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Surveying the deck, Ace couldn’t resist a smile at seeing how ridiculous his nakama looked. Everyone strutted around like proud peacocks, dressed to the nines.
It was Halloween, his first one on the crew and they were having a costume party. He'd been told that every year they had a little competition with different categories and prizes. The largest (and the best prizes to win) were the 'Best Dressed Commander' category, meaning the crewmate who won the most votes dressed as a Division Commander.
Ace reached up to rub at his eye—the mascara on his eyelashes made them feel heavy and stuck together—before his hand was slapped away.
"Stop that," Izou ordered. "Don't mess up all my hard work."
"But Izouuu," Ace whined to no avail as Izou utterly ignored him, craning his neck above the crowd. "Whatcha lookin' for?"
"Thatch," Izou explained. "I didn't go through all this trouble for him not to see it."
Giving him a once-over, Ace had to snort. Izou was in Thatch's normal chef whites, expertly tailored to fit his frame. The yellow handkerchief was tied just so, with his black hair in a long braid looping over one shoulder. "You didn't even do his hair."
Izou's dark eyes caught his and glared, the normal make-up missing and making it look less deadly than usual. "I am willing to make some sacrifices for my nakama," he said between clenched teeth, "that is not one of them."
Throwing his hands behind his head, Ace cocked out his hip with a cheeky grin. "Aw you're gonna hurt Thatch's feelings, Izou." Soft fabric slid down his arms and he had to suppress a surprised jerk at the feeling.
Earlier that day Izou had kidnapped him; they had previously discussed Ace's costume and upon discovering Ace didn't have one planned, Izou offered to help him out.
That turned out to be a mistake. He'd been wrapped in several layers of silky fabric, the weight of it foreign and uncomfortable before his hair was bullied to death. Izou had brushed out all the tangles (and told him to stop being a baby when he complained) then put about a dozen products into it in order to 'smooth it out' before tying half back and leaving the rest down. It felt weird, the softness unfamiliar compared to its normal scratchiness.
Then, of course, Izou caked his entire face with make-up before hustling him into the adjoined bathroom.
When they had stood side-by-side in the mirror, Izou still in his regular kimono, Ace's heart clenched. At a glance, they looked like brothers. Izou, only a few inches taller than him, fussed with his kimono as Ace stared at the picture they made. Similar coloring for the hair and eyes, face shape a little different but only just. Then with the make-up covering his freckles well—
It was the deepest sense of longing Ace had felt in a long time.
Ace's reminiscing was interrupted when Thatch's familiar voice yelled over the crowd, "Oiiii!" Both men turned and Ace burst into loud laughter.
"What, ahaha, what are you wearing?!" Ace managed to choke out before grabbing his stomach and hunching over, laughing so hard he couldn't speak.
Thatch pouted as he got closer. "What, you don't like it?" He was dressed as Pops, brown hair down for once with a black bandana tied around his head and a familiar white coat draped over his shoulders, naginata in one hand. A fake white mustache was attached to his upper lip, though he hadn't gone far enough to shave his own goatee off. "Is it the mustache?"
Ace struggled to draw in air as tears sprang to his eyes. "I didn't know you were so hairy !!"
"Rude!" Thatch chastened immediately. "I look great," he posed proudly, chest and small stomach pooch on display, completely covered in thick brown hair. Immediately he wilted and turned pleading brown eyes at Izou. "It doesn't look that bad does it?"
Izou sighed before coming to his side and rubbing his shoulder. "You look great."
"Not as great as you!" Thatch said, perking up immediately, easily letting Izou take the naginata out of his hand. He snorted as Izou used the end of it to hit Ace in the side, making him curse. "One of us should definitely win right?! We all look amazing. You did Ace's costume too then?"
With a pleased smile, Izou handed the naginata back before puffing up. Ace watched the exchange with a glare, rubbing at his side.
"Course I did! He looks stunning, doesn't he? Ace, you should let me dress you up all the time."
"Hell no," Ace shot back immediately. "Don't need all this shit."
Immediately, Izou's pleased expression fell into a sneer. "Listen here you little—"
"Hopefully Pops doesn't win again," Thatch interrupted before they could descend into an argument.
"Oh? Pops won last year?" Ace asked, intrigued.
Thatch laughed warmly. "Yeah! He dressed as Haruta and totally stole the show. It was a riot seeing him in Haruta's silly little sleeves." Then his eye caught on something and he smiled before cupping a hand around his mouth and yelling across the deck.
"Marco, you dog! You're cheating—no prizes for you!"
"Yeah, yeah," Marco said dully as he walked up to their little group. Ace looked him over. Marco was wearing Kingdew's regular clothes but it was obvious that it was actually Kingdew's. The cape dragged on the ground, gauntlets huge on his arms. The yellow striped pants were baggy and where they landed more like capris on Kingdew, the ruffles covered some of Marco's boots on him.
"Wait, you laugh at me but not at Marco?!" Thatch screeched, rounding on Ace who held up his hands in mock surrender.
"Whoa, whoa calm down Little Pops, Marco always looks silly with his pineapple hair it's hardly surprising." Laughing, Ace danced out of the way as Marco tried to punch him, blue eyes narrowing.
"I ran out of time," Marco explained. "Totally slipped my mind, yoi."
"It's ‘cause you work too much," Thatch said gravely, throwing an arm around his shoulders and pulling him in close, ignoring the frown Marco shot his way. "Need to learn how to take a break, birdbrain."
"Aw, group hug!" Ace cooed with delight as he joined in. From the corner of his eye, he watched like a hawk as Thatch dutifully pulled in Izou as well, ignoring the gunman's huff of annoyance.
Quick as a flash, Ace pressed in and kissed high up on Izou's bare cheekbone. "Have some of your make-up back!" he cried, utterly delighted by the lipstick mark he left behind. Turning to the other two with a gleam in his eye, Thatch smiled brightly as he held Marco tight, not letting him escape.
When all three had lipstick kisses (Thatch on his cheek, and Marco begrudgingly in the middle of his forehead) Ace stood back to admire his handiwork. "You know, this lipstick thing might not be so bad."
"If you want to torture someone, sure," Marco groused. Izou smacked him.
"I think it's kind of sweet. Just—" Izou pointed at Ace threateningly "—don't do it while I have make-up on, you can't imagine the pain of trying to fix it."
"Deal!"
Loud cheers broke their little moment and all four looked over to the source of the commotion.
Pops' large frame cut across the deck and Ace smiled so wide it hurt his cheeks as Thatch groaned beside him.
"Well, I can guess who's winning this year," he said sadly as Izou made a noise of agreement.
"I don't think it's that funny, yoi," Marco deadpanned.
Ace shot him a grin. "It's because you don't have a sense of humor." Looking back, Ace wondered aloud, "How'd he even find a pineapple that big?"
Pops acted like a ham, soaking in the attention as his sons cheered and clapped loudly as he made his way slowly to his chair, striking several poses along the way.
On his head was the top of a carved-out pineapple, the spiky green leaves a direct contrast to the yellow beneath it. Wearing Marco's signature purple shirt with the simplified jolly roger on his chest, he was playing it up as he met their group's eyes and blew a kiss, sticking out a leg, showing off a sandaled foot.
Ace couldn't resist the laugh that followed.
"Wonder if he's going to dress up as you next year," Thatch said fondly rubbing the top of Ace's head, making him swat at him.
Izou snorted. "How? Ace hardly wears anything." The smile he shot Ace told him he didn't mean it and Ace smiled back.
Listening to the loud cheering for Pops and looking at the people around him covered in his lipstick kisses, Ace soaked in the feeling of right now, this moment.
The love of his nakama, of his crew, of his family.