So this is another meh chapter but I had to get through it :/ Next one's better though - Izo comes in XD

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece and have nothing witty to say.


When Ace next woke he was met with a searing pain in his skull. He sat up and clutched his head in his hands, trying to stop it from imploding on itself. If ever he had a hangover as bad as that, he couldn't recall. The ache that rang through his head was enough to leave him out-of-focus and wondering where he was. He could barely open his eyes.

For a while he just sat there, unmoving, taking deep breaths as he tried to settle. He slowly peered into the room, registering it as the 1st commander's quarters. At first that didn't seem too surprising, seeing as he slept there alongside his partner, but then his mind turned to his little transformation and he grimaced. What was he doing in there? Marco didn't…

Shit. Marco knew.

Ace tried to remember how he got there. He remembered Marco fell asleep the night before. After that he proceeded to rest against the wall on the other side of the room, so as not to startle the phoenix when he woke. But Ace was also the first to rise and, knowing for certain that the night's previous events weren't a dream, preceded to the mess hall to drink away his frustrations. That explained his hangover—twenty-something pints of rum will do that to you. He placed his head in his palms, wondering how he was still alive after taking in that much alcohol. Surely he was missing a few brain cells…

At some point Marco had forcefully dragged him down into his room and they… talked. Ace was so messed up from the alcohol that he said some stupid things which led the blonde to also say stupid things. Marco always tried to comfort him, even if he had to stretch the truth. Though he told Ace sweet things about wanting to be with him despite the gender change he recognized them as little white lies, which he so often used to calm him down back when he was 'Ann'. He could tell because the commander had a terrible habit of avoiding eye-contact when he was saying anything but the truth.


Marco stared into his coffee, watching his face reflect off its surface. He let out a groan as he absently traced his finger along the mug's side, slipping deeper into thought. He left Ace in his bedroom a few hours ago to rest and had been contemplating their conversation ever since. Ann was often like that when drunk—emotional and nonsensical; blowing things out of proportion—but it was awkward to see Ace in that same state. No matter how many times he told himself that they were the same person he couldn't come to actually believe it. Back then he did his best to comfort Ace the way he would his lover but it felt so incredibly awkward that he wasn't sure he could do it again.

Thatch, who was cleaning the area of the bar that Marco was sitting at, noticed his friend's moping.

"Something wrong, buddy?" he asked as he moved the cleaning cloth across the wooden surface, making slow circles to be sure he didn't miss a spot.

"I don't think I can do this yoi."

"Do what? Drink your coffee?" he teased, getting only a dull glare in response. "Alright, alright, I'll be serious. Just trying to lighten the mood."

The blonde let out a heavy sigh. "I can't see 'Ace' as 'Ann'."

"You know they're the same. What's the problem?"

"He's different yoi. I tried but… I don't think I can love him."

Thatch's shoulders sagged at that and he paused in his cleaning, knowing just how horrible Ace would have felt if he heard those words. He couldn't help but want to defend his crewmate. "Other than being a guy I don't see him as being very different. Sure he swears more than Ann but in his situation I don't blame him."

"I know, I just…" Marco started, trying to think of how to phrase his thoughts. Usually he knew exactly what to say but the whole situation had him messed up. "I told him I'd try but I can't yoi."

"It'd kill him to hear you say that."

"…I know."

Without any further conversation, Marco emptied his cup and headed deeper into the bowls of the ship in the hope that busying himself with work would help keep his mind off a certain freckled young pirate.

Almost on cue, Ace threw open the door and dragged himself and his pulsing head into the mess hall, sitting right where Marco was before. Immediately he pressed his forehead to the wood of the bar, remaining perfectly still. "Water…" he mumbled, face still flush with the surface.

"You look like hell," Thatch stated as he walked back into the kitchen to fulfill his friend's request. When he returned he saw that the freckled boy hadn't so much as inched from that spot. He slammed the glass of water down in front of him, causing the pirate to jump and clutch the sides of his head desperately. If even that was too loud for him it was a wonder how he was able to function. "Amazing how hangovers work, isn't it?"

"Shut it, you stupid clown," he shot back from his place against the counter, still not daring to raise his head. "…Marco's a horrible liar."

Thatch's eyes widened as he took in those words. "You heard?"

"Hard not to—was right behind the door the whole time."

"…Sorry."

Ace raised his head to reveal bloodshot eyes. He wrapped his fingers around the glass and watched the water move as he tapped it. "It's fine. I already knew." Swallowing hard in his throat, he raised the glass to his lips and took a large swig of it, downing almost half in one go. "I'm going to move on."

"What? Just give him time, I'm sure—"

"I made up my mind before I got back. I love him, but…" His voice trailed to nothing as he recalled their last night together. If he knew something like that was going to happen he would have made it last longer. He would have bought as much time with the blonde as he could. With that thought at the forefront of his mind he sighed. "It hurts too much. I'm not going to wait around for something I know will never come."

"Ace…"

The freckled boy smiled. It was a bit pained, but filled with all of his resolve. He knew from that very first day that things would never be the same and he spent the last two weeks trying to accept that. Hearing Marco's words made it a lot easier to do. He finished his glass, stood and began unbuttoning his shirt. "Won't be needing this…"

Thatch stared blankly as the pirate began undressing himself. "…What are you doing?"

"Taking off my shirt."

"…Why?"

Ace's mouth stretched into one of his infamous grins, brows furrowed in certainty as he removed the offending cloth from his back and threw it onto the stool, revealing the large tattoo on his back. "I think it's about time the crew gets to meet their 2nd division commander, don't you?"


There was frantic knocking at the door. Marco groaned as his concentration was broke. He placed the document he was reading back on the desk and glared as a familiar redhead entered the room uninvited.

"What is it yoi?" he asked, crossing his arms in irritation. He was finally able to concentrate on his work when that stupid man interrupted him.

"Oi, you sure you don't care about Ace?"

Marco blinked. What was that all of a sudden? "It's not that I don't care, it's… Why?"

"He said he's going to forget about you," Thatch announced in a dead-serious voice, much unlike his usual tone.

"What? Why yoi?"

"He heard us talking and, well… Look, it's not my fault, alright? I just listened, that's all."

Marco hated when he avoided his questions—it always meant something bad happened. "Get on with it."

"He's—"

The redhead was interrupted by muffled sounds coming from above. They both looked at each other before heading up to the deck.

Ace was shirtless, surrounded by the other commanders and some of Whitebeard's nurses. Vista sat across from him and their hands were locked, trying to force the other into submission as the rest of the crowd chatted amongst themselves and cheered for Fire Fist. Within a few more moments Vista's hand was thrust against the wooden crate they were arm wrestling on. The boy received pats on the back and everyone's attention was on him, asking him questions and welcoming his return.

Marco just stared. When he made no move to speak, Thatch thought it best to explain.

"He told them. Nobody minds, but… Well, you see, he decided to embrace being a man."

"Isn't that a good thing yoi?"

"Let me rephrase that: he's decided to act like a man."

The blonde raised an eyebrow and was about to ask how that was different. Then he noticed some of the nurses clinging to Ace, whispering in his ear and rubbing his shoulders rather intimately. "…He didn't."

"He did—said that if he's going to be a man he should get used to women. The girls offered to… help him out."

Marco raised a hand to his head and rubbed his temple. He was used to Ann's ridiculous stunts but never did he expect to witness… whatever it was he was seeing. "I can't believe this yoi."

"Why not? He got a lot of attention when he was Ann, only now he's available."

"He's not—" Marco stopped and wondered what he was trying to say.

Thatch's mouth curved into a mischievous grin. "I thought you didn't care about him," he teased, watching his friend's expression turn sour.

"…I never said that. I just don't think I can feel for him the way I did Ann yoi."

Thatch raised an eyebrow and his mouth widened. "Oh really? Because you look pretty jealous right now."

After shooting his friend a sharp glare Marco walked over to the crowd just as he did in the morning. No one paid him any mind, including Ace who was too busy being flirted with.

There was an unwritten rule on the Moby Dick that said you didn't date your crewmates. They were all treated as family and it was considered taboo for any of them to be together. That changed when Ann joined. Many of the men on the ship found her attractive, being one of the only women in the crew. No one acted on their feelings, though, until Marco. At first he just kept close to her to ward off the others but eventually he felt the same. He hated himself for it because they were crewmates. Once they found that their feelings were mutual they spoke to Oyaji and he approved of their relationship. The other men resigned to just being her brothers and everything was back to normal. It seemed that the whole thing was starting up with the women now that Ace was a man—one of the few young ones aboard—only that time around he wasn't outright refusing them.

Ace noticed him only when he was right next to him. He turned and gave the blonde a smile.

"Hey, Marco. Wanna join us?"

"What are you doing yoi?"

Ace opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by Vista.

"We're celebrating," he replied, patting the young pirate on the back.

"…Celebrating?"

"Yeah," Ace began, flashing one of his usual grins—the ones that made him look so much like Ann. "I've been gone for a while so we're catching up."

Marco looked around at his crewmates. They were all drinking and laughing and having a good time, same as always. The sun was setting and they usually started 'celebrating' around then, though they normally weren't so loud. Some of the drunks were flirting with the girls, which was the norm, but he didn't like how the girls were flirting back—specifically with the 2nd division commander. Before he knew what he was doing he grabbed Ace by the wrist and dragged him away from the crowd. Moans of complaints could be heard from behind them, as well as jokes about a 'lovers quarrel'.

"O-oi! What are you doing?" Ace asked as he pulled at the blonde's hand, attempting to free himself. Marco had an iron grip, however, and the young man resigned to pout and follow behind. When they came to a stop on the other side of the deck, away from any wandering eyes, the older turned to face him with a look of agitation.

"What are you doing yoi?"

Ace's eyes narrowed and he snapped his arm free, glaring at the phoenix. "Reuniting with my nakama and adjusting."

"To life as a man?"

He nodded firmly, walking over to the bow and leaning against the rail, looking out at sea. Night would fall shortly and yet he spent most of the day asleep. "I figure if I get used to it now I'll have less problems in the future."

"And the women yoi?"

"They're helping me out. I'm going to have to accept it sooner or later."

"You really think it's going to be that easy? Can you change your orientation just like that?" He didn't know why but he was starting to get really irritated with the boy. Maybe he couldn't stand that he was making light of the situation.

Ace snickered, looking back at the blonde. "They're not so bad. And I don't plan on staying single forever, Marco."

The first mate's brows knitted together. He was starting to get angry at the boy. It was rare enough for him to lose his temper but never at Ann. They got along well yet there he was, clenching his fists without a clue as to why. It was Ace's choice to make—whether he stuck with men or switched over to women—but he couldn't help but feel upset about the whole thing. He was so focused about the boy in front of him that he didn't realize what slipped from his mouth. "I don't remember letting you go yoi."

Ace sighed. "I overheard you and Thatch talking. I know, alright?" His features softened and he looked out onto the warm-coloured sky. "You don't have to force yourself."

"I said I'd try," he replied, remembering that he also told the redhead that he wasn't sure if he could. He felt awkward around Ace, to say the least—even a little uncomfortable. But he didn't want to lose Ann. Ah, conflicting emotions were so troublesome. What was he to do? He wanted to make Ace trust him, even if he wasn't sure of himself. He hesitantly placed his hand over the freckled man's.

Ace closed his eyes and irritation washed over his face. He could feel Marco's fingers trembling slightly at the awkwardness of the situation and pulled away. Really, the blonde was too frustrating, doing all of that when he resigned to move on. "You damn, stubborn blue turkey. Just forget it, alright?"

As he moved to walk away he felt the first mate clasp onto his hand, stopping him. He looked back and they stared in silence, neither knowing what to say. Ace smiled softly, speaking first. "I'll be fine." With that he was released, free to continue on his way.

He strode away quickly to make sure Marco didn't see his blush. Damn it, even after all that he still couldn't help feeling for the guy. When the girls surrounded him, pressing themselves into him and whispering in his ear, he felt nothing. The only one who made his heart race was a stupid blue turkey who couldn't bring himself to love a man. Fucking feelings—they're overrated.


A/N: Now we can get to the main part of the plot! It's fun to write something sappy like this after writing all my other fics that have little to no romance :P I'm falling asleep here so I'll quickly reply to the reviews and take a nap *yawn*

Hand Status: Slowly getting better... Slowly...

To my lovelies~

Gundam-grrl: Lol I feel bad for all of the characters XD

WeissDragon: Lol I'm normally updating around 4-5am. This weekend is weird because I'm actually updating at normal times o.o Glad you like it^^

RoXaS707: Sadly, that is true... Nah, Ace isn't that naive. He knows Marco too well for that to happen. Yes it's bad to hurt Marco. He's going through a lot too and it's not like he WANTS to hurt Ace, he just can't help it.

azab: Glad you like!

Stelra Etnae: Lol yesh XD And don't worry - there will be more awkward moments coming up for your enjoyment :P In about 2 chapters!

Portgas D. Paula: Yep, It did :/ Lol boyfriends are fine so long as you don't change into a man ;)

sairakanzaki: I'm glad you do :)

alniyat: Chapter 8 is where the fun part of the story begins. Well, for me at least XD Yes, that is correct. And we can already see him slipping into stage 3 here. Lol seriously? It wouldn't be that big of a deal. As Ace stated, he wouldn't stay single forever! He could always ask his ex boyfriend to hook up again :P (You'll find out what I'm talking about in chapter 9) Hehe yes. Chapter 10 begins the good stuff. And I'll get to troll you guys.

Solace in the Chaos: Lol you hate characters crying that much? XD

Son Goshen: I enjoy drunken scenes :P I find it funny how the drunken/hangover scenes in this story ended up coenciding with Resolve XD Hehe Marco's not taking it well. He's just... very confused. Doesn't really know how to act.

Kitsune Foxfire: Yep, he's a genius! My hands okay... ish. I can move it.

spoons-are-evil: Hehe it's true, I really don't get enough sleep. Like it's 7:30pm right now and I'll probably head to bed and be up again around 9-10 then remain awake until 6am :P Bad, bad sleep schedule. Well Marco's reaction is confusing. I'm sure you've noticed by now, though. Hehe and there shall be more awkward scenes before this story is finished! Yep, that's wrong. But it's okay because most of my readers are like that :P I know how you feel. I get home from university, go to my computer to write a fic and I'm just like "ugh... sleep..."

StrawberryGirlKairi: As Ace stated, he was just trying to comfort him. It's not like he's TRYING to be mean he just... is. Lol I'd like to see you try to break Marco's face XD He can recover from wounds so I wonder how that would work... Don't worry, things will be less rage-inducing later. Though it's going to get worse first...

(Well, that's everyone! It's so easy to finish the replies for this story. *yawn* I really need sleep. I'ma nap so... yeah. Adieu~)