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Marco had known that Ace had his ears pierced at one point in his life. He still had them, but he didn’t often wear piercings.
Until one morning, he could see a shimmer of gold in the lobes. It wasn’t a lot, just a gold stud. But it was so shiny that he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. The Phoenix was raging, loving the way their lover had adorned himself with something like that. Marco, the human, knew he needed to keep himself in check. Ace no doubt didn’t even know what this did to him.
Still, the deep flush on his cheeks didn’t fade. If anything, it intensified when he locked eyes with his lover on the other side of the deck. The warm smile on Ace’s face is enough to make him fall in love all over again.
“If you turn any redder, you might just combust”, Izou’s accented voice sounded from beside him.
Startled, Marco looked to the side to see his best friend standing there. A fan covering his face as to hide his smirk. But Marco knew the other man long enough that he was most definitely smirking. He had been doing that since the news was shared that Ace and Marco were very much an item. Izou had been pushing Marco to confess, to tell Ace how he felt. But Marco had been keeping it for himself, worrying that someone as radiant as Ace wouldn’t want someone like him. He’d been able to find an argument each and every time as to why he shouldn’t let Ace know.
Only for Ace to come and look for him the moment he became Commander to confess and show Marco he did feel the same. Looking all bashful and shy in a way that he hadn’t seen in the other man. Enough that Marco had stammered, before pulling Ace into his room and just kissing the other man.
Izou had been insufferable since the news came out. Grinning at Marco each time he could and making sure the blond never forgot that Izou had been the one to tell him to go for it sooner, only for Marco to chicken out.
Sighing, it seemed something similar was happening now. Turning towards Izou, Marco tilted up an eyebrow, “Did you tell Ace to wear golden earrings?”
Shaking his head, Izou made it clear it wasn’t him. However, it seemed he was having a lot of fun with Marco’s reactions anyway.
Glancing back at Ace and the shimmer of gold in his ears, Marco licked his lips. He had every intention of pulling his boyfriend to the side as soon as he had the chance and kissing him breathless. He could wait though.
Ace found him again, meaning Marco didn’t even have to wait. In his office, when he was making sure his paperwork was in order he only looked up as the lock to his door was turned and Ace stood there with a smirk on his face. His hair pulled back as to showcase the jewellery still in his ear.
Moaning softly, Marco was mesmerized, knowing very well that his eyes were glowing the same pale blue as his flames. Ace only grinned wider, stepping closer as he did so, “I saw you looking, Birdie.”
Licking his lips, Marco nodded, “How could I not -you. You look delectable on a good day, but wearing gold? That’s even better.”
Chuckling, Ace leaned in closer to press their lips together. Only pulling back once they were both panting, “That’s good to know.”
—
It didn’t stay with that one golden stud in Ace’s ears. He changed it up, with hoops, or even a dangling gold chain.
Each and every time he saw Marco was mesmerized and he knew he couldn’t even hide it anymore. All of his siblings were catching on and he knew some of them bought Ace jewellery just to see Marco’s reaction to him wearing it.
Yet, nothing could prepare him for when some time later. After a hard fight with some cocky marines he had lost some of his feathers. He didn’t care for them, they weren’t vital nor would they be able to do anything in the long run. But Izou had gathered them and fashioned them into jewellery which meant that Ace was running around with his feathers.
“Don’t you think Ace looks absolutely stunning today”, Izou had asked, that smirk on his face.
Marco had wanted to reply, to tell his brother to shut up. Except he hadn’t seen Ace yet that day, but when he did he had to look again. His mouth dropped open before he wiped around to look at Izou in disbelief.
The Wano native smirked even wider, “Don’t you like it.”
Grinding his teeth, Marco didn’t say anything, looking back at Ace and knowing his stare was intense. Ace looking over his shoulder coyly didn’t help there. His lover no doubt knew what this did to him and he still did it anyway. Wearing a golden chain in his ears where a feather of Marco was dangling from.
“Fuck”, he whispers, before he’s making his way over the deck to grab a hold of Ace’s hand and pull him along with him. Not even listening to the snickers and wolf-wistles that follow them. He doesn’t really care either.
Once in the privacy of his rooms, he closes the door and presses Ace back against it.
His tease of a lover just grins, “Like what you see, Birdie?”
Moaning softly, Marco is nodding as he leans in closer. Pressing a kiss to the lobe closest to him before making his way over Ace’s cheek to kiss him deeply. One of his hands came up to cup Ace’s face and let the chain and feather rest of his fingers. As if recognizing him, the spark of the feather echoes over his skin. It’s thrilling in a way Marco didn’t think this could be.
Pulling back, he looks at his hand and sees a flicker of a flame dancing where the feather and his skin touch. A soft smile on his face as he realizes what this means, “You’re mine -yoi. You’re marked as mine.”
Ace has a light flush on his cheeks and it’s the best thing Marco has seen in ages. It has the freckles on those cheeks flare like little fireflies. Enough that he groans and leans in for another kiss. Taking care to show Ace just what all of this was doing to him, wanting to have the other man feeling good about it. Going by the moans he got out of it, he must have been doing a good job.
After making sure both of them were panting and breathless, Marco leaned forward to rest his forehead against Ace’s, “You’re something dangerous, you know that? I feel like I’m a teenager again -yoi.”
That just got him a chuckle. Which is why he made sure they used the time they had to properly reveal what that jewellery was doing to him. Making it so that they were gone from the deck for almost an hour, coming back with very mussed up hair and in Ace’s case more than one hickey on display.
—
In a way it became something like foreplay. If Ace wanted to catch his attention he would hear something gold. Often in his ears, but Marco had caught his lover with bracelets, necklaces and even once a chest chain to entice him.
His favourite parts were when Ace added feathers in the ensemble. Especially if they were his own (that Izou kept on collecting and making into jewellery whenever he had the time) or those bought on islands where the blue mirrored Marco’s flames too much to be left alone.