So this is actually a Chrismas present for Son Goshen. I hope she and the rest of you enjoy it!

Waking up from his evening nap to see a bright red flower resting atop the pillow beside him had Ace narrowing his eyes. Forcing his sluggish body upright, he picked it up by the stem and stared, twirling it between his fingers. It wasn't technically the first time he'd seen one-there were fields upon fields of them on the island they'd docked at that morning so he'd seen plenty by then-but this was the first time he took the time to look so closely. Five petals, red pistil and yellow stamen…

He shook his head. The damn flower wasn't important. What it was doing there, in his bedroom, was. Hopping to his feet and stretching his arms high into the air with a satisfied hum, the pirate was about to push it to the back of his mind and go to the mess hall for a late dinner when his eyes caught on something small on the floor.

A petal.

The flower in his hand was still intact, and that had his frown returning. "Alright, who's idea was this?" he questioned aloud, striding across the room and opening the door at the far end, continuing to mutter. And his eyes fell on yet another petal. And another, and another-a whole trail of them. His expression soured further. "Thatch. 'S gotta be Thatch."

How cheesy. Well, best to see where his brother was leading him, right? If nothing else, it'd kill a bit of time, and that in itself was nice. He needed food, though. Badly. It better have been a short side trip…

Twirling the flower absently, he followed the line of red petals down the hall and up onto the deck. No one was there, which was odd because even in the dead of night there were usually a few crew members scattered about, drinking or on night watch. Now, though? There wasn't even a light on in the crow's nest.

This was getting suspicious.

But then, as he started to think, he heard a small commotion breaking through the sounds of the restless winds and waves crashing against the Moby Dick's hull. He narrowed his eyes, approaching the bow of the ship, and his eyes locked onto the sandy white beaches below. He pinched the bridge of his nose as the crowds of pirates looked up to him and cheered.

"Ace!" they called happily, certainly damn proud of themselves.

He lowered his hand, leaning forward on the rail and shouted down, "The hell do you idiots think you're doing?!"

Whatever they answered was jumbled into an incoherent mess, with each of them trying to shout over one another. How horribly, horribly cheesy. And embarrassing. It had to be Thatch.

He looked away from his brothers and stared down at the rail to hide his heated cheeks. "Fucking morons…"

A raspy chuckle from behind had his shoulders stiffening only a brief moment, and out of the corner of his eye he saw someone lean on the railing next to him, staring out at the drunken festivities below. "Give them a break, yoi. They tried."

Ace snorted, even as his body instantly relaxed at the sound, the voice bringing immediate comfort and warmth. "This was Thatch. It has to be Thatch."

The blond's eyes scrolled over to him, an eyebrow raised as his lips curled in amusement. "Giving him credit already? You never know; it could have been someone else."

"Of course it-" The logia cut himself off, turning to fully face the first mate as his mind worked over those words, and his mouth gaped as he pointed an accusing finger Marco's way. "You did this?! Really? I never knew you were so…"

"Thoughtful?"

"Lame."

That smile Marco wore only grew as he reached out to card a hand through the younger's hair. "Admittedly I'm not very creative, yoi." Steely blue orbs lowered to the red petals still firmly gripped in Ace's hand. "Hibiscus. This island is famous for it."

Ace's eyes widened. He lifted the flower into view, watching it with renewed interest. "So that's…" After a stretching quiet, he lifted his head to the blond. "I've… never seen one, actually. My home island didn't have any." And it wasn't like he really paid much attention to the flowers he'd come across during his journey.

To Marco's raised eyebrow, he smiled softly, fondly. "My gramps… He told me that she-that, uh, my… my mother used to wear them. In her hair."

Suddenly the first mate pulled him into a hug, which he willingly gave in to, wrapping his arms around the taller man's back.

"I…" He swallowed. "I used to hate today. I hated it… so much, back then. But-then there was Sabo, and Luffy, and now…"

Marco cupped his cheeks. "Really, yoi? I actually love today."

Ace rolled his eyes as the phoenix leaned in to kiss his forehead, trying to hide his flushed cheeks. "Yeah, yeah, old man…" A holler from below had him groaning and reluctantly pulling from his lover's grip. "Alright, alright already! I'm coming!"

He stepped onto the railing, but there was a pause before he left. "...Marco?"

"Hm?"

"...Thanks for this."

The blond closed his eyes and smiled as his lover jumped down. "Anytime, yoi."

Across the white sands, flowers were dropped in a carefully laid-out pattern to spell out their message: HAPPY BIRTHDAY ACE!