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The first time Marco heard Ace’s laugh, he was transfixed, as if it were a new favorite song he was discovering for the first time.
He hadn’t been expecting it. Ace seemed like such a grumpy brat from what Marco had seen of him so far- not that he didn't believe that Ace would eventually give in and join them- but he didn't think Ace would show them a more vulnerable side of himself any time soon.
Marco didn’t blame him though. It wasn’t often that Izo engaged in pranks, though when he did, they were mostly petty- yet hilarious- acts of revenge.
“Think twice before touching my kimonos, honey,” he said to a bewildered Thatch, who had emerged from below deck in a bedazzled chef’s uniform.
Marco grinned, about to make a snarky remark of his own to Thatch, but he found himself speechless when the sudden melody interrupted him: it was Ace’s laugh.
Ace’s laugh was like a warm cup of tea on a clear evening when the stars were out- like being young again, listening to stories of Pops’s adventures. It was warmth, as if he was sitting near a hearth with his family. It was heat and passion to Marco’s cool and collected heart.
Before he knew it, Izo was standing in front of him with a smirk. “Something wrong there, Marco?”
Marco’s cheeks reddened, looking away from Izo only for his gaze to land on Ace, who had the widest smile upon his face. He was curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach as he laughed at Thatch’s misery. Ace looked surprisingly adorable, and from that moment, Marco knew that he was done for.
He knew that was not the last time he would be hearing Ace’s laugh, and no matter how many times he heard it in the future, it never lost its wonder.
When Ace first heard Marco’s laugh, he was breathtaken, as if he were floating above the ground.
He hadn't been expecting it. Marco seemed like such a serious person- not that he hadn’t shown Ace his smile once, twice, more than a few times- but besides that, he thought Marco didn’t have a sense of humor, or time for one for that matter.
Ace didn’t blame him though. Stories about Luffy usually ended in a fit of laughter (as much as Ace loved his little brother, he was still ridiculous).
Marco’s laugh was like Ace’s first bite of chocolate, richly sweet and delicious to the very core- like bubbles rising to the top of those fizzy drinks they had a restaurants. It was a cooling sea breeze to his fiery soul.
“You must have had a pretty wild childhood, yoi,” Marco said, laugh starting to calm.
Ace felt somewhat of a sinking disappointment in his stomach when the melodic sound vanished into the night air, but he decided not to show it. “You’re telling me.” He grinned. “Wait until you hear about the noodles!”
“Oh? Do tell.”
With the way Marco smirked, Ace knew he was done for.
Marco’s laugh seemed rare to him before, but spending more time with him, exchanging more stories, Ace couldn’t imagine a life without it.