Week 12
Ace was confused. He had gone looking for Marco to tell him lunch was ready, he hadn't found him anywhere on the ship and had decided to look in the crow's nest. It was on top of the highest mast and was rarely if ever used because of it, and it made the perfect spot to have some peace and quiet. But the reason for Ace's confusion wasn't that Marco was indeed there, the reason was that the whole room was covered in blankets and pillows making a large nest. Ace could see a few pieces of his clothes here and there and in the middle of everything were Marco, dosing off in his phoenix form.
It was hilarious on so many levels, but more than that it was completely adorable!
He looked even more fluffy than usual and the Phoenix's cheeks were puffed out, he looked so cozy and soft.
Ace hurried down the ladder and returned with a camera den-den and took a picture of the cute sight.
He suddenly remembered how the phoenix love warmth and produced a few heat balls sneaking them in under the blankets heating them up. He almost laughed at the soft cooing sound Marco let out in content.
Ace took another picture before looking at his lover a few moments longer, before going down to eat, leaving Marco to his nap. He would bring him food later and just let him rest for now. The pregnancy was hard on him, even more so since it was twins according to the doctor.
Ace sighed as he walked towards the mess hall, everything was so complicated right now, he wasn't sure what he believed or what to think or even what to want!
On one hand he had Marco, pregnant with twins saying it was his babies, on the other hand the babies were several weeks too young to be his which meant Marco would have to have slept with someone else.
If the babies were his, that would be a huge relief since even the thought of Marco with someone else felt like someone was punching straight through him with a magma fist, but if Marco really had cheated on him and the babies wasn't his that would mean that Roger's bloodline would die with him… Ace wasn't sure what he wanted more, for Marco to have his babies or for the babies too live without his cursed bloodline. Carrying his blood wasn't anything he would wish upon anyone.
He stayed quiet all through lunch and earned worried looks from the other commanders, but no one said anything as he left with Marco's food.
It took a while for him to climb up the ladder with the plate, but after many small 'oh shit' moments he finally made the final step.
Marco was still dozing off and Ace felt a little bad about waking him up, but he needed to eat so Ace gently pushed him in the side making Marco stir.
"Marco baby, I brought your lunch, wake up"
Marco sent him an annoyed look and turned his head the other way.
Ace sighed ´, so he wanted to do this the hard way eh?
Ace stood up, turned around and slowly started walking towards the door.
"Okay, I guess you aren't hungry, soooo i'm going now, leeeeaving you alone" He said doing his best to sound innocent. He glanced over his shoulder to look and saw that Marco was still turned away from him
He frowned at getting no reaction and continued a few steps, "Here I go, Leaving, soon ther- GAAAHHH EAT THE FOOD DAMT IT" he yelled the last part and jumped at Marco with the plate in one hand and a spoon in the other, shocking Marco so much that he partly turned back to human form as Ace landed on top of him.
"ACE, WHAT THE ACTUALL FUCK, YOI" He yelled, trying to get away as Ace was trying to force a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
"EAT DAMN IT" Ace yelled back as Marco tried to push him away by putting a hand to his face, he desperately searched for something to help him get away, he found the forgotten plate at the side of them, Ace must have dropped it or something, he grabbed a hold of it and smashed it against Ace's head, the plate broke but Ace didn't budge. He still tried, now covered in gravy bits of meat and mashed potato, to force the spoon into Marco's mouth.
"What in the hell are you doing!" A horrified voice said from the door opening making both men freeze. They slowly turned their heads towards the voice with big eyes and saw Thatch Izou and Vista stand there with equally shocked faces as they watched the pair, Marco with his hand in Ace's face and his foot against his stomach, and Ace covered in food with one hand on Marco's shoulder to keep him down and the other inches away from Marco's face holding a spoon.
"We umh.. heard yelling"? Vista said in a weak tone, making it sound more like a question.
Ace looked down at Marco and realized the suggestable position they were in and quickly jumped of his older lover as his cheeks burnt in embarrassment.
Marco coughed in his hand, and Ace was surprised to see that also his cheeks were beat red.
Ace opened his mouth as to say something, but closed it as no words would come out and Izou's face stretched into an evil grin. "Well, we can see that we interrupted something, don't let us bother you" He said and dragged the two men with him down the ladder; clearly enjoying the lovers horrified and embarrassed faces.
x-x
When they had cleaned the mess up, Marco had kicked Ace out, leaving him to his own devices until dinner.
He really didn't have anything to do, so he used a good portion of the day to do paper work for him and Marco, it was due soon anyway and he didn't want Marco to be forced to stay up all night again. The sun was already setting when he was done, but dinner wasn't in another few hours which left him walking around the ship sulking over the fact that Marco didn't want to hang out with him and everyone else was busy, which unfortunately left him alone to think.
Ever since that first appointment with the doctor when they first had seen their kids he had had an bad feeling, he had decided to try to not think of it for the moment and just stay assume that the kids was his, but what if they weren't? What then?
He wasn't even sure if he was ready to become a dad, it wasn't something he had thought of much, becoming a parent, mostly because he since he was 14 years old when this girl-dude from Edge town had tried to get into his pants, had known that girls was NOT anything for him. But of fucking course he had to fall in love with probably the only man on earth who could carry children. Just his luck. He wasn't even 19 yet and was already in deep shit with a man-wife, kids on the way and a possible triangle drama. "I'm sure dad is screwing with me, figures he'd mess up my life as much as possible even while dead stupid ass-face ruins everything good for me" Ace muttered.
"Who are you calling ass-face? Better not let Marco hear you talking like that"
Ace yelped and quickly turned around to see Teach grinning at him.
"Oh, It's just you" Ace breathed out, he didn't know who he had expected, but with his luck these days it wouldn't have surprised him to see Marco behind him, face twisted in anger thinking he had been talking shit about him.
"Zehahahahahaha, scared you didn't I? Sorry bou't that! How are you, haven't had the chance to talk to ya"!
Ace smiled a little and started to walk beside Teach, talking about everything and nothing, and eventually they entered the very subject that Ace had been so bothered by the last few weeks.
"So, I heard you guys are expecting, congrats Commander" Teach said with a big grin, making Ace chuckle.
"Yeah, it was a big surprise, it was probably the last thing I ever thought possible." Ace answered with a small smile.
"I can imagine, How is Marco handling it?"
Ace sighed and looked out over the sea with a somber look.
"Remember that one time I got into trouble at Magakeru and ended up in the infirmary for a whole week? Yeah this is worse". He said shuddering as he remembered the incident, it had only been a few weeks after he had joined the crew, his and Marco's relationship was still very new and after he had been left behind by a few crewmates he had had a slight disagreement with a few passerby's at an island which resulted in Ace getting shot three times with sea stone and almost being kidnapped. Marco had been enraged when he heard from Thatch that I had been left alone at the shadiest bar in town without supervision and had set out in a blind rage to rescue me, almost getting hurt in the process. No one from the group that had accompanied me had dared to go near him for a month after that.
"Ouch, that can't be fun" Teach muttered, he himself remembering the tense atmosphere on the ship as Marco had boarded the ship covered in blood, an aura of murder surrounding him.
"Are you guys talking about Marco?" Thatch voice sounded from behind them and Ace saw him walking towards him and Teach with Izo in his heels.
"Yeah, sort of… Hey! Weren't you guys busy?" Ace said with an accusing look at the pair.
"We decided on a break so calm down dear, you are going to get wrinkles if you keep looking at us like that for too long" Izo said with a smirk.
"Am not. Only old people get wrinkles. Like Marco." Ace said in a matter of factly tone, causing the others to laugh loudly.
"How old is Marco anyway? I mean I know he is pregnant and all, but I thought that after a while your body just like dries out, like a super old dirty over used rag or something" Ace said without thinking.
When he didn't get an answer, he looked over to see three faces twisted in something that looked like a mix between horror and compassion and the sound of someone clearing their throat made Ace break out in a cold sweat.
"Marco is standing behind me isn't he" He asked with a smile that didn't look convincing at all, it was that kind of smile you had when you knew you were completely fucked. When no one answered, He slowly turned to see Marco, his face was twisted between hurt, anger and uncertainty making Ace regret every bad word he had ever said about the first division commander.
He felt more than saw the other three retreating back inside the ship to give them some space and Ace didn't know if he was thankful or if he wanted to run inside himself to save his own skin, to be honest running away sounded very tempting as he looked at his older lover with a grimace on his face. Marco turned his face away and stared at the wooden floor of the deck and at first Ace just looked to the side and was contemplating about what to do when he heard a quiet sob. Ace snapped his attention over to Marco and felt his heart drop as he set eyes on Marco's shaking form. "So, is that what you think of me, yoi?" Ace winced at Marco's hoarse voice, not knowing want to do right, he slowly walked towards the trembling form of Marco, seeing the flickering of blue on his bottom lip where he had bit through the skin trying to keep the sobs in.
He stopped in front of his older lover, reaching out and dragging him into a tight hug. He also sent a mental kick to the groin on himself as Marco whimpered and cried against his shoulder. He knew it was the hormones that made Marco into a sobbing mess as the normal Marco would have his ass handed to him in a body bad for what he said, but it didn't change the fact that he was the one to do this. Ace sighed and pulled Marco down to the deck and placed him in his lap, slowly stroking his back while waiting for Marco to calm down a little. As the sobs died down he pressed a kiss to the blond tuft of hair on his head.
"No, I don't think of you like that. Sure, you can be annoying sometimes but so can I, I love you so much Marco, and to be honest, you are a really hot piece of ass and you are so perfect. What I said was stupid and I'm so happy you're mine" He said in a calm and gentle voice while holding Marco close against his chest, a feeling of pride filled him and he couldn't stop the big grin on his face as Marco snuggled closer against the warmth. Marco may be the older one but he could be such a cuddle baby sometimes.
"So you don't think i'm gross, old and fat"? Marco mumbled against his skin and peered up at Ace who looked down in shock.
"Of course I don't, why would you ever think that! Marco I don't even care about how you look, I love YOU, heck I don't know how old you are but honestly, you could as old as Oyaji and you would still be the sexiest man in the world to me". Ace burst out, not getting why Marco seemed to have such issues with his age and weight.
"Do you really think I would be that shallow that I wouldn't love you because you are a few years older than me?" He asked with a frown.
"Of course I don't, yoi" Marco said but Ace wasn't convinced.
"Then prove it" He said challenging. Marco looked up at him, a feeling of unease pooling in his stomach.
"How" he demanded to know.
Ace looked at him as if he had just told him that his ancestors had been dancing dandelions with frizzy rainbow dresses and rolled his eyes.
"Tell me your age, of course". He said.
Marco swallowed hard, he kind of expected that, and mumbled out his age as quiet as human possible while averting his eyes somewhere far in the distance.
Ace frowned and growled softly.
"What was that"? He asked when Marco didn't repeat himself, and Marco looked at him quickly before looking away again.
"I'm 36, yoi" He said after a while, still quiet but Ace could still hear him.
Ace smiled brightly and hugged him closer, kissing his head.
"You're not old at all" He whispered, making Marco smile and relaxing against Ace's chest, Completely at ease with life.
x-x-x-x-x
Hi guys, I'm sorry this is late, but everything is so crazy right now with work and moving so I hope you don't mind too much.
If you are curious about how big Marco is at this point, if you look at pictures from a pregnancy with one child at 16 weeks, he is about that size. So he is already Fairley big.
I hope you enjoyed, and I see you guys next time!
PS! I have been forced to put a few stories on hold until it calms down, and that is ALL stories except this one, Set me free and my Naruto story. I'm so sorry about that and I will start up with them as soon as possible!