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1. Marco
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Marco knew that it was ridiculous for someone as old as him to have a school girl crush on anyone, but he couldn’t help it as he watched Ace spar with Thatch on the ships deck, the freckled logia user hopping around gracefully as he tested the chef’s patience and temper playfully, a grin on his face.
He really couldn’t help it, Ace was just really pretty to him and his inner Phoenix adored watching him, swearing up and down that the younger pirate’s flashy personality and showing off during battles was to try and get their attention.
Yeah, right.
Ace was a young man with a bright potential, what would he be showing off for an old man like Marco for?
“You’re staring is obvious, dear brother.” Izou’s voice sighed behind him and Marco turned with a raised eyebrow. “At least make it look like you don’t want to jump his bones, if you want to try and be subtle. The only reason Ace hasn’t noticed yet is because he’s an oblivious idiot with self worth issues. Like you.”
“Stuff it, Izou, yoi.” He grunted back, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly as he looked back at the fight, watching as Ace laughed off Thatch’s threats to not feed him. “You’ll understand when you’re older and in love as well.”
He walked off, a smirk coming to his face as he heard Izou give a shriek of fury behind him. “You’re only eight days older, you asshat!” But as he passed by the sparring duo, he allowed his eyes to linger a little longer on his youngest brother, before sighing and going on with the rest of his duties for the day.
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2. Ace
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Ace knew that growing up in the forest, without any real parental supervision was going to have some backlashes. Now, did he know where and when the backlashes would appear? No. Did that mean he wasn’t surprised every time they did rear their ugly heads? Hell, no. He was surprised every time, without fail.
Like currently.
“It didn’t work…and he thought Thatch or Haruta did it worst of all!” He moaned, upper half slumping onto the deck as Izou painted his nails, looking over him blandly.
“Well, yes, since making a giant nest and fitting it into his room is something those two have both done, separately.” sighed the Wano native, moving to start the second coat on Ace’s hand. “Now, tell me again, why did you think that putting a giant nest in his room was better than just asking him if he liked you?”
“Because he’s Marco and I’m just that Super Nova Rookie that you guys took in.” Ace looked away, his orange cowboy hat shadowing his eyes from the older pirate. “Why else wouldn’t I just ask him…I’m just the stray you picked up and decided I was worth keeping.”
A yelp escaped Ace as he looked up, carmine eyes wide and confused as Izou glared down at him. “Not another rude word out of your mouth. How dare you say something so horrible about my youngest brother? Have you lost your mind?”
“I, whu-?” Ace didn’t know what was going on and was pretty sure everyone could hear the gears slowly tuning in his head. “I’m sorry, but wasn’t I talking about myself?”
“You were,” agreed Izou, fan poised to strike him again, if Ace said anything to upset him again. “And I didn’t like it. You were talking down to yourself and I won’t stand for anyone insulting my family, that includes themselves.”
Ace opened his mouth to say something, but all his words died on his tongue when he caught sight of Marco walking by, purple shirt open as usual, but with his reading glasses on as he read over a report, blue eyes flickering along the words and a pen pressed between his lips.
Shit, he looked hot doing mundane things. Ace was royally fucked, it seemed.
Izou blinked, looking back and forth between Marco and Ace, before sighing and moving to continue painting Ace’s nails, grumbling under his breath the entire time about ‘idiots in love’.
Whatever that meant.
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3. Marco
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Marco couldn’t help the sigh that escaped him as he watched Ace do…whatever it was that he was doing. The former captain was joking around with some of their other siblings, doing a handstand for some reason or another, but the blond didn’t care how silly the younger looked, the bright happiness that showed in those carmine eyes were enough for him to be content watching from a distance.
He couldn’t help himself. Ace just looked amazing no matter what he was doing, The way his face would bloom into a bright smile when he spoke with others, the dark blush that made him look like a strawberry when he was praised, the little bit of shyness he showed while adjusting to the physical contact that was normal for the Whitebeard Pirates.
Even his anger was adorable when he would shout and throw a fit, only to go and sulk in a corner, as if that would get him his way and when it didn’t, he’d go and wreck the training room.
No matter what he did, Marco found himself transfixed each and every time.
“Damn brother, you have it bad.” whistled Thatch as he walked over to him, a cheeky grin on his face as he leaned against the railing next to the blond.
“Shut up, not all of us can have the perfect relationship, yoi.” He grounded out, glaring at the brunette, who simply laughed him off.
“Please, don’t you remember the wreck I was when I was trying to confess to Izou?” Thatch shook his head, obviously trying to ignore the memories he dredged up. “You have a completely different problem, dear birdie.”
“Oh? And what would that be?” Marco’s eyes flicked away from Thatch to watch as Ace began to show the other’s he was around some other trick that had his fire flickering around his body like a light show and made the Phoenix in him coo and want to go over to him.
“You are pining and instead of using the sea veteran given balls you have, instead you choose to stand by and watch him.” sighed the Fourth Division Commander, snickering when Marco glared his way. “I’m just saying.”
“Yeah, well, don’t.” groused Marco, shoving him in the side. “I can pine all I want. I’m not hurting anyone and I’m not going out of my way to tell him just yet, since it’s only been a couple of months since he joined the crew officially.”
He walked away, making his way to his office and away from nosey, busy bodied brothers, ignoring the grumbling from the brunette behind him,
What did he know anyway? Nothing, that was what.
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4. Ace
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Ace watched with a smile and small snicker as Marco booted Haruta off the ship for one reason or another, carmine eyes warm as he did so. He blinked as Thatch walked over, a look of exasperation coming onto his face once he caught sight of Ace’s. “Not you too!”
“Me too, what?” Ace asked, confused on the look of utter disbelief on the brunette’s face. “I haven’t even seen you all day!”
“Yeah, well, you might as well have,” snorted the chef as he stared Ace down. “Seriously, just go talk to him! Tell him how you feel!”
“That won’t stop him from rejecting me.” pointed out Ace, flinching when Thatch glared at him. “What? Why are you mad at me? I’m just stating facts!”
“Oh, really? Tell me how it’s a fact that he’s going to just reject you for no reason then.” Thatch crossed his arms and sent a firm glare at Ace in addition to his words.
“Well, for starters, I was really mean to him before I joined the crew, all of you really.” Ace started, holding up one finger to count it off. “Next, well, he’s probably looking for someone more m-mature to date and I don’t even know what I’d be able to give in the relationship. Three, he’s really handsome and cool and while I'm not you or Haruta, I look like I’m sixteen.”
The older pirate snorted at his wording, giving him a cuff on the head at the jab at him. “I’ll have you know, I’m an amazing date, can’t say the same about Haru, but meh. This isn’t about comparing yourself to other people, this is about you just fessing up and trying to make someone you like know that you like them. You can’t just sit here and expect it to all either work out or go away without actually doing anything to start the motion of it all.”
Ace blinked, looking at his older brother figure (and wow that was both amazing and weird to say at the same time) with wide eyes. “You know, you might just be-!” He cut himself off when Marco started coming over their way. “Nope, can’t do it, maybe next time.”
And with that, Ace dashed off, claiming to be heading in to work out in the training room as he passed the older blond, who smiled at him so softly and fondly, it made his insides melt into goo.
God, love sucked.
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5. Marco
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Marco smiled fondly down at Ace, who was slumped against his side, mouth open and snoring quietly. The younger had a narcolepsy attack and ended up against the blond when he’d fallen asleep.
Not that he was complaining in the slightest. He loved any chance he got to be near Ace and this was just another moment between just the two of them.
It gave him the chance to watch the slow rise and fall of Ace’s chest, the way his eyelashes looked longer than they normally did when his lidded eyes were open and how his dark hair would fan out in any which way as he slept on, peacefully unaware of the lovesick look in the blond’s blue eyes.
“Can this get any worse?” yelped Haruta as he walked by, sky blue eyes glinting teasingly. “At first, it was funny, but now, it’s getting kind of sad, Mar.”
Marco sent his second youngest brother a glare that made him chuckle and take a step back nervously. “That’s what I thought, yoi.” He huffed, arm coming to wrap around Ace’s shoulders and adjust him carefully. “Now, what do you want?”
“What? I can’t just come and check on my poor, pining older brother?” grinned the short brunette as he crouched in front of the duo, hands cupping his cheeks. “Don’t you think everything would be easier if you just, I don’t know, confessed?”
“It’s not that easy,” sighed the older commander, smiling when Ace nuzzled against his chest in his sleep. “I don’t want to confess, get rejected and then ruin what we have on top of that!”
“Don’t you think you’re exaggerating?”
“Not in the slightest, yoi.”
Haruta sent him a dubious look, but stood. “I don’t know a lot about love, but I do know, you’re probably doing this the wrong way.”
“People who can’t even get a girlfriend should shut up and keep going, before I get up and shove my foot where they don’t want it.”
Haruta scurried away quickly after that, leaving Marco to contemplate his relationship and feelings for Ace alone.
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+1. Ace
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Ace gave a ragged gasp as the seastone knife was jabbed deep into his back, making his body arch with pain. He’d been talking with Thatch, when they were attacked by Teach of all people, over a stupid fruit.
He’d taken the hit for the brunette, who ran off to get help, but now, he was stuck trying to keep the large man from his division from going anywhere, without removing the knife, else he’d bleed out before anyone else got there. “You bastard…”
“Oh, Commander Ace, you shouldn’t have done that,” Teach cooed in a false sweet voice as he viciously twisted the knife, earning a shout, before a knee was shoved into his stomach. “I was going to try and keep your face all pretty and relatively unharmed, but I must do what must be done for my fate.”
When the fat bastard tried to run away, Ace bodily tackled him, shoving the knife deeper into himself accidentally, but it was worth it as the large man cursed and struggled under his dead weight and muscles.
“They’re over here!” He heard Thatch’s voice over the cotton that was clogging his ears as his body slowly began to give out.
He felt his body being gently moved as someone picked him up, but he could feel the comforting presence of Whitebeard and Marco, so he knew that he would be safe.
“Ace, stay with me!” He heard Marco’s voice calling out urgently, but all he could do was look over at him, blinking sluggishly at the older pirate.
“‘arco…” He murmured, lips barely moving and tongue feeling heavy in his mouth, before he coughed and red spilled from his lips. “...’ove you…”
“Sh, save your breath, yoi. You can tell me as soon as I patch you up, I promise.” Marco was running his fingers through his hair as his other hand worked with his flames, trying to heal the damage as much as he could without removing the knife. “Hold on a little longer, Ace. You’re going to be fine, I swear.”
Ace felt his head loll to the side, landing on Marco’s chest as he blinked at the blond again. “I love you…” He didn’t know where he managed the strength to say the full thing coherently, but he was glad he did as he watched Marco’s deep blue eyes widen.
“I love you too, yoi.” He murmured and Ace gave him a sleepy smile as his eyes slipped close, the blood loss finally catching up with him.
He heard muffled shouts of his name, but he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes again. He was just too tired.
Ah, well, at least Ace had the chance to confess.
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When Ace came around again, he heard the sound of beeping and quiet voices talking in the background. He tried to open his eyes, only to whine at the bright light that beat against his tired gaze, the sound of feet rustling around catching his attention, before the light was dimmed and the only thing lighting the area was a little candle.
“Ace, are you awake, yoi?” He gave a small nod, hearing a sigh of relief, before more quiet talking and then the voice was talking to him again. “Can you look over at me?”
Ace did as asked, but as he did, he came face to face with Marco and horror filled him as he realized he’d confessed before passing out on the head doctor. “Marco!” He moved to sit up, but a rush of pain hit his side like a fire burning through him, making him wince as the blond moved to gently keep him down. “A-About what I said-!”
“Don’t you know, you fool?” Marco looked at him, eyes watery as he leaned in and their lips brushed. “I said, I love you back.”
Ace blinked, happiness swelling up in his stomach as he felt his own tears spill over, their lips meeting again gently, before the blond pulled back, face falling into a stern frown. “If you ever do that again, I’ll kill you myself, yoi.” A sigh dragged out of the older man’s mouth. “And to think, we spent months watching each other and neither of us said anything, until you almost died.”
“Yeah, we’re idiots, but that makes a match made in Heaven.” They shared a small laugh, ignoring all the nasty things they’d have to face once they left their bubbles, but it was okay, since they had one another now.
They were certainly a pair of pining idiots.