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1. Holding Hands
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When Ace officially joined the Whitebeards, Marco was interested in the younger pirate, loving him from first sight.
…too bad, he seemed to already have a boyfriend, if the way he was always around his former first mate was anything to go by.
“They’re such a cute couple,” Izou cooed, watching as Ace babbled aimlessly at Deuce, their fingers interlocked as the newest Whitebeard Doctor listened with a small, fond smile, nodding along to the endless stream of words. “Never expected someone so introverted like Deuce to be with someone so outgoing like Ace.”
“Hey, I heard opposites attract in love.” Haruta chuckled, nudging Izou in the side. “Look at you and Thatch, you’re all graceful and he’s gross.”
Thatch sent him a dirty look, but Marco could see the worry in his eyes as he looked over at him, brown eyes shining in worry. “You okay?” He whispered, quietly enough to not be heard by the others.
“I’m fine, yoi.” Marco replied, eyes locked onto Ace and Deuce still. “Why are you asking?”
“I know how close you and Ace got during his three month stay with us before taking Pops’ mark,” The chef murmured, looking over at the fire logia and masked man. “I do think it was kind of sucky for him to not tell you he was in a relationship and just lead you on like this.”
“Hard for him to lead me on, when I never told him I liked him in the first place.” Marco snorted, though he was touched by Thatch’s concern. “Trust me, the kid didn’t do anything wrong. I never told him I liked him and he didn’t have to tell me he had a boyfriend, yoi.”
Thatch looked unconvinced, but didn’t press the issue as the zoan turned and continued to watch Ace, face blank, yet his eyes were burning with a fire that he couldn’t place at that moment.
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2. Hugs
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Ace wasn’t the physically affectionate type, the Whitebeard’s could see this the moment they brought him onto the ship and he was hissing and cursing at all of them for even looking in his direction for too long.
But the moment he was reunited with Deuce and had joined their crew, it was like he was a completely different person.
He was constantly affectionately clinging to Deuce, almost like he was a security blanket, arms wrapped tightly around broad shoulders and face shoved into his neck, while his legs locked around the medic’s waist, looking much like an oversized koala as the man easily adjusted his position to hold his former captain better.
Marco didn’t think anything was completely wrong with hugging someone you haven't seen in a while like that, in fact, he encouraged it when it came to Ace. The other was usually so suspicious of other people’s intentions, that he tended to isolate himself from them more and more, which could cause some issues.
Like touch starvation, which Ace had been going through the symptoms of having.
Marco knew that maybe he spent too much time watching the kid during his recruitment, but he couldn’t help it when he saw the signs as a doctor.
At first, they pushed off most of the signs as just the kid being an edge lord (or at least attempting to be one), but then the signs began to add up to Whiskey and Marco.
The way the spitfire turned from a raging ball of hot anger into an anxious ball barely holding on at the seams, the way he seemed to sleep even less than the usual that he was pulling and the way that when he spoke to some of the Whitebeard Pirates with a dark look in his eyes that they could only assume was depression.
They didn’t know what else to call it, but him being touch starved.
But once Deuce was on the ship, Ace basically became an oversized affectionate feral kitten.
Marco thought it was adorable, but lately he’d been feeling a little uncomfortable as he watched Ace and Deuce together. Don’t get him wrong, he and the logia user still spent time together, but those times were turning further apart and fewer by the day.
And even when they did spend time together, Marco was sure Ace was trying to avoid him, going out of his way to make some lame excuse and then run off, most likely to spend time with his boyfriend.
The head doctor blinked and paused, his train of thought slamming to a halt. What the hell was that?
He wasn’t upset about Ace having a boyfriend and not telling him, the kid had his secrets and Marco had his own. They were still getting to know each other when they first met, there wasn’t any reason for him to feel so…betrayed or whatever he was feeling at this moment, over not knowing that Ace was dating his first mate.
He was merely letting everyone else’s words affect him and the way he was reading the situation.
That’s all it was. Nothing more and nothing less.
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3. Cuddles
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Marco’s attention was brought to his confused feelings of Ace and Deuce’s relationship once more when he saw the two on the upper deck by Whitebeard’s chair. Ace was fully laying on the blue haired man’s lap, face slack in sleep and body relaxed as he snoozed, the masked man simply reading as he was used like a pillow to his former captain.
The blond watched them, remembering the few days before Deuce had come aboard the Moby when Ace would do that on his lap, feeling completely safe and content to do it around the older pirate, though he hadn’t really done it, unless it was a surprise narcolepsy attack, which took some getting used to.
But from what he was seeing in front of him, by his father and captain’s side, the young man was completely relaxed, taking a voluntary nap as he laid next to his boyfriend, completely letting his guard down and leaving himself vulnerable for only them to see and even be aware of.
Sometimes, Marco wondered if Ace ever truly let his guard down around him like he did Deuce.
Or was it simply something that he did around his boyfriend and the rest of them had only seen bits and scraps of the spitfire’s true level of vulnerability.
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4. Synchronicity
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Marines had decided to attack that day, which Marco thought was pretty nice, considering they had all been getting a little stir crazy and weren’t allowed to spar, since someone (Thatch and Haruta) decided to prank him so bad, he beat them so badly, the training room needed to be repaired at the next island they stocked up on.
After clearing his side of the enemies, a thought came back to his head and panic filled his chest. During their assigned training and sparring days, they usually tested who had each other’s backs the best in battles, making sure they were all okay, even if they could easily wipe the floor with the marines.
It was a safety precaution, of course, but that wasn’t the problem.
During these assignments, they couldn’t find someone who could cover Ace’s sporadic and chaotic fighting style just yet, meaning he didn’t have anyone who could watch his back properly.
Marco turned to go and watch over the youngest pirate, only for his eyes to widen at the sight before him.
Deuce and Ace were back to back, Ace’s usually wild and destructive flames were contained almost as he blocked hits that got too close to the writer, while Deuce managed to fend off people who tried to get too close to Ace’s back when the former captain wasn’t looking.
The blond swore the longer he watched, he could almost see them breathing in sync, which startled him since even some of their brothers, who had been at sea longer and seen many fighting styles, still couldn’t sync up with the young spitfire, usually getting too close and getting burned by the passionate flames in double spars, or somehow always losing sight of the freckled pirate and ending up hitting him on accident.
But watching the two of them now, Marco could finally place the ugly feeling he’d been getting whenever he watched them from afar, especially once the fight finished and Ace launched himself at Deuce, who squawked as he caught the shorter man clumsily.
Jealousy.
The famous green eyed monster that he swore he didn’t have against the duo’s relationship.
“Man, talk about a match made in heaven,” sighed Haruta, waving his sword around to try and fling the excess blood off of the metal, before sheathing the weapon and watching Ace and Deuce with Marco. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone actually able to sync up with Ace’s wild fighting style.”
“Remember, they’d been traveling together longer than they’d been sailing with us, yoi.” Marco grunted, trying to keep a mask of clam on his face, even as he crossed his arms over his chest. “They had time to get to learn one another's moves.”
“Whatever you say,” His younger brother eyed him for a moment, before heading back into the fray of the battle, leaving Marco to stew in his newfound thoughts.
He never thought he’d be jealous at his age, especially not when they never even had something to start with.
It was just ridiculous.
With a huff and a snarl, he jumped back into the battle, talons and Phoenix screeching for blood.
This whole thing was ridiculous.
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5. Vulnerability
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Marco knew that when he went to relieve people from their night shift duties, he wasn’t supposed to linger or hang back, considering during these shift changes anything could happen.
Except, that was exactly what he did when he went to relieve Ace and Deuce from their post, knowing that Thatch would be there with him shortly.
It wasn’t like he meant to, but with the way they were talking, no matter how quietly, they were having a very important conversation it seemed as Deuce tried to comfort his boyfriend in a moment of vulnerability.
“You should just tell him, Ace. Holding it in isn’t going to do anything, but hurt you in the long run.” That was Deuce’s calm voice, sounding as gentle as the sea, before a sniffle caught Marco’s attention.
“It’s not that easy, Deu. You and I both know that, remember how you reacted when I told you?” Another sniffle, that switched into a wet cough right after, most likely still trying to contain the tears. “You almost left me, I was almost completely alone and I can’t handle that. Not after all I went through already.”
“Sh, I know Ace, I know.” Marco had no idea what they were talking about, since the loud voices drifted into quiet whispers between the two. “I’m just saying, Marco and the others, they’re different. I know you can tell him at least, you used to tell me about how excited you were to tell him before I got here.”
“But now he’s acting weird and I don’t know what to do…” His keen Phoenix hearing picked it all up loud and clear and he didn’t know how to feel about it at the end of it all.
But he would approach Ace about it tomorrow, once his tears were dry and he was well rested enough to handle the confrontation, for now, he simply walked forward and cleared his throat. “I’m here to relieve you two.”
Ace looked up, carmine eyes red rimmed as he swiftly ducked his head and swiped his arm under his eyes. “Y-Yeah, thanks Marco.” With those words, he bolted, Deuce pausing for only a brief moment to lock eyes, before following after, once again leaving Marco to his thoughts.
He was too old for this shit, he was starting to believe.
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+1. Kisses
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“You know,” Izou called out a couple of days later, gaining Marco, Thatch, Deuce and Ace’s attention. “I’ve never seen you and Deuce kiss, Ace.”
Marco felt a pit fill his stomach as the two younger pirates exchanged bewildered glances, ready to watch them lock lips in front of all them.
What he wasn’t ready for though, was the explosive reactions that came next.
“Why would I kiss this dumbass?!” screeched Deuce as he jumped to his feet as Ace’s face began to smoke and steam, his cheeks a dark red as his freckles glowed like embers in a dying flame.
“K-Kissing is only for people in love!” The fire user declared, though he stuttered through the entire sentence, obviously embarrassed by the public call out.
“Well, you don’t have to hide the fact you’re dating.” Thatch commented lightly, arms crossed over his chest as he grinned at the two youngsters. “We don’t judge on this ship.”
This earned more spluttering from the two, before Deuce glared at Ace with all the rage in the world. “This is all your fault, you stupid jungle gremlin!”
“H-How is it my fault their dumbasses?!” Ace squeaked back, face officially on fire as he waved his arms defensively in front of himself.
“It’s because of your weird affectionate cat routine that they think this!”
“Hold up, yoi!” Marco called out, stopping the argument before it could derail the topic anymore. “What are you talking about?”
“Yeah, aren’t you two dating and just trying to keep it a secret?” Haruta called out, head tilted to the side in confusion.
“No. I wouldn’t date this man if we were the last two specimen in the entire world and he suddenly grew a pair of tits,” sneered Deuce, arms crossing over his chest as he glared at Ace, who sighed, finally managing to put the fire on his face out with his hands.
“Me and Deuce are just really good friends.” Ace sighed at last, eyes locked on the ground as he kicked his feet slightly.
This caused the nasty monster named Jealousy that Marco had been trying to beat into submission for the past couple of days to finally quiet and begin to disappear as he walked towards the younger fire user. “Is that so?”
“Y-Yeah?” Ace met his own steady gaze uneasily. “Why?”
“Oh, because I was just wondering if next time we docked at an island, if you’d be willing to go on a dinner date with me? My treat, yoi.” He offered, a small smile on his lips as Ace suddenly blushed once more, this time fiercer than the last time.
“W-Wait, really?!”
“I told you he liked you, you idiot!” groaned Deuce, but was ignored as Ace nodded his head so fast, Marco worried it was going to roll right off his neck.
“Y-Yes, yeah, I’d like that a whole lot actually.”
“Great, it’s a date.” Marco felt accomplished as he began to make plans, before pausing and smirking down at Ace, who blinked back up at him owlishly. Swiftly, the blond leaned in and pressed their lips together, earning a startled squeak and wolf whistles all around, his smirk remained as he saw Ace try to recircuit his brain. “And I do love you and would like you to be my boyfriend, yoi.”
Ace stuttered something that might’ve been an affirmation, before rushing off, dragging Deuce, his best friend, behind him.
Ah, what a giant misunderstanding this all turned out to be, but Marco wouldn’t have it any other way.