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Ace was sure an entire lifetime could pass and seeing Deuce’s face unmasked would never stop being a novelty.
Deuce had been late coming to bed the night before, monitoring Finamore and Bree through the better portion of the night after they’d both come down with something as they’d departed their last island. It must’ve sorted itself out if he’d come to bed at all, so Ace didn’t bother worrying or waking Deuce up, instead curling up at his side and enjoying a rare late lie-in with his partner. Sailing was smooth, the ship hardly rocking, and sunlight shone through the porthole window, gentle and warm as it lit their bedding and Deuce’s hair and skin.
Deuce frowned and grumbled in his sleep, turning away from the light to lie on his side facing Ace, and he smiled fondly, pressing his head a little deeper into his pillow as he watched his partner return to peaceful, deeper sleep once the sun was out of his face. Pale eyelashes brushed his cheekbones lightly, lips parted as he breathed softly. The sheets only covered about halfway up his chest, displaying his broad chest and shoulders, and his hand curled into the edge of his pillow next to Ace’s own, close enough that he barely had to move to press a light kiss to his knuckles. Deuce’s lips curled into a slight, unconscious smile, sighing a little in his sleep, and Ace bit down on his lower lip as he grinned in response, fighting back the urge to coo over his partner.
There were freckles on the backs of his hands, paler than Ace’s and far fewer in number. He couldn’t see any on his forearm, but Deuce’s arms were usually covered by his jacket sleeves, so that made some sense. There was a light dusting on his chest, just under his collarbones, so light Ace usually missed them completely unless he was standing particularly close to Deuce, and even then he usually wasn’t paying attention to Deuce’s freckles.
His favorites were the light handful brushing over Deuce’s face, sporadic as they were. Barely dusting over his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose, Deuce’s freckles were usually hidden by the mask he wore, which meant no one else knew they existed besides Deuce’s shitty birth family and Ace himself. There weren’t many, and as spread out as they were it was easy to lose sight of them in the rest of Deuce’s even skin, which was why Ace enjoyed these peaceful moments where it was just the two of them, side-by-side in bed, and Ace could count the freckles marking Deuce’s cheeks the same way he’d caught Deuce doing to him on more than one occasion.
His fingertips brushed over Deuce’s cheek without thought, tracing over a tiny cluster, just three little freckles almost shaped like a thin triangle under his left eye, and he held his breath when Deuce stirred slightly, murmuring something in his sleep before settling once more. He kept still, held his breath, the pads of his fingers barely grazing Deuce’s skin as he waited to see if he’d wake up, but his partner sighed and pressed his face deeper into his pillow until his features smushed a little, and Ace giggled fondly.
Deuce’s breathing slowed, steadied, and Ace hesitantly let his fingers touch his cheek again, tracing over each cluster of freckles as lightly as he could, smiling to himself as he started counting each faint spot without conscious decision.
Deuce woke slowly, warm and comfortable in bed, his face half-smushed into his pillow, and he didn't think anything of it beyond considering going back to sleep. Finamore and Bree had only managed to give themselves food poisoning, so there was no reason to rush to the infirmary, and considering the heat he could feel radiating at his side Ace was still in bed too. He was a little surprised to not hear the soft snoring he was used to, but maybe Ace was trying to smother himself in his sleep again.
He almost didn't notice the ghosting sensation of familiar warm fingers across his cheek, until he shifted slightly and pressed himself into the touch accidentally. He heard Ace's breathing hitch slightly, a clear indication he was awake, and he cracked an eye open to find his partner lying close beside him, settled nearly nose-to-nose, grey eyes watching him.
"What're you doin'?" he asked, blinking blearily as Ace's cheeks flushed with color and he withdrew ever so slightly, though his fingertips noticeably remained brushing over Deuce's cheek, a little more pressure as they slid across his cheekbone now that he was awake.
"Nothin'," Ace said, aiming for innocence, smiling lightly, and Deuce narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "Just appreciating how lovely you look in the mornings."
"Uh-huh," he said drily, and Ace grinned, leaning back in to kiss him softly, fingers curling behind his ear and into his hair to cradle his head.
"Your freckles are cute," he admitted when they parted again, and Deuce felt his own cheeks warming. The mask kept the light dusting of childhood freckles on his nose and cheeks covered, and he was always caught by surprise when Ace mentioned them once they were alone with each other.
“It’s just...they’re not...yours are cuter,” Deuce grumbled, too surprised and still sleepy enough to fumble through a response to such a ridiculous statement so soon after waking up. Ace was biting down on his lower lip, clearly trying not to laugh, and he huffed, making to roll away from him only to have warm hands catch around his waist before he could get further than rolling onto his back. “You can hardly see them! They’ll fade out soon enough.”
“That’s a shame,” Ace said, pulling him a little closer, and he turned his head to face his partner again, whose gaze was still on his nose and cheeks, seeming to dart over each little cluster of faded freckles that remained from a brief childhood before all his time had been forced into studying and medicine. "Guess I'll just have to memorize them before then, hm?"
His thumb smoothed over Deuce's cheek as he smiled. "I get why you wear the mask, so I know you probably won't get more freckles. Doesn't mean I don't want to enjoy them while you've got them. 'Specially since I'm the only one who even knows you have any."
Deuce huffed but didn't stop his smile when Ace scooted a little closer and nuzzled their noses together, hand rising to wrap around Ace's wrist just under where his palm was settled hot against his cheek, basking in the quiet affection.
"Let's stay in bed for a while," Ace said, kissing him one more time softly, foreheads pressed together for just a moment before they pulled apart again. "I lost count when you woke up and started interrogating me."
"Hardly an interrogation," Deuce snorted, and Ace grinned in delight.
"You were using your looks to distract me, you know it's particularly effective in morning sunlight," Ace teased, shoving his hand under his pillow and making himself comfortable as Deuce snickered.
"Fine, count my freckles then," he laughed, rolling to the side once more and reaching out to poke Ace's cheek. "But I'm gonna do the same thing to you, and then we'll be stuck here all day."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Ace grinned, nipping at his fingers when he drew back, and they descended into giggling together.