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Ace pulled the shower curtain back in one swift movement “Oi Deuce do you know-”
Deuce let out a yelp, hair white from shampoo, and his eyes darted to the intruder.
“Stop screaming, it’s me. Do you know where-”
Deuce wasn’t wearing his mask. Ace’s eyes grew in shock. At the same time, so did Deuce’s. Deuce’s unmasked eyes. No mask. The only thing that had made Deuce comfortable living a new life. Knowing that no one knew how he looked without it besides his biological family. And now Ace did. Ace could compare it to someone finding out about his original last name. Gol. The comparison would be more fair, however, if he hadn’t already told Deuce about it, when they first met.
Still, it was a thought that he didn’t want to dwell too much on. If someone found out about it without his consent, he’d go into internal panic. Anger. Sadness. Hatred, towards himself. How Deuce hadn’t started yelling at him still, he didn’t know.
Realizing that they’d been like that, staring at the other’s face in shock, for too long --that the damage was already done and being there simply made it worse-- Ace went through the door without a word and shut it close behind him, completely forgetting what he had come in to ask in the first place. It didn’t matter, anyway. Not when he’d poked at an internal injury of his First Mate without realizing it.
-
“Dinner’s ready! Come eat before Ace eats it all!” Banshee yelled, which was responded by many grunts “Not like any of you can cook any better, so shush and sit down!”
They complied, Ace being one of the first ones, and, far away from him --not at his side, like it usually was-- Deuce was the last. His mask surrounding his eyes, like it was always meant to be doing, and him, staring and poking at his food, as if willinging it come to life. Ace looked down at his own plate and started eating, not sparing another glance at Deuce. Specially not Deuce’s eyes. He never knew that Deuce’s eyebrows were also light blue, and that they were thin, although- no, stop it. He shoved the fork to his face.
An awkward silence followed, and he didn’t need to see it to know that everyone was looking at both of them with bewildered expressions. He raked his hair back with his hand. He really didn’t want to explain.
His hat wasn’t on his head. He reached to his back and neither was it there. Right, he had gone up to Deuce to ask him if he had seen it, but now it’d be too awkward to ask that, so he stayed quiet instead, until dinner was finished and each said to Banshee their ‘thank you’s.
As soon as the crew dispersed, Ace tugged Deuce to the side, which Deuce responded with a confused and embarrassed expression.
“I’m sorry. I really am. I just- I don’t know why I thought that you’d be wearing your mask while showering.” he laughed awkwardly “It sounds absurd when I put it like that but… I’m sorry”
Deuce looked away “No, I know. It’s… fine. You don’t have to apologize. Just… be careful next time. And don’t open shower curtains when someone else is showering”
“Got it. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I promise”
Deuce gave him a weak smile “I know”
-
Weeks later, the matter was already forgotten. The awkwardness had disappeared as they had awoken the next morning, and ever since, they’d not mentioned it once. Not about masks, and not even about shower curtains or the like. Ace had learnt his lesson and didn’t burst in unannounced anymore, something which Deuce was relieved of.
Now, they were fighting in a deserted island against some pirate Deuce hadn’t heard of and Ace probably couldn’t bother to remember the name of. The Spades easily won. Deuce congratulated the crew with a smile and turned around to do the same to Ace when he didn’t see him standing there anymore.
Deuce looked down, and there he was, knees to his mouth, holding them tight with both his arms. The crew quickly got notice of this and let out concerned expressions, but Deuce told them to head back to the ship. Some hesitated, but eventually, all of them complied and left the place.
All but Ace and him.
He put a hand on his shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
Ace nodded, but he was clearly holding back his tears.
Deuce let all his worry show “What happened?”
“I don’t know…” he buried his face deeper “I was fighting that guy all energetic, and the next thing I know, everything resurfaced. I don’t know what kind of Devil Fruit he has, but is it working.”
Deuce prompted him to continue with a hum.
“I know it’s not true. I have a brother who loves me back at Dawn. Hell, the mountain bandits and the old man also do, even if they have a weird way of showing it, but…” he sighed “I haven’t done anything to merit that. What if they’re just… no, I know they’re not faking it, but- I just. Don’t see why someone would love the child of the most hated man in the world. If anyone found out, they’d immediately scream at my direction and call the marines.” he choked up “Have you ever heard of what they said they’d do to the child if he had one?” he rubbed his arms over his eyes, “I haven’t felt this bad since I was little. Wonder what he did.”
Ace’s eyes landed on Deuce, and he grew still. Deuce tightened his grip of the unworn mask.
His breath hitched “Deuce, your mask”
“I know”
“I…” Ace stared at his face.
It lasted countless minutes, each looking at the other’s face. Whenever Deuce thought Ace would stand up, he stayed still instead. They sat like that until someone from the crew called them over. And like that, Deuce put his mask back on and stood up, one hand extended to help Ace up as well.
Now with his mask on, Ace was still looking at him, but when Deuce looked back at him with a questioning gaze, he turned away and yelled a “We’re coming!” to the crew. He turned to him, squeezed his hand, and said “Thank you”
Deuce smiled.