The door opened, and immediately Marco could tell who they were. The neatly groomed pompadour beside the perfectly pinned-up black hair on top of the pale make-up was a dead giveaway as to who the strangers could be. The strange knocking was none other than their delightful neighbors – who were, unfortunately, Marcos brothers – Thatch and Izo. They weren't his full brothers, but that's what they commonly referred to each other as. "What do you want? Can't you spend time together in the dark at your own house, yoi?" Marco growled immediately.
Honestly, Ace thought, Marco didn't have much of a reason to be upset. The two of them never usually made it past kissing anyways, so the two guests wouldn't be seeing anything new.
"You're so rude. It was boring at our house, and it's too cold and wet to actually go out now, so here we are. Can't you welcome family in a kinder manner, Marco?" Izo nagged.
"I don't have to, this is my house and you came over uninvited." He snapped again.
Ace and Thatch didn't have much to say on the matter, as they both knew just how ugly things could get between the two men. They were undoubtedly the strongest of the Whitebeard family, and when they fought, it seemed as though the heavens themselves were falling apart. It was seriously scary stuff.
"Well we did, and we're here now, so you can just deal with it, Mr. Grouchy-Pants. I don't understand why you're in such a bad mood all the time."
"All the time?" Ace repeated. "I hardly ever see Marco in a bad mood."
"Well I'm glad that YOU are lucky enough to avoid it, but me, Thatch, Pops, and anyone else that has to deal with him any other time have to deal with his horrible temper. Maybe it's because he hasn't gotten any action lately!"
"Why don't you shut your mouth. Ace and I—" Marco grinded his teeth and his arms busted out into vibrant blue flames, and he was ready to knock Izo out before Ace grabbed what remained of his hand. Marcos flames were bright, cool and inviting, so they didn't bother him. Even if they did, Ace knew how to control fire, so he was fine.
"Marco." He finally said pitifully. "Ease up…."
The blond reluctantly did as his boyfriend said, and crossed his arms in a fit like some 5-year-old. "If you two are just gonna stay till the rain stops, that's fine. Just don't piss me off the whole time you're here."
Izo laughed, and soon Thatch did too. Really, they felt sorry for Marco if anything; He was tied down in an abstinent relationship for 3 years with no signs of ever being a free bird. That had to be torture for any man, Thatch thought. He and Izo had made it a part of their routine to fit at least one of their passionate "love-making sessions" into some part of their day. Truly, it's what kept them happy and healthy.
Ace watched Marcos facial expressions. It was impossible to read him sometimes… so he just gave up and kept his hold on the blond's hand.
"I guess we could play some board games until the rain stops." Ace suggested.
"Emphasis on BORED. Seriously, do you WANT to kill us faster? We should play something more on the adult side. Something like… Hm… Darling, can you help me find what I'm trying to think of?" Izo called with a smile to his lover.
Thatch simply smiled and dismissed the dirty thoughts that immediately came to his mind to help Izo out. "Hm… Spin the bottle? I'm sure Marco has a bottle of sake around here somewhere. There's also 5 minutes in heaven~ I wouldn't mind that one." He snickered and wrapped his arms around Izo gently.
Of course, Izo laughed and got a bit embarrassed. "Not at someone else's house, that's so rude~! 3 "
Marco rolled his eyes at their disgusting open lovey-dovey-ness and peered over at the younger male holding his hand. He looked sad and concerned; a look that the blond couldn't shake off easily. They both knew what the other was thinking, and how badly they wanted it. On top of that, Ace had just figured out that because of him, Marco had been in a bad mood towards everyone else, including his own family. The raven-haired male loosened his grip on his boyfriend's hand and went back to fidgeting with his beads silently.
Guilt was setting in fast over Marco's heart, and he restored the tightness of their hand-holding with a small, reassuring smile. He knew they'd talk about it later, but it still made him sad to see how much Ace was affected by the new information. Then, a voice cut through what little bit of peace the couple had.
"HELLO? EARTH TO MARCO! Are you even listening? Sheesh, we go to all this trouble to tell you some great ideas and you aren't even paying any attention to us." Thatch nagged. That man was starting to become more and more like Izo as the days went by, Marco thought.
"I heard you. I'm just thinking, yoi. I know that's not something you're used to, but I actually happen to do it quite frequently." Marco responded with his usual, unreadable expression. It was funny enough to push a laugh and snicker out of Ace though, which made the blond grow a small smile. Good, he was happy again.
"How about we just share a bottle of sake together, since you two wanted to do something 'mature', yoi. My stash is in the kitchen, at the top cabinet that's all the way to the right." The blond admitted.
With that, the duo happily took off, rummaging through pretty much every one of Marco's kitchen cabinets, even after he had directed them to the correct one.
"Ohhh! This one looks yummy!" Izo said excitedly.
"This one looks pretty nice too~" Thatch replied.
There was a moment of silence before one of them was slapped, and Izo sounded rather embarrassed. "That is NOT alcohol!"
"But its just as addicting and just as tasty~" Thatch complimented.
"Will you stop being so cute and pervy Thatchy? Help me find some of the good stuff!" Izo replied.
" 'Thatchy'?" He laughed. "That's an adorable nickname y'know. But it's not exactly the most intimidating~"
"Sh-shut up a-and help me find some of the damn alcohol!" Izo snapped back defensively.
Ace snickered some more at their overly-loud conversation, but Marco looked away with a sigh. He wanted to laugh at those idiots like Ace did, but the younger male hadn't dealt with them both since he was younger, unlike his older lover. Still, their bickering gave him some semi-alone time with Ace, so that was better than nothing.