I was still sort of embarrassed about earlier.

"Uh, where's the bathroom?" I had asked sheepishly as soon as they had gotten inside the house.

"Go up the stairs, and go inside the first bedroom you see. The rooms all have their own bathrooms," Marco told me quickly. "For convenience."

"Thanks!"

That's exactly what I did. I wasn't thinking when he burst into a random bedroom. The room was well-decorated, and it was so neat, there seemed to be no signs of life in the room, except for the young man with the devious-looking face who was lazily stroking himself on the bed. He looked like a kid in the Luffy sort of sense, but this was because he was short.

I felt my face growing hot. "S-sorry!" I blurted. "I'm so sorry!"

"You pervert," the man couldn't help but laugh at me. The young man's eyes were a dazzling shade of blue. He brushed a few strands of his brown hair out of his eyes. "Come on, you know you want to join me."

"N-no thanks," I was uncomfortable with even considering the idea. The man wasn't really my type. "I'll just go to the bathroom somewhere else."

When I turned around to walk out of the room, the man forced his way in front of me to block the door before I could even blink. The man's body pressed against my own, and there was friction between the two of us, especially down below.

"You're not going anywhere, Portgas D. Ace."

My skin whitened. "How do you know my name?"

"Oh, you know … I just happened to hear you talking to Marco, and Jinbe downstairs. No big deal," the man's eyes had darkened to navy. "It's not the same thing as eavesdropping because us vampires have unnaturally good hearing."

This man is a vampire? Does that make him related to Marco in any kind of way? If they are related, then do more vampires live in this house, too? Then, it struck me: Maybe Whitebeard was one of them as well. Fuck.

"You're so ravishing," the man complimented. "I just love the guests Marco brings over. He has such good tastes, but I can see that like the others, your hair is dark. He has this thing for dark hair … Dark hair … And freckles …"

With these words, the shorter man began to toy with me. To keep from yelling, I covered my mouth to keep from screaming out loud. Since the man could hear us earlier, then couldn't Marco hear us? When I started to moan lightly from his touches, the man moved his hands toward the belt of my shorts.

"No," I plead. "Not that. Not now."

His lips were settled in a determined grin. "Marco won't mind that much."

"No," I repeat while he presses it. I take control, and grip his hands to stop him. "Stop. Please."

"Tell me," the man snickers. "You've never had sex with a man before, have you? Your previous relationship was with a woman, one of whom I'd want to date if I wasn't gay. She was absolutely gorgeous! Anyway, that's not the point. The point is that you used to date men while you were in high school, but nothing ever happened besides the kisses, and hugs, right?"

I wonder how he knew about that. I definitely wasn't a virgin, but I wasn't sure whether I wanted to sleep with a man. If I was to sleep with a man, it would be somebody like Marco, and not the creepy, sexually-frustrated short man.

It's just too bad that I have no idea what to say. Instead of saying anything witty like they do in the movies, I stay silent, and stare at him. Since vampires can read minds, I try to clear my mind the best that I can, and try a different approach.

"I really just can't resist you," I do my best to sound seductive. I guide his hands away from my belt, and slip them under my shirt. "You're overwhelming me, and maybe that's why I can't seem to be keeping up with you. "

"Ah …"

"Just do whatever you want to do with me," I moan as he tweaks one of my nipples. "I don't give a damn anymore."

"You're something, aren't you?" a shadow crawls over his face, but one that isn't dark enough to shade his sinister smile. You could even call it a rape face. He moves his fingers quickly, as if making his mind up about what to do with me next. Since it was him, he was probably thinking of something that involved whips or chains. Anything out of Fifty Shades of Gray. "I fucking love you."

There seems to be no real emotion behind this besides lust. It pains me to hear the words, and not because they're coming from him. The last time I heard these words, it was from Vivi. It was the day before our break up. I had spent the night at her house, and of course, we had slept in the same bed, and everything. There were plenty of guest rooms in her house, but I always managed to sneak into her room where we sometimes had the occasional sex. Always cuddling, always, with plenty of soft kisses where we would whisper wonderful things to each other that we would normally never say out loud. She was getting ready to go out with me on a mall date, and she was putting on her makeup to coordinate with her runway-friendly outfit. Vivi complained that she needed all the makeup in the world to make herself look decent to go out, but I think she just wanted to get a compliment from me. Anyway, I told her that she looked fine, and she looked stunning. She didn't even deny it afterwards, and then told me she loved me for always being so kind to her even though she felt awful.

I couldn't bring myself to say it back to him, even if I would have been lying. I just couldn't say it. I decided that it was safe to nod, and tilt my head back when his hands gripped my hips. I wondered whether he saw my own smile, and ever considered the fact that I would ever kick him in the groin, which I did.

Vampires weren't an exception to the pain that groin-related injuries bring, but I wasn't complaining. First, his expression turned into a mixture of shock, and agony. The man released a noise from his lips that's hard to describe without making noise. Finally, his hands let go of my hips, his knees buckled, and he fell.

I took the first second I got to escape. There was no way I was sticking around to see what the psycho would do next. Since the man lived with Marco, I knew that he would probably find out about what had happened sooner or later, and I would have to explain everything to him. I vaulted over him, and made a mad dash to open the door. I opened the door with so much force that I thought I would break the door knob. Fortunately, I didn't, and was able to escape without the man yelling after me.

Marco found me in the middle of the hallway, and looked startled to see me run into his arms.

"What just happened in there?" Marco held me tight, but not in the way that the man had done to me.

The embrace was warm, and was one that I could release my tears in without worrying that a camera would track my every move, and everybody would know that I had cried. I didn't even care that I was crying–just because I was with him.

My body racked with tears as I told him everything that had happened to me in the room with the strange man who lived with him. During this whole time, Marco literally did nothing but listen to me–he didn't even blink. He started to look angry by the time I was telling him about how the man said he had loved me.

"When he's not too busy trying to suck up to Whitebeard, Haruta can be kind of a bastard sometimes. I have no idea why, but he figures that every man he meets just finds him irresistible, and immediately wants to fuck even after the man refuses," Marco didn't hide his disgust. "The bastard even did that to me."

I sniffled, "What did you do?"

I'm sure he didn't do what I did.

"I used to carry a knife with me all the time. I had never used it on anybody before, but I wasn't afraid to use it. When Haruta brought his lips close to my own," he shuddered, as if remembering the memories, "I just had to stab him."

"Where is he right now?"Jinbe frowned while staring down at his watch. It was late, and I wondered whether Thatch was worrying about me–I had a lot to explain to him. The three of us were still waiting for Whitebeard, who I had found out was Marco, and Haruta's adoptive father. "I'm starting to worry about him. What if something happened to him?"

Marco dismissed the idea. "No, he wouldn't let anything or anybody hurt him. You know how he is."

"You think he would've gotten home by now …"

"Ace," Marco said suddenly. "Can I see you for a second?"

He stands up from the couches that we settled on, and gently brings my hands into his own, helping me stand back up after I nod in reply.

We go to the attic, which he swears is his favorite room in the entire house. Their attic has boxes, old furniture, and countless trunks which must hide treasures like old pictures, and memories. It's very quiet, and chillier than the other rooms. The items were mostly pushed against one wall, but a single couch faces a large window. Marco doesn't say much at this point, but we both know that he wants us to sit on the couch, which we do. If possible, his expression calms even more than before.

Once we're seated again, I face him. Breaking the silence, I say, "This place is peaceful."

Marco smiles more shyly than before. "That's why I like it here. I think everybody should have this one spot where they can go when they just want to get away from everything. I started coming here after I was adopted. I used to get in a lot more arguments with people like Haruta, and always thought about how much of a freak I was compared to people my age. The fact that I wasn't human just made everything worse … It was hard to stop smoking, and I'm not as bad as I used to be."

All I can do is stare at him, but he doesn't take these stares in a bad way. Instead, he keeps on talking, but not because he wants to fill in my quietness. Conversation just keeps coming with him.

A place where nobody will ask questions, and you know that you're totally alone. Mostly, you know that nothing bad can happen to you in your special place because that's the reason why it's special. Don't you think, yoi?"

It takes awhile before what he said sinks into my mind. I was so busy thinking about how different he seems in the attic than he is in any other place I've seen him before. Marco stares down at his clasped hands, and I face away to awe over the magnificent view over the rest of the city. His house was on the tall hills that overlook the city, the ones that hover above the rest of society. The lights inspire me, and make me think of all the possibilities that the city has for me. Who cares that I have to work at a fast-food place because there isn't many job opportunities for college students? In the city, I'd finish school, find a job, and a place of my own.

Then, sitting right next to me is him. I have to blush as I think about it, and I feel warm on the inside as I do. It's a beautiful fantasy, but is it really realistic?

"Marco," I blush even harder as I talk. "Have you ever thought of the future?"

He snaps out of the daze he was in as he was staring down at his hands. Marco's eye widen, but soon relax to their regular state. "What do you mean? Like the one with the robots or the flying cars?"

"No. Well, it would be sort of neat if cars could fly, but it would be great if they found the cure for cancer before that," my expression is sort of dreamy. " I meant, the near future. What are your dreams for the near future? What do you see yourself doing … In five years?"

Like I did before, he can just stare. I get a bad feeling about the whole thing, and regret strikes me across the face as the reality hits me that maybe, Marco had never thought about it. I wasn't the biggest nerd ever, but I wanted to get a degree, and a good job. From the looks of it, he didn't go to any school even though he was around my age. Since his family was rich, he assumed he didn't have to go to college because Whitebeard was nice enough to adopt so many people, and support them even as adults.

"To be honest with you …" There comes a smooth chuckle from his lips in the sexiest way possible. "I could care less. I've been thinking about moving out, and buying this beat-up car to drive around the country. You know, to see what's up, and stuff. I saw this one movie a few years ago with the girl who played Bella from Twilight as one of the characters. The movie is about these people who do drugs, have too much sex, and road trip around the country. They did it before it was cool, which makes them total badasses who don't give a damn about anything. No commitments, no regrets, no worries–that's what I think it would be like. There's other people who have to be thinking the same thing … I'd have followers with the same kind of lifestyle."

The only thing that I got out of that was the fact that he wants to run away from everything, and be Peter Pan. I don't know what my face looks like, but I feel myself tensing a little bit.

"How long are you planning on doing that?" I try my best to keep my calm. Your fantasy is so incredibly childish that it's unrealistic. The people in the movie may have gotten away with it, but it's the twenty-first century. It's a nice dream, but there's no way you'd be able to get away with it.

Marco pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket. He slowly pulls a cigarette out, and a lighter after that. He lit his cigarette as he said, "Actually, it wouldn't even be that long. Just a few months, which should be enough time for me to sort out my thoughts, but mostly my life. On the road, anything is possible."

"Why would you want to road trip like that? It sounds pretty somber to me. Long nights on lonely roads … With nothing to comfort feelings of isolation."

He holds my face close to his own, his cigarette behind held in his spare hand. "I wouldn't get lonely because you'd be with me on the road. Wouldn't you? Wouldn't you do that for me? Ace, you're important to me, and I'd want you to be part of my journey."

I look into his eyes, which are far from deceiving. I can tell that he's being completely honest, and the whole thing isn't just a teenage dream. Marco actually plans on going on a road trip, and wants me to go with him.

"I …"

I'd be with him for who-knows-how-long. I really like him, and would get to know him better that way. Then again, we'd be far away from home. I couldn't see Luffy or Garp … Or any of my friends … Thach … School … The problems I haven't settled with Vivi … My job. I'd have to give up a lot of things to go with him, and be away from it all. Yet, if I don't go, there would be the void left unfulfilled, and we would both be alone in separate ways, our separate worlds apart with none of our dreams fulfilled.

"We can't be apart," I say. Marco nods, and opens his mouth to talk, but I want to continue before he starts to talk. "And I'm sorry to say this, but we really can't be together, either There's so many things wrong with everything–the world is a cold, unfair place. It's not that I don't like you–no, that's really not it. It's just that I'm not sure whether it would be the best thing for us."

Like that, I'm sure I just ruined the little feelings that I thought were between us. I feel like a jerk, and feel like crying again, but the tears don't come, and neither does his reply.

Marco doesn't leave the attic, but he closes his eyes with a look of solitude while smoking his cigarette away. I know that I have officially broken his spirit, and there's nothing I can do to mend his heart. Water is pooling in my eyes by now, and I grit my teeth as I'm suddenly overwhelmed by how much of a hurtful person I can be. I do things wrong, and mess everything up–people don't forgive me, and I forgive myself even less.

I get up off the couch, and officially hate myself for everything that I've ever done.

"I'm sorry that you had to deal with somebody like me. I'm sorry, I should get going now. Goodbye, Marco."

I'm sorry for falling in love with you because the whole thing was a hopeless mess. All I did was break us down even more than we already were, and brought things to a point that no prayer could fix.

I start to cry, and don't bother to hold myself as I leave.

I could get somewhere in life, but then I'd be getting nowhere close to something. My happiness isn't like most people's, and most people need material things among other things to be happy in life. My hand trembles over where my cell phone used to be, but my phone is gone, and suddenly, I don't care whether Vivi cares anymore because the person I care about is the person who I'm running away from.

There is something wrong with me, and I wish I knew what it was. Hell, if I did, it'd probably be something so terrible that I couldn't take it anymore. Yes, that's what I am–terrible, and nothing else at all.

You know, Marco's voice finds it's way into my head as I'm waiting at the nearest bus stop. You'll never really be alone in this world. This world is a small place, and I can still do this even though we're a good distance away from each other. I wonder if you think this counts as haunting you. Oh well. It's not like anybody but you can even hear me. I'm not sure whether you're comfortable with this, but it's like we're sharing a secret.

Secrets, I tell him. Are sometimes meant to be shared, but this is okay. However, I'm not okay right now, but that's okay.

There's a long pause.

No, that's not okay. I'm not sure whether anybody has ever told you this, but you blame yourself too much. I guess that's because you're so kind to everybody because you care.

I care, and that sees to be a logical explanation to why some people take advantage of me. Before, I thought that you were sucking my blood because you needed it, and wanted my blood. I must ask you: Were you taking advantage of me back then?

No, never. I wouldn't ever do that do you because then I wouldn't be able to life with myself. Thinking about it, what you said was sort of true. I'm a vampire who was abandoned by his parents, gave sexual favors to strangers in exchange for drugs when I was living on the streets, and lives with people who have serious problems. It's not safe for you to be around me when I can have outbursts of desire–I could even kill you. It's best for us to be apart even though I'll never forget you.

I look out the window of the bus. I had stopped crying, but I don't want to start crying again, especially on the bus.

I can go back if you want. I swear that I'll do anything for you even if that means risking my own future because I don't care about any of that anymore.

I stare at people going about their everyday lives on the street. Even at night, people are still out. I wonder which ones of them just experienced a bad breakup, have bad family lives, or are bullied in school. They walk down the street with faces like a canvas, so nobody suspects what's going on, so nobody can judge them. I wonder whether any of them feel as miserable as I do right now.

I decide to get off at a random stop where I end up walking down the street.

Why don't you care anymore, Ace? You're brilliant, and I'd heard of you even before we met. Haruta told me that Izo told him about you. I didn't know you in person, but I came to admire the charismatic young man that was described in all the stories. However, the charismatic young man doesn't know he's chasing after a useless cause. Go–get away from me, and just leave me alone now. It was fun before, but now it hurts because of all the sacrifices I'm seeing you make. It hurts because I love you, and that's the reason why I have to send you away.

I find a payphone, and insert the correct amount of change into the phone. Then, I look at my arm, and know what to do. I dial Marco, and clear my throat.

"Hello?"

The voice that I fell for is on the other line. He sounds obvious to what was going on between the two of us in my mind. I can tell Marco doesn't know it's me, which is good. I wanted it to be this way in the first place.

"It's me," I croak. "Ace."

"Ace," he whispers. "None of this can ever work out."

"Yes, it can," I blurt. "It can, and so can our dreams. Even your dream of road-tripping the country."

Marco sighs. "How? Tell me. I don't see how–"

"Like you said, I'm never really ever going to be alone because we have this thing where we can talk to each other in our heads, right?" I keep going. "So, we're always going to be together, even though it may be awhile before we see each other again. Days, weeks, months, even years apart cannot stop communication between two people that love each other. There's phone-calling, and I'm glad I asked you for your number. I'm not much of a social media guy, but maybe I can make an exception. Just for you. While I'm sitting in class one day or if I had a really horrible day at work, I can talk to you even though you could be staring at the stars while smoking one of your cigarettes in the middle of nowhere."

There is total tranquility now, and I'm sure that all of the bad vibes have gone away now. I close my eyes, and when I open them, I'm brave enough to add, "I love you, and can't live with or without you."

I can just see his lazy smile on the other line. I imagine him still smoking, maybe on the couch in the attic while staring down at the city. I wonder whether any vampire power can give you the ability to see a person's blush from a far distance. At that point, I was blushing, and felt closer to him than before.

"This sounds good with me. I'm going to have a lot to think about, and most of it will be about you," Marco gushed. "There is one thing that I must do."

"What's that?"

Marco's tone was solemn. "Promise that until I come back, I'll wait for for you. I may be immortal as long as I continue to drink blood, but I would wait for you for as long as I have to."

"I'm a human," I remind him. "Even though I don't like to think about it, I'm going to die one day, and you'll still be living. I will also wait for you, Phoenix Marco, even if it means waiting for decades."

"Decades?" he laughs. "No, you shouldn't wait that long for me. I don't deserve it!"

I curl the phone cord around my fingers. "Yes, you do. Everybody may not want to be loved, but I think everybody deserves it no matter how awful the person believes they are. You're wonderful, Marco, and you make me feel exuberant."

"Exuberant," he says slowly. "Throwing out your college vocabulary? What does that even mean?"

"Exuberant is just a fancy word for 'happy'," I explain with an exuberant smile on my face. "I think I feel exuberant about the future now."

"Knowing that you'll be in mine, I can live on with myself."

To Be Continued?

Well, this is everything I had planned out for this story. The Zoro x Sanji, and Marco x Ace will continue on in Dirty Laundry … I promise that it'll come up eventually.

Again, thanks to the people who helped this story become a reality, and those who read this! :)

~ ObscureAuthor (Ashuri)