Ace/Marco (3)

(Darkness to Dawn)

Ace found Marco in the crow's nest.

The Phoenix was leaning against the railing, gazing out onto the ocean with a distant look on his face.

He didn't react when Ace approached, not making an effort to be quiet, and Ace didn't doubt that Marco's mind was a million miles away at the moment.

He stopped not too far from the blonde and seized the opportunity to appreciate the view of the man in front of him.

Marco was leaning on the crow's nest's railing, overlooking the sea. The light of the full moon illuminated Marco's face and sparked off his eyes. His blonde hair sluggishly moved with each breeze as the wind caressed it into an elaborate dance.

Marco was beautiful.

Ace shook his head slightly to regather his mental bearings before, scratching the back of his neck as he walked forward.

He leaned up against the railing beside Marco and looked to the horizon himself. The stars reflected off the water, colliding together in the only way they ever would.

It was an amazing sight on such a clear night, but Ace couldn't help but think that the scene before him couldn't compare to the man beside him.

"It's pretty clear tonight." Ace forced a smirk as he spoke, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the blonde.

Marco blinked before looking at Ace, surprise and slight embarrassment on his face from not noticing him sooner. It took a moment for it to register in Marco's mind that he was supposed to respond to Ace. "..Yea. I guess," something clicked in his head and he quickly added onto his sentence. "wait what are you doing out here?"

Ace raised an eyebrow, "There's no rule about being out at night. Besides I traded with Jameson for nightwatch."

Marco blinked before pinching the bridge of his nose, "I can't stop you, but you know two commanders are technically not supposed to do this duty together." He sighed as he heard Ace snort.

Ace sent him a cheeky smirk, replying in a teasing drawl, "I won't tell if you won't!"

Marco rolled his eyes and settled his eyes back out to the horizon, doing his best to force himself to relax beside the second division commander.

It was hard to do when his blood was practically singing for his soulmate.

Ace breathed out in contentment facing back towards the horizon in a ruse, as he kept his eyes on the blonde through the corner of his eyes.

They stayed that way for a while in contentment. Taking the chance to enjoy the rare serenity the seas were gifting them with.

Ace saw Marco tilt his head slightly considering something. Something leaped in Ace's chest when Marco spoke. "So what made you come trade with Jameson?"

Ace adopted a sheepish look across his features. "Couldn't sleep."

Marco gazed at Ace for a moment, a hidden worry in his eyes, before placed his hand on the back of his neck. "So..why didn't you come look for Haruta if you where going to try and trade shifts which someone?"

Ace blinked before smirking, rolling his eyes as he settled more comfortably against the railing, leaning against it as he crossed his feet. "Well, figured I'd give Jameson the night off, so he could spend some alone time with Erima. They haven't really been able to since they mated."

Marco smiled slightly at Ace's consideration, before the nagging question in his mind forced itself to the surface. "...You know you can talk to anyone on the Moby if you want to right?"

Ace looked to Marco, consideration marring his features, and the blonde felt his heart pick up its pace at the possibility of Ace taking his suggestion. It was a stupid reason, but it happened to him despite what he thought.

Ace hummed lightly in response, before turning around. Leaning against the railing with his back and folding his arms above his chest. Marco didn't expect Ace to suddenly start talking, so he started waiting. He'd be patient.

Ace seemed to be gathering his thoughts, searching for the right words. Ace smirked slightly before speaking. "I have a little brother you know."

Marco blinked in slight surprise, listening to Ace as he continued. "He's insane. Loud, obnoxious, and a complete mess."

Marco raised his eyebrows, in response, because contrary to Ace's words the look on the raven haired man's face was nothing but fond. Loving. "Despite all that.. he still wormed his way into my life. He still managed get someone who constantly tried to get rid of him to become his brother, willingly at that." Ace looked up at the stars over the far end of the Moby from them, as nostalgic smile dancing across his face.

When it didn't seem like Ace was going to continue, Marco spoke up, desperate for that expression of fond, loving, care to not leave Ace's face, just yet. When Ace was around his family he sparkled like the embodiment of Fire he was. When Ace talked about his brother he glowed like the sun itself. "Tell me more."

Ace looked at Marco, a half smile still on his features, but not as bright as when he had been lost in his memories. Ace snorted. "When the old fart brought Luffy to where I lived, I took one look at him and was annoyed."

Marco raised an eyebrow, it wasn't usually like Ace to immediately dismiss someone. "He was so damn happy for no reason at all. He was... different though.. he didn't act like I expected a normal seven year old to act. And despite me ignoring him he still ran after me asking to be my friend."

Ace laughed and Marco stayed silent, a smirk ghosting across his lips as he listened. Ace chuckled as he spoke. "He was so determined. Kept running after me even when I almost killed him multiple times trying to shake him. If it wasn't my traps he fell for, it was the animals he ran from."

Ace smiled as he let out a slow sigh shaking his head in exasperation slightly. "Eventually he caught up to me." Ace frowned slightly as he paused. "An incident happened right after that, and he had to be saved from some cruel scumbags."

Ace shook his head at that, all forms of happiness gone from his face. "Thing was they tortured him. He might have had a chance to be let go if he had told them what they wanted... Told them where I was... but he kept his mouth sealed. When he was patched up I yelled at him, asking him why he didn't just give me up. He yelled back as good as he got, he was angry at the thought. He told me it was because being alone was worse than being hurt."

Ace was silent for a moment, as Marco stared at him, facing the side of Ace's turned head as said raven faced forward. Ace snorted in a fond affection. "An eight year old, understood that. 8. But that's Luffy. He's stupid and most the time only has food on his mind but when it comes to how people feel he's a silent genius."

Marco turned and looked back over the waters, his brow slightly furrowed. He didn't speak just yet. Letting Ace continue if he wanted. "We took an oath not long after that and we claimed each other as brothers. I've never regretted it even though he can drive me up the wall with worry and nerves sometimes."

It sounded like Ace had stopped and Marco looked over to see Ace stretching his arms above his head, grimacing slightly as his back popped, running up his spine.

Marco swallowed down the knot in the bottom of his throat and spoke quickly, since it looked like Ace was preparing to leave. "He sounds interesting."

Ace opened an eye, his arms still stretched above his head and looked at Marco, after a moment, he smiled. "Yea he is. A handful too."

Ace dropped his arms back down to his sides and leaned on his elbows, his back facing the ocean and continued to watch Marco. Who swallowed and fought down a blush at the stare.

He heard Ace sigh and quickly looked through the corner of his eye to see Ace turning back to the sky to look straight above them. At the stars that served as silent watchers of the sleeping. Ace was silent a moment, smiling in fond affection before he spoke, his voice an octave lower than before. "I'd do anything to protect him, even if it was myself I had to protect him from."

Marco's eyes softened as he watched Ace in a sideways gaze. "You really do love him don't you."

Ace snorted and nodded closing his eyes and relishing in the cool breeze of the open air.

A soft smile fell upon Marco's face and he shifted his gaze back towards the horizon, shifting his weight on his feet slightly.

The night was beginning to fade as the sun started to crawl itself up from the depths of the shadows. Slowly painting the sky in a fiery glow or orange, pink, and blue, signaling the approaching new dawn.

Ace noticed the change in his own body as he gazed upward. The nervousness and tension that had previously riddled his body, remnants of his nightmares, had completely disappeared and had instead been replaced with a soothing calmness that resided in his limbs like still lake water or a slow soft burning ember in his blood.

Taking notice of the sky's change instead of staring blankly at the sky, lost in thought, Ace turned his head and stopped short at the sight in front of him. This sight always seemed to leave take his breath away.

Marco was watching the sun birth the dawn, and as result the soft glows of light reflected off his face and clothes. His hair seemed to glow like gold, and his eyes seemed to reflect the light as if they were sapphires. The calm blowing breeze caressed Marco's clothes and hair, adding a soothing feature to the entire image.

Ace felt something spark in his chest and he blinked at the sudden rush of feeling from himself and his instincts as an alpha. He suddenly felt like Marco was someone he sound watch, stick close to, make sure the blonde never was in pain or danger. To stick close to the Phoenix and make sure he never felt alone.

His instincts screamed that Marco was important, that he should stick close by to the blonde, and watch over him as a protector. But it wasn't possessive. It was conflicting how his instincts appeared like demands, but didn't feel as controlling or possessive as they would if they were demands.

Either way. He was sticking close to Marco.