Chapter Text
After confirming the date with Ace.
Marco was internally screaming. If you looked long and hard you could see the glee practically pouring out of his eyes. Thatchs words, not his.
"I almost didn't recognize you, you know?" The pompous man says, snaps his fingers and then glances up at his older brother.
"I seen you and I was like wow, look Izo it's Marco."
Izo nudges Thatch in the ribs and coughs to gain the blonde mans attention.
"So." He starts, picking at imaginary dirt unders his cat claw nails and looks at Marco with a raised brow.
"You're waiting for your date?"
Marco just offers a nod.
He planned on waiting at the Baratie by himself, but he failed to take into account that Thatch and Izo themselves were on a date. The couple just popped up out of nowehere and invited themselves to his booth seat.
Looks like it was going to be a double date. Though Marco just wanted alone time to get to know Jack better.
"Yeah, he should be here anytime now."
Izo smiled, placed a hand over Marcos' and give it a firm squeeze. Marco returns the sentiment, not really noticing the pair of eyes watching and nods. He knows that Izo is happy for him, even without saying it and that means a lot to him.
"So how's life been?"
Marco drags on, he doesn't notice but an hour passes and Thatch begins giving him worries glances. Then the man speaks up, interrupting their chatter and making Marco feel like absolute garbage.
"So were you planning on waiting for a few hours or?"
He winces, checking his phone and finding the time long passed what they agreed on and no messages at all.
He sighs, bowing his head and runs a hand down his face.
"I don't know."
Izo frowns.
"I'm so sorry Marco." He offers an apology. "Maybe he got caught up at work? You did say he works right?" He tries to make the situation light and Marco tries to follow with it but that slight self doubt clinging on.
"Yeah, I'll ask him."
Marco says his goodbyes, waves to them and pays for his meal and drinks then leaves with a heavy feeling.
~
A woman. Marco already had a woman.
And she was undeniably beautiful. Ace may not have swung straight but he knew beauty when he seen it and the lady who held Marcos' hand with a small smile was just that if not more.
Ace sighed, closed his eyes and shook his head. What the hell was he thinking. Marco was a handsome man, polite and awfully kind. Of course he'd be taken. He may have just invited Ace out as a friendly thing. Plenty of people did that and he should've done the adult thing and went with it instead of running away.
What if Marco needed a wingman? Probably, even if he didn't need one.
*bzzt*
His phone vibrating startled him away from such thoughts. He pulled it out and grimaced.
HP: you didn't show up. Did you get called in for work?
Now, he could have came clean and told Marco the whole truth. But he didn't and that's where he messed up. How was he supposed to know that Marco was at his work place already?
Ace: yeah.
On the otherside, Marco was frowning. He felt dejected. Clearly the other had lied, seeing as the cashiers were some pink haired girl and a man with spunky green hair and a septum piercing. Neither one had seen hide nor hair of Ace.
So he really was stood up.
Marco groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He felt like a complete idiot. A buffoon of all things.
Feeling another emotion, that of anger and betrayal, he texted Ace with furious movements of his thumbs that he nearly cracked the screen.
HP: I understand if you're not interested, but please don't lead a man on and just drop him.
Ace reread the message, over and over.
What?
Wait, wait. What?
No, this was all wrong. Ace had clearly seen him with a woman at the Baratie being all touchy feely so why was Marco saying this now?
Ace bit his lip, hard, and texted back with the same ferocity as the other.
Jack: I was interested. Key word being was until I seen you with that woman.
Jack: you were the one leading me on.
Marco felt flabbergasted. What on earth was Ace talking about? A woman?
Oh.
Oh no.
Marco let out a little laugh and shook his head, he understands now.
Finding that his entire body was restless he dialed the number and waited a few tones until the other end answered.
There was silence, but he could hear breathing so he knew Ace was listening.
That didn't ease the awkward feeling but he pressed on and spoke up first.
"I think we had a misunderstanding."
"We did?" Marco can't help the smile on his lips when those two words come out in a hopeful tone.
"Yeah, that woman you seen me with was actually my brothers boyfriend."
Ace is silent, he feels his face heat up in embarrassment. He really should have just went in, he really wanted that pizza too damn it.
"Oh."
Marco chuckles a little, he's relieved to know that he wasn't led on at all. Rather his date was sort of an idiot. Sort of.
"Are you still willing for a date this late?"
Ace bites back a smile and hums.
"The Baratie closes soon, but I know a good McDonald's with the best fountaun drinks ever."
Marco lets out a bark of a laugh and Ace regrets not hearing it in person because it sounds wonderful but strained through the phone.
"You live close by?"
Ace grins wickedly and opens his window, he looks west to see a familiar patch of blonde hair and gets excited by it.
Then suddenly, a memory invades his mind.
~
The sun is setting to the west, blocked off by houses and trees. The light scarcely peeking through leaves and in between rooftops to light the boys way.
They had just finished goofing off on the jungle gym after making a glorious sandcastle when they notice the lampposts flicking to life.
Ace is the first to get worried, he has a few blocks to go until he gets home but he usually does this from time to time. His new friend who had just moved in recently however is another story.
"Do you live close by?" Ace asks the curly haired blonde, he's holding his bucket with all the shovels and trinkets stuffed in. He rubs the back of his neck and looks expectantly at the older boy.
The boy raised a brow, his lidded eyes rising a tad as he looks at Ace. He doesn't say anything for a bit, then he smirks and points at the house right across from the street and nods.
"If you look straight ahead, it's just right there." His tone in sarcastic, and it makes Ace feel like he should know, but how was he supposed to?
"Hmph! How the hell am I supposed to know that!" He crosses his arms and pouts.
The boy chuckles. He's about to say something else when a man, taller than the entire swing seat marches over to the sandbox. His expression is furious, his moustache super fucking impressive even to Aces' little mind.
"Marco Newgate you get your ass home this instant!"
"Dad I-"
"It's passed your bedtime boy, be happy I don't ground you."
Marco shudders and looks back at Ace with a solemn look.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Ace."
The brunette nods, understanding and waves as they leave without another look back.
Marco.
~
"If you look straight ahead. It's just right there." Ace murmurs into the phone. "Marco.."
"You see me?"
Ace giggles into the receiver and sits on the windowsill while watching Marco desperately look around.
"Yeah, I'm looking right at you."
Marco stops, takes a quick look up and finally spots Ace. The grin that splits his face is phenomenal and Ace really feels like a fool for forgetting the gorgeous mans face.
"So you live right across from your work place?"
The moment is ruined and Ace feels a bit embarrassed.
"S-so!" He puffs out his cheeks and then hangs up with Marco is just right outside his apartment complex.
Marco still has his phone to his ear as he looks up at Ace. "May I come in?"
"It's kind of messy in here."
"So?"
"So, you can't come in!"
Marco sighs as he puts his phone away and shrugs.
"I'm coming in."
Ace flinches back when Marco, with amazing grace, jumps- grabs the rusted ladder of the fire escape and pulls himself up. He's in Aces face within a minute and oh boy, it's so close that Ace can smell the mint he was still sucking on in his breath.
It's a very, very nice smell Ace quickly decides in his head.
"That's a convenient thing-yoi." Marco gives him a sly smile and coos at the way Ace blushes.
"H-how did you?"
"I was in gymnastics in highschool." It's the only explanation he gets and surprisingly he's okay with it.
"Why did you h-have to come in? I was going to come down."
It's weird. Ace should be screaming bloody murder right now, in any logical situation that is what any logical person would do. But there's a sense of security that he feels with Marco, despite just realizing who he is now. And it's utterly perfect.
"So you don't stand me up again."
Marco stares down at Ace with a lazy smile and motions his head to the fire escape.
"Let's go."
Ace doesn't protest when he's whisked away and nearly twists his ankle by climbing down the fire escape. Actually, he's quite enthusiastic about it and just laughs it off when a worried Marco fusses over it and apologizes repeatedly.