A/N: So this is one of the only things I was able to write in time for Whitebeard week (school does that to you). I'm hoping to at least get something else done. So just a forewarning: this follows the angst theme for day 3, but not the Marineford theme. I was already writing this when the themes were announced, so I decided to wait to publish it.

Sorry for the lack of editing, btw! I'm hoping to go back and fix it when I get time.

More things to know: In this, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were raised by the Whitebeard pirates.

Ladies' Man: Ace hated that term.

He remembered when he was younger and when those words were never really used. He heard the term in passing now and then when they stopped in towns and such, but he didn't care to understand it.

Then he really began growing up. He had hit puberty, as the nurses told him.

That had been an awkward time aboard the Moby Dick. There were two- soon to be three- pubescent teenagers running around the ship. Besides the teasing about the acne and voice cracks, many of their older brothers teased Ace, Sabo, and Luffy about one big thing:

They were finally that age to be interested in girls.

Sabo was the only one who was embarrassed by this teasing, Luffy was completely clueless, which was to be expected, and Ace just didn't care. It was easy enough to ignore, though it was annoying at times. He didn't like girls anyways.

Guys were better, in his opinion.

But no one else needed to know that. He knew how some people felt about guys like him, and he didn't want to make the family that took him in so lovingly hate him.

Because he had heard how some of them talked.

"That's the gayest thing I've ever heard."

"What a fag!"

And then they would laugh.

Ace tried to convince himself that they didn't really mean it- this was the family that loved him and accepted him- but in such a large crew there was bound to be people who saw differently. At first, he didn't know how the commanders allowed them to speak like that, but apparently they never talked like that in front of the commanders, which made sense to Ace. Izo probably would've shot them in their feet if he heard those insults. Ace had just caught them at an unfortunate- well, for him at least- time.

He knew they hadn't been talking about him since they couldn't have possibly known his sexual preference, but the words still stung more than open wounds and twisted sickeningly in his gut.

Ace ended up talking with Sabo and Luffy about it later, and they were as accepting as ever as Ace almost broke down. Knowing they were there for him was always comforting.

But then Sabo was off to join the revolutionaries, and Luffy had embarked to form his crew and follow his dream. Ace couldn't shake the feeling of loneliness, though he was surrounded by his brothers and sisters of the crew. He no longer had anyone who he could talk to about the issue or someone who could divert the older crew members' attentions when they brought up the subject of women.

With his two pillars of support gone, it was hard to keep up his act and seem normal. He was pretty someone would say something eventually. And then, they would find out how disgusting he was. Especially since…

"What are you thinking so hard about, yoi?"

He was crushing on Marco, someone who only saw him as a little brother. He, Sabo, and Luffy had been with the Whitebeard pirates ever since they were kids with Marco being one of the ones in charge of them. Over time, Ace had become much closer to him. Marco understood him, and always knew what to say. He helped Ace train his fruit too. But once the puberty hit, he was finished. As much as he liked Marco, revealing his feelings would only make things weird. Besides, it's not like Marco liked guys anyways. Ace had seen him with women in towns every now and then.

"It's nothing, Marco," Ace answered, leaning back to take a look at him. He looked even more handsome with the moonlight washing over him, but Ace could never say that out loud. He tried not to stare too much. "The night shift can be boring sometimes, you know?"

"We all have to do it, Ace," Marco said, reaching out to ruffle his hair. Ace loved when he did that. "I know you're tired, but I'll let you sleep in tomorrow. We're docking at an island, so it'll be fine, yoi."

Ace grinned wide at him upon hearing the relieving words. "Thanks, Marco!" he exclaimed. It was nice that Marco knew what he needed. "Want to stay for a bit? It'll help me stay awake," he reasoned.

Marco smiled the smile that Ace loved so much. "I don't see why not."

It was nice having Marco by his side to talk to him. It took his worries off of his mind for even just a little longer.

Ace first realized that he liked boys long before puberty hit.

It was hard not to have a little crush at least. Sabo had accepted him, and he was the one who was able to fight Ace almost equally. They had a special partnership together before Luffy came along. He had gotten over the crush soon after they decided that they were officially brothers. There was still a hopeful part of him that remained, but things would have been too weird between them.

He ended up telling Sabo years later once they discussed his sexuality, and he didn't seem to mind one bit, much to Ace's relief.

Honestly, he didn't think liking guys was weird at first, when he liked Sabo. There were not girls around that were his age, and even if there were, he wouldn't have showed any interest with them. And so the thoughts of romance had faded only to be ignited later.

They had been on one of Pops' islands, stocking up for the journey ahead of them, and Ace had decided to go help out. The worker helping them with the boxes was probably only a few years older than Ace, and he had been very cute. He had muscles (not as big as Ace's own though) and short, light, hair (maybe Ace had a thing for blonds?). Ace couldn't help staring at him, zoning out when the guy handed a box to him. He thought that the other guy didn't mind, or maybe that he hadn't noticed, but eventually he started to smile back, warming Ace up inside.

Though the guy's mother (who ran the store) came along later once they were done, shooting Ace a disgusted look while dragging her son away. He knew what that meant: "Stay away." Ace hadn't even talked to the guy.

When he thought about it, it was after that when he became aware of the words everyone else said, and so he began to feel disgusting.

But that's when he started noticing his feelings for Marco as well.

Ace had been acting particularly dejected one day, when Marco had come up to him like today and sat by his side.

"You can tell us if something is bothering you, yoi. I promise I'll listen."

And Marco kept through on his promise. Ace never ended up truly discussing the real issue with him, but Marco listened to his rants now and then with a smile. Eventually, it became tradition for Ace and Marco to sit side by side and just talk about how things were going.

That's how he started to love Marco, though the sexual thoughts came later.

What could he say? Marco was hot, and that was easy enough to see when they were training together, sweat running down their bodies. He particularly liked it when Marco guided his hands to show him a particular technique.

Ace was in love with Marco, yet if he knew…

Well, he didn't really want to think about that.

His 21st birthday came before he knew it, and the crew decided to throw another large celebration along with the New Year's party. They said something about 21 years being another milestone (the traditional drinking age- not that it mattered much to a pirate like Ace).

Celebration had been as grand as ever, rivaling the wild partying of his 17th birthday. There were fireworks that Haruta had acquired from a nearby island (they had been safely set off away from the main ship), tons of food (which Ace had consumed in the blink of an eye), and overflowing mugs of booze.

His first few days of being 21 years old were going great. Hell, he had even let loose against some Marines. Nothing had really changed, but he felt happier than ever.

Well, that is, until Thatch decided to take him out for a little "surprise".

Ace wasn't an idiot. He knew exactly where Thatch along with some of his division members were dragging him (the traitors), and he didn't like it one bit.

"C'mon, Ace!" Thatch exclaimed in a disgustingly cheery voice. "You're twenty-one now! It's time you got some action!"

The men from his division nodded in agreement. "Yeah, commander! Live a little!" One of them clamped a hand down on Ace's shoulder, and it took a good amount of effort to keep himself from tensing up for more reason than one.

Because honestly, Thatch had known him since he was ten. Didn't he find trying to hook Ace up with a lady awkward? Ace sure did. Then there was the factor of his orientation.

There was no way he was going to sleep with a random woman tonight, but Thatch seemed dead set on it (he had tried it several times before after all). Ace ran over several plans he had thought of beforehand to escape. Should he divert his attention by pointing out a bar? As a pirate, Thatch rarely said no to alcohol, but Ace had used that excuse before. It would've been helpful if he had signed up for night watch, but Thatch had struck at inopportune time- well, inopportune for Ace at least.

Did Thatch think Ace needed to lose his virginity now that he was twenty-one? That was stupid.

"C'mon, Ace," Thatch called, breaking Ace out of his thoughts. "Let's find you a nice lady!"

He hadn't noticed them arrive in front of the brothel. Suddenly, all of his nerves came crashing down on him. They were here now and he had lost any means of escape. The last plan he had, paying the girl for her time, but not actually doing anything, was only a last resort. He hadn't even wanted to reach that stage though. Just thinking about the situation still made him sick. Would the girl try to touch him regardless of his request? Would she tell others what had happened? So many things could go wrong.

He felt himself glued to his position, only able to stare at Thatch and the others. Excuses bubbled on his lips, but none actually formed completely, leaving him helpless. "The kid's in shock!" someone shouted amusedly, but Ace couldn't quite tell who. They took his arm, dragging him towards the entrance, and he couldn't find the energy to resist.

The first thing that hit him was the smell. The strong scent of mixing perfumes was practically overwhelming- so much that Ace almost took a step back. The lighting was rather low, but Ace could still see the rich-red tones of the wall and the numerous women in minimal "clothing" milling about. He heard someone from their group wolf-whistle sharply, and the noise felt almost too loud to him. The rest of them laughed at this action and went off to find a partner for the night, making Ace feel alone despite the one who was still with him.

Thatch grinned at him widely. "Go on, Ace! They'll love you here, Ladies' Man!"

Hearing those words made everything worse. He wanted to snap out of the grip on his arm and bolt out the door, but he still found himself unable to move, and they would probably ask questions later if he did: questions that Ace was unwilling to answer.

"Can't decide?" Thatch laughed. Ace didn't have time to raise a protest. "How about I pick for you? What kind of girl do you like?"

'None,' Ace wanted to say, but he didn't want to see how Thatch would react to that response, especially since he had taken the trouble of dragging him all the way here.

"Hm… she looks nice," Thatch commented, nodding over towards a girl. Ace turned his gaze to her: she was petite and had long dark hair the flowed past her breasts. She was definitely the kind of person that Ace held no interest in- not that her appearance was the issue.

He then noticed that she was starting to head in their direction. It was now or never.

"Thatch, I-" he began, but was quickly interrupted.

"What's wrong, Ace?" Thatch asked, sounding concerned. He probably thought that he was doing what was best, but Ace wished Thatch could see his true feelings right now. They had always been rather close, and Thatch had known when things were bothering him before, but now, that skill seemed to be failing.

"They'll love you here!"

'And what would you know about that?' Ace almost laughed bitterly.

The girl was almost to them now, and Ace could hear his heartbeat speeding up, drowning out all the other sounds of the brothel. He was running out of time, and he needed to escape. He didn't want this. He didn't want-

"There you are!"

The familiar voice reached his ears through the haze of anxiety washing him with relief. He turned towards it to see Izo standing in the doorway, not a hair out of place.

Thatch didn't seem all that excited about his sudden appearance though. "What do you want, Izo?" he grumbled "This is kind of important."

Izo rolled his eyes. "Sure it is. Anyways, I need Ace back on the ship now."

Ace wanted to hug him and thank him right there, but Thatch continued. "Can't it wait? Ace is about to become a man!"

"Like I wasn't one before?" Ace muttered to himself, but neither Thatch nor Izo heard it their continuing argument. Ace was beginning to feel bad for the girls around them since they appeared just as uncomfortable as he did.

Maybe he should say something.

"Why are you being such a stiff?" Thatch yelled. "I'm just trying to show him some fun!"

"You oaf!" Izo growled. "Can't you see that you're making him uncomfortable?"

Things seemed to grow quiet around them. Thatch's eyes grew wide. Ace could see the guilt in them as Thatch removed the hand that was still clasped on Ace's shoulder. "Was I really…?"

Ace felt a sinking feeling in his stomach upon seeing Thatch's expression. He should've said something sooner to avoid this drama. Now he had ended up letting Thatch hurt him, which hurt Thatch himself too. "Thatch…"

"We can talk about this some other time, but I'm bringing you back to the ship immediately," Izo sighed. He sounded guilty too, but he said nothing further on it, taking Ace's hand and leaving a speechless Thatch in the brothel.

"You and I need to talk."

Ace knew that something like this had to happen eventually, but he still felt like his heart was going to leap out of his body. He bit his lip to try to anchor himself under Izo's seemingly harsh gaze. He wasn't sure if he was ready for this either, and he found himself unable to stand as he slid to the floor of the crow's nest.

The first thing that Izo did was sigh. "Ace, you've been holding this off for too long. Did you think that even one person wouldn't notice?"

Izo didn't sound mad. Just disappointed. "I'm sorry," Ace murmured back quietly.

"You have no reason to apologize." A reassuring hand patted his shoulder, and Ace felt Izo settle beside him. "It's just that it's unhealthy to keep something like this bottled up for so long. For yourself and for others around you."

"I didn't have anyone I could talk to about it," Ace admitted. No one would've understood. I've heard how some of them talk." But he realized his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth. He had no time to try and defend himself however.

"You're telling that to me of all people?" Izo scoffed. Ace was sure that if he was standing, he would've gestured grandly at his flowing kimono, and Ace felt too guilty to look at the makeup that was always perfectly done. "Please, Ace. You're going to have to try harder if you want me to believe an excuse like that."

Ace had no retaliations to those words since Izo was right. In the past he had even thought of talking to him about it before this moment, but fear had held him back.

"I admit though," Izo continued, "you're not wrong about what they say."

"I thought you were supposed to be comforting me," Ace bit, but he didn't have the heart to make it sound harsh, and thankfully, Izo didn't mind.

"I'm not condoning their behavior at all," Izo said, "but it's impossible to monitor everything that everybody says-"

"That's the understatement of the year."

"-and besides, none of them have ever meant it to insult. Still, no one should be using those words on this ship, and Pops doesn't like them either," Izo explained. "I assure you Ace, that everyone on this ship is just as accepting of you as when you first came onto this ship. Unfortunately, some of the crew still have habits they used before they joined, and the oafs aren't completely used to thinking considerately."

Despite Izo's words, which had been comforting in some ways, the sinking feeling in his stomach hadn't vanished. "How can you be so sure that they don't care that I'm…?" Ace couldn't even bring himself to say he words, which made his stomach sink further. Just thinking about how weak he was acting made him feel sick.

Izo raised an eyebrow. "There are over 1600 people aboard this ship. Now you tell me. What are the odds that every single one of them is straight?"

Hearing the numbers really put things into perspective. Now Ace felt plain silly. "Oh," was all he could say.

"It may be a shock to you, but it's something we've never really made a big deal about. As Pops says-"

"Everyone is a child of the sea," Ace finished, a smile coming to his lips. Those words had comforted him time and time again, and now was one of the times he needed it. Maybe he should've gone to Pops first, not that he had anything against Izo's advice.

"Now you're getting it." Izo smiled softly. "I'd tell you who else on the ship is like us, but that's their decision to out themselves. Just as it is your decision to come out yourself."

Ace nodded in understanding, seeing that the conversation was reaching its end. He was just glad that Izo wasn't forcing him into anything.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

There was one last thing that was giving Ace anxiety, and he desperately needed to know. He needed to know that even this wouldn't make him disgusting in their eyes.

"If I liked someone on this ship…" he started, trailing off with his words. A lump had formed in his throat, preventing him from finishing, but Izo's reassuring look helped him to push past it.

"Would it be okay if I liked someone on this ship? Even though we're all supposed to be brothers and sisters?"

An amused twinkle suddenly appeared in Izo's eyes and for a moment, Ace panicked, thinking that this was all some elaborate setup just to weed him and torment him. Thankfully, Izo's answer was certain, sure, and of course he knew that-

"It's Marco, isn't it?" Izo asked, though the smirk gracing his lips showed that he obviously knew he was right, leaving Ace with a gaping mouth.

"H-how did you?"

Izo's wink just left him sputtering even more. "Well, that's just something you'll have to ask him about yourself."

"What?!"

"Ace…"

The familiar voice came from much too close by for Ace to be comfortable. Usually, Ace loved how spacious the crow's nest was, but now he was cursing it. Suddenly, he was looking straight into the lazy, blue eyes that he loved so much, unsure of what to do now. Just as he was about to turn to Izo for help, he heard him call, "Good luck!" and when Ace looked back to where he was, Izo was gone.

All he could do was turn back to Marco, who had now taken a seat next to him. His warmth was as comforting as ever, but Ace still remained nervous. "Erm… hi, Marco. How… how much of that did you hear?"

Gods, he still felt like he should run away from this, yet Marco, being the way he was, could easily tell how he felt. "There's no need to be nervous, yoi," Marco chuckled, the wonderful noise helping to soothe Ace's fears.

"So you know then? That I'm gay," Ace added. Though Marco had been able to quell his nervousness even just a little bit, he could still feel himself shaking. "You really don't think I'm disgusting?"

"Like Izo said," Marco started, "there's a very low chance that everyone on this ship is straight."

The implications of those words fueled Ace with hope. Hope that his seemingly unrequited love had meant something all these years. "You?" He was so excited that he couldn't form proper words, but it was then when some key facts came to mind. "I've only seen you with women before though."

"Things aren't just black and white, yoi," Marco said. "There are many different sexualities. I'm pansexual, yoi, which means I like more than just men or women."

"But aren't I just a little kid to you?"

Ace hadn't meant to interrogate Marco, but he needed to know if everything he had been dreading was true or not. He held his breath in anticipation, leaning ever so slightly into that warmth even though he knew that the other might pull away.

But Marco stayed right by his side, moving an arm around his shoulder as a comforting gesture. Ace gladly melted into the touch.

"I stopped thinking of you as a little kid a long time ago, yoi," Marco replied, finishing the statement by brushing his lips against Ace's forehead.

Ace was calm on the outside, but on the inside, he felt like he could explode into millions of fireworks. Finally, things were starting to look up for him- that is until Marco pulled away.

"Wha-? Marco…?" Ace brought out, reaching out for Marco, who was beginning to stand, apprehensively, almost pulling his hand back.

"Relax, Ace," Marco reassured, seeing the nervousness in Ace's eyes. "I just want to make sure that you won't regret this, yoi."

"Since when have I regretted anything?" Ace snorted. It was something he had promised Sabo a long time ago after all. "You're going to make me prove it?"

"I know you're still holding back, yoi," Marco said, "even after your conversation with Izo.

Ace flinched.

"But I can trust you to make the right decision," Marco continued, moving towards the rope ladder, but he gave one last smile before he descended. "You're a pirate, so I'm sure you'll just do what you want anyways."

All Ace could do was ponder those words, alone in the crow's nest.

Ace laid his hand upon the door leading out to the deck, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest. He knew Marco was out there, and so were several other members of their family. Marco had been right yesterday. Ace was a pirate, and pirates do what they wanted, right? It was time for him to step up, and despite his nervousness, he couldn't hide anymore.

Ace took a deep breath, and pushed the door open ever so slightly.

"Ace!" a voice called; the very voice that had called him *Ladies' Man last night. "Can we talk?" Thatch asked, pulling him back from the door.

Part of Ace was still uncomfortable of Thatch's presence, but when he saw his eyes, he noticed that the usual cheeriness was gone, replaced with swimming guilt.

And so he pulled himself away from the current task at hand, following Thatch to his room.

He took a seat in the stiff desk chair that creaked under his weight, Thatch sitting on his bed.

"I'm sorry, man," Thatch started before Ace could ask him what this was about- not that he needed to.

"It's fine," Ace replied. "I know you didn't mean it."

"But I didn't know!" Thatch protested, throwing his hands into the air, Ace almost jumping at his outburst. Ace wasn't used to seeing Thatch like this, but he understood him. Thatch always acted happy-go-lucky on the outside, but he never let anyone know when something was bothering him.

Kind of like Ace.

"I'm supposed to be your brother! Why couldn't I see that something was wrong?"

Thatch wasn't quite looking at him, staring blankly at the ground with his head in his hands.

"It's just that it's unhealthy to keep something like this bottled up for so long. For yourself and for others around you."

Ace sighed. Izo was right, though that was usually the case anyways.

He moved, taking a seat beside Thatch on the bed. He then proceeded to whack some sense into him.

"Hey! Watch the hair!" Thatch yelped, swatting his hands away.

"See?" Ace managed a laugh. "That's the Thatch I know!"

"Shouldn't you be mad at me though? " Thatch questioned, hinting at his suspicion.

Ace shrugged. "I don't like how you made me go to that place, but you didn't know, so I can't really blame you. I should've said something sooner."

Hearing Ace's forgiveness gave back Thatch back some of his cheeriness. "And here I thought that you were going to set my wonderful hair on fire!"

"I can still do it!" Ace countered, grinning mischievously. He didn't follow up on this suggestion though. "Maybe some other time."

Thatch shot him a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll see." Ace replied mysteriously, patting him on the back. "In a few minutes actually."

"Brothers?"

"Brothers."

Thatch followed him up to the deck, but Ace continued on without him.

"Hey, man! Join our game!" the guys that were with him and Thatch last night called, waving their cards around in the air. He ignored them, keeping his eyes trained on the figurehead where the man he was looking for was located.

"Is everything alright, son?" Whitebeard asked when Ace passed the main mast and his throne. For a second, fear slipped back into Ace's mind: fear that Pops would reject him and call him disgusting, but Marco and Izo's words came back to him, and he was able to steel himself.

"Everything's fine, Pops," Ace answered. At least, it will be.

The worry didn't disappear from Whitebeard's eyes, but he could sense Ace's resolve. He nodded at his son, allowing him to walk towards the front of the ship.

Ace's steps slowed down as came closer and closer to Marco. He noticed his hands were shaking too, but he tightened them into fists just as he came to a stop. Slowly, he breathed in. It was finally time.

"Marco!" Ace called out. His loud shout ended up catching the attention of everyone on deck. Marco turned to face him, a smile on his face. It seemed that he already knew why Ace was there.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ace continued. "Pirates do what they want, right?"

"Of course, yoi," Marco chuckled, just loud enough for Ace to hear.

And so Ace stepped closer, caressing the sides of Marco's face. He could feel the rough stubble against his chin when he leaned in, and Marco's lips were warm, but just the slightest bit rough. Ace thought it was intoxicating. His heart soared when Marco kissed him back and moved his hands down to his sides.

It was all so liberating. He didn't care whether they were gasping or cheering around them. He had Marco now, and he was free.

I hope you guys enjoyed this! I know it didn't focus too much on Marco and Ace though, but I wanted this to center more on Ace.

Please review!