#established marcoace

[chenziee]

The Plight of the (not) house cat

This is the second of my pieces for the amazing @opmarcozine! You can find it in the digital add-on 💙

Last chance to grab yourself a copy!

[ READ ON AO3 | KO-FI | COMM INFO ]

—————

The first time it happened, Kotatsu didn't pay it any mind. After all, Ace could hang out with whomever he wanted. The Spade Pirates were now a part of the Whitebeards so it was only right they socialise with them. Kotatsu himself liked to play with some of them… Blamenco in particular was fun, always carrying toys and snacks that he would sneak to Kotatsu when the Spades—especially Deuce—weren't looking.

It was fine for Ace to hang out with the first division commander. Perfectly reasonable.

But was it still reasonable if they were together everyday, every waking hour? Was it still reasonable if Ace seemed to completely forget about everyone else—forget about Kotatsu?

No, he didn't miss his captain and he most definitely wasn't jealous.

Kotatsu simply thought it was unfair. To other people.

He finally reached a breaking point one calm afternoon on the Moby Dick. It was a beautiful day too, just begging for a nap in his favourite corner of the deck—the one that was just secluded enough to give him some peace from the training and fighting people, but still close enough to know if something happened. The sun warmed the wood up all day there as well, making it perfect for the lynx to rest, relax, and enjoy his moment of repose.

But that day, he was shocked and disgusted to find his spot already occupied.

And not only that; it was occupied by the stupid big bird man in his hybrid form, a large book propped up against one of his legs while Ace slept on his lap using a wing as a goddamn blanket. For a moment, Kotatsu could do nothing but stare at the scene with wide eyes and an open mouth, completely frozen in place while the bird flipped a page lazily as if he wasn't completely ruining Kotatsu's day.

That was his spot. His corner, his sun, and his captain. Kotatsu was the one Ace was supposed to nap with, not some ugly blue canary.

Maybe Kotatsu should hunt him for sport one of these days? It was what he deserved.

"Kotatsu? What are you doing?"

Kotatsu didn't even move to acknowledge Skull's confused question. He refused to look away, refused to give up his silent fight. The lynx only swished his tail in annoyance from where he was sitting motionlessly, a few metres away from the… cuddle party, staring intently at the two men in an effort to get them to leave.

"You know you can just join them, right?" Skull asked with something that sounded suspiciously like amusement in his voice.

Kotatsu bristled, an angry hiss that he didn't bother to suppress, escaping him at the very suggestion. Join them? Why the hell should he? Why would he even want to? How preposterous.

Finally, Kotatsu sighed and got up, leaving the two bastards who stole his spot and a smug looking Skull behind in search of a new, nicer spot to nap. As he slowly walked away, however, he came to a decision. He was going to watch this Marco and he was going to make sure Ace remembered where he belonged.

—————

From that day on, Kotatsu made it his mission to keep an eye on his captain. Whenever he sensed there might be foul play at work, he would sniff Ace out… and inevitably find him in the company of that stupid bird. In the bird’s cabin, in Ace’s bunk in the communal cabin, in the kitchen, in the crows nest. The last one was admittedly the worst place by far as Kotatsu, with his four legs and no hands, had no way to get all the way up there—and especially down from there—safely.

Most often, however, they could be found in the infirmary.

Ace would sleep on one of the cots while Marco tended to his patients or they would just chat absentmindedly while Ace sharpened his daggers and Marco worked on the crew’s medical records. Or they would both be on the bed Ace had managed to claim for his own in the few months since they had become a part of the crew.

Just like they were doing right now.

Kotatsu wasn't sure what exactly it was that they were doing but he sure as hell knew he didn’t like it. The bird was resting his back against the headboard with Ace sitting in his lap, the bird’s hands resting on Ace’s thighs with his thumbs rubbing circles into the fabric of his shorts. The captain had one of his hands on the bird’s naked chest, the fingers of the other one tangled in the little hair the bird had left on his stupid, weirdly shaved head.

Their faces were squished together in a way that couldn’t be comfortable in Kotatsu’s opinion. He was pretty sure he saw one of their tongues moving into the other’s mouth and briefly, Kotatsu wondered since when had humans groomed each other.

Not that it mattered to him.

He bristled when he realised neither of them was even going to acknowledge his presence. They didn’t even notice Kotatsu opening the infirmary door and walking inside, nor did they pay it any attention when he meowed in irritation at them. Huffing to himself, Kotatsu looked around the infirmary, his eyes scanning the room carefully until they fell on the cabinet in the back of the room that was full of bottles with herbs, creams, pills, and liquid medications.

A series of loud crashes followed only moments later; glass shattering, shards and contents scattering all over the floor.

“What the—” Ace yelped as he jumped in shock, finally separating himself from the bird.

Said bird wasn’t far behind in his reaction. “What happened?!” he asked with a slight panic in his voice as he whipped his head around to find the source of the sudden noise.

If it were possible for him, Kotatsu would be smirking evilly right then. As it was though, he could only stare the two of them in the eyes when they had finally noticed him sitting proudly next to the cabinet, which was now missing nearly half of its contents thanks to Kotatsu’s handiwork.

“Kotatsu, what the fuck?” Ace asked with exasperation when he managed to process what had happened.

“I hope you realise you’ll be paying for all this, yoi,” Marco told Ace, giving the other man an unimpressed look.

“Why me?!” Ace protested immediately.

A lazy, amused smile appeared on Marco’s face. “He’s your cat. And he can’t very well pay the money back himself.”

“Fuck you.” Ace groaned. “And fuck you, too,” he added, throwing an annoyed look at Koatsu.

Kotatsu only meowed in satisfaction.

—————

To Kotatsu’s horror, the two of them started locking the door after that. That meant Kotatsu was forced to sit in front of the door, complaining loudly and demanding to be let inside. Unfortunately, the door never opened and the single one positive result of this tactic was more pets and treats from the rest of the crew.

However, being reduced to a demanding house cat didn’t sit well with Kotatsu and so, after a while, he stopped trying.

—————

It was about a month of stalking and glaring later that everything changed.

After an ugly run in with a marine fleet, Kotatsu found himself finally allowed into the infirmary again—unfortunately, it was as a patient because of the… minor injury of a broken hind leg he had sustained. He didn’t want to be treated by the stupid bird but since he could barely walk, he could do nothing about it except snarl at him with questionable results and focus on Ace’s warm hand rubbing his ears.

Completely ignoring Kotatsu’s complaints, Marco examined Kotatsu's leg, touching it carefully to gauge the extent and severity of the injury. It didn’t take him long to sigh and nod at one of the nurses, who only nodded back and went to rummage through one of the cabinets.

“Okay, Kotatsu. I have good news and bad news, yoi. Good news, it’s not too serious and will heal quickly. Bad news, I will have to reset the bone so it’s in the right place,” he explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

Kotatsu huffed. He had expected as much; this wasn’t his first fracture, after all. It had happened once before, back when he was kept in the freak show. He still remembered how much the resetting hurt, the pain almost making him pass out. He had never wanted to go through it again… but he supposed at least this time, he had Ace next to him.

“It’s not going to be too bad,” his captain said in a soothing tone when he noticed Kotatsu tensing. “Just sting a little, you big baby.”

Sting? A little?

“Yep,” the nurse, Tate, agreed. “Here I go.”

With wide eyes, Kotasu stared as Tate took a syringe and injected him with something several times around the swollen fracture. This… wasn't what he was expecting. And what he was expecting even less was the numbness that followed—all feeling in the area went away and with it, the pain.

Kotatsu blinked, watching in awe as Marco took an expert hold of his leg… then set it right as if it were nothing and Kotatsu barely felt a thing. It was so different from the freak show treatment that he didn't know how to react.

"See? Not too bad, right?" Marco said with a smile, scratching Kotatsu below the chin briefly. "Now I'm gonna do a quick treatment and Tate will finish you all up, yoi."

Kotatsu chirped in acknowledgement, and only then did Marco nod at him and turned back to his leg. A second later, blue fire crackled in his palm and he slowly, carefully brought it to Kotatsu's injury, letting the fire gently lick at the fur and skin. He waited a moment, gauging Kotatsu's reaction but when the lynx didn't protest, he pushed the flames further.

It was… strange, seeing his leg on fire but not burning. Instead, comfortable warmth spread from the area of the injury, covering his entire leg in the feeling of being huddled into a soft, fluffy blanket in front of a fireplace.

It was surprisingly pleasant; not like the burning heat of Ace's bright red flame. Not like the scorching power that blue flames usually carried. A warm flame, a safe haven, a healing hand.

And Kotatsu had to fight really hard to not start purring.

"There, all done, yoi." Marco nodded in satisfaction when the flames died out. "Tate will wrap the leg up now. No running and jumping around until I say so, understand?" he added with a stern look in Kotatsu's direction.

Kotatsu glared at him, baring his teeth in a voiceless hiss to indicate his annoyance at this treatment. He wasn't stupid, alright?

"Okay, next patient. Take your kitty and go after Tate's done, yoi," Marco said to Ace then.

"Are you kicking me out?" Ace asked in a mock scandalised tone.

Marco huffed out a small laugh. "Yes."

"Asshole." Ace's tone was amused now, obviously fighting back laughter.

"Brat," Marco shot back without hesitation. "I'll see you later."

And when the bird leaned over, pressing his mouth to Ace's in that weird way they sometimes did and that always made Kotatsu bristle and the rest of the crew to tell them to 'get a room,' whatever that meant… Kotatsu was shocked to realise he didn't mind that much anymore.

Maybe the bird wasn't all that bad after all.

—————

"What the hell is going on here?!" Ace asked no one in particular.

In the time since the Spade Pirates had joined the Whitebeard Pirates, he had never once seen Kotatsu and Marco get along. It was always glares and hissing and raised eyebrows and 'Ace, he's sitting on my paperwork again, yoi!'

Nothing, and he meant nothing… could have prepared him for the sight that met him when he walked to the quiet, sunny corner on the Moby Dick's deck. He had expected to find Kotatsu there, ready for a nap and possibly willing to let Ace join him but instead, there Kotatsu was, sleeping soundly while curled up next to Marco.

Marco, whom Kotatsu was ready to eat at the first opportunity, whom the lynx hated and messed around with constantly since they met. Ace had assumed it was because of some cat-and-bird thing but then why did he seem so… comfortable now, huddled under the phoenix’s wing? 

It didn't make sense. It was bizarre. It wasn't fair.

That was his spot.

"Ace? Why do you look like you're about to combust?" Skull asked, voice full of confusion as he stopped right behind Ace.

"What—what are they doing?" Ace asked back instead of replying.

"Hm?" Skull hummed. "You mean Kotatsu? Apparently, he likes how warm Marco’s power is.” 

Ace didn’t say anything. He simply continued glaring at the scene before him, seething. How dare they? Ace felt like he was being cheated on. By the both of them. At once.

“I feel like I’ve had this conversation already but you do know you can just join them, right?” Skull asked and Ace was positive he had his eyebrows raised under that mask of his.

Asshole.

Shrugging as if it didn’t matter to him, Ace turned on his heel, uttering a simple. “No, thank you.”

As he walked away—while pointedly ignoring Skull’s all too amused laughter—Ace came to a decision; he was going to watch these two and he was going to make sure they damn well remembered who they belonged to.

[wordsdrippinginink]

For a prompt maybe Marco/Ace? Featuring Ace having Hanahaki Disease towards Marco? 🙈💖

"You look exhausted," Marco says slowly, raising an eyebrow at the stack of papers that Ace slams down on his desk. "Did someone get sick?"

"I," Ace says tiredly. "Am coughing up flowers. Please remove them from my lungs. I've spent the last six hours trying to burn them out and failing horribly. Then, I did that," he gestures at the paperwork as he falls back into a chair. "I hate paperwork."

Marco hums, skimming the top page. There's a handful of flower petals taped to the sample square, but nothing to identify them, which meant that Ace hadn't recognized them. Which actually knocked a number of them out of the running, since Ace could identify anything with medical or nutritional value.

"If I missed something, I will throw myself into the ocean."

"Don't. Namur might just let you drown," Marco states, turning to the next page and skimming it curiously. "I thought you would have told me if you had fallen in love."

"Yeah, apparently magical flowers get to know I've fallen in love before I do. I didn't even get a chance to confess, not that it would change the fact you have to remove the flowers."

"There's still time, I don't have time to do this surgery for at least a few more days," Marco taps his pen against the date written almost too neatly as the start date. "You got this in faster than I expected."

"Flowers are not fun to cough up, Marco."

"Petals, you're not going to be too advanced by Wednesday. Think you can hold out until then?"

Ace frowns, eyes narrowing for a moment before he nods, "Unless I start coughing up whole flowers, I should be fine? It's just uncomfortable."

"I'll start running tests to see what strand you've picked up, but it's probably the same kind that I had to remove from Izou last month. When you figure out who it is, let them know. It's awkward enough having to watch those two dance around each other again because Izou had to bring home the kind that doesn't go away after confession and reciprocation."

"Yeah, it'll be fun," Ace rolls his eyes, standing up slowly to crack his back. "Hope you can convince me to fall in love with you all over again when Kotatsu still hates you."

Marco groans, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I am going to take your cat back to the island you got it from and have Thatch tell you it died."

"No you won't, you're going to try and trick him into helping you win me over a second time. And just think, now that I've had this strand, at least I won't be able to catch it again."

"Would have preferred that you never caught it to begin with," Marco yawns, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll make sure there's ice cream after the surgery."

Ace leans close, brushing a kiss to his temple, "At least we won't take as long to work things out as Shanks and Benn did. Poor Benn, catching a strand that actually erases the memories instead of just the feelings."

"Helps that you spit out an invitation for a date two days after officially joining the crew," Marco adds, tugging Ace down into a proper kiss. "Go arrange things. I'll be here."

"If you figure out what flower that is, let me know. I know it's not roses, but it's been bothering me."

"I'll let you know as soon as the results are back."

[marcoacesabo]

Dragon: Sabo, I'm sending you deep undercover. Can you handle it?

Sabo: Of course sir, where am I going?

Dragon: Two high ranking whitebeard pirates are getting married on this island in three months. You are to pose as one of the invited pastries chefs who will be serving the week long celebration leading to the wedding.

Sabo: Two questions-

Dragon: No, you may not eat the pastries yourself. You have to sell them

Sabo: One question-

Dragon: No you may not try to seduce the pirates. You're just there to observe.

Sabo: I have no more questions.

[dee-de-winter]

happy

commission for @wordsdrippinginink

Part 6 of the better latte than never [kofi commissions] series

|| OP || marcoace || 1506 words || rated G ||

Read on AO3

“Last I saw, they were napping in your suitcase,” Marco said, holding back the laugh as Ace processed that information.

“In my suitcase,” Ace said, sounding like he was rethinking his love for cats altogether. “On all my clothes,” he added, shifting so he could look at Marco.

“Maybe,” Marco said, a smile slipping past his defenses. Ace didn’t miss it, eyes narrowing immediately.

[empresswrites]

Anonymous asked:

oh my god that last drabble!!😭🙏 I’m sad that Marco and Ace are over forever but also Marco deserves this. would you be willing to write a more confrontational addition to this scene, where Marco tries to reconnect but is refused, and Sabo’s involved? its cool if you’re too busy/focused on spideypool, though

Well, since I was still having feels over it too! Here it is and the last of it as this is to end it all. Yes, Marco deserved it for hurting Acey! Ace is now happy with Sabo, who making sure Ace does what he wants! :3 I did this as I haven’t delved into another fic yet, so luckily I was able to set my mind straight for it XD

Ace had been surprised that his time the past few days in Moby have been splendid, feeling as Sabo keeps him grounded while there. It was a little stressful on certain places, but experiencing them with Sabo had turned things to that of ‘we should come by again’ instead of when Ace avoided it all like the plague. It was being washed over gratefully and they took a bunch of pictures together with their phones. Posting to show their friends on social media, Koala happy to see them having a great time as she was housing sitting for them and sending frequent pictures of Kotatsu, for Ace mainly.

A soft giggle leaves Ace as he views over the three pictures sent to him by Koala on what his little baby feline was up to, the mischief he got into as he missed his daddies. sitting on the bench on the docks to overlook the large lake, he was waiting for Sabo to bring along a drink so they could make new memories for him before having some lunch. The water is beautiful as it always has been and he lounged in the bench with a hand adjusting his shorts, the weather feeling great to linger around. Everyone was at work or lunch at this hour, which is why they wanted to linger to get past the rush hour.

“Ace...?” The voice brings a pang into the mention male’s chest with a rolling in his stomach as he pulls eyes away from the picture of Kotatsu standing ignorant to the potted plant on the ground next to him. The smile on him falls into a frown promptly as not too far from where he sits is standing someone he left for good to get himself to stop from drowning in sorrows and anxiety.

Remembering on what Sabo said, Ace immediately turns his head away as even with the years going by it left a pain in him. At some point he had gave this man a piece of his heart and he took that and merely kept a tight clutch on it in the darkest depths out of his reach, like a siren dragging it to drown it. The only way to refill that empty space was when he was with Sabo. Quickly moving, he stands and shoves his phone away after locking the screen and goes to walk away.

“Come on, yoi. Just wait a minute and... and let me explain...” It’s almost a plea in the voice and brings a pull in Ace’s chest of gripping anxiety and light anger. Feet stop as he tries to control himself from trembling as he was weak still, not understanding on why and it was like the anchor was attached to him now, pulling him into the depths again.

“Explain? Explain what?” Ace tries out while turning to face those blue eyes with a scowl on his freckled face, trying to fight that the other looks guilty.

“Look, I was wrong, okay? I thought I was helping you see the reality of the world as most things require education.” Marco starts up with hands out, looking to be on his lunch break from his attire and it was any wonder how he found Ace here.

“It’s not that I am not smart, it’s just I like other aspects than those stupid STEM things that everyone seems to think are so important than the creative side of someone’s brain.” Ace snaps to defend himself, anything about education brought that out of him as Marco did that to him, always defensive on his intelligence as his brain functioned differently and it wasn’t like he couldn’t understand; Ace just didn’t like it.

“I never said you weren’t smart, I just said it was better to have that. Showing places that you are, yoi.” Marco persists with a small frown as if he was scolding a child and that tone, Ace hated it.

“Oh? Then what about all the magazines I help out? All I did was show my pictures and they didn’t care about the school part of things. I even write articles for them about what happens. I even do photos and drawings for books, I’ll have you know.” Arms crossed as he was sure to rub it all in on how much Marco held him back, no matter how much he felt the need to run.

“I know, I noticed your name on them. It took time to get there, which we could have done together and I may have been able to get you there quicker.” The words show how much Marco wanted to control the situation and it was bad for Ace as he was used to that with him specifically.

“I did this myself and the support from my friends and my boyfriend.” Ace grits out, wanting to clarify that he was with someone new and not leaving them no matter what.

“I always supported you, helped by giving you a place to live and not feeling like you were burdening someone else. I gave you love and affection that you wanted, plus made sure to keep you on track, what more was there for me to do? I gave my all and then you started to distance from me, yoi. My words never seemed to sink into you.” The way his tone turns to fully stern has Ace frustrated and arms tightening across his chest.

“They did sink into me like a fucking anchor and drowning me!” Ace snaps back as he holds his ground as much as he can and the other shifts lightly with a tilt of his head.

Oh no...

“Ace, I did everything because I love you. Trying to lead you down a path that would help you and give you a stable outcome. I told you that, every time I held you at night with a hand running along your side with reassurance.” Marco dips his tone softer in a coaxing that always drove Ace back into his arms and he felt his body tremble slightly in anxiety, not wanting to remember the good as there was a fine line when the lines blurred from what was controlling and what was affection. “You started to push me away, but I stayed strong next to you while you figured out everything. I knew it was something that you were feeling overwhelmed and I told you it was fine to come home once you settled down.”

“You said ‘once you are done being a brat then you can come home’.” The new voice has Ace shift and look to behind him, a relief bursts through him as something was sent out to help him stay afloat once again. “Not a very good way to try and get someone to forgive you, Mr. Fennec.” The sharp tone leaves Sabo as he comes up next to Ace with a reassuring smile and lightly rubs his hand to an arm. Those arms uncrossed to immediately have a hand in the other’s, feeling a thumb rub his in comfort.

“Well, when a tantrum is thrown you must be stern, yoi.” Marco remarks, looking displeased of someone joining the conversation.

“A tantrum? Ace was having an argument, unless that’s what you also see it at work? Is that what others at your workplace do? Throw a tantrum? Then I guess it was good my friend never went to work for your company.” Sabo uses his sharp tongue, being someone who went to college in mostly English classes to be a writer. He had been raised in a home where high grades were only acceptable and you had to go to college. The first two years of college had been picked by his parents until he left to pursue what he wanted, staying with Hack at the time.

“No, we have a calm debate to come to an agreement.”

“Oh, good, then this can easily be solved. Stay out of my boyfriend’s life, you have done enough damage to him. Plus, it was ten years ago, so I feel like you should have moved on as well, Mr. Fennec?” Avoiding the first name as he speaks stern with that of a business atmosphere brings comfort that Ace was being defended so firmly. He had been losing himself in anxiety, never turning back to Marco as he loved Sabo, but he felt himself drowning again from his thoughts from before. 

Marco seems to understand the little control of the situation he has no with a third party involved, jaw clenching as he looks to be observing the two of them. Ace is clutching to his boyfriend’s hand, wanting to be anywhere but here. It brings a spiral in him on how he had been having such a great time and it was ruined again from the same person who had done this to him in the first place.

“I think that’s all that needs to be said. Wanna go eat now, babe? We could go to that one you loved?” Sabo already starts distracting him, trying to pull his mind away from drowning too much into the depths and he smiles up.

“Yeah, I love their burgers and promise they have pasta you would love!” Ace almost chirps, feeling comfort as a hand slides along his hip to start directing him away.

“Sounds great, especially as the shack for drinks was busy... Maybe tomorrow have some of those drinks?” Sabo is sure to bring up the conversation while leading his lover on back to shore to be back into that embrace he has established with him. Ace leans into him more as he feels safe and finally complete, the clenching being pushed away by that soothing breeze.

He cuts that rope to separate himself from the anchor and hopes this is the last time he will ever talk with the man.

[innocentfighter]

So do you have any domestic Ace headcannons? Would Ace and Marco maybe adopt a child?

I do, Top Three for any MarcoAce Scenario

1) They know each other’s favorite blanket wrap position, ie Marco’s is just having a blanket across his lap while Ace loves being burritos. When one or the other is having a bad day, they corner them and place the blanket in that position

2) Ace has a sixth sense about where Marco is going to fall asleep, and some how there’s always a blanket waiting there. 

3) Marco doesn’t cook much, but he knows Ace’s favorite drink for when he’s sick. So whenever Ace is complaining about a cold or injury or what have you, Marco will be found making it. Surprisingly he’s one of the only ones that can make the drink right.

In a modern au, they probably would, but not until they’re well established and comfortable with their lives, and even then it’d only probably be a single child. But yeah I could totally see it happening

[ao3-onepiece]

Heat

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2rQDT1M

by tamrian

Good ol' marcoace pwp.

Words: 1068, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: One Piece

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco, Portgas D. Ace

Relationships: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace

Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Spanking, Dry Humping, Coming Untouched, i think that's all, Established Relationship

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2rQDT1M

[marcoacesabo]

Hiiii! I found you by stumbling on the prompts you posted on AO3 and I love every single one of them, so I checked and there's more here on your blog and 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖 Can anybody ask for more? Because I'd really like a continuation of the mischievous spirit summoning au. It's a beauty ☆☆☆☆☆

Finding the village was a brief sense of relief for Ace right up until he realizes no one knew what he was saying or able to help him get in contact with support. 

He had taken the boy home only to discover that the woman he suspects is his mother bedridden with sickness. He isn’t sure which kind exactly but he makes sure to help in any way he can. That started by making sure the boy boiled the water he grew from the well in the village square. He also helped wash her down in order to help with the fever, and keep watch over her and the boy. 

It didn’t take long to realize that the majority of the village suffered from an obvious famine, as almost everywhere he looked there were overly thin people. He couldn’t understand why seeing as the forest had plenty of signs of wildlife for them to feast on but maybe these people were like him.

Maybe they too were all kidnapped from different parts of the world for the freaks in the castle. Maybe they had been the cult’s other victims left to die on the island with no way home. He had noticed the fear of crossing the fence around the forest, especially when he brought the boy home after being attacked by the strange lion looking men and the people of the village actually screamed upon seeing them.

The little boy pointed the way after Ace had beaten the cultist lion asses and picked him up to run into the woods. He had noticed that the freaks had not been above hitting the kid around when they were ambushed. If he left him there then the young child would have died or worse. 

As a man who worked in mercenary work, he knew what “or worse” looked like and couldn’t bear the thought of a child so young being hurt that way. Even his family, a long line of mercenaries who some may say we're worse than Ace, refused to hurt children. 

He took it upon himself to start fires and keep the people warm as well as bring food for the mother and child. Ace slipped back into the forest later that night with a wary eye and his throwing knives. It was harder to hunt this way but he was able to catch a boar after a while and took it back to the village. 

The hungry eyes that followed him as he marched over to the hut almost made Ace feel guilty but it was the boy that helped him and the woman who needed the meal. He couldn’t share until he was sure they eat first. 

Once he got back the boy started yelling in that language he couldn’t understand staring up at him in awe that had Ace smirking slightly. He didn’t do a very good job hiding his admiration for Ace even though he has hardly done anything at all for him, right now it was letting him stay there was more then Ace could repay. 

He set about fixing that, skinning the boar and cooking it on the open fire with the five-year-old rocking back and forth next too him. They watched the meat slowly turn a nice golden hue with the boy pressing himself to Ace’s side seeking comfort. 

Ace gladly wrapped an arm around him until the food was ready and he served him some. The boy inhaled it with the speed of someone starved while the mercenary set some aside for the woman who was sleeping. 

“Luffy!” The boy shouts patting his tiny chest then looking up at Ace with a determined look. “Luffy!”

Oh? Ace was going on a limb here and guess that was the child’s name. He patted his own chest with a smile. “Ace”

Luffy beamed up at him then patted the woman with a slightly wobbly voice. His eyes teared up as he cleaned the sweat off her forehead and then patted her chest twice. “Makino”  

Ace’s heart clutch. Poor thing must know Makino won’t make it. Not if she didn’t get help from an actual doctor. He reached forward pulling the boy into his arms, trying to tell him everything would be fine without words. Luffy stiffens before hugging him back just as tightly crying into his chest.

That’s when the screaming starts.

Startled Ace pushed Luffy aware, yelling to stay put even though he knew the boy couldn’t understand him as he ran outside only to watch people run away in terror as the cultist broke down the fence yelling, the two blonds from before leading the charge.

Ace’s eyes narrowed as their gazes locked on him. Looks like the freaks are back for round two. So be it. “Bring it on assholes.”

[marcoacesabo]

Nervous wreck Ace, should not be complemented without fair warning. 

[dee-de-winter]

to keep me warm in the snow

commission for @karies_art

Part 5 of the better latte than never [kofi commissions] series

|| OP || marcoace || 2024 words || rated M ||

Read on AO3

“Now go get that firewood before we freeze to death,” Ace said quickly, just to tease a little again before the moment grew too heavy.

“As a good husband,” Marco started, smile growing even before the sentence was out, “I will not let that happen.”

“My hero,” Ace said just to hear Marco laugh again.

[marcoacesabo]

Hello !! I love your writing and I wanna ask you if it's possible a MAS with an omegaverse theme! Like two alpha for one omega or one alpha for two omega please? (nsfw will be an add but do as you feel) thank you and have a good day

Sabo is an omega. A real shock to everyone that meets him, seeing as he is nothing like a proper omega should be. But then again, he’s not exactly the type of person who follows people's expectations in any other area either.

Despite the fact he dresses like a prince, Sabo would rather be the knight in the heat of battle.

Despite the fact he is fair in hair, Sabo is far from the stereotype dumb blond (which is a dumb stereotype, to begin with)

Despite the fact he is noble, Sabo can often be found in the commoners market scoffing at the rich men’s sensitivities.

 Being an omega wasn’t a big role in his life nor was it something to take much notice in everyday activities. It was just something he was, the same importance as being tall- another thing that made people believe he was an alpha- where someone would point it out only in selected settings.

In the old days, omegas weren’t allowed as many rights as their alphas and betas counterparts seeing as they were seen as the “delicate” and “frail”  sort of people. But times have changed, and nowadays people have come to terms with the fact that their Presenting was not in charge of their worth or roles in society.

Of course, there were some that clung to the old ways, (his parents were a fine example) who had the ideal image of what Presenting class were supposed to be and stereotypes still ran rampage (Which is why people got shocked at Sabo’s) but they weren’t as limiting as before.

With the invention of Scent Suppressers, most of the youth didn’t even know what Presenting class their friends were without one of them saying it themselves.

Sabo, however, can admit to being lonely. He wanted a Beta or Alpha to cuddle up with but not because of his class. He just likes being the big spoon to someone and having a fulfilling romantic relationship.   

Just his luck that only Omegas and the rare not his type Betas flirted with him. The last time he almost screamed when an Omega had attempted to lure him in with a naughty little hint of his scent. The guy had been far too daring but Sabo gave him points for trying.

There were a few he liked, but for some reason, they didn’t like him. Now it was stated that his P class was only pointed out in certain circumstances, and while true, they tended to be mostly in his love life. A real inconvenience if you asked him.

“I just wish someone would stay with me even after finding out my P Class.” He whines to Koala and Law, who was a Beta and Alpha respectively. They were taking a break together at a local cafe as per usual in their work schedules. “Did I tell you the last date I went on ended with a “You shouldn’t trick innocent Betas like myself.” bit? Like hey asshole, you were the one that walked up to me at the bar, not the other way around.” 

Koala snorts into her hand.  “Sounds like you dodged a real loser then.”

Law raised his hot chocolate as if though he was casting a blessing upon the table. “To our amazing dodging skills good lads. And lady.”

“We all know I’m the best lad here” Koala counters easily. “When it comes down to it, you’re both peasants.”

“Isn’t Sabo a literal lord? Or was that a fever dream I had once.”

“It was a fever dream”

“Figured.”

Sabo hated to admit it, but his friends' antics did cause his lips to twitch in amusement. He didn’t want to be cheered up though, he wanted to pout a bit and whine about his bad luck. “Can we please get back on topic? How am I ever going to find love?”

Koala tapped her chin then snapped her fingers. Based on her expression Sabo knew to be on guard. “We could set you up.”

“I rather eat poison.” Sabo quickly shots down the idea. Across from him, his best friends deflates with a pout. 

“I rather you do that then whine about how lonely you are too”  Law tacks on with a nonchalance that the blond envies sometimes. “Besides, what the worst that can happen? You go on a date, it doesn’t work and you keep looking.”

Sabo rubs a hand over his face. “I don’t date a friend’s family or friends. It makes things awkward if they don’t work out.”

Koala blows out a dramatic sigh rolling her eyes at his rules. Which wasn’t fair, Sabo had them for a reason!  “Well, how else are you going to meet someone? Going door to door with a boyfriend application?”

Sabo frowns at her, choosing to take a bite out of his muffin then grace that sarcasm with an answer. At that moment the cafe door is swung open, the little bell at the top announcing the arrival of new customers.

 Law slumps in his seat with a groan when he spots them over the girl’s shoulder.  “Oh great, Strawhat-ya is here and I look like garbage. Again.”

At this both Sabo and Koala perk up. They have been hearing little mentions of the infamous Strawhat for over three months now, ever since Law joined a local art class in which the Alpha meets the bubbling crush of his.

From the various stories- note the various rants and whining- Law has only been able to cross paths with the younger male when he looks his “worse” aka in the early mornings the class started at (A time everyone knows Law looked half-dead) or whenever the other model wasn’t prepared.  

Sabo wanted to point out they were on break between a photoshoot and all three had turn heads down the street but he chooses not to. Despite the fact, Law is a professional model the Alpha still had trouble coming to terms with people thinking him attractive. 

Bullying tended to leave some scars after all.

“Which one is he?” Sabo asks attempting to crane his neck over Koala’s shoulder without making it obvious. She also turns around but unlike Sabo, she doesn’t let her eyes linger before returning her gaze to the fluster Alpha on the blond’s right side.

 Law jabs an elbow into his rib. “Stop it. He’s going to see us! And who do you think I’m talking about when I saw Strawhat-ya in a group of guys with only one of them wearing a straw hat?”

“Sheesh, no need to be mean about it I just-”

“Traffy?” The straw hat-wearing young man says across the cafe. He seems to have barely noticed them but the way his face brights up it seems as if though his favorite holiday came early. Sabo can see the appeal, the kid is as cute as a button.

Not his type, but adorable none the less as the guy practically skips over. He seems to be unaware or uncaring of the stares he’s receiving from the other customers and Sabo likes him that much more.

Behind him, a group of four males follows, all seeming used to their friend running off mid-conversation. 

“Hello, Strawhat-ya.” Law says, cooly. Koala’s pleasant smile she uses on strangers twitch and Sabo tries not to sigh out loud. To any who didn’t know him, Law came off as snobbish and standoff-ish, whenever he became nervous his face twisted to lock down any emotion. 

Right now, with his face perfectly blank, he was probably terrified with nerves. Luckily “Strawhat” took it in stride.  “I didn’t know you liked this place!”

“I visit it on my breaks some times.” Law gestures to the other two people on the table making the big round eyes take them in for the first time.  “By the way, this is Sabo and Koala.”

“Hello.” 

“How do you do?”

Strawhat stares at them with such an intense expression for a few seconds Sabo’s almost sure he’s sizing them up for a fight before it clears away and he happily gestures to his own group. For half a second the blond wonders if he imagined that. “This is Zoro, Ussop, Marco and Ace. Guys this is Traffy.”

Sabo turns his polite smile onto the group, following the hand that points each male out and almost swallows his tongue on the last two. Wow. Now there was certainly his type.

Koala kicks him which alerts Sabo he may have been staring a little too much. Thank the Sea the table cloth is long enough to hide her action otherwise he would have ended up looking like a bigger full.  

Unknown to him, the two males had noticed his stare and had shared a glance with knowing smiles. Koala is quick to invite the group to join them which they all agree to after pushing the tables together.

Strawhat ends up sitting to a very tense Law, and Sabo is somehow moved to sit next to Marco as a result. 

“Luffy tells us you're a model.” Ace starts with a polite smile. 

“I am,” Law says in a cutting tone. Sabo almost winces. 

Not seeming to mind the raven hair grins. “I’m a fashion designer myself. Marco and Luffy are too.”

“That’s nice.”  

There is a short pause where Sabo is trying to think of something, anything, to say when Marco suddenly lends into his side and whisper in his ear. “I don’t mean to be rude but your Scent Suppresser ran out.”

Sabo wonders if he was expecting him to blush or turn wide eyes at him. Some Omegas got embarrassed when that happened but really it was the same as seeing a girl’s bra straps. It didn’t matter. 

“So?” He asks with a raised brow. 

Much to his surprised delight, the other man found this answer amusing. “So nothing I suppose yoi.”

Ace who is sitting on Marco’s other side grins over the taller blond shoulder at Sabo.  “Oh, I like you. I’m an Alpha myself, so is Marco here. We sometimes ditch the suppressers too”

Sabo feels a thrill from the top of his head to the bottom of his toes. He takes another bite of his muffin eyeing the pair that seem to be having a conversation with nothing but gestures and glances. 

Not willing to get his hopes up but liking the possibility he grins. “Then I think we get along just fine gentlemen.”

Meanwhile, Koala, Zoro, and Ussop all gave each other uncomfortable looks seeing as they felt like the rest of the table were in their own little world. 

“So er, you guys like spicy food?” Koala asks as Luffy made gooey eyes at the stone-version of Law and Sabo shamelessly flirted with Ace and Marco.

[marcoacesabo]

That’s Plagiarism!

It started off innocently enough. Small little stories appearing in the newspaper every few months or so. Sabo would marvel at how similar they were to his own stories sitting in his journal but they weren’t exactly word by word. 

It was the idea mostly, and he did really enjoy the story, though it kinda sounded like it was written by a child sometimes. Heaven knows how they got past the editor’s desk but they had interesting plots and were worth finishing.

Then one day a new little dabble appears that had him standing up with a shout of rage as soon as he finished the first paragraph. 

“That bastard!”  Crumbling the newspaper he starts to pace, angrily mumbling under his breath more curses upon the author's life. 

Koala looks up from where she was going over some reports from their spies. “What is it, Sabo?”

“This!” He throws the papers on her desk continuing to pace. Without them in his hand, he had no choice but grab onto his coat and wrinkle it about. Another thing that thief is to blame for. Now he has to iron.  “Can you believe it!?”

“Ugh...A love story?” Koala doesn’t sound as offended on his behalf as she should be.  He whirls around, slamming both his hands on her desk and a craze look in his eye. She jerks back surprise but not threaten. 

“My love story!”  

“What?”

Sabo angerly jerks his wrist in the general direction of the crumbled papers as his brain shifts and rolls uncomfortably but he ignores it in favor of being self-righteously vengeful.  “That’s my story! I wrote it!”

“You did? When?”

“I..”  There is a sharp pain now in his skull when he tries to think of the answer. He doesn’t know. He can’t remember.  Closing his eyes, he reaches up to put pressure on where it hurts as it starts to get too much.

 Attempting to ease the pain he groans. Koala’s chair searches against the floor before her dainty hands are on his pounding head. 

“Sabo are you okay? Sabo?” 

He shakes his head because it’s getting hard to think but he knows that story. He wrote it! He knows he did...it was an about a Nobel boy falling for the Sea’s child...running away togther...it was based off someone...who? Who did Sabo write that for?

“Sabo? Can you hear me? You need to calm down. Breath with me. Sabo?”  

Shaking his head, the pounding got heavier and he stumbles to keep himself upright when his knees start to shake. It’s only then that he’s aware of his irregular breathing and the cotton stuffed into this mouth. 

“Sabo, honey, listen to me. Stay grounded. I know what your experiencing is scary but it’s not dangerous. You’re going to be okay. Breath with me” Koala tells him but she sounds so far away even though she is standing right next to him. Her warm hand in his palm leads him to his discarded chair.

She helps to lower him down, and yet he can’t get his breathing under control. It’s too much. It’s all too much!

“My story...mine...mine...” He can barely breathe but somehow the words get past his lips as he shapes and colors start to blend together around him. Sabo doesn’t know what’s happening but the pain is starting to increase.

Koala shushes him, her warm hand rubbing circles into his back.  “It’s okay. Just focus on staying grounded. count with me okay? one...two...three...four..”

It takes a while but eventually he is able to count along with her and his breath comes under control once more. It’s when he is able to get control of his limbs that he realizes he just had an anxiety attack. 

“Are you feeling better now?” Koala asks still holding his hands but looking into his eyes without a trace of pity. The only thing swimming in her gaze is worry and he is more than ever grateful for her friendship.

“Yeah...yeah, I think so.”

“What happened?” 

“I..ugh...I don’t know” He admits running a shaky hand through his long hair, “I think...I think it had something to do with my past.”

“Did you remember anything?” She is gentle in her tone. Sabo shakes his head then pauses as he something does emerge.

“I remember writing..in a tree house I think? Little stories.” He takes a big breath  “I was really proud of them but I didn’t want...someone to find them. I don’t remember who.”

He falls silent and it’s not until Koala squeezes his fingers that he snaps out of his thoughts. He’s not sure where all this is coming from but suddenly he has the biggest urge to protect those childish writings he did.  

“I want to hunt down the author,” Sabo says, jaw clenches tight as the feeling violation sits into his chest. “And I’m going to punch them in the face for plagiarising my work. I’m going to break their nose.”

It takes him weeks to get a lead. Dragon wasn’t all that happy about Sabo asking for days off to deal with a personal matter but when he had nearly three other anxiety attacks it was decided by the medical staff of the Revolutionary Army that he needed this time. 

With his leader’s blessing, he packed a small boat and head off, to the nearest newspaper office. Someone had to know where the stories were coming from and he was determined to find the trail left behind. 

The first place was a bust- though he did get some juicy information that made Dragon very happy once he reported it back- he was able to get an idea of where to go next.

Traveling to the New World was a slight inconvenience. Yet he was able to corner the editor who was in charge of the paper publishing his work. He didn’t even have to threaten him. 

Instead, all Sabo had to do was walk in with his best-kicked puppy look asking about the one stealing his work. Stating the pain of having it all stolen after the hours of working on it as a kid.

As a fellow writer, the editor had eaten his story up. It may have helped that Sabo knew the next chapter storyline before they had a chance to publish it. Sadly the man himself did not know who the person was, only knowing it was coming from an island near the southwest part of the new world.

He gave him the Island name and the address. With that he bid the man goodbye, stealing the list of revolutionary army members that an anonymous tipper drop off on his way out.  

Hey, he’s a spy first and for more, who wouldn’t expect him to go through all the letters and documents the night before he spoke to the editor? He calls Dragon about the leak in their network as he sails burning the paper to a crisp. 

“What did you say the island’s name was?” Dragon gruff voice makes the snail look even more disturbing with the bloodthirsty smile the man wears. Sometimes Sabo wants to tell his boss to not smile but knows better of it.

“Mist Meadow, sir”

“Hn” Over the years Sabo has gotten good at translating Dragon’s grunts. This one meant not expecting that, but it would make sense when one stops to think about it. 

“Sir?”

“That island is under an emperor's territory.”

“Who?”

“Whitebeard”

Well, things just got a little more complicating.  “I’m still going. I need to.”

“Why?”

“Plagiarism!”

There is a slight pause. Sabo watches the den den mushi’s face for any hints of what he is thinking but it gives nothing away like Dragon does. Then a quick “Be careful. You mean a lot to me”

 Warmth fills his chest. Sabo knows some people think Dragon is cold and standoffish but the man never fails to let his subordinates know how important they are. Whether it’s from congratulating them on a job well done or simply telling affection starved people like Sabo that they matter, the comments came freely from him.  “Of course Sir.” 

One last disturbing smile- the poor man just has that kind of face, not his fault really- before the line disconnects. 

Sabo leans back in his boat, mind whirling.  “Whitebeard huh? I’ll need to be careful when I arrive. But at least the man himself won’t be there.” 

Whitebeard was in fact there. 

Sabo curses his luck as he hunches his shoulders trying his best to not stand out in the cheering crowd. The Whitebeard parade down the street waving at the island people like they are on a celebrity runway. They anchored about ten minutes ago and the excitement still hasn’t died down. 

He kinda wants to leave but it would make him stand out for breaking from the crowd. 

Suddenly the ladies and a good portion of the men start to lose their mind with screams, shocking Sabo enough that he actually almost lets them trample him. Luckily he is able to dodge them at the last second, though it’s like being a rock in the middle of a river as they all rush forward to the metal fence hand outstretched for a waving man.

Sabo scoffs as the guy tilts his orange cowboy hat at a lady down front and she actually swoons enough that she almost falls.  What is this? Some kind of-

His back snaps into a solid rod when another man walks up to cowboy hat, holding a very familiar book.  Sabo forgets his place, pushing through the crowd of adoring fans, eyes on the two men who are flipping through his childhood journal.

There is too much noise to be able to hear them but he can read lips decently enough. The taller one is saying something along the lines of sending the next chapter to the press and Cowboy is flashing a smile so deadly that three people pass out. 

Sabo is not impressed at all. He makes it the fence and screams with all his strength, toping the other voices when he adds a bit of haki.  “Hey, asshole that’s called plagiarism!”

The two men whip around to look at them and Sabo almost dies. Okay wow. He can see why Cowboy has so many fans. Danm those freckles? Deadly. those ads. Deadlier. 

Cowboy blinks at him, turning to look at his companion and- oh that’s not just not fair. He’s hot too. What? Did Whitebeard make it a requirement to be unfairly attractive when it came to recruiting? 

Sabo punts his mind out of the gutter to focus on the fact his writing was stolen.  He points an accusing a finger at Cowboy allowing words to fall out of his mouth without much thought. Somehow it’s like the words are a habit  “You know you aren’t supposed to read that! The Forest Curse on you! Curse!”

Cowboy pales and steps back making everyone snap to attention finally taking notice of the disturbance of the parade. The pounding headache returns when he gets an answer he wasn’t really expecting.  “The Forest Curse isn’t a joke! I’m not Luffy!”

“You’re going to die alone!” He shouts back for a reason he can’t explain and then-

Then Cowboy is throwing himself forward with a shout. Kissing his cheeks and squeezing him just a tad bit too tight in a hug “Sabo! If I knew that you are petty enough to come back from the dead over your work I would have it publish sooner!”

[marcoacesabo]

Hey can I get a little sabo hurt/comfort pls? If you aren't too busy ♥️

Sabo paces in front of the door. The ship is silent, and dark everyone else who wasn’t on watch already asleep. He hadn’t come across anyone as he walked from his room but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t embarrassed.

When Marco said to come to him if he needed anything the blond doesn’t think he meant this but...

But Sabo hasn’t been able to sleep well for the past few days and he was so scared to be alone right now.  He was close to a panic attack and it took everything in him to get up from his bed to walk down the hallway. 

He grips his hands together, that tight bundle of nervous twists in his stomach, not disappearing no matter he wishes it did. He takes some shaking breaths, closing his eyes willing himself to calm.

It’s okay.  He tells himself It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe. Marco won’t get mad just knock.

It takes him longer then it should but eventually he reaches, knocking softly. It’s almost too soft but he can’t bring himself to be louder. Instead, he just waits there in the dark hoping that Marco heard. 

The door opens a tired eye Ace staring back at him.  “Sabo?”

The blond swallows  “Oh sorry. I thought this was Marco’s room. I didn’t mean-”

“This is Marco’s room.” He yawns a bit, while Sabo slowly edges away, shaking slightly in place. The raven hair man squits at him “Are you okay?”

“Me? Yeah. I’m just tired. It’s is pretty late. I should go and rest.”

“Didn’t you want to talk to Marco?”

“ Ugh, I can do that tomorrow” Sabo really doesn’t want to be alone but obviously he shouldn’t intrude on the couple’s alone time- and isn’t that a shocker? When the First and Second commander get together like that?- he tells himself he’ll be fine.

He’ll go back to his guest room on the Moby and he’ll curl up in a ball. He’ll make it through the night. Somehow. Even if everything felt like it was closing in on him like everything was wrong and like he would die at any second.

Oh Sea. Oh Sea. Oh Sea.  He thinks taking some shaking steps away from the door. 

“Sabo?” Ace calls causing him to stop and turn back.  “Want to come in?” 

The second commander steps back opening the door a little wider. The light coming from the room is far more inviting than the darkness of the hallway. The room promises warmth to his cold body.  Sabo is too weak to not go towards it.

“Yes...please...” He whimpers feeling his eyes burn. Blinking rapidly he tries his best to not let himself cry but a few tears roll down his cheeks as he steps into the room.

It’s just like the last time he was there. There are books along the far right. A desk with papers, ink pots, quilts, maps and random nicknacks on the far left. In the middle of those two walls is a large bed where Marco is currently using, sleeping like the dead. 

Already he regrets coming here.

Ace looks at him worriedly, shutting the door gently behind them. “What’s wrong?”

Sabo shrugs laughing nervously  “I don’t...I don’t know. I just had a nightmare and thought...I mean...I’m sorry.” 

Ace nods leading him to the bed. A hand on the small of his back, the warmth from his skin spreading into Sabo. The blond desperately wants to cling to him but this is awkward enough at it is. He’s new to the Whitebeard Ship, running away from his parents just a few months ago and joining the pirate crew as his only means of staying safe.

When Sabo was younger he used to dream of running from the nobles to live in the trash heap but his parents stopped him before he ever got a chance. Over the years, they treated him like a burden, a mistake and Sabo hates to admit that they had messed him up. 

Marco is the one in charge of him, as he was to join the man’s division had been kind and talked him through his first few weeks of freedom. The blond reassured him that his breakdowns were perfectly normal.

It didn’t mean he had to go back.

His body and mind just finally had a safe place to take in all that happened to him and it was coming onto him too strongly. That didn’t mean he had to do it alone.

Not in this family.

But why does he still feel like his just a burden?

“I’m sorry I should-”

“Stay.” Ace finishes he plops Sabo on the bed. He’s next to Marco’s feet and the older pirate mumbles in his sleep shifting around to get comfortable. Ace sits next to him, bringing him into a hug. “Stay. I’m right here.”

Sabo does his best to hold back but he can’t not when the other is so close, not when his nerves are shot and he's’ still shaking.  He starts crying, allowing Ace to hug him and rub circles on his back gently.  “Shhhh. It’s okay. Let it out. Let out.”

Sabo sobs until he falls asleep feeling a bit lighter knowing Ace placed him between the two commoners. He may be a nobleman who can’t fight to save his life but he at least knows he's’ safe. 

The next morning, Ace and Marco help him move in. Until his nightmares let him sleep is the excuse they use. 

[dee-de-winter]

MarcoAce ficlet 52: canon divergence

|| rated T || 597 words || missing scene || established relationship ||

read on AO3

The crackle of fire played a rhythm of its own, loud in the still of the night with the cicadas joining in around them. A song that had to be about warmth and the beauty of life, a song about love he was sure once he looked at Ace observing the flames with some sort of reverence. Marco watched Ace, so lost in thought and soaking in the fire, until something in his chest cracked at the thought of staying away.

Marco approached, quiet enough, but allowing his footsteps to make just enough noise so as not to startle Ace out of thought.

His hands found their way around Ace’s middle, sliding along skin to settle on his abdomen. Almost warmer than the fire itself.

“Getting sentimental on me?” Ace asked, but his hands came up to rest on top of Marco’s without so much as a flash of doubt.

“Could ask you the same thing.”

Ace laughed, tilting his head back to let it rest against Marco’s shoulder. The strands of his hair tickled against Marco’s neck, flicking against skin like they were made of the same fire as their bonfire. Ace breathed with the flames, his chest rising and falling to the tune of the blaze before him, completing the song he’d already been enjoying.

With a mind of their own, Marco’s hips started to sway. Just a gentle motion to the tune of a grand melody only he could hear.

Perhaps Ace could hear it too, Marco thought, once he joined into the beat without question.

“I think that’s my answer,” Ace said as they swayed, the smile clear in his voice.

Without breaking the beat, Ace turned in Marco’s arms until they were chest to chest, slotting together like two puzzle pieces falling into place. Hands as warm as the embers of a comforting fire slid up Marco’s shoulders, continuing along his neck until they cupped his face with the tenderness Ace’s fire only had for him. The look on his face matched the gentle touch of his hands; a smile that would have been unimaginable only months before, now settled comfortably on his lips.

“Going soft with old age, are you?” he asked, chasing the words with his lips.

A kiss to distract from an answer to his tease.

“Only for you, love,” Marco said anyway, only adding fuel to the fire of Ace’s amusement.

Another kiss, just for the hell of it.

Marco held him closer, still following the melody while Ace followed. Not much of a dance, all things considered, but Marco swayed nonetheless in that moment where nothing else existed save for the fire. His forehead pressed against Ace’s, just close enough to let them breathe the same air, almost as hot as the flames just behind Ace’s back.

“We should leave, dear,” Ace whispered and Marco remembered why they were there in the first place.

The ground beneath them quaked with the footfalls of thousands of marines approaching their burning base, ruining their melody until it fizzled out.

“We should,” Marco said, but did nothing to do good on his words for another beat just to pull Ace closer.

“Should do this again though,” Ace said, just loud enough to be heard over the angry shouts just on the other side of the fire, over the loud orders for water, and the desperate pleas to search for survivors.

Marco finally stepped away, toeing a fine line of being found by the enemy, but his hand still caught onto Ace’s to pull him along to shore and towards home.

[dee-de-winter]

MarcoAce ficlet 50: Secret Agents AU

|| rated T || 567 words || secret agents AU || established relationship ||

read on AO3

“Why do I have to be the one to do this again?” Marco asked, not for the first time, while Ace finished up with the hair.

A mohawk wouldn’t have been his first choice for anything, but he rarely chose the missions himself these days.

“You’re more likely to pass as someone reminiscing about their bygone punk days,” Ace said in a voice so serious it had to have been fake through and through.

“You could just as well pass for a punk trying to stick it to the man by wearing anarchy patches on his expensive Converse All Stars,” Marco countered, only a little bit snidely. “That your mom bought for you.”

“Leave mom out of this because she knows too much.”

Marco laughed at that just a little, having seen some of the photos Rouge keeps of Ace from his youth, but given the state of his hair and the numerous holes in what used to be a decent pair of jeans, he was sure the snark was well warranted and more than justified. Or at least he liked to think that while Ace packed a whole second hairspray into a mohawk that was surely going to last a week.

The only joy Marco could find in this was the fact Ace would have to share a pillow with the mohawk for a while too. Evidently, Ace hadn’t thought that far ahead and Marco was ready to use it.

“The old man gave me point on this one, so I decide who does what,” Ace reasoned, or at least attempted to over the hissing sound of the hairspray. “And I decided I’m doing backup and recon this time.”

Marco rolled his eyes, careful not to move anything else lest he disturb the construction on his head.

“You never choose to sit in the van,” Marco said. “This is payback for the thing in Ohio, isn’t it?”

He may have posed it as a question, but it hardly was one; their missions rarely went off without a hitch and each one ended in retaliation. Marco supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised about this one starting with revenge for past sins. Despite the Ohio thing not actually being his fault.

“I would never do that,” Ace replied anyway, far too quick for it to be spontaneous. Or true.

“Love, you need to stop messing with my hair for revenge,” Marco said with a sigh once the hairspray stopped.

Ace laughed somewhere above the brand new mohawk he owned; a softer sound this time, something real Marco could recognize anytime.

“You have gorgeous hair and nothing I do will ruin it,” Ace said, finding the time to manoeuver around the hair to press his lips to the side of Marco’s face. “I’d never jeopardize that mane.”

It was Marco’s turn to laugh, slow and genuine, almost forgetting about the abomination on his head.

“The stress of these elaborate schemes will make it all fall off, love,” Marco told him. “It’ll be on your conscience.”

Ace leaned in for another kiss. “Guess I’ll have to risk it.”

Marco snorted, but before he could say anything snide again, Ace interrupted.

“Save the sweet talk for later, we have to go,” he said in his senior field agent voice that allowed no argument.

So Marco didn’t argue. Didn’t take a look at the mirror either, preferring not to know just yet.

[dee-de-winter]

strawberries, cherries, and an angel's kiss in spring

Part 7 of till we got nothing to lose series

|| OP || marcoace || 2076 words || established relationship || AU || rated T ||

Read on AO3

"Asking a customer out would be very unprofessional of me," Ace said. That was the truth so there was no reason for Nami to suspect anything, and yet.

"You're hiding something," she said, her eyes narrow and suspicious. "Already asked him out?"

The snort left him completely unbidden.