Pairing: Ace/Marco
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Sighing, Marco rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. His men signalled to him and he nodded in reply, agreeing that they were finished with this job. They'd been sent to help rebuild one of the cities on their protected islands after a group of cocky pirates decided to torch the city. They'd done as much as they could now, and Marco would leave it in the city's hands.
They headed towards the smaller Moby they'd taken out, and Marco was surprised when he saw a familiar boat beside it, the owner waving to them from aboard their ship.
"Ace-taichō!" some of his division called, and Ace waved harder. Marco smiled, ducking his head. It had been a while since he'd seen Ace, and while he wasn't sure what he was doing here, Marco was glad to see him.
"My division's on down time so I asked if I could meet you," Ace said when Marco's feet hit the deck. He could see that the Striker was attached to the ship and he gave the order that they were to get ready to leave.
Ace followed him as he helped to ready the ship, humming to himself. He helped Marco a little, but Marco chased him off as he retreated to the cabins. His men had the ship under control and Marco could work on the less interesting side of things – trying to identify and track the pirates that had attacked the island.
"Dinner's ready, and the navigators say a storm's moving in," Ace said, poking his head in a little later. He held two trays precariously, and Marco hurried to take one, smiling at the delicious smell of food. His division might not have the best cooks, but they were still damn well amazing.
Before he dug in, though, Marco picked up the denden mushi on his desk, placing a call to the navigators on the ship. They suggested that they make haste to dock at a nearby archipelago. It was one that didn't show on any logs (it wasn't too much more than a glorified rock), but it had an interesting cave network that would provide shelter from the storm.
"I missed you," Marco confided over dinner, and Ace let their knees touch.
"We should find a holiday island and spend a few day there. Oyaji wouldn't mind." Ace stretched, setting his spoon down and patting his stomach. "My division has extended leave, I think it manages to overlap with yours."
Marco nodded slowly. He'd checked their leave and noticed the overlap, but he hadn't mentioned anything. He'd never considered having a small break away with Ace, but it sounded nice.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the denden mushi began to ring. Marco listened at the crew told him they'd be at the archipelago soon, and Ace began collecting the dishes, humming again. It brought a smile to Marco's face, and he caught Ace's hand gently, pulling him close.
"We'll be there in a moment," Marco said to the crew, hanging up the denden mushi and kissing Ace gently, slipping his arms around Ace's waist and holding them together. Ace set his hands on his waist, mock-frowning.
"Some of us have work to do," he whispered, but then leaned forward, kissing Marco noisily. He pulled back, and Marco let him go, taking a deep breath.
"Do you want a coat?" he asked, and Ace shot him an incredulous look. It shifted quickly, though, and he smiled.
"If it's your coat," Ace said, and Marco nodded, walking over to the wardrobe.
"You can have my red one," he said, digging two coats out. Neither of them probably needed them in cases of survival (thank you devil fruits), but Marco didn't fancy risking anything or being chilly outside the ship. They'd probably have to spend the night in the caves too.
"Thanks Marco," Ace said happily, slipping Marco's coat on. He zipped it up, testing it, as Marco slipped his own coat on, a black coat with golden buttons. He'd paid quite a lot of money for this coat and was particularly fond of it.
"Did you know you left sweets in here?" Ace said, unwrapping a hard sweet and popping it into his mouth. Marco did have a habit of storing things in his pockets, and he snagged a sweet of his own.
"Unfair," Ace muttered as they left the room. "I was going to save the orange one for later."
Marco rolled his eyes, and left Ace to wander while he headed to the navigation room. The storm was starting to become stronger outside, and Marco was glad all they needed to do now was secure the boat.
They led the mini-Moby into a well-known harbour, and the crew fell silent as they brought their boat alongside another. It seemed the archipelago was shelter to someone else this night, someone Marco had hoped not to see for a long time.
"Gather everyone on deck, I need to talk to them," Marco said, and after they'd secured the mini-Moby for the night, he joined his division on the shore. They were all staring at the large ship, some muttering that Akagami would take them down while he could.
"Akagami isn't going to do anything," Marco said flatly. "We can get along for one night at least."
The only one who seemed completely unconcerned was Ace, Marco noted. He stored that information in the back of his head before he walked towards the caves, ignoring the rain that started to beat down heavier upon them. Ace was busy helping to light torches, and Marco turned to one of his division members for a torch before they entered the caves.
Even from the edges of the caves, Marco could hear the sound of a merry gathering, and he steeled himself. He got on with Shanks, but they were still rivals and Marco wished he would grow tired of constantly asking him to join the Akagami pirates.
Not too surprisingly (they were in a cave after all), there was no one on sentry duty, and Marco came face to face with Shanks himself easily, pushing through the outer edge of his crew. It looked like all of the members of the Akagami pirates were here, sprawling into the cave network and beyond.
"Well," Shanks said, a wide smile on his face. Marco could feel his division tense, hands slipping to weapons and sea-hardened pirates preparing to face off against Shanks' men.
"We noticed your ship when we docked," Marco said, and Shanks nods his head, waving an arm.
"Join us!" he said cheerfully and nodded to his men. The tension broke, and Marco let his division mingle, some of them joining faces they recognised. Only Ace remained hovering with Marco, and they sat down with Shanks' little group, Marco heading to Benn's side and taking an offered drink.
Ace, Marco noted with a little confusion, made his way to Shanks, sitting down with a grin. It wasn't what he'd been expecting, but that was okay. Ace seemed to be pretty friendly with him.
"Strange for two division commanders to be together," Benn commented, and Marco nodded.
"Ace met with us today," he explained, taking a sip of sake. It was good stuff, he noted.
"He's a good man," Benn said, and Marco nodded slowly. He didn't need anyone to tell him anything about Ace. He knew Ace very well.
The evening drew to night, and a few people could be found slumped together, fast asleep. Or passed out, whichever explanation one preferred most. Benn had left a while ago to chase up a bet he'd made, and Marco was left watching Ace and Shanks, eyes narrowed.
Whatever they were talking about, they seemed to be having a grand time. Shanks was mid flow and Ace was already laughing, tapping Shanks' arm as tears welled up.
It didn't matter, Marco thought to himself. It was nice Ace was getting on so well with someone and there was no reason for him to be jealous at all. Just because Shanks tended to be overfriendly with a lot of people and, well, handsy didn't mean Marco had anything to fear.
And yet… his stomach gave an uncomfortable twist. He couldn't help himself, and Marco stood up, wincing at the dead leg he had, and he walked over to them.
"Thank you for your hospitality," Marco said as he sat down in front of them. He shot Ace a quick smile, turning his attention back to Shanks.
"You know me, I'm still trying to get you to join me." Shanks grinned, leaning closer to Ace. "I figure being nice will soften Marco up a bit. Maybe then he'll slip into my grasp!" Shanks laughed, and Ace smiled weakly, looking at Marco with wide eyes.
"In your dreams," Marco retorted, taking Shanks' sake and pouring some for himself. "I'd never leave Oyaji."
Shanks sighed dramatically, slinging his arm around Ace.
"This one wouldn't join either, though I can't say I don't blame him. Ace is a lost cause, but I've still got my eye on you." He wasn't being serious, and Marco rolled his eyes. His stomach knotted at bit more, but he was glad Shanks was admitting defeat. Ace belonged on the Moby Dick, after all.
"How long have you two known each other?" Ace asked, and Shanks pulled his arm away.
"Probably since before you were born," Shanks mused, and Marco shrugged. They'd first met back when Roger was alive, so Ace definitely wouldn't have been born.
"I wanted Marco from the moment I saw him," Shanks bemoaned, leaning closer to Ace with a laboured sigh. "He plays hard to get, but he'll come around eventually."
Shanks winked and Ace looked sharply at Marco.
"Wanted him?" he parroted, and Shanks laughed.
"I'm going to go find my first mate, but before I do, I want to impart some wisdom upon you both." Shanks looked at them seriously, eyes bright.
"Ace is the brother of a very dear friend of mine, and someone I consider a friend too, but nothing more." He turned to Ace, and Marco looked away, trying to ignore the relief flooding his chest. "And Marco is an exceptionally talented fighter and valuable asset to any pirate crew. He would be a welcome addition to my entire crew, not for myself."
Shanks raised an eyebrow as Ace gave a smirk.
"The worst of the storm's probably over by now if you wanted to sneak back to your ship for some privacy!" Shanks said gleefully, standing up and wobbling away. He paused at the first group of still-awake people he found, slapping a hand against his thigh and starting up an impromptu singing party.
"He's a clever man," Marco said, turning to Ace. Ace nodded, stretching before he too stood up. He turned to face the way they'd come, however, and Marco caught onto the message.
They walked side by side, Marco slinging an arm around Ace's shoulders and pulling him tight. It was still raining heavily and the conditions were far from suitable to sail, but they would be safe on the ship. And alone.
"Were you really jealous?" Ace asked when they were on board the mini-Moby, drying themselves in the cabin Marco was occupying.
"Yes," he replied simply, finding no use in lying. "You were getting on really well and I was jealous."
That didn't make it easy to admit, however, and Marco looked down, a little ashamed.
"We were talking about Luffy," Ace says sheepishly. "Shanks saved him when he was a kid. I met with him before I found you and thanked him. It was nice to talk to him again."
They'd just been talking about Ace's little brother?
"Oh," Marco said, feeling incredibly ridiculous.
Ace stepped closer to him, taking his hand and pulling it around his waist.
"I was jealous too," he admitted simply, hands coming up to press Marco's cheeks together. Ace smiled at the ridiculous face Marco was sure he was being forced to pull, and he brought his own hands up, squashing Ace's face back in return.
"I've never thought of Shanks in that way," Marco said, though his words were a little distorted. Ace snorted, letting his hands fall down with a sigh.
"I know," he replied, pulling Marco's hands off of his face and joining their hands together. "But the point is that it's okay to feel jealous."
Marco hummed, tilting his head as he took a step closer to Ace.
"When did you get so clever, " he muttered with a smile, and Ace let out a huff of laughter, tilting his chin up.
"I was smart enough to get you into my bed wasn't I?" Ace said triumphantly, and Marco nodded easily, walking them backwards to the bed.
"I'm not about to leave anytime soon," Marco said, licking his lips as Ace leaned in for a kiss.
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