A/N: Previous chapter successfully edited! Thanks to mysteryreader6626 for pointing out. There's not much changes but I think this will do. Then again, thank you..!

:Seiryuu:

December One [Prt. 1]

[Ace]

Ring… ring… ring…

Ace groaned as the alarm on his phone desperately tries to do its job to wake him up. It was bad, he's going to be late for his first subject but his body refuses to wake up. It seems that nothing else will wake him up at the moment. Being up 'till 10 pm wasn't his routine, either way he'd still be in the same state if he slept early anyway.

Ring… ring… ring…

Now he started cursing in his sleep. Why do classes have to morning anyway? People are trying to sleep for god's sake..! If only the Teacher would go bald in the morning and delay their classes that would be great.

Ring… ring… ring…

Fuck…

Now Ace is pissed. Either he would stand and throw the phone or just wake up is one decision he must make for the sake of today's events. But with the sleepiness he's feeling he just stared at the phone doing nothing. Drifting back to his beloved sleep, Ace slowly closed his eyes and readied himself for another take on his wonderland. That, until someone came to his door and FREAKING HIT THE DOOR.

"ACE! ACE! NII~CHAN!" d'awww, his brother is so adorable that Ace couldn't bring himself to bad mouth his little brother. But still, his doesn't want to get out of the bed any sooner.

"Lu, is Ace still not sleeping..?" looks like the one who wakes him up has already arrived. Even though he's still half asleep, Ace readied himself from what his blonde brother will do. With a soft knock he unconsciously twitched.

"Ace? Someone is waiting for you downstairs… It's Marco…" Harhar. Ace mocked in his mind and then decided to go back to sleep. Just about to fall asleep, someone opened the door and then sat next to his bed. Oh no, Sabo is here to bring an end to his fantasy. The evil demon lord is now currently seated next to him with the intent of waking him up with a huge explosion and—

"I expected your room to be messy but didn't expect it to be filled with papers, yoi… I didn't know you like writing…" Ace thanked mentally that it wasn't the Demon Lord that he always feared every morning. It was just his beloved friend, Marco. Seeing that he is safe and unharmed, he tried to go back to sleep until he realized who was in his room.

"Uwaaak..!" he bolted out of his bed and then looked at the blonde man scanning his whole room. Of all the people, why does it have to be him to wake him up early in the morning? This wasn't something to be happy about… for now.

"Hmmm?" Marco hummed and picked up one of the pile of crumpled papers and was just about to read it. Of course, Ace wouldn't let him. Him reading it is a big no-no even though it's actually for him. In an instant, Ace threw a pillow on the blonde man and then snatched the paper away with a hiss.

"Out..! Out out OUT!" he pushed the man out of his room and then locked it. That was a close call. He wouldn't have know what to do if Marco read those failed writing of his.

"I'll have to get rid of these later…" he whispered and then heard another set of knocking on his door.

"Ace? Open up, yoi. Or I'll have to use the keys your brother gave me…" Ace, once again in this morning, cursed and then hurriedly put on his clothes. He was about to point out that he didn't wear anything but his boxers but if his friend enter his room again worst things will happen.

"Shut up..!" then he opened his door with a frown as he meet the bored expression of the blonde's face

"Morning, yoi. Did you get a good sleep, Snow White?" Ace punched Marco's stomach and then made his way to the kitchen with an unseen blush on his face.

"Why are you here anyway?!" Marco snorted making Ace growl in embarrassment. He needs to find Sabo, now.

"Oh, why good morning there sleeping beauty. Did you sleep well?" Ace glared at his blonde brother and took a seat next to Luffy. Sabo was wearing a pink frilly kiss-the-cook apron and was carrying two plates with both of his hands.

"What's up with these names early in the morning?" his brother just smiled and then served 15 layers of pancakes to Ace and 2 for Marco.

"Well, good job Marco. But I'm quite surprised that you were able to wake him up without kissing him." Ace threw a fork towards his brother. Teasing him first thing in the morning while his friend is here, Sabo seriously knows how to annoy the hell out of the freckled teen.

"Shut up, Sabo..! Too early in the morning…" the teen yawned. It's obvious that he's still sleepy. Plans have been made, he's going to sleep on the school's rooftop the whole day and no one is going to stop him.

"Ace, Luffy's eating your food already." Hearing that is food is getting devoured b his little brother, he smacked the spoon on Luffy's head and then distanced his food away from the pouting younger

"Nii~chan is so mean..! Sabo~!" now it was Ace's time to pout. Why does Luffy cling so much to Sabo but not him? Was he really too mean?

"Now now Ace, no violence early in the morning." he puffed his cheeks that made both blondes present on the room chuckle. As always, the freckled teen's morning has started with annoyance.

"So, why were you there anyway?" Ace asked with awkwardness evident on his voice. Never even once in his life spared a thought that Marco, of all the people, would go crash on his house early in the morning.

"Hmm? Is it bad, yoi? Just dropping by to fetch you?" the fetching idea made Ace blush. Truly isn't good for his heart too. But somehow he is silently hoping that Marco would do this every day.

"Well, every once in a while… doesn't sound bad at all…" he whispered and tried to look away where the blonde wouldn't be able to see his face.

Marco and he shared this friendship good for 3 years. Back then, Ace was still a stubborn freshman who would always wind up on trouble. He never planned to have friends in the first place but the blonde man came so suddenly that he wrecked the wall's he tried to keep up from people. But Ace didn't mind about it anymore, it was one embarrassing scene that changed his life. He doesn't want to admit he's thankful though.

"Ah, I almost forgot… Ace…" he shivered as his name was being called. He could never get used to the blonde's voice when he is using a soft tone. But him using that tone means…

"Wanna go hang out with my brothers this weekend? We're going to have a two day camping, yoi." Ace's heart dropped. He wanted to accept the offer and join them but he can't just leave his little brother alone in their house. Sabo is going to leave for a business trip with Luffy's dad this Saturday which leaves Ace and Luffy alone good for 2 nights, which is why Ace has to reject the blondes offer…

"Sorry Marco… Sabo is going on a business trip and I can't just leave Luffy alone in the house. Maybe next time?" There won't be a next time, Ace thought with negativity. It was quite rare for the blonde to invite him out with his family but he has his own family to attend to.

"Ahhh… I see. Next time…" there was disappointment in Marco's voice that made his heart clench. But he can't do anything about it, so all he can do now is suck it up and then try to forget this feeling in his chest.

"Sorry…" that was all Ace could say as he looks down on the cemented ground with a sad face.

"It's alright, yoi." Then silence followed them as they walk their way to their school.