Why was this always happening to him all of a sudden? He hasn't done anything wrong, right? He was just trying to be a good Samaritan or whatever. Not be a damn escort whenever this troubled teen was knocked out cold on the damn pavement.

Dammit. 

Marco had just about enough of this bullshit. Well... almost. He could never stay mad at Ace for very long, no matter how immature and childish he was. Also, he might have an idea as to why Ace was out cold, on the sidewalk, reeking of booze, at 2 in the morning. Upon sharing who his biological father was, Ace also stated that on very bad days, he would somehow manage to drown his pent up anger through booze or lighting cars on fire.

Luckily, he chose the booze.

Ace was now, again, out like a light in Marco's back seat. He was currently driving the unconscious teen back to his home. Marco would've driven back to his house, but he's been having the unsettling feeling that he's being watched whenever he was with Ace. Do Ace's house it was, for today. 

"Huh? Where am I? Who the fuck are you?" Ace woke and questioned in a slurred, barely comprehensible voice.

"Ace it's me, don't worry. I driving you to your house. Come on, I'll help you in." Marco said, only a few houses from Ace's abode.

"Oh really?! Marco you are so sweet to me. Come on, you have to stay for dinner. I think Sabo's making pasta or something." Ace slurred, giggling at the end.

"Ace, no. Its 2:35 in the morning, no one is having dinner this late-"

"Wait!"

"What?! What's wrong?!" Marco pressed the breaks and turned around to make sure Ace was alright.

"We should stop here... and walk the rest of the way."

"What? Why? Ace, you're not making any sense." Marco said, very confused and slightly frustrated.

"C'mon, just trust me, please? I have a feeling that something's gonna happen if you park there. Please?"

How could he ever say no to those beautiful, chocolate eyes? Marco sighed in defeat and stopped the car, exited and helped Ace out to continue in foot.

"So, Ace, can you tell me why you're so wasted this time in the night?" Marco asked, trying to keep his composure.

"Oh... Well I was walking around the park, right? Then a coupled of assholes were talking about him and that if he had a child, they should be put to death as well. So, I kicked their asses, right? Then I was gonna set their cars on fire, but I realized that was low key illegal, so I went and stole a bunch of booze from this place and ended up... I don't remember what happened next. Oh! You came to get me! You're so sweet, Marco. I love you." Ace concluded with a mixture of giggles, kisses, and hiccups.

"Ace. I know how upset you get when someone brings... him up, but that's not the way to handle it. Just come to me next time you feel as though you're about to loose it, okay?"

"Okay! But its kinda too late for that now," he giggled.

Marco sighed. "I can't believe this, just why the hell do I have to walk to your house? Give me your keys."  He complained, walking up to the front door and receiving Ace's keys from his shaking hands. He opened the door and escorted the teen in, only to have him fall on his face... again.

"Oops, haha. This floor is really slippery, huh?" Ace laughed and began to roll around on the floor. Marco tittered, really unable to keep his iconic, composed, emotionless expression when he's around Ace anymore. It felt nice to smile more often.

"Here, I'll help." Marco said, picking Ace to his feet and wrapped his arm around his neck while placing his hand on Ace's waist, making there slow way up the stairs.

"Here, this is my room." Ace stopped and pointed to a door with his name on it. As of he could miss such a door with bright red and orange writing on it.

Marco opened the door and entered slowly as to not knock Ace over too fast. Once they we're close enough to the bed, however, Marco threw Ace off of him and flopped him on the mattress. Ace started guffawing madly as he rolled around on his bed, having Marco just stare and question if it was even a good idea to pick him up in the first place...

"Alright Ace, let's get your shoes off." Marco then pulled off his sneakers like you would a little child.

"Help me with my shirt?" Marco looked up in confusion.

"I might get too hot later on. Please?"

Marco let out a deep sigh and placed his hands on the rim of Ace's shirt, removing it as quickly as possible without the teen squirming too much. Which would probably result in him removing his pants- no! That would be rape. He's not a rapist.

"There, now get in bed." Marco demanded in a condescending voice. Who did he think he was, Garp?

"Gimme a hug?"

"Ace, you're not-"

"Gimme a hug?!" Ace shouted.

Marco lent down to give him a short hug, but was instead pulled forcefully by the neck onto the mattress.

"Ace. What the hell?" Marco said in a too calm voice.

"You should stay the night, you must be tired."

Marco scoffed, "Yeah? And who's fault is that?"

"Yours. You work too hard, baby. Take a break." Ace said, nuzzling into Marco's warm, broad chest. There was just no fighting this kid, was there?

Marco relaxed and started to feel a bit drowsy. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to stay the night. He'll just want up early, and be on his way the next morning. Yeah. Plus, he got to admire Ace's cute face for a while. Hmm, maybe this would be worth being kept up at 3 in the morning.

Those were Marco's last thoughts before he returned Ace's snuggles and fell soundly to sleep.

----

"Everyone get the fuck up! Get down here and clean this damn house!"

Ace's eyes shot open and the horrid screaming coming from downstairs. Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shi-

"Ace! Sabo! Luffy! Get your lazy asses down here!"

'Oh my fucking God!'

"Mmgh, Ace what's wrong? Who's screaming?" Marco said in a drowsy, groggily voice. Wait, what? Why the hell was Marco here? Ouch, why was his head killing him? Why the fuck was this happening to him again?!

"Hey! Don't make me come up there! I'm gonna get the beating on all of you if you're not down here in 10, 9, 8..."

"Oh my gosh, you gotta hide before he comes up here!" Ace said, shoving a half asleep Marco into his closet.

"Wait, what? Who's coming?"

"My grandpa, now shhh! I'll be back soon, okay? Please, just don't come out." Ace gave a small peck on Marco's cheek before closing the door and bolting downstairs. He was soon joined by his brothers following behind... or at least trying to. Luffy was the last to emerge from his room, and his cloudy mind was really preventing him from not stepping on his brothers' feet and sending all of them rolling down the stairs, only to land in front of a steaming Garp with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Morning, you little bastards, mind telling me why this place is such a sty," he growled.

They remained silent for a moment, absolutely terrified of misspeaking and causing Garp to bust their heads open with his bare hands. Until...

"Haha, you made a rhyme. Grandpa has bars." Luffy muttered as he went back to sleep on Sabo's back. Oh God...

"Oh, I have more than bars. And if you don't get your asses up, I'm gonna beat you with whatever I find lying around."

In that instant, Ace and Sabo flew up. Ace grabbing a broom to sweep the living room and the hallway, and Sabo to place Luffy at the sink, so he could do the dishes, while he himself went to do the laundry.

"That's more like it," Garp sighed, slightly satisfied.

"Hey old man! When did you even get back? I thought you weren't supposed to come till next week." Ace asked while picking up some dirty boxers and throwing them on Sabo's face, cause him to throw a book in retaliation.

"Just now. That damn Sengoku said that I was 'too brutally challenging' to train those weak excuses for marines, so he sent me home early."

"Well, he's got that right!" Luffy yelled from the kitchen. Garp quickly charged in, and before Luffy could react, his forehead was swiftly collided with the counter top, caused by a blunt fist to the back of the head.

"Ouch! Dammit, why did you do that?!"

"Shut up! You have no right to call me brutal! This is love! This is how I show my affection to those I love!"

"You beat them half to death?! Just what type of crazy love are you on, old man?!"

"The affectionate kind. But don't worry about that, I just want this house cleaned! In fact, let me check your rooms."

That got Ace's attention. He could not let Garp find Marco creepily snuggled in his closet, or else he would beat the both of them! Oh no, that was not an option!

"Wait! I-I... uh..." Ace trailed off blocking Garp's way at the front of the staircase. Dammit, he wasn't even sure what he was going to say? Why can't he ever think of plans quick enough?

"What, boy? If you've got nothing to say, step aside." Garp pushed the teen out of his way and started ascending the stairs to Ace's room.

"Wait!" Ace grabbed one of Garp's legs, "I-I... I love you..."

Everything had stopped. The air harbored the most awkward atmospheric presence they have ever felt. Why would he say something like that? How could he say something like that? Did he even realize the words that he exclaimed about this old monster?

Garp stayed in that position for a moment, refusing to turn and look at Ace. He was thinking, why would Ace suddenly think about saying such a thing to him, it didn't make any sense. Finally, Garp started rotating, slowly.

"What are you hiding?" He asked skeptically.

Ace was shocked, he was appalled. How could he just assume he was hiding something? "W-what?"

"Ace, I know you. You would only say that to me if there was something you wanted or didn't want me to see."

As much as Ace hated to admit, he was right. In all honesty, he hated this man. He would only ever tell him he loved him when there was a new video game out and he needed some extra money. Damn. That was kinda sad, if you really think about it.

"W-well this time I mean it! Just accept my love, dammit!" Ace dreamed, crawling up to grip Garp's forearm. Garp continued his way up the stairs, unfazed by the teen's pleas of false affection. He was almost at the start of the connecting hallway, when he stopped mid-step. Ace was confused for a second. Had his stupid wails of love finally got through the old man's head? Then, he heard it too. A slight shuffling of feet coming from his room. His heart dropped in that instant and Garp started where he left off, with twice the speed.

"W-wait, dammit! Hey, we should do something! Like whatever grandpas do with their kids! Uh...knit! You do knit, don't you? Come on! Stop!"

Garp ignored Ace, and relentlessly continued to the teen's door. He pushed the door open quickly, causing wind to glide in and move extremely lightweight things out of place. Ace pushed away from Garp and rushed in the room before the older man could.

"Just what the hell has gotten into you, boy?"

"I, uh... Look, it's not- wait!" Garp was making his way to the teen's closet before Ace could come up with a legitimate reason for a grown man to be hiding in there in the first place. Ace was on the verge of crying at the thought of what Garp might do to the both of them, when I little flapping paper, safely tucked underneath his bedside lamp catches his watery eyes.

He goes over quickly and removes it while Garp is thoroughly searching the contents of his cluttered closet. Then he realizes...

Marco's not even it in there anymore.

He starts to panic again until he remembers the note in his hand and reads it quickly.

'I got scared and jumped out your window, sorry. I'll call you later, Freckles.

Love, Marco'

Out the...window?

His window was open?

Ace looked to his opened window along with the red and orange blinds waving at him in the wind. The went over and leaned out to see Marco entering his car and waving a hand out the window before he drove off. Ace let out the breath he hadn't noticed he was holding for so long and turned back to Garp with a huge smile.

"Ace, what the fuck are you hiding? And what are you smiling for?"

Ace just laughed, then crumpled the paper in his hand and threw it out the window being him.

"...I fucking hate you."