A/N: I wrote these stories a while ago on Tumblr, but never really though about putting them here until it was suggested recently, so here they are! I have six already written that I'll post slowly, and I'll add more when I happen to write other short MarcoAce stories. They're mostly AUs, but some from canon might appear in the future. The chapters' names are the themes for the drabble/one-shot!

Betaread by lunarshores! Hope you guys enjoy it :)

Summary: Ace couldn't stand it there anymore, so he ran away, decided to go after his freedom. Now, if he could only find some way to get far away...

"Won't you reconsider taking me with you? You are going there!"

Ace looked wearily at the man who shook his head before inciting the horse to start pulling the cart away at a quick pace. Ace sighed and passed his hand through his hair. Well, at least this time he had managed to make someone stop for a minute. It was a definite progress since early that morning.

The sun was high in the sky already and by the way his stomach was growling, he could tell it was lunch time. Ace grimaced and looked at the sack resting close to his feet with a growing desire to open it. But no, he couldn't. Not when he still had no idea how long it'd take for him to arrive at the next city.

So, with nothing else to do, Ace sat down on the path and found a comfortable position, knowing he'd have to wait for a while before another person happened along. He found a small rock on the ground and started to throw it from hand to hand to help pass the time.

With the repetitive motion, Ace felt his mind start to wander. Last night he had finally escaped from the castle and the last thing he wanted was to be found, but even if the false trails he had left through the city weren't as convincing as he'd like, they'd keep the guards off his trail for a while.

Now, waiting by the path, he was hoping to find anyone willing to take a stranger with them to the neighboring kingdom. It'd be a difficult journey, but once there he'd be free for good. If nobody stopped for him by the next day, he'd find another way to get there. That was his only goal, and he'd focus solely on it until he succeeded. What he'd do after he got his freedom was a question for another day.

In the meantime, he'd keep playing with this fascinating rock.

Rolling his eyes, he threw it behind him. It was already getting boring. He decided to finally open the sack and get something to eat when a sudden exclamation of pain made him freeze.

Ace slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder and saw a man massaging his head. His mouth opened in wonder at the weird hairstyle the man had, but when he saw the glare directed at him he snapped it close.

"I'm sorry for that. I didn't mean to hit you." Ace got up with an apologetic look.

"Don't worry about it. I was right behind you." The man rolled his eyes. "But you should be careful. None of the wild animals living here would be very happy with that."

Ace looked surprised at the trees that were close to them. He didn't know this part of the forest had dangerous animals. That wasn't good, since he only had a broken sword he found on the way and a dagger.

"You're not familiar with this forest, are you?" The man saw his reaction and snorted. "Then what are you doing here alone? It's dangerous."

"That's none of your business, is it?" Ace snapped. "And who said I can't take care of myself?"

The man simply narrowed his eyes – which were already half-lidded which made Ace wonder how he could still see anything like that - and pinched his nose.

Ace scowled, knowing that this man was probably thinking he was only a kid, and was about to sit again when he heard something weird.

His eyes widened. "Shit. Some people are coming." What was worse was Ace recognizing those voices. They belonged to two people he knew were part of the city guard.

The man's sharp blue eyes met his and something Ace didn't caught passed between them. Then, before he could comprehend what was happening, he was pulled deeper into the forest and pinned against a tree, a hand covering his mouth harshly.

He felt his breath stop before he swallowed thickly, gaze solely on the man pinning him. Because of the shadows cast around the forest, he hadn't been able to get a good look at his companion until now. However, his handsome features and even his muscular physique – felt through his hand holding the man's arm – were perfectly clear to Ace now.

While he kept staring, the man looked warily towards the roadwith a frown. Ace heard the guards pass close to them while talking and cursed mentally when he remembered his forgotten sack lying close to the path.

Once the voices finally disappeared, Ace sighed in relief. They hadn't seen it.

"Those were only guards…" The man murmured before taking his hand away from Ace's mouth. "You have good hearing. That's pretty useful. But are they looking for you?"

"I do, and so what if they are?" Ace wanted to hit himself for having snapped at the handsome stranger once again.

Luckily, the man only seemed amused. "Relax, I don't have a problem with it. I'm not from here, so this kingdom's problems don't matter to me." Something told Ace there was another reason behind the stranger's easy acceptance of him being on the run, but he kept quiet.

"Well, thanks for helping me." It wasn't the other's intention, but it was useful. "I'm Ace."

"It's a pleasure, Ace. I'm Marco." The man said. "Where are you going to?"

"To the neighboring kingdom." The words were out of his mouth before he even realized. Marco was still too close for Ace's thoughts to be clear.

"Oh?" A smirk was formed. "I'm going there too. How about we go together? As soon as we arrive at the next city, I have a quick way to get there. In exchange, you can help me fight and keep watchful with that hearing of yours. What do you say?"

Ace frowned. Should he accept the offer? Because if what he said was true…

"It's a deal." He nodded.

"Great." Marco seemed satisfied. He looked Ace up and down, leaned forward closing what little distance lay between them, and whispered in Ace's ear, his voice making him shiver. "It's going to be an interesting journey, wouldn't you say so, Ace?"