Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Running Up That Hill
By : yinneko23
Category: +M to R > One Piece
Views: 11948 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or make any money from this fic.
Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Half an hour later, the trees began to thin. They emerged into a clearing on what Ace assumed was the other side of the island - he hadn�t been paying much attention to their arrival, but his initial impression of the place was that it was one of the smaller New World islands. Ace promptly stopped wondering about sizes and pretty much everything else too when they climbed over a small rise and a quaint wooden building came into view.
Ace felt the stirrings of a vague memory, one stretching all the way back to East Blue and a time when he was new to the deep waters; a building similar in design, set on the outskirts of what he could only describe as a tourist dependent town. He�d spent three days there without being aware of passing time, the warmth and smells and food luring him into a state of constant half-sleep - he�d left relaxed, truly relaxed, for the first time since telling Luffy goodbye.
�Please please tell me that�s what I think it is.�
Marco smirked, a satisfied quirk of lips and a slight narrowing of the eyes. �That�s exactly what you think it is.�
Ace hardly cared what Marco made of him then, tearing towards the hot springs with a loud whoop and his arms swinging wildly in childish abandon. He thundered up polished stone steps and through the sliding door, badly starting two women chatting behind the front desk with his sudden appearance. They stared at Ace, one girl�s hands fluttering about her face in shock, until Marco stepped in behind him, entrance downright regal in comparison.
�Oh,� the second, aging woman sighed in relief, �Marco-chan. Welcome back.�
Ace glanced between Marco and the woman - the owner, if her fine silk kimono was anything to go by - with curiosity. The phoenix must have visited often to be greeted in such a way, considering he was a pirate from the world�s most infamous crew.
�It�s been too long, Kimiko-san,� Marco said, holding out a hand as she approached. Kimiko took it in both of her own and squeezed, a gesture so familiar Ace couldn�t help but wonder exactly how long Marco�s been coming here�and whether or not it was as Whitebeard�s first division commander. �And I apologize if this brat frightened you, yoi. He�s easily excited.�
�Don�t worry yourself about that.� With laugh lines carved deep by age and the gentlest eyes he�s ever seen, Kimiko felt like an old friend�s grandmother; when she smiled at him Ace could only grin back, sheepish and contrite.
�I must apologize, ma�am.� He bowed so low his hat nearly slipped off. �Sorry for the intrusion.�
Kimiko clapped her hands in glee and cooed something complimentary about his manners while the younger woman, still hovering behind the desk, peered at Ace with new interest. Yet it was Marco�s expression Ace delighted in - the man�s brow was lightly furrowed in confusion, but Ace knew that beneath his nearly impassive features Marco was utterly baffled. There�d been neither occasion nor desire to show off the politeness Makino had drilled into him onboard the Moby Dick.
Honestly, Ace just wanted Marco to stop thinking of him as a brat. If his reasons had less to do with putting an end to Marco�s teasing and more with making Marco possibly consider engaging in acts one would most certainly not try with a kid, well. He couldn�t be blamed.
�Let me show you to your room.� Kimiko led them down a curving hall lined with painted walls. A particular section of panels was swallowed by a massive bird of blue and gold flame, and Ace paused to trace a finger around the shape of it, gaze drawn to Marco as the man spoke quietly to Kimiko. They stopped at the next door down. With a last nod to the owner, Marco toed off his sandals and disappeared inside.
When Kimiko shuffled past, Ace asked, �Is this newer than the other murals? They�re faded, but this one is still so vivid.�
�Most of the artwork hasn�t been touched since this place was built over a century ago,� Kimiko said, gesturing at the opposite wall, adorned with a prancing fox. �But the phoenix was added only ten years back, when Marco-chan protected the hot springs from invading pirates.�
�You saw it? You saw Marco�s phoenix form?� Ace turned to the painting, absolutely fascinated. �This is what he looks like?�
The old lady cocked her head. �It is indeed. You haven�t seen him for yourself?�
�Not yet,� Ace muttered.
�Then I�m sure you will someday soon, because Marco-chan must be very fond of you.� Kimiko patted his shoulder comfortingly. �He�s never brought anyone here before.�
Ace perked up at that. �Really?�
�Really,� Kimiko agreed. A shrill voice called for her, and she gifted Ace with another smile as she left. �Take care, Ace-chan.�
�You too, obaa-chan.�
The door Marco had used earlier was cracked open, and Ace stuck his head through the gap to take a look around. In the tatami-floored room were two folded futons, a chabudai, and, most importantly, a back door from which Ace could hear the sound of running water.
Since there was no Marco in sight, Ace left his own shoes at the door stepped out onto a porch, the smooth wooden boards nearly frictionless under his feet. Marco�s clothes lay neatly folded on the floor, and the man himself slumped loose-limbed against the rocky side of the hot springs. Gently steaming water lapped at his chest. Wet tendrils of blond hair curled around his ears. With Marco�s eyes closed, Ace took his time appreciating the view - it wasn�t right that, while the older pirate�s shirt hid nothing, seeing him without it still felt like a rare pleasure.
Having looked his fill, Ace stripped off his clothes and scrubbed clean beneath the small spout set off to the side, a sign requesting customers kindly keep their dirt out of the springs nailed next to it. He turned to find Marco watching him, eyebrows raised.
�Having fun, yoi?�
�Not yet,� Ace said, flicking the last few soap bubbles from his arm. He entertained the idea of cannon-balling into the spring but thought better of it when Marco glared as if he could read Ace�s mind.
�Don�t you dare,� he growled, prowling toward Ace, seemingly intent on wrestling him to the ground to halt any mischief in its tracks. While dragging Marco into a naked tussle could be potentially hilarious, Ace decided it was a bit too risky, considering, and put his hands up in surrender, sliding into the spring without so much as a splash.
Heat caressed his skin, and Ace groaned in approval as four months of tension melted away all at once, leaving him pleasantly fuzzy. In a haze of relaxation, the filter between his brain and mouth crumbled to pieces as it had that nicotine stained morning weeks ago, and he asked, �How long have you been with the old man?�
Marco hummed in surprised, but seemed pleased to have Ace asking questions about Whitebeard with no ill intention. �Since before you were born, yoi.�
��How old are you?�
�Brat.� Marco smirked, making it clear he wouldn�t be answering that particular question anytime soon.
Ace stuck his out his tongue in response. �Geezer.�
Marco chuckled, and a companionable silence settled over them. Ace gathered the strength to flop down beside his friend - there was no point in pretending Marco was anything else, Thatch a close second - and found a comfortable groove in the rocks shaped as if made to cradle his back. Lethargy licked at the edges of his consciousness. With Marco warm at his side, their bodies pressed together shoulder to foot, Ace welcomed his narcolepsy - for perhaps the first time - and let his head loll into the curve of Marco�s throat.
When he woke, Ace was sprawled across the rocks, a towel draped over his hips and his skin dry from the sun now sinking below the horizon. He admired the delicate hues of pink and orange shading the sky until his stomach gave a rather obnoxious rumble.
�Finally awake?�
Marco sat on the porch, a crinkled newspaper spread open on his lap. He�d changed into a loose blue kimono, silhouettes of birds in flight painstakingly stitched across the expanse of cotton in gold thread . Ace had a gibbering moment where Marco�s bare knee, peeking between thick folds of fabric, was the most amazing thing he�d ever seen. He swore then and there to thank Kimiko for what must have been her personal handiwork. It suited Marco far too well to be anything but.
�I had to drag you out of the water or you�d have drowned, yoi.� Marco held up a wad of black. �There�s food on the table, and Kimiko-san asked me to pass this on to you.�
Ace rose slowly - his limbs were still sluggish from the potent combo of hot water and a nap in the sun - and took the kimono as he passed into their room. At first glance he�d thought it was just a plain kimono Kimiko had dug out for him, but as he unfolded it a white pattern stood out against the black. And what a pattern it was.
Though hardly strange for the kind old woman to assume he was part of Whitebeard�s crew, Ace scowled on principle before pulling it on. Today had been good, really good. He wouldn�t ruin it by fussing about something as petty as wearing Whitebeard�s mark for one night.
The food set out was hot and fragrant and exotic, traditional dishes of the island, he guessed. Delicious as it was, he scarfed it in a rush - managing, somehow, to stop from planting his face in a bowl of rice - to join Marco outside. Now that he was paying attention, Ace noticed Marco�s kimono also bore the mark.
The older pirate watched with heavy lidded eyes as Ace took a seat beside him. He was quite for long minute, and then his lips pulled back in a smugly satisfied grin.
�Tea?� he asked.
As the sky gradually darkened, Marco shared stories of his time with Whitebeard, the battles and drunken escapades and the warmth of gaining new brothers, new family.
�- of course Pops wasn�t happy to wake up with an unexpected beard. Thatch and Haruta were on bathroom duty for six months, yoi.�
Ace howled, clutching spasmodically at Marco�s sleeve with shaky fingers. �I can�t believe they painted the old man�s face! In rainbow.�
�Quite the troublemakers, those two. I expect you�ll be recruited for their next stunt.�
Sides aching from an overdose of laughter, Ace collapsed onto his stomach and pillowed his head on his arms. He was growing sleepy again, the food in his stomach taking it�s toll. But there was one thing Ace felt he needed to ask.
Before he got any more comfortable.
�Is it nice, having a father? Are you happy?�
��Brat.�
He�d take that as a yes.

-
Ace watches Zoro watching him with steadily increasing humor. It�s clear that despite, or perhaps because of, the night they�d spent conked out together in the crow�s nest, the swordsman is still wary of being attacked by �big brother�.
He has to wonder what Zoro makes of it, of Ace as both brother and lover. Though he and Luffy are related by bonds rather than blood, he�s certain Zoro has no idea; Ace and Luffy look enough alike to pass as blood-siblings, and Luffy isn�t one to talk about her past without prompting.
None of the crew showed signs of having heard of him before, even in passing, and that�s pretty much what Ace was expecting. He resisted speaking of his past by choice, but Luffy was simply all about the present moment. Anything not screaming madly in her face was set aside. Not forgotten, per say, but unimportant unless it actively involved in her current adventure.
Still, he�s got to give Zoro props for not acting in the least bit put off by the thought of he and Luffy being intimate. Either the swordsman was a stern believer in the pirate lifestyle - do what you like and damn the consequences - or just that unflappable. From looking at him, Ace would take a wild guess and say both.
The campfire dances high and hot between them, maintained by judicious applications of Ace�s ability. He sees the light reflected in Zoro�s eyes as the man continues staring, unapologetic and unafraid of getting caught; he doesn�t look away even when Ace makes it very clear he�s staring back.
The guy has fucking huge balls. Ace likes him already.
�Nah nah, Zoro-chan,� he says, patting the sand next to him, �Let�s have a friendly chat, shall we? Come sit.�
To Ace�s delight, Zoro comes and sits without needing to be provoked. He tosses an arm around the swordsman�s shoulders to pull him closer and whispers, �Will it put you at ease if I get the threats of bodily harm out of the way?�
Zoro frowns, trying to decide if he�s being made fun of, but nods nevertheless.
�Roronoa Zoro, if you hurt Luffy I hereby swear to lovingly break every bone in your body, roast you alive, and then leave whatever�s left of you in the hands of our old man.� In the dim light of the fire, Zoro has gone sickly pale. �Well, just promise me you won�t die on her and we�ll be square. Why don�t we put this behind us and be friends? We�ve already got something in common.� Ace gestures at Luffy, who�s engaged in a game of tag with Usopp and Chopper.
After a brief hesitation, Zoro nods a second time. He turns to watch Luffy scurrying through shadows and says, �Growing up with her must�ve been hell.�
�Oh, mister, you have no idea. Be thankful you weren�t there when she hit puberty! So much blood in awkward places��
Zoro�s face goes the approximate color of a ghost, but he surprises Ace by darting a quick, furtive glance around camp and asking, voice low and maybe a little frightened, �Are those the days Luffy gets pissed easily and refuses to eat anything but salad? If there aren�t any enemies around to beat up, she takes it out on me.�
�Painful, isn�t it? And just think, you have this to look forward to every month for the rest of your life!� Ace is terrified of Luffy�s abrupt 180 in personality during that and is quite pleased to shove it on someone else. Luckily, Zoro�s tough enough to handle it.
Zoro groans, rubs at his eyes in frustration but doesn�t deny it and Ace feels the worry he�s carried with him since leaving Dawn Island loosen its hold on his heart - Luffy can be impossible to deal with, and knowing there�s someone willing to try anyway is more than Ace hoped for.
�It�s good Luffy met you,� he says. And yeah, neither of them need his approval - if Luffy wants to fall in love, there�s fuck all he can do to stop her - but Zoro smiles, a tiny twitch of the mouth; holds out his hand, and Ace knows the swordsman is glad to have it. He takes the proffered hand and shakes it firmly.
A sharp clap interrupts the moment. Nami stands in the pool of flickering light thrown by the fire, glaring at them all to get their attention. �We need to pitch our tents.�
Luffy whoops and dives for the packs. Zoro and Ace share a grimace at the disaster Luffy interacting with canvas will become and get up to help.
Later, while Zoro mocks Ace for tripping over a pole in the semi-dark, they miss Luffy�s quiet laugh of content.
-

Ace slouched his way across the deck of the Moby Dick, rubbing his itching eyes and muttering unpleasantly under his breath. Marco�d left on business yesterday afternoon and failed to return before nightfall, leaving Ace alone in his bed and uncharacteristically sleepless. While Ace hadn�t spent every night with Marco - those first two months he�d avoided sleeping with the man as often as he could - it�d become something of a routine, and he�d never used the bed unless Marco was there too. After all, the bed truly belonged to his friend.
He wondered what Marco would think of Ace drooling on his pillow and twisting his sheets into knots while he was away. Ace was a fidgety sleeper when in bed by himself but slept like the dead when sharing with another person, a habit he�d acquired from Luffy and continued with Marco.
Last night Ace crawled beneath the covers, hoping Marco would come home during the night and be there when he woke. Marco hadn�t shown. Ace slept in fits and starts, restless without the comforting weight of Marco�s arm thrown casually around his waist to pin him in place, body refusing to settle into deeper unconsciousness and instead encouraging him to wait. Wait for Marco, who�d gone god knew where and forgotten to tell Ace when he�d return.
So now he had no choice but to skulk across the ship, searching for a place he could nap in peace and coming up short. There was only one spot he�d not tried yet.
He approached the area swallowed by Whitebeard�s enormous chair and collapsed beside it. The old man wasn�t here, happily sleeping like Ace should be. It was obscenely early, the sun only a slowly spreading splash of orange on the horizon, and Ace sighed, tucking his arms under his cheek and shutting his eyes in defiance of the agitation preventing him from his sorely deserved snooze.
And somehow, for some reason, the long shadow cast by Whitebeard�s seat provided the consolation he�d been seeking. Not two minutes later, the steady sound of his snores were there to greet the rising sun.
He woke to the sensation of being smothered by something large and soft and warm - all in all, not the most reassuring feeling to find oneself experiencing while still dizzy from being pulled abruptly to awareness. Dim light filtered through whatever it was covering his body. A brief session of curious prodding revealed it to be heavy material, and Ace wormed his way across the floor, lazily attempting to locate the edge of the massive blanket he�d been covered with.
Upon finding it, Ace warily inched his head outside, blinking as bright light assaulted his eyes. The sun hung high in the sky. Rumbling laughter from above had Ace craning his neck, only to see Whitebeard smiling at him in delight.
�Right, he�d managed to fall asleep next to the captain�s chair. Ace grinned back sheepishly. On closer inspection, he realized what he�d been using as a makeshift blanket. The flowing white material was a jacket decorated with golden tassels; the sheer size meant it was Whitebeard�s captain coat Ace had draped over his shoulders. The realization only made Ace tug it more tightly around his body as he shifted onto his knees, a spreading sense of easy content stopping him from tossing the coat away.
�How long have I been out?� he asked. His earlier fatigue was a distant memory. Energy hummed through him, and Ace wished there was an enemy to fight. I�d been far too long since his battles consisted of anything but Whitebeard soundly kicking his ass.
�No clue. It�s been six hours since was found you , but we�ve got no idea how long you were out here before that.� Thatch crouched next to Ace, laying one friendly hand on his shoulder and squeezing, obviously entertained by Ace passing out wherever he pleased. �Pops was kind enough to sacrifice his coat so you wouldn�t burn.�
�But I can�t-� burn, he almost said, but Whitebeard knew that. This wasn�t about the sunburn his Devil Fruit naturally kept him from suffering. This was a father showing affection for his child.
Whitebeard reached out to carefully muse Ace�s hair. Ace marveled at it, how a single finger of the old man�s was larger than his head, and giggled at the gentle, ticklish pressure. �We haven�t had much of a chance to talk, son. Tell me how you�re getting along.�
Ace drew a wavering breath. That word - son - still caused a fierce ache in a part of his heart Ace walled off over a decade ago, but it was time to admit that wall had been reduced to rubble since meeting Marco and Thatch and yeah, even the old man. It was time to stop teetering on that precipice of indecision and leap. No looking back.
�I�m fine,� he said, smiling first at Whitebeard, then Thatch. It felt genuine and right and good on his lips. �Just fine.�
His choice was made. But before he took that final step, he wanted to see Marco.
He wanted to see the phoenix.

-
�Tents are so cool!� Luffy says, head poking between the flaps of the tent they�d managed to erect after many an incident - Zoro�s head ached where Luffy�d swung a pole at the rock outcropped they were camping under and missed. �It reminds me of when we lived in our treehouse, Ace.�
He breaks into a huge grin, shoulders shaking as he laughs at some memory. �I wonder if it�ll be as drafty? Not as sturdy, that�s for sure.�
�It was still there when I left.� Luffy crawls out from the tent to hug her brother. He tilts her chin up and kisses her fondly on the forehead, the nose, the mouth.
�Not bad for a trio of kids.�

Trio? Zoro wonders vaguely who the third may be and if another brother will show up out of the blue. Yet the thought feels off; Luffy never mentioned Ace was her brother, but she did mention him, which is more than he could say for this possible second brother. Had something happened to him?
Luffy yawns and scratches her nose, ready to turn in for the night. She tumbles through the tent flaps - Ace ducking in after her - and the swordsman turns back to the fire, intent on making himself comfortable. Two more tents stand close by, taken by the girls and Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper respectively. He has no desire to sleep with the shitty cook, and now that Luffy and Ace have some semblance of privacy, he bets they want a bit of time to themselves. Ace wouldn�t be here much longer. He�s considerate enough to leave them alone.
He�s just gotten settled against a boulder, swords resting in the cradle of his arm, when Luffy appears next to him.
�Whatcha doing, Zoro?�
�Sleeping,� he grunts. �Go away.�
�But why out here and not with me?� Luffy grabs his sleeve and tugs, as if that�s enough to get him up.
He yanks his clothing free, scowling. �I doubt your brother would appreciate it.�
�Ace won�t mind,� Luffy says, confused. �Didn�t we all sleep together in the crow�s nest?�
�That�s different.�
�How?�
Luffy really is an idiot. �He�s going to have sex with you, right?�
�Well, yeah.�
�Then don�t keep the guy waiting.� Zoro is shocked when Luffy grips him beneath the arms and pulls, manhandling Zoro to his feet and shoving him towards the tent. The swordsman barely keeps hold of his katana.
�What are you doing?� he splutters angrily, growing angrier still when he�s pushed inside and sees Ace sitting there, naked from the waist up and grinning in welcome.
�Loosen up a little,� the older pirate says, clapping Zoro on the shoulder. �Think of it sharing! Just, you know, at the same time.�
Zoro stares at him blankly. Even if Ace accepts Luffy sleeping with him, the man can�t want to actually watch it happen in front of him. But Ace is helping Luffy strip off his Alabastan outfit with gusto.
�I won�t touch you unless you ask me to.� Ace wiggles his fingers in Zoro�s face. Instead of being offended, it�s all Zoro can do not to laugh at him. He may have the manners Luffy lacked, but they were both ridiculous and insane.
A soft touch on his cheek has Zoro turning to look at Luffy, who�s smiling at him, eyes bright and eager. Luffy clearly wants this, and as she kisses him Zoro decides it can�t hurt to indulge her just this once.
It�s unnaturally warm in the cramped space. Zoro is happy to shed his clothes, lose himself in supple tan skin and a familiar mouth that tastes of joy, and when he wakes the next morning to Ace snoring away beside him and the sounds of Luffy�s excited desert exploration, he feels fucking fantastic.

Guess it won�t hurt, he thinks, too lazy to move, if big brother visits more often.

-
Marco will be back tonight.

So Whitebeard had said, yet it was nearing midnight and still there was no sign of him. Ace stood propped against the railings, eyes fixed on the sea, straining to spot a boat looming in the black water. It was nearly impossible to see and the tension was giving him a headache, so Ace took a break to watch the stars instead.
The tiny points of lights shone so brilliantly in the middle of the ocean; living in the mountains had not lessened the glare of Goa at night, and their view of the dark sky was murky at best. There was an odd one low in the sky, pulsing blue-gold and widening as if coming closer. Ten minutes later it became clear that the blue light was not a star but an object approaching at speed, burning brighter than even the moon.
If they were in imminent danger, surely the men on watch would sound an alarm, but the object was nearly at the ship and no one seemed bothered. In a swirl of what Ace could now see were flames, it landed not two feet away.
Ace forgot to breathe.
He knew immediately that this was it. This was what Ace had been yearning to see since first learning of Marco�s Devil Fruit: the phoenix, talons scuffing the railing and strange golden tail feathers brushing his hip when Ace stepped closer, flames dazzlingly intense in defiance of the night, elegant neck arching towards him in invitation. Even if Ace hadn�t acquired the abilities of the Mera Mera, even if he was unaware those flames posed no threat, he would have touched anyway. Every elemental instinct he possessed screamed at Ace to toss himself into the enticing warmth of blue and gold.
Ace never denied his instincts.
Marco had meant to allow Ace a chance to stroke his flames and feathers, to get a feel for this part of him Ace had never experienced before. As usual, Ace had to go utterly overboard; unsatisfied with just the delicate throat Marco offered for exploration, he threw himself at the phoenix�s body, shuddering at the feel of being surrounded by the blue flames that enthralled him so. This was Marco finally, finally letting Ace see all of him. This was Marco sharing his last secret.
Ace�s arms clung to the burning bird, hugging with all his strength and silently begging Marco to let him, to just let him have this moment. Everything had fallen into place; he was Whitebeard�s, yes. But he was Marco�s as well.
Something pointed prodded insistently at the base of his skull, and a fraction of sanity returned to Ace. He realized he�d crushed his face to Marco�s feathers, was rubbing his cheek against them and doing his best to soak the fire into his skin. They were pressed so tightly together his chest tickled with every shift of fiery plumage as Marco breathed, the rhythm of inhale-exhale oddly hitched.
Reluctantly, Ace released his friend, a creeping sense of embarrassment heating the tips of his ears. But after ending the battle he�d been fighting with his pride and distrust for so long, witnessing the phoenix was a bit too much for his unraveled heart to take. If Marco hadn�t suspected Ace wanted him before, he certainly knew now.
�Sorry,� he muttered, and smoldering ringed eyes held his own as Marco shifted to human form but for the wing on which Ace had kept un unconscious grip. The man wasn�t frowning or scowling or broadcasting any hint he was angry. Instead, he looked at Ace with an expression one might describe as awe.
�Something�s different, yoi. Something about you has changed.� Marco cupped Ace�s cheek, sweeping the rough pad of his thumb over the high bone in a gesture dangerously close to a caress. For the second time in three minutes, all the air was stolen from Ace�s lungs. �What happened?�

I�m going to join the crew is what he meant to say, but it came out as, �I couldn�t sleep while you were gone. It was so empty, your bed-� Ace choked on the words, not sure how to continue or if he even wanted to. Any second now, Marco would call him a brat, maybe cuff him around the head and tell him to find another place to sleep tonight. But with his head such a mess of emotions, he didn�t know if he could bear being turned away.
Marco pried his wing free of Ace�s grasp and lifted it so he could grasp Ace�s face with both hands. His eyes were searching, sharp and serious. Ace stilled beneath that weighted stare and hoped.
�Hn. Seems like my brat finally grew up.�
And then Marco kissed him.
Frozen by disbelief, Ace did not immediately respond. Marco seemed to expect this, nipping softly at his lips and flicking his tongue out to taste, patiently coaxing Ace to kiss back, keeping it chaste until Ace got with the program and threw his arms around Marco�s neck, fisting his shirt to yank him closer. The older man nudged Ace�s legs apart, stepping between them to bring their bodies flush, bare chests brushing and setting each and every one of Ace�s nerves alight.
�Marco,� Ace moaned as their mouths separated. He tugged at blond hair, trying to kiss Marco again, but the phoenix clapped a hand over his mouth to shush him.
�My bed won�t be quite so lonely now, yoi.� Ace was surprised to see pink coloring his cheeks. �And this is no place for the things I have planned.�
His gruff tone left Ace shuddering and doing his best to stand on legs shaky with desire. They made it to Marco�s room, but not without Ace sporting a new hickey and finger-shaped bruises on his bicep. He�d lost his belt along the way. Marco�s shirt had disappeared and Ace couldn�t resist tracing his tattoo, accidentally catching a nipple with his thumb and repeating the motion on purpose when Marco hissed between clenched teeth and shoved Ace against the nearest wall, pinning Ace�s arms to his sides and desperately wrestling for his nonexistent control.
And Marco had been right; the bed was far from empty with Marco laid flat upon it and Ace straddling him, keening as Marco scratched blunt nails over his back, marking him. Claiming him inside and out.
Every member of Whitebeard�s family bore his symbol in permanent ink. As the welts from Marco�s nails stung, as he bent Ace on all fours and sucked aching bites onto his sweat slick skin, Ace knew where he would take his.

-
�Are you really leaving, Ace?�
�Yeah,� he says, smiling down at the little reindeer. �Blackbeard isn�t in Alabasta, so there�s no point in me staying.�
�Ace wants to hurry home, right? There�s someone waiting for you.� Luffy is grinning in spite of her brother�s imminent departure, Zoro is surprised to see. Considering how often she�d asked Ace to join the crew he�d expected her to try and make him stay. Yet Luffy seems to understand all the reasons why he won�t - by the sound of it, she isn�t his only bed partner - and is willing to let him go without a fight.
Ace tips his hat low, throwing his face into shadows deepened by the bloody light of the setting sun. �Ah. Just gotta hurry up and finish that bastard.� He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a sheet of paper, tossing it to Luffy. �This will ensure we meet again. Want it?�
�I do, I do!� Luffy unfolds it, curiously turning it over in her hands. She pout when she realizes it�s blank, like maybe she�d expected to find miracle directions that would point her toward Ace at all time.
�Then we�ll see each other again at the Pirate�s Summit. I�ll be waiting, Luffy.� With a final cheerful wave and a blast of fire, Ace disappears.
He�s gone, just like that.
They need to move on and find a place to camp for the night. As the others scramble to gather their packs, Zoro watches Luffy lift her eyes to the burning sky, hoping for a last glimpse of her brother. Luffy may not have demanded he stay, but she�ll miss him, is likely missing him already. Hell, even Zoro�s sad to see him go. Ace was a live son of a bitch.
�Hey,� he says, offering Luffy his back. �Get on. I�ll carry you for awhile.�
�Awesome! Zoro piggyback!� She leaps at him, knocking the breath out of him in her enthusiasm. Christ, Luffy has far too much energy.
Cupping Luffy�s ass to more easily take her weight, Zoro starts walking. Their nakama will catch up eventually, and he�s feeling greedy, wants a moment with Luffy to himself after days of sharing her attention and affection. Luffy drapes her arms around his shoulders, nuzzles at the damp hair at the back of his neck and kisses him there.
�We�ll see him again. Sooner rather than later, I�m sure.�
�Of course,� she says, slipping her hand down the collar of shirt to rest in the center of his chest. Beneath her splayed fingers, his heart races.
-

Sunlight streamed through the porthole, stirring a lone figure from rest. Marco sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes and smiling affectionately at the space next to him. The empty space.
When Marco touched them, the sheets were cold. No one had been here for hours.
He squashed the disappointment and hurt churning in his stomach; honestly, what had he been expecting? With whatever curiosity he�d held in Marco appeased, Ace was free to shift his interest to someone else, and Marco wouldn�t blame him for it. He was twice Ace�s age, after all. A certified geezer.
But last night he�d been so certain. A drastic shift in Ace�s behavior, the way his brat had trembled while embracing his phoenix form, as if in that second everything suddenly clicked and he was happy at last. Marco could have sworn his choice was made: the choice to stay, as Edward Newgate�s son and as Marco�s�
Sighing, Marco pulled on the pieces of clothing he could find scattered around the room, hesitating as he spotted one of Ace�s boots. Surely he wouldn�t run off without his shoes?
His shirt was long gone. Marco vaguely remembered Ace tearing it from his shoulders somewhere in the hallway, so he decided a search was in order. His neck and chest were dotted with bruises from Ace�s mouth - if Thatch saw him, he�d be in for relentless mocking - but though he could erase them with a small burst of healing flame, he couldn�t bring himself to do so. If he couldn�t have Ace, he�d accept the fading marks as keepsakes.
His shirt wasn�t anywhere in the hall. He took to the deck, wondering if he�d misjudged where Ace dropped it. He sprinted around the entire ship without a single sign of it, and he�d finally decided it blew overboard when he turned a corner and there it was: wrapped snugly around Ace�s shoulders.
The boy had his face curved towards the sea, head tilted back to let the breeze wash over him. �Take it off,� Ace said without looking at him.
Marco did so, heart pounding as hope flooded his veins. Could it be? Could it be-?
His shirt slithered to the deck as Marco smoothed his hands over Ace�s arms, revealing a swathe of loose bandages. They came away easily, and Marco was floored by the rush of emotion that surged through him at the sight of Ace�s new tattoo. Their father�s symbol swallowed the expanse of his back, huge and unmistakable, a thing to be worn with pride and faith in a man he would never betray.
�Welcome home,� Marco whispered, taking Ace�s mouth in a deep, devouring kiss that said all those things he couldn�t put to words. By the end of it, Ace was clawing at his shoulders, red faced and panting and frantic with lust as Marco stroked his fingertips across the tattoo over and over and over again.
�Can we go back to bed?� Ace scrambled to kiss him again, artless and sloppy but still so perfect. �Please?�
�I suppose so, yoi.� Marco smirked, taking Ace by the wrist and leading him back to his - their - room, their bed. And it was theirs, had been since that first night months ago when Ace struggled and swore yet fell asleep so quickly in his arms.
He felt a pinch on his ass. Ace, cheeky grin firmly in place, kept his hand where it was.
�Damn brat.�

-
�- will finish off Vivi and that pirate crew without fail if you give me -� Mr. 3�s words are violently cut short as his throat is swiftly crushing in a punishing grip. If he doesn�t think fast, Crocodile will kill him.
�W-wait�there�s s-something�� he wheezes, �something you�don�t know about�S-straw Hat -�
Crocodile�s fingers loosen momentarily as he considers the plea, and then Mr. 3 is dropped unceremoniously to the floor.
�I guarantee this will be of utmost interest to you, sir,� Mr. 3 whispers hoarsely when air returns to his lungs, only to lose it again as Crocodile�s foot connects with his ribs.
�Quit your babbling,� Crocodile says, stepping away from Mr. 3�s cowering form, �and speak quickly. You have three seconds.�
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Running Up That Hill	By : yinneko23 Category: +M to R > One Piece Views: 11948 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or make any money from this fic.

Running Up That Hill