Sorry for the long wait! I wanted to finish Hot as Fire first because this chapter contains spoilers for that. So, if you're reading HaF, I recommend that you finish that first. I've tried to keep the spoilers to a minimum though.

Beta'ed by MyLadyDay. Also, I blame Mai for a substantial part of this chapter.

Enjoy ^^

Reborn in Fire

Chapter 21

Panting, Ace rolled off his lover. He was exhausted, as round two had been quite intense, but very much satisfying. He lay down next to Marco and grinned at the blonde who was in a similar state. The freckled man crawled against the other man, planting a lazy kiss on his shoulder. "So," he said, still sounding a little hoarse, partly because of his exclamations during the sex, "would this be a good time to ask you more about your past?" He could feel Marco tense up next to him. "I'll take that as a no. I just thought, Gramps isn't here…"

"I should hope so," the blonde replied dryly. "I don't think he would appreciate what we just did. Twice." He sat up against the headboard and sighed. "I don't really like to talk about it, but I promised you, so I'll answer your questions."

Ace sat up as well. "Alright." He thought for a moment. "So, you did illegal things?"

"I wouldn't have to change my last name if I hadn't, right?" the blonde responded with a wry smile.

"What was your last name?"

But Marco shook his head. "That's the one question I won't answer. I'm sorry, but I owe many people for being able to get a legal job and leave the past, or part of it, behind. I can't disclose that."

The freckled man was a little disappointed, but nodded. Suddenly he realised something. "Wait, what do you mean, part of it? Are you still doing those things?"

"Like I said, I won't hesitate to go back again if my brothers need me. But most of them have cleaned up their act as well. But…" His blue eyes were sad and he stared in the distance. "Some things never let you go."

The raven haired man swallowed. "Things… like what?"

Marco covered his eyes with his hand and shook his head.

Ace was torn. On the one hand, he wanted to know everything about Marco, but it seemed like his boyfriend would rather forget about it. And the fireman had his own secrets, after all. One of them haunted him as well and he would have to tell the blonde about it if he spilled all his own secrets. But then the man would hate him, just like anyone who knew, aside from Luffy of course. He had kept it a secret all his life.

Ace's father was his biggest secret. The whole world despised that man, that criminal and murderer. The freckled man hated him too, even though they had never met. Everyone knew Roger Gol's name and everyone detested the man. And in extension to that, Ace himself, even if they didn't know who he was. They hated the child they didn't know Roger had.

It was because of that that he was partly relieved to hear that Marco didn't have such a clean slate himself, but on the other hand, he dreaded his lover might be like his father. So, deciding to leave the subject rest, he needed to ask one more question.

"Marco?" He couldn't stop his voice from quivering.

The blonde looked up, his eyes looking sad. Ace hated himself for making him look like that, but he needed to know. Swallowing hard, he bit his lip before he managed to force out the question: "Have you ever killed someone?"

The arson inspector looked at him shocked, but soon averted his eyes. "Yes," he whispered. It was hardly audible, but still it felt like he had shouted it, the room felt that silent.

Ace sat frozen on the bed, his heart racing. He had feared the answer. Digging his nails in the mattress, he forced himself to look up.

The sight he was met with was not what he had been expecting. Marco's face was torn by grief and regret, his hand entangled with his hair. "I didn't mean to," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I tried to prevent it, but…"

The freckled man's limbs listened to him again and he wrapped his arms around his distressed boyfriend, holding him tight. "I'm sorry," he heard him whisper. He kissed the blond man's temple, caressing his back. This man was nothing like his father.

Carefully, he took Marco's face between his hands, trying to make eye contact. He kissed him intensely and much to his relief he noticed Marco kissing him back, the blonde tightening his hold on him. "I'm sorry," the freckled man said earnestly when they let go of each other. "I won't pry again, I promise."

Suddenly, he was pinned under Marco, who buried his face in the crook of his neck. "Please don't hate me."

"I'll never hate you," Ace said reassuringly in his ear. "I could never hate you."

Marco didn't respond, but didn't let go either.

The next morning, Marco was his usual self again, aside from a slight limp, and neither of them spoke of his break down. Ace was curious who the blonde had killed and how it happened, but he had promised not to pry again. It had been awful seeing the usual stoic man breaking down. He struggled with what happened and he obviously felt horrible about it. At least knowing this reassured Ace; Marco was nothing like his father.

The nagging feeling that he should tell Marco who had begotten him wouldn't go away, though. Maybe the blonde would understand? But everyone he had ever talked with had thought that it would have been better if Roger never had a child. That it would have been better if he was never born. When he was younger he had believed that and even now he had decided to live for his friends. His own life may not matter, but that of his friends did.

They really needed him too in the two weeks that past, especially Zoro and Sanji. After finally admitting to his feelings, Sanji had given in and started a relationship with the green haired man. But after nasty car accident – which wasn't an accident – Zoro had lapsed into a coma. It all ended well, with the real culprit who burned down the Baratie, for which Ace had been to jail, was caught, though Zoro ended up losing an eye and Sanji broke his leg.

After these hectic weeks, things were finally back to normal and Ace had time again to worry about whether or not he should tell Marco about his father. Aside from that, he also had to come up with a birthday present for the man. The blonde still hadn't told him his real age and somehow Ace doubted he would find out any time soon.

Still, the father-thing wouldn't let him go. After all, he would be meeting Marco's dad soon. Personally, he didn't have that good experience with fathers and he had never seen Garp as a replacement dad or anything, but Marco really seemed to have a high opinion of the man he called Pops. Ace made a decision.

It was a rainy afternoon a couple of days before his birthday, when the doorbell suddenly rang. Marco frowned. He was just about to take a bath, the water was already running. Considering to ignore it, he sighed and rejected that thought. It was his own fault for wanting to relax on his day off, after all. He put on his bathrobe and made for the door.

On his doorstep stood a very wet Ace . He seemed absent-minded, his shirt clinging to his torso in a very distracting manner. Tearing his eyes from the well defined muscles that showed through, Marco asked: "Ace, are you alright?"

Dark eyes looked up for a moment, but the younger man immediately cast them down again, gripping his elbow with one hand. "Can we talk?"

Frowning, Marco pulled his boyfriend inside. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he wasn't about to let it ruin his bath. "Come on," he said, as he dragged the fireman to the bathroom.

Closing the door behind them and wondering a bit about Ace's lack of comment or struggle, he shrugged off his bathrobe and sat down in the hot water. "Come on," he repeated, gesturing to the vacant spot on the other side of the bath.

After a moment of hesitation, Ace started to peel off his wet clothes. Noticing Marco's eyes that were glued to his body with every inch of skin that became visible, Ace became a bit his old self again and slowly and seductively removed his – very few – layers of clothes.

Marco smiled when Ace looked up with a cocky smirk as soon as he was naked and watched the freckled man lower himself in the hot water. It was a good thing he knew Ace didn't mind the heat, as the blonde always took rather hot baths.

They sat in silence for a while, both enjoying the warm water. Then finally, the blonde asked: "Ace, what's going on?"

The freckled man wrapped his arms around his knees and stared at the water. "I'm a hypocrite," he said hardly audible.

Frowning, Marco moved forward and pushed Ace's chin up with one hand. "What are you talking about?"

"I reproached you for not being honest with me," the fireman whispered, still evading eye contact. "While there is something I haven't told you either." Finally, his eyes flicked up. "Something important."

Panic started to bubble up inside Marco's head. What could Ace want to tell him? Had he cheated on him? Had the freckled man done illegal things as well?

The fireman looked up, his eyes sad. "I've never told you about my parents."

"I assumed you didn't know who they were," Marco said, remembering how Ace told him on their first date that he was an orphan.

The freckled man leaned back in the bathtub. "I do. Portgas is my mother's name. She died shortly after my birth. My father, however," he swallowed thickly and looked down, "my father was called Roger. Roger Gol."

The blonde stayed silent, letting the words sink in. Everyone had heard about Roger Gol. He had been a notorious criminal, locked away for theft, murder, manslaughter and the list went on. Marco remembered that his father had not been so sure about Roger's guilt, having known the man, and when Roger died under suspicious circumstances – some theories said that the guards had killed him, others spoke of a suicide – Edward Newgate had been shocked and outraged. Marco had never seen his father like that before, or after that one time for that matter.

There had been rumours going around that Roger left a heir, but the arson inspector doubted even Pops knew if they were true. And now it turned out that said heir was sitting with him in the bathtub.

He realised he had been quiet for too long, as Ace's face had gone pale and he seemed about ready to jump out of bath and run off. Quickly, Marco moved forward and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, pulling him close. The freckled man was tense, so the blonde started to rub soothing circles on his back. When Ace relaxed a little, the arson inspector took his freckled face between his hands. "I don't care who you parents are," he said earnestly.

"You sure about that?" Ace asked sceptically. "You know who Roger Gol is?"

"Of course I do. Pops talked about him, sometimes. They were acquainted somehow."

The freckled man's eyes widened. "Your Pops knew my biological father?!"

Marco nodded and the fire fighter gripped his hair. "I hate him," he whispered. "Roger. Everyone thinks it would have been better if I never had been born…"

The blonde grabbed Ace's wrists and in an blink of an eye, he had pinned the raven haired man against the back of the tub, uncaring about the water that spilled over the edge. "Don't ever say that again!" Marco all but yelled.

The fireman stared up at him in shock, but swallowing thickly, he nodded. The arson inspector slowly let go of him and caressed his face. "Please don't talk like that. I don't care who you parents are and neither do my brothers. We're a family. I care about you, Ace, and so do they. Regardless of who you descend from."

The freckled man clung to his boyfriend and Marco could feel him tremble. Letting his fingers slide through the dark strands, the blonde mumbled in his ear: "I'll never judge you for things you don't have control over. Your parents don't make you who you are, you decide your own path."

Ace looked up, finding his lover's lips. "Thank you," he whispered. "You have no idea what this means to me…"

Marco slowly rocked to and fro with the freckled man in his arms. "Pops is going to love you. There is no need to worry about that."

Ace smiled when he felt lips pressed against his head and instinctively he wrapped his arms around the neck of the owner of said lips, ready to pull him back into bed.

Marco chuckled. "Come on. We need to go to court."

That had the freckled man open his eyes. The blonde was right, today was Johnson's trial and they both had to testify. Groaning, he let go of his boyfriend and rolled over to look at the time on his phone. He really had to get up. Giving Marco a quick kiss and wishing him good morning, Ace made his way to the bathroom.

After Ace's confession the night before, they had stayed in the bath until the water had gone cold and Marco had never let go of him. After they had dried themselves off, the blonde had made dinner. They ended up watching a movie that night, while they fooled around. They hadn't even had sex, but still Ace felt oddly happy and he had a tingly feeling inside, which he couldn't remember having before. But he couldn't say he didn't like it. Marco accepted him no matter what.

After Ace had dressed himself and they had eaten breakfast, the blonde drove them to court. It was quite a fuss to get inside. They had to identify themselves, go through a metal detector and they were searched by security guards – Ace noticed that Marco looked suspiciously at the woman that searched the freckled man.

When they were finally allowed inside, they had to report themselves to the usher. They had to wait in a room until they would be called.

As the victim, Marco was the first to be summoned. The procedure was the same as with his other cases he was called to as an expert-witness, but now he had a different role he felt a little weird. The charge against the fireman was attempt-to-manslaughter and a sentence of eight years in prison had been demanded by the public prosecutor. Like with Ace's trial – and any trial with a demanded sentence fro longer than a year in prison – there were three judges present. As Marco took a seat and swore he would tell the truth, his eyes flicked over to the table next to him, where Johnson was seated with his lawyer. The former shot him a hateful glare and Marco had trouble not to scoff. It wasn't exactly his fault Johnson was here now.

Focusing on the questions that were posed, he started to relate what had happened the night of the assault. It was on the second real date he had with Ace – though he didn't feel the need to share that with the judges – and he was crossing the street by foot, when a car suddenly pulled up and tried to run him over. He didn't know the colour of the car, nor had he seen the driver.

"How did you manage to avoid the vehicle?" the public prosecutor asked.

Marco's eyes flicked over to the defendant's table. "My boyfriend has great reflexes," he answered, managing to keep a straight face when he noticed Johnson stiffen. "He pushed me out of the way."

"Did you obtain any injury from this encounter?"

"Only stitches in my hand."

The public prosecutor had nothing further to ask, so he gave the floor to the lawyer of Johnson. The man rose, stroking his enormous black beard. "Mr. Fenwick," he started, "you stated that you did not see the driver of the car, correct?"

"I didn't see him," Marco responded. He wondered where the lawyer would go with this.

"So, you did not see my client in the car?"

The blonde sighed. "No."

"Mr. Fenwick, do you know my client?"

"He's a fireman that works at the same station as I do," Marco answered wary. He was dreading where this was going.

"Have you ever spoken to him?"

"Not often." The arson inspector chose his words carefully.

"So, you have. And is it true then, that several months ago, you assaulted him?" the lawyer asked.

"No."

"Really? You didn't attack him after he threatened to expose you for violating a co-worker in his sleep?" the bearded man asked accusingly.

"No," Marco said sharply. "I did not attack him and I did not violate a co-worker! I used to be a fireman myself and in the station I used to work you couldn't fall asleep in the public area without being pranked. I didn't know how it worked at this station, so I brought my colleague, who had fallen asleep in the public area, to the sleeping quarters."

"And then you violated him?"

The blonde pinched the bridge of his nose. "No. I kissed him on the forehead."

"Mr. Gode, does this line of questioning have a point?" one of the judges, called Doberman, asked a little bored. "Mr. Fenwick is not on trial."

"I'm just trying to prove that Mr. Fenwick isn't the harmless victim he appears," the lawyer defended himself.

"He does not claim that he even saw Mr. Johnson at the time of the assault. And I know very few people who could stop a moving car." Judge Yamakaji gestured with his hand "Next witness!"

A little relieved, Marco got up from the chair and took a seat in the audience. That could have ended ugly, though it had nothing to do with the case. The day Johnson called him out on his behaviour towards the sleeping Ace, the man had insulted his family and he snapped. It was sneaky to bring it up now and make him look bad. Fortunately, the lawyer hadn't done his homework too good and found out things about his past. Or maybe he had, but they would not be brought to light in this courtroom.

Ace was called as the next witness. As he passed Marco, the freckled man turned his head and winked, swaying his hips more than necessary as he took a seat on the chair Marco had previously occupied. Just as Marco, he had to swear to tell the truth and state his name. After that, the public prosecutor asked him what happened the night in question. Ace thought for a moment and then started to tell: "Well, we were going to see a movie–"

"Who is 'we'?" the prosecutor interrupted him.

"Me and Marco, of course," the freckled man said like that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Mr. Fenwick? So you were previously acquainted?"

The fireman cocked his head a little. "Seeing that we were on a date, I'd say so."

Marco cringed a bit, not because of the revelation of the date, but because using cynicism in a courtroom was probably not the best way to go. Ace continued: "Anyway, I had already crossed the street, but before Marco could, the lights turned red, so he had to wait. When the crossing lights turned green again, I ran towards him while he was crossing the street, to hurry him up, you know. We were already late for the movie, which was technically my fault for falling asleep, but is he had woken me up sooner–"

"Mr. Portgas, please stay to the point," the third judge, called Strawberry, urged him.

"Sorry. When I ran towards him, I suddenly saw a car nearing, so I pushed Marco out of the way."

"Did you see the colour of the car?"

Ace thought for a moment. "I think it was red."

"Did you see the driver?"

After the freckled man had given a negative answer, the public prosecutor said he had no further questions and the lawyer got up to speak. "Mr. Portgas, my client is your colleague, correct? Were you friends?"

"He was supposed to be my friend," Ace snapped and Marco really hoped the raven haired man could control his temper.

"As friends, do you know what kind of car Mr. Johnson drives?"

"A red Volvo."

"Yet you did not recognise the car."

"I was a little busy doing something else, namely, saving my boyfriend! Besides, I hardly expected Johnson to be there," Ace said accusingly. "I thought he was my friend."

"Have you ever considered he might have wanted to protect you?" the lawyer continued.

The freckled man looked up confused. "Protect me? From what? And how would he do that by trying to kill Marco?"

"You are not aware that Mr. Fenwick assaulted you in your sleep several months ago?"

Ace looked back to where Marco was sitting, looking confused.

"Mr. Gode, we already established this," judge Strawberry said.

"Whether or not Mr. Fenwick crossed a line is a matter for discussion at another time. But my client thought that he was sexually assaulting his friend…"

Marco fought the urge to walk up to the lawyer and punch him in the face. The bearded man was doing everything to make him look like the bad guy by twisting the facts. He could only hope Ace would allow him the time to explain himself.

Much to his relief, the dark haired fireman jumped up. "That's bullshit! Even if what you are saying is true, which I highly doubt, you think that's an excuse for attempt to kill him? Johnson would have told me and I would have dealt with it the way I saw fit!"

"But if you were in an abusive relationship–"

"Abusive relationship? I'm very happy with my relationship, thank you very much, which is, as far as I recall, my business!" Ace all but yelled.

"Mr. Fenwick has assaulted my client when he called him out on violating you," Mr. Gode said with a straight face.

Marco's breathing became heavy and he clenched his fist. That Gode was a sly bastard.

"That's crap!" Ace slammed his hand on the table. "I don't care what kind of excuses Johnson makes up for doing what he did. Fact is that he only did it because he was jealous I chose Marco over him!"

The sound of a chair falling over echoed through the room when Johnson jumped up. "And tell me I'm wrong! He gives you one compliment and you let him fuck you? When the bed of that cop isn't even cold?"

Yamakaji hammered on his desk. "Mr. Gode! Control your client!"

The lawyer tried to talk soothingly, but Scorpion was outraged. "You're nothing more than a cheap whore!"

"Mr. Johnson, if you don't behave, we will have you removed!" the judge threatened.

Finally, the former fireman sat down, albeit reluctant.

"Mr. Gode, continue," Strawberry said.

The bearded man cleared his throat. "Mr. Portgas, would you say you lose your temper easily?"

"I've been told I can be hot-headed," Ace muttered.

"Did you punch my client in his face upon arrest?"

The freckled man straightened. "I believe you'll find in the police report it was self-defence."

"Liar!" Scorpion jumped up again, despite his lawyer's warnings. "You're in league with that cop! What, you still let him do you, aside from your so-called boyfriend? Or rather, you let them do you at the same time. I bet you like that, you slut!"

"That's it. Guards, remove the defendant!" Doberman gestured to Scorpion. Two large men grabbed the outraged former fireman underneath his arms, but still they had trouble taking him away. The colourful string of names Scorpion Johnson called Ace only stopped when the doors to the courtroom shut.

"We will resume this hearing tomorrow at nine." After Yamakaji had slammed on the desk with his mallet, the judges left the room.

Ace stood up and walked over to Marco, who was waiting in the aisle for him. "Are you okay?" the blonde asked worriedly as they made their way outside.

The freckled man nodded and smiled wryly. "Johnson really screwed himself over, didn't he?"

"I highly doubt the judges will judge in his favour," the arson inspector agreed.

The fireman remained silent, chewing his lip thoughtfully. "Marco? What did they mean that you sexually assaulted me in my sleep?"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "It was after you had your fight with Captain Smoker. When I came back to the station, you had fallen asleep in the public area, so I brought you to the sleeping quarters."

"That was you? I was wondering how that happened! I couldn't remember going there," Ace said pensive. " So, that's it?"

"Well," Marco continued hesitantly, "not just that. I may have stared at you for a while, stroked your hair and gave you a kiss on the forehead." He carefully looked at his boyfriend.

Ace burst out laughing. "That's it? They made it sound like you at least groped me. I mean, it's a little creepy to watch me sleep, but the rest is kind of cute." He pulled Marco in for a kiss. "While we're confessing anyway, I have one for you." When the blonde waited for him to continue, he said: "When you just worked at the fire station, I wanted to talk to you, but you weren't in your office and I kind of snooped around a little. That's how I got your phone number, you left your phone there."

"Really now?" The blonde raised his eyebrows. "I thought Thatch gave it to you."

"He did, but by then I already had it." He wasn't sure what kind of reaction to expect, but fortunately, Marco didn't look mad. "You almost caught me, you know. When you came back to get your phone," Ace added. "I still wonder what you would have done if you had."

The arson inspector let out a laugh. "Me too."

They had reached the car and got in. "So, I guess we're both stalkers," the freckled man said as he fastened his seatbelt.

"So it would seem."

Ace looked at his boyfriend. "And apparently we liked each other long before we started going out."

Marco smiled a little as the fireman pulled him close and pressed their lips together. The blonde's fingers brushed through the dark strands of his lover, deepening the kiss. Ace let out a happy sigh and tilted his head a little. The kiss became more heated, hands roaming the other's body.

Finally, Marco pulled away, earning a disappointed growl. "Ace, we're still at the court building."

"Then let's go to your place." Ace bit his red, swollen lips, distracting the blonde momentarily from his task of starting the engine.

He got them to his house in record time, barely locking his car before Ace threw himself at the fire investigator, pinning him against the car. Guiding the younger man towards the door, their lips never stopped touching. Marco felt a hand slip inside his pocket and after some groping, the freckled man got out his keys. Ace tried to open the door with his back against the hard surface, failing miserably and Marco took over. Unlike their first date, the fireman was now prepared for the door falling away, clinging to the blonde.

Slamming the door shut behind them, Marco threw his keys in a random direction, his jacket and tie soon following. Ace dragged him up the stairs, sucking on his tongue.

Before Marco knew it, they were both naked on his bed, kissing and nipping on every part of the exposed skin. Somehow, the blonde managed to get Ace on his stomach and he was currently kissing and licking at the exposed back. The freckled man moaned and bent his spine to get more contact. Marco smirked against his skin. "You're really sensitive here, aren't you?"

He got his answer when he bit near the younger man's shoulder blade and fingers dug in the mattress. "Marco!" it sounded muffled.

The blonde moved so he all but sat on Ace's ass and let his hands run over the muscular back, massaging the knots he felt. Judging from the sounds his lover made, he was very pleased with the massage.

"You're tense," Marco said. "Is that because of the trial? Or because of what you told me last night?"

"Maybe a bit of both," the freckled man mumbled and bit in the pillow when his boyfriend hit a particular tense part.

"You know nothing Scorpion or his lawyer said is true, right? You're not like that."

Ace sighed, leaning with his chin on his elbow. "I know. And I have been called worse. It's just… I thought he was my friend. I thought I could trust him. That just shows that whether people know who my father is or not, they'll just want something from me and if they don't, they drop me like a brick."

"Ace…" Marco caressed his hair, when the man beneath him suddenly turned a bit.

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

He had long since convinced himself he didn't lie. He was only neglecting to tell the truth. And he would, someday. These thoughts, however, did nothing to easy his guilt. "No," he said with a soft smile.

Ace smiled back and sat up, forcing the blonde to sit in his lap. "I guess I just need to figure out who my real friends are. There's you, of course, your brothers, Luffy, Zoro, Vivi…" He listed the people he trusted with his life and then smiled. "Yeah, I've got great friends. One less won't matter." He let Marco kiss him again.

"Ace."

The freckled man hummed to indicate that he listened, while he sucked on the blonde's collarbone.

"Do you think you would have slept with him if he had shown interest?"

Ace stopped what he was doing, leaving a red mark. "You mean Johnson? Maybe… I've slept with some of my co-workers, Marco. He knew that, too, so I wonder why you bug him so much. Maybe because we actually have a relationship? I don't know." He thought for a moment. "And I don't care either," he decided, flicking his eyes up and looking at the blonde. "'Cause I only want you."

Marco kissed him again, pressing him back against the mattress. "I wasn't that worried, with the bastard going to jail and all." He took Ace's face between his hands. "I'll never let him hurt you again."

"Me? You're the one he tried to run over with a car!"

"Well, yeah. But he betrayed you. And I will make anyone pay who hurts you."

Ace let himself be kissed as he thought. "Marco?"

The blonde didn't stop what he was doing, but stayed clear from the freckled man's lips, so he could talk. "Remember that guy that tried to poison me?"

"How could I forget?" the arson inspector growled and bit in the sensitive skin of Ace's neck.

Distracted, the fireman let him do as he pleased, until he remembered he was saying something. "Robin mentioned his trial is coming up too. You wouldn't have anything to do with his delivery at the police station, would you?"

Marco stopped kissing him and sat up. The younger man looked at him questioning and he had just promised never to lie. So, he sighed and said: "I might have sought him out."

"And those other people in the car, Thatch and Izo?"

Marco nodded.

"And Rakuyo fixed you the car?"

When his boyfriend confirmed his suspicions once again, he sighed. "But why? You endangered yourself, your brothers. All for me?"

"He tried to kill you." The blonde grabbed the raven haired man's chin. "And it would be a waste to have the world rid of someone as hot as you," he added with a smirk.

Ace let out a snort of laughter. "But seriously."

"I care about you. So do the guys. You didn't want to jeopardise Smoker and I couldn't stand just watching him get away with it. So, I decided to do something about it. I know what I'm doing, Ace, and you're worth it if I get caught."

"Don't say such sweet things." He felt the blood – that hadn't meanwhile gone south, they were still naked, after all – rush to his cheeks.

"You're adorable."

"Am not! Now you've ruined the moment!" Pouting, Ace pushed his lover off him and turned his back towards him.

He felt Marco moving and an arm wrapped around his waist. "Don't be mad. I like it when you blush."

"I wasn't blushing." Ace pulled a pillow over his head.

The blonde chuckled, before kissing the freckled man's shoulder blade again. The fireman leaned in, but just a little, he still felt like punishing his lover. Marco's lips moved up, to his shoulder, before landing on his neck and jaw. "Come on, let me make it up to you."

"Okay." The black haired man sat up so fast he almost head-butted the blonde in the chin and smirked broadly. "Let me top again."

The other man looked at him with a mixture of surprise and amusement and chuckled. "You know, you don't have to ask every time."

Ignoring the blush creeping up his cheeks again, Ace moved over to the nightstand to retrieve the lube and held the bottle up. "You know, we're almost out of lube," he said smirking, seeing the bottle being almost empty.

"Then I guess we should have less sex," Marco said deadpanned.

The freckled man puffed his cheeks. "We'll just buy a new bottle tomorrow."

Lots of confessions and talking. The next chapter will have more action (if you know what I mean ;) )