Hey, everyone! This is just another story I found in my documents that only needed touch-up editing, so here it is. Apparently, I wrote it only a year and a half ago, so it was a surprising find.

There aren't really any explicit events that happen, only hints.

"Ace, Luffy, I'm home!" A blond shouted into the room as he entered the door he just unlocked. He set his jacket on a hook in the mudroom and changed his shoes. When he was met with silence, he muttered "that's weird." He entered the living room from the tiled room he was in. "Luffy, where are you?" He walked down the hall and entered Luffy's room. He wasn't there. "Ace?" He went to Ace's room and tried to open it, but it was locked. "Ace? Are you in there?"

He heard some shuffling and a loud thump. "S-Sabo? I'll be there in a sec." Sabo frowned. Ace never had his door locked. Half a minute later, Ace unlocked the door and opened it. "You're back early, Sabo." Ace had ruffled hair and was shirtless, although the second part was normal.

"Yeah, Dragon said I could go home early today. Is something wrong, Ace? You never have your door locked." Sabo tilted his head to look in a bit, but his room was empty.

Ace shrugged and opened the door more, "Not really." He stepped closer to Sabo and passed by him, heading to the kitchen. "What is for dinner?"

Sabo gave one last glance to his brother's bedroom, noting the ruffled bedding and open window. He followed Ace and gave a sigh, "I'm not sure. Where is Luffy?"

"He is at his friend's house. Usopp's, I think." Ace plopped on the couch in the living room and pulled out his phone from his trousers. He started typing for a few seconds and then put his phone back away. It gave a ding a few seconds later, but Ace ignored it. "He said he would be back by six, so we have plenty of time to make some food for his endless belly, haha." Ace's phone dinged a few more times, and he continued to ignore it.

"Are you gonna check that?" Sabo asked, pointing to Ace's phone in his shorts.

Ace looked at his pants, "No. It's probably just Marco telling me he lo-" Ace abruptly stopped talking and shook his head, "Anyway, it's probably not that important right now."

Sabo looked at Ace strangely. Was Ace hiding something from him? They were brothers; there was no reason to. He shrugged his shoulders and opened the fridge, "Want some water?" He heard a hum from Ace and brought two cups of water to the couch. He gave one cup to Ace and began to drink his own.

Ace took the cup and pulled out his phone. After a few minutes of Ace tapping at his digital keyboard on his phone, he stood up and declared, "I'm gonna take a shower." Sabo nodded and went back to the book he was reading. Not too long after Ace left, Sabo gave a sigh and looked at the hallway Ace left for. Suddenly he heard a ding from the coffee table in front of him. It was Ace's phone.

Curious, Sabo picked it up and looked at the screen. It said it was a message from Marco. Thinking back, Marco was someone Sabo knew from Ace's work. Ace worked at a major company involving electronics, and Marco is a coworker. Sabo had met Marco a few times through Ace during lunch meetings and such. Marco was a very respectful guy, but he seemed to be highly work-devoted and didn't care for mixing personal things with work-related things. Would it be normal for him to be texting Ace? Sure they worked together, but today is a weekend.

Sabo decided not to get too nosey and put the phone back down where it was and continued reading his book again.

Ace finished using the shower quickly and was back in the living room by four o'clock. "Still two more hours, huh?"

"Yep," Sabo said, not having moved from his spot on the couch, "Oh, you got a message from Marco a few minutes after you left for the shower."

Ace ran over to the table and asked, panicking, "Y-You didn't read it, did you?"

Sabo looked at Ace's alarm in shock, "Of course not. Why are you so upset?"

Ace took a breath and shook his head, "It's nothing. Sorry."

Sabo stared at the raven who was now typing on his phone with a grin on his face. "Something good happen at work?"

Ace looked at Sabo and glanced at his phone, "O-Oh, not really."

Sabo's whole existence was curious now. Ace has been acting way too strangely for 'nothing' to be happening. If Marco was not texting about work-related matters, then it must be personal. Sabo could not see how the two would be friends outside of work, but he also didn't know Marco that well. Just as the silence began to become awkward, the phone rang and Ace's face lit up when he saw the caller id. He gave Sabo a glance and quickly spoke, "S-Sorry, Sabo. I should probably answer this."

Ace pushed a button and brought the phone to his ear. "Hey, Marco." He walked to his room and shut the door.

Sabo, who just took the whole thing sitting down, suddenly shot up and gave a small groan. There was a point when enough was enough. If it wasn't important enough to answer a text, why would he have to answer the call? Sabo quietly walked over to the door but couldn't hear anything well. It sounded like Ace's back was away from the wall and whispering, which was different from the normal Ace Sabo knew.

The blonde returned to the couch to retrieve his empty water glass. When he arrived at Ace's bedroom door once again, he lifted the cup to create a microphone effect, to hear inside better. Sabo was usually not a snooping kinda guy, but Ace was being so weird today, he had to know what it was.

Although it wasn't much different from before, he was able to make out some words. "...finished taking a shower when… going to make dinner… Luffy got back but I don't… maybe you could…" There was a pause in Ace's dialect, presumably Marco talking on the other end. When Ace started up again, Sabo continued to listen, "I know. I will try, but I'm not sure if… a stubborn hard head sometimes… Okay." Sabo felt the conversation dying down, so he prepared to leave when he caught a few more words, truly ending the call, "I love you, too."

The blond walked back to the kitchen to clean his cup. Ace came out of his room, eyes trained on the floor until he noticed Sabo moved from the couch to the kitchen. "Sorry, Sabo. That was someone from work."

Sabo did not turn to look at Ace, instead keeping his focus on scrubbing the clear glass cup. "I know. You said it was Marco." Ace lifted an eyebrow only to remember saying 'hey, Marco' when he picked up the phone.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot."

Ace took a seat back on the couch. He was obviously nervous about something but Sabo refused to look at him too long. He was busy trying to process the conversation he just eavesdropped on. Ace was talking to Marco, his older coworker. They did not talk about work at all, and they ended their conversation with love declarations. This means that they are dating right? It is pretty far-fetched to think that it was a company code they were performing, or better yet, acting out a drama scene for the sake of Sabo's confusion.

Thinking about a possible relationship not only confused Sabo but also scared him. He knew of the large age difference between the two, and it made it seem even greater in terms of a romantic, or possibly sexual, relationship. He knew little of Marco, yet had a positive opinion of the guy. Even so, Sabo couldn't help his worried thoughts wondering if Marco could possibly be a bad person. What if he was going to take Ace away from his brothers?

After he finished washing his cup, he quickly dried it with a towel and replaced it in the cabinet.

He returned to his seat on the couch and picked up the book he was reading. He stared at the cover for a few seconds until he realized the Ace was staring straight at him. Usually Ace would be playing on his phone, but he clearly had something he wanted to say. Sabo remembered Ace saying that he would try something, but there was a part that he wasn't sure about.

Sabo glanced at his watch and then opened the book to the page he was on and continued reading. The room was silent for a good five minutes before Ace finally found the courage to speak, "S-Sabo… I, uh, I was wondering…" Sabo looked up from the book, to meet Ace's gaze. At that moment, Ace felt a form of shyness and shame engulf him, so he ran. "W-What book you were reading…"

Sabo, knowing full well that Ace lost the courage to ask what he really wanted, decided to set up hints to make it easier for his brother to come clean. "This book? It is the history of a country my company is planning business with for the next few months. I was assigned to research the history and customs of the country to ensure business goes smoothly, and so I am reading a related book." Sabo showed Ace the book as he continued, "Robin would have been better at something like this, but I was assigned, so it can't be helped." Sabo acknowledged that Ace wouldn't take the book, so he set it back on the coffee table in front of him. "You know, Ace, I like to share everything with you and Luffy because you are my brothers and I love you both. I can't imagine having anything that I felt I couldn't share with either of you. I like it when you ask questions about my life, and so I do my best to answer them with full honesty and detail."

"You know we love you and that you can share anything with us, right?" Ace nodded. "Good. So… Is there anything going on in your life recently that you want to talk about?"

Ace's gaze that met Sabo faltered for a moment, and he quietly said "N… No, not really…"

Sabo smiled and said, "Okay. You know you can trust me with anything. If you ever want to tell me anything, please go ahead. I'm here for you."

Ace gave a small smile back and said "thanks".

Sabo studied Ace's eyes but after seeing no signs of guilt he stood up and asked, "What do you want for dinner? I'd like to take a few breaths outside, so you can name anything. I can go shopping."

Ace hesitated before speaking up, "S-Sabo!"

The blonde looked down at Ace who had all fours on the couch, sitting in criss-cross like a little kid. "Yeah?"

Ace took a few seconds to find the words he was looking for, but couldn't and he instead swallowed and looked away, toward the television that was to the left of Sabo.

Sabo knew Ace wanted to say something that was difficult for him, so he sat back down on the couch and waited until Ace could speak.

There were many long seconds of silence as Sabo waited patiently for Ace to tell him what he wanted to say. Finally Ace spoke up again, "Sabo… can we… have a… g-guest… over… for… di-dinner…?" Ace's face was cherry red all the way to his ears and slightly down his neck as he looked at his hands on his legs, away from Sabo so the blond couldn't see the expression the raven made.

The answer was quick and happy, "Of course!" Sabo stood up again and grabbed his keys and wallet before heading to the door, "It doesn't change my answer, but who are you thinking to invite over?"

Ace stayed where he was and tried to make out a name, "M… M… Ma…"

"Marco, right?" Sabo gave a smile, "The one you were talking to earlier?" Ace nodded and his blush left, finally over the embarrassment. "Got it. He can come over anytime you want, I'll be back with something."

"Okay." Ace said, waving bye to his brother. After Sabo left, Ace nearly screamed into a pillow. "WHY WAS THAT SO HARD!" He lifted his head from the soft object, "I'm never like that. That was embarrassing. Oh my God, I was acting like a fucking little girl!" He stared at his phone for a few seconds before picking it up and calling Marco.

Almost half an hour later, Marco had arrived at the house with a bag of stuff. "What is all that?"

Marco entered the door that Ace had opened for him and put on the house slippers. "Just some pajamas and a change of clothes for tomorrow yoi."

"Tomorrow? Pajamas? Just so you know, Marco, you are most likely not staying the night. I'm not even sure if it is okay to tell my brothers about our relationship." Ace said as he closed the door behind the two of them.

Marco turned around and gave Ace a peck on the cheek, "I know, yoi." He gave a laugh, "But just in case." They moved to the couch while interlocking tongues, battling for dominance. Marco pushed Ace down on his back and crawled on top of him. He slid his hand over Ace's shirt and up to his chin, stroking the jawline with his index finger. The blond placed a gentle kiss on Ace's right cheek, right on one of his freckles. "I love you," he mewled.

"I love you too, Marco," Ace said as he interlocked his lips with the blond again. He quickly parted and put his hands on Marco, who was currently hovering over him, "but we need to stop this here." Marco sat up and kept his eyes connected with his lovers. "I don't want them to walk in on us making out." There was a pause in Ace's sentence, "Nor do I want to get horny right before dinner."

Marco smiled and gently placed a kiss on the raven's forehead. He then wrapped his arms around the younger and laid his head on Ace's chest, listening for the heartbeat. "I understand, yoi."

This position was oddly more embarrassing than many others he had been in but was more comfortable and relaxing. The two relaxed on the couch like that for about fifteen minutes before they heard the sound of keys at the door. They quickly separated and shot up to go to the door.

"Ace, I'm ho-, oh, hi, Marco," Sabo said as he managed to open the door with arms full of groceries. He handed over the bags to the two men eager to help and changed into his house slippers. "Thanks."

"What did you end up getting?" Ace asked, peering into the bags.

"Some veggies and meat for nabe. I figure we will have enough for five big stomachs with nabe. Plus, it'll help us make Luffy eat more veggies, haha." Sabo spoke as he entered the kitchen and began to pull out dishes to use for the soon-to-be dinner. "Also, I called Luffy and he said he was going to be home about half an hour early after I approved of Usopp eating with us."

Ace and Marco sat on one end of the island holding hands under view while they watched Sabo, the apparent mom, cook dinner for all of them. When Sabo was almost done, the front door opened and Luffy entered boisterously with Usopp shouting for food. "It's not done yet," Ace shouted down the hall back at the two. Ace had parted from Marco before they popped their heads into the room.

"Oh, hi Marco," Luffy said quickly before running over to the living room couch with his friend to begin to play games.

Marco tried to wave at the two ravens but they had escaped out of sight before he had time. "How old is Luffy now?"

Ace took a second to think, "If Sabo and I are 20 then he is 17."

"That's steep," Marco said quietly to himself, reminding himself of the age difference with Ace. Marco was currently 32.

Soon dinner was served and the five men sat around the dining table. "Before we start, is there anything anyone wants to say?" Sabo specifically met eyes with Ace for a second before giving a slight glare at Marco and shifting his glance at the younger two boys.

Luffy raised his hand and said "Thank you. Can we eat now?" Sabo let out a small laugh and nodded.

Throughout dinner, small talk spread across the table, ending on what Marco does for his job. "I mostly do coding for programs we sell to other companies to ensure they have the most secure technology that cannot be hacked into, yoi. I also make viruses that will infect computers that try to hack those that have our program, yoi."

"And how did you meet Ace?" Sabo asked, shoveling food into his mouth.

"Well, we had a company party and I was introduced to Ace when his superior and mine bumped into each other and forgot about us while getting caught up in conversation, yoi."

"How do you make viruses?" Luffy asked, innocently.

Marco leaned in and looked straight into Luffy's eyes and asked, "You wanna learn, yoi?"

"I do, yoi," Luffy said, copying Marco's speech tick.

"It'll be a lot of reading, yoi." Ace said, also leaning in.

Luffy, who had leaned in as well, immediately sat straight up and said, "Nevermind… yoi." All the adults laughed.

As dinner wrapped up, Marco looked at Ace intensely. Ace, knowing what the look meant, began to get nervous. The blond grabbed his lover's hand and began to caress it to help relax both of them. "If you're not ready, we will wait," Marco whispered to the raven.

Ace took in a deep breath and whispered back, "I'm fine. I don't want to hide it anymore."

Sabo, who had noticed the whispering, asked Luffy and Usopp to excuse themselves from the table and go to Luffy's room to do homework, which he knew they wouldn't do whether he asked them or not. After the two were gone, Sabo left the table temporarily to grab his book. He brought it back to the table where Ace and Marco were still sitting and read as he waited.

The three of them were silent for many long minutes before Sabo sighed and closed his book. He set it down on the table and met the two pairs of eyes that had been watching him for a while.

Neither of the two spoke up, as Marco was waiting for Ace, so Sabo sighed again and went ahead, "I have a pretty good idea what this is about Ace." The raven tensed, "You don't have to hide your hands under the table. You aren't being as discreet as you think."

Ace quickly tried to sputter words, "Sabo, I-"

"It's fine." Sabo stood up and picked up his book, "If you were worried Luffy or I wouldn't accept your relationship, well, we are fine. Marco is a fine man." Sabo grabbed his book and walked around the table to where Marco was sitting next to Ace and lowered his voice to a growl, "If you ever hurt him, though, you know what will be coming to you." He stood up straight again and smiled at the two, "I'm going to be doing work now, so don't bother me… and…" Sabo blushed a little, "y'know… don't be too loud. We still have children in the house." With that, the blonde scurried away and left the two looking at each other in surprise.

"He is a very understanding brother," Marco said with a smile. He pulled Ace to his chest and stroked the younger's arms.

"Yeah, he is." Ace smiled. He stressed for nothing. Sabo was one of the two best brothers anyone could have.

"I don't mean to sound too… horny," Marco said as he looked at the ceiling, "but your brother did give us permission…"

Ace laughed and said, "Let's do something nice for him first and clean up dinner."

Marco sighed but smiled anyway.

~...~

After dinner was cleaned up, Marco picked Ace up bridal style and carried him up to his bed. He closed and locked the door, and turned around to see his lover spread out on the bed. He licked his lips seductively as he walked over to make love with his only true love.

Hope you enjoyed!