Ace stared at Marco longingly. The Vice President was engaging in a conversation with Vista about something boring, in his opinion, but he couldn't look away from the blonde.
"Ya know, if you want to talk to him, you can just go up to him," someone remarked behind him. Ace spun around with a pout on his lips, though Thatch knew Ace probably didn't even realize he did, indeed, pout and quite adorably at that. Their youngest hot headed brother did have his sweet moments, after all.
"But he has been busy all week!" Ace said with a whine. Thatch just shook his head as another person came up.
"Is that why you have been moping all week? Because Marco can't even give you the time of day?" Izou questioned.
"...maybe. And I don't mope!" Ace protested. Izou rolled his eyes and chuckled.
"Yes, you do. And like Thatch said, just go up to him. I am sure he will spare a minute for you," Izou pointed out. Ace shook his head immediately at the suggestion.
"I don't want to bother him though..."
"So you are just going to stare at him like some sappy person in love?" Thatch jumped in. Ace growled and elbowed the man in the stomach. He rolled back to his desk in his glass office and faced the computer.
"Don't tease me just because I might like him," Ace growled and attempted to resume his work in order to avoid the upcoming topic.
"Aw, sweetie, might you say? I think anyone with eyes can tell you like him, besides Marco himself. Especially when he wears a business suit for a conference. You seem to want rip off the suit right then and there," Izou said with a teasing grin. Ace tried to hide his face behind the screen. He felt his cheeks heat up at the very true statement.
"It isn't my fault he looks so hot…" he grumbled. Izou chuckled and Thatch looked a bit weirded out.
"I don't want to think of the two of you doing it right in front of us," he said with a shudder. Izou just fanned himself at the thought.
"You don't see me complaining," the cross dresser said with a wink. Ace rolled his eyes at the antics of his fellow commanders. Why the hell were they so interested in his love life?
"I am not even together with Marco, much less banging him!" Ace grumbled behind his computer. He can't say he hasn't thought about it though, nor against it. "Plus, he doesn't have time to even say hi now… Stupid pineapple."
Suddenly, the two men who were intruding his office fell silent. Ace looked worriedly over his screen. That is when Thatch started cracking up and Izou laughed loudly. The whole floor looked at the two, before shrugging it off and returning to work. Ace gulped nervously when he saw Marco look in their direction and ducked back behind his screen.
"Will you two stop laughing?" Ace hissed loudly at them. He peeked over to see Izou composing himself and Thatch wiping a fake tear from his eye.
"Sorry, but it has been a while since anyone called Marco a pineapple, much less you using that name. He hates the nickname and the fruit," the brunette said with a wide grin. Ace looked at them curiously. Izou nodded in agreement, much to his surprise.
"It is true. He despises the name, or anything to do with pineapples. One time he flipped out over a Hawaiian pizza Jozu ordered. Of course, I made him pay for breaking my table," Izou said with a devilish grin. The idea of an angry Marco startled him, but the revenge Izou inflicted upon the Vice President (also known as the First Division Commander; commander - a nickname for all the people in charge) must have been just.. Goosebumps ran up and down at the thought. Ace pitied Marco, but he was much more interested in this line of conversation.
"Does he really?" Ace said with a thoughtful smile. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage. Negative attention is still attention after all.
Thatch and Izou exchanged looks before nodding.
"What are you planning to do?" Thatch said suspiciously.
"Nothing!" Ace said with the most innocent face. Izou chuckled and grabbed Thatch by his shirt.
"Don't go overboard!" Izou called as he yanked the Fourth Division Commander out of his office. The protests of Thatch fell upon deaf ears. Ace wasn't surprised that the crossdresser guessed what he was going to do.
He stretched on his chair and picked up the phone to call some people for some favors. Time to get to work!
~OoOo~
Marco was a very calm man. He learned to keep his emotions under wrap with his chaotic family, but he will admit: if he finds the person playing all these pranks in him, he will literally kill them.
It started about a week ago. Someone, knowing his little agitation about pineapples, decided to gift him with a pineapple wife in his desk. He, of course, threw it in the trash can, but not before throwing it at a laughing Thatch's head. That was that, Marco guessed at the time. He brushed it off as one of Thatch's or Haruta's pranks.
It didn't stop there though. One person changed all the soups in the bathroom (in the whole BUILDING; Marco had to give it to them for dedication) to pineapple scented. Marco was a bit annoyed, but he could live with it.
After that, someone decided to replace everything in his office to a pineapple theme from his wheelchair to his vase. Marco was a bit frustrated, but calmed himself down. It was only a harmless prank that would end eventually.
It didn't.
When Marco entered the cafeteria, he was surprised that all the food was Hawaiian pizza, pineapple smoothies, chocolate covered pineapples, and more. He twitched at the sight and asked politely to Dadan if there was any other option. She started to yell at him for that.
Marco was slowly reaching his limit at the time. He finally marched up to a whispering Thatch and Haruta with a pizza in hand.
"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded at the two troublemakers. Thatch and Haruta looked up in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Haruta asked. He glanced at the pizza in utter bewilderment.
"I mean with all the pineapple pranks. Stop it. I get that my hair looks like a pineapple, but this has gone long enough," Marco said with anger barely held back.
"I haven't done any pineapple pranks? Have you?" Haruta exclaimed, glancing back at Thatch. Thatch shook his head, mirth in his eyes. Marco glared at the man.
"Are you sure?" he asked suspiciously. Thatch nodded.
"He wasn't the one who was doing the pranks, I can tell you for sure," Izou butted into the conversation. The Vice President looked at his brother accusingly.
"But you know who is the one behind the pranks," Marco stated without question.
"Marco, you know I know everything," the man said teasingly with an all-knowing smirk. He gritted his teeth. He didn't need Izou to tease about his little crush problem. Luckily, no else found out about his fond affection of a certain brat, except Pops and, inevitably, Izou. Marco swears that Izou could see through all and hear all sometimes.
"Who is it?" he stated calmly.
"I wonder who?" the other said thoughtfully with a grin. Marco steamed in anger on the inside.
"Izou, I have no time for your jokes," he said with a threat hinted in his voice. Izou just rolled his eyes and grinned.
"Patience, patience. Okay, I will give you a hint. There is only one person childish enough to do all these pranks like a child searching for attention and he ain't that bad looking either, if you know what I mean," the Sixteenth Division Commander said teasingly. Marco's eye twitched at the statement.
"I don't care he is good looking he is. I want these pranks to stop!" Marco emphasized. Plus, Ace is the most good looking of them all, he thought. Thatch and Izou glanced at each other before succumbing to laughter. He clenched his fists in annoyance.
"What're you all laughing about?" someone added as they walked up to them. The sound of food made Marco twitch at annoyance of what food it was.
"Someone has been playing pranks on me and these idiot won't tell me!" Marco said, fed up, and turned around to see an eating Ace. Marco's heart clenched at the sight.
He hadn't seen the hot headed brat lately, so it was a huge breath of air to finally see him. Marco was so busy lately, he hasn't found time to stop Ace at work, much less talk. More than he would ever admit it, he missed Ace's company desperately. There were times when the glances between the two made the air electrifying around them and the lingering touches burned like fire. There were moments when Mafco wistfully thought that Ace might return his feelings, but perhaps it was because of his own selfish feelings for loving the male. Ace made him feel comfortable and young again. He made Marco happy.
He hasn't talked to the man lately, so his voice was like music to his ears.
Too bad he wasn't in the mood for a nice conversation though.
"Oh… Is that so?" Ace said with a smile, but Marco noticed that the boy's hands twitched as if wanting to scratch his neck sheepishly. His eyes narrowed. Ace only did that when he was nervous. Why would he be nervous, unless…
Marco's eyes widened in surprise as all the pieces fell into place. The hints from Izou finally made sense. Ever since Ace joined, the prankster duo turned trio. Ace wasn't around with all the jokes were made, so by the time his family finally milked all the fun from the jokes, Ace hasn't since he never participated. Plus, that ginormous hint of someone good looking with the teasing. That was practically screaming Ace.
Ace, who perhaps felt Marco's suspicions, said a flimsy excuse and fled the scene. Marco turned around with a huge smirk.
Izou chuckled. "Finally get it?"
Marco continued to smirk smugly. Ace did this prank for to get his attention. Perhaps he didn't miscalculate on the fleeting heated glances and the lingering touches. Perhaps, Ace did return his feelings.
"Yes, I do," he replied with barely contained glee.
"What are you going to do about it?" Izou asked curiously. Thatch and Haruta glanced at the two at their puzzling conversation, but the pranksters were ignored.
"What am I going to do about it indeed…" Marco trailed off, before walking away with a destination in mind. He had a person to find and confront.
~OoOo~
Ace paced around his home nervously. He told the desk he wasn't feeling well and left. Something felt off…
He sighed loudly. Maybe it was because he saw Marco today? Ace bit his lip and paced around his messy living room. He bit a pineapple slice nervously.
Marco had a strange look in his eyes. Did he finally figure out that I was doing all the pranks? But why did feel all nervous then? A strange fire ignited inside of me when I caught his eyes.
Ace growled and ruffled his hair. This was too complicated for his taste. He devoured the pineapple angrily, wiping the juice off his face.
He tried to calm his nerves down. "Marco didn't find anything out. I will just play the next prank on him and even if he did, perhaps he will come and scold me," Ace told himself quietly, grinning at the thought. He missed Marco dreadfully and a part of him felt guilty for fleeing during lunch break. Of course, he didn't leave without bringing home some food.
Thank heavens Dadan agreed to his silly plan after he gave them some stuff to keep the whole gang of bandits quiet. Asking a favor from Nami for some money was something Ace knew he would someday regret, but he needed it to remodel Marco's office and to buy some soap. It actually smelled quite nice, the soap. Ace couldn't resist it and bought some for himself.
He hummed thoughtfully and decided to go wash his hands. It was all sticky and felt weird.
As he finished washing his hands in the bathroom with the pineal scented soap, the doorbell rang. Ace looked up in confusion. Who was that? Perhaps it was Luffy who decided to drop by. Or maybe Thatch and Izou. Did they hear he called in sick in the middle of work?
Ace walked over to open the door, but he felt jittery for some reason. He scolded himself quietly and unlocked the door. .
"Hey, what's-" Ace started, before someone pinned himself onto the wall in the hallway. Ace tried to move,but felt paralyzed when he stared into a familiar pair of blue eyes. "M-Marco?" he stuttered under that gaze. The warm eyes that once gave him reassurance held emotions that Ace could barely make of.
Annoyance, fondness, desire, and...dare he say it, love?
"Ya know brat, if you just wanted my attention you didn't have to go through with all these pranks," Marco whispered into his ear huskily. It made Ace dizzy to feel Marco's breath on his face.
"S-so you figured it out?" he stuttered nervously. Ace mentally kicked himself. Stop acting so nervous, he told himself. Marco leaned back and smirked.
"Yes and lucky for you, did you know I actually used to love the taste of pineapples?" Marco said. Ace blinked in confusion at the words.
"What-" he started to once again talk, but was interrupted with fierce lips kissing him. Ace almost jumped in surprise, but an experienced tongue entered his mouth. When it finally caught up to Ace what was happening, he kissed back just as fiercely. The two battles for dominance, but Marco won pretty quickly.
The blonde leaned back with satisfaction and smirked as the taste of pineapple lingered on his tongue. Ace felt himself flush under those eyed that craved him in more ways than one.
"So, bedroom?" Ace decided to be the first to offer. Marco grinned and nodded before he dragged the Ace upstairs.. He was pushed onto the bed and pinned down, but he wasn't complaining.
"Got any lube?" Marco whispered in his ear before trailing down kisses onto his neck. Ace gasped as Marco kissed, bit and sucked, showing extra attention to the areas that made him lose his breath.
"Right drawer," Ace gasped. Marco smirked at the delicious sight before digging thought the right drawer. He raised an eyebrow at the bottle.
"Pineapple?" he said with a deadpan voice. Ace grinned sheepishly, but Marco didn't mind at the sight of the familiar fruit.
If it weren't for pineapples, he would never know that Ace returned his feelings or they would be happy together in the future.
I have never done a MarcoAce one-shot, so I don't feel very confident, but I hope you enjoyed! This is short and was for fun. Please ignore any mistakes as well. I don't own One Piece either, nor the image. Please review! I adore reviews and it makes me very happy. :D
-mysteryreader6626 signing out