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Lights danced around the courtyard, illuminating the crowd; the jewels of masquerade masks glimmering, foliage and ivy dappling the brick pathways with shadows, smiles (both genuine and falsified) glowing under warm hues.
Ace wore a mask no different than the rest of the crowd. His was adorned with citrines and rubies, vaguely flame-shaped, if anything.
Beautiful women in beautiful dresses chattered in groups and in couples. Men in fancy suits were set on wooing those few ladies left unoccupied, but Ace's eyes were elsewhere. A lonesome man, around his age, he was sure. He sat atop the stone edges of a raised flowerbeds, eyes deep in a book.
He stepped into the courtyard, and was a few feet from the man in moments.
"Hey, stranger."
The bookish man donned a much simpler mask than Ace's own, blue with lace around the edges and tear-shaped gemstones dangling from the edges. He had baby-blue hair and a dark coat reaching his ankles.
"Oh, um," the man stuttered, looking up from his book, "Can I help you?"
"You looked lonely."
He scowled. "I'm perfectly content sitting by myself."
Ace laughed, "That's alright, I'll be quiet. Just wanted company."
He gave Ace a weird look and turned back to his book.
Ace was true to his word, for the most part — that is, until he caught a glimpse of the cover of the book the man was buried in.
"Hey, wait, is that Brag Men?" he asked, leaning closer.
"You know it?!" the man gasped, shifting to face Ace.
"Yea! I read it a couple years back and I really liked it."
The man bookmarked his place and sat the book to the side. "I've loved it since I was little. I think this is my...9th, or so, time rereading the series," he said, recounting.
"Series?!"
The man's eyes lit up. "Yea! It's a series of three books. They're all by the same guy."
Ace nodded. He curled his legs up to his chest, and rested his chin on his knees.
"I've never found anyone else who likes it," he continued. "Would you wanna borrow my copies some time? They're a little worn, but they're my pride and joy."
"I'd love to," Ace beamed. "I'll have to reread the first, too, I'm sure."
"Do you live in High Town or Town Center? I'm in Town Center myself, but my family visits High Town pretty often for work."
"Ah, High Town," Ace sputtered. He hoped it was believable enough. Changing the subject, he continued, "What does your family do? I've heard of people visiting downwards, but never upwards."
"We're doctors. Pretty renowned, but my dad doesn't want me sharing much about that here...says it's a disservice to the family for me to bring it up." He seemed to withdraw a little bit.
Ace frowned. "He sounds like an ass. Are you good at the doctor stuff, or does it at least interest you?"
"I find it pretty interesting, really. I'm just clumsy, and — and a lot of those social formalities just go over my head."
"I get it. There's a lot expected of my brother and I, and I hate it. I think the noble bullshit gets tiring. I figure you hate most of th-- us, too?"
"Yeah. You could say that," the stranger sighs. "Ah, but that's not to say I hate you! I just met you, it'd be pretty rude to make assumptions all of a s--"
"Relax!" Ace laughed, "Why would I be offended? I hate most everyone here, too!"
The man laughed, too, and Ace watched his face contour around his mask. He was quite pretty, really.
"I should probably introduce myself. I can't say my real name 'cause of my dad, but everyone just calls me Deuce anyways. I've got an unlucky streak, if it isn't obvious..."
"Well, Deuce," Ace grinned, unfurling his legs to kick them back and forth, "It's been really nice to get to meet you. My name is A—uhh, Trace."
"...Ayuhtrace?"
"Just 'Trace'," he corrected.
"Alright, just Trace," Deuce giggled. "What say you, next time I'm in High Town, which should be the 26th, we meet up? I can lend you my copies of Brag Men!"
"That'd be great!"
Ace was smiling ear to ear — and then, it settled in that he'd made a heinous error in planning.
"What street are you on?"
Shit.
"I'm not sure, actually," Ace pleaded. "I've never had to worry about memorizing it."
It was a plausible lie, wasn't it?
"Surely you know if you're on the North or South side, at least?"
"We could meet up in the forested area near th—"
"Trace, you aren't who you say you are, are you?"
Ace looked up to the stars. "Nope. I'm sorry for lying to you."
Deuce offered a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's not like you're the prince, or something. I'm not gonna judge you. It's a masquerade ball, after all."
"Well—" Ace looked back at him. "Well."
Deuce blinked. "Trace...?"
Damnit. It's not like Deuce would tell anyone else, would he? Something about him made Ace feel a little bit safer.
He inhaled, sharply. "Ace," he finally corrected. "Portgas D. Ace. Crown prince of Goa."
To say Deuce's jaw dropped would be an understatement.
"You're kidding me."
The floodgates were open.
"This whole thing is supposed to be for me to find a bride. I don't... I don't really want to date women. None of this interests me."
Before Deuce could stop himself from asking such a silly question, the words escaped his mouth, hushed. "Do you prefer men, or no one at all?"
Ace looked away as his face warmed up.
"Men. God knows what would happen if anyone knew..."
Deuce scooted a little closer.
"I...get it."
"Really?! I mean—" Ace grabbed Deuce's hands in his own. "Are you...?"
"Yeah," Deuce nodded. "I told my brother and he snapped my wrist clean in two. Said it was that or he told our father."
He pulled his hands away and rolled up his sleeve, showing Ace the scarred skin.
"Jeez. Jeez!" Ace seethed. "I wish I had some sort of real power already. I'd be all like, off with their heads! And the guards would try and stop me, and then I'd imprison them for treason. King's orders is that Deuce's shitty family leaves him the hell alone!"
"No need for all that...I'm used to it, you know? It's alright," Deuce insisted.
"You shouldn't be alright with it," Ace said, unwavering as he locked eyes with Deuce.
The two quickly looked away from each other, flustering.
"I guess so, huh?"
A beat passed.
"Hey, Deuce?"
"Yeah?"
On any normal day, it would be far, far too soon to ask this of anyone. But he'd be damned if he ended this masquerade without anything to show for it.
He scooted his hand closer to Deuce's.
"Do you wanna kiss?"
Deuce nearly fell off the wall from shock.
"It's okay if not, really! I know we just met, I just thought, since you're the only other man I know tha...a..."
Deuce tugged him by the shirt collar into a kiss. Their masks clinked together right before their lips met.
As soon as he got used to the feeling of their lips together, Ace ran a hand through Deuce's baby-blue hair. His nails grazed against the nape of his neck.
Hell, Deuce could do anything right now and Ace would comply. He had a sneaking suspicion it was true the other way around, too.
"I don't know why I did that," he murmured, pulling away slowly. "I'm sorry."
"That's alright," Ace grinned. He ran a hand across Deuce's cheek. "Say, Deuce...what would you think of running away with me?"