"Thank you," Jozu said just for the little fact that Ace handed him his paperwork (for pirates, damn it! That was just wrong).

The new newly named Second Division Commander just sighed.

Moby Dick's crew had caught on to the fact that today was not a running joke on his expense by Luffy and Sabo and treated it accordingly with semi seriousness.

Had they not they probably would not have lived to see Ace's next birthday.

Indeed. The troublesome day today was the first of every year. January first. Ace's Birthday.

Ace did not like his bithday. The first half of his life he could have done without it and in the second half it turned out to be more annoying than anything.

Maybe he should request a mission next year and be absent then?

It was an idea.

But that was next year. Today was this year.

Ace sighed again as his sibling made room for him in the narrow corridor leading to the kitchens, thanking him all the while.

Had he mentioned it was annoying yet?

Closing his eyes he remembered that half the day was over already and if he went to bed early (not pirates' early, but true early) it might get over faster. He could hope, hope that he would not be pulled out of his hammock with loud exclamations of gratitude, hope that his narcoleptic fits would kick in with good timing (meaning not when he was eating), hope that time would please move faster.

Ace did not like his birthday.

It demanded repetition.

He shoved open the kitchen's door with a loud bang, and (unlike usually when a fork as tall as Ace would slice through the air just next to his head) there were happy greetings and polite (ha! Ace never thought he'd live to the day) requests to please not startle them.

He went over to the fridge, loaded an armful (small snack, really) onto himself and left without so much as a death threat and calls of gratitude following him. Despite himself, he let a bit of a grin tug at his lips.

There was very little that Ace liked about his birthday, but the fact that he could eat (and steal) as much food at any given point of the day was definitely part of it. As was that he just knew how much the kitchen harpies had to bite down on their impulse to gut him to just let him pass through their sacred territory. (There was bit of an unofficial (violent) competition between all the cooks and Sabo, Ace and Luffy; stealing food vs defending food. The cooks were monsters.)

Still.

If he head 'thank you' one more time today, he had the feeling that something was going to blow up.

Which was why he took his provisions and retreated to a secluded part of the deck where he propped himself onto the railing, let his feet dangle far above the water and stared at the ocean. Despite it being pretty much the stand-by activity on any ship and the fact that Ace had spent a good part of his childhood doing the very same, he still hadn't gotten bored of the sea.

He actually didn't think he ever would. (Wrong profession otherwise.)

Quickly enough however, his thoughts circled back and Ace thought moodily that at least the wetter wasn't all sunshine and rainbows today. There was only so much 'good mood' Ace was able to stomach on the most hated day of the year. The anniversary of the day his mother had died. For him, because of him; someone like him.

Ace sighed.

It was an old shoe. The very same every year. (But it had gotten much better since Sabo and Luffy…)

Was it such a wonder he didn't care for the first of January?

It seemed to be. Luffy was as always not far and the only reason Ace wasn't worried sick about Luffy copying him and then somehow falling in the water was because Sabo was there as well, and was no doubt the only reason Ace still had his privacy.

It wouldn't hold for long, Ace knew. He didn't want it to hold long either.

Still.

The freckled young man tilted his head back a bit, eyes drifting to the gray, heavy clouds. Maybe it'd still snow today. Ace would like that….

…playing…

…in the snow…

…

Ace woke up with a start, his arms flailing as he tried to find his balance before he fell overboard. The ship was swaying harder now, the waves splashing against the bow tauntingly dark and high as they devoured small white dots.

It would be a cold swim; Ace grimaced.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, keeping him in place.

Ace glanced warily up."…Oyaji?"

Whitebeard looked at him, grinning, but with warm concern. "Careful, son. You'll catch a cold." The man's eyes were twinkling.

Ace huffed, crossing his arms, trying to ignore the warm feeling in his chest for once. Today, it was hard not to be forcefully reminded of how he didn't have a right to call this man his father. "What are you doing here, Oyaji?"

No doubt, the Captain was for the most part aware why Ace was as he was on his birthday, something that no one else knew and hence understood on this ship besides his sworn siblings.

"This is my ship", snorted Whitebeard good-naturedly.

Ace pressed his lips together as he shifted a bit, turning to face his Captain, who was leaning against the railing.

Just like Ace had done just shortly before, Whitebeard was watching the ocean, his eyes only occasionally drifting to Ace as if to confirm he hadn't run off yet.

This man was someone who Ace respected and someone who cared about him. He was Roger's greatest rival and yet he still accepted Ace as his son. He saw Ace as nothing else besides an upstart brat, who had aimed for his head and was just like all of his other sons, no difference between them.

And right now he was here because of Ace. He had searched Ace out on this giant ship, because Ace was not happy. He cared for Ace. Despite who Ace was. Someone like him.

This man was the only father Ace ever had. And he was here for Ace.

And despite having thought that he wanted to be alone, words left his lips before he had time to register them. "I hate January 1th."

Oyaji didn't grin for once, though his lips twitched. "I gathered as much from your brothers. The brats are falling over themselves-"

A smile (that always followed when his brothers came to mind) automatically curved a bit at Ace's lips as well, but it was lacking the softness it usually had then as he interrupted, "They shouldn't."

"-to make you forget that. And the entire crew jumped on board with it. Has been entertaining to watch so far," chuckled the man and Ace's eyes narrowed into a glower, not finding it all that funny. "They shouldn't," he repeated.

To Ace's surprise, instead of arguing against him (like Sabo had tried to do a few years back without much success), Oyaji laughed out loud, deep and grumbling. "Everyone else seems they should. You're outnumbered, son."

Ace felt his eyes harden stubbornly. "That has got nothin' to do with it."

Whitebeard laughed once more, the sound slowly subduing to chuckles. "Got enough to do with it to tell me how important your birthday is to your siblings, old and new," he said and Ace, who had already opened his mouth to shoot something back closed it as he tried to process that.

It didn't make much sense to Ace, but it had to be important as Oyaji said it, so Ace thought about it. Then thought some more.

Why the hell would his birthday be of any importance to anyone was beyond Ace. Why would it have special importance on top of being a birthday even more so. After all it wasn't like they got to eat as much as they wanted. Or that they got away with pushing their work on to the next best person.

Ace frowned, folding his legs as he thought. Then what was it?

His Oyaji clapped him on the shoulder, grinning wildly before leaving Ace to his musings, having his goal achieved.

In the end it all came back to what they were thanking him for in the first place, probably.

When Luffy and Sabo started it almost ten years ago Ace had first thought they were making fun of him.

Back then they hadn't stopped even after an explosive temper tantrum and that fact alone had been the reason why Ace considered rethinking his theory. The next day everything had been back to normal however and Ace had forgotten about it for an entire year.

Then they repeated their actions and this Ace hadn't blown up on them, thinking furiously why they were doing it.

It took him another couple years drop the matter in frustration.

He hadn't minded it the following years at all, and it made him feel all tingly and warm inside for some reason, but now things were getting out of hand.

The main question remained still unsolved however: why?

"Why would someone be thanking me on my birthday," he muttered to himself, not expecting an answer.

But rubbery arms swung around him and Luffy bounced up; stretching out on the railing, not caring that he was lounging over Ace's crossed legs. Laughing (as usual and Ace wanted to smile as well, but it just didn't happen right now), Luffy beamed at him. (Promptly there was a hand fisting into the back of his shirt and another attached to Luffy's red vest; safety measure for two hammers as Sabo called it.) "Silly Ace. Shishishishi." Then he seemed to be remembering something and promptly added, "Thank you."

Ace's eye twitched, ignoring the last part with practice. "I don't want to hear that from you."

Luffy just grinned a bit wider still as he grinned up at Ace.

"Sorry," muttered Sabo from behind him, sounding smug, "but today ya are tha idiot, Ace. As always."

Turning, Ace was not disappointed to see the amused gleam in his brother's eyes. Ace glowered. "I was thinking. I'd kindly thank you to leave me alone."

The blond with the top hat snorted in a clear message of what exactly he thought of the request, before pointedly looking at their little brother who gave no sign whatsoever that he intended to move from his position in the next century. (How he was lying there half sprawled over Ace's legs and the railing looked uncomfortable for everyone who wasn't rubber. Luffy was rubber, though, and if Luffy didn't want, it didn't happen. Inwardly Ace resigned himself to his fate. But not outwardly.)

"Don't wanna," told Luffy him happily.

Ace glared right back.

Sabo snorted, swinging an arm around Ace's shoulders. "Ya could always just ask, ya know. It ain't that difficult anyway."

Point being that in all the years, Ace had never once asked; to him it was a matter of pride. Didn't stop him from being deadly irritated that Luffy couldn't hold a secret to save his life (literally!) usually and hadn't blurted out once in ten years why the hell they were so grateful. After ten years his patience was running out and taking his pride with it.

Worst thing? It had to be so obvious that ship-brothers could pick up on it within hours.

So why didn't Ace get it?

Damn them all.

"I think I got it," announced Luffy all of a sudden, expression serene. "Why else wouldn't he want to hear a thank you?"

"Got what?"

Luffy giggled, leaning up and right into Ace's face where he grinned a bit wider and Ace got cross-eyed. Then he burst out laughing at whatever thought crossed his weird mind, swung around Ace, down from the railing and took a deep breath (the kind where he was expanding) and Ace got a bad feeling.

"ACE IS SHY!" He hollered for the entire ship to hear. Every pirate within earshot turned to look at him, some even coming out of woodwork to take a glance.

Ace turned red (not in embarrassment, thank you very much!), gashed his teeth and put on his best evil glower. Luffy had the gall to to beam and wave.

Sabo made the kind of strangled sound that he did when he was trying to save face and not burst out laughing, and still having enough instinct to retrieve his arm and take steps back. He was turning red in the face as well and he had his lips pressed together so hard they turned white. It held for five seconds before he doubled over; loudly.

Ace slid from the railing.

Sabo and Luffy sobered quickly, trading alarmed glances as the rest of the crew abruptly desperately pretended not to be laughing (giggling, smirking, chuckling, snickering, whatever) either.

Ace felt fire spark on his skin.

His brothers took of running and screaming, but also still laughing.

Ace followed.

'Thank you' was forgotten in face of teaching his siblings a lesson.

Part of my Moby Dick's series with slight AU setting. Once more, lacking in humor.

I had originally planned on publishing it on January 1st, wich is why it isn't humor based, but didn't make it in time.

Thank you for reading and please leave a note.