into work. They'd been asked to move to Marco's office by the police, and Ace was zonked out on the couch and had been almost as soon as he'd sat down. Marco smiled at the sight and tossed a blanket over him. Ace stirred a bit, pulling the blanket closer and smiling. He'd been killing himself to finish all week, and now this.
Marco fell into the nearby armchair, police figured it had to be an inside job, since the building security was the best possible, and nothing had been breached. After hours access to the building was allowed to everyone, but there was a record, and no one but Marco, Ace, and Teach, who helped Ace clean up last night, were there after hours. Teach had left before them, and Marco knew it wasn't Ace.
They were a family here, and the thought of one of their own stealing from them was unthinkable. Marco's fingers tapped on the armrest, and he stared at nothing in particular. Still, no one outside of Ace's investors, who had little to gain anymore, and members of Whitebeard had any idea the chip was in existence.
Whoever it was, they were thorough, taking Ace's files, laptop, backups, and the chip itself. There was no way to recreate what Ace had in such a short period of time, and they had nothing for the expo in four weeks. They'd been cutting it closely enough before, but now they had nothing at all.
The board would have an emergency meeting tomorrow, and he would have to nothing to tell them. They'd been pushing and pushing, and now they'd get what they wanted because he had nothing to show them. Marco rubbed his hands over his face, and Ace shifted.
And Ace. He'd hated Marco before for stealing his freedom, but now he'd stolen what remained of his dream, if Thatch knew anything, and Marco knew just how good he was at getting people to talk. Marco jolted when the door opened, sitting up to greet Teach softly, nodding to Ace in explanation.
"Shame what happened last night." Teach laughed, and Marco frowned.
"Do you have news from the police?" Teach shook his head.
"No, though I know they've cleared just about everyone. I'm just here to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?"
"Yeah, now that my month's notice is done, I figured I might as well go. There's nothing for me to do today, and my new job starts tomorrow." He laughed again, the sound grating on Marco's nerves, and Ace tossed in his sleep.
"I don't remember you turning in a letter of resignation. Or any mention of a new job." Marco's eyes narrowed.
"I turned it into you personally. Don't you remember?" His smile oozed innocence, and Marco was suddenly sure who was to blame for this whole thing.
"No, I don't. You want to explain that?" Ace shifted again at Marco's tone, but Marco kept his eyes on Teach.
"I don't know, boss. I'm sure you'll find everything in order." His grin never faltered.
"I'm sure I will," Marco said slowly, "but does that mean it is?"
"It's fine from where I am." Teach's grin grew, and he turned around to head to the door, looking back before he left. "Best of luck for the expo. It seems you'll need it."
