A/N: Ahhh three day weekends. Akatsuki and I want to say thanks so much for all of the wonderful responses. We're still going through all of the tumblr prompts we received, and we will slowly (but surely) get them done!

A prompt from Anonymous: Could you do a modernAU Marcoace where Ace tells his brothers that he's dating marco. They're both ok with it, Actually their really happy Ace has someone, especially luffy, but at some point when ace is away(bathroom or something) they give him the whole "hurt our brother and we hurt you" speech; emphasis on protective sabo and giddy luffy. Thank you so much for these fics btw, love em so much your both such good writers!

(awww thank you, anon-chan!)

Ripples in the Sea

Brother Approval (MarcoAce)

Ace really had no idea why he'd felt nervous, of all things. From the knowing glances Sabo had been shooting him all night to the earnest confusion on Luffy's face, it was clear his idea of announcing his involvement with Marco may have been a tad unnecessary.

"So… yeah," he continued lamely, twisting his napkin together. "Marco and I are dating."

"Is this new?" Luffy asked, frowning at Ace and then reaching for another hamburger.

"Well, no," Ace started, but Sabo cut him off.

"You two weren't really being discreet, you know. I was waiting for you to tell me on your own and I can't believe it took you this long."

Luffy shrugged. "You've been really happy ever since you started spending more time with Marco. Nami told me you two were probably having sex."

"Luffy!" Ace admonished, horrified by how bluntly he'd stated it. Fact or not, he still hadn't expected something like that to come out of Luffy's mouth!

"Well, it's true, right?" Sabo raised his eyebrow at Ace, then fixed a pointed glance on Marco. "No one really believed you were spending all that free time volunteering at a pet shop for fun."

"The animals are fun, though," Luffy added. "We should get a dog. And a snake. And-"

"And anyway," Sabo cut Luffy off, though he did place his hand on Luffy's head and ruffle his hair, "You're eighteen, perfectly capable of making your own decisions about your love life. Now that you've come clean, however, we don't have to hold back anymore."

Ace's cheeks darkened, but he reached over to take Marco's hand, showing that he was willing to take whatever teasing they threw his way. "So you're really okay with it, then? I mean, it's only been a couple of months, but we're not casual or anything, so…"

"So?" Luffy piped up again, reaching for one of the hamburgers on Ace's plate. "You're happy, so why wouldn't we be okay with it?"

Sabo raised his eyebrows at Ace. "Did you really think we wouldn't be okay with this?" he asked.

Marco wrapped his hand around Ace's and squeezed it, grinning with amusement. He'd had suspicions that Sabo and Luffy knew more than they were letting on, but Ace had been so determined to keep quiet about it that he'd gone along with him. He'd been gently urging him to tell them lately, though, and he was pleased to see that his instincts had been correct.

"Of course not! I mean, I was a little worried," Ace admitted, smiling sheepishly and squeezing back. "I wasn't really trying to keep it a secret or anything - okay maybe I was a little - but it just happened. And I really was volunteering to help, you know. I can't help it if the animals like me."

"It's true," Luffy nodded in agreement. "Even the birds really like Ace."

Marco chuckled. "They really do, yoi," he agreed. "I have a picture in my office of three of them perched on Ace's shoulders and head. He couldn't get them off, yoi."

"You've never shown us that picture," Sabo said, flashing Ace a grin of his own.

"Didn't know it existed until literally this moment," Ace muttered, ducking his head.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Luffy asked Marco, reaching for one of the hamburgers on his plate.

"Oi! Luffy!" Ace complained, looking up and smacking his hand. "Don't go eating off Marco's plate! You have your own!" He blinked, realizing all of the hamburgers had vanished from his plate as well. He'd been so focused on announcing his relationship that he hadn't noticed Luffy taking his food. "Damn it!"

"There's more in the kitchen," Sabo said, not looking the least bit surprised by this. His own plate still had food, but only because he'd positioned himself so that Luffy would have to climb halfway over him to get to it. Normally, this wouldn't deter him - but Luffy had found easier targets with Marco and Ace.

Ace sighed, then shot Luffy a look. "I'm gonna get more food for both of us. Do not take Marco's food without asking!"

He let go of Marco, grabbing both his plate and Luffy's before stalking into the kitchen. Luffy watched him go, then turned to Marco.

"Can I have your food?" Luffy asked, reaching out and snagging Marco's hamburger before he had a chance to answer.

Marco raised an eyebrow, looking mildly amused. "Sure, yoi," he said. What else was he supposed to say? The food was already gone, and besides which, Ace was going to bring more. He'd been warned about Luffy's eating habits beforehand, so it wasn't like he was surprised by this.

Sabo gave Luffy a look that was half exasperated, half affectionate. Then he glanced towards the kitchen - and his expression promptly turned serious. "So," he said, looking straight at Marco. "Ace said the two of you weren't casual. How not casual are you?"

And there it was, the part of this dinner that Marco had been bracing himself for. With how close Ace was to his brothers, and given that Marco knew for a fact this was Ace's first real relationship, it was only natural that at least one of them would give him the first degree. Especially considering their age difference.

"Not casual in the slightest, yoi," Marco replied. "I'm completely serious about your brother."

"That's good," Luffy agreed around a mouthful of food. He gave a wide grin, looking to Marco brightly. "Because Ace is really happy when he's with you and when he talks about you, so if you ever hurt Ace or made him stop smiling, I'd have to kick your ass. Sabo would probably have to hide the body."

"If that ever happened, I'd let you do it, yoi," Marco said with the utmost seriousness. Sabo gave him a searching look, but there was no sense that Marco was making light of what Luffy had said, or mocking them in any way.

"Oh, I wouldn't need you to let me," Luffy informed him. "I'm really strong, you know."

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you how serious we are about this," Sabo added, leaning forward and narrowing his eyes at Marco. "How important Ace's happiness is to us. And how we'll do anything to make sure that he stays happy. And, if that happiness is threatened in any way… well. I'm sure you understand, don't you?" He smiled, but it wasn't a warm smile. It was definitely one of those warning smiles.

Marco nodded. "I understand, yoi," he said without hesitation. He tried not to focus on how natural this unexpected side of Sabo seemed to be.

"Do you?" Sabo asked. "Because the thing is, Ace doesn't value himself that much. At all, really. He'd probably put aside his own needs without even thinking about it to make sure you're happy. So if it looks like you're taking advantage of that - if we think Ace is going to be hurt…" He trailed off, but the threat hung there, unspoken.

Marco took a deep breath. He'd picked up on that in Ace, from the things he said and the way he acted at times. When they'd first met his primary concern had been to watch out for the younger man - but that had quickly shifted to far more intimate feelings after they'd begun their relationship.

"I swear," he said quietly, "that I will never take advantage of Ace, or intentionally hurt him. And if I ever hurt him unintentionally, I will do everything in my power to make up for it, yoi. Ace means that much to me."

Luffy nodded again, humming a little as he finished the last handful of fries on his plate. "Good. Ace doesn't think he deserves anything, but we know he deserves everything, so you have to give that to him. Got it?" He looked sternly at Marco, then turned his attention to Sabo with a bright smile, clearly proud to weigh in on the same threat. He tended to lean towards threatening physical violence to anyone who hurt his brothers - he needed to make sure he'd said it correctly, and Sabo was the best judge of that.

Sabo looked at Luffy and nodded, smiling at his younger brother. That was exactly what needed to be said.

"I got it," Marco confirmed. He showed no signs of irritation at the constant affirmations they seemed to be expecting from him. "Trust me when I say that there's nothing I want more for Ace, yoi." The thought of being able to give Ace everything - if he had that chance, he'd consider himself the luckiest man alive.

"I like him, Sabo," Luffy decided. He'd only met Marco a handful of times, mostly when he was dropping Ace off, or when they'd visited the pet store. He'd already decided he liked him from the start - but now he really liked him.

Sabo nodded thoughtfully. "I think he'll do," he decided, and Marco let out a breath of relief. He wasn't sure what would have happened if he hadn't met their approval, but he was glad that he wasn't going to have to find out.

"Okay," Ace said, coming back into the room with impeccable timing. He had several plates of hamburgers and fries balanced on his arms and in his hands. "I brought everything. I figured Luffy probably ate your food, right?" He looked up at Marco and flashed a sheepish grin.

Marco grinned back at Ace. "Some of it, yoi," he said, and there was no mistaking the warm look in his eyes. "But I'll take a bit more of you have it."

Ace headed over and set the plates down, shaking his head when Luffy simply grabbed two of them, then sat beside Marco and offered him the last plate - as well as another shy smile. "I hope Luffy wasn't bugging you too much," he teased.

"Nah," Marco said, accepting the plate without breaking eye contact. "It's fine. I'm used to that sort of enthusiasm from my own brothers - you've met Thatch, remember, yoi?"

"Yeah, but Thatch gives people more food, and Luffy just takes it all away," Ace chuckled with obvious affection.

Sabo smiled. "At least we finally got Luffy to ask," he joked. "Granted, he does it while he's taking it - or after - but it's a start."

Ace grinned at Sabo. "Well if someone hadn't kept giving into those puppy eyes and letting him have all the food while he was growing up, maybe he'd have a bit more restraint."

Sabo gave Ace an incredulous look. "Do you really think that?" he asked him. "I'm not sure 'Luffy' and 'restraint' should ever belong in the same sentence."

"Fair enough," Ace relented, though he kept grinning. "But you spoiled him way more than I did."

"I'm not so sure about that," Sabo said, obviously feigning skepticism even as he started to grin. He knew full well that Ace was right, but that didn't mean he was going to admit it.

Marco chuckled, amused by their banter - it reminded him of dinners with his own family, though with only one conversation going on and not quite as loud. And meanwhile, through it all, Luffy was shoveling food right into his mouth.

"Tch," Ace rolled his eyes, then grabbed one of his hamburgers before Luffy got any bright ideas about stealing more food. "You better hurry up," he advised Marco. "Luffy'll keep eating until it's all gone. He's a bottomless pit."

"I'll keep that in mind, yoi," Marco replied, picking up his own hamburger. He was going to have to keep a close eye on his food, at least until he'd had a chance to eat what he'd wanted. Self-preservation seemed to indicate that having extra food on the plate to distract Luffy was a good idea, but he'd already lost one full plate.

"Now that I think about it, Thatch would probably really get a kick out of feeding Luffy," Ace joked. "We should take him over to Thatch's restaurant later."

"This sounds like a good idea," Luffy readily agreed, nodding. "Thatch is my friend."

"Idiot, you've never met him," Ace teased.

"But he wants to feed me," Luffy argued. "So he's my friend."

Marco shook his head. "If Luffy reacts like that to Thatch feeding him, then Thatch might never stop, yoi," he joked, looking over at Ace. The only thing that made Thatch happier than cooking was when people were happy with his cooking.

"So now we have to," Ace decided. He looked over at Sabo. "Wanna go out to dinner tomorrow? You should meet Thatch too, he's pretty great."

"He's awesome," Luffy agreed, looking up at Sabo earnestly.

Sabo grinned. "Sure, why not?" he agreed. "I don't have any plans for tomorrow."

"I'll put in a reservation, yoi," Marco volunteered. Thatch's restaurant was often booked full, but he always kept a few tables open for walk-ins and last minute requests from his family. More than few of his brothers had been known to impress a date by being able to book a 'last-minute' reservation at one of the most popular restaurants in the city.

Ace turned his attention back to Marco, flashing a small grin. They managed to eat the rest of dinner in relative peace, with Luffy finally stating he was full and then urging them to come play videogames with him. When Marco agreed to play with Luffy, Ace had barely held back from kissing him on the spot, clearly happy with how Marco and Luffy were getting along. It didn't matter that they'd met before or that he'd known they liked each other - seeing them interacting after announcing they were dating made Ace almost giddy with delight.

As he helped Sabo bring the dishes into the kitchen, he couldn't help glancing over into the living room and smiling. "What do you think, Sabo? I mean, what do you really think about all of this," he clarified, turning his attention to Sabo with a searching expression. Sabo had spent less time around Marco than Luffy, so it was harder for Ace to discern how he felt about them actually dating. He figured he could get the most honest answers while they were alone.

Sabo carried his pile of dishes over to the sink, setting them in the basin and starting up the water. He turned to look at Ace, his expression serious because he knew that Ace wanted his honest, upfront opinion.

"I think," Sabo said, "that he's a good guy, Ace. I'll admit that the age difference made me hesitant, but I think he really cares about you. Most importantly, though, is that I think he makes you happy. As long as he keeps doing that, you've got my support."

Ace smiled in relief, bringing his stack of dishes over and setting them next to the sink so Sabo could get to them when he was ready. Then he took his place on Sabo's other side to dry the dishes and put them on the rack as Sabo handed them to him. "You guys didn't threaten him, did you? He really is a good guy, Sabo. And the age difference is why it took me so long to get him to agree to date me - he didn't even believe me the first time I told him I was already eighteen."

Sabo's eyebrows went up. "Really?" he asked, and his approval was obvious in his tone. He'd assumed that Marco had been the one to pursue Ace, but it sounded as if Ace had had to be the one to convince Marco. Hearing that Marco had been hesitant because of Ace's age initially - as far as he was concerned, that was a good thing.

Ace snorted. "Yeah, really. He had no idea I was flirting with him. I didn't even register to him. I had to tell him to take me seriously as an adult." His cheeks burned. "He literally made me show him my ID, Sabo. And then he was still reluctant. Man, when I say it out loud, I kind of sound like a creep."

Sabo let out a laugh, passing the first of the washed plates to Ace to dry. "You are the farthest from a creep that there is, Ace," he said affectionately. "Don't worry about that." He picked up another plate. "But still, I'm glad to hear that there was some hesitation on his part. It means it's more than basic physical attraction."

Ace scowled and dried the plate with a little more aggression than necessary. "If physical attraction would have worked, I'd have gotten him into bed in the first week," he muttered. "But it's like he didn't even look at me that way, you know? At least not until we started dating."

"That's not a bad thing," Sabo pointed out. "It tells me that he wanted to make sure that this really was what you wanted." He looked over at Ace. "And I'd trust him a lot less if he had been interested in you when he thought you were a minor."

Ace huffed. "Yeah, I mean, that's a good thing, obviously. But still… it took a lot longer to get him to lighten up than I thought it would." He took another dish. "I don't know where this relationship is going, but I want it to keep going there, ya know?" He looked down at the plate in his hands. "And you didn't answer me - did you guys threaten him?"

"A bit," Sabo said, flashing him a grin. "I mean, we're your brothers. It's our job to look out for you, isn't it?"

"I bet he didn't even flinch," Ace teased, cheeks darkening a little. He was clearly touched by Sabo's words and trying not to show it. "So, did he pass?"

It was tempting to tease Ace a bit more before answering, but Sabo decided to put him out of his misery. "He passed," he said. "Passed, and Luffy-approved."

Ace relaxed a little, then flashed a bright grin. "Good to know." He paused at the sound of Luffy's cheers from the living room. "Looks like Luffy's winning."

Sabo let out a laugh. "Let's get this finished up and get back out there," he said. "Otherwise Luffy'll have Marco playing games with him all night."

"I'm glad they get along. Luffy always causes such a mess when he goes to the store, but Marco never gets mad at him," Ace murmured, grabbing the next dish. "Stern sometimes about things - like how many puppies Luffy can carry at once before he needs to put some of them back - but never mad, and he never talks down to him or anything. And whenever any of Marco's siblings are helping out, they're just as nice."

"Luffy's got good instincts when it comes to people," Sabo commented, grinning broader at the mental image of Luffy with an armful of wriggling puppies. He was honestly surprised that Luffy hadn't tried to bring some of the residents of Marco's store home already - or had just done it without asking first.

"Yeah," Ace agreed with a fond smile. "Remember what he said earlier? He really has been wanting a pet, you know. Maybe we should look into that."

Sabo tilted his head to the side, contemplating the suggestion. "Might not be a bad idea," he admitted. "With both of us going to college, you 'volunteering' at the shop, and me with my job, a pet could keep Luffy company."

"Maybe we should look around - see if we can get him interested in one pet, and something he's able to look after," Ace chuckled, trying to ignore the implications in the way Sabo had said volunteering, like he was just looking for an excuse to visit Marco. He was, mostly, but that was beside the point - and actually getting a job there would have been weird now that they were officially dating. "Like a puppy or a kitten. He'll probably go for a puppy."

"I could see him with a puppy," Sabo agreed. "Does Marco have any at his store right now? You could take Luffy there, let him play with them, see if there's one he bonds with before we approach letting him have it."

"Well, he bonds with all of them, all the time," Ace pointed out. "But there are puppies right now. Why don't we go see them tomorrow?"

"Works for me," Sabo agreed. "We'll go to the pet store first, and then to dinner after." He gave a laugh. "Maybe a stop home, if we end up leaving with a puppy right then and there." Knowing Luffy there was a good chance of it.

"Maybe we should go to lunch instead and pet shop after," Ace suggested. "If Luffy walks out of that place with a puppy he's going to take it with him everywhere. I doubt Thatch would mind it, but his customers might."

"Good point," Sabo agreed. "All right, so lunch first, pet shop after, and we prepare ourselves for the very real likelihood that we're going to have a puppy come tomorrow night. Let's just make sure we don't end up with more than one."

"That'll depend entirely on how well you resist Luffy," Ace prodded, poking him in the side with the spoon he'd just finished drying.

Sabo smacked at his arm, and then focused back to his task. They finished the dishes amid laughter and banter, and when they were finally done, and the dishes were put away, they headed back into the other room to see how Luffy and Marco were doing.

It was obvious they'd started out sitting cross-legged in front of the television to play, but at some point they must have moved to lie on their stomachs, with Marco humoring Luffy and agreeing that the position made their attack combos do more damage in the game. The television was still flashing the victory screen for Luffy's character, but they were no longer playing. Luffy seemed to have tackled Marco in excitement on his last win - and then passed out, as he was prone to do after eating such a large serving of food.

Marco seemed completely at ease with Luffy draped over him and drooling.

"That's adorable - and also, sorry," Ace apologized, laughing and making his way over to collect Luffy. He wrapped his arms around Luffy's midsection and hauled him up, grunting at the effort it took with how limp Luffy was. "God, he's like a giant rubber noodle when he gets like this."

"I'll help," Sabo said, coming over to give Ace a hand since Luffy was virtually boneless at the moment.

Marco grinned, rolling onto his back once Luffy was off of him and then sitting up. "No need to apologize, yoi," he said. "He really gets into games when he plays them. I'm glad he enjoyed himself."

"Sometimes he tries to do the actual fighting while hitting the buttons," Ace chuckled, plopping Luffy down on the couch with Sabo's help. "It's an easy way to get kicked in the gut if you're not watching him carefully."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time, yoi," Marco joked, rising to his feet. He watched the three brothers with an affectionate grin.

"Thanks for keeping him entertained," Sabo said, looking at Marco. "Sometimes it's hard to get the chores done because he's got so much energy, especially right after he eats - at least until he wears himself out and falls asleep on the spot."

'It's not a problem," Marco said with a shake of his head. "He's a good kid, yoi."

"Sabo and I were just talking about letting him get a puppy," Ace added, making his way back to Marco and wrapping his arms around his waist. "What do you think about going for lunch at Thatch's instead, then heading to the store to find him one?"

Marco slipped his arms around Ace's waist and kissed the top of his head, a gesture that seemed so natural for them that it made Sabo smile. "I think that's a great idea, yoi," Marco said with approval. He couldn't think of anyone more suited to owning a puppy than Luffy.

Ace gave a sappy smile, readily snuggling himself into Marco's arms and knowing Sabo would give them a few moments before clearing his throat or making them break it up. "I'm sorry my brothers threatened you," he murmured in a low, affectionate voice. "But I knew you'd be able to handle it."

"I've done the same with some of my siblings, yoi," Marco murmured, nuzzling at Ace's hair. "It means they care about you, and I can't have a problem with that."

Ace laughed softly and tightened his arms around Marco. "Well, I hope you like the idea of being around them more often. Because I love you, and now that we have their approval, there's no reason to hold back anymore, right?"

"None at all, yoi," Marco murmured. He couldn't resist leaning down to kiss Ace, brushing his lips tenderly against his lover's.

Ace immediately returned the kiss - though with more restraint than he would have if they'd been alone - and promptly pulled back when he heard Sabo's expected and loud throat-clearing. "Alright, alright, we'll tone it down," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Just keeping you in check," Sabo said teasingly.

Marco chuckled, tucking Ace close and resting his head on top his. "We'll behave, yoi," he said. Though that only applied to when they were around Ace's brothers - once they were alone again, he had no intention of behaving.

"Yeah," Ace chuckled, looking over at Sabo. "Hey, why don't we watch a movie or something and see if Luffy wakes up? If he doesn't, Marco and I will just take off after the movie ends."

"Sure," Sabo agreed. "Go ahead and pick one out - I'll go make popcorn and get us something to drink." He headed back for the kitchen, leaving Marco and Ace alone in the room, save for the sleeping Luffy on the couch.

"I suppose I'll have to behave during the movie, too, yoi," Marco murmured, pressing a playful kiss to Ace's ear.

"That's not helping," Ace complained, pulling back with a teasing grin. "C'mon, they just accepted the relationship. Do you want to get threatened again? They'll do it."

Marco chuckled. "All right, sorry," he said with a grin that did not look apologetic. "I promise I'll wait at least a week before doing anything that might incur their wrath, yoi."

"I can live with that," Ace decided, leaning up to steal another kiss before Sabo returned. It was cut short by Luffy - who awoke the second they could smell the popcorn - but Ace simply flashed Marco an apologetic grin before they took their places on the couch with the sleepy bottomless pit that was Luffy. There would be plenty of time for kisses later, once they were alone. After all, with the awkward dating announcements and threats aside, Ace was nothing but confident in his relationship status.

A/N: Hope this is what you were looking for, Anon-chan! We enjoyed this one a lot.

Ty all for your kudos/reblogs/likes/reviews/prompts/messages/etc! You keep us going!