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Contrary to what others seemed to believe, Deuce did have more than one mask in his possession, even if they were all identical. Ace had made some joke to that effect in their earliest days together, which had prompted an embarrassed squawk and shove and Deuce stammering protests about hygiene the sensibility of having more than one after all the ridiculous scenarios they seemed to find themselves in the longer he spent in Ace's company. He should have known better to think that Ace would be the only one to come to such a conclusion, though he expected at least a few of the people they met over the years to maybe have a little more common sense. Like Mihal. Or Izou, or Marco.
He usually kept one in his pocket or satchel, just in case they wound up in a fight, or worse, he got caught up in one of Ace, Haruta and Thatch's pranks. More than one mask had been lost to paint or syrup related pranks, and at least Ace had had the grace to look contrite when he chewed the perpetrators out, though Thatch usually adopted an overdone innocent expression while Haruta turned to snigger into his shoulder.
The rest of his stash lived in a drawer in their bedside table, where Ace could easily find them if he needed to retrieve one for Deuce in the event that his mask and spare were compromised, alongside with a pair of masks Izou had designed and created for him " for special occasions", though Deuce had no idea what sort of special occasion the Commander had in mind with the pair, a black one and white one in sleek, shiny material but otherwise not particularly fancy or adorned in any way.
Then there was the glittery, feathered, neon monstrosity Thatch and Haruta had presented as an apology after one prank gone wrong, which Ace had saved before Deuce could burn it as it deserved and lived in its own drawer in their desk as a keepsake. Deuce imagined Ace kept it just to howl about the other commanders' absolute lack of sense, or self-control when it came to glitter.
So Deuce was rather gleeful as he headed back to the Second Commander's cabin at the end of a particularly trying few days in the infirmary, considering he'd barely had time to eat or sleep, let alone shower or change with the influx of returning division members coming back with some sort of illness that Marco had ordered a quarantine for. It'd wound up being simply a flu, nothing too terribly challenging, but Deuce was exhausted and more than ready to peel this particular mask off and possibly just throw it away entirely before maybe dozing off in the shower. If he was lucky Ace would be in their room himself and Deuce would be able to convince him to keep him upright in the shower.
He ducked into their room, shutting the door behind him quickly and immediately pulling the mask away from his face, dropping it to the floor without another thought before tossing his bag toward the bed and setting to stripping off his belts and coat. Ace wasn't in their main room, but the door to the attached bathroom was open and the light was on, and Deuce heard the sound of something clattering, which meant Ace was either looking for something specific or leaning so far over the counter toward the mirror that he was knocking things over again.
"That you, Deu?" he called, and Deuce smiled and huffed a soft laugh at the question. Anyone else on the crew would knock before barging into their room, especially after Haruta had swung in to set a prank and wound up with an unintended eyeful. Mortifying at the time, but good for them in the long run.
"Yeah, it's me," he replied, dropping his coat on the floor along with the mask and kicking his boots off as he freed himself of the apron skirt. He started loosening his trousers as he made his way toward the bathroom, intending to simply greet his partner and see about a shared shower before he passed out for the night early. He pulled up short at the door, pausing and trying to fight off the grin threatening to spread over his face.
Ace was leaning over the sink, just like he expected, and he could see their toothbrushes and the cup they kept them in knocked into the sink, along with Ace's razor. He was examining his face closely, but instead of checking if he needed to shave again or frowning at some feature like Deuce sometimes caught him doing, he was clearly eyeing the navy domino mask covering his eyes, tilting his head this way and that as he considered his reflection.
He caught sight of Deuce behind him, leaning against the door frame and desperately trying to stifle a broad grin, both at the simple sight of Ace wearing one of his masks and the fact that he wasn't currently wearing one himself, and the smile Ace sent him in the mirror was beaming and warm and clearly just as amused as Deuce was.
"Heya honey," he greeted, and Deuce let the grin he was stifling unfurl with a little laugh as Ace pulled back from the mirror and turned to face him properly, seeming to skip the few steps separating them to stretch up their mere inch's difference in height and press a light kiss to Deuce's lips.
"What're you up to?" Deuce asked, letting a hand curl around the back of Ace's neck and reel him in for another kiss before leaning back to look at him again. The mask was slightly crooked on his face, revealing the edge of a dark eyebrow through one of the eyeholes, and covered more of Ace's freckles than Deuce particularly liked, but it was cute, and Ace's grin lifted the lower edges ever so slightly.
"Just trying it on," he replied, shrugging as his hands settled on Deuce's waist, warm and soothing and a little dangerous after so long awake and working. If those hands moved anywhere near the knots in his back Deuce was likely to fall asleep where he stood. Ace's lips twisted into a feigned, put-upon pout, but his eyes were still gleaming when he added, "Looks better on you."
"Hmm, I dunno about that," Deuce teased, fingers curling into Ace's hair briefly, laughing when Ace leaned into the touch and nearly purred.
"Looks nicer with your eyes," Ace murmured, and Deuce gave another soft laugh before kissing him again.
"Well, I do like being able to see all your freckles," he admitted when they parted again, free hand moving to lift the mask from Ace's cheeks and set it down on the counter behind him. Ace couldn't have been wearing it for long, he'd leave it there and wear it the next time he left their room. Hopefully not for at least a day.
"Looks like you could use a shower and a nap," Ace commented, fingers curling toward the small of Deuce's back, heat rising a little more, and he nearly melted into his partner's chest.
"More than a nap," Deuce groaned, and Ace smiled, pressing kisses to the underside of his jaw as he nudged his loosened trousers down his hips. Then he was pulling back, moving to the shower to turn on the tap.
"Shower first. By the time we're out dinner should be ready, I'll grab us something to eat while you get ready for bed. Deal?"
"Deal," Deuce said, yawning halfway through the word, missing the fond smile crossing Ace's face and letting him take his hand and reel him toward the shower.