A/N: Happy holidays everyone! I hope everyone had a good day, and if not, I hope things start looking up for you. Anyways, this was written for StarPurpleandBlue for a little Christmas exchange we did. My two keywords were Fireplace and Rain. Beta'ed by lunarshores!

Enjoy!

Despite being a fire user, Ace didn't hate rain. Marco showed him how it could be quite calming with the steady sound of droplets hitting the ground, and Ace loved how the deck smelled. Rain really wasn't that bad.

However, in this instance, Ace hated rain.

He cursed as he tied the Striker to the edge of the dock. It had only been a drizzle earlier, so Ace had been fine to travel, but once the goddamn torrential downpour started, he knew he would be in trouble if he didn't dock soon. As one could imagine, flames and heavy rain didn't work out so well for Ace. Damn the New World and its unpredictable weather.

Ace was just thankful that he had been near an island when the storm picked up. He could only imagine what would have happened if he hadn't been. The thought of helplessly drifting around in the most dangerous sea in the world sent a shiver through Ace, contributing to the shivers already running through him since he was soaked to the bone. Usually, he never felt cold due to his fire, but that was rendered useless when he was in this state.

Needless to say, he had to find somewhere to rest.

His boots beat against the cobblestone street winding through town, water from growing puddles sloshing up around them and soaking his legs even further. Ace shielding his eyes and looked around frantically, trying to locate some sign for an inn or tavern. In situations like these, it would've helped to have his hat. Despite this small obstacle, he kept trudging on.

Finally, he reached an inn at the end of the street. The glowing windows of the Hearth's Home was a comforting sight to Ace, and he could feel his weariness hit him as entered, quickly shutting the door behind him to keep the rain out.

The woman behind the counter jumped out of her seat, startled by Ace's sudden entrance, though Ace paid no mind since he was taking in the warmth that washed over him. He closed his eyes in bliss. A hearth sparked with warm fire from across the room, embracing his spent and soaked body.

"Excuse me, sir," the innkeeper said. "Is everything alright?" she asked.

Ace nodded. "Everything's fine, thank you. Do you have a room?"

He had to resist flinching when she bit her lip and avoided his gaze. "I'm sorry," she practically whispered. "We're full for the night."

Ace knew it would be rude to groan, but that's what he really felt like doing. With the storm outside, he had nowhere else to go, and trying to find another inn would be a pain.

"Again, I'm really sorry," the innkeeper repeated with a bow.

"It's fine," Ace sighed, disappointment obvious. It sucked to have to leave, but he didn't want to inconvenience the innkeeper by staying. He turned back towards the door and prepared himself to return to the harsh torrent of rain, but before he could leave, she stopped him.

"W-wait!"

All Ace could do was stare at her dumbly until she added, "Give me a moment." She rushed into the back room and after a few minutes, returned with a fluffy blanket. Promptly, she draped it over Ace's shoulders and ushered him to the front of the fireplace.

"Th-thanks," Ace stuttered, still amazed that she allowed him to stay.

"No need," she replied, and soon after, she returned to the back room, leaving Ace alone in front of the fire.

It wasn't so bad being alone right now though, Ace mused. He was just glad that he didn't have to run around in the rain again, and things felt fine with the fire in front of him. Content, he leaned back so that he was lying on the ground, but suddenly his good mood was sapped away when a glint of light caught his eye.

He was wondering how he missed the sight before since it seemed rather obvious when he thought about it. The pine tree decked out in lights and sparkling ornaments of various colors and sizes reminded him that it was indeed Christmas Eve, and he was alone and away from home.

Damn. If only he hadn't taken on that recon mission so close to this day.

"Are you sure you want to take on this mission now, my son?" Whitebeard asked, voice full of concern. "It wouldn't do for you to arrive home late. The trip can be quite lengthy."

"Well, that's why I'm going, right?" Ace answered. When it came to long distance recon missions that needed to be done quickly, either he or Marco were the best choices. The Striker's speed almost matched Marco's flying if Ace used enough flame power. But since Marco was trying to reign in the chaos (and the budget) before Christmas, Ace volunteered to go. "I'll be back soon, Pops. It's my first Christmas here, so I don't want to miss it!"

Whitebeard couldn't help smiling back at Ace's enthusiasm. "Gurarara! Well, if you're that certain. Be careful!"

"I will!"

He took a brief detour to his and Marco's shared room to gather some things for his mission, but he wasn't expecting Marco to actually be in there. He was busy after all, and there was stuff all over the ship to oversee for the celebration.

Marco frowned at him. "You didn't actually take that mission, did you?"

Anyone could see that he was worried (typical of Marco), but it's not as if Ace was going to lie to him. "I'll be back soon, Marco, so don't worry about a thing," Ace reassured, pausing from stuffing things in his bag and leaning up to peck Marco's cheek with a soft kiss.

When he saw that the worry in Marco's eyes didn't vanish, he continued. "You have enough to worry about. Please don't let me be another one."

"I-I'll try, yoi," he said with a blush. Usually, he was the one reassuring Ace.

Yet Marco's worry made Ace worry too. He wished he could make that go away completely, but he was sure doing that was impossible, but suddenly an idea popped into his head, his eyes shining.

Ace swiftly removed his signature bright-orange cowboy hat and shoved it onto Marco's blonde hair. Marco, who was surprised by this action, yelped when Ace pulled it down over his eyes, taking the opportunity to steal a kiss. When Marco was able to readjust the hat, he saw that Ace was grinning widely at him.

"I promise that I'll be back by Christmas Eve to take that back, so you better take care of it for me, Marco!"

And it warmed Ace's heart to see Marco smile back, especially when he started laughing. "Anything you say, yoi."

Ace had been certain that he would be able to keep that promise, but he had broken it without realizing. He curled up into a ball under the warm blanket, and thought longingly of home. Everyone was probably partying already. He was missing all the no doubt delicious food and drinks, and he wanted to see the Moby Dick and all her decorations too. The crew had still been decorating when Ace left, so he hadn't seen how the lights shined across the deck, and he hadn't seen the ginormous tree that they had brought on board and adorned with sparkling ornaments. He imagined that it looked like the one in front of him now, but it just wasn't the same.

Stuck in his lonely thoughts, Ace sat in silence. Maybe he should go to sleep so he could make it back to the Moby Dick when he awoke, but still, he couldn't stop thinking about his broken promise and a lonely Christmas.

"I'm sorry, Marco."

He closed his eyes, ready to drift off. At least things were peaceful.

Until someone slammed the inn door open.

Ace's head snapped towards the door in surprise. Who else besides him would be traveling out in this rain? But when he saw who it was, his eyes widened.

"M-Marco?!" he exclaimed, almost refusing to believe what he was seeing

But his eyes were not deceiving him. Marco was standing there, soaking wet. Water was dripping from Ace's hat, which was sitting atop his head. The palm of his hand was splayed open, revealing to Ace a twitching vivre card. When he laid his eyes upon Ace, he released a sigh of relief as he rushed to his side.

"I found you," he panted as he embraced Ace, uncaring that he would get water everywhere. "I found you."

Marco's embrace was warmer than the fireplace ever would be, yet Ace was still in shock as he hugged Marco back.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Marco was silent for a few moments, taking time to relish in Ace's promise. He buried his nose into Ace's hair and murmured, "You broke your promise, yoi."

"I know," Ace whispered. "I'm sorry. I was really excited to get home too. I didn't want to miss the party."

"You don't have to apologize," Marco said. "You know everyone's going to party when you get back anyways."

Ace giggled. "You're right about that!"

When his laughter died down, the two were left in a comfortable silence. Without any words, Ace lift up the blanket, and they adjusted so that Ace was sitting in Marco's lap, back towards the fireplace.

"I missed you, yoi," Marco breathed, breaking the quiet.

"I missed you too."

It had been a miracle, but somehow, Marco had arrived to save him from a lonely Christmas Eve. True, he didn't get the party or the presents yet, but Marco being here, whispering sweet nothings against his forehead whilst they cuddled in front of the fire made him certain that he could wait.

After all, all he wanted for Christmas was to be with Marco.

"Can I have my hat back now?" Ace pulled back to look at Marco, pouting jokingly.

Marco grinned at him, and just like when Ace left, he removed it and pulled it over Ace's eyes to steal a kiss- not that Ace was complaining, especially when Marco chuckled against his lips.

"Merry Christmas, Ace."

"Merry Christmas, Marco."

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