AN: A gift for jjkmagic, who was my giftee for the opsecretsanta event! Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy ;u; 333

Happy holidays to y'all! I hope everyone's had a wonderful day, and will have a wonderful new year's celebration, too. ;u;

It took a week before Ace noticed that he had more company than he usually did while aboard Whitebeard's main fleet. Actually, to be fair, it was a week and the time it took him to realise that that the usually unflappable, introverted Jozu was following him around the Moby, but, semantics.

It took a further three days for him to figure out the cause, and truthfully, that wasn't even through his own detective work, but the fact that when he woke up one morning, snow had collected outside his porthole.

Oh. He thought, watching sharp light refract from the waves onto his cabin's ceiling, it's cold.

He grinned, stretching even more leisurely in his warm bed. Thanks to his devil fruit he now no longer got cold (well, rather that he could control his body temperature, and he didn't ever want to to be cold) but he could still remember the sharp bite of winter wind at his nose and fingertips, and took a moment to recall the cold before wriggling his hands from the blanket and finding it was still as warm as when he'd gone to bed.

When he strolled onto deck and found everyone shivering, bundled up in scarves and coats, he grinned even wider, holding back a small laugh. It was the work of moments to raise his body heat and melt the snow on deck, turning the ship into a vaguely warmer version of freezing, and making a few of his crewmates breathe sighs of relief and unlatch themselves from their tight, frozen hunches.

Throughout breakfast and the rest of the day, he was the centre of attention and adoration, as his crewmates complimented the use of his devil fruit and how much warmer he'd made the rest of the ship. In fact, he'd been so distracted by the praise that he didn't realise they were drawing closer to a winter island until it was time to dock. Most of the crew were immediately greeted by the townspeople with grins and laughter, and Ace noticed the Whitebeard insignia flying high on a flag above the village centre.

It was even colder than Goa usually got during winter, and as the Moby bumped into the dock, icicles that had frozen into sharp spikes detached themselves and fell into the sea.

The cold didn't bother him; but the vague whispers and the glint of boots with thin, gleaming steel fastened beneath them were starting to worry him. Talk of frozen lakes and skating (whatever that was) had him pursing his lips as Ace strolled down the gang plank, uneasily looking around for whatever lake was apparently near by.

All he could remember about frozen lakes was Luffy plunging right through the surface of one, and how bitterly, bitterly cold it had been when Ace managed to find him and drag him out.

He didn't particularly want a repeat of that, especially considering he couldn't swim anymore and any falling through wouldn't end well, but from what everyone was talking about…

Well, he couldn't help but feel paranoid that whatever skating involved, he wouldn't enjoy.

Izo was the first one to catch him loitering around the town instead of following the steady stream of Whitebeard Pirates and townspeople, but he'd been brushed off with an easy laugh and the assurance that Ace just wanted to look around. If Ace had been someone else - Marco, maybe, or Thatch, Izo would've pushed the issue. As it was, Ace was too new to the crew, and too unknown of a brother; Izo merely smiled and told Ace not to miss out the fun.

"Fun," he'd snorted under his breath when he'd finally accidentally ran into Thatch and been dragged along to the lake, and was glad that Thatch had already laced on his 'ice skates' and slipped out onto the ice, so he couldn't hear Ace's sarcasm.

The blades beneath the boots that the skaters wore helped them glide effortlessly around the ice, laughter and snowflakes filling the air as what seemed like the whole crew and the whole town occupied the large lake.

All he could think about was the sound of cracking and Luffy's terrified, confused shout before he hit the water.

Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, he focused on the faces he could pick out by the shore closest to him. Thatch was easy, laughing maniacally as he darted around people, and Ace was surprised he didn't lose his balance. There was very little grace to his movements, but he still moved fast, bouncing off other crew members and spinning to a sharp stop on the ice before he could tumble over. Izo seemed to be able to go just as fast, but held much more finesse, darting around anyone that disrupted his sedate, calm pace across the ice.

In fact, most of the Whitebeards seemed comfortable on the lake's frozen surface, giggling and laughing to each other, latching onto shoulders or hands when they seemed likely to fall. Ace pursed his lips, the skates Thatch had shoved at him heavy in his grip as he watched everyone skate as though they'd been doing it for years.

They probably have, he thought to himself, and couldn't help how his heart ached in longing, wanting to be just as comfortable with them as they all obviously were with each other. It was strange, being so new to a crew he'd spent so much time with. He hadn't bothered to learn about them when he was trying to kill Whitebeard, and it still sometimes felt weird to want such a thing now.

"Come on, Ace!" Thatch called laughingly, skating over and skidding to a stop in front of him, and Ace jumped, shoulders instinctively stiffening.

"Nah, it looks dumb," he said, shrugging in an effort to loosen his taut muscles, and tried to ignore the fact that it looked like fun. Scary, certainly, but-

It looked like flying.

Still; Ace didn't want to make a fool of himself, and he likely would in front of all these talented, calm skaters.

He didn't miss Thatch's pout in the corner of his eye, but his attention was drawn by Marco stepping onto the ice, shooting anyone near him a fond smile or a wave before he tucked his bare hands into his jacket. It looked much thicker than the clothes he usually wore, but was still unzipped at the front, showing off the sharp jut of his collarbones and the dark blue of his tattoo.

Marco didn't stumble as he skated, a slow confidence to every stroke of his blades against the lake's surface, pushing him surely across the ice. Ace's couldn't draw his gaze away from how uncomplicated Marco made skating look, gliding across the ice with a straight back and a small smile, and his heart twisted. No way was he going to embarrass himself in front of Marco.

"I'll just see you later!" he said, grinning easily, and quickly made his escape before anyone else could see him and cajole him into joining them on the ice.

He missed Marco's lips twisting into a disappointed frown at the sight of his retreating back, and ignored how bitterly cold he felt at Thatch's muffled protests.

Afterall, it was snowing. Why wouldn't he feel cold?

A few hours later, when everyone had finally trickled inside, into golden warmth and hot chocolate and laughter and company, Ace snuck outside again. The sun was starting to set, snow burning like fire in his eyes, but as he made his way back to the large lake from the afternoon, the light faded and the thin glow of the moon replaced it. He soon had to ignite his hand so he could continue to pick his way through snow banks.

The frozen lake looked even less inviting when he reached it in the dark, the ice frozen dark blue and with nary a star to light the sky yet, and Ace rubbed his hands together, blowing softly against his chapped fingers. Even if he couldn't feel the cold, some habits were hard to get rid of, and he still remembered how cold snow was at night.

Carefully he balanced against one of the sparse trees surrounding the lake, toeing off boots and sliding on the skates he'd nicked from the spare cupboard. Where he'd put down his feet to change shoes had left footprints melted into the snow, and Ace snorted at the sight, before screwing up his face and wriggling his toes in the skates. They fit uncomfortably, and he wobbled unsteadily as he tried to stand again. Leaning most of his weight against the tree, he brought his hands to his mouth again and whispered, "Firefly."

The word blew softly through his cupped palms, tiny sparks flaring to life as they flew from Ace's hands. The tiny green lights illuminated the night and made the lake gleam with the fake stars of Ace's fire, but he wasn't paying attention to the beautiful scene he'd created, instead glaring at the ice. He was going to master this, and tomorrow he'd go skating and no-one would've been any wiser to his lack of knowledge.

Carefully he stepped forwards onto the ice and tried to push off like he'd seen so many of the others do this afternoon-

In less than a second he'd tripped and fallen face-first onto the lake.

Quickly he pulled his hands away from the ice, trying to remind himself to keep a cool head and not melt a patch in the ice. There was no crew around to jump in and pull him out, and so an encounter with the freezing water now would prove much deadlier than any he'd experienced as a child. Even if he could warm himself up better, there was no way he'd be able to get out of the water without help, and he could drown as easily as anyone else.

Closing his eyes and heaving in a breath in efforts to calm himself, Ace shakily got to his feet again, remembering how Marco had looked this morning as he glided across the ice. Body loose, back straight, head high-

The breeze ruffled his hair as he managed to move forwards jerkily, and he chanced a glance at his feet-

Then went tumbling head over heels again, the blade of his skates imbedded in the ice.

"You shitty fuck!" he yelled, trying to pull them out but inadvertently heating up the ice around him and making them sink even further.

Squirming angrily, he wiggled his skates back and forth in the ice to try and get them out, mumbling out irritated swears.

Heaving in a deep breath, ready to continue his tirade, he noticed soft chuckling and the swish of skates on the ice behind him. His head dropped to his knees, even as he felt the tiniest brush of displaced air hit the back of his neck.

"Are you alright, yoi?"

"Peachy," Ace mumbled, trying to hide the embarrassed flush on his cheeks. Damn it, he thought, screwing his whole face up to ignore the burning embarrassment in his blood, of course one of the best skaters on the Moby would be watching you fall on your ass.

"Did you do this?" Marco asked, some sort of wonder in his tone, and Ace snorted angrily, tugging once more on his skates before finally giving them up for dead and pressing his palm to the ice next to it so he could melt them free.

"How the fuck else would my skates have gotten so stuck?" Ace demanded, finally looking up, but was surprised to see Marco's attention was fastened on the sky and Ace's tiny glowing flares. Marco looked down and blinked at him, obviously confused, and Ace tried to ignore the fact that his calming blush had decided to return with a vengeance. He could pass it off as the cold, right? Even if he didn't get cold, his body still acted as though he were a bit cold.

He could totally pass it off.

Totally.

"What are you doing out here this late?" Marco said, as though he'd finally noticed the time, "And how'd your skates stuck in the ice?"

"How the hell do you think? I melted the ice, birdbrain."

Marco gave a huffy snort, rubbing his knuckles painfully into Ace's hair, and Ace yelped, pulling his hand from the ice he was melting to try and defend himself from the onslaught. "Probably 'cause you're such a hothead," Marco said, and Ace glared, knowing it would only prove Marco's point if he set his hair on fire but wishing he could get rid of Marco's annoying knuckles-to-head habit that way.

Even if he...didn't really want to get rid of Marco's hands tangled in his hair.

He shook his head to get rid of the intrusive thought, pushing himself to his feet in an efforts to ignore it and Marco until both left.

Sadly, Marco didn't seem to take the hint, cocking his hip and settling himself more comfortably by Ace's side as he stood.

"What are you doing here so late?" Ace demanded rudely, hoping it would encourage Marco to go back to the ship, but Marco only looked up at the sky and grinned.

"S'nice to be out here in the dark. The moon and the stars and the ice...It's quiet. Peaceful. Don't get much of that onboard, yoi."

Ace snorted, thinking back to how many times Haruta had barged into his room, yelling about something or another, or how frequently Thatch would demand Ace come taste-test. "That's no surprise," he said, crossing his arms, "we have what, a thousand siblings?"

"1,617," Marco corrected, then smiled at Ace. "1,618 with you."

Ace rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but look away, ignoring the pleased flutter in his stomach at Marco's smile.

"Anyway, you still haven't answered what you're doing out here, yoi. Isn't it too cold for you?"

"Fire, remember?" Ace said, igniting his hand to prove his point, and Marco gave a small laugh, grinning.

"How could I forget our brightest spark?"

Ace rolled his eyes again, but this time couldn't fight back a blush, wishing he could skate away without falling on his face. He gave it a try, digging his toe into the ice to push off, but only wobbled a few meters before forcing himself to a stop, cursing his lack of experience mentally.

Marco skated up to him again, going backwards before he skidded to a stop in front of Ace, the hint of a frown on his face. "Is something wrong with your skates?" he asked, and Ace sighed heavily, finally realising he probably wouldn't be able to escape an explanation. Even if he left, after all, Marco would just question his skill as Ace struggled to get off the ice, and would probably coddle him and carry him back to the infirmary of the ship if Ace faked an injury. While it might've been nice to be carried in Marco's arms, Ace sure as hell didn't want everyone fussing over him for a fake injury.

"Apart from the fact I can't use them?" Ace retorted, pursing his lips and looking away, but he could still see from the corner of his eye that Marco startled backwards slightly and then looked down at Ace's skates.

"Well, first off you've tied them wrong." Marco said, the hint of a laugh in his tone, and Ace snapped his head back to glare. However, he found himself glaring at the top of Marco's head, as Marco had ducked down to kneel on the ice, tugging on Ace's skate until he moved his foot forwards. With nimble fingers Marco quickly re-tied both skates, then grinned up at Ace, standing again with a quiet huff. "That'll probably feel a bit better, yoi."

Ace hummed, already wiggling his toes and sliding the skates across the ice carefully. He couldn't help the smile that pulled up his lips, and mumbled, "Thanks."

"Anytime," Marco replied. "Now, on you not knowing how to use them…"

He extended his hand, and Ace stared at it, watching as lights shifted the shadows across Marco's palm. Then, he carefully reached out, grabbing on and using it to pull himself forwards slightly. Marco grinned, skating backwards gracefully, and Ace yelped, quickly grabbing onto Marco's hand with both of his own. Even going backwards and with another person attached, Marco was still going faster than Ace had managed to go.

"Keep your head up," Marco said softly, his fingers tilting Ace's chin up when Ace kept looking at his feet, trying to keep them straight. Ace bit his lip, swallowing hard before he could nod, feeling Marco's fingertips press against his jaw. "What's the worst that could happen if you aren't looking at your feet?" Marco added teasingly, then gave a thoughtful sound. "Though, I suppose 'the worst that can happen' in your case might be that you go through the ice..."

Ace glared at him, heating up his hands to what he knew would be an uncomfortable degree, but Marco only laughed, squeezing Ace's hand and letting tiny flickers of blue light up the night. "Thanks for the warm up, Ace. My hands were getting a bit chilly."

"Jerk," Ace said, wishing he could cross his arms but unwilling to let go of Marco's hand.

"A jerk who's gotten you all the way around the ice," Marco said, tugging gently on Ace's hand and pointing out the tracks behind them. Ace blinked in surprise, then bit his lip to hide a proud grin. "Wanna try it yourself?"

"...One more lap?" Ace asked quietly, his reasons more selfish than fearful, but Marco only smiled and twisted their grip so that he could lace their fingers together, skating by Ace's side.

As they made their way slowly around the dark lake, soft snowflakes began to fall; some hit his firefly and evaporated, casting a shining mist across the sky. Others kissed his cheeks and nestled in his hair, melting just as quickly as they came thanks to his high body heat.

When Marco squeezed his hand Ace almost didn't notice, too preoccupied with moving forwards and the chill breeze nipping at his cheeks, delighted at his progress across the ice. He did notice, however, when Marco let go. Ace couldnt't help but look back and where he'd left Marco behind, momentary panic flashing within his chest, but as he kept easily moving forwards, he felt his confidence return and grow.

Soon, he was pushing forwards even faster, gliding across the ice just like the other skaters he'd seen that morning. Not as fast as Thatch, nor with Izo and Marco's grace, but well enough to make him laugh at the smooth sensation of ice beneath the blades of his skates.

It felt like flying.

Still laughing, he looped on the ice, bringing his cupped palms to his lips and filling the night sky with more bright fireflies, watching as Marco's shadowed expression Marco's expression lit with barely-disguised delight as the lake turned green with fire and silver with starlight. Ace darted to Marco's side again, unable to figure out how to slow and instead laughing softly as he grabbed Marco's hand, tugging him along.

With a yelp of a laugh and a stumble, Marco quickly followed him, skating backwards so that they could see each other and spinning Ace around on the ice so that he could go faster. Ace couldn't help the delighted laugh that left him as the scenery around them blurred, and he grinned at Marco, watching tiny blue sparks from Marco's own flames glitter.

Then, his toe pick snagged against the ice, and he was sent careening forwards, easily losing balance with their speed; Marco only just barely managed to grab his wrist, yanking him back up again and pulling him close. The skin of Marco's bare chest was cold against Ace's hand, and he could see goosebumps prickle beneath his touch. Every ragged breath pressed more of Marco's skin against him, and when Marco smiled at him, illuminated by fire and stars and ice-

His kiss felt like snowflakes; the gentlest, barest cold brush against Ace's skin, and he couldn't help but shiver at the sensation, unsure if it was because he was unused to the cold, or because it was Marco that was pressed so close to him, that had pressed his chapped lips to Ace's before he breathed out, like he was holding his breath for something.

For someone, Ace thought, lips stretching into a grin as he grabbed for Marco's jacket and kissed back hard, feeling fire lick at his shoulders and warming up Marco's cold mouth.

It wasn't until he realised that he was straining and shifting onto his tiptoes to try and continue kissing Marco that he noticed he'd started to melt through the ice, and when he did he couldn't help the embarrassed red that overtook his cheeks, especially as Marco laughed. Said embarrassment didn't help his sinking; in fact, more of the thick ice turned to slush, and Marco quickly had to help him out before the lake's surface broke completely.

He didn't let go, after he'd helped Ace out of his predicament. Carefully tangled their fingers and palms together and grinned at Ace, bumping his shoulder, instead, he said, "I must admit going through the ice if we do that again will be unfortunate, but there are benefits to you being so warm. I can finally feel my face again, for one."

"So glad I could help," Ace drawled, still feeling every falling snowflake like one of Marco's soft, cold kisses, and wondering when he could ask for another. "Warm's a good trade for skating tips, right?"

Marco smiled, bringing their tangled hands up and pressing a kiss to Ace's knuckles. "Probably," he said, "but I can think of other ways to stay warm, now."

"Well unless you want to go for an unplanned swim-," Ace said vaguely threateningly, pointing at the hole in the ice to back up his words, and Marco huffed out a laugh, skating slowly for the shore. Ace followed, keeping pace easily thanks to Marco's gentle grip on his hand.

"We might avoid that until we have some rescuers nearly," Marco said, "though the walk back to the ship is ice free…"

"Why, so it is." Ace mused, stumbling as he thumped through the ice and back to his boots. The skates felt heavy now that he was off the ice, and he shook his feet ungainly, frowning at his shoes. Switching back to boots made him bounce on his toes a few times, already missing the weight of the skate's blade. Marco had already finished changing and had his skates slung over his back by the time Ace finished fiddling with his laces, but still held out his hand in a silent invitation that Ace eagerly took, twinning their hands together and warming up so that Marco didn't feel so cold on the way back to the Moby.

Even if the red flush to his lips and cheeks was unfairly attractive.

With his free hand, Ace blew more fireflies onto their path, the snow glowing in the fire's light to illuminate their way, and for a while they walked in comfortable silence, listening to the breeze ruffle the trees and the silent world around them, everything blanketed by a thick layer of snow.

"So…," Marco said slowly as the town's lights came into view and the noise of the Moby began to invade their peace. "Were you planning to practice tomorrow?"

"Contemplating it," Ace said, coming to a stop. Marco obligingly stopped with him, turning so they were face to face, and Ace's chest ached with such adoration at the sight of Marco's smile that he couldn't help but lean forwards again and press another soft kiss against Marco's lips. Marco's smile grew even bigger, and he added,

"Does having a teacher to help sway your contemplations?"

"Having a date might." Ace said, and Marco looked almost shocked, before a bright grin spread across his face.

"I can think of nothing I'd rather do more," Marco said, eyes as soft as his smile, and he cupped Ace's cheek with one cold hand before giving Ace another perfect snowflake kiss.

AN: please RR! I really appreciate feedback y'all. Kudos are nice and all, but nothing beats even simple comments~