A/N: Okay! First oneshot. These will probably be published all together in a collection. Any smut will be uploaded separately. Man, the part near the end (not the bonus) was really nice to write, so I hope you guys think it's cute.

Enjoy!

Second First Date

Marco stared at his self in the mirror, satisfied with his appearance. He had dressed up in another suit, perfect for a dinner date. He left the jacket unbuttoned, exposing the end of his new tie: once again light blue, but this time displaying his family's mark on its end. This was his second chance with Ace and he wasn't going to waste it.

Suddenly, the door of his room burst open. "Yo, Marco!" Thatch yelled as he entered the blond's room. Seeing his brother's cleaned up form, he grinned. "Goin' somewhere, bro?"

"None of your business, Thatch," he sighed, gathering his things in pockets. "Now leave."

"What? C'mon, tell me! You look all fancy-fancy! Wait, don't tell me..." The brunet pushed his face in close. "You have a date!"

Considering his state of dress, Marco was not surprised that his (slow) brother figured it out. He rolled his eyes. He left his room, brunet following.

"What was that kid's name again? Trace?"

"His name is Ace, yoi!" the blond snapped slightly. "Gah!" He covered his mouth, but it was too late.

"Oh, right... He was that guy. Wasn't he? You never introduced me!" Thatch laughed. "Oh well. Use protection."

"Oi. Unlike you, I don't think about my dick 24/7. This is only our second date."

"Yeah, yeah. There are some condoms in the drawer if you need any."

With an intense glare at his brother, the blond opened the front door and stepped outside. "Leaving now." But just when he was about to close the door behind him, he felt something hit the back of his head. Slowly he turned and looked on the ground where it landed. It was a condom. Ignoring its presence, he slammed the door shut (admittedly harder than he would have if that wasn't thrown at him).

Climbing in his car, he buckled his seatbelt. "Okay," he said to himself. "I have to get those first, then I'll pick up Ace." He turned the key to start the engine and drove off, hopes high for the rest of the evening.

"Did you really have to pick out my clothes?" Ace whined as Sabo adjusted his white tie. "We're only going to the Baratie."

"Yeah, but you're going on a date," the blond huffed. "I know the restaurant belongs to Sanji's family, but you're trying to impress Marco. Aren't you? You're not leaving this house in a t-shirt and shorts."

"I guess you have a point," the raven haired sighed, staring at his reflection in the mirror. "Hey, I look pretty good!"

"Yeah. No thanks to yourself." Sabo headed towards the door. "I'm going to start on dinner for Lu and me. You can wait up here. I don't want you eating any of the ingredients."

"Yeah, yeah." And with that, the middle brother headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Ace bounced on his bed in anticipation. 'Man, I wonder when Marco's going to get here. We can finally have a normal date!' He smiled happily. 'Not that the prom was too bad. It sucks that I got drunk though. Marco was really nice about it.' The teen blushed suddenly, remembering the events of the night. 'I wonder if he's going to use that line again. The waiting is killing me!' he screamed internally.

But just when Ace was about to shoot the model a text (they had exchanged numbers after the prom night fiasco), he heard the loud ring of the doorbell. "That's him! That's Marco!"

Marco stood in front of Ace's door, waiting anxiously after ringing the doorbell. 'I hope he likes these,' he thought, shifting the bouquet of roses in behind his back. 'He doesn't seem like a flower kind of guy, but once he sees the colors...'

The door opened suddenly, stopping his thoughts. "You're here to pick up Ace. Right?" Marco recognized him as Sabo, the middle brother of Ace's family.

"Is he ready, yoi?" the model asked, smiling politely.

Sabo nodded. "Yeah. He's waiting upstairs, but he'll probably be down-"

"I'm here! I'm here!" an unmistakable voice called. Marco directed his attention to the stairs inside where he saw Ace rushing down. "Hi, Marco!" the teen smiled.

Marco felt his cheeks flush slightly. The raven-haired cleaned up very well. His white tie stood out from the black dress short he wore, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. "You look very nice," Marco greeted charmingly.

Ace blushed back at him. "Th-Thanks. You look nice too!" he stammered. "Should we go now?"

"Wait a second, yoi," the model said, moving the flowers from behind his back. "These are for you."

The boy's eyes widened when he saw the bouquet. It was made up of warm colored roses. The reds, oranges, and yellows combined to look like a flame. "Wow! I'm not much for flowers, but this looks really cool! How did you know?" He took the flowers gratefully.

Marco smiled. "You had fire patterns on your phone and wallet."

Ace turned to his brother. "Hey, Sabo. Can you put these in the some water?"

"Sure," he replied, rolling his eyes and taking the bouquet. He shoved Ace out the door with his free hand. "Have fun, you two!" he chimed, shutting the door behind them.

Marco took his hand. "Let's have a good date, yoi."

Ace nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

"Are you sure? I can pay for myself." Before Marco had even opened his menu, Ace had insisted on splitting the bill.

The two were now sitting in a private room at the Baratie, waiting for their server. The room was well furnished. The tablecloth was perfectly white atop the table in the center. The wood of the chairs were carved more beautifully than those in the normal room.

"I'm paying, yoi. It's common courtesy since I was the one who asked you here." He smiled at his date. "If Garp being your grandfather says anything, then I'd bet you have a big appetite."

It was embarrassing that Marco already knew his eating habits, he thanked the man nonetheless. "You're right about that," he laughed sheepishly.

The door to the room opened suddenly, sending a tiny spark of shock through Ace. He had never used one of the private rooms before, so he wasn't used to the waiter entering without warning. His shock soon vanished when he saw the waiter. "Oh. Hey, Sanji," he greeted. "Not working in the kitchen tonight?"

Marco recognized the man's haircut and ...unique eyebrow from the night of prom. If he remembered correctly, this was one of Luffy's friends. 'He helped us out. Didn't he?'

"No," he sighed. "I was tweaking with a recipe a few days ago, and now the geezer won't let me back in the kitchen."

"That sucks."

"Well it doesn't suck if I don't have to keep up with your stupid appetite." He turned to Marco. "I assume you're paying?"

"Oi!"

"I mean he runs away pretty much every time so..."

"Sanji!"

Marco raised an eyebrow at him. "You eat and run?"

Ace didn't have to answer, for the blush on his face screamed 'yes'.

The laugh that came out of Marco's mouth made Ace's heart beat.

Sanji ended up having to get them an extra table for Ace's food. The two of them both requested water as their drink. Marco ordered the steak and Ace ordered at least one of every entrée. "Sorry you have to pay for so much," he apologized after Sanji left with their order.

"No. It's fine. This gives us more time to talk."

Ace nodded. "I guess it does."

"So, you dine and dash a lot?" the blond asked.

Ace gave another sheepish laugh. "It became a bad habit since we did it more as kids. It just never really went away. But Luffy's friends with Sanji, so that pretty much saves our asses."

This confused Marco slightly. "Why would it?"

"You didn't know? Sanji is the owner's son."

Marco must have looked genuinely surprised since Ace started laughing. "I didn't know Zeff had a son."

"You know the old guy?" Ace questioned. "Adopted too, by the way," he added.

"Same way I know Garp," the blond replied. "Pops."

"You never really told me about that. How did you meet my gramps?"

He had to think for a second before finally answering. "He comes over for drinks sometimes. Apparently, they like to talk about the 'old days.'"

"And the eating thing?"

"All of the rice crackers and donuts: gone."

"I figured as much," Ace sighed.

The two ended up talking the entire time while waiting for their order. They listened intently on what the other had to say, thankful for the privacy of the room. There would be no interruptions, unlike the night of Ace's prom. Words flowed freely from their mouths, listing hobbies and favorites. Each took mental note of what the other had to say, smiling when they spoke.

Quite a while later, the door opened once again, Sanji wheeling in a cart of food. "Hey, guys," he said, piling plates atop the extra table.

"You're not gonna poison me. Are ya?" Ace joked as Marco's food was set in front of him.

"Nah," the young cook replied. "We're actually getting paid this time, so..."

"Gee, thanks." He noticed Marco trying to hold in another laugh and he gave the man a playful glare.

"Whatever, man. Enjoy your meal!"

Marco had already cut into his steak, when he noticed Ace just sitting there, eyeing his stack of plates. He set down his fork and knife. "Something wrong?" the blond asked.

"Er- It's just that..." the younger stammered. "Uh- Maybe I'm not as hungry as I thought! So-"

He was abruptly cut off by his growling stomach.

Marco smiled reassuringly. "Go ahead and eat, Ace. You don't have to be embarrassed."

At this, the boy's eyes shined. "Thanks, Marco!" he cheered. "All my past dates never really liked it when I ate in front of them."

"Well, I'm not your past dates. I don't mind."

It was a bit strange seeing Ace inhale all the food he had. He couldn't judge though. Marco's family had their own strange table mannerisms. He was just glad that his date was so happy.

When they were finished, Ace leaned back in his chair, satisfied. "That was good. Thanks again, Marco!" he grinned as the blond signed off on the bill.

"You can still move. Right?" Marco chuckled. He stood offering his hand to Ace. "We have to go."

"Huh?" The teen's eyes briefly flashed with disappointment. "Oh yeah. Though he knew he didn't need help standing, he took his date's hand anyways.

Saying goodbye to Sanji, who was still busy waiting tables, the two left the restaurant. "I liked that," Ace chimed, trying to break the silence in the car as Marco pulled away from the Baratie. "We've never used the private rooms before, but it's really fun scaring the other customers while we eat."

Marco hummed slightly, trying to concentrate on driving. This left Ace panicked. 'Maybe he didn't enjoy himself?' He was so consumed in his thoughts, that it took him a while to realize that- "This isn't the way to my house!"

"Sorry," the man apologized, unable to hold back a smile. "I know this looks bad, but I wanted to show you something, yoi."

"Eh? But that means-"

"Yeah. Our date isn't over yet."

Ace felt like cheering. He was curious as to what the man wanted to show him, but right now, it was enough just being near him. "Should I close my eyes to surprise myself?"

"If you'd like," Marco laughed.

He didn't open them until he felt the engine turn off. The first thing he noticed was that it was dark out. The second thing he noticed was that Marco had already opened his car door, once again offering a hand.

The last thing he noticed was the beauty surrounding him. The fragrant smell of flowers wafted all around. He could see all the stars, shining up above. It was absolutely breathtaking. "Wow, Marco! This is... I just..."

Ace was busy grinning up at the stars and taking in the air, but Marco was distracted. He just couldn't take his eyes off of him. "You like it?"

"Like it? I love it!" Ace exclaimed.

"I knew you would," the blond smiled. "After what you told me at prom, I knew I needed to show you this. This is freedom, Ace."

"Really? So this is what true freedom feels like..." He stopped. "But there's something missing..."

"What?!" Something missing? 'What did I forget?' the blond panicked.

Without warning, he was tackled to the ground, back hitting the soft grass. "Hey!"

"Gotcha, Marco!" Ace laughed, tangling himself in his date's arms. "Watch the stars with me!"

"Alright, alright!" He adjusted his grip around the teen, staring up at the magnificent night sky. It was so nice, so peaceful. He didn't even care that his clothes would get dirty. Having Ace's warmth pressed against him was just too amazing. "Hey, Ace," he whispered suddenly. "May I kiss you?"

The boy didn't respond. Thinking that his date was too shocked to answer, Marco turned to look only to find Ace in a state of peaceful rest. He chuckled. "You have to stop doing this. I might just fall in love with you." He pulled himself off of Ace and lifted him off the ground. "I'll bring you home."

Bonus:

"How was your date, son?"

"It was great, Pops. We're going to the park tomorrow as well."

"It's nice to see you so happy. He's Garp's grandson, so I bet you won't have the easiest time. Gurarara!"

"I have to try. Don't I? I think this could really work."

"Well, if that's what you want. Oh, and by the way, son. Why was there a condom on the front steps?"

"..."

So I hope you guys enjoyed that!

Please review and remember to vote on the poll for next week! I won't be able to edit the oneshots properly if I don't know which one you guys want. Thank you!