8.5k words. Enjoy.

Apparently, not only did Izou managed to get an outfit ready just as he promised, he managed to made an entirely new ensemble.

The dress shirt, possibly the simplest part of the entire set, was crisp white with costum-made buttons that held 'Flintlock's' distinguishable logo, with a short mandarin collar parted in the middle just down to the middle of his chest. The buttoned vest that came with it was layered elegantly, the navy blue on the outer part was complimented beautifully by the small section of dark maroon on the middle. Completing the two was a smooth, slightly oversized yet form-fitting wine red jacket falling just above his waist line, only a couple of shades lighter than his vest that Izou simple draped over his shoulders instead of having him wear it, with intricate swirling design that trails down the shoulders.

"This is one of my prototypes, something i planned on making before but never really got around to, until you came along," Izou commented behind Ace, as the young man continues to admire the way the entire outfit looked on him. He's rarely vain, but this is, this is just beyond words, "And oh, you look amazing in them, better than i expected. I'm actually really proud of myself at the moment,"

Ace breathed deeply, running his hand down the tight vest as he felt the designer's nimble hands ran down his waist, "Feel how fitting they are? You had an amazing physique already, it's almost a challenge trying to figure out how to further enhance your best characteristics, but i did it. The collar will made your chest looks a little broader, the vest made your waist thinner and gave it a bit more nuance, the outer coat just to give you a bit more pop in colour and to guarantee you'll be a sight to behold,"

Izou paused, and a sly smile appear on his face, "And for my final gift, made from your own personal request," his hand trailed down lower, down to Ace's hips, and down even lower to his thighs, "But to be honest, i think how great those derriere looked has little to do with my pants and has a lot to do with the fact that you already has a really, really great—"

"Izou, what the hell are you doing to him?!"

At the distressed voice calling out, the two of them turned. If Ace thought he looked fantastic, then the figure on the doorway was simple heart-stopping.

For his own brother, Izou had prepared a 3 piece suit consisting of a dark red, almost purple turtleneck that hugged Marco's - absolutely perfect, in Ace's honest and inarguably correct opinion - form, underneath a navy blue suit with gold lining, with a pair of pants in the same colour. Along with them was a dark long coat of a similar design as the suit, a combination that was simple yet exudes an incredible amount of charisma and masculinity.

Much like the person wearing them, Ace thought to himself, unable to even blink, much less look away.

Not that Marco was any different. Whatever angry frown that was on his face earlier was now gone, replaced by wide eyes and gaping mouth, looking to all as the very definition of gawking.

"I'm just checking things over for the last fitting, as i usually do, dear brother. Speaking of, how do you think i did?"

Marco opened his mouth, a small frown forming between his brows but they disappear just as quick as they appear, his eyes never quite leaving Ace's direction.

"…I'll take that as a very positive feedback. Now, Ace, i would assume you have your own make-up team to take care of you tomorrow, in which case, do you think you can tell me what do you have in mind for your style tomorrow? I have some notes of my own to add to whatever it is, i don't want my masterpiece ruined because of the wrong hairstyle or the wrong shade of make up being used. I don't suppose i can persuade you to let my make-up team handle you instead?"

Ace's head moved for a nod, only to move sideways midway for a refusal. Somewhere in his mind, he didn't think Nojiko would appreciate being replaced and he didn't really want to work with anyone other than his own friend, but every thought of them flew away when he saw that Marco was wearing a pair of black leather gloves. The sight alone made his eyes widened and the sound that was squeezed out of his throat probably had the attention of all dogs near the vicinity.

Between them, Izou started tapping his foot impatiently after being ignored for far too long, "Okay, you both look hot, but you don't look that hot," When no one gave him any answer, he looked from one person to another, and rolled his eyes so hard that his head moved along with the motion, "Ugh, i take back everything i ever said about which one of you was worse. You're both equally disgusting and hopeless,"

"Holy crap,"

"I know, right?" So maybe he really shouldn't risk creasing his brand new suit a day before he's supposed to actually wear them in public but Ace can't help wanting to show it off, and his brothers were equally curious. He looked from Sabo to Luffy, the former who kept scanning carefully to every detail in his outfit while the latter for some reason kept his eyes trained on his down to his pants. Reflexively, following Luffy's gaze, Ace patted the side of his tightly clad thighs, before tilting his head just enough so he can see his reflection on the mirror behind him and sighed, "Damn, my ass really do look fantastic in this,"

Sabo made a vaguely disgusted noise, but returned to humming thoughtfully, "Say, don't we have roughly the same measurement? I think i'm just a bit taller and my legs are just a bit longer than yours, right?"

"Yeah, well, i got more muscles than you," Ace replied with a glower, "Why?"

"I mean, you probably won't be using them again for a while after tomorrow, right? Think i can borrow them, just for one night?"

Well, they borrow each other's stuff all the time, but Ace still found himself narrowing his eyes, feeling slightly reluctant. This was a gift - a free gift - from Marco's brother, no less, "Uh, what for?"

His blonde haired brother, shuffled his shoulders a little, moving his gaze away, "Well, i might have figured out a while ago that Koala had a thing for a very well dressed guy and an even bigger thing for really nice looking suit…,"

"No, i will not allow you and Koala to defile this suit!"

"Defile?! I was talking about a dinner out that i promised her!"

"I know what dinner meant, Sabo! This suit is a gift from Marco's brother, as a sign of his approval for us!"

"Approval? You guys aren't even really d— Forget it. Come on, can't you just think of it as a gift for her?! I promise i'll give it back in perfect condition!"

"Only if you wear it with a plastic cover—"

"So, you're really not wearing anything underneath, right?"

Almost simultaneously, both older brother turned to their youngest. Ace and Sabo glanced at each other, confusion clearly etched on their faces, though Sabo took a step back with a hint of wariness on his face, "Uh, no,"

Luffy nodded, before a large mischievous grin suddenly made its way to his face, "Okay. I'm going to call Zoro,"

As the dark haired boy walked away laughing - cackling, even - the other two watched him leave quietly. It was Sabo who first moved, crossing his arms and looking down at Ace's pants with a dubious look on his face, "You're really going commando right now?"

Ace gestured down to the clothing article, "Duh. Did you see how tight it is? It's practically spray painted on me, wearing any kind of underwear would've ruined it,"

The blonde nodded and waved his hand, "Yeah, you're right, i'm not borrowing that," he fell silent for a moment, before speaking again, "What about just the vest—"

"Plastic cover!"

With the rate he is going at, Ace wasn't sure that Marco would even have a thumbnail left by the time they reached the award show. Actually, with the intensity he's going, he highly doubt the actor would even have a thumb left.

He had briefly thought that Marco's agency had gone all out by sending them in a fancy limo complete with the chauffeur in honour of the night's event, but he decided it probably had more to do with the fact that they already know their talent won't be able to truly concentrate for the night. Ace glanced at Marco's tightly balled fist, already white along the knuckles, occasionally blooming pink once he let of his own grip before turning pale once more from lack of circulation.

In the end, he licked his lower lips and let a small smile bloom on his lips, "It's such a shame it took this long, but at least it's finally happening,"

Slowly, Marco looked away from the window, still quiet but obviously paying attention. Ace widened his smile, subtly glancing to his faded reflection from the window behind the blonde to make sure he looks reassuring, "I mean, you've been an actor for 11 years, i can't believe that only now did you finally get some recognition," he raised one finger, frowning slightly, "Well, you did get nominated once before during 'Romance Dawn', but it was mostly for ensemble cast and you were playing a recurring character, so i don't know if i should count that,"

The actor parted his lips, a flash of surprise crossing his features, "You... you still remembered that? That drama ended a long time ago, didn't think anyone even know about that,"

Well, Ace did. And the series afterwards, some where he was a part of the supporting cast member, a couple of pilots that never got off the air - Not even the official movie database has that kind of knowledge on their records - and up to the point where he started starring in very well known movies. Ace could still remember a couple of his favorites; like his role in a light novel adaptation of a fantasy drama as a mafia heir turned incredibly effective and nigh-undefeatable assassin, or the other fantasy series where he played the sports player thrown out of his world to become the guardian of a summoner, or even the very last series Marco played in silver screen, probably his most popular one to boot, the superhero action series where he plays one of the main character, the popular hero who seeks to avenge the death of his parents.

The singer sighed dreamily, until he became aware of the odd look sent to him from beside him, "Well, i did say i'm a big fan of yours," in a quieter voice and softer smile, he added, "Besides, that was the show where i saw you for the very first time,"

What he didn't mention was what had happened in real life that made the drama series leave with such an impression on him, and how it grew to become what nearly everyone around him would call as his obsession.

It's something he had always wanted to tell Marco if he ever get the chance to meet the man in real life, but just as it has been for the past few weeks since they first met, this is not really the time, he thought, as a small part of mind noted that the man next to him had stopped balling his fist and the nervous look on his face has more or less melted away. Marco made a small acknowledging noise from his throat before chuckling, sounding almost embarrassed yet flattered, "That's a… wow. I don't really know what to say,"

Taking this chance, Ace slid closer, allowing them to sit with their shoulders brushing against each other and their hands touching side by side. Somewhere from the front of the car, he briefly heard the driver clearing his throat, "I always thought you were amazing since then, and i'm not kidding, i'm so glad you're finally getting the recognition that you deserved. I couldn't function properly day you were announced as one of the nominees, a lot of people got mad at me but i don't even care,"

They were in the middle of a rather important but relatively informal meeting about his album release and the preparation for his solo concert in a couple of months, when the list dropped. Sabo had to physically push him away before Ace could further shake him around in his ecstatic state, Law slapped him a couple of times behind the head and shouting at him to concentrate, Deuce had to physically restrain him and threatened to take his phone away and in the end, Rayleigh, the wise and generous boss that he is, promptly dismissed them for the day.

Marco let out a little laugh, looking down to his own lap. His hand still hadn't moved away, and Ace pressed a little bit closer, a sense of shyness filling him but not enough to defeat the urge to be closer to the blonde, "It caught me by surprise too. Wouldn't think that was real if Robin hadn't been the one who send the news to me,"

"Well, like i said, i think it's long overdue. I think you deserved more than one award," Ace chirped, grinning at the bashfulness in Marco's tone. He just sounded so humble it's endearing, despite the fact that the movie he got nominated for, 'Paramount War', was now the highest grossing movie in the last 10 years, and how aside from praises for the movie itself, there was an overwhelming amount of praise for Marco's performance as the main actor, with a lot of speculations of bigger future for him.

Ace remembered shedding legit tears reading those reviews, even if the achievement had nothing to do with him. Sabo had called him dramatic, while Luffy was all too happy with being bribed with snacks to helping him laminating a couple of those glowing reviews to put it on his figurine display.

But instead of reflecting the same enthusiasm Ace had, when Marco spoke again, he preempted his words with a heavy sigh, "I… I don't know. I don't think i'm going to go home with an award. It's only my first time, anyway, and the other contenders were a lot more experienced and well known,"

That's preposterous, they got nothing on you, Ace wanted to say, and i'm so certain none of them could ever reel in a fan who would build an entire shrine of them in their bedroom, he wanted to add as well, before he remembered there are some things about him that he really, really didn't need Marco to know about. Instead, he settled with, "But you're just as good! A lot of people think so too, so you know it's not just me saying like that. You're going to win tonight, i just know it,"

The smile Marco gave him was complacent and curt. He didn't say another word to either agree or deny Ace's words, as if he still didn't agree with him but didn't want to continue on with the topic.

It was just a small gesture, but somehow it left a pang of dissatisfaction and disappointment in the singer's chest.

Suddenly, the actor looked up, the same time that loud muffled chaos can be registered from outside of the vehicle, "We're almost there,"

Just beyond the front window, they could already see the extravagantly designed front gate of the national concert hall where the gala was held, complete with a giant billboards and most importantly, the plethora of journalist, paparazzi and reporters whose existence were told by the numerous amount of camera flashes visible even from where they were. From next to him, Ace could hear Marco taking in a sharp intake of breath, lips pressed thin and brows furrowed in a show of trepidation.

"Hey," with a small twitch, the younger had his hand right on top of the older's, squeezing slightly, "You'll be fine. I'll be right next to you, okay?"

Marco didn't reply, but the hand in his hold shifted and squeezed his back.

They didn't let go of each other until they exited the car, welcomed by a flurry of camera flashes and the deafening shouts of their names.

"—And this is Elizabeth from OkamaNews, reporting live from the 102th Mariejois Award tonight, and with me are the hottest items this season, making their first public appearance together after the big, unexpected reveal of their relationship," the reporter turned around from the camera, her curled blonde hair - That Ace could tell was a wig, but then all okama under Ivankov's employment seems to wear one of such quality that he can never be too sure - bobbing along with the motion of her head, "Oh, i've seen the interview so many times, but now looking at you both with my own eyes, you're such an adorable couple,"

Next to him, Ace saw Marco gave Elizabeth a small smile, one just polite enough for the camera but not too big it announced his nervousness to the whole world. Unlike his arm, who had began to tremble slightly during their 3rd interjection for an interview tonight, which is why Ace had taken to attaching himself to the blonde's side, allowing said shaking hands to have something solid to hold on to while hiding it from prying eyes.

Or something to that effect, which he hoped is actually helpful because he didn't know how long he could keep the incoherent screeching in his mind contained over having Marco's hand virtually around his waist.

Thankfully, whatever inner dilemma they both had individually doesn't seem to gain anyone's attention, when Elizabeth practically shoved her microphone in front of Marco's face, "What do you think about being this year's candidate for best actor? 'Paramount War' was such an excellent movie, but you're up against a lot of big names; Kaido, Donquixote Doflamingo, Kami Enel, and Rob Lucci, it's quite a heavy contender," she asked, still moving forward and settling herself on Marco's side, to Ace's direct opposite. From where he stood, the dark hair singer could see her leaning to his 'date'.

Understandably, the actor moved back slightly to avoid the microphone from being shoved even further to his face, but not quite enough to get away, "Well, to be honest, i'm just glad to be here," he answered with a small chuckle, a small succinct answer that spoke volumes of his uneasiness, especially when he began to look down to his shoes and the carpet beneath them than the camera.

She seemed to sense that she wasn't going to get anything else out of them man when Elizabeth moved her microphone and aimed it to Ace, noticeably with a lack of enthusiasm than she did Marco. And she's still leaning on him, "What do you think, Spade? Do you think he has a chance in winning tonight?"

"Of course! I have every confidence in him—"

Ace didn't know what's the hardest thing he's encountered right at that moment that kept him from keeping his pleasant demeanor: the fact that Marco's hand had dipped lower, possibly to get a better grip since Elizabeth was still leaning on him, and brushed against the top swell of ass (and seemingly not even realizing it, considering that his hand is still right there), the fact that something about the reporter's wording really rubbed him the wrong way (A chance?! A chance?! Marco's the definite winner and anyone who said otherwise is plain dead wrong and can catch these hands), or the fact that he finally saw that Elizabeth wasn't just leaning on Marco, she latched herself on his boyfriend - well, not really, but she doesn't know that - even massaging his arms with her gnarled hands with those tacky nails so if she doesn't remove those before he blinked, he's going to remove them for her—

"He-hey! There you are, man of the night and his lovely date. Excuse me, do you mind if i stole them for a bit? They're really wanted inside right now, sorry, oh, actually, is that Boa Hancock making her way here? Well, she looks absolutely dashing, as usual, i wonder what dress she's wearing this year?"

The arrival of Shanks Red was followed with a flurry of grand gestures, with him shaking both his and Marco's hands while pulling them both out OkamaNews' interview spot, a series of movement so smooth it took Ace a second to realized that they've already left Elizabeth and her cameraman behind to chase after the 'Most Beautiful Woman in the World' and was on their way towards the reception hall. Once he did realize, however, he didn't miss the chance to turn back to where the pink dressed reporter was and gave her his best glare.

His attention was stolen back at Marco's weary and very relieved sigh, "Shanks," he greeted, as soon as they stepped foot inside of the hall.

The red haired famous director clapped him on the shoulder, grinning, "Hope you don't mind me stepping in like that, Marco. Boy, those reporters were like vultures, aren't they? I mean, they always are, but they're descending on you both like you're a fresh piece of meat," he glanced from Marco to Ace, and to the crowd they had left behind, "Well, you both can breathe a little easier here, they won't be let in until the show is well underway, and even then, i heard only 3 publications are allowed inside this year,"

"As long as OkamaNews isn't one of them," Ace couldn't help but grit out, glaring to the gathering crowd outside.

"No, no, it's mostly news outlets like the society page of Raftel Daily, none of the gossip rags will be allowed entrance. So don't worry, your man is absolutely save from the clutches of evil, handsy reporters,"

Maybe Ace should have a more appropriate reaction to Shanks' teasing, sort of like the brief stammering and half-hearted denial that came out of Marco, but all he could feel was satisfaction as he sniffed rather haughtily, "Good,"

At his words, Shanks let out a bark of laughter, "Oh man, you've grown up to be quite a carbon copy of Mrs. Rouge, don't you?"

At the mention of his mother's name, Ace blinked, lips slightly parted, before murmuring, suddenly gaining back all sense of location that he had previously seems to misplace, "Oh, uh, you remembered me, huh?"

"Oh, you're saying that as if i could ever forget!" the red haired man snickered, moving away from Marco to stand on Ace's other side, slinging an arm around his shoulder, "Man, i must be really old right now, look how big you've gotten! How's 'Captain' Roger and Mrs. Rouge? She's still sending me Christmas cards every year, with those delicious chocolate candies she made herself, and i haven't thank her for it,"

"They're fine, they're in Skypiea now for one of Dad's business trips," he shrugged, "Don't think they'll be back until the end of next month,"

"You two know each other?"

Almost simultaneously, both Ace and Shanks turned towards Marco, and it's probably caused by an odd shadow casted by the chandelier above them, but Ace could've sworn Marco looked a little miffed when he met Shanks' eyes. His observation was interrupted by Shanks clapping his shoulder, jostling the youngest of the three slightly, "Of course! Back then before i started my venture in the movie world, i used to work as a deckhand for this major freight ship company, Oro Jackson. Whenever i'm not on duty though, Roger Gol, the owner, would pay me and a buddy of mine, Buggy to watch over his son and his friends,"

The term 'watch over' is a gross misnaming as to what Shanks and Buggy did whenever they're over. Ace still had the memory of them both feeding Luffy an entire jar of lollipops and then panicking when they had to get his brother on a sugar rush down from somehow climbing up the rooftop. Then there was that other time Buggy brought a racy magazine with him for after their charges had gone to bed, but only ending up with Sabo finding it and had his very first experience in seeing a naked woman. Or even how often he was brought to either anger or tears by the amount of teasing he had to endure from Shanks about his very first major crush at the tender age of 12, on an actor in a television drama no less.

Which reminded him…

"You know, i can't believe you guys ended up dating for real. Did you know that Ace here actually had a thing for you since he was only—"

"Aah! Shut up, shut up, shut up! He doesn't need to know that!"

"Why not? Back then, Ace here would watch 'Romance Dawn' every single day, even more often than Mrs. Rouge— "

"Shanks, shut up!"

"Even if it's only re-runs, and he had this starry eyed look whenever you were on sc—"

"I'm going to tell mom you're being mean, shut up!"

"You two are making a scene, but i expected no less when Shanks is involved,"

The voice cuts through their squabble easily, and whatever ridicule that Ace was certain would've come out of the director's mouth next stopped in favour of the sharply dressed newcomer, with even sharper eyes glancing between the three of them and stopping at the red haired man, "Mihawk! Look, i finally found them, completely hounded by paparazzi like i suspected," he grinned, leaning, almost intentionally squeezing the younger between himself and Marco, "And i got to save them. Remember Ace, my old boss' kid that i used to babysit? Look how big he's gotten!"

"Yes, i've seen him on TV and every time Perona watched those MushiTube videos," the tall man made his way over to them, extending one pale hand towards Ace for a handshake. His skin was cold when the singer took hold of it, like he had poor circulation… or is actually undead, "Dracule Mihawk. Thank you for your continuous hospitality for my son, he came over very frequently, as i recall,"

Ace looked up from their joined hands, confused, "Your… son?"

"Yep!" Once again, he was jostled to the side, finding himself in Shanks' hold once more, "My stepson, Zoro. He and Luffy are good friends, aren't they?"

It finally dawned on to Ace then why Mihawk's name seems quite familiar, "Wait, Hawk-dad?"

Mihawk fluttered his eyes close, inaudibly but obviously sighing, "Yes, i believe that is what your brother calls me," he then turned to Shanks, patting down the laces on the hem of his dress shirt, "Your order has arrived to our table, and Beckman made sure no Lucky Roo won't touch it until you came back. I suggest we made our way inside before you all made a bigger spectacle of yourselves," with that, Mihawk left with a whirl of black coat, Shanks trailing right behind him while gesturing to both Ace and Marco to follow suit.

Neither who did, but instead glanced at each other, and stood in that silence until Marco was the one who spoke, "S-so, uh… you.. had a crush on me when you were young?"

Ace was suddenly filled with the immense urge to run, either to hide or to find Shanks and deliver a much more painful kick than he was able to give as a child.

(And maybe find a place to scream because, well, had isn't really the word he'll use…)

The 'order' Shanks had put before he came to 'pick them up', as it turns out, was a bottle of strong liquor, whose content he immediately poured and filled an entire whisky glass and gave to Marco, "For your nerves. And if this bottle's not enough, there's a lot more where that came from. Hell, i'd have Rockstar run out to the nearest shop and get you a stronger one,"

Ace remembered being offered the same brand once during an afterparty, recalling just how strong the drink was and how woozy he got after just a couple of sips. So it was with complete disbelief did he watch as Marco took the nearly full glass and downed the entire content in 3 gulps, letting several drips trailed down his chin and dripping down to the top of his collar, thankfully camouflaged by the dark colour.

When Marco immediately put the glass back to the table and Shanks poured in some more, he can't help but to say, "Shouldn't you slow down a little?"

Marco didn't answer him, simply going back to emptying the entire glass' content, though admittedly with much less vigour. It was the man with long grey hair next to Mihawk, Shanks' Art Director, Benn Beckman that answered him, taking a much more careful sips of his own drink, "It's the only time when he could down that much. The event's about to begin and with cameras on him, he won't be able to drink as much without rising suspicion," he paused, eyeing Marco's form just as everyone on the table did, "Trust me, he'll need it,"

True enough, by his fourth glass full and after downing nearly 3/4 of the bottle, Marco seemed a lot calmer, eyes glazed and unusually brighter with the telltale flush on his cheeks, but calm, nonetheless. His speech was slurred, and from where Ace sat, he could smell the distinct scent of alcohol, "—really great actor, but his attitude is shit. And he's so fucking mouthy, what the hell is his problem?"

They're talking about one of Marco's co-star in his project with Shanks, the actor Cavendish Hakuba, if Ace heard correctly, one that Marco - in his quite drunken state - noted to have 'the ego the size of the fucking Elbaf Mountains', couple with a few rather irately spoken adjectives. It rather caught Ace off guard, if because he never saw Marco as nothing but mild-mannered and laid back when it comes to dealing with people, but alcohol truly does bring out a different side of someone.

And not to mention, he kind of found this moderately vulgar and aggressively speaking Marco to be rather attractive in his own way…

Shanks cackled, already partially drunk himself. Their conversation has not ended even though the opening show has started. But then, this year's host, Saint Charlos, was a mighty uninteresting one, and he caught whispers from Yasopp and Lucky Roo that the reason why he was even picked as the host was because he's the member of the Celestial family, an old school riches who was one of the riches people in the world, and it was only because of that connection does he even have a career in showbiz.

It wasn't the only gossip that he caught from Shanks' crew that night, but Marco's voice had brought his attention away from Lucky's retelling of the rumour surrounding Duval's very specific denial over getting any work done on his face. He turned just in time to see Shanks tossing his head back in hilarity, and would've toppled if it wasn't for Mihawk's quick reflex by holding the back of his seat.

"Oh man, you're so goddamn oblivious," the red haired director remarked, "He's jealous of you. He actually wanted to quit when he found out you're casted as well, because he's so sure you're going to outshine him despite not being the first billed actor. And that's before the media circus about you and Ace blew up, he was so ready to quit then and there,"

With a hiss after taking another few gulp of his drink, Marco frowned, eyes narrowed, "Me? Why the hell did is he jealous of me? That's fucking stupid, he's way younger and way better looking, people will crowd the cinemas to see him,"

"Well one, you're the one who is going to win a Mariejois Award for Best Actor this year, the most prestigious of them all. And two, well, that's not true, is it?" With a leer, Shanks turned to Ace, who was aware that his face had turned red, "Am i right, or am i right, Ace?"

Before Ace could make a fool out of himself by answering - or strangling Shanks - Marco let out a scoff, tossing back the last few drops of liquor in his glass, "Nominated, Shanks. That's not the same as winning,"

"Might as well, come on, i'm well connected, remember? I might have heard some whispers about who this years' judges are," following Marco's example, Shanks also tossed back the last gulp of his drink, before aiming for the nearly empty bottle on his side and missing several times. Next to him, Mihawk rolled his eyes and pushed the bottle slightly to allow his drunken significant other to get a better grip, who cheered in success as if he hadn't failed repeatedly, "And i might have found out who they all unanimously favour for this years' winner,"

"Kaido?"

Shanks let out a groan, "No. Besides, 'Zouland' was a flop and everyone thought his performance was really weak, didn't you hear? It's already a miracle that he was one of the contenders at all,"

"Doflamingo, then? I really liked 'Dressrosa Under Siege', though it's one of his best work,"

"Come on, Marco, are you playing with me right now?"

Even drunken and glazed, the confusion on his face was truly genuine.

Before he could speak again, however, Saint Charlos was finally done with… whatever routine it was he had on stage earlier as the opening show, sent out with a series of weak and polite clapping filling the majestically decorated room. The pug-faced man stumbled a little as the rest of the performers filled out of the stage, "Thank you, thank you!" he chirped haughtily, as if the entire place had erupted in joy instead of the half-hearted interest for his performance, "Now, for what you all have been waiting for, let's begin the 102th Mariejois Award, which was of course, sponsored heavily by Celestials family, and a few other… less significant corporations—"

"Kind of makes you wonder how he could be chosen as the year's host, isn't it? With that sort of attitude?"

Ace could smell the familiar cologne now mixed with droplets of alcohol before he saw Marco himself, whose chair had moved closer to him, probably while he wasn't looking. They both had their chairs facing away from the table, allowing them a better look at the table and to keep their conversation just between them and away from the rowdy bunch behind, "Yasopp told me it's because of his family's influence,"

Again, Marco scoffed, his hand moving to reveal a newly filled glass with a different sort of alcohol now, judging by the colour of the liquid. He sighed after taking a few sips, swerving slightly on his chair and moving his body so that their knees touch, "You don't… you don't find this weird, do you?"

"Find what weird?"

The glass in Marco's hand was stirred, slightly too fast that several drops fell to the carpeted floor, "Robin usually won't let me drink more than 4 shots, let alone downing an entire bottle, but i felt like i need it even more tonight. It's all the live cameras," he muttered, gesturing to the multitude of recording devices all over the room from all different angles, then to the back of the room, "The journalist, even some of the celebrities i hadn't met more than a passing, staying in this sort of place for 4 hours is a special kind of hell for me. Usually i'll be sitting in the back, but i can't really do that this year,"

He sounded so distressed, even intoxicated, and again, Ace couldn't help but to find his empty hand and take a hold of it. It's no longer shaking from the influence of alcohol, but Marco still squeezed back, as if he needed it.

"It's the whole glamour and… people. I couldn't really take it," the blonde sighed, his voice muffled slightly as applause erupted around them when the first award and its winner was announced. Best Visual Effect, if he's not mistaken, won by a plump woman with a mismatched hair colour of red and yellow, "Ha, did Giolla Art won this year? She deserved it, the effects on 'Dressrosa Under Siege' was astounding,"

As the woman, Giolla started her speech - with plenty of gratitude and swooning towards Donquixote Doflamingo, the main actor and director of the movie that got her the award - Marco turned back to him, and seems like he was going to say something else when he turned his sight to something behind Ace, which made him pause. The dark haired male turn to indeed found one of the cameraman aiming his camera at them, obviously think he's going to catch a 'moment'.

Ace gave him - well, his camera - a curt smile, before turning back to Marco and shifting just enough so that he's blocking the sight to the older.

"You don't have to do that," the blonde muttered, but from the sound of relief in his voice, the camera either had moved or he was more grateful of Ace's interference than his words made it out to be, "It's a public setting that i come to willingly, it won't be professional of me to keep avoiding cameras,"

"Fuck professionalism if you had to make yourself this drunk to be one. You should think about yourself first,"

He didn't mean to sound that angry, but somehow, his words made Marco smile, "You're too good to me, Ace,"

The scent of liquor around him does make him feel a little light-headed, but Ace was sure that the way his head spin right now has nothing to do with any type of alcohol.

"Up next, the Mariejois Award for Best Documentary,"

"Oh, i know this one," Marco chuckled, pointing at the stage as an aged older woman took to the stage and curtly dismissed any sort of theatrics before going directly to the nominees, "I'm rooting for 'Kingdom of the Seas' to win. It talks about wild Sea Kings in rough waters and their ecosystem. Namur, my brother, is one of the marine biologist involved in making this documentary, and they're planning to use this to raise awareness about sea life and the stigma around how dangerous Sea Kings can be. Apparently, the princess of Ryugu Kingdom also advocates for this and participated in the making—"

Ace decided this was yet another facade of Marco that he's unfamiliar with, one that was seemingly brought out by the level of alcohol in his system as it seems; the way he was so animated, so freely talking, how happy and proud he sounded about this project his brother was involved in. Though they had found new comfort between each other, there was always some sort of a barrier that Ace can't help but notice, as if just like how he still feel like restraining himself with Marco, Marco did the exact same thing.

This was.. a lot better than that. He loved hearing the happy lilt in the older's voice, the movement of his hand and the twinkle in his eyes, one that seems to brighten up even more when the documentary he's explaining about did come up as the winner that night. So when Marco finished clapping and turned bashfully at him, apologizing for talking too much, Ace squeezed his hand tighter, shaking his head, "No, i like really hearing you talk. So what happened next? You said your brother met with the Minister of Maritime, Fisher Tiger? How did that go?"

If anyone was to ask Ace what truly happened during the next hour or so, then he'd only be able to tell about Namur's faux pas in front of his personal hero, and some behind the scenes story about other category winners, because only Marco's words and the easy glint in his eyes seems to matter to him at that point.

"And now! The moment you've all been waiting for, to present the category of Best Actress, please welcome the glamorous, the talented, the beautiful Boa Hancock!"

The 'Most Beautiful Woman in the World's' arrival was welcomed with a cacophony of cheers from the majority of men, some who even openly salivating at the sight of her in a slim low cut dress, but Ace and Marco were not amongst them. Marco was too busy holding his stomach and he tried so hard to stifled his laughter, while Ace kept glancing at the stage where Boa Hancock stood tall and lowering down his own snickers as he continued on with his story.

"—So she lured my brother to this restaurant, right? Creepy as all hell already, but when Sabo and i found him, Luffy had more love in his eyes to the baby back ribs in his hands that Hancock. And she never realized it! He said thank you for the meal and i heard her squealing about how it's a declaration of love!"

"You're pulling my leg," Marco chortled, taking in a shaky breath only to end up choking before laughing again with an undignified snort. Ace found himself dazzled, "The Boa Hancock? I worked with her once, she completely hated men,"

"She once sent him a picture of herself dressed in all of the merchandise Nami made for the Strawhat Channel. I still think the reason why she's so insistent on being the director for most of my music videos despite being busy with her own projects is because she always hoped Luffy would come over one day to see her,"

"Did he ever?"

Ace shook his head, and it's not even that funny, he could even say that he felt a strong empathy for Boa sometimes over the sheer hope to meet with one's idol - well, until he finally met Marco that is - but he still ended up laughing when Marco did, "She would come over sometimes though, i think Sabo's afraid of her because there was this one time, she clung on to him and enthusiastically calling him 'brother in law'. She did the same to me on set too, it was so weird,"

A round of applause rose around them, and the orchestra's played a grand tune, welcoming the 'Princess of Tears' Shirahoshi Ryugu as the winner. True enough to her nickname, the pink haired girl cried even before she stepped on to the stage, calming down slightly only when Boa Hancock handed her the statuette trophy and gave her a hug. Then once again fell into tears before she can even deliver her speech.

"So, those famously moving tears on screen was just her being her?"

"Yup. That's what makes her one of the best romance actresses," Shanks suddenly piped up from behind them, half standing up from his seat and rounding the table just in front of them, stopping just in front of Marco, "I have to make my way backstage, since i'll be presenting the last award, and you better get ready to get the award,"

Suddenly whatever good mood Marco had earlier disappeared in a flash, along with the wary sigh that he gave, "Shanks, come on,"

The red haired man only shrugged, "Hey, suit yourself if you don't believe me, it's happening anyway," and with that he left, slightly tumbling around on his way.

As soon as he left, Marco gave another sighed and finished what was probably his 8th glass of the night. He's swaying even sitting, and Ace found that the more he drink the more he made his emotion known. When the blonde puts his glass down, Ace spoke before he could take up the newly delivered bottle from in front of Beckman, "How come you kept denying that you will win tonight?"

With a slow blink, Marco turned to him, drooped eyes even more lidded, and there was something like derisiveness in both his words and expression, "'Cause it's not happening. It's practically impossible,"

Maybe Ace shouldn't have accepted the drink offers from Lucky Roo, minimal as they are, because he felt like he's getting angry easier than usual and to Marco of all people, "Why is it impossible? You're amazing! Shanks said so too, so it's not only me saying that,"

"That's what people do, Ace, they praised someone they know instead of putting them down. Even my family did that the whole day," he took a quick swig and murmured lowly, though not low enough Ace missed it, "Wished you all wouldn't, it's not like i didn't know i'm not that good or deserve any of this,"

He didn't know where it came from, but Ace suddenly found himself snatching the glass away from Marco's hold, much to the older man's very apparent shock, and slamming it down to the table. Behind him, he could hear Yasopp yelping in surprise ands several people from different table looking at them, but Ace hardly cared when he pulled Marco by his hands to face him. Alcohol must've made his mouth loose too, because Ace found himself hissing out, "I've started a fight with people for lesser insult to you, don't you think i won't fight you too if you insult yourself, you moron,"

Marco was blinking hardly, eyes glazed and unfocused, "Ace…,"

"You are good. And you deserve so much more. You think i was kidding when i 'was just saying' when i said it's about time you got this kind of recognition? I swear, if someone else was chosen tonight, i'm going to riot, and i dare someone to try me,"

"Ace, that's… that's not even how these awards works…,"

"For the final award tonight, the Best Actor Award for 102th Mariejois Award, please welcome tonight's Best Director winner and award presenter, Shanks Red!"

On the stage, looking much more sober was Shanks, striding out with a confident wave and grin for the world to see, "Finally, right?" he said the moment he stood behind the microphone, prompting a series of titters and laughter, "Well, it's getting late folks, and i got a bottle of bourbon and a very sexy man waiting for me," he waggled his brows to the direction of his table, or at least, where he thought his table was. Above him, the screen shows the camera aimed at Mihawk, who seems unresponsive with the attention and was much more interested in watching something else off camera.

"Alright! The nominees are—"

"I've been watching you act since i was 10, even if you didn't win tonight because of some stupid judges, i think i would know better of how capable you are compared to some snobby old coots. But you know what, you are going to win because you worked hard and you fucking deserve it,"

"I… I..,"

"And not even that. You're the most brilliant, the most humble man i've ever come across, and fuck, do you know how stunning you look when you talk earlier? You looked so unrestrained, so free, you don't have a shred of fear and yeah, okay, maybe it's the alcohol making you like that but seeing you like that made me want to do something, anything to keep that happy Marco and if that means i got to accompany you every single day to these sort of events, against those stupid reporters, nosy cameramen, i'd do it. That's literally the smile i want to protect and go to war for, i'm not kidding,"

"Ace, i… Well,"

'It hurts me too, okay? That you would put yourself down like that, saying you're no good and all, like, why do you even think you're not good enough? Do you need someone to prove to you that you are?"

"No, it's not…,"

"Cause if you do, then i fucking volunteer myself, okay? I'll spend my entire life showing that you are good enough, and i swear if you talk like that again about yourself i'm going to actually start a fight, and i'm good at fighting, you're going to lose,"

When the clip finally stopped showing, the images of every nominees sitting on their respective seats were shown and immediately, there was a room-wide raise in noises. Shanks blinked a couple of times, snorting, when he saw on the bottom left image, where a cameraman caught Marco looking down dumbly at Ace, who seems to be talking passionately about something. Marco still looked absolutely out of it, obviously drunk, and from the looks of it, so does Ace.

Shanks thought of calling them out, before he glanced at the envelope he absentmindedly opened while waiting for the clip to finished playing and widened his eyes. With a bark of laughter that he couldn't stop, he spoke, "I knew it! Hah!" with a puffed out chest and a grin so wide his face hurts, the red haired man practically shouted to the microphone, "The winner is Marco Newgate for 'Paramount War'!"

"Anyway, i'm really digressing, but you will win and i swear i will eat these fucking tight pants if you don't—"

"You don't have to, he won,"

At Mihawk's words, they both turn at the same time to the sharp eyed man, who gestured to the screen on top of the stage. True enough, one half of the screen played a short clip of Marco's performance during the movie he was nominated for, while the other half was of Marco and Ace, with the latter still holding the former's arms for attention. Around them, people applauded, all eyes on them.

Then it dawned on to Ace. Marco won. Marco really did win.

"Oh my god," he gasped, staring at the screen and applauding people in disbelief as a giant smile slowly took over half of his face, "Oh my god, Marco, Marco you really won," he snapped his head to the front, meeting the still dumbfounded blonde, and Ace couldn't help it, he laughed, "I told you! I told you you'll win and you did! See, you really are the be— Mmph!"

Perhaps the alcohol did not mix well with the sudden elation and bubbling happiness in his chest, Ace thought to himself, and that must've caused him to hallucinate. Or maybe this is just a very good dream.

Yeah, this must be a dream.

Because right now, Marco's lips were pressed against his own, so warm, so real it made him lightheaded, and there is no other explanation as to why that would happen other than that this whole thing was nothing more than a good dream.

All of the 'movies' and 'parts' Marco played as and Ace listed were actual characters from different anime/games, all of them voiced by Marco's JP VA because i'm uncreative like that. Bonus if you can guess which one is which.

I don't know. Please just accept. I apologize in advance.

Seriously though, i hoped you liked it!