Marco admired the deep purple ink the stained Ace's pale back. The lithe muscles rippled beneath the newly marked skin, and then it was covered by bandages. Marco had to resist the ridiculously strong urge to rip the bandages off so that he could see the inked skin. "How does it look?" Ace asked. His voice held a faint hint of worry. Normally he didn't think about how he looked to other people. It just didn't cross his mind, but this was Marco, and for some reason Marco was important.

"It is beautiful. Have you ever felt velvet?" Marco asked.

Ace was caught off guard by the seemingly random question, "Yes?" he said, though it sounded a bit like a question. He cleared his voice and spoke stronger, "Yes. I have."

"Think of that feeling. How that feels to you, rich and soft, is how Oyaji's mark on your back looks to me. Rich, soft, and pleasing." He said.

Ace grinned, "Good. I like velvet." He said.

Marco laughed, "So do I." he said, and his fingers brushed against the skin right above the bandages. Ace's skin was smooth, and softer than he had a right to have. "Come on, let's go find Jimbei." Marco said, and he opened the door for Ace. Ace smiled, and clicked his way out of the room.

Izou watched as Marco followed the other man. His painted lips smiled, he was happy for his oldest brother. Marco was probably the loneliest member of the Whitebeard pirates and allies, not that he'd admit to it. Izou hummed as he cleaned his work station. He'd have to watch those two closely. His crossdresser senses were tingling, budding love was in the air.

He finished putting his tools away, and stepped out of the room, only to have to dodge a speeding Luffy. He pressed a hand to his chest, he'd seen his life flash before his eyes. Suddenly Luffy skidded to a halt, and ended up going ass over teakettle. He quickly picked himself up, and rushed back to stand in front of Izou. "You're pretty!" Luffy giggled, and wrapped his arms around the crossdresser's waist.

Izou was shocked, he had no idea how to respond. Seriously, did the kid not have a brain to mouth filter? He saw Thatch running down the hall towards them. The man was out of breath, and his hair was flat, hanging down around his face in a way that was really flattering, in Izou's opinion.

"Stop running you damned brat!" Thatch growled out.

Luffy just giggled and hid behind Izou. Izou raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the teenager who acted like he was five. "What did you do to make Thatch angry Luffy?" he asked.

Luffy giggled again, "I didn't like his funny hair, so I pushed him into the water when he was sitting on the railing fishing."

Izou snorted, and looked at Thatch. Obviously the man had been chasing Luffy for a while, his hair was dry. "I agree, he does look better like this. Quite handsome." He said smiling.

Thatch blushed and looked away, mumbling about people ganging up on him. Izou smiled fondly. How he loved this man.

Thatch sighed, "I'm not mad anymore, so come here Luffy and I'll make you a snack." He said. Izou always took the angry out of him. He caught Luffy as he jumped up to wrap his arms around his neck. Izou watched as Thatch hurried away. Izou would have to work on getting that man to see what was right in front of him, namely, Izou. He sighed, and walked the opposite way, he had work to do.

…

Jimbei was enjoying the wonderfully sunny day. It was warm, and the see was calm, but there was enough of a breeze to keep the ship moving, and prevent them from overheating. He was tempted to jump into the sea, but he decided that he would stay on deck. He found himself wondering about the two brothers who had learned his fighting style in three days. They weren't masters by any means, but they were proficient enough to be labeled more than a beginner.

"Jimbei yoi." Marco's voice cut into his musings. "Ace and I would like you to spar with us yoi." Marco said, "Maybe you can teach him more?" he asked.

Jimbei looked at the two men in front of him. Ace was standing beside Marco, and they were standing closely. He could see their fingers brushing, seeming to tangle and untangle. Jimbei smiled jovially, "I would be happy to Marco-san." Jimbei said. He was happy to see Marco happy like this.

A huge smile broke out on Ace's face, "Thank you!" he said, and gave Jimbei a hug. Jimbei heard Marco snickering, but he was too preoccupied with the ecstatic blind kid that he was about to attack.

"You're welcome Ace-san. Now. Please, go back to Marco, and I will clear this portion of the deck so that we can train unhindered." Jimbei said. He was trying not to be rude, but he couldn't understand why Ace would be hugging him.

Ace let go of Jimbei, and retraced his steps walking backward to Marco. He misjudged a bit though, and his back hit Marco's chest. The Phoenix reached out to steady Ace, his hands landing on his hips. Neither noticed Jimbei leave to shoo the various people away to clear a sizeable section of the deck. The moment that Marco's skin had touched Ace's the rest of the world had fallen away. Ace turned around in Marco's grasp, and he lifted his hands to touch Marco's face.

He could feel the stubble on Marco's face. It was surprisingly soft. He drifted his fingers up over Marco's cheeks, feeling the dips and raises. Marco's eyes were closed, and Ace could feel the soft eyelashes that fell against the older man's skin. Ace was enveloped by the man's scent, and it made him feel warm.

Ace's breath caught in his throat. Marco was very aware of it. He was also very aware of the feather light touches, and their close proximity. Marco let out a shaky breath, his blood was racing. "Ace." Marco's voice was a husky whisper. He could feel Ace's fingers brush across his lips, and his face was tilted up towards him. Marco leaned down, Ace felt him do it. He could feel their lips getting closer, and his heart sped up in anticipation.

Their lips were centimeters apart when suddenly Ace was flying sideways, a rubbery body wrapped around him.

Marco watched dumbfounded as the man he'd been about to kiss went flying over the railing and into the ocean, his brother wrapped around his body. His body went into automatic, and he ran to the edge of the ship before he could process exactly what had happened. He peered down into the waters, and saw Ace swimming, keeping both himself and his brother afloat. He watched as Jimbei dived into the water so that he could grab them.

Marco snorted, and then he started laughing loudly. He could see the answering smile on Ace's face as the teen shrugged one shoulder.