Oh, would you look at that? Something more than 1000 words? BLASTPHEMY.

Ok, really, this is hella old (excuse the crappy wording, but it really is the only way to accurately describe the content herein). I was going to post it as a separate story, but I don't think it's good enough to stand by itself. Plus, it's a one-shot, so it's not like there area chapters or anything. I like it though. It's cute and fluffy. (Warning: OH NOES THERE BE NAUGHTY LANGUAGE shameshame)

Please enjoy :D

It's not easy being green.

But, really, it's not too bad.

Really, it wasn't. They had a home, some source of food, and company. Granted, they're home was a shack in the Townsville dump that barely stood in a breeze, they had to pick for all their food (or risk getting the crap beat out of them by stealing), and they did get sick of each other from time to time; but hey, it was already stated that it wasn't easy.

The leader of said group, (the Gangreen gang, to be exact) glanced over at the rest of his motley crew as they bickered over a card game. It seemed both Arturo and Snake had 4 aces, and were loudly accusing each other of being the cheater. As they bitched and moaned, Ace watched (with mild fascination) as Grubber and Big Billy divvied up the chips, and ate them. Neither of two in conflict seemed to notice.

So, with a heavy sigh and a crack of his knuckles, the head Gangreen stood up and made his way over to bust up the argument.

"HEY! Shaddup, the both of yous. I'm sick of hearing you bitch over a fucking card game."

"But Ace-"

"I said shut up! Shut. The. Fuck. Up."

They grudgingly obeyed, both grumbling the others fault. Ace growled and spit on the floor, gathering up the botched deck and tucking it away in his vest. He glared at the two sulkers, letting out a grunt as he headed back to his chair. "Get some sleep losers; we gotta be up early to find something ta eat." The rest of the gang complied with murmurs, shuffles, and a loud thud from Billy, who fell on his back on the sleep command.

"Ey, boss, You ain't gonna sleep 'ere?" Arturo asked

"Nah. Here's good fer me." Ace muttered, passing up his usual spot on Billy with a wave of his hand. He snuffed the singular light in the house and leaned back in his chair, his feet propped up on the table.

"Suit yourself, but I'ma gonna laugh when you fall back on de floor"

With that said, and a few more shuffles, the shack became quiet. Ace continues to stare at the ceiling, counting the knots and swirls and screws in the roof; his form of 'counting sheep.' Tonight, however, it didn't seem to work at all. Ace sighed, counting a few more bolts before giving up. He stretched his arms above his head and looked over to his crew; it hadn't taken long for them to fall asleep. Arturo muttered Spanish, Billy drooled and snored like a broken buzz saw, Grubber made his weird noises, and Snake, almost inaudibly, hissed as he breathed.

Their leader watched them for a moment, almost jealous that they weren't plagued as he was. He shrugged and sighed, moving off the chair in one fluid motion, catching it before it hit the ground. Billy was a notoriously light sleeper and protective to boot; a loud thud he didn't cause would send him into panic mode. Ace righted the chair, checked to see if anyone was awake, then stood upright. He made his way to the door and with one last look to his gang as they slept, he slipped out the door.

-/-

A pair of vermilion eyes cracked open, watching as the figure of his leader slipped out the door, his shadow obstructing the thin beam of moonlight as the door shut silently. It wasn't the first time Ace had trouble sleeping. It wasn't the first time the lanky gangrene had caught him either. The boy sat up, his legs folding under him as he watched the shadow pass in front of the window and move into the mounds of garbage beyond the shoddy porch. He hissed softly, his head cocked to the side. Snake didn't understand why he couldn't sleep, or why he cared so much. He brushed it off as a reflex in the past; the loyalty to his leader, the 'Code Red' his father had always referred to in his military stories. Lately, though, he had come to understand that this was more complicated than 'Code Red.' He wasn't exactly sure how, but he knew.

The reptilian Gangreen shuffled away from the others, careful to move as quietly as he could manage. He was going to follow Ace tonight, to keep him company for a change. He knew Ace well enough to know where he was headed. Snake glanced back at the remaining gangsters, making sure they were still sound asleep before taking the same path as his leader.

-/-

Ace stretched, taking in the sight of the lot below him. He was looking for his special spot; the hood of an old Monte Carlo he swore he would fix up one of these days, when he could afford the parts and gas for it. For now, though, it remained a place for him to sit and stare at the sky when he couldn't fall asleep. Counting stars normally knocked him out when bolts and rivets couldn't. After a few moments, the youth spotted the hobbled car. With a smirk and a slight adjustment to his shades, he slid down the pile of filth to his favorite spot.

-/-

Snake peeked around another pile, searching for the one place that seemed to elude him. He could have sworn it was past the armchair and to the left of the oil barrels, but now he had no idea where he was. He sighed heavily; it figured the one time he mustered up enough courage to follow Ace he got himself lost. The skinny Gangreen turned, his head hung low, deciding to retrace his steps and try and get some sleep back at the house.

A loud thud made him shoot behind some splintered plywood. Brandishing his switchblade, Snake slowly moved to look out on the rest of the junkyard. A grunt and a squeak of metal shock springs sent him right back behind the boards. He didn't realize he was shaking until he noticed the moonlight glinting off his blade. She took a deep breath and steadied himself, peeking once more around his cover.

He was greeted with the sight he had been searching for. A few meters below, his leader sat on the banged-up Monte Carlo, stretched out on hood, looking up at the sky. With a smile and a proud hiss, the thinnest gangrene withdrew his blade and maneuvered out of his hiding spot. With a quick scope of the area, he found a path around to meet up with his leader, to finally get a chance to talk with him alone for once. The thought itself brought a flutter to his chest; he felt… special. Finally, he and Ace will have something that no one else did. He grinned as she slid toward his esteemed leader, hardly able to keep himself from yelling out as he approached the vehicle.

-/-

Ace sighed once more. The stars didn't seem to be working as well as he had hoped, and he had a nagging feeling someone had been following him all night. He shrugged it off, deeming himself paranoid due to insomnia. He grunted, moving his shades down a bit to see the stars more clearly. "C'mon guys…" he murmured "why aren't ya working for me?"

"Ssssometimesss youss have to coax themsss"

Aces' head snapped up to look at the slithery gangrene, relieved to know where the 'you're being followed' feeling had come from. The relief suddenly slipped into annoyance, however, the scowl overtaking his features quick enough to make Snake flinch and step back. Ace had half a mind to smack him across the face and yell, but for whatever reason, he couldn't find the will to do so. Instead he looked questioningly at his follower, watching his eyes open slowly and his hand reach up to rub the non-existent bruise on his nose. A soft hiss passed into the night air as Snake looked up at Ace, shrinking down under the leaders' constant gaze. After all this time of preparation and running scenarios through his head, Snake drew a blank on what to say. He decided it would be better for Ace to start the conversation, the old adage 'speak only when spoken to' coming back into his conscious.

Ace let a sigh escape as he leaned back against the front of the car, his eyes still on Snake. "Why aren't you asleep, Snake?" he murmured absently.

"I- I couldn't sssleepss…."

"Why's that?"

"W-Wellss… I, uh…" the nervous reptilian teen scratched at his hat, at a total loss for words. He was afraid; afraid of screwing up the one chance he had to be something more to Ace than a target. He looked up at the calmer, older teen, envious of how composed he could be at all times. It had always been that way, ever since the day Ace took him in. Snake was young then, only ten years old when he ran away from his home. He had been gone three weeks without food or sleep, living only on gutter water and the occasional handout. He had collapsed in an alleyway, huddled behind trashcans, shaking like a leaf. Ace had found him then, had taken him in, given him food and a place to sleep. Ace had always been the calm one, Snake the weaker, and that had been imprinted into both of them, no matter who came into the gang or what happened to them.

The younger gangrene snapped out of his train of thought and looked up once more, swallowing down the lump in his throat as he forced the words out. "I hadsss too many thoughtssss…. Couldn't sssleepsss"

"Mhmm… me too." Ace patted the car's hood beside him "C'mere."

Snake nodded and obeyed, sitting on the dilapidated hood. Ace let a smirk tug at his features; the kid could be so nervous sometimes. He could feel Snake shaking ever so slightly as he tipped down his shades to look at the slender boy. He really was a stick figure; he barely ate a thing, even when there was plenty. Ace had always wondered how he endured everything from bruises to cuts to starvation. He let the smile come through as Snake looked at him straight on. His smile was returned, albeit nervously, but he was glad he got something other than a wince.

"So what were ya thinkin' 'bout?" Ace asked, moving back to lie against the front windshield "How you can fix another card game?" He chuckled, amused at his own joke. Snake remained silent, though; all he did was fiddle with his hands. Ace peeked over his shades again, watching Snake curiously. Suddenly, he smiled; something had clicked in Aces' mind, and now it was nagging at him to find out if this suspicion of his was true.

The poor boy didn't even register the fact his leader had been talking to him, much less the fact he had moved to sit rather closely beside him. What did snap the shaken reptile back into reality was the warm arm that had been wrapped his quivering shoulders. The breath hitched in his throat, half expecting the contact to cause him some sort of harm. When it didn't he began to shake again, glancing nervously up at the taller male. He was met with the crooked smile Ace usually sported. "Whatsamatter Snake? Yer not cold, are ya?" Ace chuckled at the horrified look Snake seemed to have. He simply pulled him a bit closer. "C'mon, it's alright. I'm warm enough fer ya."

Snake remained dead quiet. He couldn't will himself to do speak or move, or even breathe. His eyes remained fixed on Aces' face, taking in everything from the scruff on his chin to how deep of a blue his eyes were behind those pointed shades. His eyes; those were what intrigued him the most about his leader. Snake had rarely seen Aces' eyes; they were always hidden from everyone. But now, now he was closer than he had ever been. He didn't even realize his hand had moved until it rested on the rim of the elders' sunglasses. Snake froze again, waiting for a sign that wouldn't bring him a bruise.

Aces' smile never wavered as he nodded and, almost whispering, said "Go ahead…" Snakes' eyes seemed to brighten a bit as he tugged lightly on the frame, pulling them away from the gangsters face as gently as he could manage. Finally, they were off, safely folded in Snakes' hand. He could barely keep from gasping as the intense blue stared back at him; why would Ace hide these eyes from everyone… from him.

Ace let a small chuckle slip at the younger ones' expense. He knew for sure now that Snake held a little something more than total loyalty for him. The smile tugged a little harder at his lips, breaking into a toothy grin. Ace pulled the lithe gangrene in closer, pressing them side-to-side. He moved his hand down to slide over the thin fingers that held his glasses. The small gasp and shiver he got in return was enough to make him cackle; but instead he remained quiet, choosing to move his other hand over to cup Snakes chin. The victim of Aces' slow torture whimpered a little, wondering subconsciously if somehow, some way, Ace would hurt him again, but at the same time awaiting his leaders' next move.

They remained that way for a few moments, locked in position as the last bit of night slipped past them. Ace hummed, tipping Snakes head up a bit more, their eyes still locked together. Slowly, the elder moved forward, closing the remaining gap almost completely. Snake began to shake again, feeling Ace's soft breath caress him. He could barely breathe himself, anticipation coiling itself in the muscles beneath the long, thin fingers that settled on him. Nothing else seemed to register with the younger teen, but the older noticed the lighter tinge in the sky, as well as the sounds of the birds and garbage trucks beginning the day. He hummed, releasing Snakes chin and pulling back. He still had a grin plastered on his face, the perverse pleasure of leaving the lanky gangrene wanting more keeping it there. He stretched, cracked his back, and slid off the Monte Carlos' hood. "C'mon; time to scavenge some eats."

Something felt broken in Snakes' chest in that instant. He was expecting something else, something more than what Ace had done. He grudgingly shrugged that feeling off; he had more than enough to be thankful for. He had spent more time with Ace than ever before, he had seen the beautiful blues Ace hid from the world, and he hadn't been physically hurt by the gruff gangster the entire time. The skinny gangrene sighed and moved to slide off the car after his boss, only to be stopped. Ace was looking down at him, his shades back in place and both his arms and his body blocking his way. The taller boy grinned, his single fang poking out of his lip. Ace sighed softly, the perturbed follower half-heartedly glaring at him.

Without putting much thought behind the action, Ace leaned in and brushed his lips against the smooth scales under the slit eyes. He pulled back after a moment, letting a small contented noise slip past his lips. He smiled, genuinely smiled at the shocked expression and deeply-colored cheeks of his comrade. He straightened himself, fixing his vest before turning away.

He glanced over his shoulder at the rooted reptile, tipping his shades down to wink at him. "Consider it a thanks for, ya know, keepin' me company." He turned and began to walk back toward the shack they called a home before speaking again "We should do it again sometime…"

Needless to say, the broken feeling had suddenly left him at the contact, filling him with a burning sensation he was sure shouldn't be felt in a reptilian creature. He gingerly reached up to touch the hottest spot, half expecting some sort of pain. When none came, a grin broke out on his face and he began to laugh happily. He slid off the old Monte Carlo, still grinning as he slithered toward the rest of the gang. Snake could already hear Ace barking orders to the rest of them. Snake only grinned, knowing that things were different now, no matter what happened to them.

"Hurry up Snake!"

"Yess Bosss!"

It just got a little easier being green.

Please review and have a pleasant day :)