A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long.
Ace woke up to Luffy jumping on his stomach, "Oof!" he grunted. "Lu! Get off me." He wheezed in-between bounces. Luffy just giggled maniacally. Ace pushed Luffy off of him, and frowned, "Did you eat sugar Lu?" he asked as he stood up and pulled a pair of shorts on.
Luffy didn't answer, instead he started bouncing off of the walls all while giggling non-stop. Ace sighed and finished putting on his accessories. The last thing he put on was his favorite hat. Luffy had given it to him after all, he always wore it. He'd just finished adjusting it when Luffy jumped on his back. Ace sighed again, but left his brother. He'd have to hunt down Thatch (he was pretty sure the cook was the culprit) and have him take care of Lu. Ace couldn't do it, because he was getting his tattoo today. He was expecting it to take a long time, his arm tattoo had taken several hours, and it was quite a bit smaller than the one he was getting today.
He gripped his hands beneath Luffy's butt so that the sugar highed kid didn't fall off and hurt himself, then he set off to the kitchen. Ace found himself glad that he had memorized the path to the kitchen, he couldn't use his echolocation with Luffy giggling in his ears.
Fortunately no one had moved anything around between his room and the mess hall, unfortunately, the mess hall was in utter chaos, and he couldn't see to avoid it. He hadn't taken even one step into the room when something hit his feet, sending him stumbling. He couldn't use his hands to catch himself because it would mean dropping Luffy. He managed to catch himself before he hit anything, but he didn't have that luck the second time. He felt himself speeding towards the ground, and braced himself for impact, only to find himself wrapped in strong arms.
He inhaled, and smelled smoke and mint. "Marco." He said, his words whispering out of his mouth before he could stop them.
Marco looked down at the black haired kid held in his arms. He also saw a giggling kid on his back. It clicked. He helped Ace stand up, and glared around the room. It instantly got quiet, and everyone moved out of Ace's way. In fact, the entire mess hall was cleaned up in three seconds flat. Marco led Ace over to a table. "Hand me your brother. Thatch can take care of him." He said.
Ace turned his head towards Marco and smiled, "You'll have to pry him off." He said, humor coloring his voice. Marco chuckled, the sound low and smooth. His fingers whispered along the smooth skin of Ace's neck as he pulled an octopus like Luffy off of Ace.
"No! Bad blue chicken!" Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs. Ace blushed. Why was his little brother so stupid…
Marco rolled his eyes but didn't say anything, instead he pried the rubber boy off quickly and picked him up. He carried him quickly to Thatch. "Heya Marco. What's wrong with the little guy?" Thatch asked. It was odd for Marco to carry anyone.
"Someone gave Luffy sugar. Ace is getting his tattoo today, so you are watching the kid who literally bounces off of walls." Marco said, and pried the rubber boy off of himself, and thrust him at the cook. Thatch bobbled the kid in his surprise, but managed to right himself before he dropped him.
Marco didn't bother saying anything else, he just walked away. He moved quickly back to Ace. He wasn't sure if he'd have gone to get food or not. Without Luffy screaming in his ears he'd be able to use his echolocation after all. When he got there though, he saw that the other crew mates had felt bad about tripping their newest brother, and had brought him food. Marco sat next to Ace, and the freckled teen smiled at him. "Thank you Marco." He said.
"So when do you get your tattoo?" Marco asked.
"As soon as I'm done eating." Ace answered.
…
Ace lay down on the tattoo chair and closed his eyes. He wondered why he even had eyes since he couldn't see anything. He snorted briefly.
Marco looked over at Ace. The blind boy was intriguing to him. He was smart and strong, and had the most interesting sense of humor.
Ace reached out a hand and smiled when Marco grasped it, "Thank you for being here with me for this." He said. He was taking a huge step, and he still wasn't sure if it was the right decision. Luffy trusted these people though, and Lu was usually right. He released a breath as the needle pierced his skin. He kept his breaths slow and measured, and he let his eyes close.
Marco felt the cool fingers gripping his hand, and he squeezed back. He knew that the back was sensitive. He'd gotten his tattoo on his chest for a reason after all. "What are you going to do after you finish getting your mark?" Marco asked.
Ace smiled. "I thought that I'd hide from Luffy, I love him, but when he gets sugar in him, even the crocodiles on our home island run away. I don't know what I'm going to do though. There isn't much to do on this ship for fun when you can't see. I suppose I could find a quiet corner and train?" Ace finished to himself.
Marco listened, then frowned. Did they really not have much to do when you couldn't see? He'd never really thought about it before. "I have an idea. I've finished my work for the day. Why don't we find Jimbei, and have a training session. He can help you with the fishman karate, and I'll give you a sparring partner that you can't kill." Marco said.
Ace grinned, "I'd like that." He said. In the time that he and Luffy had been on the Moby Dick, no one had offered to spar with him. He figured it was because he was blind and they were afraid to hurt him. His smile widened, they'd learn.
