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“LUFFY!!!”
Luffy sat straight up in bed and knocked his head on the ceiling. He grabbed his head where he'd hit it, and leaned over to check the time. 7:32.
“Fuck!”
Luffy jumped down off of his lofted bed onto the floor in his small room. It was literally a glorified closet, but he was allowed to have his own space in there. He shuffled through the clothes on his floor, occasionally sniffing a garment until he found a shirt and shorts that would work. He technically did have a closet/dresser for his clothes, but it was always used for anything other than clothes.“LUFFY!” Banging on the outside of the door. “Hurry the fuck up!”Luffy flung his door open to see his older foster brother, Ace, standing in the doorway. Ace was much taller than Luffy, at least six inches, maybe more. Luffy had to crane his neck to look up and flash a shit-eating grin at him. Ace smirked, but his amber eyes were dark.“Did you just wake up, you little shit?”Luffy laughed and shrugged at him. Ace grumbled and roughly yanked him out of his room into their kitchen.“It's your first fucking day and you're already making me late. What did I say? Don't make me late, and here you are: waking up ten minutes before we have to be out the fucking door. I knew this was gonna happen, I fucking knew it…”Ace was mumbling to himself just loud enough that Luffy could hear him. It did nothing but amuse the younger trouble maker. In their small kitchen, one of their foster mothers, Makino, was busy washing dishes.“Hi, mom!” Luffy chirped.Makino looked over her shoulder and smiled at Luffy. “Why, good morning, Luffy!” She said sweetly.Ace leaned down and kissed their foster sisters and baby brother on the foreheads before grabbing Luffy's wrist and tugging him along to the car.“Bye, mom,” Ace called over his shoulder.Ace's Mazda was small and old with plenty of “quirks” to keep Ace on his toes, but it was his, and he worked three summers in a row on top of practice to afford the down payment. He threw Luffy in the passenger seat and slid over the hood to his side.Luffy grinned as Ace slipped into his seat and started the car. Ever since he had come to live with their foster mother, Dadan, Ace had been Luffy's favorite person. He was just so cool and edgy in Luffy's eyes, and he loved when Ace did anything that made him seem so. Today, Ace was wearing an old MCR shirt he had cut the collar and sleeves off of. He had also cut a slit down the front of the tee to expose more of his collarbone and cropped it. He was wearing dark, low-rise, baggy jean shorts with lots of pockets and chains, and yellow Chucks. His dark brown hair was styled in a mullet and Luffy noticed eyeliner smudged under his eyes. Luffy looked down at his tank top, sniffing it, feeling a little bit inferior to his older brother.“What's up?”Luffy looked up to Ace's face. “Huh?”Ace glanced over at his brother for a moment. “You good?”“Yeah, why?”“Juuust checking on you, bro,”Luffy grinned. “Yeah, I'm good, thanks,”Luckily, Dawn High School wasn't too far from their neighborhood (and Ace did run a red or two on the way), so they made it in time before the first bell. Ace hurried them out of the car and into the small atrium of the school.“You were probably supposed to be here earlier, hang on—” Ace pulled Luffy by the collar through the hall. “Here you go,”Ace pushed Luffy into the gym. On one set of bleachers sat a large group of young students that must have been the incoming freshmen. A teacher stood next to the door and greeted Luffy warmly when he stumbled in. Luffy looked over his shoulder at Ace. He was already walking away, waving.“I'll see you after school!”Luffy smiled and said hi to the teacher. She helped him find a seat and explained how the morning would go. She took his name and went down to a group of students with clipboards. One of the students holding a clipboard looked up and zeroed in on Luffy. Grinning, Luffy stood up and waved at the student, who was bounding up the stairs.“Hey, there, little brother,” Sabo said, ruffling Luffy's hair, “Thought I'd see you here earlier,”Luffy laughed and swatted Sabo's hand away. “I, uh, didn't wake up in time,”“Figures,” Sabo pulled some papers from the stack on his clipboard and handed it to Luffy. “I snagged your packet this morning,”Luffy grinned down at the freshman welcome packet in his hand. “Wow, thanks!”“There should be a map — it's in no way a big school, but freshmen have been known to get lost — your schedule, all the information about your classes, and student handbook,” Sabo said.Luffy flipped through the thin packet of paper. It wasn't much, but it made his stomach do little summersaults. He had six classes: biology 1, algebra 1, PE, world history, home ec., and English. He pointed at the spot that was labeled “lunch”.“Are you and Ace in this lunch?”Sabo glanced over Luffy's shoulder. “Yeah, looks like you got lucky this year,” He clapped Luffy on the back.Luffy's grin widened. He didn't actually know anyone besides his brothers at the moment. Their family lived in a part of town where when they moved to high school all of the other students from his middle school ended up going to a few different high schools. He ended up at Dawn High, others went to Edgewood High, Goa County High, or St. Colombo Private School. There were probably a couple of freshmen here he had gone to middle school with, but none of the people who talked to him.He was having a hard time making friends, as well. Luffy was very friendly, and loved fiercely, but a lot of other kids saw him as too intense, sometimes. Ace and Sabo had been the only people he could consider friends for a long time.Sabo ruffled Luffy's hair again to get his attention. His younger brother looked up and grinned, broken from his daydream.“You were zoning out again, there,” Sabo said.Luffy laughed. “Yeah, sorry,”Sabo gave him a small smile. “Just try to pay attention,”“Sabo!”Sabo turned to look at a girl who was waving at him from the gym floor. “OK, I gotta go,” he said, standing up. He turned to Luffy and gave him a thumbs up. “You're gonna kill it today!”Luffy grinned and gave Sabo a thumbs up as well. “You know it!”The principal gave a short speech to the freshmen that Luffy couldn't really make head or tails of. It seemed like she was just welcoming them and wasn't saying anything too important, so he didn't worry about the words he couldn't understand. The map was helpful, though still confusing to Luffy. He was able to find his first period class alright, but he eventually took a wrong turn looking for second period.“Hm, this doesn't seem right,” Luffy looked back at his map and up at his surroundings again. He was somehow outside next to a greenhouse and garden. “I don't think bio is gonna be around here…”He turned the corner and bumped his face into someone's chest.“Hey, watch where you're going,”Luffy looked up slightly to see a guy with wide shoulders, a strong jaw, and a short mop of green hair standing in front of him.“Oh, sorry,” he said, chuckling, “I was trying to find my next class and I think I got lost,”“Yeah, you too, huh?” The green haired guy turned back to the building. “Why'd they have to make this place such a damn maze?”Luffy laughed and grabbed the crook of the guy's elbow with his. “C'mon! We can try to figure it out together!”The guy shook Luffy off and frowned at him. “Don't do that.”“Uh, OK!” Luffy shrugged. Ace and Sabo never minded when he locked arms with them like that. “Let's try inside!”The guy shrugged and followed after Luffy.“So, what middle school are you from? I'm from Gray Middle, but most of the people I knew went to the other high schools,” Luffy chatted.“Uh, yeah, Gray as well…” the guy answered.“Really?! I don't recognize you at all… Were you like, really good at not being noticed?”“I dunno, that was like three years ago,”Luffy stopped walking and frowned at his new friend. “What do you mean three years ago?”“Uh, I graduated middle school three years ago,”“WHAT?!” Luffy shouted.“Hey, will you pipe down?!” The guy said, sticking his finger in his ear.“So, wait, that makes you a junior?!”“Uh, yeah,”Luffy narrowed his eyes. “And… You still don't know how to get to your classes?”They stood staring at each other for a solid thirty seconds.“Yeah,”Luffy burst out laughing. “How… How stupid… can one guy… be?!” He was crying at this point.“Hey! I'm not stupid!”“But you can't find your way around a school you've been attending for like two years!”“Neither can you!”“I'm a freshman, dummy!”The guy crossed his arm and frowned deeply at Luffy. “Well, if you're gonna be like that…” He mumbled as he started walking away.“Wait… No… Come back…” Luffy said through tears and chuckles.“Why?” He didn't turn around.“I didn't get your name,”He stopped and turned his head to the side so he could see Luffy out of his peripheral. He sighed and then turned around to face him.“It's Zoro,” he said, brushing his green hair back, “Zoro Roronora,”Luffy grinned at him and flung out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Zoro, I'm Luffy!”Zoro raised an eyebrow at Luffy for a moment before shaking his hand. “Nice to meet ya,”“Now, you really don't know how to get to the math and science wing?”“Oh, uh, no…”Luffy snickered. “That's OK, I'll figure it out,”They parted ways there, with Zoro promising Luffy he'd say hi to him if they saw each other again. Luffy started down the hall, passing other freshmen that were struggling to find their way as well. He was standing in a four way hall trying to figure out what turn he was supposed to take when he was completely knocked over by someone.“Ow!” Luffy cried as he got up and inspected the bruise left on his arm. His head was also throbbing.“Shit, sorry, I'm in a hurry…” In front of him was a girl with hair so fiery red it was orange. She was frantically scooping up and arranging papers that she had dropped when they smashed together.“Lemme help,” Luffy said, grabbing some of the papers.“Oh, thanks,” She kept looking over her shoulder down the hall. “I gotta get outta here quick, I appreciate it,”“Why're you in such a hurry?” Luffy asked, handing her the last of the papers.“Oh, uh, it's a long story,” She said, shuffling the papers and standing up. “Anyway, thanks,”“Hey, before you go, do you know where this room is?”“I really…” She glanced at his schedule he was holding and sighed. “Yeah, I'm actually going that way, c'mon, as long as you can keep up,”Suddenly, she was sprinting down the hall. Luffy had less than a second to compute what was happening before taking off after her. They zigged and zagged through the halls for only about two minutes before she stopped in front of a door.“Here, this is you,”“Really? Thanks!”“Yeah, no problem,” She turned to sprint away.“Whoa, hey, watt!”“I really don't have—”“What's your name? My name's Luffy!”She looked at him blankly for a moment before laughing. “Uh, I'm Nami, good to meet ya, Luffy,”“You too! Hope we see each other around!”“Oh, I'll see you,” Nami looked him up and down for a moment, “I might let you see me,”“I have no idea what that means, but okay!”Nami chuckled and turned to run away again. She waved a hand in the air as she did. Luffy smiled and strolled into the classroom. The teacher turned out to be old and kind.“First week is always hard,” he said with a smile when Luffy came in late. “You'll have it memorized before long,”Luffy enjoyed the class, even though it was mostly just going over the syllabus. He was sitting at a science table that could fit two people. Next to him was a scrawny kid with a long nose and big glasses. According to the teacher, this kid would be Luffy's lab partner for the year. Luffy leaned over and smiled.“Hi! I'm Luffy, what's your name?”“Uh, me? I-I-I'm Usopp,” He had really curly hair that he had tied behind his head in a bun and watery eyes.“Are you crying?”“W-what?! N-no!” Usopp frantically shook his head, “I, uh, am just so excited to, uh, do B-biology! You know, I actually won my m-middle school science fair all three years in a row!”“No way, really?!”“Yeah the government even tried to m-m-make me sell them my projects, but I told them: ‘N-no! This is for the good of humanity, not whatever n-nefarious, evil schemes you have planned!’”Luffy's mouth hung open at this point. “Wow… So cool!”“Y-yeah, so, uh, you don't have to w-worry about anything in this class! You just leave it up to ol’ Usopp!”“Really?! Great! I was kinda worried about it!” Luffy laughed and clapped Usopp hard on the back. “You're a real pal!”Usopp coughed from the back slap he just experienced. When he caught his breath, he laughed nervously. “Yeah, that's me: a pal,”

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It was surprisingly easy for Luffy to find his next class, seeing as it was home ec 1 and they were cooking already. Home ec had been Makino's idea and had insisted that all three boys take both 1 and 2. Luffy had been excited at first when he found out that it was mostly about food. However, he didn't realize it was about making the food, not eating it.He stood at his preparation table frowning at his ingredients. He had been trying to combine the yellow stuff with the fluffy white stuff, but now it was all lumpy and half of the white stuff was still in the bottom of the bowl not mixed with anything. Luffy frowned at his other ingredients and the recipe the teacher had given him. It wasn't totally making sense to him what he was supposed to do, so he grabbed an egg — practically the only thing he could recognize — and cracked it in. More liquid should help it mix, right?It worked kinda. The mixture was still a weird texture and there were little chunks of the white powder floating in the mix. Luffy had no idea what he was doing wrong and just sat with his arms crossed, growling low.Suddenly, Luffy was surprised by someone gently pressing up behind him, strong arms on either side of him taking his hands.“Don't worry,” the someone said, breathily in Luffy's ear, “it gets confusing sometimes,”Luffy squeaked and looked up. Bright blue eyes peaked at him from behind straight blonde hair. The boy flashed a smile and took Luffy's hands in his, moving them over the ingredients.“Cooking is an art, baking is a science,” the boy whispered as he helped Luffy prepare his dish, “sometimes, you have to use your instincts—pour that,”Luffy poured the mixture he had been helped with into the pan the boy had prepared and slid it into the oven he indicated.“Set the timer, and you should be good,” he grinned at Luffy, “Good job!”Luffy grinned back. “Thanks!” he chirped as he hopped up to sit on the counter. “I was never gonna figure that out by myself, I'm more of an eater than a maker, I'm Luffy, by the way,”The boy rolled his eyes. “Of course you are,” he said, “Name's Sanji,” He stuck his hand out to shake Luffy's.“Nice to meet ya!” Luffy said, grinning.“If you ever need any help in here, you let me know, cutie,” Sanji winked at him.Luffy felt his cheeks redden. “I…I'll, uh, definitely take you up on that,” he laughed.Sanji smiled down at him. “Good, now, if you don't mind, I think I see someone else struggling. Remember, to take it out when the timer goes off, let me know if you need me,”Sanji shifted away to another student across the aisle. Luffy stood in shock staring after him. The whole moment had confused him greatly. Especially when his heart had started rushing with Sanji's arms around him. He gently rubbed his upper arms and cocked his head to the side as he thought. It was really weird for him and he didn't quite know what to think about the strange feelings that were now bubbling up on his stomach.He was broken out of his confusion by the timer going off. He jumped off of the counter and gently took his pan out of the oven just in time for the bell.“Please leave your pan in the spot with your name as you leave!” The teacher called over the class.Luffy dropped his pan in the right spot and hurried out into the hall. He was heading towards his favorite part of school: lunch.“Luffy!”Luffy's face lit up when he saw Ace waving at him in line. He slipped in between his brothers and their friends and was instantly wrapped into a hug.“Hey, little brother, how's your first day going?” Ace said loudly in his ear.Luffy laughed and elbowed Ace in the stomach. “It's good!” he said.Ace ruffled Luffy's hair and pushed him into Sabo who looped his arm around Luffy's neck and gave him a gentle noogie. Their favorite thing to do was to mess with his hair for some reason. They said it was because no matter how messy or stupid it looked he could literally never have a bad hair day. He wasn't so sure about it, but it gave his brothers an excuse to touch him, so he never complained. He was whisked away with the line and his brothers introduced him to the lunch line.For a public school, Dawn had a pretty good selection of food. Luffy received a tray with steamed broccoli, peach slices in Greek yogurt, a large slice of meatloaf, and a brownie that was still warm. His mouth watered as he eyed his food while his brothers grabbed drinks.“Want anything, Lu?” Ace asked.Luffy shrugged. “Juice?”Ace chuckled at him as he grabbed an apple juice before they headed towards the tables. Sabo and Ace sat with a combined group of Ace's kickboxing teammates and Sabo's debate teammates (a couple of people were on both teams).“Hey! Is this little brother?!”Luffy caught the eye of a familiar face. “Marco!” He chirped.Marco hopped up and looped his arm around Luffy's neck. “Yo, I feel like I haven't seen you in a year! You sprouted like a weed!”Luffy giggled as he broke free and was ushered to a seat between Marco and another teammate, Thatch. The cafeteria was large and open. Ace and Sabo's table was in the direct middle of everything and was crowded with people coming and going constantly. Luffy was enjoying talking to new people and making friends, even if they were all seniors. He saw a couple of his new friends that he had met earlier in the day and waved at them. He might ask to sit with them one day, if Ace and Sabo were okay with it. He was laughing with someone he had met from the kickboxing team when he felt Ace's arms drop around his shoulders.“Hey, lil bro, what're you talking about?”Luffy grinned up at Ace. “Nothin’, just kickboxing,”“You gonna try out?!” Marco asked from the other end of the table.“I want to!”“Lu, I told you—”“But Ace—!”“What's going on?” Marco asked as Ace and Luffy started arguing in front of him.“Oh, uh, Luffy wants to try out, Ace won't let him,” Sabo said around a bite of food.“Why?” Thatch asked, laughing.“It's too dangerous for him,” Ace said, frowning down at Luffy who was full on pouting at this point.Marco and Thatch burst out laughing. “Ace… Ace… Buddy… We are talking about the same Luffy who put you in the hospital with a broken arm when we were freshmen, right?!” Marco sputtered out.“Pushing me out of a tree is not the same thing as being a skilled kickboxer,”“I am a skilled kickboxer!” Luffy pouted at Ace, “You taught me!”“He does have a point there, Firefist,” Sabo chuckled.Ace rolled his eyes at the use of his team name. “Listen, it's a rough sport, and—”“But I can do it!”Ace sighed. His friends were still laughing at the argument.“Just let him try out, bro,” Sabo said, “You and Marco're gonna be running tryouts next week, so you can look out for him, and besides, it's coach Pops’ final decision anyway,”“Sabo—! C'mere,” Ace grabbed Sabo's arm and dragged him away from the table.“Ow, dude, that hurts,” Sabo said, yanking his arm away from Ace. “What's your deal?”“You know that if Lu tries out for the team that he'll make it,” Ace said in a low tone.Sabo cocked his head at his brother. “Uh, yeah? That's why we're all encouraging—”“You know—jesus—you know it's actually dangerous, right?” Ace said, “Like, you've seen me after some of my matches, and some of my worst injuries happened on JV—Sabo, we've talked about this—”Sabo rolled his eyes. “Bro, it's high school kickboxing, you make it dangerous,” He put a hand on Ace's shoulder. “And Luffy is good, like, not a natural and a little clumsy, but you've been teaching him well for a few years and his skills are well beyond what most JV kids come in with. We all know he's gonna be OK,”Ace sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I just don't want to see him hurt, ever, Sabo,”Sabo smiled and shook his head. “Yeah, like usual, and I don't either, but he's fourteen and a freshman in high school, Ace…give him some space to explore?”“Even if he wants to copy everything I'm doing?”Sabo laughed and clapped Ace on the shoulder. “Isn't that Luffy's whole thing?”Ace laughed, too.“So,” Sabo looked straight at Ace, “He can try out?”Ace rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine,”“Yes!” Sabo shouted, “Hey, Luffy! He said yes!”Luffy whooped and was suddenly flinging himself into Ace's arms. “Thanks, Ace!”Ace barely caught him in time and squeezed him tight to prevent them from falling over. Luffy nuzzled into the crook of Ace's neck like he usually did. Ace let his head gently fall to the side to lean against Luffy's head like always before he realized they were in public in the school cafeteria. Ace quickly found his footing and put Luffy down, making sure there was a whole arms length between them.“You're welcome, Lu,” Ace sighed, “Just please don't get yourself hurt, I'm one thing, but our moms'll never forgive me if something bad happens to you,”Luffy grinned up at Ace with that giant, adorable, stupid smile. “I promise!”Ace shook his head, trying to hide his own smile and playfully clipped Luffy on the chin. He ushered Luffy and Sabo back to the table for the last few minutes of lunch.

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The rest of the day went well for Luffy. Fourth period was PE and he got to run off the food he had just stuffed in his face. His last two classes, though, were English and World History 1. He was struggling to stay awake by the last bell of the day. As soon as he heard the dismissal bell, he jumped up out of his seat and bolted down the hallway. He was immediately stopped by running into someone taller than him. Luffy stepped back a foot and looked up to the grinning face.“Hey, Ace!”“Hey, Lu!” His brother laughed and ruffled Luffy's black waves. “Ready to go home?”“You don't have anything after school, like practice?” Luffy questioned.“Not this week,” Ace said as he hooked his arm around Luffy's neck and began leading him down the hallway towards the parking lot, “You wanna get ice cream or something before going home in celebration of your first day?”“Boy, do I!” Luffy said, skipping along next to Ace at this point. “Can Sabo come?”Ace smiled down at his shorter companion. “Sabo gets to and from school in girls cars, so he's probably already got at least three of them fighting over him right now,”Luffy laughed. “Wha'd'ya mean? Sabo doesn't date, he's too busy!”“That's what he tells everyone, including the girls,” Ace chuckled, “But he's really more of a player than anything else, he's probably got one of the biggest body counts in the school and he's literally never had an actual girlfriend,”Luffy couldn't stop giggling at the thought of Sabo just being a player when it came to girls. He had believed Sabo's story that he was too busy with his extracurriculars and honor classes to date anyone, especially because he never brought any girls to the house. Come to think of it, his older foster siblings never really brought people they liked to the house. Sabo and Ace shared a bedroom with each other and Luffy's older foster sister, Uta, had to share a room with their younger foster sisters. Luffy was the only one who had a semblance of privacy because he was fine with Dadan making an old pantry/laundry closet into his space.“Is that why you guys don't bring anyone over?”Ace looked up from the snowcone he was milking. “Huh?”“Because you guys don't have any privacy?” Luffy asked.Ace laughed. “Walk me through the thought you had in your head, bud,”Luffy blushed. “Oh, I, uh, I've never seen you, Sabo, or Uta bring any girlfriends or boyfriends home, is it because you guys don't have a lot of privacy?”Ace smirked at him. “Boyfriends?”Luffy could feel his blush deepen. “Uta's boyfriends…”Ace laughed. “I'm just teasing you,” He looked over towards the pier that stretched out across the water and shivered. He looked back down at his snowcone. “We, uh, we just don't like mixing our social life with our home life,”Luffy cocked his head to the side in confusion like he was a puppy. “Wha'd'ya mean?”“We…” Ace sighed. He had known he was going to have conversations with Luffy about heavy stuff for a while but he still just seemed so young to him. “Lu, you know our home life isn't great, right?”Luffy got that look on his face that told Ace it was one of those rare times where Luffy was taking something seriously. “Yeah, I know, Ace,” He said, quietly.Ace nodded, keeping eye contact with Luffy. “All three of us…we maintain an image at school and with our peers—”“A pier? Like that thing?” Luffy asked, pointing towards the water.“No, Lu, I mean peers, like people my age and friends,”“So…your and Sabo's and Uta's friends…”“Yes,”“Okay…go on…”Ace smiled softly at his little brother. “We don't like to be seen as the ‘troubled’ kids at school,” he explained, “I always wanted to shake the identity and expectations, and when Pops took me under his wing it really changed a lot for me,” He had a distant look in his eyes for a moment. “But, our siblings… Sabo was able to shake off the ‘troubled kid’ label, and Uta—being a year younger than us—somehow, successfully, avoided it altogether,”Luffy was nodding along, listening intently. This was the first time in five or so years where they had gotten to seriously talk like this, it was almost like Ace was avoiding it.“We figured out pretty quick when the first of us started dating that allowing anyone in to see our world outside of school and the little bubble we created would essentially shatter the illusion,”“Wha'd'ya mean?”“When people who liked us saw our family and the rough situation we live in it makes them pull away,” he paused, “Teenagers can be fickle and will drop someone they like over the smallest thing,”Luffy chewed on the inside of his cheek as he mulled over what Ace said. “So…how do you guys date?”“The school is overflowing with people who throw parties every weekend,” Ace said, pulling up pictures on his phone for Luffy to scroll through. “They're usually really good about scheduling, so everyone is usually at one or two big parties every Friday or Saturday night,”“Oh,” Luffy said as he scrolled through pictures of his brothers, red faced and grinning, in repeating houses with repeating people. “That's where you guys are all the time,”“Yeah, I told you we were hanging out with high school friends,”“Why couldn't I come?” Luffy pouted.“Lu,” Ace pointed at the can in his hand in the picture Luffy was looking at. “There's some high schoolers who shouldn't be at these parties, I was not about to bring my middle school aged brother to them,”Luffy blushed slightly when he realized Ace meant there was alcohol and sex at these parties and Luffy was way too young for it. “Well, what about now?”“Pft, duh you're coming, I've been waiting for you to be old enough,” Ace winked at him.Luffy jumped up out of his seat and whooped. Ace, laughing, grabbed Luffy's wrist and drug him back into his chair. Even though he thought Luffy still wasn't old enough, there were always plenty of freshmen at the parties and he knew there was an unspoken honor system when it came to the freshmen, too. He was confident nothing bad would happen and if anyone tried anything, Ace would be allowed to do something about it without social repercussions, especially since Luffy would be seen as his brother.“When can we go!?” Luffy was visibly shaking.“Calm down,” Ace shook his head. “There should be one this weekend,”Luffy's eyes got wide. “Really?!” He said in a dreamy voice.Ace grinned at him. “Yeah,”“I can't wait!” Luffy tried to jump up again, but Ace still had his hand and easily pulled him back down.

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Luffy is not patient.Every day he asked Ace and Sabo about the party the coming weekend.“Where is it going to be?” “What should I wear?” “Will I know other people there?”Ace had to remind him to shut up and not talk about the party at home more than once. Their foster mothers were pretty lenient on their freedom—with a total of seven kids in the house (four being teenagers), it's not like they had a choice—but they would still not be cool with the four teenagers going out to an unsupervised party at a random student's house with dubious substances being consumed.The party was on Saturday night. Ace was glad to see Luffy sleeping-in the morning of: he had been convinced that he was going to wake up at the crack of dawn. Luckily, though, he groggily poked his head out of his little room sometime around one o'clock.“Hey, there, sleeping beauty,” Sabo teased as Luffy zombily walked through the kitchen/living room area where Ace and Sabo were watching their little sisters. He watched as Luffy shuffled into the kitchen and opened the fridge door. He pawed around the appliance before grabbing a bag of rotisserie chicken and shuffling away.“Door!” Ace said without looking up from his game of Old Maid with Tama.Luffy groaned and pushed the door shut before disappearing back into his little room.“Is it okay for big brother Luffy to eat the whole chicken?” Tama asked.Ace looked up from his cards for a moment. “I got that for him yesterday,”“So, mommy won't be mad?”Ace shook his head. “Mom is using the leftovers from last night for you guys’ dinner,”“Sabo…” Aika whispered from the couch.“Hm?”“What's ar…ar-ch-i-pe-la-go mean?” She whispered as she pointed at a word in her book.“Uh, archipelago—oh, that's, uh—it's like a chain of islands or a bunch of little islands all scattered together in an area of water,” Sabo answered her.“Oh, okay, thank you,” she said just as quietly as before.“Are you going to eat dinner with us too, big brother Ace?” Tama asked.Ace ruffled her hair, though it wasn't quite as fun as Luffy's. “Nah, I'm going out tonight,”Tama pouted at him.“Does that mean you're gonna go out, too, Sabo?” Aika asked.“Mmhm, yup,” Sabo said in a chipper but even tone. “And so is Uta, and so is Luffy,”“No~! Not big brother Luffy, too~!” Tama squealed.“Tama: inside voice,” Ace said gently as he rubbed his pinky in his ear closest to her.“But it's not fair!”“I know, sissy,” Ace said, trying not to laugh at her, “But, you're only in fourth grade, we didn't even let Lu come until he got into high school this year,”She continued to pout at him. He rolled his eyes at her. Even though Tama wasn't biologically related to Luffy she acted very much like him. Particularly, she knew Ace had a soft spot specifically for her and Luffy. Ace had to admit that was very true and he usually gave into their pouting or begging, he wasn't stupid enough to cave to her.“You never let me have any fun,”“Yes, that is correct: I am Mr. Fun Gobbler and I eat little girl's fun for dinner— omnomnomnomnom,”Tama burst into giggles and slapped Ace's hands away before he tickled her. She was adorable, and reminded him of Luffy at that age again. He looked over his shoulder towards Luffy's room.“Awake?” He called.There was a moment of silence before a deep and whiney groan. “...when are we leaving…?” He hoarsely whispered. If he didn't act like this every weekend, his family would be convinced he was dying or had gone through some fuckery the night before.“Seven,” Ace said.“Speak for yourself,” Sabo said as he looked at his watch.Ace rolled his eyes.Luffy popped just the top of his head and his not-open eyes out of his door. “…you never told me what to wear…”Ace chuckled. “Wear whatever, Lu,”Luffy groaned. “…but like…” He shuffled into the hallway draped in his comforter. “…are you and Sabo wearing what you usually wear when you go out…?”“Yeah, bro, of course,” Ace answered him.Luffy nodded and shuffled back into his room presumably to pass back out for a few hours. Ace chuckled at him and went back to his game with Tama.It was only about an hour before Makino came back home and Sabo disappeared to their bedroom to get ready. He later emerged wearing a light blue, short-sleeve, linen button-up that was cropped so it hit just above his belt, with loose, blue jeans that hung low on his hips, exposing the skin of his lower back and a little bit of his underwear when he moved. His golden curls were styled in a mop on top of his head and he was sporting a leather bracelet and silver chain around his neckHe was running out of the door to some girl's car by four, Nikes in hand.“Luffy,” Ace knocked on Luffy's door. “You awake?”Luffy opened his door only enough for Ace to see he was shirtless. “Yeah! I'll be out in a minute!”“Oh, I just wanted to make sure you were awake, I've still gotta get ready,” Ace said, “You've got time,”“Oh, cool, thanks!” Luffy went to close the door, “Uh, how much time?”Ace laughed. “I dunno, I'm gonna hop in the shower, I'll let you know when I'm out,”“Deal,”Ace liked hot showers. Like, really hot. So, he had to keep his showers short unless he was at practice or on vacation. Most of his time in the bathroom nowadays was shaving his face and styling his hair. His hair wasn't as curly as Sabo's, but it had some wave and bounce to it if he used the right products. He threw shorts on to walk through the house.“Shower's free,” he said, knocking on Luffy's door as he passed.“Thanks!” He could hear Luffy dart into the bathroom.Luffy liked water. He took longer showers because he didn't care what the temperature was and kept it pretty lukewarm. He just liked the sensation of water on his skin.Ace knew Luffy would spend forever in the shower but would probably take only a few minutes to get ready afterwards, so he wasn't worried at all. He stood in front of the closet he and Sabo shared and contemplated his choices. It was almost night and day—or fire and water, rather, in their closet. Sabo tended to lean towards blues and browns in a variety of slim items or light fabrics. Whereas, Ace mostly wore black and yellow spread across baggy layers, and he wore shirts as little as possible, especially at weekend parties.He grabbed a pair of jeans with cargo pockets and a yellow and black flannel. Most of his wardrobe was made up of his accessories. He secured his jeans with a belt that was studded and had a chunky buckle. He attached chains from his belt loops to his cargo pockets and wallet that he slipped in a back pocket. He put on four necklaces of various lengths: two that tangled on his collarbone, one that hit the top of his sternum, and one that came just above his navel. His flannel covered two of them at the moment, but he'd only have it buttoned up until he got out the front door. He finally added a watch, a subtle metal chain on his left wrist, a couple of rings, and grabbed his boots from beside his bed.“Lu?” He called as he walked to the front door to put his boots on (Makino's rule). “You ready?”“Yeah, I am!” Luffy came bounding out of his room wearing shorts, a red tank top, and a red and white short-sleeve button-up open over it. His hair was still partially damp from his shower and sticking out in some places. He was adorable.“Hell, yeah,” Ace clapped him on the back.“Okay, you guys please be safe,” Makino said from the hallway.“Of course, mom,” Ace said. “I promise we'll all be fine,”“You're meeting Sabo and Uta there?”“Yeah, should see them,”“OK, good, and remember: no trouble!”“Yes, mom,” Ace said, coming over to kiss her on the cheek.“Shoes!” She said, but she was smiling.“Sorry,” Ace smiled at her.“…big brother…?” Tama shuffled out from behind Makino. She was holding her blanket and rubbing her eyes.“Aw, Tama,” Ace picked her up, “Are you going to bed?”She nodded.“You feeling okay, sissy?” He looked at Makino.She shrugged. “She's got a slight fever,”“Tsk, poor thing,” he kissed Tama on the top of the head, “Sleep well, feel better, okay?”She nodded and he put her down, watching her shuffle back down the hallway.“Aika?” He asked.“No, she seems fine, having a bath now,” Makino said.“Okay, awesome,” he kissed her on the cheek again, “Bye,”“Bye, mom!” Luffy called to her as he followed Ace out of the house. He was practically skipping to the Mazda. “So, where is it?! You never told me!”“I don't think you know them,” Ace said as he unbuttoned his shirt and slid into the driver's seat.“Ace?”He looked up at Luffy. “What?”Luffy's face was red and he was looking at Ace but not his face. Ace followed his gaze and rolled his eyes.“What is it?” He asked.“Why'd you undo your shirt?”“I prefer it this way, but mom would kill me if she knew that,” He winked, rolling up his sleeves twice so they were more ¾ instead of full length. “Why? You've seen me shirtless plenty of times,”“No reason,” Luffy shrugged and looked out the window. “Just curious,”Ace smirked and started the car. He was cute.

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The party was in the rich part of town being thrown by one of the only rich kids in the school. Most of the parties were usually in public or hidden spaces, but the best ones were house parties.Ace pulled up as close as he could to the house, but people had already been there since the afternoon so they were slightly down the block. They could already hear the music from the car—it wasn't distinct, but the bass was definitely reverberating around them. He grabbed Luffy as they walked toward the house.“Remember what Makino said: no trouble, okay?” He said.“Yeah, okay, Ace!” Luffy said, smiling at him.“Okay,” Ace took a deep breath and led Luffy up the rest of the sidewalk towards the house.There were people gathered on the lawn outside and on the front porch, all talking and laughing in groups. Luffy was interested in all of the colors everyone was wearing, and how all of the people were sparkly. He didn't realize that a lot of teenagers felt like they wanted to express themselves outside of what school dress code dictated.Inside, the music was much louder. Ace guided Luffy through the crowded living room to where the kitchen was. Marco and Thatch waved and shouted when they saw them.“Firefist~” Marco said, fistbumping Ace, “How're you guys tonight?”“We're doing great Marco, how're you guys?” Ace said.“Fantastic,” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder, “Thatch here has already won three drinking contests,”Thatch put down the cup he was chugging and burped.“Nice!” Ace said over the music, “Could we get whatever's in those?”“Abso-fucking-lutely, brother,” Marco said, putting down his own drink and walking over to a cooler on the counter, he spooned out a turquoise color liquid into two solo cups. “Tonight's jungle juice, enjoy,” He handed it to Ace.“Thank you so very much,” Ace said and handed a cup to Luffy. “‘Kay, I know you've never drank before, so don't be surprised if this sucks ass,”“How d'ya know I've never drank before?” Luffy asked, offended, even though he was right.“Lu, I know you used to spend the weekends with the girls in the pool or at the beach before this, okay?” He said, laughing. “Now, go on, try it,”Luffy looked down at the radioactive blue liquid in his cup. He sniffed it and scrunched his nose. It smelled like getting patched up in the nurse's office combined with some kind of lamp oil and an extremely sweet fake fruit smell. He looked back up to Ace.“This is okay for a kid my age?” He asked.“Well…no,” Ace said, taking a sip from his cup and grimacing slightly. His taste buds would be dead soon enough it wouldn't bother him, anyway. “But, it's fun, and if you don't drink too much it's not that bad—Sabo and I have been drinking since we were your age,”Luffy shrugged at that and took a breath. If Ace and Sabo have been drinking stuff like this since they were his age it couldn't be that bad. He took a regular sip and almost spit it out onto Ace. It tasted like he was drinking formaldehyde from science class and it burned like a motherfucker.“Blech!” Luffy said once he was able to swallow it. “That's disgusting!”“Fuck yeah it is,” Marco said as he took a drink from his cup.“You get used to it,” Ace said, “And give it a few minutes, it's the feeling that's the fun part,”Luffy smirked and shrugged as he took another drink. His head was already feeling a little lighter, but that could have been from the excitement. He stood with Ace and his friends for a few minutes while they tried to talk over the music and Luffy nursed his cup and his head got swimmier. Thatch ended up chugging his cup at the behest of someone else near them, causing an uproar in laughter.“Luffy!”Luffy turned and was jumped on by a small figure. He pushed the person off to get a good look.“Oh, Vivi! Hey! Guys, this is Vivi, she's in my history class!” Luffy chirped.“Well, hiya, miss! I'm Marco!” He said, shaking her hand.“Tha*tch,” he belched.Ace rolled his eyes at his friends. “Hi, Vivi, I'm Ace,” He said.“Nice to meet you all!” She said sweetly.“She's really smart!” Luffy said.“Is that so?” Ace laughed.“Hey, Luffy, I wanna introduce you to some of my friends, okay?” Vivi said, loudly close to his ear.“Sure! Ace, is that okay?” Luffy looked up at him with his big, dark rays.“Of course! Just remember the rules!” Ace said. “Find me if you need me!”“You know it!”Luffy followed close behind Vivi into the other room, which was harder to do after a third of his drink. Apparently, alcohol affected the way you could walk and balance. She led him outside to the covered porch in the back of the house. There were small circles of people in patio furniture, folding chairs, and beanbags scattered across the patio and backyard to where the glow from the porchlight reached. It was smokier back here than it had been inside. Vivi walked him over to a circle that was under the cover of the porch.“Sanji, have you met Luffy?” She asked the blonde boy in a wicker chair.Sanji looked up and over his shoulder, seeing Luffy beaming at him from behind Vivi. “Luffy—mon ami!” He jumped up and embraced the shorter boy in his long arms.“Sanji!” Luffy wrapped his arms around Sanji's waist and lifted him slightly off the ground. “Good t'see ya!”Sanji laughed at the enthusiasm. “Sit down! Sit down!”Luffy plopped down on a beanbag just to the left of Sanji's chair. He noticed there was a low table in the center of the circle with various glass things on it.“Oh, is that drugs?” he asked.Sanji chuckled at the naive bluntness of it. “Well, oui, of course,” he said, “Some more…legal…than others,”Luffy slightly twisted his face and looked down at the cup still in his hand.“You don't have you partake, mon ami, it's for whoever may,”Luffy giggled. Sanji had told him what his French words meant a couple of days ago so he wasn't confused anymore. He noticed Sanji had a cigarette of some kind he was smoking. It made him look really cool, even if the smoke made Luffy's eyes itch slightly.“How'd you two meet?” He asked Vivi and Sanji.“He's the TA for all of the cooking classes,” Vivi said.“Whoa, cool!” Luffy said, looking at Sanji. “But when do you have time for other classes?”“I have the incredible opportunity to duel-enroll at the academy of culinary arts downtown,” he said. “I attend twice a day, once during the morning and once after school, some on the weekends. I get credit as a TA,”“No way, that's awesome!” Luffy said practically with stars in his eyes.“It's not that impressive, his daddy is the dean of the academy,”Suddenly, Sanji’s cool and calm demeanor changed and his eyes shot wide open. He let out a long sigh. “I’ve told you, moss head—” he said, sharply looking over his shoulder at Zoro who had walked up behind him, “—my dad is the head chef, you get that right, dumbass,”“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Zoro said, unphased, “Point is: it's less impressive when your daddy is the one deciding whether or not you're in such a ‘prestigious program,’”Sanji was up and in Zoro's face. “My father is the best chef in the country. Literally. He would never degrade his three Michelin star, award winning career on nepotism. J'ai travaillé pour entrer dans ce programme—j'ai donné mon sang, ma sueur, et mes larmes pendant des années pour être admissible à ce programme, et vous ne pouvez rien imaginer d'aussi profond, putain d'abruti,”“And there he goes with the fancy-speak again—hey! Blabbermouth—English!” Zoro snapped at him.“Tsk, brute,” Sanji rolled his eyes at Zoro and refocused them on Nami, who was standing behind the green haired boy. “Nami, ma chérie!” He pushed past Zoro to embrace Nami, who was giggling.Luffy's eyes lit up. “Zoro! Nami! Hi!”Zoro and Nami looked away from Sanji toward where Luffy was.“Luffy!” Nami cried and jumped on him to give him a hug. “How are you?!”“I'm good, how are you?!” He asked her.“Better now I know you're here!”“Oh, Nami, ouch!” Sanji said, grabbing at his heart.“Oh, Sanji dear, don't be like that,” Nami said, giggling.“Oh, Nami, do you know Vivi? Vivi!”Vivi looked up from who she was talking to—hey! That's Usopp!—and smiled at Luffy. He could feel Nami dig her fingernails into his arm and caught a look at her face. Her eyes were wide and she had gone pale except for the slightest blush on her cheeks. He laughed and motioned Vivi over.“Vivi, have you met Nami?” He asked her when she got close enough.“Why, no, I haven't,” Vivi said, her brown eyes sparkling. “Hi, there,”“Oh—uh, I, um—I'm,” Nami cleared her throat, “Nami…”Vivi giggled at Nami. “You're cute,”Nami blushed deeper.“Wanna come over here and talk with me and Usopp?”Nami nodded and followed Vivi to the other side of the table.Sanji sighed and sat down next to Luffy on the beanbag. Luffy blinked twice at him.“What?” Sanji asked him, “The brute took my chair,”“I actually haven't, but that's a good idea,” Zoro said, sitting down and grabbing a pipe from the table.Sanji looked back at Luffy, who was realizing how close they were at the moment. “So,” Sanji said, “I don't believe we've talked about you much this week,”“Well,” Luffy said, swallowing the lump in his throat. He tried to remember if he'd ever been this close to someone before. There was one time in seventh grade a girl kissed him and she had been this close, but never a guy. And she definitely didn't make his heart pound like it was right now. “You're really busy being the TA…”Sanji laughed. “Yes,” he said, “But that doesn't mean I haven't been doing you a disservice, mon ami,”Luffy flinched slightly when Sanji put his hand on Luffy's knee.“Oh, désolé,” Sanji said and removed his hand. “But, please, Luffy, tell me about yourself? What are your interests?”Luffy blushed. He hadn't meant to flinch like he did, he just wasn't expecting it, and now he was regretting it slightly. “Oh, um,” he hesitated, “I really like swimming, I used to spend every weekend at the local pool or at the beach,”“Oh?” Sanji raised a curly eyebrow, “You'll enjoy the beach parties then,”“Oh, cool! There's beach parties?!”Sanji nodded. “But what else?”“Um,” Luffy thought for a moment, “I like kickboxing, my brother has been teaching me since I was ten or eleven, I'm gonna try out next week,”“Oh! Are you any good?”Luffy shrugged. “I think so,” he tilted his head, “I kinda wanna do it because Ace is on the team,”“Oh?” Sanji's eyebrow went up even higher. “Do you always like doing what Ace does?”Luffy thought for a second. “Yeah, usually!” He grinned. “Except for the beach, Ace doesn't like the beach. But, whenever we can hang out together is definitely the best. Ace is probably my favorite person,”Sanji grinned at Luffy and let his head fall to the side. “Awe,” he cooed, “How long have you been going out?”Luffy frowned at him. “No…no, Ace is my foster brother,”Sanji narrowed his eyes. “Ace Portgas?”“Yeah?” Luffy confirmed, confused.“So, you live with him?”“Yeah, he and Sabo share a room down the hall, why?”“You said foster brother, though, and those two definitely don't look related,”Luffy giggled. “Only I have a sibling that's related to me in the house—my sister, Aika. She's my half sister on my dad's side. Neither of us have ever met him, though,”“Hey, moss-head,” Sanji said, looking up and over his shoulder where Zoro was, “Can Luffy and I get a refill?”Zoro frowned at him. “Get it yourself,”“Yours is almost empty as well, isn't it?” Sanji teased.Zoro rolled his eyes and got up, walking back into the house where the kitchen was.Sanji looked back at Luffy. “Go on,”Luffy shrugged. “What do you wanna know?”“Well…” Sanji thought for a second, “why are you and your half-sister in foster care?”“Oh, um,” Luffy sucked on the inside of his cheek. “Like I said: I never knew my dad—or my mom. My legal guardian is technically my grandfather, but he has never been interested in raising me, so I lived with mom for a few years as an ‘unofficial’ foster parent—it wasn't through the legal system or anything, he just left me there—but then he decided that he didn't want mom taking care of me anymore for some reason so he picked me up one day and drove me two hours away from mom and I lived to here. He put me in foster care with ma, my foster mom. Ace had already been living with her at that point.”Zoro came back and handed Luffy a new drink. He placed Sanji's just out of his reach on the table so Sanji would have to lean up to be able to grab it and sat himself down in the chair next to them.“How old were you?” Sanji asked after grabbing his drink.“Seven,” Luffy sipped his new drink. His taste buds had basically turned off at this point and the drink didn't bother him as much. His head was really swimmy and he felt hot. He thought that it was good he had come outside to the cooler air with Vivi. “Ace and Sabo were ten,”“That must have been hard for you: being taken away from the only mother you'd known to be thrust somewhere so unfamiliar…”Luffy shrugged. “It was at first, but mom was angry, like really angry,” he laughed, “She just showed up one day yelling at ma, who yelled right back at her.”“But you're still with your foster mother?”“Yeah, I'm still with ma,” he said, “They fought for a bit and after that they were a little cold to each other but ma was drowning with four of us after Sabo and Uta ended up coming to live with us, so she actually welcomed mom coming and helping out. Eventually, she moved in and was sleeping on the couch. I don't really know how it happened, but they fell for each other and now they are married and sleep in the same room with the baby,”Sanji's eyes sparkled. “Oh, that's so nice…”“Yeah, we actually see more of mom than ma now because she stays home and takes care of the littles in the house.” Luffy took a big swig of his cup. “Ma has a full time job, exhausts her pretty thoroughly,”“What's she do?”“She…” Luffy frowned. It was hard to think. “I'm not sure I've ever asked…”Sanji and Zoro laughed at him in unison. Luffy looked back and forth between their red faces before bursting into laughter himself.Eventually, Luffy grew hungry and decided to go find the kitchen again. Waking was much harder than last time and his vision was like he was looking through kaleidoscopes, but he eventually made it back to where he wanted to be. There were a lot of different people in the kitchen than there were when he had last been in there. He pushed past the bodies all bumping against each other toward the fridge. Luffy stared at the contents of the fridge, trying to decipher what he was seeing. Eventually, he recognized half of a turkey and took the leg off of it.Taking a bite he turned around to look at the kitchen and spotted Marco making out with some girl Luffy didn't recognize.“Hey…hey, Marco,”Marco looked up from the girl. “Hey~ little fist, how're you, dude?”“You know where Ace is?”“Uuh…living room?”Luffy gave Marco a thumbs up and moved through the kitchen towards the living room.“Luffy!”He felt a tug on his arm and turned to see Nami and Vivi. “Hey!”“What…what're you doing?” Nami slurred in his ear.“I'm looking for Ace,”“Oh, downstairs, in the game room,” Vivi said.“Game room?”“Yeah, it's fun, come on!”Nami took Luffy's hand and led him to some stairs that took them down into a second part of the house. The music was already quieter down here. They went down a hall with doors on either side, through which Luffy could see kids doing things he didn't want to think about. The hall let out into a small den area where a group of people were gathered in a circle.“Luffy!”Luffy looked up and grinned when he met Ace's gaze. He followed Nami and Vivi around the circle to where Ace was sitting.“Ace!” Luffy chirped and plopped down next to his brother.“How's~ your night been?” Ace slurred in Luffy's ear.“Good!” Luffy beamed.“You found s-some friends~, yeah?”“Yeah! A lot of kids from my classes,” He took a sip of his drink.“Good…good…” Ace's face was completely flushed from the alcohol, making his freckles stand out more than usual. His eyes were bright, making them look more orange in the dim light, but Luffy could tell Ace was also looking through kaleidoscopes.“What are we doing?” Luffy asked.“Uh, party games?” Ace said, looking back at the group of people. A small girl that looked like she was Uta's age knelt down at the coffee table that was in the center of the group. “Looks like spin the bottle,”“I've heard of that,” Luffy watched as the girl took the empty bottle that lay on its side on the table and spun it. The people around were a combination of holding their breath and jeering. The bottle spun to a stop and pointed at another girl in the circle. The crowd erupted and the girl the bottle had pointed out stood up to walk over to the girl in the middle.They knelt in front of each other as they laughed awkwardly and brushed away the jeers that continued. They both took a quick breath and kissed each other. The crowd erupted again as the two girls kissed each other for a few seconds before breaking apart, giggling.“What if they're dating someone?” Luffy asked.“You don't have to play,” Ace said.Luffy nodded and looked back as the next bottle stopped spinning. On Ace.The kids around them cheered and Ace laughed as he stood up. Luffy wondered why it made him feel so empty. Ace sauntered over to the center of the circle and knelt before the girl. She looked tall and thin, she had gold-blonde hair like Sabo's and bright blue eyes as far as Luffy could tell. He watched as Ace—bare chested, waves falling in his eyes, jeans low on his hips—took her chin in his long, delicate fingers and pulled her face toward his.Luffy thought his heart stopped. He couldn't help but hyper-focus on their mouths together. He could see Ace's tongue playing with the girl's and wondered why he was getting hotter than he had already been. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but his mouth was too dry. Before they had even stopped kissing, Luffy looked away, burying his face in his drink. He jumped slightly when Ace plopped down next to him. He seemed out of breath and was grinning from the kiss. Luffy felt something deep in the pit of his stomach.“What's up?” Ace asked.Luffy shook his head, sure he was still completely red. “I just don't think I want to play,”“That's fine,” Ace said, “You don't have to,”His smile was brilliant.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Luffy laid silently in the dark. His head still felt like his brain was a turbulent ocean and his thoughts were little boats trying to survive the storm. The party had been one of the best nights he had ever had, but it had left him with more questions than anything. Staring up at the popcorn ceiling, all he could think about was seeing Ace kiss that girl. He wasn't sure why—or what—but seeing that had given Luffy a funny feeling in his stomach that still hadn't gone away.It made him think about when he had first met Ace and he had gotten a different feeling in his stomach. It had been a nice feeling that time—like a little extra joy—nothing like how he was feeling now.But he had felt something similar before.Ace hadn't shown any kindness to Luffy when he originally moved into the house. Luffy could remember the gut feeling that came with that rejection, and it felt a little like this.But, he hadn't been rejected in any way. And it wasn't like Ace kissing anyone meant he was ignoring Luffy or that Luffy was losing him in any way. Luffy knew Ace dated people, that wasn't a problem.But now that Luffy was in high school, he had been hoping to spend time with Ace the same as they used to the first few years they had been living together. He wanted Ace all to himself, and not any random girl. Luffy knew that Ace was focusing a lot on his sport this year so that he might have a good chance at some kind of career or scholarship after graduation, so maybe girls weren't really in the schedule this year and Luffy could spend as much time with him as possible before he left for wherever he'd end up going.Luffy just couldn't explain the anger that was sitting on his stomach, though. Thinking about it, that may have been the first time he had ever seen Ace kiss anyone. He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a few minutes. All he could see in his mind's eye was that kiss. Ace closing his eyes. Ace's lips touching the girl's. The way Ace would open his mouth wide and play with his tongue inside of hers. How soft his lips looked. How they were just a slightly pinker shade than the rest of his face. The bottom one was plump, like a girl's, but the top one was thin and sharp.He shook his head violently when he started thinking about how it would feel to touch Ace's lips. What a ridiculous thought. Even so, Ace's lips were what he finally drifted off thinking about.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

On Monday, Luffy sat with Sanji, Nami, and Vivi at lunch. They were soon joined by Usopp, a begrudged Zoro, and a kid Luffy had met in his PE class, Chopper, who was only eleven as a freshman and very smart. He had told his brothers he wanted to get to know his friends more and Ace, Sabo, and the rest of their friends excitedly encouraged him. The truth was that it had been hard to be around Ace since the party. Yesterday, Luffy had just stayed in his room as much as he could, and this morning he acted extra sleepy to prevent Ace from really talking to him. He knew he wouldn't be able to avoid Ace at lunch if he sat with them.It was proving difficult to not keep staring at him, though. More than once, Luffy caught himself looking over to Ace's table to watch him. Luffy didn't know why, he just wanted to watch him. He watched Ace laugh and talk and take bites of his food.“Luffy,”His head snapped to his right to make eye contact with Zoro. “Yeah?” He asked.“You okay?” The older boy asked.Luffy waved him off. “Yeah, of course!”Zoro frowned.“You do seem distant,” Sanji said, picking up on what Zoro had noticed.“Just thinking about the party, I guess,” Luffy said.“What about the party?” Asked Nami.Luffy shrugged.His friends looked intently at him.“You have a crush,” Zoro said.Luffy flushed. “No! That's ridiculous!”Nami and Vivi rolled their eyes.“Yeah, he's got a crush,” Sanji giggled.“I—” Luffy could feel his face getting redder. Was that what it was? Did he have a crush on—? No, absolutely not. Ace was his brother. “Stop being stupid,”“Fine, fine, we'll d-drop it,” Usopp said before he turned to Chopper and raised his eyebrows.Chopper was just a kid but he understood what Usopp was implying. He giggled and then hid his face so Luffy wouldn't see it.Luffy rolled his eyes. “C'mon, Chopper, not you too…”“No, no, I don't…” Chopper giggled. “I don't know,”“Can we leave it at that then? I don't even know…” He dug into his lunch again, but he couldn't help glancing up at Ace for a moment. Ace was laughing. He threw his head back as his lips opened in a wide grin at whatever joke had been made. Luffy noticed Ace's eyes were clutched tight. He was too far away for Luffy to see his freckles, but he knew they were there, scattered across Ace's cheeks and the bridge of his nose. He was just jealous of the people who took Ace's attention away from him. Especially pretty girls. Yeah, that's what it was.Luffy was sure of how he could definitely get and keep Ace's attention, and that was the kickboxing team, which he was already going to try out for. He was confident he was going to make the junior varsity. Ever since Ace started his own kickboxing training he was teaching Luffy what he knew, so Luffy was surprisingly skilled for someone at his age and experience level. Ace was vice-captain of the team, Marco was the captain, and they were led by Coach Ed “Pops” Newgate.So, Luffy wasn't surprised to find Ace, Marco, and coach Pops standing at the far end of the gym when he and the handful of others that were trying out came in. The rest of the team sat on the front bench of the bleachers to one side of the small group. Ace grinned and waved at Luffy only for a moment before going back to his serious expression. Marco only nodded. Luffy smiled and gave Ace a little wave.The group of about ten students stood in line in front of Pops. He stared them down before walking slowly down the line, looking each student in the eye. Luffy tried to keep his gaze level when he met Pop’s eyes. He didn't want to look too intense or mean for fear Pops might think he was too aggressive for a contact sport, but he also didn't want to seem way too meek and unready to take on the challenges Pops would throw at him. It was only a moment, though, that Pops met Luffy's gaze before moving on to the next student in line.Pops then stood in the center of the gym in front of them.“Right!” He said in a deep yet kind voice. “We all know why we're here so let's make it simple: Welcome to tryouts for Dawn High School’s junior varsity kickboxing team, we're The Pirates,”The team, and the group of students Luffy was standing with, erupted in applause. Pops held up a hand and it stopped. Not in fear, but purely out of respect.“Today, our team captain — Marco Newgate — and vice-captain — Ace Portgas — will pair you with a JV team member in your same weight class, you will then sparr to the best of your ability.” Pops said, “The team member paired with you is not your opponent today, but your teacher, when they correct your form or tell you to execute a certain move, listen to them. Our captains, as well as myself, will be traveling around the gym observing your sparring sessions. When we have seen everything we need to see, we will dismiss you. Does that make sense?”“Yes, sir!” Luffy's group said in unison.“Good,” Pops motioned to Ace and Marco, “Newgate, Portgas,”Ace and Marco moved swiftly from where they were standing and began tapping their teammates on the shoulders. Each one tapped stood from the bleachers and went to stand in front of one of the students trying out. Luffy watched as Ace walked to another boy and, instead of just tapping him on the shoulder, Ace turned and pointed at Luffy, who's heart started beating faster in anticipation. The other boy nodded and hopped down from the bleachers to stand in front of Luffy. The boy was very similar to Luffy in body type and size, he was only about an inch taller.“Haruta,” the boy said, sticking out his hand for Luffy to shake.“Luffy,” he said, taking Haruta's hand.“I know,”Luffy frowned.“Okay, bow,” Haruta said, “like this,”Luffy copied how the boy lowered himself.“Good,” he said, “do you know the beginning stance?”“Yup!” said Luffy, jumping into the stance Ace taught him.“Good, now, spar!” Haruta jumped into motion toward Luffy.Luffy reacted light on his feet to counter Haruta's advance. It wasn't difficult to dance around their mat space. It left like an easy practice session with Ace. Haruta seemed to pick up on Luffy's ability and his slight boredom and began to increase the difficulty of the attacks he was throwing at the boy.They weren't the only pair sparring, and Marco, Ace, and Pops were slowly making their way through the gym. Eventually, Marco stopped at Luffy and Haruta. Luffy felt his stomach flutter slightly, knowing he was being judged at the moment. He decided to try not to think so much and just naturally flow with what was being thrown at him.Marco was soon joined by Pops.Luffy moved fluidly over the mat. He was quite adept at both punches and kicks, and grappling was a very strong skill of his. He was able to use his upper body and lower body to manipulate his opponent to his advantage more often than not. His natural abilities made him almost seem like he was performing a choreographed dance rather than an impromptu fight.All at once, Luffy was suddenly aware Ace was watching him as well.This was a completely different feeling than he had ever had being observed. Ace was usually his sparring partner and rarely watched from the outside. Luffy suddenly was struck with the desire to be incredible for Ace. He felt his punches land harder, he felt his kicks connect smoother, and he was easily able to grapple Haruta and take him to the ground, effectively ending their spar.Luffy released his opponent and jumped up to quiet applause from the others in the gym.“Very well done, Monkey,” Pops said.Luffy was flushed and huffing from the amount of effort he was able to put in at the end of the spar. He grinned and bowed his head to Pops. He turned and bowed to Haruta who was also out of breath and grinning.“You were right, Firefist,” Haruta said, getting to his feet.Luffy frowned and looked at Ace, full of curiosity. Ace was shining with pride. He stood a little farther off than Marco and Pops, his arms crossed over his chest, and the slightest grin. It was his eyes, though, that were absolutely sparkling. Luffy felt a small fire start deep in the pit of his stomach. Ace had looked at him with pride before, but never anything like this. He knew at that moment he would do absolutely anything for Ace to look at him that way forever.“Now,” Pops said, laying a hand on Luffy's shoulder, “I usually dismiss and post the results at the end of the week—the rest'a you will still need to do that—you, however,” He was looking down at Luffy, “I'd like to offer an official position on the JV squad, what'd'ya say?”Luffy's face split in two with his grin. “Really?!”“Yup,” Pops said, “You've got a spot if you want it,”Luffy, wide-eyed, looked at Ace, seeking permission, still. Ace smiled softly at Luffy and nodded his head. Luffy leapt up and let out a whoop. “Of course I'll take it, sir!”Pops laughed. “Good, call me Pops, now, y'hear me?”“Yessir, Pops, sir!” Luffy said, dancing around the gym while the others chuckled.Pops grinned at Luffy and then waved his hand to the rest of the group. “Great show!” He said. “But my captains and I are gonna have to evaluate your performances and get back to you all at the end of the week, until then: have a wonderful day!”The group of kids, including the rest of the team, began shuffling around the gym, preparing to go. Most of the team members went to the locker room and the others slowly made their way out of the gym and into the school hallways. Ace was still standing where he had been, eyes fixed on Luffy, small smile on his lips. Luffy felt a slight blush across his cheeks just before he moved toward his brother.“Did I…” Luffy huffed, he was partially still out of breath, and partially nervous. “Did I do good?”Ace's smirk broke into the widest grin. He hooked his arm around Luffy’s neck and pulled him close to slightly noogie his hair. “Yeah, you did good!” He said over Luffy's giggles. He looked down at his younger brother who was clinging to him at this point. “Gimme, like, five minutes and I'll take y'home, okay?”“Okay!” Luffy was beaming.Ace chuckled and ran his fingers through Luffy's hair, fluffing it slightly. “Wait here,” he said, softly, before heading to the locker room.Luffy found himself confused at the way Ace said that. He ran his fingers through his hair where Ace's fingers just were, staring at the floor of the gym. He shook his head and sat down to wait.

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Ace stood silently in the locker room showers. He had chosen one off to the side to get a small bit of privacy. Usually, the showers weren't something that bothered him, but today he was…distracted…and needed to think.“Ay, Portgas!”Ace startled out of his thoughts to look at Thatch by the lockers.“You were right!” Thatch said to him. “Your—what's he?—foster brother? Yeah, he was just as talented as you claimed,” Thatch took his sweatpants out of his locker and threw his towel in the dirty bin. “Glad to have him on the team!”Ace grinned and was glad that they probably assumed he was taking a scalding hot shower, because that's what he usually took. He could feel the blush creeping across his entire face. “Yeah, he–he's pretty great…”Thatch and Marco got distracted by another teammate and turned their attention away from Ace, which he was grateful for. He turned back to the cold water of his shower. He needed to cool down. Even now with the cold water running over him he felt hot. He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. His lungs and heart were acting like he had just run an entire marathon and wouldn't calm down.It sucked even more that he knew why.He had taught Luffy all of the skills he had demonstrated today, but he hadn't really ever gotten the opportunity to watch his brother fight. He knew Luffy was talented and had expected to be impressed but…this was way more than he had anticipated.Ace couldn't stop thinking about the way Luffy had moved so fluidly during his spar. He had never thought about describing a spar as beautiful and moving before, but those were the only words he could think of to describe how it had made him feel. He swallowed hard, trying to rid himself of the dry feeling in his throat.Luffy had somehow looked so…different after the spar. His dazzling eyes were somehow brighter, his beautiful smile somehow warmer, his skin somehow softer…Ace shook his head hard and stuck it under the freezing water. He was, unfortunately, not unfamiliar with thoughts like these. He and Luffy had been foster brothers for seven years, but Ace had started having…thoughts… around five years ago. At first it freaked him out completely. Slowly, though, he came to terms with most aspects of the thoughts. He realized that he was bisexual and had boyfriends as well as girlfriends in middle school and his first half of high school. That didn't bother him at all. Luffy's age was still a concern, but he was fourteen now and more mature than Ace had ever expected.He shook his head again. None of that mattered, though, because it was the fact that Luffy was his little brother that was the problem.He couldn't stop, though. He couldn't get Luffy out of his head. Even during the school day when Ace was just sitting in class taking notes, Luffy's smile and sparkling eyes would pop into his head and distract him completely. Luffy was the first person Ace looked for when he walked into a room. He was the person Ace wanted to spend time with the most. Everyday he found himself concerned about Luffy's wellbeing. He was definitely Ace's favorite person.Ace sighed and got out of the shower, defeated. Luffy being on his team definitely wasn't going to help matters, but he also couldn't stand the thought of distancing himself from Luffy. He really had been concerned for Luffy's safety with joining the team, but he was a little more concerned about the proximity problem now.He threw on his sweatpants and hoodie. He looked down at his half erection that was barely noticeable through his sweats. He groaned and slipped his shoes on. Luffy probably wouldn't notice, and if he did and asked about it Ace could probably explain it away if need be.Luffy grinned and jumped up to run to him the moment he exited the locker room. Ace felt his heart flutter slightly. Damnit, why did Luffy look so different? Like, he was obviously still the same kid, but he just looked…different. Ace had no idea how else to describe it. His features seemed softer, his eyes more sparkling, even his smell… He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and smiled at his little brother.“Ready to go home?” He asked.“Yup!” Luffy chirped.Ace hooked his arm around his shorter brother's shoulders and led him out of the gym. Luffy leaned himself into Ace as they walked out to the car, and Ace let him.“What'd'ya wanna listen to?” Ace asked as he slipped into the driver's seat.“Mmm,” Luffy stroked his chin as he thought for a moment. “Ziggy Stardust!”Ace laughed and pulled out Aladdin Sane, putting it in the CD player before heading out of the parking lot.The weather was still warm, so they rolled the windows down and let the breeze flow over them as they drove. Driving home was some of Ace's favorite moments with Luffy. Either they sat in comfortable silence listening to the music, were singing along with the music, or Luffy was chattering away about his day or some internet conspiracy he was interested in. Today, Luffy was staring out the open window happily singing along to the music.At a red light, Luffy looked over at Ace, who was looking over at him.“What?” Luffy asked.Ace shrugged, a very small smile on his lips. “Nothing,” he said.Luffy tilted his head a little to the side and kept contact with Ace's gaze. It wasn't mean, judging, or anything really. It was just…soft; like a hug or a blanket in autumn or something like that. Luffy parted his lips slightly to say something—what, he wasn't too sure—just as the light turned green and Ace broke the spell to look at the road. Luffy sat back, looking straight ahead and swallowed the lump in his throat he didn't realize had formed. They pulled into their driveway only a couple of minutes laterMakino was in the kitchen making dinner with baby brother hanging on her back. Aika and Tama were sitting on the ground together working on homework. Sabo, Uta, and Dadan were nowhere to be found.“Hey! How did tryouts go?!” Makino called from the stove.“It went great!” Luffy said, bouncing into the kitchen to sniff what Makino was making. “Mmm, smells great!”Makino laughed and pushed him away. “What does ‘great’ mean, Luffy?” She asked. “Did you find out, or do you have to wait until the end of the week…?”“He blew everyone away,” Ace said, hooking his arm around Luffy's neck and gently yanking him back. “Pops offered him a spot right then and there, he's that good,”Luffy blushed, dropping his eyes slightly so he couldn't catch Ace's.Makino squealed, dropping the spoon she had in her hand and immediately grabbed Luffy from Ace's grip and engulfed him in a death hug. “I KNEW IT!” She said in a high pitched voice. She released him and held him at arm's length. “You want something special? I can't pick up anything tonight but I can do a meat roast tomorrow?"Luffy looked like he was practically vibrating. “That would be awesome!”Makino pulled Luffy close again and squeezed him once before letting him go. “Now, go do your homework, dinner'll be ready in a couple’a minutes,” she looked at Ace, “You too, if you don't have somewhere to be?"Ace smirked at her. “Nowhere to run off to, today,” He winked, trying to play more charming than usual.Makino rolled her eyes at him, but was smiling as she did so. She shooed him off and turned back to what she was fussing with on the stove. Luffy hid in his room, like he usually did, and Ace made himself comfortable in the living room with his little sisters. Eventually, Sabo and Uta found their way home a few minutes before Minako called dinner time. They were all grabbing their plates when Dadan finally dragged herself through the door.“Mama!” Aika and Tama shouted in unison as they ran to her.No matter how tired she was, Dadan grinned at her girls and knelt down to scoop them up in her arms. “How're my girls?!” She asked, kissing them over and over again on the cheeks to make them giggle.“Mama!” Tama squealed.“That tickles!” Aika said through laughter.Dadan gave each of them a big kiss on the cheek and stood up, nudging each of them slightly towards the kitchen. She walked over to Makino and took the baby from her.“Hi, Maki,” She said softly, kissing her wife on the cheek.“Hello, dear, how was work?” Makino asked her, smiling.“Ugh, hell,” Dadan sighed, grabbing a plate and piling mashed potatoes and green beans onto it. “I did get offered overtime this weekend, though, so that'll be really good,”“Oh, wonderful!” Makino grinned, “That'll go towards Uta's braces,”“That's what I thought,” Dadan said before moving into the living room where her older children were congregated. “Hey, kid,” She nudged Luffy with her toe and he looked up from his plate. “Heard you tried out for Ace's team? How'd that go?"“Great!” Luffy said around a bite of food before swallowing. “Coach Pops said I didn't have to wait until the end of the week and offered me a spot!”“It's just Pops, Lu,” Ace giggled.“Right, Pops,”“Hey! That's great!” Dadan looked at Ace. “You're looking out for him, right? I recall that was the deal?”“Yes, ma'am,” Ace said.“Good; how’d that math test go?”“Got an 87,” Ace smiled.Oh, fantastic!” Dadan grinned, “Give that to mom and we can put it up on the fridge,”“I'm not eleven, ma,” Ace laughed.“OK, don't then,” Dadan shrugged, adjusting the baby on her hip. “Sabo, when's that debate you were telling me about?”“Last weekend of November, ma,” Sabo answered her.“OK, good, did you put it on the calendar?”“Shit, not yet—hey, mom?"“What's up, sweetheart?” Makino asked from the kitchen.“Can you remind me later I gotta put something on the family calendar?” Sabo asked her.“I'll try!”“Thanks,”Dadan rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Maki,” She said and checked her watch. “OK, Uta, anything big or new happening with you, song bird?”Uta shook her head, chewing a bite of food.“When’s that play happening?” Dadan asked.Uta held up her finger before swallowing. “Fall musical auditions are gonna be next week,” she said. “I'll let you know when they're happening, ma,”“Good, you better, it'll be the first show with scouts there for you, yeah?”Uta grinned and wiggled a bit. “Yeah,” she said, her excitement palatable.“Gosh, that's gonna be great, song bird,” Dadan checked her watch again, “Right, well I guess it's time to get you ready for bed, huh?” She said to the baby. “Huh? Yes it is. Who's my big man?” She disappeared down the hall with the baby on her hip and her dinner plate in her other hand. She would give the baby a bath while snacking and trying to take a shower herself before putting him down and helping Makino clean up for the day. She would then help Makino put Tama and Aika down, tell her other kids she loves them, and head to bed herself to get a bit of sleep before her alarm went off at 5:00 AM.The house was never truly quiet. Luffy snored so loud that everyone could hear the faint noise in their rooms with the door closed, but it was never truly a bother. Tama talked in her sleep, and Aika occasionally sleep walked. Uta was the one that suffered the most from the last two, but she was a surprisingly deep sleeper and always had her face mask and headphones on.Ace laid on his side staring at Sabo, who was snoring himself (albeit, significantly quieter than Luffy). Ace usually had no issue falling asleep but his brain wouldn't quite shut off tonight. Every time he closed his eyes all he could see was Luffy sparring today. He sighed and flipped over to his other side.Alone, in the dark and quiet, and surrounded by his family, he felt the weight of guilt even more prominently. That small, beautiful boy was his younger brother. He was the person Ace was supposed to protect. They had fought over toys and video games. Ace has begged Luffy not to tell on him before when he twisted his arm too much. And he was Ace's little brother.Sometimes Ace was disgusted with the thoughts he had for Luffy. If he had thoughts like he did for Luffy for someone like his sisters it would be downright wrong. But since it was his brother it could be easily swept under the rug and kept a secret. At least Ace thought so.It made sense, though, for Ace to have thoughts like this. His blood was tainted, after all. His father had probably had the same perversions that Ace had. The difference was that Ace wasn't going to act on them like his father probably would.Ace flopped on his back and looked at Sabo. Still dead asleep. Well, he wasn't going to act on any of his thoughts, but that didn't mean he needed to be uncomfortable. Ace closed his eyes, took a deep breath, grabbing his dick under his comforter.He started pumping slowly as he let his thoughts wander. Usually, he could pull up images of a pretty girl or guy under him, but his mind was very stubborn tonight. As he touched himself, the only thing he could see in his mind's eye was Luffy's spar.After a few frustrating minutes of trying to conjure up something different, Ace just gave in. He sighed and let his mind focus on what it wanted. Unfortunately, as soon as he did, he felt his dick get harder in his hand. Damnit. He tried to focus his mind. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it fast.Luffy was so fluid. Like he was dancing. His skin glistened in the bright lights of the gym, and his eyes were electric. Ace focused on Luffy's muscles, watching them flex and contract with ease. He wondered what it would feel like to run his fingers along those muscles. He wondered what it would feel like to hold those petite wrists above Luffy's head as he kissed his neck. He wondered how soft Luffy's lips were, what they tasted like. He wondered…he wondered…He quietly released, putting his knuckles between his teeth to stop the moan he wanted to let out. He grabbed a tee shirt off of the floor and wiped himself off before turning over.There goes the guilt.

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Ace was more of a talented fighter than Luffy had thought. The varsity team got most of the mat time during practice, so Luffy was able to watch Ace practice. This wasn't a new experience for Luffy, but there were a few things different about watching Ace practice at home and actually training with an equal partner. It was also different from seeing Ace compete because he wasn't trying to defeat his opponent, but was trying to hone a particular skill. He didn't seem like he was giving everything he had to winning like his competitions. It was very mesmerizing.Luffy had been paired with about four different sparring partners over the last few weeks since officially starting the team. All of them were very talented and taught Luffy a lot when it came to technical skill. He noticed that Ace typically sparred with either Marco or Thatch. Granted, those were probably the only two others on the team that could keep up with Ace, skill wise. Pops didn't want anyone getting too comfortable with a sparring partner, or they'd think that's how all fights were and be taken off guard.There had been the season end tournament on the first weekend in August, and the first tournament of the season wasn't until the first weekend of November, which was only a month away. Because it was their senior year, though, Ace, Marco, Thatch, and a handful of others were training extra hard. A few of them would probably end up getting scholarships to compete for some colleges, some of them would be scouted right out of high school for regional teams or the national team, and others would end up cashing in as personal trainers or coaches themselves. Everyone graduating at the end of the year had big plans.Ace caught Luffy staring at him as he and Thatch were talking to Pops about the spar they just had. He smiled at his little brother and winked at him. Luffy felt warm all over and smiled back at Ace. Since they were in the same school in elementary school, this was the first time they had been able to spend so much time in the same place. Up until now, each of them had their own extracurricular activities they would keep occupied with, but now they were doing it together.The first thing Luffy noticed was how often they looked for each other. They definitely weren't the kind of guys to be attached at the hip at a practice like this, and Ace was a big part of the team, so he couldn't really get distracted with Luffy, but while they were on opposite sides of the gym, they would constantly catch each other's eye. After a spar, they would look up to spot what the other was doing. If they were both in a moment of downtime they would end up locking eyes and smiling at each other. More often than not when one of them accomplished a particularly difficult skill, they would look around to see if the other had been able to witness it.The second thing he noticed was Ace in general. When his brother wasn't looking, Luffy would watch him sparring. It was almost like he became an entirely different being when he fought, and there was another entirely different being when he practiced. He was focused, sharp, smooth, and precise. It gave him a different kind of air than what Luffy had ever seen him in before. It made him…kinda…attractive?Luffy was getting really good at pushing thoughts to the back of his head.“Hey, Lu,”Luffy startled from where he had been sitting, toweling himself off. He looked up and saw Ace standing over him. He couldn't help but grin.“Hey, Ace!” He chirped.Ace sat down next to him on the bench and nudged him slightly with his shoulder. “Saw you working on a new grapple,” he said, low, so only Luffy could hear, “you’re doing great, I can help you practice at home too, if you need some extra help,”Luffy smiled at Ace again. “Yeah, I'd like that,” With the beginning of school and tryouts and practice and everything else, Luffy and Ace hadn't been able to spar in the backyard like they usually did. Luffy did miss it; it was how Ace had taught him originally.“Cool, cool, great,” Ace said, “Hey, you hear about the party tonight?”“Yeah, uh, I figured we were going, but I wasn't sure…”“Oh, hell yeah, we're going!” Ace laughed. “I mean, unless you don't want to,”“Of course I want to!” Luffy pouted.Ace laughed again at Luffy's pout. “Okay, okay,” he waved his hand. “You ready to go, then?”“Huh?” Luffy looked up and realized practice had wrapped up when he hadn't noticed. “Oh, yeah, sure,”“C'mon,” Ace said and stood up to head for the showers.The showers.Luffy took a deep breath and followed his brother. One thing Luffy surprisingly found difficult since joining the team was the fucking showers. It wasn't about the nakedness in general—that didn't bother him—but knowing he was in such close proximity to Ace when they were both nude made him squirm a little. He kept telling himself it was because they were brothers and it's obviously weird to shower with your brother, but every day he walked into the showers he doubted his own argument just a little bit more. Especially after a whole practice of watching Ace be…attractive on the mat.Luffy shivered.“Cold?”Luffy looked up at Ace standing beside him in nothing but a fucking towel low on his hips. “A…a little…” he said. It was a lie.“Dude, it's, like…83% steam in here, how are you cold?” Ace laughed.It was a bad lie.“Dunno, just am,” Luffy said and closed his locker, quickly moving to the warm water of the showers.Ace was right, it was mostly steam in the locker room, and it was even steamier in the actual showers. For that he was grateful. He let out a sigh as soon as the hot water hit his back, closing his eyes and standing still for a moment, letting his tired and tense muscles finally relax. Once he felt all of his muscles loosen up he grabbed the bar of soap and quickly scrubbed down and washed the soap away with water. This shower was mostly to relax his muscles and rinse off, he would actually wash himself at home before he got ready for the party.He quickly got out of the shower and dried himself off. He glanced over his shoulder, making sure most of the guys were still in the shower. Luffy was always quick after practice. Again, if the other guys saw he didn't really care, but he just felt awkward when having to face Ace when both of them were in the nude.Luffy slipped his sweats on and pulled his bag from his locker just as Ace, Thatch, and Marco came striding from the showers. Luffy froze as soon as he saw Ace walking toward him. Ace's towel was hanging low on his hips, so low that Luffy could see a little bit of his crotch hair peeking out over it. And his skin. His skin was wet and glistening in the fluorescent lights and flushed from the shower. His hair was weighed down by the weight of the water and hanging in his eyes, dripping water down his cheeks. Luffy felt his mouth go dry.Ace looked up and smiled at Luffy as he walked up.
Fuck.
“Hey, Lu, almost ready?” He asked.Luffy grinned at him. “Yup!” He chirped.“Great,” Ace said, opening his locker and grabbing his sweats before dropping his towel.Luffy immediately looked down and began backing away. “I'm, uh, I'm gonna wait for you in the car,” he said and grabbed his shoes from his locker, closed the door and quickly headed out towards the car.“OK!” Ace called after him.Luffy leaned against the hood of the car when he got to the parking lot. He slipped on his socks and shoes, and tossed his backpack toward the windshield so he could lay back on it. The sky was clear with few clouds floating by, a nice scene for Luffy to clear his head. There were too many thoughts in his head and they were giving him a headache.“Lu,”Luffy opened one of his eyes and saw Ace standing over him. He was in the same sweats and hoodie that Luffy was in, the red ones with the yellow accents they got from being on the team.“You OK?” He asked.“Yeah,” Luffy said and hopped up to get in the car. “So, where's the party tonight?”“Thatch's, actually,” Ace said.“Oh! Cool!”Luffy ran immediately to the bathroom when they got home, but Ace stopped him by tugging on the back of his hoodie.“Hey! What have I told you?!” Ace said, trying not to laugh. “You take longer showers and less time to get ready—I shower first,”Luffy rolled his eyes. “Fine~” he said and headed toward his room.Three hours later, the boys were leaving the house together. Ace wearing a short sleeve black button up that he immediately unbuttoned upon exiting the house, dark yellow cargo shorts, his worn Doc Martin’s, and a plethora of jewelry. Luffy wearing a red tank top, cut off jean shorts, sandals, and his favorite straw hat.“Look at you,” Ace said, rubbing Luffy's hat like he would ruffle his hair, “You look great,”Luffy blushed. “Thanks…you do too…”Ace winked at him before getting in the car. Luffy hopped in the passenger seat and pulled out a plastic tape-looking thing with a wire and a jack on the end.“Look what Nami gave me, she said you can put it in your tape deck and then plug it into your phone and your music on your phone plays through the car radio!”Ace looked at him with his eyebrows up and nodded curtly. “Well, try it out,”Luffy put the tape in the tape player of the car and plugged it into Ace's phone, pulling up Fashion by David Bowie.“It works!” Luffy grinned.“Nice~” Ace said, bobbing his head to the music. He lightly hit Luffy on the chest with the back of his hand. “Good trick, little brother,”Luffy smiled at Ace before turning to the window to hide his blush. It was starting to get ridiculous at this point. Ace took off his shirt and chucked it in the back of the car then put the car into drive and took off towards Thatch's house.Thatch's house wasn't quite as nice as the last house they had gone to for a party, but it definitely was impressive. There were multiple levels because it was built into the side of a hill in the back of a suburb, they entered at basically the middle level of the house.“Hey~ Firefist! Firefist Jr!” Thatch said when he opened the door.Ace laughed. “He's not Firefist Jr, Thatch,” He said as he moved through the door past Thatch.“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Thatch laughed as Luffy followed Ace through the door.“Where is everyone?” Luffy asked.“Right now everyone I got is down stairs watching reruns of AFHV and smoking, more'll trickle in as the night goes on,” Thatch winked. “Hey, I'm gonna grab some snacks, you guys head down there, you know where it is, Fire,”Ace smiled at Luffy and motioned towards the stairs. “C’mon, Lu,” he said.Luffy dutifully followed him down the stairs into a room that had a wall full of windows. Outside was an awesome view of the part of the neighborhood they could see from the hill. “Whoa!” Luffy said upon seeing it.Ace chuckled.“Ay~ Firefist!”Ace turned around to see most of their team and their girlfriends gathered around a low coffee table lounging on couches. More in the background than anything, the TV played America's Funniest Home Videos.“Ay~” Ace said and immediately flopped down on one of the couches.“C'mon, Baby Fist!” One of their teammates hollered at Luffy.“No,” Ace said, attempting to not smile.“Oh, c'mon!”Luffy slid into the floor in front of Ace and accepted the blunt that was immediately offered to him. Weed was just as fun as alcohol was. Both of them made him hungry. Weed made him thirsty, alcohol made him pee. They stayed there for a while.Eventually, Thatch brought down snacks and a pitcher of…something (a “concoction” he called it) and a whole bunch of plastic cups. It tasted strongly of vodka and definitely grape juice, some other sweet juices, a couple more unidentified liquors, and—maybe wine?—something that made it unbelievably dry, despite all the fruit juice working against it. Luffy drank it excitedly.It wasn't long after that more people came and the music was turned on.“Oh, I love this song!” A pretty blonde girl near Luffy said. “Firefist, dance with me,”Ace smirked and took her outstretched hand, leading her to the crowd dancing. Luffy watched as the girl threw her hands up in the air and Ace grabbed her low on her hips. He grunted and turned back to the coffee table, sticking his nose into his cup. He saw Marco looking at him over the rim, his eyebrow raised. Luffy looked down at his drink before chugging it and getting up. He pushed past the crowd to find the stairs and head up. He really needed to find some friends. And maybe some food.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Dude, there's literally no way you could out drink me!” Zoro said.“Can too!” Luffy shouted over the music. He was already pretty drunk. And high.“I've been drinking since I was twelve.” Zoro said, sternly. “You started drinking last month,”“So?!” Luffy asked, holding his cup up to him.Zoro scoffed.“Well, wha'd'ya say, Moussu?” Sanji asked him. “Up for a drinking competition?”“I'm down!” Their new friend Franky said.Luffy had met him and his girlfriend, Robin, at lunch one day when Nami introduced them. They were both seniors, like Ace. And they were the oddest couple. Franky was a swimmer, but he was built like a linebacker, so he wasn't the best at it. He seemed to excel at any craft like carpentry, welding, auto shop, etc. He was also impressively good at computers. Robin, on the other hand, was a Gothic theater kid with a weird obsession with history. She has said more than once it was because she could connect with dead people better than alive ones. They were so weird. Luffy loved them.“Not talking to you, big guy,” Sanji said.“Awe, c’mon!” Luffy said. “Let ‘im compete! Wha’ ‘bout you, Zolo?”Zoro rolled his eyes. “You're already slurring your words! It'd literally be so easy,”“Then why are you scared—” Luffy goated.“I am not scared—Curly,”Sanji poured some of the jungle juice into each of their cups. Zoro, Luffy, and Franky chugged their half of a cup and slammed them down on the ottoman they were crowded around.“Another!” Luffy hollered.Sanji poured them each half a cup. They chugged. “Another!” Repeat.This continued for a few rounds, with Nami, Vivi, Robin, and Usopp laughing at them from the bean bags they were sprawled in. They almost always found the bean bags.“OK, that's it, I'm out,” Franky said before flexing his muscles, fists in the air. “Su~per~!” He toppled over onto Robin's lap, causing everyone to laugh.“Wa’ ‘bou y’u, uh?” Luffy said tauntingly.Zoro snorted. “I'm still a-go,”Luffy moaned and stood up. “I'm only stopping because I have to pee, I'll be back,”“Sure,” Zoro snorted and took a swig of his drink.“You okay, Luffy?” Nami asked, sleepily. “Need me to—” (yawn) “—come—” (yawn) “—wif you?”Luffy shook his head. “I'm good,”He headed in the direction of where he thought he could find a bathroom. The party was very crowded, as usual, and with his intoxication and the weird layout of the house, he quickly got turned around. He kept asking where the bathroom was, but everyone was drunk and it was loud.“Huh? Uh, I dunno, down there, I think?” The dude was pointing to some stairs. Fuck, how many stairs does this place have? He waved at the guy and descended to wherever these would lead.He found himself in a small basement with no windows and a bar at one side. There was a big group of people down here sitting in a circle with a bottle in the middle. Great, another one of those games.“Luffy!”Luffy looked up to see Ace waving him over. He found himself moving toward Ace without even realizing it. He plopped down next to his brother and leaned towards him.“Is this another kissing game?” He asked.“Kinda,” Ace said. “You'll get it in a minute, right now we're playing Never Have I Ever,”Luffy knew that one. He played it in middle school but without alcohol.“Never Have I Ever…had sex on a roof!”Drink.“Never Have I Ever…got so blackout I puked,”Drink.“Never Have I Ever…”
Ding ding ding. Ding ding ding.
“Ope, timer's up,” Thatch said. He moved over to the door at the other end of the room and knocked on it. “Hey! Time's up!”A boy and a girl emerged from what seemed to be a closet. Both of them were blushing. Everyone cheered for them when they came out.“Alright, who's next? Anna?” Thatch said.A girl a few people down from Ace got up and went to the middle of the circle where the bottle was. She knelt down, giggling, and spun the bottle. It landed on a brunette girl across from her and Anna clasped her hand over her mouth. Luffy thought it was to keep from giggling.“Alright, you know the drill,” Thatch said.The two giggling girls got up and went over to the closet, stood in it, and let Thatch close the door on them.“Alright! Timer starts…now!” Thatch said, hitting a button on his watch. “OK, who was next?”“So, what's going on?” Luffy asked.“Hmm? Oh,” Ace turned closer to Luffy, “So, she spun the bottle and it landed on the other girl, right?”“Yeah?”“Then they go in the closet for seven minutes and do whatever they want,”“Whatever?”“Yeah, whatever,”“Like…what?”Ace laughed. “Use your imagination, Lu,”“But…”“I mean, most people just make out and touch each other, some kids—if they're really fast—can have a whole ass quickie in there. But you don't have to do anything either, just talk,”“Oh,” Luffy looked back at the group of people playing Never Have I Ever. “Okay,”They sat together for a few more rounds of the game. Three more people spun the bottle and went into the closet with someone else.“Firefist?” Thatch said.Luffy looked up at Ace as he got up. “You're gonna spin the bottle?”“Yeah, it's fun!” Ace smiled and headed toward the center of the circle.Luffy wasn't sure why he was dreading the spin. He remembered when he saw Ace kiss that girl a few weeks ago at the first party he'd gone to. He remembered how bitter it tasted to think about it after that. And then he thought of what Ace might do with someone in the closet and his stomach suddenly felt like it was in his asshole.He watched Ace kneel down next to the bottle. He took it in his chiseled hand and spun it. Around and around it went. Every time it spun, Luffy felt like throwing up. The bottle slowed down, and Luffy held his breath in anticipation. Then, maybe the worst thing that could have happened, happened.The bottle stopped. On Luffy.Luffy felt like he couldn't breathe for a moment. He had been stilling himself for Ace to go into that closet with anyone else. He had not prepared himself for if it was him that was supposed to go in there. A billion thoughts raced through his head.Ace slowly followed the angle of the bottle and looked over his shoulder, locking eyes with Luffy. He just smirked.“Ope! Well, rules are rules!” Thatch said, laughing. “You guys'll just have to try not to kill each other for seven minutes!”Ace stood up and beckoned to Luffy. “Well, c'mon, Lu, you heard him,”Luffy huffed and stood up, following Ace to the closet. It seemed much smaller closer up. Ace wedged himself into one side of the closet, leaving a little bit of room for Luffy to squeeze in. Already being squished in so closely with Ace was making Luffy's head reel, and then Thatch closed the door.“Right! Timer starts…now!”“Hm, so,” Ace said.“So…” Luffy mumbled. He had his head down. It was too close in the closet, too cramped. Ace's bare skin was pressed up against him and only his shirt was separating them. Ace was towering over him in very close quarters. He would be so easy to touch—Luffy pushed the thought from his mind.“Hey,” Ace's curled fingers were suddenly under Luffy's chin, gently bringing his gaze up to meet Ace's. “What's up?”His voice was so soft and tender Luffy could almost imagine Ace was speaking that way on purpose. But of course he wasn't, it was just the alcohol or the weed.“N-nothing,” Luffy said very quietly, “Just, uh, just pretty drunk, y’know?”Luffy’s heart pounded. With the close proximity and the way Ace had tilted Luffy's chin they could easily kiss if one of them moved slightly. Just the slightest bit. Just a little bit forward. There wasn't even that much room between them. Only a couple of inches.Luffy moved his chin away from Ace's fingers and looked down again.“Lu,” Ace whispered. He gently moved his hands up to place his fingertips at Luffy's elbows, his thumbs lightly resting on the inside where the vein was. The touch made Luffy's heart race.He wasn't sure what was more intoxicating, the booze and drugs, or the way Ace smelled in that moment. Luffy knew what Ace's cologne smelled like, he had borrowed it before, but there was something different about it combined with Ace's deodorant, the smell of smoke and liquor, and something… something that seemed exclusively Ace. It was really that undertone that carried past all of the others that had Luffy's head spinning. He willed himself to focus on something, anything, to stop the thoughts racing in his head to no avail. So, he tried to steady his breathing instead.Ace was holding his breath. Not only was he still in shock just being this close to Luffy, but his brother let him touch him on his arms. Physical contact between them wasn't exactly new, especially when they would practice together, but the delicate touch was something completely different. He was certain he could feel sparks where his fingertips touched. He could hear the music, low, from upstairs, and his heartbeat in his ears. Slowly, he moved his fingers from Luffy's elbows, trailing his gentle touch up his bare arms and resting his palms tenderly on either side of Luffy's shoulders.He felt Luffy shiver under his touch and froze. Ace suddenly became acutely aware of what he was doing and how uncomfortable Luffy must be. He immediately dropped his hands and looked up at the ceiling. He could feel Luffy's eyes on him, now, but he kept looking up.“Ace?” Luffy whispered.Ace finally looked down at Luffy's big, dark eyes. In the shadows of the small closet, his eyes looked solid black. Ace knew they were almost black, but they were really the richest shade of deep brown. They barely changed in different light, but when the sun hits them it's like Luffy had little planets for eyeballs and it was just too cute. Luffy was staring very intensely into Ace's amber eyes, which made Ace laugh.“What?” He asked, still chuckling.Luffy looked concerned.“What?” He asked, a little more serious.Luffy looked down again and shrugged.Ace frowned and grunted. “Lu, I can tell something’s wrong—”“No, nothing’s wrong…”“Okay, I can tell when there's something on your mind, then,” Ace huffed.“No, I…” Luffy wasn't really sure what he wanted to say.“You, uh, you know you can tell me anything,” Ace dipped his head close to Luffy's to try and get Luffy to look at him, “Right, Lu?”“I know…it's just…” Luffy was mumbling.Ace was frowning at this point. “OK, you're actually making me worried, what is it? Was it something I did?”“No! No, never…you could never…”“Then somebody else? Somebody on the team? Shit, Luffy, did somebody hurt you?”Luffy realized Ace was on the verge of actually panicking when he took Luffy's elbows in his hands again. It wasn't gentle like a few moments ago, though, and it wasn't rough, either, it was just firm. It was a grip that told Luffy Ace would never hurt him, but would fuck up anyone else who did. And Luffy knew that, it was basically a given, but in that moment it meant more to him than even he could explain. He looked up to Ace's gaze with tears welling in his eyes, but smiling.“Oh, Lu,”Ace engulfed Luffy in his arms. Luffy was shocked at the sudden hug, but he soon became distracted by the warmth and how safe it felt. He slid his hands up to wrap around Ace's torso. When Ace had pulled him in, Luffy's head had rested on Ace's shoulder. He turned his face slightly so that it laid in the crook of Ace's neck, but facing away from Ace’s face. Ace had tucked his face into the crook of Luffy's neck, making Luffy's stomach flutter.Luffy breathed in Ace's scent. He smelled of the gym and smoke, but not cigarette smoke, bonfire smoke. He also smelled like summer nights in a way Luffy could not quite describe. And he felt so…sturdy and muscular in Luffy's arms. Luffy had always felt like Ace had been some kind of rock or pillar for him, and in this moment it felt almost more literal than metaphorical. Luffy adjusted his hands to tighten his grip slightly around Ace's toned waist. Shit, now he was noticing how toned Ace was.Ace lowered his hands to Luffy's upper-back instead of his shoulders, and tightened his grip. Luffy's breath hitched in his throat and he wiggled slightly from the feeling he felt in his stomach and now…his pants. Ace dipped his head to whisper in Luffy's right ear.“You sure you're OK?”Luffy couldn't answer him, it was taking all of his concentration to remember how to breathe, let alone to breathe steady.“Lu?” Ace's voice was low, and gentle, and brushing right up against Luffy's ear.Luffy couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, and his dick was stirring against his will. He suddenly put his hands on Ace's chest and pushed him away slightly, causing Ace to partially drop his hands from Luffy.“Ace, I–”The door opened at that moment, causing both boys to drop their hands from each other. Luffy almost tumbled out due to how small the closet was and how unexpected the opening was. Ace caught him around the waist and righted him before stepping outside of the closet himself.“Ay~ have fun?” Thatch jabbed at Ace, “Nah, just joking, you boys take a seat,”Ace moved back over to where he had been sitting and motioned for Luffy to join.“Oh, I, uh, I gotta find a bathroom…” Luffy said and quickly slipped up the stairs. He felt hot, and dizzy, and like he was gonna barf.“Hey!” Nami said, running into Luffy when he got to the top of the stairs. “There you are! Hey, Luffy, you okay?”“I…” his vision was swimming. He could see Zoro and Sanji just behind Nami, looking concerned. “Zoro…” Luffy whispered and grabbed Zoro's arm, tightly.Zoro's eyes grew wide and looked at Sanji. “Bathroom.”Sanji’s eyes went serious and quickly pulled Zoro and Luffy toward a bathroom.“Nami, Curly, wait out here, don't let anyone come in,” Zoro said, practically carrying Luffy into the bathroom.Nami and Sanji nodded, seriously, and closed the door behind them. Zoro turned to look at Luffy, who was already doubled over the toilet throwing up and crying. He sighed and moved to sit on the edge of the tub next to his friend. He began lightly rubbing Luffy's back as he heaved.After a few minutes, Luffy stopped heaving and was just crying where he sat, head resting on his arms on the seat. Zoro sat rubbing his back still. Once Luffy's crying had slowed down, Zoro spoke.“Who was it?” His voice was dark.Luffy looked up at Zoro and smiled slightly. “No, no one hurt me,” he said.“I'm not gonna buy that,”“No, really,”“You had a panic attack.” Zoro said matter-of-factly, “You threw your guts up and sat here bawling. Forgive me if I don't believe you when you say no one hurt ya, man,”Luffy sighed and sat up, leaning against the wall behind him. “Trust me, if I had been hurt in any way I wouldn't lie about it,” he chuckled, “and, no offense—”“Taken,”“Shut up,” Luffy giggled. “No offense, but you're not the first person I'd tell. My brothers are here…”Zoro nodded. “Nah, I get that,” He sighed. “So, you wanna tell me what happened, then? Anything I gotta be concerned about?”Luffy shook his head. “I think I just wanna go home…”“OK, who's your ride?”“Ace, but I don't wanna bother him, okay?”Zoro nodded curtly. “I'll drive ya,”“You've had more to drink than me!”“Yeah, and?”Luffy rolled his eyes and Zoro helped him up.Nami and Sanji didn't ask any questions, just helped Luffy to Zoro's car. Nami volunteered to help with directions, Sanji sat in the back with Luffy's head in his lap.Luffy was grateful for their help, he had felt delirious the whole way. When they pulled up in front of his house, he declined for them to stay. He appreciated everything they did for him, but he needed some time to himself so he could think.He stayed up replaying the whole thing over and over in his head. It was like he could still feel Ace's touch on his arms, his back. His breath was heavy and erratic as his erection grew. Luffy became frustrated and a little disgusted with himself as he became harder and harder. He was thinking about his big brother, that wasn't somebody he was supposed to get hard over, damnit! Even if they weren't actually blood related.But they weren't actually blood related.Luffy opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He breathed deeply, trying not to over excite himself. He had masturbated in the past, but it had mostly been to pictures of ladies online. He had never thought of another guy before, and definitely not Ace. He contemplated what that would be like.A little drowsily, he reached for his laptop. He opened it up and pulled up the search engine. He stared at the blinking line in the search bar, daring him to type what his fingers were itching to. Luffy swallowed the lump in his throat and decided to start easy.He typed in a porn website and clicked on the link. On the website he clicked on the hyperlink on the top of the page that said boy on boy. The page was filled with thumbnails that Luffy couldn't make any sense out of. He eventually picked a video titled Giving Twink A Blow Job.The video started innocently enough with two guys who looked similar to each other on the couch playing video games. After a couple of minutes, they found an excuse for one of the two to give the other one a blow job. Luffy touched himself in slight anticipation. He wasn't too sure how he felt about the video so far, but he wasn't bored yet either.He had seen blow jobs in porn before, but when the guy giving started putting his fingers in the guy receiving's asshole, Luffy's breath caught. He had never thought about fingering someone's asshole. He hadn't even thought about fingering his own asshole. He was transfixed by the situation at hand and definitely felt something deep in the pit of his stomach.As the video went on, however, he became a little bored with the premise. He knew he wanted to keep going, but he didn't quite know what he was missing. Then he remembered the whole reason he had looked the video up in the first place.He wasn't sure about it at all. He was already being so experimental with himself, did he really want to throw in another layer to this complicated fantasy? He couldn't help it though, when he remembered Ace's hands on his back, Ace's face in the crook of his neck, the way Ace smelled…He was rock hard, only slightly looking at his laptop for inspiration. In the scene in his mind, he imagined Ace was the guy on his knees with his lips around Luffy's dick. His hips bucked as he pumped himself harder and harder to the image. He imagined if Ace would stick his fingers in his asshole. Luffy wondered what that would feel like, but he for some reason imagined it would feel good, so he pretended it would feel good.As he approached his climax, Luffy's head rolled back and his lips parted. He was whispering now, he couldn't help it. “Ace… Ace… Ace…” He whispered over and over. He could feel it coming, he could feel it building—he bit his other fist so that he didn't cry out too loud.When he came all over himself his fist flew from his mouth to slightly pound on his mattress.“Ace~… Ace…” Luffy whimpered out loud as quietly as he could.He dropped his hand from himself and, exhausted, looked up at his ceiling. Fuck.So, he was definitely gay. Or bi, at least. He couldn't ignore that. He wasn't entirely certain, though, if it was truly a discovery in his sexuality, or just a brother complex thing.Because that was the thing that was scaring him the most.It was Ace that he couldn't stop thinking about. Even now, exhausted and spent, he was getting hard again just thinking about thinking about Ace. It confused him. It kinda scared him. Ace was ever so important to him, he didn't want to jeopardize their brotherhood and friendship in the slightest.He began touching himself again. He couldn't help it, he was horny as fuck and fourteen. He was gonna whack it as much as he wanted, to who he wanted.He tried to ignore the fact that everytime he moaned Ace's name it started to feel more and more natural.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Luffy was avoiding Ace.That, at least, was the only conclusion Ace could come up with. Ever since the party it seemed like Luffy was making every excuse to distance himself from Ace. He knew he had freaked him out.A bit after Luffy had disappeared Ace received a simple message: zoro taking me home. That was the first thing that concerned Ace. He didn't know why Luffy hadn't come to him if he had needed to go home. But, if it was about the closet, it made sense.After that, Luffy holed himself up in his room the entire weekend, which wasn't entirely uncommon, but he usually would make an appearance a couple of times over the weekend, in particular when he came to find Sabo or Ace to fall back asleep on, but Ace didn't see him at all. He had even gotten up early and rode the bus Monday and Tuesday.Luffy was avoiding Ace.
“Dude,”
Ace snapped back to the present moment and looked at Sabo sitting directly across from him at the library. “Huh? What?”Sabo rolled his eyes. “Number 13b, what'd you get?”“Huh? Oh, uh,” he looked at his homework page, “24.4m,”Sabo frowned at his homework. “Nah, I think it's 24.6m,”“Okay, sure, whatever,” Ace mumbled and began picking at the scrap piece of notebook paper he had been messing with.“Dude,”“What now?” Ace snapped.Sabo held his hands up. “Don't get snippy with me,” he set them down and leaned toward Ace slightly, “but, I'm just gonna say, I can fucking tell you're stressed about something,”Ace rolled his eyes. Sabo was right, he could tell when Ace was stressed, but that was because they had grown up so closely.That was another thing that confused Ace. He and Sabo had also grown up together, but Ace had never had thoughts about Sabo, and he didn't know why. Sabo was very much a lady's man, and had never seemed to express interest in men. But, Ace still wasn't totally certain on what Luffy's interests were, so it wasn't quite that.Maybe it was because Ace had supported Sabo through his transition? Ace had seen some very intimate parts of Sabo during all of that. But that probably would have paved an even clearer path to having thoughts and feelings for Sabo, so it probably wasn't that either.Ultimately, it was that Ace had never really had any attraction towards Sabo. Luffy was the only one of his siblings he had ever thought of in that way. It still didn't make any sense.“Hey,” Ace said finally, “why do you think we've never hooked up or anything?”Sabo tossed down his pencil, crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, eyeing Ace. “What the fuck do you mean by that?”Shit.“Naw, it's just,” Fuck, why'd he have to say anything? “Just, like—”“Like, we've been two kids growing up in close proximity for, like, ten years, going through all of the same developmental stages (i.e. puberty) at the same time and being each other's closest confidant during times of duress and joy?”Ace hesitated. “Yeah, I guess,”Sabo sighed, rolling his eyes, and grabbed his pencil, leaning forward again to continue working on his homework. “It's because we're brothers, dumbass,”Ace looked down, surprised to be fighting back tears.“I do see how you look at Luffy, though,” Sabo said, quietly.Ace froze.Sabo wasn't looking at him, he was still focused on his paper. There wasn't really any …malice or disgust in his voice. He was actually using the voice he uses when he wants to talk. Like when someone tells you we need to talk.Yeah, that.However, it was never a harrowing experience when Sabo needed to have a discussion with someone. Whether he was intervening, berating, or apologizing he was always unbearably pleasant. So, Ace wasn't actually concerned about how the next few minutes were going to be…he was concerned, however, with what Sabo might say.Sabo’s gaze finally flicked up from his paper to look Ace in his eyes. Ace sighed.“Go ahead,” he whispered, leaning closer to Sabo.“What?” Sabo whispered back, barely shrugging his shoulder.Ace frowned. “What do you mean what, dude?”“I'm just saying I see how you look at him,”Ace was so confused. “I…yeah, and what do you mean by that, dude? Don't you have, like, something to say about it?”Sabo gave him a small, loving smile. “Bro, you fucking know I can read you like a book, right?”“…yeah? …so?”“And I see the way—”“You fucking—” Ace whisper-yelled, slightly standing from his seat before quickly sitting back down. He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, then looked back at Sabo. “Do you have anything to say?” He asked, furiously. “Anything you want to ask me? Or accuse me of? Huh? Anything, bro, anything?”“I—” Sabo sighed, “Fine…do you—”“Yes,”“You didn't even let me—”“So?”Sabo scoffed.“Just needed you to ask, okay?”Sabo sighed. “Okay, right,” he said, “So, we're on the same page,”“Yeah,” Ace scratched the back of his neck. “Do you have any opinions about that?”Sabo looked down at his paper for a moment, then looked back at Ace. “He's my little brother,”Ace dropped his eyes and nodded slightly. “Yeah,” he whispered, barely audible.“And I said we're brothers,”Ace looked back up at Sabo.“But, Ace,” Sabo was smirking, “You and Luffy? You two have always been…”Ace hung on his trailing words. He was desperate at this point. “What, dude?”Sabo shrugged. “Entwined?”They sat staring at each other for maybe a solid minute.“O-okay?” Ace said. “So you, what?”“I knew, I always knew, Ace,” Sabo said. “From the second you introduced me to him I knew,”“You couldn't have fucking known when I introduced you, because I didn't fucking know until I was fucking twelve!”“Yes, and I could see it in your eyes when you realized,”Ace frowned at him. “Why are you fucking just bringing it up now?”“I didn't bring it up, Ace,”Ace sighed. “Okay, okay, I get it…” He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and looking off to the side for a moment. He then moved forward again to speak quietly with Sabo. “Okay, so, you knew. Did you have… opinions? Feelings? About it?”“Like I said, Ace, you two were…entwined,” Sabo said, chuckling slightly, “I just took it as fact,”“So, you were just…fine with it?”“Yeah, I mean, how could I not be?”“Because—!” Ace spoke quietly, but still a little frantic, “Because, you said it yourself, we're-we're-we're brothers! He's my little brother,”“Foster,”“I—” Ace sighed. “I'm not sure if that matters,”“You're not related, Ace,” Sabo said, “I don’t really see what the problem is. Plus, it's not like the moms have actually been able to adopt either of you,”“Okay?”“That means that legally there's nothing technically stopping you two from pursuing something,”Ace frowned.“—after you leave foster care,”“What happens if anything happens when we're in foster care?”“It's very much illegal for foster siblings to pursue a romantic or sexual relationship while residing in the same residence,” Sabo said, “You both could be taken away from the moms. And you know what that means,”Ace sighed and looked down at the textbooks laying on the table. “Okay,” he said, “thank you for that, Sabo”“Of course, Ace,”Ace thought for a moment. “So, you're obviously against anything happening between us right now,”“Right now, yes, obviously. It could get you, Luffy, and the moms in a lot of trouble,” Sabo said, “But, not opposed forever. Who knows what happens in four—a little less than four years? You've been in love with him since you were seven, what's waiting until you're twenty?”“I—” Ace was blushing, “I'm not in love with him,”Sabo grinned and wiggled in his seat. “Ooh, I'm so glad I get to hold your hand through this now!”Ace scoffed. “Shut the fuck up,” He was smiling. “But…” he took a deep breath, “you're fine with the fact that… I… like… him…?” Ace was barely audible when he finished asking.Sabo beamed at him. “Yes, of course!” He said, a little too loud.
“Sshhh,”
Ace sat in shock. “Jesus, I… I dunno what to say…” He felt tears welling up again for an entirely different reason. He quickly wiped them away.“Just promise to talk to me whenever something's going on, alright? You're my brother forever,”Ace sighed and looked around the library. “Yeah, about that…”Sabo closed his textbooks and skillfully slid them in his bag. “Let's go,”They barely got into the car before Ace started explaining what had happened at the party. Eventually, at some point, they ended up at their favorite café. Sitting in the back corner, Ace finished spilling everything out.“Fuck, dude,” Sabo whispered.“I know!” Ace said. “I'm fucked,”Sabo's brow was deeply furrowed. “I dunno, I think you just have to wait it out,”“What do you mean?”“OK, first of all, it's Luffy, right?”Ace smirked. “Yeah?”“So, even if you did freak him out a little, he's not gonna look into it too deeply, nor for too long,” Sabo said.“‘Kay,” Ace was frowning as well.“So, if you give him some space it'll eventually go away and he'll start acting like his normal self again,”“But?”Sabo grinned mischievously. “But…” he began, “I think… you just might find out something that'll surprise you,”Ace rolled his eyes. “What's that supposed to mean, smartass?”Sabo chuckled. “Just give it a couple of days, I fucking swear,”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“So, he hasn't told anyone?” Nami.“Hasn't talked to me about it,” Usopp.Robin, Franky, and Chopper all mumbled something.“It was probably just alcohol poisoning and he wants to forget about it,” Sanji.“Sanji, it's been, like, a week and a half,” Nami.Six days.“Okay?” Sanji.“Why is he still so stressed out?” Nami.“She's got a point…” Chopper.“Can you guys just leave him alone—?” Zoro.“I can hear you,” Luffy said from inside his team hoodie. He had his head resting on his arms laid on the cafeteria table and the hood up.Everyone stopped for a moment, embarrassed.“But, Luffy, we are worried about you,” Chopper said.“I'm just tired,” Luffy said as he sat up and drowsily looked at his friends.“What's going on, though?” Sanji asked.Luffy shrugged. “Can't sleep,”“Have you talked to someone about it?” Nami asked, scooting a tray of food toward him.Luffy took the tray and started snacking. “Nah, why?”Everyone was quiet for a moment.“We're worried you're suicidal,” Robin said.“Robin!” Nami hissed.“What?” Robin asked.“‘M fine,” Luffy said around a mouthful of food.“Well, you c-c-certainly are eating normally,” Usopp muttered.“Usopp!” Nami hissed again.“What?!”“Guys,” Luffy said, strangely seriously, “I'm fine,”“Hear that?” Zoro said. “He's fine,”That made the table move on to other topics.The past few days had been mildly difficult for Luffy. He could hardly sleep because he was up all night with wet dreams and a seemingly endless erection. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to push the thoughts and… feelings from his mind. He was still horny for his big brother. That was keeping him up too.He felt like he was more just floating through the day at this point. He was so much in his head it was ridiculous. Ace was the only thing to occupy his thoughts, and it was more than just horniness at this point.Ace's eyes, smile, freckles, voice and laugh suddenly took up real-estate in Luffy’s mind. He was noticing yellow everywhere when he never had before. Songs that Ace had introduced Luffy to had different context now, and made him grin like an idiot.Practice was rough, too. Luffy could seclude himself on the other side of the gym with JV, but he was constantly distracted when Ace was on the mat. And for some reason, he was always catching whiffs of Ace's scent during practice as well. He knew it and the JV captain also knew: he had not been on his A-game the last week.“Fucking, seriously, Monkey?!” Izo said in frustration, “I fucking know you have mastered this grapple—I've literally seen you do it in practice before! GCI is in less than a month! You gotta get it together!”Luffy sighed from his spot flat on the mat. “I know, cap, I know,”Izo growled. “Get Firefist to run it with you at home and come back better prepared, you hear me?!”“Yes sir,” Luffy mumbled.“Jesus,” Izo scoffed, “Fucking showers, Monkey, go!”Luffy rolled over and pushed himself up. He was technically being punished by being sent to the showers early, but he didn't totally care. Practice was almost over, anyway, and he needed to clear his head. He turned on all of the shower heads to start running hot and stripped down.His muscles were extremely tense and not just due to practice. Anxiety had been kicking his ass. Luffy closed his eyes and tried to let his mind wander anywhere but Ace. However, his thoughts were definitely not cooperating with him.He was thinking about the kick Ace had been working on in practice that day. It was a high kick, and a difficult one, especially to transition into a grapple, but if done effectively it's basically a guaranteed take-down. Of course Ace was working on a technique that was deadly. It was just his style.“Lu?”Luffy jumped at the sound of Ace's voice and quickly turned toward the lockers. Shit.“Luffy?”Luffy couldn't see Ace yet, but he was cornered in the showers with nowhere to hide or avoid Ace. He didn't even have a towel he could grab to cover up. Luckily, he was fully exhausted and totally limp. He wasn't sure if that would be the case if Ace came too close, though. He spun back around to face the wall before Ace came around the lockers.“Hey, Lu,” Ace said, stepping into the steam-filled showers, “Izo said you were having trouble with a grapple?”Ace was still a few feet away.“Mm, yeah,” Luffy mumbled. He tried to make himself look busy cleaning his fingernails.“Well, you know you can always ask me for help, you know that, right?”“Mm,” He kept looking down at his fingers. Cleaning under his fingernails was suddenly the most important thing.“And, you can talk to me, if there's anything going on?”“Mm,”“Luffy,” Ace was standing almost directly behind him.No response.“Luffy,” Ace grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face him.Luffy sucked in a breath as he looked up wide-eyed at Ace. They were further apart than they had been in the closet, but they were still face to face. And naked.That last part was far from either of their minds, though. The second their eyes locked, it was like time slowed down. Suddenly, they were the only two boys in the entire world.Luffy's lips parted slightly and took a deep breath. Ace was partially flushed from the warm water and steam, making his freckles stand out. His hair was partially damp from sweat and the moisture in the air. It hung loosely around his face, framing his bright amber eyes.His facial expression, though, is what really interested Luffy. It wasn't one of discomfort, or even confusion. His eyes were soft and warm, looking at Luffy with… tenderness? Affection? Whatever it was, Luffy really thought he would just stop breathing and die if Ace kept looking at him like that.Oh.
Oh.
Oh no.The spell was broken when they heard others coming into the locker room. Ace immediately let Luffy go and quickly moved to the other side of the shower. Luffy started breathing again as soon as Ace was out of his immediate vicinity. He quickly ducked his head under the water and then immediately got out, only partially drying and throwing on his sweats as fast as he could. Ace was right behind him by the time he was booking it to the car.They didn't talk on the way home. Luffy made a point to stare out of the passenger side window. He wasn't even sure if Ace had even glanced at him the whole way home. He couldn't risk it, if Ace looked him in the eyes like that again Luffy thought he might pass out.Luffy jumped out of the car before Ace had even come to a full stop.“Hey, Luffy—!”He sounded concerned, but Luffy paid him no mind and rushed inside.“Hey, Luffy—!” Makino tried to greet him as he walked through the kitchen.“Hey, mom, love you,” Luffy said, speeding past her and closing the door to his room.He threw his practice bag on his chair, slipped off his pants and crawled into his bed. He pulled his comforter over his head and curled into the fetal position. It felt like tears were welling up behind his eyes but he couldn't cry. All he could see in his mind were Ace's eyes.Groaning, he rolled over onto his back and started touching himself. He really hoped that Makino was heading to the laundry room with the basket she had, he wasn't sure how quiet he could keep himself this time. He shoved his knuckles into his mouth, trying to silence himself.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ace stood, frozen, in front of Luffy's door. He hadn't been sure what he was going to do, maybe talk to him about what happened after practice, but he found himself unable to knock. It wasn't because he was scared, or nervous, or anything, but what he was currently hearing from inside Luffy's room.He must be going crazy. There was no way Luffy was doing that. Whatever he was mumbling in there couldn't be what Ace was hearing, it just couldn't…But, there it was again, muffled so quietly Ace had doubted it before, however, it was unmistakable:“Ace~...” Luffy was moaning his name.Ace held his breath, looking over his shoulder, making sure no one was close enough to hear. He felt his hands shaking, and shoved them into his pockets. He took a deep breath and quickly left the house, going back to his car to call Sabo.“Hey, what's up?” Sabo asked, confused.“I think you were right,” Ace said.“I usually am,” Sabo quipped, “what about, though?”“Luffy…” Ace said, quietly.“Ah,” it sounded like Sabo was grinning, “How’d’ya figure?”“Where are you?”“Walking to the library, wanna meet at the café?”“Yeah, be right there,”Sabo was sitting in the back where they usually did when Ace got there. Ace didn't give Sabo a second to even say hi before he started yapping. He told Sabo about the shower after practice. He told him how Luffy was looking at him with such adoration it scared him. He told him how Luffy hadn't had to say anything, that his eyes gave it all away. And then he told him about what he heard.“Your name?” Sabo asked, stifling a laugh.“Excuse me, is this fucking funny to you?”Sabo shrugged, still holding back his laughter.Ace sighed. “What do I do now?”Sabo became serious. “Nothing,”“What'd'ya mean?”“Remember what I told you?” Sabo said, “It's not smart or safe for you to pursue anything right now, Ace, I'm sorry,”“But…but what if he…?” Ace rubbed his face. “You know how Luffy is when he wants something,”Sabo sighed. “Yeah,” he said.They sat in silence for a moment.“So, what do I do?”“Unfortunately, nothing,” Sabo shrugged, “if Luffy tries to pursue anything with you, you just have to hope he'll listen when you explain why you guys can't be anything right now,”Ace nodded. He thought about the moms and how much they do for him and Luffy. He thought about how bad it might be for everyone else if something happened between them. And he thought about their caseworker having to call their legal guardian about it. He shivered.“I won't let anything bad happen,” he said.Sabo nodded. He knew Ace would actually do his damndest to make sure the family would stay together, he was the oldest of them, after all. He wasn't so sure about what would happen if Luffy actually decided he wanted to try something, though. Luffy was persistent and borderline selfish, and when he wanted something he wasn't shy about grabbing for it. If Luffy tried to do anything with Ace, Ace might just completely give in and stress about the consequences later.For now, Sabo knew that everything was going to be fine. Though, he did have a sneaking suspicion that he was going to get tangled up in a mess surprisingly soon.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Okay, so, you've gotta like someone,”Luffy frowned at Sanji. “Why would you say that?”“It's just the way you've been acting,” Sanji laughed.They were all crowded around their lunch table. Luffy had been a lot more interactive the last few days, but all of his friends could tell there was still something on his mind.“How exactly is the way I've been acting tell you I like someone?” Could they really?“Ah, mon ami, I cannot explain! I just know,” Sanji winked at him.Luffy scoffed and stood up to hit him on the head. Zoro grabbed him by the waist and sat him down. Sanji laughed.“Leave him alone, Curly,” Zoro said.Sanji shrugged and turned his attention to Nami, Vivi, and Robin.“Thanks,” Luffy said, quietly.“Hey, do you have practice after school today?”Luffy tilted his head at him. “Uh, no, JV doesn’t today,”“Wanna go to the pier?”“Sure!” Luffy chirped.Zoro nodded. “Meet me in the parking lot after classes,”And that's what Luffy did. Zoro was waiting for him, leaning against his car. Zoro's fiat was a small, compact thing that looked like it could barely fit Zoro in it, let alone the both of them, and it was a weird lime green color.“There you are,” Zoro said, throwing a cigarette butt on the ground. He didn't smoke as much as Sanji, but it was a habit Luffy had seen Zoro partake in before.They got into Zoro's tiny car and took off from the school parking lot, heading in the opposite direction of the pier. Eventually, though, Zoro got turned around and they finally made it to the pier. Luffy was excited to go out over the water, Ace never liked walking down the pier, or going near the beach at all. He'd take Luffy to the boardwalk on the other side of the road to get snacks, but would never like going too close to the actual water.The boys silently walked down the length of the pier to the end where a couple of old guys were fishing. Luffy immediately hung himself half over the railing to try to see any creatures in the water. Zoro leaned against the railing next to him, just staring out at the horizon. They stood there in silence for a few minutes.“Have you ever had a crush before?” Zoro finally asked.Luffy lowered his feet back onto the wood of the pier and stood up. He looked at Zoro with his eyebrow raised. “That's what this is about?!”Zoro held his hand up for a moment. “Whoa, there, no need to get aggressive,”“I—” Luffy felt like his ears were on fire. “Why is everyone so concerned with if I have a crush or not?!”“Look, dude, I don't care!” Zoro said, almost as defensive as Luffy was at the moment. “You…you just seemed crazy stressed about it, okay?! I wanted to make sure you were okay,” He turned from Luffy and frowned at the horizon again.Luffy stood really still, thinking about what Zoro had just said. He sighed and scratched the back of his head.“Yeah, I am kinda freaking out about it…” he said.Zoro glanced back at him. “Okay, but, why?”Luffy huffed. “I…I'm not supposed to like this person—if I do like them, I don't even know…”“Why? Is it a guy?”Luffy looked directly into Zoro's gray eyes. His gaze was steady and fixed on Luffy's, but it wasn't cold, or hard, or judging—just genuine. Luffy quickly flicked his eyes downward toward the water.“I mean, yeah,” he said, quietly. But that wasn't why he was confused.“Well, you know you don't gotta worry about that with us, right?” Zoro said, sounding legitimately concerned for once.Luffy let out a laugh. “Have you met our friends?” He asked around his laughter. “We're probably some of the gayest kids in the school! I'm not worried about that…” His laughter faded.“Then what?”Luffy looked up to Zoro's steady gaze and then looked down out at the water again.“It's your foster brother, isn't it?”Luffy practically jumped out of his skin, and actually physically flinched at the question. “How—how did—you—I mean—” Luffy huffed heavily in frustration.“I'm not dumb—”“That's debatable,”“—shut up. I've noticed you and—what's his name? Trace?”“Ace,” Luffy blushed.“See? Y'can't even say his name without blushing,”“I know~” Luffy covered his face with his hands. “I dunno what to do…”“Well, what'd'ya want?”Luffy looked back up at Zoro. He hadn't thought about it. He looked down at the water again and decided to actually consider what he wanted for a moment.“I wanna kiss him,” he finally said with butterflies in his stomach.Zoro nodded. “That tracks,” he said, “d'you know how he feels about it?”“I…I think so?”Zoro looked at him nonchalantly, waiting for the rest of the answer.Luffy sighed. “Like, last week he found me in the showers, and we were the only two in there,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I wasn't looking at him, so when he turned me to look at him…I think I saw something…in his eyes. Like, I dunno…I dunno how to explain it, I could just tell, y'know?”Zoro smirked. “Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about,”Luffy nodded, sucking on his cheek.“Have you brought it up since?”Luffy shook his head.“Hm,” Zoro looked out over the water. “You think you're ready to bring it up?”Luffy shrugged.“Tell you what,” Zoro said, “at the next house party you and I will talk about it,”“Okay?”“With some booze and drugs in your system you might feel differently about the whole thing,”Luffy nodded and looked out over the water. Maybe he was right.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Goa County Invitational was the first tournament of the season held on the first Saturday in November. It was held at St. Colombo Private High School, which had a special gym for their kickboxing competitions, and it was huge. There were four mats around the outside, one in each corner, and a big mat in the center. The side mats were used for warm-ups and prelims while the center was reserved for the main matches.Luffy was practically vibrating as he stood on the edge of the mat. He was already in his uniform and holding his gear in his hands. His JV uniform was a gold and white dri-fit shirt and gold athletic shorts with a red pinstripe running down the outseam. His gear was a matching red. He had been in this gym a few times over the last three years to watch Ace, but it was an entirely different feeling being on the mat.“Luffy!”Luffy's face split into a grin when he noticed Ace jogging up to him from across the mat. “Ace!” He shouted, waving his big brother down.Ace was wearing his varsity uniform which was very similar to Luffy's. He had the same dri-fit shirt, but it was cut more like a tank top, and it was the school's main color of scarlet with gold detailing. His athletic shorts were the same color with gold as well. Ace didn't have to have a helmet this year, but his other gear was gold.He ruffled Luffy's hair when he got to him. “Are you ready for your first high school competition?” He asked, smiling.“You bet!” Luffy grinned up at him. Ace's eyes were brilliant and a little maddening. He was already in the competitive zone and his eyes reflected the adrenaline that was rushing through his veins at the moment. Luffy could feel a little redness creep across his face and quickly looked down, hiding his face by brushing his hair into his eyes. “Where's our bench?” He asked.“C'mon,” Ace hooked his arm into Luffy's and dragged him across the gym to where their team bench was. Luffy threw his bag and gear down and began preparing for warm ups while Ace continued his.Spectators slowly filled the bleachers. Their moms found a spot close to the front and near the team bench so that they could cheer loudly. They had Sabo, Uta, Aika, Tama, and the baby with them tonight. Luffy's friends found themselves a spot at the very top of the bleachers where they could goof off and not be bothered by the teachers attending to the students.The day went by faster than Luffy remembered and before he knew it it was time for his first spar. His stomach was filled with butterflies as he stood on the side of the mat for his match. He'd done this a thousand times, but this was his first time as a JV high school freshman. The guy that was standing across from Luffy had a couple of inches on him, but Luffy was confident he was stronger.The ref took his position between the two fighters and all chatter died away. All Luffy could see was the fighter in front of him. All he could hear was his own heartbeat.The moment the ref blew his whistle Luffy sprung into action. His punches were a fury, driving his opponent back from him. They danced, blocking and parrying with each other. Luffy got the first point by landing a kick.The cheers echoed in his ears as he continued to circle his opponent. He quickly went on the defensive when the other boy advanced on him. He was able to stave him off for a moment, but his opponent was able to land a hit, giving him a point.“C'mon, Luffy, you can do it!” He heard Ace call from the sideline.The first round was up. There was a sixty second break, then another three minute round.Luffy stayed light on his feet, circling the other boy, looking for an in. He advanced with a few quick punches, connecting only to the back of his opponent’s forearms. He was suddenly surprised by a leg sweep and grapple, giving the boy another point. Luffy growled low and jumped up.He steadied his breath to try and focus. He let his opponent dictate the movements for a few seconds, looking for his opportunity. He pushed forward when the boy accidentally gave some ground, gaining a point with a high kick.Cheering broke out again.They were tied with two points each. Luffy just had to get out of the last round with one point ahead and he'd win it. He focused on his breathing as he took his position on the mat for the last round. He could hear his heartbeat all the way up in his ears. He was trying to steady his breathing and keep his focus on his opponent.Over the other boy's shoulder Luffy caught a glimpse of his team with Ace standing in the middle. His eyes were wide and sparkling. His smile was a grin splitting his face, open and cheering.Luffy felt his stomach jump and stifled a grin of his own. He looked back at the boy across from him and sealed himself. Just one more point.Three minutes were over in what felt like a moment. His opponent wasn't giving an inch, but neither was Luffy. The match was heading towards a draw with thirty seconds left when Luffy saw his opening. He grabbed his opponent's wrist and twisted into a grapple, causing a tap-out as the clock ran out.His teammates went feral and he could feel the lightheadedness of excitement combined with dwindling adrenaline. Suddenly he was scooped up. Luffy steadied his breath and looked down with a grin splitting his cheeks. He was sitting on Ace's shoulder and his brother was grinning up at him with pure joy and pride in his eyes. Luffy tried to ignore the somersaults in his stomach. The team was ushered off of the mat to set up for the next JV match and Luffy found himself back by the bench with Ace.“That was incredible — absolutely incredible!” Ace had his hands on his brother's shoulders. His eyes were sparkling with adrenaline and pride and adoration.Luffy felt the heat creep across his cheeks. He was still sweating from the match so he didn't try to hide it this time. Ace, still grinning, sat down.“C'mere,” he said, motioning for Luffy to sit next to him.Luffy bit his lip but sat down next to Ace. It was the first time since the last houseparty that they were this close.“That technique you used in the second round was beautiful,” Ace said.“Thanks! I've been working really hard on that one!” Luffy chirped.“Now,” Ace dipped his head a little closer to Luffy, “I think I know what your problems were, and I'd like to help you out at home, if that's OK?”Luffy grinned. “I'd love that!”“Okay, so, when did you learn that one kick that was like—”“Monkey, back on the warm up mats!” Izo called.Luffy grinned at Ace. “My next match'll start in a few minutes,”“Go, go, go!” Ace said, pushing Luffy off to run toward the mats.Luffy's next match seemed easier than the first. His second opponent had a fighting style that was just easy for Luffy to control, and he consistently grappled the boy to the ground. He came out of it with three points to his opponent’s one.“Luffy, I can't with you,” Ace said, his hands on either side of Luffy's face.Luffy was grinning and huffing. “Why'd that one feel so fast?!” he laughed.Ace threw his head back and laughed. “Go warm up, you've got one more match,”They stood grinning at each other for a moment before Luffy squeezed Ace's wrist and bounced away from him. Luffy's last opponent of the afternoon was a scary looking kid that honestly didn't seem in the same weight class. Luffy could see him on the other side of the gym on his own work out mat. He looked taller than Luffy, and seemed more toned as well. Luffy looked over at Ace and motioned him over.“What's up?” Ace asked.“The dude scares me,”Ace glanced over at the kid across the gym. “Why?”“He… he just seems…”“Luffy,” Ace placed his hands on Luffy's shoulders. Luffy looked up into Ace's eyes. They were serious and borderline insane, but surprisingly gentle. “Focus, block everything out,”“Right,” Luffy took a breath.“He's within weight class, trust me—I've been doing this a long time.” Ace continued. “The adrenaline is just getting to your head and psyching you out, OK?”Luffy nodded, focusing on Ace's eyes and blocking everything else out. “Okay,”“OK, now take that adrenaline and channel it—make it work for you and not against you,”“Right, yes!” Luffy was starting to bounce a little.“Good, focus on that, focus your breathing, get some stretches in before you go out there,” Ace slapped Luffy on the back and jogged back over to the bench.Luffy steadied his breathing and started on his warm up. He blocked out the noise of the crowd around him, focusing on Ace's mesmerizing eyes and his own heartbeat. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. His heart’s steady beat gave him a good rhythm for his warm up.“Monkey!”Luffy stood from the stretch he was doing when Izo called and walked with him to the edge of the ring.“You can do it!” He heard Ace call above the rest of the crowd.He felt his stomach leap with excitement. He was bouncing on his toes as he made his way into the center of the ring. He stood across from the kid who seemed to tower over him. Luffy took a deep breath and focused on Ace's infectious eyes.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
Match start.Immediately, Luffy found himself on the defensive. The kid advanced on him quickly with a fury of punches and kicks. Luffy followed the rhythm his heartbeat had set and quickly dodged each of his opponent's attempts at a hit. The issue was, though, that the kid was good at blocking, as well, and every time Luffy attempted an offensive move his opponent was quick to shut him down. By the end of the first round, neither boy had scored a point.Luffy squirted water into his mouth from his water bottle.“Tire him out,”Luffy looked up at Pops. “Sir?”“You're faster than him, I bet you have more stamina as well,” Pops continued, “Don't waste your energy trying to get a hit on him, keep dodging and running him around until you find an opening—you only need one point to win,”Luffy smirked and nodded, bouncing back into the ring. He proceeded to do exactly what Pops told him to. He didn't try to land a hit, but he ran the kid around the ring. Neither one of them had scored a point by the third round, but Luffy was just waiting for his opening.His opponent was slowing down and getting messy. It was getting easier for Luffy to dodge his attacks. Luffy caught the clock counting down to the thirty-second mark out of the corner of his eye. He decided it was time to try and lure the kid into a trap, moving in such a way that caused his opponent to lunge at him. The kid over-extended himself, losing his balance as Luffy easily got behind him.The grapple was fast and easy. Luffy had the kid tackled and pinned with ten seconds left. By the time the ref counted out the pin and Luffy released him, the buzzer had gone off for the end of the match.It almost didn't feel real. Luffy suddenly realized he was off the ground again and the cheering in the gymnasium grew louder than he knew possible. The reality was slowly sinking in for him as he was spun around by Ace under one leg and Marco under the other. He had won his first JV tournament.He was let down to the ground and found himself in Ace's arms. Ace was squeezing him and rocking them back and forth.“You did it! I knew you could do it! Holy shit, you're amazing!” Ace was saying in Luffy's ear. He was practically yelling, though, due to the noise around them.Luffy was laughing uncontrollably. He had never felt so elated, had never experienced such a high. He leaned back to look Ace in his feverish eyes and saw Ace beaming with such pride and insanity it made his heart beat even faster than the victory. Suddenly, everything became clear to Luffy and he broke away from Ace to start jumping and whooping. Ace was laughing.“Mom! Ma!” Luffy yelled, waving both of his arms above his head.Makino and Dadan were holding each other and waving at Luffy. Makino was crying and Dadan was yelling “That's my boy!” over and over again. Sabo was holding the baby in one hand and had his other cupped to his mouth, whooping. Uta, Aika, and Tama were screaming and jumping around together.Luffy began to run laps around the gym. After his second one, he found himself scooped up by the waist and spun in a circle by Ace. Luffy was still elated and laughing, so he flung his arms out and his head back as Ace spun. Eventually Luffy collapsed on Ace's shoulder, both boys still laughing like lunatics. Ace put Luffy down and they just looked at each other, grinning for a solid minute before Ace squeezed Luffy one more time.“I'm so fucking proud of you,” Ace whispered in Luffy's ear.Luffy thought he might melt into a puddle on the gym floor.Ace quickly let go, bouncing and grinning. “OK!” He said with crazy eyes, “My turn!”Luffy watched Ace become an entirely different animal as he jogged to his warm up mat. He sat down on the bench, grabbing his towel and patting himself down. He had come to the conclusion that Ace was really three different entities inhabiting one body. There was Ace, Firefist Ace, and then Firefist.The thing was, Firefist was stark, raving mad. Ace is forgotten and all of his inhibitions are erased. The only reason Firefist was in any way controlled was because of how well Pops was able to communicate with him. Firefist Ace was the bridge between his personalities and was usually who interacted with his teammates and family on tournament days or in practice. As soon as he took the mat, though, it was only Firefist.Luffy had never noticed how hot that was.He frowned. Wait, he wasn't supposed to think that. Or… Luffy looked up to the bleachers where Zoro was laughing with Nami and Sanji. He sucked on his teeth for a second before looking back to where Ace was standing next to Pops on the edge of the mat. Ace caught his gaze and smirked at him with that same mad look in his eyes. Luffy felt his stomach jump as he grinned back at Ace, and this time, he didn't ignore it.Ace's match started and Luffy was transfixed by him. He had watched Ace compete a hundred times before, but this? This was an entirely different experience. Every move Ace executed seemed to open a new door in Luffy's mind, leading him down a path he never even knew existed.Every hit Ace threw made Luffy more excited. He stood with his other teammates, yelling, for the last sixty seconds. Ace was already up in points, but the way he just dominated his opponent got everyone excited.Ace released the other boy quickly as the buzzer went off. He threw his fists in the air and let out a feral scream. Taking a deep breath, he reached down and helped his opponent up, shaking his hand and patting him on the back. Ace then turned to his team and feral screamed again before running towards them. His team surrounded him as he collided with them, everyone bouncing in a circle around him. Moments later, the team was ushered back onto the sidelines and Ace immediately found Luffy.“What did you think?” Ace asked, his eyes shining like fire.“Oh, Ace!” Luffy cheered and jumped up to wrap his arms around Ace's neck. “It's even better watching you down here!”Ace was laughing as he walked over to the bench with one of his arms around Luffy's waist, he was basically carrying him. He set Luffy down on the bench and stood over him.“I know right?” He asked, grinning.Luffy had stars in his eyes. “You are so cool!” He said, jumping up again.Ace stumbled back, slightly, laughing as Luffy almost knocked him over.“Portgas!”Ace looked over his shoulder at Pops and waved. “Gotta go,” he said, grinning, and ran to the warm up mats.Luffy's head was buzzing watching Ace. Instead of waiting on the bunch for most of it, he stood in front of Thatch and Marco as close as they could get to the mat. Ace's second match went by just as quick and caused just as many butterflies to do somersaults in Luffy's stomach. His cheeks were hurting from smiling so much.Ace scooped Luffy up the second he ran to the team this time. He flung Luffy around and then the two were smashed together by the rest of the boys. Everyone was feeling the high. If Ace won his last match (which he would, no one had any doubt) that would mean Dawn High would have won first for both JV and varsity. Thanks to Luffy and Ace. Luffy felt like he was floating.The entirety of The Pirates stood on the side of the mat for the last match, and the opposing team took up the other side. The atmosphere was buzzing and Luffy swore he could cut the tension with a knife. If this was the energy of the first tournament of the year he couldn't wait for the last one.Luffy stood so close he was able to see Ace's flashing eyes between each round when his brother would find him and toss Luffy a brilliant grin. His last opponent was definitely difficult, though, as the last round started, neither boy had scored a point yet. Luffy was bouncing from one foot to the other as the round went on, shouting at the top of his lungs.Thirty seconds…twenty…fifteen…Luffy caught Ace's eye over his opponent's shoulder and saw flames burning from his soul. Ace winked at Luffy a split second before he released an unbelievable show of control and strength, taking down his opponent in one fell swoop.The team rushed the mat, a couple of them helping Ace's opponent up as Thatch and Marco lifted Ace into the air. Ace had his head flung back, laughing like a mad man, and his fists up in the air. Luffy was transfixed by the sight. Ace almost seemed like he was shining. His dark brown curls were falling behind him slightly damp from sweat that looked like he was adorned in small sparkling crystals. His skin was shining like he was glowing from within.Luffy realized he was feeling about a hundred different new and confusing things at the moment. He wasn't sure what everything meant, but he definitely knew looking at Ace gave him a warm feeling that started deep in the pit of his stomach and was spreading throughout the rest of his body. He never wanted Ace to look at him any other way than he had today. He didn't want anyone to look at Ace the way he had looked at Luffy. He wanted Ace all to himself, no one else. He knew that already, but it was so much different than how he usually felt. The want was more intense, more possessive.Ace wrestled himself away from his other teammates and full-sprint ran to Luffy, immediately tackling him to the ground with a hug. They were a tangle of arms and legs as they laughed with their entire bellies.“You did it!” Luffy hollered, “I mean, I knew you were going to, but you did!”Ace was still laughing maniacally. He stood up and pulled Luffy up with him.“And you were here!” He cheered, “You were right next to me to see it!”Their first tournament together and they both had come out on top in their categories. They had experienced a whole competition together and seen a part of each other they never had properly. It felt like a waking dream they were both privileged to experience. They were surrounded by their teammates bouncing around and cheering on all sides, but they were both too distracted looking at each other, taking in the incredible moment.“Hey, you two,” Ace and Luffy simultaneously looked up to see Pops standing above them. “Medal time!”Ace looked down at his brother, beaming. Luffy grinned up at Ace and grabbed his wrist, bouncing his way over to where the officials were. Ace let himself be dragged along behind his smaller, more excitable counterpart.“Mom!”Ace felt Luffy let him go and sprint to Makino who scooped him up in her arms. Ace walked up behind them and leaned against Dadan who put her arm around her eldest son's shoulders to the best of her ability (he was much taller than her) and kissed him on the cheek before looking back at her wife and other son. Makino was crying and swaying back and forth with Luffy in her arms. Aika and Tama were bouncing in circles around them. Sabo and Uta were quickly making their way over to their little group. Ace grabbed the baby from Sabo and tossed him in the air before blowing raspberries on his cheek causing the baby to giggle.Makino suddenly grabbed Ace and pushed her two boys up to the slightly raised platform. She and Dadan both had their phones out taking photos. Uta had her big professional looking camera that she had been taking pictures with, as well.Luffy looked up grinning at Ace as they stood waiting to receive their medals. Ace looked down, beaming back at Luffy. An official stood in front of them and they looked at him. He put a small medal around Ace's neck and then one around Luffy's. The official moved away and Ace quickly grabbed Luffy's hand and threw their clasped hands in the air. He looked back down at Luffy, both of them smiling open-mouthed at each other.Their family rushed up at them and Ace let their hands down, subtly pulling Luffy closer to whisper in his ear: “I'm so fucking proud of you,” and squeezing Luffy's hand once tightly before letting it go. Luffy was locked on Ace's smiling face, enchanted.

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Marco lived with coach Pops, and it turned out Pops was somehow pretty well off for a high school kickboxing coach. Their house was three stories with a two car garage and had a very wide back yard with a pool and big trees. Marco was hosting the after-party.Luffy and Ace had gone home and taken showers, but Ace told him to wear his team sweats and one of his practice tank tops. Ace wasn't wearing a shirt under his hoodie, it was going to immediately come off, anyway, and about five stacked necklaces. He enjoyed going out in his team apparel because he could wear his long necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings with it. He couldn't when he was in practice or competition. Luffy still wore his favorite hat.They were immediately swarmed when they walked into the house. Their teammates and friends crowded around them, pulling them in different directions. Luffy found a drink mysteriously appear in his hand. He gave it a sniff and shrugged before taking a slug.“Goddamm, you were so cool!” Nami squealed at him in the living room.Luffy threw his head back and laughed. He was lounging on a beanbag that his friends had procured for him before he had arrived. He looked over his shoulder, making sure he could see Ace before looking back at Nami.“It was so exhilarating!” Luffy cheered. “Like, fuck that was a rush!”“I never knew the kickboxing team was so fun!” Vivi giggled from where she was in Nami's lap.“It's the best!” Luffy said excitedly, taking another gulp of his drink.“Here, mon ami,” Sanji said loudly over the music as he came up to Luffy. He was carrying a tray filled with gourmet-looking meats.“Holy fuck!” Luffy said, his eyes lighting up as Sanji set the tray down on the coffee table they had commandeered. “Is this for me?!”“But, of course,” Sanji said as he laid down over a beanbag near Zoro.“Hell yeah!” Luffy said as he dug in.His friends laughed in amusement.“Oh, fuck, this is so fucking good, Sanji, fuck,” he said around a full mouth of meat.They laughed harder.Luffy was licking the plate by the time he was finished. “Thank you so much!”“T’was my honor,” Sanji nodded his head.Someone came by with another drink for Luffy. He nodded at the girl, sneaking another glance over his shoulder at Ace. Zoro noticed Luffy had barely let Ace out of his sight all night.“Hey, Luffy,” Zoro said, getting Luffy's attention, “remember what we talked about—?”“I want him so fucking bad, Zoro,” Luffy whined, cutting him off.Everyone's attention was suddenly on Luffy.“E-e-excuse me?!” Usopp said, immediately getting up on his knees and shuffling towards Luffy.Nami and Vivi were suddenly on either side of him, pressing him to tell. Sanji was also on his knees in front of him demanding answers.“Spill, bro!” Franky said.“Whoa, jesus, guys—” Luffy started.“No way, you're not getting outta this!” Nami said, pulling on Luffy's cheek.“Ow! Stop!”Zoro stood up and pulled Luffy up by the upper arm, dragging him behind him up the stairs. Sanji, Nami, Vivi, Usopp, Robin and Franky followed behind them, all shouting demands and questions. Zoro pushed Luffy into an empty room and then ushered everyone else in, shutting the door behind them.“Tell them,” he said once everyone was inside.“I…” Luffy scratched his head.“I knew you had a crush on somebody!” Sanji quipped.“Okay, okay, yeah, I—”“Who is it?!” Nami asked.“I don't—”“Y-you're not getting out of it that easy!” Usopp said.“Please—I'm not sure—”“We're friends, right, Luffy?” Robin asked in a low voice.“Yes, but—”“Guys, shut up!” Zoro said. “Luffy,”Luffy sighed and groaned. “Zoro…”“You were the one that said you wanted him so badly in front of everyone,”Luffy sighed. “Fine, I…” He scratched the back of his head. “I've kinda been crushing…on…uh…” He took a deep breath and looked at his friends. “Look, it just happened, I didn't expect it…”“Wait, Luffy, are you…embarrassed of your crush?” Nami asked, sounding a little sad.“No, I mean…I just need you guys to understand—”“Does everyone have an open mind?” Zoro said, a little bored.Everyone nodded to Zoro and then to Luffy.“You're our f-friend, Luffy,” Usopp said.“Yeah, you can tell us anything,” Vivi said.Luffy took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay…it's...Ace,”The silence was deafening.“Your brother?” Sanji asked, finally.Luffy shuddered and looked down at his hands.“Foster, Sanji,” Nami said.“Yeah, I know that, I just wanted to clarify,” Sanji said.Luffy looked back up at his friends.“Now th-that I th-think about it,” Usopp said.“No, wait, but that makes complete sense,” Robin said, looking at Franky.“Oh, yeah, you're right,” Franky said, stroking his chin. “I dunno why I didn't see it,”“Okay, wait, so for how long?” Vivi asked.“Huh?” Luffy asked, surprised.“Did you just realize recently, or has this been years in the making?” She asked him.Luffy looked at each of his friends. They didn't seem surprised or upset or disgusted or anything. They seemed like they were just interested in what he had to say.“I, um…” he stopped for a moment, “I dunno… I just realized a few weeks ago,” he chewed on his cheek, “I don't really know if it's been longer than that, though,” Luffy smiled, zoning out, imagining Ace smiling at him, his eyes burning like fire.“Ohmygosh, look at him,” Vivi quietly squealed to Nami.Luffy looked at her, tilting his head. “Huh?”“You're so cute,” Robin said.“You're absolutely lovestruck,” Nami said.Luffy felt his cheeks turn red. “Am not…”Everyone jumped up and started gushing over Luffy. He was giggling and trying to swat them away.“I think it might be time to go back to the party, huh?” Zoro said, smirking.Luffy's friends ushered him back downstairs and into the living room where they had originally been sitting. Zoro helped steer the conversations in their group to other topics. He wasn't finished, though, and looked right at Luffy.“Well?” He asked.“What?” Luffy asked.Zoro flicked his head to his right, indicating Ace standing on the other side of the room. Luffy blushed when he looked in the direction Zoro motioned, but he was smiling.“What?” He giggled, stars in his eyes.“You gonna talk to him?” Zoro asked.“I…”Luffy looked over at Ace across the room from him. He was shirtless, of course, with his sweatpants hanging low around his waist. He was laughing at something one of his friends said, throwing his head back like he always did. Luffy felt his heart beat faster and his stomach turn somersaults. He glanced back at Zoro for a moment, smiling at him before he quickly stood up and found himself walking across the room towards Ace.It felt like the world was moving in slow motion around him as Luffy moved across the room. Ace noticed him moving through the crowd of people before Luffy was even halfway. He lifted his head and centered in on his foster brother, finding himself moving toward Luffy the closer the smaller boy got. They met somewhere in the middle of the crowd, eyes locked on each other.“Hey!” Luffy shouted over the music.“Hey!” Ace answered him, grinning.Luffy looked down over Ace's bare chest and then back up to his shining amber eyes. He took Ace's hand, intertwining their fingers like he used to when they were younger. He tugged Ace through the crowd and towards the hallway.“What's up?” Ace chuckled in Luffy's ear as they stumbled into the hall.“You were so cool today,” Luffy said.Ace laughed. “You were too,”Luffy pulled Ace into an empty room, both of them dissolving into giggles as they tripped over each other onto the floor. Luffy kicked the door closed from where he was sprawled. Ace was leaning above him looking down.“What's up?” He asked.Luffy grinned at him and popped up to sit with his legs crossed on the floor. “Just wanted to chat,”Ace sat up to relax cross-legged in front of Luffy, their knees touching. “About what?”Luffy shrugged. “I dunno, I was just thinking about the last time we had this much time together,”Ace smirked at him. “What, when we were in elementary school?”“I guess it has been that long, huh?” Luffy looked up to lock eyes with Ace again.The only light in the room was a bunch of small lights hanging around the border of the ceiling. It gave the room a very warm, orange glow. Luffy could see the lights dancing in Ace's amber eyes like stars. He laughed.Ace frowned at him. “What?!”“Nothing, just…” Luffy let out a soft sigh and tilted his head slightly. “Your eyes,”“I…?” Ace was very much taken aback by that. He spoke softly, “My eyes?”“In this light they're gold,”Ace sucked in a breath. “Luffy…”“Ace,” Luffy was whispering now.“I…” Ace swallowed. His mouth suddenly felt very dry. “I just…”“Ace,” Luffy easily moved his fingers from his lap to Ace's to entangle their fingers together.“Oh, god,” Ace whispered, lifting Luffy's hands and pressing them to his forehead. “Luffy, please…”“Ace…” Luffy kept his voice quiet, moving his hands to cup either side of Ace's perfect jaw, lifting his chin to look at him.Ace kept his eyes closed gently. His hands were on Luffy's, savoring the unbelievable touch. His heart was beating harder than it ever had and his mind was spinning. Still, he was shaking his head softly.“Luffy, we…”
“Ace…”
He could hear the pleading in Luffy's voice. He groaned softly, moving his hands to hold Luffy's delicate face the same way he was holding Ace's. Their foreheads pressed together, their noses brushing.“Luffy,” It was the softest Ace had ever spoken. “We can't…”“Why not?” Luffy whispered.Ace sighed. “It's literally illegal,”“I don't care,”Ace chuckled. Of course. Of fucking course Luffy would say that. “Oh, shut up, you would,”“Don't think about any of that,”“I have to, Lu,”“Why?”“Jesus…” Ace sighed, leaning back slightly to take in Luffy's entire face, “Because you're gonna be like this,”Ace stroked Luffy's cheekbone with his thumb. The soft light caught the red accents in Luffy's dark brown eyes. They were so big and deep and sparkling, like little universes.“Ace,”“I'm serious, Lu,”“So am I,”“Fuck,” Ace shook his head, “that's the whole problem…”“Why?” Luffy asked. He slid his hands into Ace's hair, and maneuvered himself to sit on Ace's lap. “Just kiss me,”“Please, stop, I'm begging you…” Ace was breathless, moving his hands down to Luffy's lower back.“I don't want to,” Luffy leaned up, making their noses smush together and their lips almost brush.Ace moved his hands from Luffy's lower back to grab his upper arms and physically put space between them. Luffy barely dropped his hands, resting them on Ace's chest just below his neck.“You have to,” Ace whispered.“Ace…”“Jesus christ,” Ace abruptly stood up and walked across the room.Luffy sat back on his heels and pouted.“Oh, don't give me that look!” Ace huffed as he paced on the other side of the bed.Luffy smirked and batted his eyes. “Why not?”“Oh, fuck you,” Ace groaned, “you know I can't say no to you,”Luffy wiggled in excitement and popped up to his feet. “Yeah, I know,”Ace continued to pace. “So, you gotta stop, please,”“I can't,” Luffy sighed.“Can't or won't?”“I don't want to,” Luffy said, “I can't ignore it, Ace, and I don't want to,”“You think I want to?” Ace said, pained, “If there wasn't consequences, I'd… you have no fucking idea what I'd be doing to you right now,”Luffy felt hot at the implication. “Consequences be damned…” he choked out.“Please, god, no, Luffy,” Ace moved close to Luffy again, grabbing his upper arms firmly. “Why can't you shut your stupid, perfect face?”Luffy smirked up at Ace, his eyes sparkling. Ace growled in frustration.“You—fucking—no,” Ace tore his hands from Luffy and stormed out of the door.“Wait! Ace!” Luffy called after him but it was no use, Ace was already down the hall grabbing another cup of alcohol to drown his feelings in.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was extremely strange for Ace to still be in his room two minutes before they had to leave for school, but for some reason he was.“Ace!” Luffy said as he hammered on Ace's door. “We're gonna be late?!”Ace threw the door open and looked down at Luffy's grinning face. “Yeah, sorry, let's go,” he said and pushed past Luffy.Luffy skipped behind him down the hall and toward the door. “Bye, mom!”He slipped into the passenger seat as Ace started the car. “Hi, Ace,” he grinned.“Hi, Luffy,” Ace said, softly. He kept his eyes on the road and turned the radio up.Luffy chewed on his lip. “Can we talk about Saturday night?”“I don't know what you're talking about,”Luffy scowled. “Ace,”“Luffy, please,” He turned the music up more.Luffy leaned back into his seat and pouted. He sat stewing for only a couple of minutes before reaching over and turning the radio down. “Ace, I wanna talk,”“Not now,” Ace turned the music up.Luffy turned it down again. “Please? You stayed in your room all day yesterday,”“Just drop it, please,” He turned the music up.“Ace!”He shook his head and kept driving. Luffy huffed and leaned back in his seat, pouting again. Ace pulled the car into the parking lot, quickly turning the car off and opening the door.“I'll see you at practice,” he muttered. He squeezed the top of Luffy's hand once and then swiftly got out of the car.Luffy was right on his heels. “Ace, wait, we need to—”“No,” Ace whispered as he hooked his arm around Luffy's neck and pulled the smaller boy to him. He subtly glanced around as he pressed his face against the top of Luffy's head. “Just let me walk you in, okay?” He was still whispering.Luffy couldn't help it and kind of just melted into Ace's touch, allowing himself to be led through the crowd towards the doors of the school.“Now,” Ace said, low, when they got to the part of the hallway where they had to split, “I'll see you at practice,” He let go of Luffy and disappeared into the crowd.Luffy pouted his way down the hall to his first class. Focusing was pretty much off the table for him the entire period. His seat was off to the side of the classroom next to the large windows that took up most of one wall. He usually could control his habit of daydreaming, but today his attention was solely on the clouds. He barely registered when the bell went off.“Damn, y-you l-look distracted,” Usopp said when Luffy plopped down next to him. “I-i-is he still avoiding you?”“Worse,” Luffy groaned, “he's acting like nothing happened,”“You never t-told us what happened,”Luffy shrugged. “Nothing really, I tried to kiss him, he ran off,”Usopp raised an eyebrow. “We're d-discussing this at lunch,”“Why?”“I need s-some more details, a-and I'm s-sure everyone else w-w-will agree,”Luffy rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay,”Usopp was serious, too. The second they sat down at their lunch table he demanded the story from Luffy. He was also correct that the rest of their friends immediately agreed with him. Luffy explained the experience in as much detail as his alcohol-fogged brain could recall.“Ohmygosh, he did no~t-ah,” Vivi said, her eyes sparkling with glee for the gossip.“Sounds like he really wanted to kiss you or something, but was really trying not to,” Robin said.“I mean, that's what I thought,” Luffy said around a bite of food.“Didn't he say something about consequences?” Nami asked, her finger on her chin.“Yeah, but like, he didn't exactly explain what they were…”“Especially since you said you didn't care what the consequences were,” Chopper chimed.“Well, yeah, I did say that,” Luffy mumbled, “But he hasn't bothered to talk to me about it since then,”“First of all, it's only been, like, two days,” Franky pointed out.“That's right,” Robin said, “he absolutely might bring it up to you in a couple of days,”Luffy twisted his face. “Y'think so?”Robin shrugged her shoulders. “He might also pretend to not know what you're talking about for the rest of your life,”Luffy rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Robin,”“You're welcome,” she said in her monotone, dead-pan way of speaking.Nami and Vivi giggled. Luffy looked at Zoro and Sanji sitting across from him. “What do you two think?”Zoro shrugged and Sanji sucked on his front teeth.“Something’s going on,” Sanji said. “What? I have no idea,”Zoro nodded.“You're no help,” Luffy pouted.Sanji chuckled. “I fear the only help I will be is if you want to experiment, mignonne,” He winked at Luffy and Zoro scoffed angrily.Luffy blushed. “I…I don't…”“Ignore him,” Zoro said, frowning deeply but not looking at Sanji, “the idiot flirts with everything that fucking moves,”“Oh, but not you, moussu,” Sanji batted his eyes at Zoro, “And that makes you so upset, doesn't it—”“I don't give a shit, curls, get off,” Zoro pushed Sanji off of him.Luffy smiled at his friends. He risked a glance over his shoulder at Ace who was laughing with Sabo. He was throwing his head back like he usually did when he laughed, exposing his long, slender neck. Luffy swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked back at his friends before plopping his head down on the table.“It's so annoying!” He said muffled.Usopp patted Luffy's back. “I know, man,” he said.Learning was not really on the table the rest of the day. His friends that were in his last two classes tried their hardest to distract him from Ace and keep him on subject just for a few minutes but it was practically impossible to accomplish. Luffy was way too focused on practice after school and if he'd get an opportunity to talk to Ace.Luffy could tell Ace was in a mood during practice, though. He was acting more erratic than usual and Thatch stopped more than once during their spars to bitch at Ace.“Jesus fucking christ, Firefist, what's with the punches today? Are you trying to kill me or something?”“You just can't fucking take it,” Ace said, rolling his eyes.“Chill the fuck out or I'm putting you on the mat the next spar,”“I'd like to see you fucking try!”Ace was way too cocky, but he was right. Thatch immediately tried to tackle Ace, who quickly turned Thatch's attack against him and slammed the boy into the mat harder than Luffy had expected him to.“Portgas!” Pops bellowed with a tone that told the rest of the team he was pissed at Ace. He stomped over to where Ace was and dragged him across the gym by his upper arm.Luffy watched as Pops and Ace quietly argued a distance away from the team. He wondered if the bad mood Ace was in was actually due to what had happened at the party on Saturday or not. He sighed and got back up to continue his spar with Haruta. He tried to focus on what he was doing for the rest of practice, but Ace's outbursts on the varsity side continued to distract him.“That's it!” Luffy heard Pops yell a few minutes before practice was going to officially wrap up, “Portgas, get off the damn mat and to the showers with you!”Ace didn't say anything and just stomped his way across the gym to the locker rooms. When Luffy followed the rest of the team into the locker room a few minutes later he noticed Ace absolutely brooding in the corner of the showers. Luffy tried not to giggle. He jumped in the sower and stood a few heads down from Ace.Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ace standing completely still with his head down and the water flowing over his hair and shoulders. The steam that was coming off of Ace's skin told Luffy the water was absolutely scalding as well. Luffy rinsed off as much as he wanted and scurried himself out of the showers. Ace was still standing still under the burning water.Luffy threw on his sweats and jogged outside to wait for Ace at his car. He laid down on the hood like he usually did, looking up at the gray November sky. It wasn't too cold out, but Luffy could feel the chill of winter on the breeze. He closed his eyes for a few minutes while he waited.“Luffy,”Luffy popped up from his horizontal position and rubbed his eyes. It was already dusk. “Ace?”“Sorry,” Ace mumbled before he moved to the driver's door.Luffy jumped into the passenger seat and grabbed Ace's keys out of the ignition.“Hey! What the fuck!”“We need to talk,” Luffy said firmly.“Gimme back my keys, fucker!”Luffy leaned back in the seat, his arm with the keys raised and his other hand pressing against Ace's chest, desperately trying to keep the keys out of Ace's reach. “Ace! Please!”Ace growled and threw himself back into his seat. He stared forward, his hands so tight on the steering wheel his knuckles were white, and his jaw clenching and unclenching. “Look, Luffy…” he cleared his throat, “I really don't want to talk about it,”“But you never explained anything!” Luffy said, “You just got angry and now look where that's got you!”“I'm. Fine.”“OK, sure,” Luffy rolled his eyes, “But I still want some explanations—”“Why can't you just listen to me?!” Ace snapped. “We can't, Luffy, we can't—it's actual legal shit that Sabo is better at laying out, OK?! We could get in a lot of trouble, the moms could get in a lot of trouble, everyone can—please just listen to me, Lu,”Luffy flinched slightly. He hadn't expected Ace to get angry with him. “I mean, I hear you, but—”“But you're not listening to me, are you?” Ace growled. “Can I please have my fucking keys back?”Luffy growled himself and threw the keys into Ace's lap. Ace started the car and pulled them out of the parking lot.“Look,” Ace had rolled the windows down slightly so the cool night air was making his waves bounce around his face, “Sabo said once we're both eighteen and out of the house there might not be anything stopping us from getting together if we wanted to…”Luffy shuffled in the passenger seat to look at Ace. “Okay?”“But, Luffy,” Ace looked at him directly when he stopped at a red light, “that's still like four years away,”“Okay?”“And until then I want to keep my family safe, do you hear me?” Ace was looking intensely at Luffy. “The sisters, the moms, Sabo, baby brother…and you,”Luffy felt his chest tighten when Ace said “you.”“The problem is I can't deny how I feel about you, Lu,”Luffy's stomach flipped.“So, I need your help,” Ace was watching the road again, “If you would just stop I might be able to make it until you're eighteen, if not…” he shook his head.“That's not fair,”“I know,”“No, seriously,” Luffy was frowning, his arms crossed in front of him.“I know,” Ace sighed. “How do you think I feel, huh?”“Like an asshole?”“Stop it,” Ace snapped, “I'm fucking turning eighteen and graduating high school and getting out of the system within the next six months,”Luffy twisted his face in confusion. “So?”“So, if you were my age we…” he sighed, “We wouldn't have to wait,”“Why do we have to wait anyway? That's stupid…”“Goddamnit! I fucking swear you're like talking to a fucking brick wall!” Ace yelled. “If you want the fucking details, ask Sabo, but I've already told you that we can't and that it's a whole legal thing and I'm trying to protect you, damnit!”“I don't need protection—!”Ace slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road and threw the car into park. He roughly grabbed Luffy's shoulders and pulled him close. “Maybe you don't think you do but the rest of the family fucking does!”Luffy's breath hitched.Ace's tone suddenly shifted from aggressive to unbelievably soft and gentle. “Tama, Aika, baby brother…” he said quietly, “The moms could lose them if we do anything stupid, Lu,”Luffy swallowed the lump in his throat.“Just because we're willing to throw our own lives away for something insane doesn't make it fucking fair for us to throw their lives away,”“That's not fair,” Luffy pouted.“It's true,”Luffy stared right at Ace for a solid minute before flopping back into his seat, his arms still crossed. Ace put the car into drive and kept going toward their house. Luffy didn't speak the whole way home.When they pulled up, Ace parked the car and turned it off, taking the keys from the ignition. Neither boy moved. Finally, Ace sighed.“Luffy—”“What do you want from me?”Luffy was mad. Ace felt taken aback for a moment. “I…” he hesitated, “I just need you to forget about me…like that…”“What if I can't?” Luffy still wasn't looking at him.“Can you try?”Luffy sat quiet for a few moments, his gaze firmly out the window. He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a minute. Ace was his favorite person in the world and he was asking Luffy to try to control himself. Luffy then thought about Tama and Aika. Tama had absolutely no family outside of their foster moms, and neither he nor Akia knew their dad. If their social worker was called they'd end up calling their grandfather, who was also technically Ace's legal guardian. He shivered at the thought of his grandfather finding out if he and Ace were fooling around and confronting them.“Yeah,” he finally said quietly, “I'll try,”Luffy felt Ace's hand on his knee for a moment. He gave it a quick squeeze. “Thank you,” he said.“Not. Fair.” Luffy mumbled, meaning the lingering touch on his knee.Ace moved his hand back into his lap. “I know…”Luffy opened the passenger door and quickly exited the car, walking briskly to their front door. Ace followed him a few feet behind.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Luffy was softly banging his head on the lunch table.“Luffy,” Usopp said.Luffy continued softly banging his head on the table.“Luffy,” Nami said sternly.She was ignored. She looked at Robin and Franky, shrugging her shoulders.Zoro sighed deeply. “Luffy,” he said.Luffy stopped banging his head and turned his face slightly to look up with one eye to catch Zoro's gaze. “What?”“You need to snap out of it,”“Can't,” he continued banging his head.“It's been like two weeks,”“So?”“I think you've pouted enough,”Luffy let out a whiny groan. “I have four fucking years to pout,”Zoro groaned and picked Luffy up by the back of his collar. “Snap out of it,”Luffy frowned at him. “Can't,”“Curls, can you talk some sense into him?”“Tried,” Sanji had his head in his hands. “He's so fucking whiny, Moussu,”“And you're not?”Sanji rolled his eyes.“Luffy, you need to distract yourself,” Chopper said.“All I can think about is Ace,” Luffy's voice was monotone.“Are you gonna act like this at the bonfire tonight?” Franky asked.Luffy's head rolled to one side to look at Franky. “Yup,”Nami, Vivi, Usopp, and Sanji groaned.“There's going to be college students there,” Robin said.Luffy lifted his head with his brows furrowed. “What?”“The November bonfire always has college students,” Robin said. “They're coming in for Thanksgiving,”“Woo, cool,” Luffy said, soaked in sarcasm.“Dude, there's gotta be something else you can think about,” Zoro said, obviously annoyed.“No,”“What did you think about before you figured out you liked him?” Nami asked, rubbing her temples.“Nothing,”“You're fucking lying,” Vivi hissed.“Why can't you act normal?” Zoro asked.Luffy stuck his tongue out at him.Zoro scoffed and finally let go of Luffy’s collar, causing Luffy to slam his forehead into the table.“Ow~” Luffy groaned.Zoro bapped Luffy on the back of the head.“Hey!” Luffy sat up, grabbing where Zoro had hit.Zoro groaned. “Want me to fucking pick you up again tonight?”Luffy played with the buttons on his shirt. “Yes, please,”“I'll be there at eleven,”Luffy grinned at his friend.Practice was slow that afternoon. Luffy tried to keep his eyes focused on his side of the mat, attempting to block out Ace on the other side of the gym. Except, every time he glanced over to that side, he caught Ace staring at him. Luffy felt his blood boil.“I'm supposed to forget about you, but you can look at me like that all practice?” He whispered harshly as they were at their lockers after practice finished.“Hey, shut up,” Ace whispered back.“Whatever,” Luffy pushed past Ace toward the showers. He kept his shower short, planning on taking a longer shower at home like usual. He waited for Ace outside until it was dark again.“What's been taking you so long?” Luffy asked, sounding cold.“I've needed to think, is that a crime?” Ace snapped.Luffy rolled his eyes and hopped into the passenger seat.“Excited for the bonfire?” Ace asked.“Sure,” Luffy was staring out of the window.“Lu, don't be like that,”“I have no idea what you mean,”Ace scoffed and kept driving.Luffy slammed the passenger side door when they got home. Ace bangged his head on his steering wheel a couple of times before he left the car. After his shower he found Luffy in the living room.“Shower's free,” he said.“Thanks,” Luffy mumbled.“Don't take too long,” he said as he headed to his room.“Zoro's picking me up,”Ace stopped and looked at Luffy. “Again?”“Yeah. Again. So?”Ace sighed. “Alright,”Luffy eventually decided to wear some jean shorts and his red hoodie over a short sleeve tee. He decided on sandals as well. He never got too chilly this time of year, even if it was at night and outside.Zoro already had Sanji, Usopp, and Nami and Vivi in the car when he pulled up. Luffy squeezed in the back seat between Nami and Usopp, Vivi moved to sit on Nami's lap.“Hey, guys!” Luffy chirped.“Did your brother leave already?” Vivi asked.“Yeah, both of them left a while ago,” Luffy said.“Here, mon ami,” Sanji said as he offered Luffy a joint.“Ooh, thank you,” Luffy said as he excitedly grabbed the joint from Sanji. He took a long drag before passing it to Usopp. “So, I keep hearing it's a bonfire, but, like, where is it?”“In the woods somewhere,” Zoro said.“Moussu and I have been there the past couple of years, I'll make sure we arrive safely,” Sanji said, pulling out another joint from his pocket.“You mean I will make sure we arrive safely,” Nami quipped from under Vivi.“You've only been once,” Zoro argued.“Once is enough, trust me,” Nami laughed.Vivi giggled and leaned into Nami's shoulder. To no one's surprise, Nami was right. Even though Sanji had been to the bonfire spot more than her, she was the one that successfully directed them when they needed it.Turned out it wasn't just one bonfire but several. Mount Saint Colombo had a large park on one side of it that had countless trails and hidden clearings. Several years prior, a bunch of seniors had built a web of bonfire pits deep down one of the system of trails. Ever since, there was at least one huge yearly party held at the bonfire pits, sometimes two.Luffy was vibrating with anticipation for the bonfire party. He liked fire, it reminded him of Ace. And he loved looking at the stars. As they were hiking down the trail to where the bonfires were, Luffy could see all of the stars that he usually couldn't at home.“They're so pretty! Nami, look!” He was bouncing with his hands on her shoulders.“Trust me, Luffy, I'm looking,” Nami said, her voice itself filled with stars.The first bonfire they got to was the biggest and had the alcohol and food. Luffy immediately got lost among all of the snacks that were laid in front of him. He took two ham sandwiches, three pieces of sausage pizza, an entire bag of chips for himself, and a brownie all on one plate to snack on as he followed Zoro and Sanji around.“Luffy! C'mere!”Luffy looked over his shoulder, seeing Franky waving him over. He bounced over and accepted the cup of alcohol he was offered. Franky hooked his big arm around Luffy's shoulders.“This is my friend, Brook,” he said, motioning to the tallest dude Luffy had ever seen.Brook smiled at Luffy with a face-splitting grin. He was walking around a bonfire playing guitar and singing. Luffy's favorite thing he noticed was Brook's giant afro of black hair.“Oh, why, hello,” Brook said, bowing to Luffy.“He graduated when I was a freshman,” Franky said.“Oh, okay!” Luffy chirped, “What'd'ya do now?”“Oh, I attend the university,” Brook said, strumming on his guitar, “Music scholarship,”“Ooh! Neat!” Luffy's eyes sparkled, “What do you play?!”“Mm, a little bit of everything,” Brook said, contemplating, “Guitar, bass, including upright, I'm classically trained in piano and dabble in organ, let's see, violin, viola, fiddle—”“Literally a little of everything,” Luffy cut him off, giggling.“Why, yes,” Brook smiled at the smaller boy.“How tall are you?”Brook laughed. “Six-eight,”“Damn!”“Luffy, don't be rude,” Nami snapped as she walked up behind Luffy.“Sorry,” Luffy giggled.“Come over here and let me play you all something,” Brook said as he plopped down next to the fire.“What, Wonderwall for the billionth time?” Robin quipped.“Very funny,” Brook said, but he was smiling.Luffy accepted the blanket that Nami dropped on his head and followed his friends to sit near the warm flames. Brook was a very talented musician. He played every song their little group requested and even put his own comedic spin on it. Luffy was practically sprawled out on the ground in laughter.“Luffy, here!”Luffy sat up and looked at Nami as she was putting something on his head. “What is it?”“Flower crown,” She leaned back and pointed to her head, “Like mine!”Luffy grinned and touched the crown on his head. “Thanks!”“May I, mon chérie?” Sanji asked, reaching for another crown that was hanging on Nami's arm.“Take this one!” Vivi squealed and waved a flower crown at Sanji, “The blue will look great with your eyes and hair color!”“Oh, merci,” Sanji placed the crown on his head and held a hand out to Luffy. “May I have this dance, beau?”Luffy's face split into a grin and he took Sanji's hand as he hopped up. They joined their friends, who were all in a frenzy of spinning and laughter, grabbing each other and flinging their comrades around. Luffy was full on belly-laughing only a few minutes in.The moment was something out of a fairytale. Luffy and his friends were stomping and whooping around a large bonfire deep in the woods on a cold autumn night draped in flowers. The beat of the music and the wind in the leaves left traces of magic over the children's skin. The air was stark and nipped at their cheeks and noses, but the fire and alcohol and dancing kept them warm.Luffy felt lightheaded. The alcohol and drugs combined with the high of dancing was already enough to send him reeling, but Sanji's hands were what was really driving him crazy. They were long and slender and delicate but so strong and dexterous. Chef's hands.It occurred to Luffy that besides the few times he's taken Ace's hand he had never really held hands with anyone. And his fit so nicely in Sanji's. Luffy tripped slightly, squeezing onto Sanji's fingers instinctively. He felt a slender, toned arm around him, helping keep his balance. Luffy looked up at Sanji who was smiling down at him. His blush deepened.The dancing subsided enough for Luffy to break away from the group for a moment. He wobbled over to a picnic table that had booze on it. He filled himself a cup and took a big swig. He looked up at his friends dancing in the firelight and felt a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach.Beyond the dancers he caught a glimpse of Ace on the outskirts of the light. He moved through the tree line, locking eyes with Luffy when he noticed him. Luffy sucked on his teeth. Ace stared at him with dark eyes only for a minute before moving away from the light back into the shadows.Luffy groaned and plopped down on the blanket next to Zoro.“What?” Zoro asked.“Nothing,”Zoro rolled his eyes.“Bonjour, beau garçon,” Sanji giggled as he sprawled out next to Luffy.Luffy giggled in response. “Hey, Sanji,”Sanji glanced above him and then back to Luffy's eyes. “Come with me,”“What?!” Luffy giggled as Sanji tugged on his arm.“C'mon,” He got Luffy up and led him, giggling, down a trail behind the bonfire.

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Luffy let Sanji drag him up the hill. They weren't going too far from where the bonfires were and Luffy could see practically everything from where they were climbing. All of the kids mingling around the flickering lights looked almost magical to him.Sanji tugged Luffy off of the trail to a small space that had a large rock sitting in moonlight. He helped Luffy climb up onto the rock and then pointed down. Luffy gasped. Not only could he see all of the bonfires, but he could also see all of Goa County below them. Above them was the vast night sky with millions of stars.Luffy squeezed Sanji's hand. “It's beautiful,”Sanji squeezed Luffy's hand back and then gently tugged on it to indicate sitting down. Luffy snuggled himself up next to Sanji. The boys sat like that for a few quiet minutes. The view was amazing.“Can I ask you a question?” Sanji finally asked.“What?”“Have you ever kissed anyone before?”Luffy looked up at Sanji for a moment and then back out to the view. “One girl kissed me on the lips when I was younger but I didn't kiss her back,”“Luffy,”Luffy looked up to Sanji's gaze.“Y'know,” his voice was low, “I was serious when I offered that you could explore with me,”Even in the cold November air Luffy felt his face flush hot.“I—uh—I know,” his mouth felt dry as well, “I didn't think you weren't serious…”Sanji's blue eyes were sparkling in the moonlight.“Sa…Sanji?”“Oui?”“Do you like me?”Sanji smiled at his friend. “I am open to anyone,” he said, “and I care for you, is that much different?”“I guess,” Luffy shrugged, “but like, do you have a crush on me?”“Not at all,” Sanji took Luffy's hand in his slender fingers, “Do I see a relationship with you? No. Do I see myself making out with you? Maybe~”Luffy glanced at Sanji's lips. His intoxicated brain was working, but slowly.Sanji was pretty. Like, really pretty. And Luffy's feelings for Ace had also brought up other things he had curiosity about. Kissing was one of them. He had wondered about kissing Ace and what that would be like. He hadn't thought about kissing someone else. It wasn't an unpleasant thought, though. Kissing Sanji seemed just as fun as kissing anyone.He realized how close their faces were.“I…you'd be my first…” his heart was beating in his ears.“Everyone starts somewhere,” Sanji whispered, “I'm not here to judge,”Their noses brushed and Luffy's heart turned somersaults. He closed his eyes. Sanji's hand gently found its way to the bare skin on Luffy's knee. Luffy breathed heavily through his mouth. Sanji slowly slid his other hand up to caress Luffy's cheek.“You okay?” He whispered.“Doing great,” Luffy answered just as quietly.“Okay…”Luffy could feel Sanji's lips brushing against his as he talked. His heart was beating so fast. He had never wanted anything more than he wanted to be kissed in that moment. He held his breath.How could something so simple be so life changing?The moment Sanji touched his lips, Luffy was in ecstasy. First thing he noticed was how pillow-soft Sanji's lips were. Next was that Sanji tasted of smoke and alcohol. It wasn't a bad mix.He was interested in how kissing wasn't just pressing your lips to someone else's. Sanji’s head bobbed up and down as they kissed over and over again. When Luffy parted his lips slightly Sanji deepened the kiss. Luffy's breath hitched for a moment, but quickly relaxed into his friend's touch.The older boy's fingers were tangled in Luffy's hair. His other hand was slowly moving up Luffy's side and around to the small of his back. Luffy leaned back slightly, undoing the buttons on Sanji's coat so it would fall on either side of them, adding a bit of protection from the cold. His hands started exploring Sanji's chest.Sanji removed his scarf and laid it on the rock behind Luffy. He cradled Luffy in one arm as he moved the smaller boy into a horizontal position. Sanji was half on top of him, one of his legs over one of Luffy's and his arms on either side of his head.Luffy's hands were touching skin now, exploring under Sanji's shirt. Sanji licked Luffy's lips, playfully, causing him to giggle. He felt Sanji smile against his lips.Sanji softly bit Luffy's bottom lip, eliciting a quiet moan for the boy beneath him. He tentatively moved his tongue over Luffy's teeth, becoming bolder when it was excitedly received.He had his hand on Luffy's hip, tracing his fingers across exposed skin. As he deepened the kiss, Sanji slowly slipped his fingertips below Luffy's hem.Luffy's breath hitched and he pushed Sanji away slightly.Sanji instantly leaned up, gently placing a hand on Luffy's shoulder. “Hey,” he said softly, “you okay?”“No, yeah, I…” his head was spinning.“Not ready for that yet?” Sanji didn't sound angry or disappointed at all, just tender, and Luffy opened his eyes to look up at him.“Yeah,” he whispered.“That's okay,” Sanji caressed Luffy's cheekbone with his thumb, “Wha'd'ya think so far?”“I love it,” he beamed.Sanji smirked down at him. “I know,” He kissed him again.Luffy got lost in the next few minutes. He was warmer than he expected for being outside on a rock at night in November and definitely figured it was a combination of the alcohol and Sanji. They continued kissing, hands staying above the pants.Eventually, out of breath, Sanji pulled away and smiled down at Luffy. “Thirsty?”Luffy beamed back up at him. “Yeah,”Sanji helped Luffy up and began leading him back toward the fires. He tugged Luffy close when they were approaching their friends.“If you ever wanna let off some steam, let me know,” he whispered in Luffy's ear before letting him go.Luffy smirked up at Sanji. “Don't worry,” he winked, “I will,”Sanji smirked back at Luffy and handed him a cup from the table they were passing. They clinked their cups together and joined their friends dancing by the fire.Luffy noticed Ace was sitting at this bonfire on the other side from where Brook was singing. He ventured a glance and had to suppress laughter at the death glare Ace was directing his way. He glanced at Sanji and thought about giving him a playful kiss just to piss Ace off even more but decided to save that for a later moment.His friends didn't stay much later but Luffy still didn't get home until around three in the morning. Ace's car wasn't out front when he wobbled in. He didn't know if Ace was going to come home tonight or not.Flopping on his bed was the best feeling. His head was spinning, but in a good way. Luffy stretched his arms above his head and looked at the ceiling, thinking back on the kiss he had shared that night. His first kiss. Well, his first real kiss. The first one that counted.He was glad his first kiss was with someone that cared for him, even if it wasn't with a boyfriend or girlfriend or anything. Sanji and he might mess around more in the future but Luffy just had a feeling it wouldn't go past that. The kiss was fucking hot, though, and he couldn't stop the erection that was coming on. He didn't really want to stop it either.As he touched himself, Luffy found two thoughts swirling together in his head. He was reliving that kiss again in his mind's eye and everything that had come with such a fucking hot experience. But Ace was there. Ace was the boy he was kissing.Luffy felt tears running down either side of his face. Just the thought of being able to touch Ace that way was almost painful. He imagined Ace hovering over him, leaning all of his weight on Luffy's smaller frame. The thought of how soft Ace's lips might be against his made his head dizzy. If Ace smiled while they were kissing…He released hard, holding his hand over his mouth to stay quiet. He groaned and rolled over, completely out of breath. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to last four years even with a distraction.

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Goa County was beautiful in twilight. The town below Mount St. Colombo was covered in a quiet blanket of mist. The horizon was just starting to turn the faintest shade of pink. Ace sat on a large rock overlooking the hillside smoking a cigarette.He didn't know what Luffy and that blonde boy got up to in the woods last night, but Ace knew that look on Luffy's face when he came back to the bonfire. There was a fire burning in the pit of his stomach. He may not be able to have Luffy but he felt sick at the idea he was with someone else. Luffy was also still young and Ace was so very scared he might get taken advantage of.Ace sighed out a breath of smoke. He knew it was unfair to be upset since he was the one insisting they had to stay apart, but he was still fighting off the feelings of jealousy. He had had relationships of various intensities since he started dating five years ago, so it was completely reasonable for Luffy to experience relationships himself. But the thought that anyone had touched his innocence before Ace had was making his blood boil.“What're you still doing here?”Ace looked over his shoulder to see Sabo standing among the treeline behind him. He frowned.“Okay, you know I'm gonna ask you the same question,” he said.Sabo chuckled and walked over to Ace. “I'm still here because I noticed you're still here,”“Yeah, right,”“I've been waiting for you to come down for a few hours,” Sabo said, walking over to the rock and sitting next to his brother, “Finally decided to come see what you're doing,”Ace sighed and looked back out to the view. “Just thinking,” he took a drag on the cigarette.“‘Bout what?”Ace glanced sideways at his brother. “What'd'ya think?”“I'm sorry, man,”“Yeah, it's whatever,” Ace mumbled.Sabo frowned. “What's the mood about? What happened?”Ace shrugged.“Dude,”“I dunno, he's hooking up, I guess,” Ace scowled.Sabo raised an eyebrow. “You guess?”Ace scoffed. “He snuck off with one of his friends and I could just tell when they came back, y'know? He had that look that says ‘I just had my first…something,’”“Okay, so?” Sabo was trying not to laugh.“Listen, I know, okay?” Ace sighed. “I just hate it,”“You're jealous,”
“No,”
Sabo laughed. “C'mon, bro, let's go home?”Ace sighed and threw his butt away. “Yeah, okay,”When they pulled up to their house Ace told Sabo to sneak in and he'd be in in a minute. He sat in his car and smoked another cigarette before he quietly made his way to the house. He slipped his shoes off at the door and tiptoed through the kitchen. He stopped at Luffy's door, noticing it was cracked. He gently pushed it open.Luffy was sprawled out on his raised bed with one of his legs and one of his arms hanging off of the side. Ace chucked and quietly moved inside. He tenderly lifted Luffy's arm and leg back into his bed. Luffy rolled over onto his stomach with his butt in the air, snoring loudly.Ace smiled, petting Luffy's hair. He was adorable. Ace sighed and left the room, closing the door as he did. He made his way to his shared room. He stripped into his boxers, passed out on his bed, and dreamed.He found himself in a dim bedroom, lit only by candles around the perimeter, casting warm, orange light about the walls. In front of him, Luffy sat cross-legged on silky sheets, wearing boxers that were riding up on his thighs and a loose tank top. He was beaming. Ace felt his heart flutter.“Hey,” Luffy chirped.“Hey,” Ace whispered.Luffy stood up and walked to him, taking his hands. “What's wrong?”“Oh, Luffy…”Luffy tilted his head. “Ace?” He teased.“We can't…”“Here we can,” Luffy whispered.Ace laughed quietly. “What?” He didn't know how to explain it, but he immediately knew Luffy was telling the truth. “Right,” he whispered, “I forgot,”Luffy grinned and leaned up on his tip toes, almost touching Ace's nose with his. Ace closed his eyes, breathing in his scent. His heart was racing. He moved to touch Luffy's waist, causing the smaller boy to giggle. Ace sucked in a breath.And kissed him.Luffy tasted like sunshine and ocean air and freedom. His lips were butter soft. Ace became ravenous, parting Luffy's lips with his tongue and moving one of his hands into Luffy's hair and the other on his lower back, pulling him in. He felt Luffy smile against his lips and throw his arms around Ace's neck.Ace grabbed Luffy by the thighs just below his butt, and lifted him up. Luffy wrapped his legs around Ace's waist, tightening his arms around his neck. He threw his head back laughing, letting Ace pepper his neck with kisses. Ace walked over to the bed, gently dropping Luffy who bounced on the edge.Luffy leaned back on his elbows, smirking up at Ace and biting his lip. Ace's eyes were shining like fire. He bent down over Luffy, placing a hand on either side of him. He leaned lower to kiss Luffy again. Luffy sighed into Ace’s lips.Ace smiled and moved his lips over Luffy's jaw to kiss down his neck, eliciting more sighs. Luffy let his head fall back in contentment. Ace continued moving his lips down Luffy's chest, lightly kissing his collarbone. Then the top of his sternum. Then between his breasts. Then his navel.“Ace…” Luffy moaned.He grinned into Luffy's skin, moving just above the hem of his boxers. He hooked his thumbs under the fabric, stalling his hands and glancing up. Luffy glanced down at him, flushed and beaming.“You okay?” Ace asked, breathily.“I'm great!”“You ready?”“Yes,”“Okay,” Ace took a steady breath, kissing Luffy's stomach once more and slipped his boxers down.Ace shot up in bed, rolling over and quickly running to the bathroom. He threw up for a few minutes before his stomach decided to finally have mercy on him. Once he was finished, he leaned back against the bathroom wall, his elbows on his bent knees. He was sweating and shaking, and not from getting sick.After a few minutes of being on the floor, Ace got up, brushed his teeth, and wandered back to his bedroom. He threw on some gym shorts over his boxers and headed back out.“Party too hard last night?” Uta laughed as Ace shuffled into the kitchen.“No…” he groaned hoarsely.“Okay,” she laughed, rolling her eyes.Sabo was eyeing him from where he was with Tama and Aika in the living room. Ace shot him a sharp look and he turned away with a smirk. Ace sighed and went to the refrigerator. He grabbed an off brand soda and went to sit on the couch.“What're y'doing?” he asked.“Puzzle,” Aika said.“Cool,” he took a swig of his soda. “Where's mom?”“Out,” Uta said without looking up from her songbook.“Ma's at work,” Sabo said, “Mom's shopping with the baby,”Ace nodded, taking another drink.“Luffy's in the backyard,” Uta said.Ace blinked. He looked over his shoulder out of the window. Luffy was on their makeshift mat practicing a kick. He swallowed.“Be right back,”

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Luffy repositioned his foot on the mat, balancing himself with his other leg raised, bent in front of him. He was perfectly steady, focusing on the piece of wood wrapped in cloth they used as a target. He kicked, landing solidly near the top of the pole. Still didn't feel right.“You know what you're doing wrong,”Luffy looked over his shoulder to see Ace leaning against the pole of the porch with his arms crossed. He had his long waves pulled back with a headband, he was wearing his gym shorts low, and there was a small smile hanging on his lips.Luffy scoffed, turning to face him. “If I knew what I was doing wrong, I wouldn't be doing it!” He snapped.Ace smirked at him and hopped down the steps. He walked to Luffy's side opposite the pole. “Take your stance again,”Luffy huffed and turned toward the pole. He planted his left foot in front of his right, his fists held in front of his face.“No,”Luffy rolled his eyes. “OK, what's wrong then?!”“Hip,”“Huh?”Ace walked up to Luffy, grabbing him on the hips and adjusting them slightly. “Hip,” he said softly in Luffy's ear before walking back to where he had been standing. “Again,”Luffy could feel his heart beat in his ears. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, steadying himself in the new position.Breathe in. Breathe out. Kick.Luffy bounced, grinning. That one felt right. He spun around to see Ace beaming at him.“There you are,” he said, smirking, “Now, do it again,”Luffy rolled his eyes and spun around, facing away from Ace and planting his left foot.“No,”Luffy frowned and adjusted his body.Ace sighed and walked over to Luffy, adjusting his hips again and then his shoulders. “Are you really gonna make me adjust you every time?” He said quietly before moving away.Luffy felt his face flush. He growled low and really felt the position Ace had placed him in. He closed his eyes, breathing deep into his muscles. He kicked, focusing on returning to the exact same position as before.“Good,” Ace said, “Again,”Luffy rolled his eyes, smirking. He repeated the motion.“Much better,” Ace said, “Now, keep doing that until it's perfect,”Luffy snorted. “Yes, coach,” he said, sarcastically before repeating the exercise.After about a minute, Ace went back inside. Alone again, Luffy zoned out with the repetitiveness of his practice. Occasionally, he would bounce on his toes for a minute before resuming his position. Since Ace didn't come out to correct him, he figured he was resetting properly. It felt right, at least, when he reset and connected with the pole.“Lu,”Luffy looked toward Ace who was walking toward him with a cup. He relaxed his body and faced the older boy.“Thanks,” he said, accepting the cup.“They said you've been out here for hours,” Ace said.Luffy wiped his mouth after drinking. “I guess?”Ace chuckled and smiled at him. “It's, like, three,”“Oh, damn, I guess I have,” His stomach suddenly growled in anger at the realization.Ace flicked his head toward the house, suppressing a laugh. “C'mon,”Luffy willingly followed inside and immediately ravaged the refrigerator.“Whoa, chill,” Ace said, coming up behind him, “Here,”Luffy blindly grabbed at the container Ace was taking off of the shelf.“Microwave it, dumbass!” Ace said, lifting the food above him and out of Luffy's immediate reach.Luffy pouted and grabbed a plate to plop the cold steak and peas onto before tossing them into the microwave. Ace ruffled his hair. Luffy let a small smile pull at his lips, glancing over his shoulder at Ace as he walked away.“Luffy! Luffy!” He was immediately surrounded by his little sisters.“Tama! Aika!” He giggled. “What is it?!”“Wanna watch a movie?!” Tama squeaked.Luffy laughed and put his hands on either of their heads. “Do I?!” He grinned at them.They immediately began jumping and making high pitched noises.“Big sissy said yes too!” Tama said.“I'll get Sabo!” Aika took off down the hall.“I'll get Ace!” Tama followed.Uta giggled, coming into the kitchen and grabbing the big popcorn bowl. Luffy grabbed his food and hopped on the counter next to his older sister as she prepared a snack for their younger sisters. Eventually, Aika reappeared dragging Sabo who had at least two blankets balanced on his arm. They spread one out on the floor and threw two on the couch. Aika then came over to Uta to help with the popcorn as Sabo disappeared down the hall again.Luffy put his now empty plate in the sink and bounded into his room to grab his pillow and comforter. When he skipped back out, he immediately spread out on the couch.“Really?” Uta laughed from her place on the floor.“Well, no one's up here yet!” he laughed.Tama soon came skipping out of the hall with Ace in toe. She settled on the couch with Luffy, then pulling Ace into their pile. Tama ended up on the end where she could reach over to the popcorn bucket, which left Ace and Luffy close together on the other side of her.Luffy smiled up at Ace as he grabbed the blanket on Luffy's lap and pulled it over the three of them. Ace smiled back, settling into the back of the couch with one leg pulled up under the other. Luffy tucked his feet under him, turning his knees toward Ace who absently laid a hand over them on top of the blanket.Tama and Aika's favorite movie was Moana and it wasn't the first time they had forced their older siblings to watch it in the afternoon. Luffy enjoyed it as well because it was about the ocean. He wasn't paying attention to the movie, really. He glanced over at Ace who glanced at him. Luffy smiled and Ace smirked before looking back at the TV.Luffy shifted in his seat, pulling the blanket over his hands and leaning his upper body more towards Ace. When he moved, Ace did as well, tucking his hands under the blanket like Luffy. When Luffy moved his right hand to rest on the couch between him and Ace his pinky brushed against Ace's. Luffy glanced at Ace out of the corner of his eye. Ace's face was completely neutral, watching the movie. Luffy moved his hand slightly so their little fingers were touching again.Ace didn't move his hand away. Luffy chewed on his lip, using a moment of laughter to steal a look at Ace. The older boy looked unfazed. The movie continued and Luffy could feel his heart racing. He slowly moved his pinky over and curled it slightly around Ace's.Luffy held his breath. His gaze was on the TV but he had no idea what was happening. After a moment, Ace curled his pinky finger around Luffy's, interlocking them. Luffy could swear his heart stopped.They sat like that for the rest of the movie. Even when adjusting in their seats they kept their pinkies locked together under the blanket. Luffy didn't dare look at Ace until the movie was over. When it was, Tama jumped from the couch and immediately followed Uta into their room, chattering the entire time. Sabo and Aika got up and moved down the hall toward their rooms as well, leaving Luffy and Ace alone.For a solid minute, the clock on the wall and the chatter down the hall was the only sound. Eventually, Luffy braved a glance at Ace. He looked happy and sad at the same time, still staring at the TV even though it was off. He tightened his pinky grip around Luffy's.Luffy laid his head on Ace's shoulder. Ace leaned his head slightly to rest his cheek on Luffy's head. He took out his phone and started scrolling. He had said they couldn't be in a relationship or kiss or anything like that, but maybe they could steal small moments like this and that might be enough. Luffy pulled out his phone and began scrolling on it as well.He almost fell asleep leaning on Ace's shoulder. He startled awake when he heard Makino's car pull up in the driveway. Ace was still sitting in the same position he had been, scrolling on his phone. Luffy realized his phone and hand had fallen into Ace lap when he dozed off.Ace was the first one to move away, taking his touch from Luffy to hand him his phone. He then stood up and quietly walked down the hallway as Makino made her way inside.“Hi, Luffy!” Makino said as she came inside. “You mind helping with the groceries?”“Sure,” Luffy chirped, jumping up and skipping outside.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Luffy, y'ready?” Ace called as he walked through the kitchen on Monday morning.“Yup!” Luffy said, tripping out of his room.“Cool, c'mon, we're running late,”Luffy skipped after Ace to the car. It caught him off guard when Ace held the door open for him before going to his side of the car. Luffy frowned slightly at his brother when Ace slipped into the driver's seat.“What?” Ace asked, throwing the car into drive and taking off.Luffy rolled his eyes and pouted.Ace laughed. They didn't talk the rest of the way. They were both still mildly annoyed with each other and neither actually felt like fighting that morning. The fighting actually felt exhausting and it was just easier to act how they always had. Eventually they would likely get back to fighting, but not right at that moment.“See you at practice, ‘'kay?”“‘Kay,” Luffy huffed. His first half of the day went by smoothly, as usual, and as the day went on his mood also improved.“You don't seem as sad anymore,” Nami said at the lunch table.“I, um,” Luffy giggled. “I'm dealing with it,”“That's good at least,” she smiled.“W-what about him?” Usopp asked.Luffy shrugged, frowning. “He's still kinda acting like nothing even happened,” He twisted his mouth to the side. “He seemed pissed for a minute there but that went away quickly…I think…”“You sound disappointed,” Zoro said.“I dunno,” Luffy said, “kinda wanted him to be jealous, y'know?”Everyone around the table murmured in agreement.“W-wanna devise a p-plan, then?”Luffy frowned at Usopp. “What kinda plan?”“Y-you and Sanji made out the other n-night, right?”“I…?” Luffy looked at Sanji.“Oui,” the older boy said from where his chin rested on his hand, “we did,”“I knew it,” Vivi whispered.Nami laughed and held her hand out to Franky.“Goddamnit!” Franky took a twenty from his pocket and slapped it into Nami's hand.Luffy blinked in confusion.“Then just k-kiss him in front of Ace,” Usopp continued without missing a beat, “and then if that d-doesn't work we'll each s-start kissing you until we get a r-rise out of him,”Luffy, Sanji, and Chopper started laughing. Zoro smirked and raised one eyebrow. Franky and Robin were looking at each other, nodding.“What kind of plan is that?” Nami asked.“An e-effective one,” Usopp smirked.“What…what do you think, Luffy?” Sanji asked, wiping away a tear from laughter.Luffy frowned at him then looked back at his friends. “Oh, wait, you're serious?”“Well, I have nothing against it—Franky?” Robin said.“Nope, nothin’!” Franky smiled.Luffy giggled nervously. He looked at Zoro. “Zoro?”Zoro glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “You kissed the chef?”Luffy scratched the back of his head. “Uh, yeah,”Zoro flicked his eyes to Sanji who winked and feigned blowing a kiss at him, then back to Luffy. He huffed out of his nose before looking away. “I'll play along if you want,”“Huh,” Luffy looked back to the rest of them, giggling nervously again, “You guys really want to?”Everyone was nodding.“I'm so confused,” Luffy said, “Robin, Franky, you're dating,”Robin shrugged.“I don't see what that's got to do with it, brother,” Franky said.“Huh,” Luffy continued, “Nami, Vivi, aren't you two going out or something?”Both Nami and Vivi blushed deeply.“I mean, yeah…” Vivi said sheepishly.“We’re not exactly opposed to kissing our friends, though,” Nami said just as quietly.“Huh,” Luffy looked at each of his friends again. “Except Chopper, because you can't be there, right?”Chopper rolled his eyes. “I'd join in if I was older! Sounds fun!”Luffy giggled. “I mean, okay, if you guys think it's a good idea!”“I-it's an amazing idea!” Usopp said loudly.Everyone laughed at him.“So, like, when?” Luffy asked.“This weekend?” Nami asked.“There's gonna be a party at this house that has a big back yard where most people will be forced to hang out outside,” Robin said.“Might be a g-good idea,” Usopp said. He looked at Luffy. “Luffy?”Luffy grinned and nodded curtly. “Sounds great!”“Good,” Usopp looked at everyone else, “Luffy and Sanji will make out w-whenever they feel like it, afterwards if it doesn't work, w-we'll just start playing ‘h-how many people can kiss Luffy,’ and see how l-l-long until Ace loses it,”Luffy smirked.“S-sound good?” Usopp concluded.“Yep!”“Got it!”Everyone agreed.“Wait, so why are all of you on board?” Luffy asked.“What are friends for if not making out with each other to make someone else jealous?” Nami giggled.Luffy blushed. His friends would just be okay with kissing him. There was a different kind of flutter deep in his stomach and he grinned.“I mean, I agree,” he laughed.“Then why are we still debating?” Sanji asked with a smirk.“You're right, you're right,” Luffy laughed again. He looked over his shoulder to where Ace and Sabo were laughing.It was honestly getting a little annoying how Ace seemed prettier and prettier every time he looked at him. Practice was absolutely the worst. Ace had recently taken to practicing in just his skin-tight athletic shorts, showcasing his chest and abs. It was honestly distracting.“Fuck you, stop looking at me like a pice of meat,” Ace muttered as he came up to where Luffy was stretching.Luffy scoffed. “Fuck you, stop dressing like a slut,” he looked Ace up and down.“That's just rude,”“You know what's rude?” Luffy laughed, “You dressing like that, I know you're doing it on purpose,”“Don't be so vain,”“You're one to talk,”“Stop it,”“Make me,”Ace stomped away and Luffy rolled his eyes. Guess they were fighting again.Ace grabbed Luffy by the upper arm on their way into the locker room. He pushed Luffy toward their lockers.“I said stop it,” he growled.“It's not my fault you look like that,” Luffy retorted.“You keep your eyes down in there,”“Oh, fuck off,” Luffy pushed Ace away and opened his locker.Ace grabbed his towel and stormed off to the shower. Luffy thought about taking the space immediately next to Ace to piss him off, but decided a scene was probably unnecessary. The abuse continued as they headed to the car as Ace grabbed Luffy's cheek and pulled hard.“Ow!” Luffy shouted, “I left you alone! What's this about?!”“You were being a little shit,”Luffy tried backhanding Ace's arm, causing Ace to flinch and let go of him. “It can get worse, y'know!”Ace scoffed. “Hardly,”Luffy slammed the door and Ace angrily plopped into the driver's seat. Luffy sat with his arms crossed and shaking his head.“Fuck, you have no idea what's coming to you,” he mumbled.“Yeah, whatever,”Ace pulled out of the parking lot. Luffy was intensely looking out of the window, fuming. They ignored each other the rest of the way home.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Luffy's phone buzzed next to him on his bed. He opened the message. Zoro. need a ride? Luffy chewed on the inside of his cheek. Ace hadn't mentioned a ride, so it was possible he was going to need Zoro to pick him up.He was surprised by a knock at his door and jumped down from his bed to open it. Ace stood in the doorway in just gym shorts and a towel draped over his shoulders, wet hair in his eyes.“What's up?” Luffy asked.“Shower's free,” Ace said.Luffy smirked. “Thanks,”“Um,” Ace cleared his throat, “Need a ride?”Luffy glanced at his phone. Tonight was the party that his friends were going to help him fuck with Ace's head. He wasn't sure if he could handle a fight beforehand, but he also really wanted to spend some time with Ace. He sucked on his teeth.“Yeah,” he said to Ace, “I'd love one,”Ace smirked at him and nodded his head. “Cool, we'll head out in like an hour and a half ish?”Luffy smiled. “Sure,”“Cool,” Ace walked away toward his room.Luffy texted Zoro as he headed to the bathroom. He stood in the lukewarm water with his eyes closed. The steady pitter-patter of the water on his back almost put him in a meditative state. He focused on his breath for a little while, breathing deeply in and out, in and out. He never actually meant to lose track of time in the shower, he just really liked the water. The amount of time he took to actually wash his hair and body was barely a percentage of the time he spent in the there.Once he hopped out of the shower it took him no time to towel off and change. He usually just grabbed the closest thing he could. Tonight was red shorts, a white tank top with some kind of logo on the front, and a hoodie. He skipped out of his room, checking his phone.“Hey,”Luffy looked up at Ace in the kitchen. He had already unbuttoned his plaid shirt. Luffy blushed.“Thought mom'd kill you if you left like that?” he mumbled.“Mom's out,” Ace smirked.Luffy cleared his throat and pushed past Ace to put his sandals on. “Y'know, this could be interpreted as flirting,”“Well, it's not,” Ace said as he grabbed his boots and slipped them on.Luffy rolled his eyes and headed out of the house.“Hey, please don't start,” Ace said.Luffy scoffed. “Fine, whatever,”Ace sighed, taking his shirt completely off once he was outside. Luffy hopped into the passenger seat, trying to remember that Ace always dressed like that and he wasn't actually trying to tease him.“You're so annoying,” Luffy pouted.“You are too,” Ace muttered.The party wasn't in a fancy part of town, and it wasn't in a neighborhood like theirs either, but way out in the middle of nowhere. Robin was right, the house they pulled up to was small and low with a sprawling backyard where everyone was gathered. Luffy hopped out as soon as Ace pulled up.“Hey, Luffy!” Ace called after him.Luffy waved at Ace over his shoulder. He was looking for his friends.“Franky!” He jumped up, waving over the people.“Hey! Brother!” Franky said as Luffy bounded up to him. “Wanna help me take some drinks to the crew?”“Okay!” Luffy grabbed a few cups from Franky's hands and followed behind him through the crowd. The rest of their friends were lounging together somewhere amongst the sea of people. “Hey, guys!” He chirped when he got close enough.“Luffy!” Sanji and Nami exclaimed together. There was a chorus of greeting from the rest of the group.Luffy handed out the drinks, keeping one for himself and plopping down in front of Sanji and leaning back on him. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He frowned at it as he took it out. Ace. Where are you? Luffy sighed and swiped the notification off of the screen. His phone went back in his pocket.Turned out Brook was also at the party, but he was providing the live music with a couple of guys he knew in college. The house they were at was pretty secluded and let them play some perfect dancing music for the party goers. After a while of listening to the music and chatting together, Nami pulled Luffy up and over to a grassy space where others were dancing. Vivi was immediately behind them.Nami laughed and flung her arms around Luffy's neck. He laughed in return, one of his hands on her midback. He bumped into Vivi dancing behind him.“Oh, sorry—”He was cut off by her hands on his hips. He chuckled and sighed before continuing to dance with both girls. At one point, Nami spun him around so she was behind and he was facing Vivi. They laughed and spun, their bodies floating from the alcohol. And then Luffy was spun from Nami's hand into Sanji's.He was giggling and dizzy. He looked back to see Nami kissing Vivi's neck. He then looked up and registered that Sanji was standing over him. Luffy grinned up and wrapped his arms around Sanji's waist. Sanji smirked down and unexpectedly spun Luffy around. He placed his hands on the front of Luffy's hips and moved with the rhythm of the music.Luffy felt his heart racing. He closed his eyes and followed the movement Sanji set. Suddenly, there was a strong figure in front of him, gently taking both Luffy and Sanji into his hands and leading the group. Luffy opened his eyes to see Zoro had joined them.Luffy smirked, letting his head fall back on Sanji's chest. He looked up to sneak a peek at Sanji's face, not completely surprised when his friend’s cheeks were flushed. Sanji's blue eyes were wide and focused only on Zoro's grays. Luffy laughed, full of joy. Zoro and Sanji looked down to their little partner and smiled.“Our turn!”Luffy felt himself be tugged away from the other boys. Laughing, he was embraced by Franky. Robin came up behind him and spun him around so he was dancing between them. It suddenly occurred to him that his friends were passing him around.He started giggling uncontrollably and looking around for Usopp, who was actually still sitting where their group had been. Luffy frowned, wondering why Usopp hadn't joined them. He moved himself so he could see Usopp, who wasn't looking in their direction at all. Luffy followed his gaze and found Ace's group. And Ace. Who was watching Luffy. Glaring at Luffy. Luffy felt the flush across his face and let Franky spin him in the opposite direction. He felt Vivi tug on his hand and allowed himself to be led through the crowd back to where Usopp was.“He doesn't like you dancing with others,” Usopp said quietly as he handed Luffy a drink.“Huh?” Luffy asked, flushed and out of breath.“Been watching Ace,” Usopp said, “He wasn't exactly a happy camper when you guys were dancing,”Luffy felt his blush deepen. He risked a glance at Ace across the grassy field. The intensity of Ace's glower was deafening. Luffy locked his eyes with Ace's and smirked devilishly.He looked to his right at Sanji who was already looking up at him, a small smile hanging on his lips. He beamed down at the pretty chef before leaning over and kissing him.Sanji’s lips were just as soft as last time. He tasted like smoke and beer and cold autumn nights. Luffy let the chef's tongue part his lips and play around in his mouth. After a minute Luffy pulled away and booped Sanji's nose with his, making his friend laugh.“Hey, no fair!” Vivi whined.“Yeah, I wanna kiss Luffy!” Nami said.Luffy laughed as the two girls piled on his lap. He took Vivi's chin in his hand and gently pressed his cold lips to hers. Vivi was different from Sanji, but the same at the same time. She had smaller but fuller lips and tasted like a melody of spices under the alcohol.He broke away from her and looked at Nami's pout. He laughed and kissed her as well. Again, different but the same. Her lips were soft and delicate, closer to Vivi's than Sanji's, and she tasted like tangerine liquor and the ocean somehow.Everyone was a fit of giggles, no one more than Luffy. Each kiss had given him a warm and comfortable feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. He noticed, though, that it hardly compared to the fire that roared when he just looked at Ace.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Hey, Firefist, what's up?”Ace glanced at Marco our of the corner of his eye before flicking his gaze away.“Nothing,” he said darkly.He scowled at Luffy's small group. First they had danced and passed Luffy around like a piece of meat, and now they were each taking turns greedily making out with him. Ace twisted his face as the big swimmer guy pulled Luffy, giggling, into his lap and dove into him.Ace hated that Luffy looked like he was enjoying it too. He was enjoying acting like a little whore in front of everyone. It was embarrassing.He closed his eyes, flexing and relaxing one of his fists over and over to attempt to calm himself. He knew Luffy was only doing this to get under his skin. Of course Luffy was allowed and expected to explore himself and what he likes, but so out in public? Ace shook his head. Lots of kids do shit and play games like this at these parties. He opened his eyes to see Luffy making out with the small kid with dark skin and tight curls. Ace thought he might throw up.It was so stupid.All Ace wanted was to be that person. He wanted to be the one that Luffy was on top of and devouring so hungrily. He wanted to hold Luffy like that and kiss him in public. He flexed his fist.The kicker was that green-haired boy Luffy was always hanging around with. Zoro. Luffy had been left on the ground in the middle of their circle like he had just been fucking used when Zoro stood and walked over to him.Luffy's facial expression was fucking fatal.He grinned up at Zoro with a look that completely lit up his entire face. Ace felt like someone had just stabbed him in the gut and was twisting over and over again. As Zoro knelt down and took Luffy's beautiful, stupid face in his hands Ace felt his legs involuntarily stand and begin moving towards the group. Luffy and Zoro broke away from each other as Ace approached them.“Ace…” Luffy said, breathily.Ace roughly grabbed Luffy's wrist and drug him away. He didn't look back as Luffy struggled against his grip, or when he kept trying to talk to Ace. He just pushed his way through the crowd and around the side of the house.“Ace, stop it,”Luffy tugged hard in Ace's grip, causing him to almost lose his hold on Luffy's wrist. Ace stopped and jerked back toward Luffy.“No, you stop,” he snarled.“What the fuck did I do?!”“Oh, shut up,” Ace scoffed and pulled Luffy forward.“Ace!” Luffy snapped, growing more irritated. He kept twisting his arm in Ace's strong grip. If he could just get his wrist free he could grab Ace and make him talk.Ace slammed Luffy against the car.“Get in,” he barked.“You're drunk,” Luffy said, still opening the door.“So are you,”“Not as drunk as you think,”Ace slammed the car into drive. “Oh, so you're fully aware of how much of a little shit youre being,”Luffy scoffed as Ace sped down the dark rural roads. “What's your fucking problem?!”“You fucking know what my problem is,” Ace was shaking. “Parading around like a little fucking whore, kissing goddamn everybody,”“Oh fuck off!” Luffy snapped. “You do not get to call me a whore—look at you! Half naked and on display for everyone to ogle at!”“I've been dressing like this for years,” Ace snarled. “You don't get to dictate how I dress,”“And you don't get to dictate who I mess around with!”“Fuck!” Ace slammed on the breaks and abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the dirt road. He grabbed the front of Luffy's hoodie, pulling him close. “You're messing around too?!”“So what if I am?!” Luffy tried to pull away, grabbing at Ace's bare shoulder to brace himself.“Fuck!” Ace tossed his grip on Luffy's hoodie and punched the steering wheel.“What do you care?!” Luffy adjusted his hoodie around his neck. “I can fucking explore who I am if I want to!”“I know that,” Ace said through grit teeth.“Then what's your problem?!” Ace stared straight ahead out of the windshield. He breathed heavily, anger bubbling up in his gut. His head was spinning, not just from the alcohol. He growled.“It should be me,” He said it so low in his chest Luffy wasn't sure if he heard him right.“What?” Luffy was smirking.“Fuck off,”Luffy's grin was cracking his face. “No, what did you say?!” He was pushing at Ace's shoulder, trying to get him to face him in the passenger seat.“Stop it, you heard me,” Ace mumbled, refusing to look at Luffy.“You want me,” Luffy was giggling now.“I thought we already established that,” Ace sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He glanced at Luffy out of the side of his eye. He was sitting cross-legged in the passenger seat, grinning and vibrating. Ace groaned and let his head fall back on the head rest.“Say it,”“Luffy, please—”“Say it,”Ace closed his eyes and took a deep breath.“It should be me,” he was still speaking softly, but louder than he had been before. “I don't care if you're exploring or figuring things out for yourself—you should! I'm glad for you, but…”Ace rested his head in his hand.“I want your firsts, Lu,” he continued, “I want to walk you through all of your new experiences, I want to hold your hand as you discover who you are, and I don't want anyone else anywhere close to you,”There was a moment of silence before Luffy scream-laughed and hit Ace's shoulder. "I knew it! I knew it!""Hey! Ow! Stop!" Ace batted at Luffy.“OK, but, wait," Luffy put his hands back in his lap, "You know that's not fair,”Ace raised an eyebrow at him.“You asking me to wait,”“No, Lu, I'm not—”“I don't want to,” Luffy frowned, “I want to figure out who I am and what I like now and it's unfair for you to even mention it,”“I'm not saying—”“Then what are you saying?”“I…” Ace looked into Luffy's big, dark eyes. “I don't know,”Luffy's intense gaze burned into the boy of his desires. He sat wide-eyed and breathing heavily, weighing the odds. Before either of them really registered what was happening, Luffy moved forward, connecting his lips with Ace's.Sparks.Fireworks.Absolute electricity.Luffy hadn't been experiencing kissing for long, but he could tell the difference between kissing for fun and kissing like this. Ace's lips were softer than clouds. They gave only a little under the pressure of Luffy's kiss, the bottom lip absorbing most of his weight. They were everything he had been dreaming about for weeks and it ignited something feral inside of him.Ace was breathless. He could feel the sting of tears behind his eyes as he fell deeper into ecstasy. He had never been kissed like this before. It felt like every fiber of his being had been made for kissing Luffy. The second Luffy's lips connected with his it was like something had clicked insideof him. The floodgates were open, there was no going back.He moved a shaky hand to Luffy's chest, weakly trying to push him away. Luffy took Ace's wrist in a surprisingly strong grip, and pinned it against the seat, moving his other hand to Ace's hair, entangling his fingers and pulling him closer. It was then that Ace realized Luffy was not going to let him go.Ace sighed into Luffy's lips, finally giving in. Luffy smiled into the kiss as he felt Ace's resistance fall away. He let Ace's wrist go and eased up on his grip in his hair. Gaining freedom, Ace's hands were suddenly moving, finding their way under Luffy's hoodie and shirt.Luffy's breath hitched for a moment. Ace's hands were warm, gentle, and strong. They groped at Luffy's chest and back with desperation. He giggled into the kiss. He suddenly realized that he had all of the control.They both knew how fucked they were.Luffy's hand moved to caress Ace's cheek with his thumb. He hummed, the sweetness of the kiss making his head spin. Ace's hands on his lower back were flushing his body with heat. Slowly, he trailed his hand down Ace's bare chest, tucking his pointer and middle fingers under Ace's waistband. Ace sucked in a breath.“Luffy—” he whispered.Luffy grabbed Ace's waistband, kissing him again. It was Ace's turn to grip Luffy's wrist.“Luffy,” he said, sternly.Luffy separated from him, looking into his amber eyes in the dark. His face was flushed, making his freckles stand out like little stars, and breathing heavily. Luffy pouted, making Ace laugh.“Let me take you home,” Ace said, quietly, moving his hand to caress Luffy's cheek. Luffy leaned into the touch.“But, Ace…”“Oh, my Lu, please,” Ace was smiling, “Let me say no to this,”Luffy huffed out of his nose. “You're mine now,” he said and Ace started laughing. “No, seriously, this is happening—hey!”Ace kissed him. “Why are you like this?” he whispered, still smiling.Luffy looked up at him, eyes sparkling. “I know what I want,”“Unfortunately,” Ace said around more giggles, “And I can't say no to you…”“Good,” he was beaming.“Now, will you sit down, please?” Ace shook his head.Luffy plopped back down in the passenger seat. Ace sighed and put the car into drive before reaching over and gently laying his hand on Luffy's knee. Luffy blushed, a grin creeping across his lips.“You feel so good right now, don't you, y'little shit,” Ace mumbled, but he was smirking.Luffy was beaming now. “Maybe~”Ace intertwined Luffy's fingers in his and sighed, still watching the road. “You actually don't know what ‘no’ means, do you,”“Nope,” Luffy squeezed Ace's hand.Ace sighed. He kept glancing over to Luffy the rest of the way, resisting the urge to pull over and kiss him every time. He didn't let Luffy know that, though. That's exactly what the little shit would want and would make Ace stop the car if he figured it out. He had to keep it together, if only a little bit.When they pulled up to the house, Ace put the car in park and turned it off. He squeezed Luffy's hand and turned to him.“Serious time, Lu,”Luffy frowned and turned his body to face Ace. “Yeah, okay?”“I need you to listen to me,”“Okay, I am,”“No, really,” Ace sighed, “I need you to listen to me because you didn't the first time, alright?”Luffy frowned slightly.“You're right, this is happening,” Ace continued, “I don't know what is happening, but it is happening now whether I like it or not because of you. So, we have to have some ground rules,”“Oh, come on—”“I will cut you off and act like you don't exist until you are eighteen if you don't listen to me right now,”Luffy squeaked and bit his lip.“You listening?” Ace shook Luffy's hand in his.“Yes, OK, ground rules,”“Good,” Ace sighed. “You can't tell anybody,”“But—”“Luffy,”Luffy sighed. “Fine,”“And we have to be discreet,” Ace continued, “We can't tell anybody, and we can't let anyone find out, okay?”Luffy sucked on his cheek.“So that means nothing public, okay? This is purely sneaking around,”Luffy smirked. “Sounds fun,”Ace sighed. “Sounds stressful,” he rubbed his face. “Hooking up obviously has to be discreet, too,”“Okay?”“Only when we can get time alone together,” Ace continued, “Like, in the car after practice or on the weekends when we're out. Not at school, and never at home, OK?”Luffy pouted.
“OK?”
“Okay~”“Good,” Ace looked Luffy up and down in the passenger seat and sighed, “Please let me take this slow with you,”Luffy tilted his head in a flirty way. “Can't promise,”“Oh, Jesus,” Ace laid his head in his palm and shook it. He was smiling.“Ace?”“Hm?”“I wanna kiss you goodnight before we go in,”Ace sighed and smiled at Luffy who hopped up from where he was to lean over and capture Ace's lips with his again. Ace caressed Luffy's cheekbone with his thumb.“Goodnight, Luffy,” he whispered.“Goodnight, Ace,” Luffy whispered just as quietly.Ace let go of the younger boy and got out of the car. The chill air was a shock to his lungs. Luffy was immediately next to him. Ace's fingers tingled with the desire to touch him again. He flexed his hand into a fist and walked into the house, Luffy trailing behind him. “Night, Ace,” Luffy whispered as he headed to his room.“Night—oh,”Luffy turned to look at Ace part way down the hall. “What?”“Are you…?”“What?”Ace cleared his throat. “Nothing,” he looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back at Luffy, “Think of me,” he whispered.Luffy sucked in a small breath.“I'll be thinking of you,”“I only think of you,” Luffy whispered.Ace blushed and smiled. He nodded and turned to walk to his room.They were so fucked.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sabo was standing at the end of the hallway, scowling at Ace“What?” Ace asked from his seat on the living room floor.Sabo's frown deepened.“What?!” Ace snapped.Sabo scoffed and walked into the kitchen. He aggressively opened the refrigerator door and started sifting through the contents.“Sabo!” Ace growled and got up, moving into the kitchen with his brother.Sabo glared at Ace out of the corner of his eye. Ace made a face at him.“Okay, what did I do?” Ace mocked.Sabo twisted his face into a sarcastic expression.“Hey!” Ace flicked Sabo on the forehead, “Use your words, dumbass,”“Room,” Sabo barked and slammed the refrigerator door. He quickly walked toward their shared room without waiting for Ace.“Hey—” Ace quickly followed him. He shut the door behind him when he got to the bedroom. “What is—?”“You dumbass!” Sabo hissed.“Whoa,” Ace held his hands up and took a step back. “That's…are you mad at me?”“What did you do?”“I didn't—”“Cut the crap,” Sabo sighed, “You know I read you like a book, there are no secrets here,”“Yeah, okay, I know?”“Do you even remember the conversation we had a few weeks ago?”Ace hesitated. “No?”“I can't believe I have to spell this out for you,” Sabo pinched the bridge of his nose, “When you introduced me to Luffy, I could tell you had already fallen for him, right?”“Okay, yeah, I remember that,”“And when you realized how you felt a few years later, I literally saw it. Like, I swear I witnessed your realization in real time,”“Oh…kay?”“C'mon, put two and two together for me,”“Sabo, I—” Ace abruptly stopped himself.Sabo raised his eyebrows. “You…what, Ace?”Ace frowned. “You don't… You can't…”“Look at me,” Sabo got really close to Ace, “The second I saw you this morning—you hear me?—the second… I figured it out,”“What the—you don't know anything,”“I know you and Luffy did something,”Ace clenched his jaw. “You don't know that,” he said quietly.“Don't I?” Sabo stared him down. “Am I wrong?”Ace bit his cheek. If he tried to lie Sabo might hit him, but he was too embarrassed to actually admit the truth.“No, Ace,” Sabo sighed and sat on his bed. “Don't be like that, sit down,”Ace sat cross-legged on his bed facing Sabo.“Just tell me what you did,” Sabo was finally using the voice he always used when he was talking about hard stuff and Ace relaxed a little.“I didn't do anything,”Sabo scoffed at him.“No, really, I didn't,” Ace huffed, “He kissed me,”“And you didn't stop him,”“I tried, Sabo,” Ace whined, “It's so hard, it's Luffy,”Sabo shook his head. “I was really hoping you'd be able to hold out for a while longer, but I gotta say, I'm not surprised,”“What's that supposed to mean?!”Sabo ignored him. “So, what happened?”“We just kissed,”“Okay,” Sabo said evenly, “And now what?”Ace sucked on his cheek and looked down.“You two are hooking up now, great,”“How—?!”“I'm honestly tired of explaining myself,” Sabo laughed.“I swear there's no way you can read me like that,”“Am I wrong?”Ace looked down again.“Exactly,” Sabo sighed. “I thought you were gonna talk to me about shit like this, is this why you two were fighting?”“Well, kinda,”“Go on?”Ace groaned. “He came onto me a couple of weeks ago at Marco's,” he said, “I…was able to avoid him, but he really wasn't happy about it,”“And you were pissed at yourself and the whole situation…” Sabo nodded.Ace shrugged.“And last night?”“How—?! You know what, never mind,” Ace sighed, “I was fuming, he was making out with every single one of his friends!”“Yeah,” Sabo giggled, “I saw that,”“Did you see me storm over and pull him away?” Ace chuckled.“No~” Sabo kept giggling, “That was probably when the keg stand happened,”“There was a keg stand and I missed it?!”“You were having boy problems,” Sabo was laughing now.“Right…” Ace sighed and sucked on his teeth. “So, it, uh, it …really …bothered …me,”“I'm not surprised,”“So…I decided it was time to go home,”“Okay?”Ace sighed. “I was a little rough on him when I drug him to the car, but I didn't hurt him!”“Didn't think you did,”“And we fought. In the car,” Ace said, “Listen, if you had noticed you'da been berating me about getting in the car as drunk as I was—and I know, okay, I'm very sorry,”“Not as sorry as you woulda been if something bad happened to Luffy…” Sabo mumbled.“Facts, I'll beg your forgiveness for that later…” Ace continued, “So, we fought and I…kinda…confessed to him that…I wanted to be the person he was experiencing those things with,”“Oh~ oh no~” Sabo was grinning.“Okay, dude, you gotta choose a side in this,” Ace grumbled.“I am, I am,” Sabo waved his hand. “Keep going,”“Well, you know Luffy,” Ace said and leaned back against the wall.“Oh, that I do,” Sabo leaned against the wall on his side.“Well, Luffy was,” Ace shrugged, “Luffy,”Sabo shook his head. “And you couldn't get through to him,”“He wants what he wants,” Ace sighed, “And, unfortunately, what that is right now is…me,”“Yeah, I know,” Sabo flopped on his back. “He really wants to make things difficult, doesn't he?”“Yeah…”“So…ground rules?”Ace nodded. “Ground rules,”“Hit me,”“Simple: can't let anyone find out, not at school, and never at home,”“Sounds good,” Sabo sighed. “Should I get him?”Ace frowned. “What?”Sabo shrugged. “You, me, Luffy, chilling in here?”“But…” Ace sighed, “Ground rules,”“Yeah, duh,” Sabo laughed, “I'm not gonna watch the door while you make out, but, like, give him a space to lay on top of you, y'know?”“Doesn't he do that anyway?”Sabo laughed. “Yes, but, we both know Luffy, and if you don't let him be affectionate with you in little ways here this is gonna blow up in all of our faces,”“I dunno…”Sabo hopped up from his bed. “Just let me go get him,”Ace sighed. Did he not have any agency? He shrugged and smiled slightly, the idea of Luffy laying in his lap or something made his heart flutter.“Be right back,” Sabo said, running down the hall to Luffy's room and knocking on the door.Luffy's sleepy face emerged. “Sabo?”“Hey, Lu,” Sabo was grinning. “Wanna hang out with me and Ace in our room?”“Ace?” Luffy was suddenly way more awake than he had been. “He wants me to hangout?”“Yeah, of course, why not?” Sabo said, smirking.Luffy bit his lip, smiling. If Sabo hadn't figured it out earlier that morning with Ace, Luffy would have given them away.“Yeah, okay!” Luffy chirped and bounced out of his room.Sabo laughed and followed Luffy down the hall to his bedroom. Luffy swung into Ace's room with one hand on the doorframe. He saw Ace cross-legged on his bed in gym shorts, his arms crossed. He looked relaxed, though, and was smiling affectionately at Luffy.Luffy felt his heart flutter and a blush creep across his cheeks. He grinned at Ace. He felt Sabo gently push him from behind, and tumbled into the room. He found his footing quickly and plopped on the bed next to Ace, making sure to not get too close.Sabo closed the door behind him and walked over to his own bed. “Y'know,” he said, chuckling and hauling himself onto the mattress, “You not automatically tackling him and curling up in his lap is actually more suspicious,”Luffy blinked at him. “Huh?”“He knows,” Ace said quietly. He hadn't broken his lock on Luffy's face.Luffy frowned at him. “But, you said—!”“Don't get mad at Ace,” Sabo said, “There's been three of us in this relationship since the beginning and only one of us was fully aware the whole time,”Luffy frowned and looked at Ace with a question in his eyes.“He figured it out before either of us,” Ace chucked.“How?” Luffy tilted his head at almost a ninety degree angle.“Beats me,” Ace said, exasperated.“It's because you two are not subtle,” Sabo chuckled, pinching his brow. “Like, is subtle even in your vocabulary?”Luffy shrugged.“Lu,” Ace said gently, “Do you not know what subtle means?”Luffy twisted his mouth to the side. “Not obvious?”“Close enough,” Ace chuckled.“So, wait,” Luffy was still looking at Ace, “Can I kiss you?”“No, but you can come here,” Ace lifted his arm closest to Luffy who looked at him with stars in his eyes.Luffy crawled over to Ace and grabbed his waist, pushing him over on the bed. Ace, giggling, went down and let Luffy curl up next to him with his head on Ace's chest. Luffy looked up at him with big eyes before tucking his face into the crook of Ace's neck. Ace let his head fall to the side, resting his cheek on Luffy's hair. He looked at Sabo over the small boy and mouthed “thank you,” picking up his phone to scroll.Sabo smiled at his brothers, grabbing his textbooks and laptop from his desk and spreading them out on his bed. Luffy would start snoring soon, he usually found one of them to use as a pillow anyway, Ace more often than not. Ace would sit on his phone for a few hours until he got bored, and then he'd accidentally fall asleep cuddling Luffy. This wasn't the first time Sabo had witnessed the interaction. It was just one of the many ways they had never been subtle. He was just glad they could finally see it too.

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On Monday morning Ace and Luffy practically ran into each other in the hallway on their way to get each other.“Whoa!” Ace laughed, almost tripping over Luffy and grabbing his shoulders.Luffy was giggling. “Hey,” he said.“Hey,” Ace responded and pushed the boy down the hallway towards the door.“Have a good day!” Makino called from the stove.“Bye, mom!” The boys chorused.They ran out the door, pushing each other playfully. Ace opened Luffy's door and slid over the hood of the car to get to the other side. Luffy was gazing at him with stars in his eyes.“Stop it,” Ace whispered, smiling.Luffy looked at him with big eyes.Ace turned the car on and threw it into drive. “Just hang on a minute,”As soon as they were a couple of houses down, Ace offered his hand to him with a smile. Luffy giggled and intertwined his fingers with Ace's. It was almost like their hands were two puzzle piece from the same part of a picture.Luffy felt his heart thumpingin his chest. He didn't watch out of the window like he usually did. He was too focused on Ace's hand in his. He pet Ace's skin with his thumb, admiring the softness. Ace had always had bigger hands than Luffy.“I'm...happy,” Luffy said quietly.Ace smiled, feeling the flutter in his chest. “I am, too, Lu,”“I wanna kiss you,”“Not, while I'm driving,” Ace laughed.Luffy squeezed his hand. “When?”“Oh, come on, Lu,” he was still chuckling. He glanced at Luffy's big eyes out of the corner of his. “After practice,”There went the pout.“Oh, chill out,” Ace said, “it's only a few hours,”“Too many,” Luffy mumbled.“You're adorable,” Ace's cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling.“Yes, I am,” Luffy giggled.Ace rolled his eyes as he pulled into the school parking lot and finally let go of Luffy's hand. Luffy opened and closed his hand a couple of times, feeling the emptiness. He huffed and got out of the car. Ace walked around the car and hooked his arm around Luffy's neck like he usually did. Luffy looked up at him as they started waking.“Sabo's right,” He was talking quietly but only so that Luffy would hear. “We should act normal,”Normal. Like the little touches that Luffy was just realizing had always been something more than what they seemed. Like Ace's arm around his neck, or when he would hug Luffy from behind, or when Luffy would hang on Ace's shoulders when he was sitting. So many little things that seemed so innocent before that were so obscenely obvious now. Luffy leaned into Ace's shoulder.“Earth to Luffy,” Ace said softly. He looked up at him and grinned. “Sorry,”“You're good,” Ace chuckled.“Luffy! Luffy!”Luffy looked over his shoulder at Nami heading toward him quickly, pulling Zoro behind her.“Nami!” He shouted and waved.“See you at practice,” Ace whispered in Luffy's ear. He let his fingers brush Luffy's shoulders as he removed his hand and blended into the crowd.“Damnit!” Nami said as she ran up to Luffy, looking after Ace in the crowd. “I was going to ask what happened Saturday night,”“Oh, yeah, no, he won't talk about that,” Luffy blushed.Nami grabbed his cheek and Zoro moved his face close to Luffy's.“What's that about, huh?” Nami asked.“Owowow! Stop it!” Luffy swatted at her hand.“Nope, spill, you haven't texted any of us the whole weekend!” Nami pulled harder.Zoro was glaring into Luffy's soul.“Stop it!” He swatted at both of them.The warning bell for homeroom went off and Luffy successfully pulled away from them and jogged down the hallway.“Hey! Come back here!” Nami called after him.“Luffy!” Zoro shouted.Luffy was giggling as he escaped his friends for the moment. He sat at his desk in algebra barely paying attention to his teacher. He distracted himself by doodling in his notebook instead of taking notes. He knew he wasn't going to be able to avoid Usopp without skipping bio, but he was pretty certain they were supposed to be doing an experiment and could avoid talking about Ace.“S-s-spill,” Usopp said as he caught up to Luffy in the hallway outside of the classroom.“Spill what?” Luffy had always been a bad liar.Usopp lightly punched him on the shoulder as they headed to their shared table. “D-don't be like that, y-y-you know w-what I mean,”“I actually don't?” Luffy frowned and sat down.“Dude,” Usopp said, sitting himself.“You actually gotta give me some context,”“What h-happened Saturday n-night when Ace d-d-dragged you away?” Usopp sassed.“Oh~ that,” Luffy cleared his throat, “Nothing,”“Oh, I'm g-gonna kill you,” Usopp said.“Go ahead and try,” Luffy giggled as he grabbed his safety goggles from under the table.Usopp did get distracted with their science experiment, especially since neither of them were any good at science and their experiment went haywire practically immediately. Their teacher had to stand next to them the whole time to make sure they didn't somehow set something on fire. Even though they weren't working with anything actually flammable. It was, as usual, chaos.As soon as the bell rang Luffy basically sprinted out of the door. He could hear Usopp shouting threats after him and giggled. He was huffing by the time he got to the other side of the school where his home ec class was. He doubled over, bracing himself on his knees as he huffed.A pair of sleek, non-slip shoes came into his view. He sighed and looked up.“Hi, Sanji,”“We have a group chat for a reason,” Sanji said in a strangely cold tone.Luffy straightened up. “Yeah, so you can bully Zoro and the rest of us can laugh,”“Wrong,” Sanji said, pushing Luffy into the classroom. “Radio silence is just diabolical, and did you even practice the recipe I sent home with you?”“Do I ever?” Luffy laughed and started pulling out bowls and pans from under his work station.“Ohmygod,” Sanji said, grabbing at the tools Luffy was haphazardly throwing on his work station. “If you had you would know what equipment you're supposed to need for today, I swear,”“Well, what do I need?”“Just,” Sanji pushed him aside and started organizing his workspace for him. “Nami and Usopp said you've been avoiding the subject of Saturday night?”“I mean, what's there to talk about?” Luffy giggled nervously.Sanji finished putting away the nonsense Luffy had pulled out. “Excuse me?”“I mean~” Luffy scratched the back of his head.“Y'know what? I don't have time right now,” Sanji said holding his hands up, “Try and avoid it at lunch with everyone there demanding answers,”Luffy's smile faltered slightly. “Hey, Chef Jambenoir?”Sanji frowned with one eyebrow. “What?”“May I be excused from class today?”“Are you gonna go find Zoro and panic?”
“No~”
“No,” Sanji turned around and walked to the front of the class to prep his own station for the class.Luffy growled and pulled his phone out.L -zoroZ -?L -i promised him i wouldn't tellZ -…Z -dont think u can avoid itL -cant itll mess it upZ -?L -hed be so madL -i JUST got what i wanted i dont wanna fuck it upZ -cant control those animals sorryZ -ur on ur ownZ -i wont lay into u tho“Fuck,” Luffy mumbled. He glanced up at Sanji who was walking around the class now. He slid his phone into his pocket and pulled the paper with the day's recipe on it toward him. He frowned and looked back and forth between the paper and the ingredients on his table.“Okay, looks like you're the only one struggling with this,” Sanji said, coming back over to Luffy.“Surprised?”The chef sighed. “No,”Sanji had to help Luffy the most during their class. His inability to grasp the concept of the recipe helped Luffy avoid being berated for information.“OK, now, I need you to study this recipe,” Sanji said at the end of class, “It's for your final—hey! Do you hear me?”“Yeah, yeah,” Luffy said as he grabbed the paper from Sanji before heading out of the door.“I'm serious,” Sanji said, catching up to him, “Get your mom or your boyfriend to help you or something,”“He's—!” Luffy looked around nervously, “He's not my boyfriend!”“Then what is he?” Sanji frowned at him. “Y'know what, nah, wait until we get to lunch,”Luffy groaned and tried to walk faster than Sanji, but the taller boy grabbed Luffy's collar and made sure they kept pace with each other. As they made their way toward the lunch line, Luffy's stomach flipped at what he saw.Ace and Sabo were surrounded by Nami, Vivi, Zoro, Usopp, Robin, Franky, and Chopper. Luffy could tell they were arguing, but not loudly, for that he was grateful. He groaned as Sanji pulled him up to the little group.“Fuck,” Ace said quietly when he saw Luffy.Luffy gave him a face-splitting grin as he was placed in the center of the group in front of Ace. “I can't control them, I'm sorry,”Ace couldn't help but beam down at Luffy. He closed his fists to prevent himself from grabbing onto the smaller boy in front of him.“Goddamnit,” Sabo muttered.“Oh, you two are so together,” Nami said quietly.Luffy swallowed and quickly looked away from Ace. Neither boy stopped smiling.“Not subtle, never been subtle,” Sabo muttered, exasperated, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was smirking.Nami looked at Zoro and nodded. “You two,” she said to Ace and Sabo, “At our table today,”The two boys tried to protest as the group went through the line, but they were caught by Luffy's friends and ended up at their table anyway.“We need answers,” Nami said when everyone was sitting.“W-what happened Saturday?” Usopp asked.“How much do you all already know?” Sabo asked, frowning slightly.“A lot,” Sanji said.Sabo sighed and looked at his brothers. “Well?”“Ace,” Luffy whispered, “You said not to tell,”Ace sighed. “I know,” he whispered back, “Your friends are very demanding,”Luffy smiled at the table. “Yeah, they are,”Ace looked over his shoulder to the rest of the cafeteria. “Did they have to be like this in such a public place?”Luffy chewed the inside of his cheek. “I, uh,” he mumbled, “I didn't text them all weekend,”Ace rolled his eyes, sighing deeply. “Go ahead,” he mumbled.Luffy smirked at him and turned back to the table. He spoke quietly. “We just kissed,”The table erupted and Zoro and Sabo did their best to calm everyone down. Questions were flying at Ace and Luffy a mile a minute, causing both boys to start giggling with nerves.“So, what're you now?” Robin asked.That silenced the other questions as Luffy's friends each turned to look at Ace and Luffy. Sabo sucked on his cheek as he slowly turned to look at his brothers as well.Luffy's face flushed and Ace stiffened. They glanced at each other before quickly averting their eyes. Red was burning across both of their cheeks.“I…I dunno…” Luffy mumbled.Ace shrugged.Sabo looked at Zoro.“Have they had time to talk about it?” Zoro asked quietly.“No, not really,” Sabo shrugged.Zoro looked back at the rest of their group. They were all looking at him with big eyes.“We need t'back off,” he said.There were plenty of disappointed faces, but it didn't actually take a lot of fighting to get them to agree to giving the boys space. Luffy scratched at the back of his head and Ace fiddled with his fork.“There is one thing, though,” Sabo said, “This is still a secret, even though we all have been in on it already, okay?”Everyone nodded.“Good,” Sabo looked at Ace, “Wanna go over to our table?”Ace glanced down at Luffy, then back to his other brother. “Yeah,” he said. He looked at Luffy as he got up, leaning close to the smaller boy's face. “I'll see you at practice,”Luffy grinned at him. “See you at practice,”Ace and Sabo went over to their usual table and Luffy watched him go without being berated for answers from his friends.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Practice was actually incredibly difficult that afternoon. Ace was still dressing scandalously skimpy, but Luffy cared less today. He had laid claim to Ace over the weekend, so the skin Ace was deciding to show was Luffy's. It felt more like a tease than a slight today.Ace was wearing elastic gym shorts that went to his mid-thigh. They sat low on his hips, exposing the V in his muscles and almost exposing his ass crack when he bent over, but not quite. And that was it. He was bare chested and barefoot with his long waves pulled back in a headband. Luffy couldn't keep his eyes off of him.“Hey, I appreciate the stares,” Ace chuckled when he came over to Luffy halfway through practice. He had a towel over his shoulders. “But, you should probably chill out,”“Can't help it,” Luffy gazed up at Ace, “If you want me to stop staring, you should probably put some more gear on,”Ace looked down at himself, smirking. “I guess you're right,”“Not that I'm complaining,” Luffy was smirking himself.“Hey,” Ace glanced around them, “Discreet, right?”“Sorry,” Luffy raked his eyes over Ace's body.“Stop,” Ace giggled, swatting at Luffy.Luffy ducked from Ace's hand and averted his eyes. He tried to keep his attention focused on his partner the rest of the time. Ace was working on escaping a grapple that Thatch was working on, though, and it was conjuring some dirty thoughts in Luffy's mind. He was relieved when the end of practice finally came. He practically ran to the locker room showers. He ducked his head in the water and quickly rinsed himself off, running to grab his sweats from his locker.“Hey, wait up,”Luffy looked over his shoulder as he tugged on his pants to see Ace coming towards his locker. He turned to grin up at Ace.“Hey,” he said as he grabbed his hoodie.“Hey,” Ace said, quietly. “Gimme a sec,”Luffy straddled the bench between the rows of lockers with his shoes on the bench in front of him. He started putting his socks on as Ace dropped his towel and grabbed his sweats out of his locker. Luffy kept his head down, risking a glance at Ace's ass.He had never noticed how toned and perky it was. Luffy bit his lip.Ace slipped his sweatpants on and Luffy looked down again. He finished slipping on his shoes and grabbed his bag.“Ready?” He asked as he stood up.“Yeah,” Ace said, shutting his locker and following Luffy out to the car. He unlocked the car before they got there so they quickly slipped into their seats.Luffy turned to look at Ace with big eyes and a smirk.“Hang on,” Ace chuckled.He turned the car on and headed to the pier. He found a parking spot facing the water without any other cars on either side. Ace cracked the windows and turned the car off, looking at the small boy in the passenger seat. Luffy was already unbuckled and facing Ace with a small smile hanging on his lips.“Hey,” Ace said quietly.Luffy grinned his beautiful, stupid grin and leaned up toward Ace. The taller boy leaned down, unbuckling himself and moving his hand to tangle in Luffy's hair. Luffy was on his knees, leaning over the center console with his hands holding either side of Ace's face, his fingers on the back of Ace's neck.Ace gently broke contact to lean down and move his seat all the way back. Luffy giggled and climbed over the center console, wrapping his arms around Ace's neck. Ace grinned, their noses brushing before connecting lips again.He slid his slender fingers under the hem of Luffy's hoodie, exploring soft skin. Luffy hummed into Ace's lips, parting them with his tongue. He reached down and pulled the lever on the side of the chair, pushing it down as far as it would go.“Luffy…” Ace giggled as Luffy peppered his neck with kisses.Luffy was leaning over the older boy with his elbows on either side of Ace's head. He gazed down into amber eyes. They were sparkling in the light of the street lamp. Ace's delicate touch slowly made its way up Luffy's back. Luffy grinned down at the boy under him, slightly leaning up to push Ace's hoodie up his body and over his head.Ace willingly let the hoodie slip off of him, leaning back onto the seat. Luffy gazed at Ace's skin. He moved his hands over the exposed chest in front of him, causing Ace to lean his head back and close his eyes. Ace was toned, but still slender, almost like a dancer rather than a fighter. Luffy could feel the immense strength just beneath the skin.Luffy’s head was reeling. The way Ace—his strong older brother that could easily overpower him—was giving in to Luffy's touch was intoxicating. He reached for Ace's hand, interlocking their fingers and gently pinning it next to Ace's head. He then leaned down to Ace's neck and began kissing.Ace moaned, exciting and encouraging Luffy even more. He ventured, opening his lips and licking the delicate skin where he could feel Ace's pulse rushing. More quiet moans. Luffy nibbled gently at the place where Ace's jaw and ear met, kissing down his neck to his clavicle.Luffy had heard of hickeys before, and Ace's friends had shown him what they looked like, but he wasn't totally sure what they were. All he knew was he wanted to mark Ace's perfect, golden skin as his own. No one needed to know who made the mark, they just needed to know he was claimed.He kissed the part of Ace's neck where it met his shoulders. His other hand was tangled in Ace's hair, gently pulling him to the side so Luffy could really lean into his neck. Ace sighed. Luffy grinned against his warm skin. He kissed the spot he had chosen, nibbling slightly.“Luffy…” Ace was breathless.“Ace…” Luffy whispered into his skin.Luffy latched onto the soft place of Ace's clavicle, sucking gently and licking what he had trapped in his teeth. Ace moaned, bucking his hips slightly. Luffy ground his hips into Ace's, demanding he stay pinned, and moved his hands so he was pinning both of Ace's wrists somewhere beside him. Ace obeyed.After a few wonderful minutes, Luffy released the patch of skin, allowing Ace to take a few deep breaths. Luffy hummed as he gently let go of one of Ace's wrists and trailed his fingers down Ace's chest and abdomen. He hooked his finger under the hem of Ace's pants.“Luffy…please…” Ace said weakly.Luffy stilled his hand. “Please, what?”Ace took a deep breath and moved his free hand to delicately take Luffy's wrist. “Please don't…”He was still speaking in a breathy whisper, breathing heavily, and his eyes were still closed in pleasure. Luffy studied Ace's pretty face and sighed. He moved his hand away from Ace's pants and caressed the beautiful boy's face. He so wanted to touch Ace there but for some reason Ace was very obviously not ready.“Can I ask you something?” Luffy said, quietly.“Hm?”“Haven't you done sex things already?”Ace chuckled. “Yes, plenty,”“Then why don't you…?”“I just…” Ace sighed, finally opening his eyes to look at Luffy. “You haven't,”“So?”“So…I feel really wrong rushing you when you're still a virgin,”“But, you're not—”Ace laughed. “I know, I know,” he said, “it would just really make me feel better if we took it slow when it came to sex things,”Luffy tilted his head. “Why?”“Guess I'm still trying to protect you,” Ace said quietly.“I don't need protecting,” Luffy ran his thumb over the red spot he had left on Ace's skin. He could see it already starting to turn purple.Ace frowned. “You're only fourteen, there's some things you need protecting from,”“And you're only seventeen,” Luffy said, “You also need protecting,”Ace smirked. “Are you gonna protect me?”Luffy beamed at him. “Always,”Ace reached up to hold Luffy's face in his hands. “And I'm always gonna protect you,”Luffy's smile widened, if that was even possible. “Okay, we'll wait until you're ready,” he said, “as long as you know you're mine,”“I'm well aware, trust me,” Ace smiled, moving his hand up to the sensitive place on his clavicle. “Don't think you'll let me forget that,”“Never,” Luffy kissed him.Ace looked at the dash clock. “It's getting late,” he said, “You ready to go home?”“No,” Luffy said quietly.“We gotta go sometime, and mom'll start to worry,”Luffy sighed. “Fine,”Ace smiled and kissed Luffy on the cheek. The smaller boy crawled out of Ace's lap so he could scoot the chair back up to the correct position. Ace started the car and pulled away from where they had been parked. He quietly reached over and took Luffy's hand for the car ride home, letting go just before he turned onto their street.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The skin on Ace's clavicle stayed a bright shade of purple for the next week. Every time Luffy had the chance to darken the mark he took it. Ace didn't entirely mind either. He had never been one to be overly public with who he was dating, but he had never been shy about dating. So, a mark like Luffy's was something his friends and teammates were used to seeing without knowing who it belonged to. Sabo was the only one to truly know who had laid claim to Ace's skin.Makino and Dadan, however, were very concerned.“It's gotten darker!” Makino exclaimed, exasperated. “You are seeing someone, and consistently!”“Mom, please—” Ace scratched the back of his head, his cheeks flushing.“I just want to know their name,”“Mom, it's nothing serious like that,” His blush spread at the lie, making Makino frown deeper at him.“Ace, don't play with us,” Dadan said. She stood on the other side of the counter from Ace who was sitting on one of the stools. Makino was between them with her arms crossed glaring at Ace.“I'm not—”“We just want to know if you're being safe,” Dadan said.Ace looked at her then back to Makino who shrugged and nodded.“Of course I'm being safe,” he looked down, “This…person that I'm seeing is younger and a little less experienced, we're taking things slow, I promise,”“You're not taking advantage of anyone are you?” Dadan asked, her eyebrow raised.Makino gasped. “Are you?!”“Ohmygosh, no!” Ace waved his hands. “I...I couldn't…”Makino leaned closer to him, squinting at his face before looking at her wife. Dadan raised an eyebrow at Makino, a slight smirk creeping across her lips.“What?” Ace asked.Makino leaned back, moving her hands to her hips.“You care for this person?” Dadan asked.“I mean...yeah…” Ace said quietly. A smile pulled at his lips.“Then why won't you tell me their name?!” Makino asked.“Maki,” Dadan reached over to place a hand on her wife's arm. “He's obviously not comfortable sharing anything with us,”Makino sighed, looking at Ace with sad eyes.Ace swallowed. “Look, mom, I promise to tell you when I can, but…” he sighed, “We're just not ready to really tell anyone,”Makino huffed. “Okay,”Ace opened his arms for a hug and she jumped into it. Makino was always ready for a hug from one of her teenagers.“Final question, and I need an answer,” Dadan said.Ace looked at her.“Boy or girl?”Ace blushed. “Why—?”“Because, I'll be less worried about babies if it's a boy,” She retorted.Ace chucked. “Um, yeah, he's a guy… How… how do you feel about that?”Makino squeezed him harder. Dadan shrugged.“We love you, Ace,” Makino said, looking up at him.“Plus, we kinda already figured,” Dadan added.“How?” Ace laughed, visibly relaxing.Dadan shrugged again. Makino let go of Ace and also shrugged.“Just knew,” Makino said.Ace felt tears sting his eyes and he nodded. “Thanks,”“It's no big deal!” Makino petted her son's head.Ace grinned at his mothers.“OK,” Dadan waved him off, “Go to bed,”Ace smiled and quickly moved down the hall to his and Sabo's room. His brother was sitting up on his bed with his textbooks spread out around him. He smirked up at Ace when he came into the room.“You shoulda known they were gonna catch that,” Sabo said.Ace waved him off and slipped off his gym shorts. “It wasn't that big of a deal,”“I can tell,”“Wha'd'ya mean?” Ace asked as he plopped onto his bed.“You're in a good mood,”Ace grinned at him. “Yeah,”“You didn't tell them who it was then,”Ace's grin faltered. “No,”Sabo nodded. “Didn't figure,” he set his textbook down and picked up another.“I came out,”Sabo paused and looked up at his brother, blue eyes wide.“Ma asked if I was seeing a guy or a girl 'cause she ‘wouldn't have to worry about babies if it was a guy,’” Ace said.Sabo started giggling.“I know,” Ace giggled. “They were so chill, Sabo…”Sabo smiled at his brother.“Did, uh,” Ace continued, frowning slightly, “did they ever ask you…?”“Nah,” Sabo shook his head, “But, you do kinda scream bi disaster,”“Hey!” Ace threw his pillow at Sabo's head.“Hey!” Sabo said as he caught the pillow and made sure it hadn't disrupted any of his papers. He threw it back. “I'm not wrong,”Ace scoffed, muttering. “Fucking rude,”Sabo snickered at his brother. “Dude, I get it, you're you so you can't see you but…bro,”Ace rolled his eyes.“It's not a bad thing,” Sabo continued, “I'm just saying the closet was glass,”Ace frowned slightly. “Really?”Sabo shrugged. “Yeah,”Ace sucked on his teeth, thinking. His friends weren't unfamiliar with Ace's bisexuality, but it occurred to him he had never actually come out with them. They had been present during times when Ace was exploring his sexuality. They had never questioned him. Maybe it was similar with his moms.He looked at Sabo.“How y'feeling?” Sabo asked gently.Ace smiled at him. “Good,”“Good,”“Hey,”“What?”“What, um,” Ace took a breath, “What do you think the moms'll say when they find out it's me and Luffy?”“Uh…” Sabo sighed, “I'm gonna be honest, if they find out any time soon, it's not gonna be good,”“I know, but,” Ace said, “What if it was later?”Sabo sighed deeply. “I don't know,”Ace nodded, looking up at the ceiling. “You gonna be up much later?”“Nah, I'm done,” Sabo started packing his books up.“Cool,”Ace laid still as Sabo cleaned up his study pile and turned the lights off. He tried to ignore the feeling sitting in the pit of his stomach. His fingers moved to touch the hickey on his clavicle. It was still tender.The mark was fitting, really. It branded him in a way that upheld his public reputation while secretly claiming him as Luffy's. However, the pain it elicited upon him was suitable punishment for his transgressions. Ace closed his eyes tightly. He was letting himself be happy and that was the greatest sin he could commit. He knew—just knew—he was teetering on the edge of disaster.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Shopping centers were always busy this close to the holidays, even so, Nami had insisted their friends go out the weekend before Christmas. She was a force to be reckoned with when she wanted a deal and Luffy enjoyed shadowing her around the Hightown Centre Mall. He tugged Zoro along so he wouldn't get lost and followed behind Vivi who was being led by Nami. Sanji floated around their little group carrying Nami's bags.“Robin! Chopper! Usopp!” Nami called and waved to their friends. “Where's Franky?”“Dicks,” Robin said.“Figures,” Nami giggled, “Do you need to go there to get his present?”“No, I went to this small specialty store for swimmers and triathletes,” Robin said nonchalantly.“Ooh, that's fun!” Vivi said.“Expensive,” Robin said, rolling her eyes.“Boyfriends can be, sometimes,” Nami laughed. “What'd'ya have there, Usopp?”Usopp clutched his bag. “Nuh-uh, it's a s-surprise,”“What for me?!” Nami giggled.“M-maybe! Or for s-someone else here!”Nami swatted at him, both of them giggling. Usopp subtly signaled to Nami that whatever was in the bag was for Chopper. Nami's eyes lit up and she stifled a giggle. She cleared her throat.“Do you know what Franky got you?” She asked Robin.“No, I trust him,” Robin smiled.“Awe,” Nami fluttered and looked down at Vivi. “What do you want, my dear?”Vivi giggled. “I thought you'd already bought my present,”“I did,” Nami giggled as well. “That doesn't mean I can't get you another one. Come with me!”Their group moved down the corridor of the mall. Luffy pulled on Zoro's shirt.“Are you going to get me anything, Moussu?” Sanji teased.Zoro scowled. “Why would I do that?”Sanji scoffed and walked quickly ahead of them to catch up with Nami, Vivi, and Robin.They made their way into a small boutique that had stone and crystal jewelry. Nami pulled Vivi along the tables, helping her try on bracelets and necklaces. The rest of them spread out through the store. Robin distracted herself by looking at a skull in a glass case. Usopp and Chopper found the crystal balls in the back corner of the store and we're instantly entertained. Sanji and Zoro were following each other around the store, quietly bickering under their breath.Luffy grinned at his friends and looked down at the table in front of him. Most of the things he saw were shiny crystals and pretty rocks on different chains and rings. Luffy enjoyed all of the colors twinkling in the shop light.One necklace in particular caught his eye. It was simple, just a string of round red beads with a gold clasp, but it drew Luffy in. He gently picked it up and laid it in the palm of his hand. The stones were cool to the touch, but gave a distinct impression of heat. Luffy turned the beads in his hand.“Good choice,”Luffy looked up, a little surprised, to see the shop clerk standing on the other side of the counter.“Huh?” He asked.“The necklace,” the clerk indicated, “It's red garnet, which is great for the heart and blood pressure. That one is twelve millimeter beads, eighteen inches,”“Oh,” Luffy chuckled, looking down at the necklace again. The clerk kept talkin, but they didn't need to, there was just…something about the necklace. “How much?”The clerk's eyes lit up. “Follow me, and I can check for you,”It was expensive by a fourteen-year-old's standards, but the clerk put it in a soft black drawstring bag and a simple yet nice little black box. Luffy held the bag with the box in it with shaky fingers. He stood by the exit of the store the rest of the time his friends were shopping. When they were finished, Nami immediately noticed Luffy's bag.“Ooh, what'd you get?!”Luffy blushed. “Nothin’,” he mumbled, “Just a necklace for Ace,”Nami's hand went to her mouth, suppressing a smile. Vivi, Chopper, and Usopp looked like they were going to vibrate out of their skin. Zoro clapped Luffy on the shoulder.“Oh, Luffy, that's so sweet,” Nami said.Luffy felt his blush deepen. “I dunno, I just thought he'd like it…”“It's wonderful you thought of him,” Robin said, taking Luffy by the shoulders and leading their little group out of the store. He was always grateful for her.The little bag in his fingers made him feel like he was floating the rest of the time they were at the mall. He hoped Ace would like it, he had never gotten him something like this before. Honestly, he didn't know what had possessed him to get it. Something inside of him had told him to get it for Ace the moment he had seen it. It just felt…right.He was glad for it, too. It was less than a week away from Christmas, and Luffy had gotten everyone else a present—with the help of Makino for his siblings—but had still been struggling with Ace's.He had to avoid Tama and Aika when he got home, demanding to see in the bag. He had his height to his advantage, though, and successfully made it to his room without them snatching his bag.The bag was set on the top of his dresser and he looked at it. It had the logo of the store he had gotten it from on it. He grabbed the bag and took the box out, turning it over. There was a smaller logo stamped into the bottom of the box, but Luffy figured that wouldn't matter. He dropped the bag on the floor and placed the box on top of the dresser and looked at it.His heart was pounding, and he didn't know why. Just the thought of giving the present to Ace seemed to make him nervous.Luffy climbed up on his bed and sat cross-legged on his mattress. Was he going to give it to Ace with the rest of the family? Or was this an alone present? Luffy picked at his thumb nail for a minute. It was definitely an alone present.There was a soft knock on his door.“Hey, Lu, baby, dinner's ready,” Makino said softly through the crack.“Coming!” Luffy said, hopping down off of his bed.Hitting the floor, he stopped and looked at the simple little box on his dresser again. He pushed it back slightly, making sure it wasn't too close to the edge, before skipping out of his room.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Christmas morning was always very hectic. Luffy had always woken Ace and Sabo up at six AM. Tama and Aika just encouraged Luffy's behavior. Ace had set his alarm for a few minutes before six, so he was already laying under the covers waiting for his younger siblings to come bursting in. He could see Sabo's clear eyes popping out from under his comforter. They grinned at each other.Across the hall, the sounds of Luffy busting into Uta, Tama, and Aika's room were muffled. Ace could hear excited squeaks and ruffling, bracing himself for what was about to happen. The bedroom door flew open and Luffy, Tama, and Aika came bounding in.“It's Christmas!” Luffy whooped as he and his sisters dove onto Sabo's bed, jumping on mattress that wasn't covered with their brother.“Wake up! Wake up!” Tama and Aika giggled, pulling at Sabo under the comforter. The older boy was a fit of giggles.Luffy was standing over Sabo on the bed. His head snapped to the side and locked onto Ace who quickly pulled his comforter above his head. He was suddenly tackled, the wind taken out of him.“Pfft…Luffy…” he groaned.Luffy tugged at the comforter, bringing it low so he could press his nose to Ace's.“Hey,” he said, the fabric between them muffling his voice.“Hey,” Ace giggled.“Guess what,”“What?” Ace was trying to hold back laughter.“It's Christmas!” Luffy was bouncing above him on his mattress, now, “Get up—up!”He and the girls scurried out of the room, presumably onto disturb their mothers. Ace looked over at Sabo and grinned. The boys jumped up and made their way to the living room where Uta was sitting, blurry-eyed, in front of the couch. Sabo sat next to her and Ace took his spot behind them.Luffy and the rest of the family came into the room finally. Tama and Aika always had the most gifts, and they started sorting through what was under the tree right away. Luffy came and plopped on the couch next to Ace, making sure to get as close as he could without actually being in his lap.Ace curled his feet under him and pulled up the blanket Luffy had brought him. Luffy would be up and down the rest of the morning, but would always find his place next to Ace on the couch. When Luffy actually sat down next to him for a few minutes, Ace would slide his hand over to rest on Luffy's knee under the blanket. And when Luffy got really comfortable he would lay his head on Ace's shoulder. It legitimately surprised Ace how no one in their family actually batted an eye at the way they were cuddled together.By the time ten o'clock rolled around, the small living room floor was littered with wrapping paper and boxes. Aika and Tama were playing with the half dozen new toys they had been gifted. The older kids had less gifts than the girls, they were always content with few so their sisters could experience the magic of Christmas. Their moms always tried to spoil them a little, though, and each teenager got something special. Luffy was laying on Ace, when Makino handed them each a box.“Merry Christmas!” She chimed. “From mama and me,”Luffy sat up in excitement, tearing at the red wrapping paper. Ace giggled, opening his box much slower.They were the new, high quality bags Ace had been pestering Makino for months for. Luffy's was scarlet like the team colors, with dark red detailing. The team emblem was embroidered in the center with his name in block letters underneath, both in white.Ace's was a monochrome black with a subtle black flame pattern across the entirety of it. The team emblem was embroidered in the same place as Luffy's. Above it was Ace's full name followed by “VC.” Underneath the emblem were the years he attended high school. All in a dark metallic gold.“These are so cool!” Luffy squeaked as he jumped up and hugged both of his moms. “Thank you so much!”Makino was giggling when she hugged him, rocking him from side to side. Dadan squeezed him back harder than he squeezed her.“We're proud of you,” She said, “Both of you,”Ace smiled down at the golden words, running his fingers across the thread. “Thank you,” he said, swallowing the lump in his throat, “Thank you so much,”Luffy plopped back down next to Ace, switching the bags in their laps so they could examine each other's. Ace laughed, grabbing at the bag in Luffy's hand playfully.Eventually, Minako went into the kitchen to prepare a brunch for everyone. Tama and Aika were flitting about around her as she worked. Dadan sat in her chair with a full glass of her favorite local beer, gently bouncing the baby in his basket with her foot. She was discussing some political or news subject with Uta and Sabo, both who were sprawled on the floor eating candy from their stockings.Luffy bounced in his seat, turning to Ace. “Oh!” He said. “I've got your present,”Ace grinned as he watched Luffy jump up and run into his bedroom. He came back with a grin and his comforter, grabbing Ace's arm.“C'mon,” He said, breathily.Ace was giggling as he struggled to stand up with the blanket. “Hang on,”Luffy dragged him out of the back door and over to their practice mat where he plopped down cross-legged with his comforter around him. He tugged on Ace's sleeve and Ace sat facing him, their knees touching. He pulled the blanket around his shoulder and grinned at Luffy.Biting his lip, Luffy looked down at the small black box in his lap. Luffy caressed it with his thumb for a second, before handing it to Ace.“Merry Christmas, Ace,” He said, beaming.Ace delicately took the small box in his fingers. He smiled as he looked down at it for a moment. It wasn't wrapped at all, just a low and square black box. He looked back at Luffy, his eyes bright, before opening the box and taking out the small bag inside. He undid the string and let cold stone slide into his palm.The beads were small, round, and red. They snaked in his hand, a long necklace that was one continuous string. Ace took a deep breath, running his thumb over the cool sensation.“Oh, Lu,” He looked up to Luffy's eyes, beaming. “I love it!”Luffy grinned as Ace slipped the necklace on. It settled on his chest just below his clavicle.“Really?!” He wiggled in his seat.“Yes,” Ace said, brushing Luffy's knee lightly with his fingertips, “Thank you so much,”Luffy tiled his head slightly, gazing into Ace's eyes.“I'm glad!” he chirped.Ace grinned at Luffy, looking down and biting his lip before meeting Luffy's eyes again.“Okay, my turn,” He grabbed the hem of his hoodie, pulling it off over his head and holding it out to the boy in front of him.Luffy tilted his head again, taking the hoodie and spreading the fabric over their laps. It was red monochrome tye-dye with a patch embroidered on the chest. Luffy frowned at the patch, lifting the hoodie closer to him. He gasped.“A Ziggy Stardust hoodie?!” he yelled.“Merry Christmas, Luffy,” Ace said, grinning.“Ohmygod, ohmygod!”Luffy held the hoodie up for a moment before throwing it on over his head. Since Ace had been wearing it, it was warm like a hug and smelled like his cologne. Luffy pulled the collar to his nose and sniffed. He brushed his hand across the red and white lightning bold embroidered on his chest.“It's so soft,” Luffy said, dreamily.Ace took Luffy's wrists in his slender fingers and pulled the cuffs of the sleeves over his hands. Luffy giggled, realizing there was thumb holes and slipping his thumbs through. The hoodie just kept getting cozier.“Look,” Ace whispered, flipping Luffy's wrists up, exposing the underside of the cuffs.Across Luffy's left wrist in red script the words we could be heroes were embroidered. Across his right wrist in matching script read just for one day. Luffy looked up at Ace, beaming.“Thank you so much,” he breathed.Ace grinned at him, risking a glance at his lips before looking back into his dark eyes. They sat there for only a moment, resisting the urge to devour each other, before a voice startled them.“Hey,” Sabo said from the porch.Both boys jumped slightly.“Makino said brunch is ready,”“Oh, fuck yeah,” Luffy said, hopping up and hurrying inside.“My thoughts exactly,” Ace giggled as he followed close behind.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Luffy stood in the bathroom, staring at his reflection in the mirror. The hoodie was big on him, coming down just below his butt, almost like a short dress. He pulled the collar up around his nose and mouth, breathing deeply. He closed his eyes, taking in the remnants of Ace.The hoodie was so soft and cozy. It was everything he could've asked for in a gift. He looked at the lyrics on his wrists, running his thumb over the letters. He got distracted by a knock on the door, looking up to see Ace in the doorway. Luffy grinned.“Hey!” He chirped.“Hey,” Ace said, smiling. He was wearing gym shorts and a long-sleeve athletic tee. The red beads hung around his neck. He looked over his shoulder before moving into the bathroom, shutting the door partially so it was cracked.“Got a question for you,” he said quietly.“Shoot,” Luffy was still smiling up at him, taking a step closer so there was only a few inches between them. Ace hooked one of the hoodie strings in his pointer finger and idly played with it.“You still thinking about me at night?” He asked softly.Luffy beamed. “Yeah…” he said around a small giggle, “Are you still thinking about me?”Ace frowned a little, breathing out of his nose like a slight laugh. “Of course,” he whispered.Luffy bit his lip.“So,” Ace glanced over his shoulder at the cracked door, still speaking just above a whisper, “Do me a favor, I wanna think about it tonight,”Luffy tilted his head slightly. “Okay?”“Wear this,” Ace tugged slightly on the hoodie, “Just this, nothing else, and think of me,”Luffy's heart skipped a beat. He reached up and slightly tugged on the beads around Ace's neck. “Same,” he whispered.Ace's fingers went to where Luffy's were on his clavicle, touching gently. He smiled down at the brilliant boy in front of him. He cleared his throat and took a step back. He smirked and winked as he swiftly walked out of the bathroom and down the hall.Luffy was breathing heavily as he walked quickly to his room. He shut the door and leaned against it, trying to calm himself. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and thinking about Ace.He took off the hoodie, laying it on his dresser momentarily. He took off his tee shirt he had underneath, throwing it on the floor and tugging the hoodie back over his head. It was so soft. He flipped the hood up one his head, tightening the strings slightly and pulling the fabric close around him.He took a deep breath, thinking of Ace. He then slipped his shorts and briefs off, letting them fall to the floor. The hoodie still covered his erection. He pawed at himself, adjusting slightly before climbing up into his bed and pulling his comforter over him.He immediately started stroking his shaft. His eyes were closed and he was taking deep steady breaths. He pulled the collar of the hood up over his nose and mouth again. Ace was suddenly surrounding him and he became even more sensitive. His hips bucked as he kept stroking himself, imagining holding down Ace's wrist as Luffy finally was able to slide his hand below the hem of his pants.God, he wanted Ace's dick so bad. He didn't know what he wanted exactly, he just knew that he wanted it. He imagined touching it, Ace throwing his head back in ecstasy. He imagined sucking on it, eliciting moans from the older boy.“Fuck…” Luffy moaned, “Ace…”The thought of Ace melting at Luffy's touch was driving him mad. He wanted to put Ace in so much pleasure. He wanted Ace begging for his touch. He wanted to make sure Ace had a need that only Luffy could satisfy.He thought about Ace in his own bed. Luffy hoped he was also masturbating while thinking about him. He thought about the necklace laying on Ace's shoulders like a subtle collar claiming him. Oh, how Luffy wanted to fuck him while the only thing he was wearing was that necklace.When he finally released he let out a whiney moan, louder than he intended. He clasped his hand over his mouth as he finished. He came hard and long, spilling all over his thighs. He flung his hand away when he was done, huffing deeply and exhausted.He grinned up at the ceiling with his eyes closed. Now if only he could get away with that with Ace, then he'd be satisfied. He picked up his phone.
i want to do that WITH you
There was only a moment before the response.
i know
Luffy sucked on his cheek.
i really think im ready
The little dots on the bottom of the screen popped up, then went away, then popped up again.
im just scared lu
He took a deep breath.
of what ?
He waited.
i dont know
Luffy sighed and tapped on his phone. Another message popped up.
please dont push it i like you way too much
Luffy grinned.
you like me ???
He could hear the sarcasm through the text.
obviously
Luffy giggled. Another message.
i like you so much it fucking scares me
Luffy kicked his feet under his blanket. His phone buzzed again.
i don't wanna fuck it up
He rolled on his side staring at the message.
then follow my lead
The response came almost instantly.
im afraid of that too
Luffy sighed, swallowing the lump in his throat.
do you want us to stop?

would you even let me?
Luffy smirked.
no

yeah exactly
Luffy huffed.
that doesn't matter do YOU want us to stop?
He held his breath waiting for the response.
no never
Luffy sighed out of his nose, trying to think of what he was going to say next. His heart was fluttering and it was a little hard to think.
then you're not gonna be able to ignore it forever
He waited.
i know
He groaned, obviously not getting anything else out of Ace tonight. His phone buzzed again.
good night lu x
Luffy's heart felt like it might burst when he saw the small x at the end of the text. That was the closest bit of affection Ace had shown in their texts beside discussing their feelings for each other.
good night ace x
He tucked his phone under his pillow and curled up on his side, drifting off to thoughts of the boy who had his heart.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“You're coming to the New Year's party that rich kid is throwing, right?” Zoro asked over the phone.“Yeah, duh,” Luffy said as he shuffled through the pile of his clothes on the floor. He sniffed a pair of shorts and grimaced.“Good,” There was some commotion on the other end of the line.“What was that?” Luffy asked, giggling.“Nothing,” Zoro grunted, “The chef's just pissing me off,”“Sanji's there?”“Unfortunately,”“Salut, mon ami!” Sanji's voice was muffled, obviously in the background.Luffy giggled. “Hi, Sanji,”“Moussu, pouvons-nous—”“Gimme a minute,” Zoro snapped.“Ah! Cher cœur! Pourquoi dois-tu être si cruel?!”Luffy could hear Zoro speaking away from the phone, muffled and quiet as Sanji berated him. “Curly— Curls— will— Jesus Christ, peux-tu m'accorder une minute, s'il te plaît?… I will… no… okay…” There was shuffling over the phone.“Sorry,” Zoro said when he returned to the conversation.“You know French?” Luffy asked, frowning.“Yeah?” Zoro asked sarcastically, “My dad made me?,”“Weird…” Luffy shook his head as he pulled a pair of loose jeans from the bottom of the pile. “Ah!”“Dis-lui pas le jean!” Sanji yelled on the other end.“He says not the jeans,” Zoro said into the phone.“Huh?!” Luffy asked, “How'd he—?”“Don't ask, it's like a sixth sense,” Zoro grumbled.“Septièmement! Mon sixième sens est pour la cuisine,”“Yeah, whatever, show off…” Zoro mumbled. “But he's right, don't just wear jeans, it's like a penthouse loft or something in the middle of downtown,”“Huh,” Luffy sat cross-legged looking at his clothes in front of him. “I have some black jeans I wore once to a wedding,”“C'est toujours du denim!” Sanji called.“Yeah, but it's black denim,” Zoro groaned to Sanji.“Non—il ne peut pas porter de jean,”“It's black denim, he wore it to a wedding,” Zoro muttered.“Dis-lui juste—”“You tell him! I don't give a shit!”“What's he saying?” Luffy asked.“I'm not translating for the prick, he knows how to speak English,” Zoro said.“Tsk, je te déteste,”“Yeah, ditto,” Zoro groaned.There was a moment of silence on their side.“Stop it,” Zoro said.Another moment of silence with slight shuffling.“I'm serious,” Zoro said, “Curls, stop it—hey, Luffy, sorry, I gotta go, I'll see you tonight,”He hung up and Luffy laughed. He held the pants up, chewing on his cheek. His phone buzzed. Sanji.
NOT. JEANS.
Luffy snorted and threw his phone on his bed. He stood in the middle of his room, turning around. He had shorts, jeans, and sweatpants. Luffy chewed on his cheek.“Hey, Ace?” He called as he headed out of his bedroom.“Yeah?” Ace asked, poking his head out of his door.Luffy smirked seeing him. Ace was shirtless, with just the red bead necklace hanging around his beautiful neck. As he bounded to the door, Luffy noticed that Ace was also wearing dark orange skinny jeans.“Sanji says I can't wear jeans,”Ace laughed. “What's he want you to wear, sweatpants?”“Right?!” Luffy laughed.“Just wear those black ones Sabo and I got you for that one wedding mom made us go to,”“Y'think?”“Yeah,” Ace looked Luffy up and down, “And wear, uh…hang on,”Ace pushed past Luffy and went to the younger boy's room. He stopped abruptly at the mess on the floor, giving Luffy a judgmental look before shuffling through the pile. He pulled an oversized dark scarlet graphic tee from the pile and handed it to Luffy.“This,” he said, “Then come to me, I think I can help,”Luffy giggled. “Okay,”“Have you showered yet?”Luffy shook his head and Ace rolled his eyes.“Hurry up,” Ace said and pushed him out of the door.Luffy tried to hurry, but he got distracted like he usually did. Ace had to knock on the door to get his attention at one point. Eventually, though, he made his way to Ace's room wearing the black jeans, the shirt Ace picked out, and his new hoodie.Ace grinned at him. “Hey,”“Hey!” Luffy chirped.“Come in,” Ace was frowning at a pile of things on his bed.Luffy skipped into the room and stood next to Ace. He leaned over and looked at the accessories Ace had spread out. He then looked up to Ace.“What're y'doing?” He asked.“Deciding,” Ace said, he was frowning.“Deciding what?” Luffy giggled.“What to dress you in,”Luffy laughed and sat on the edge of the bed. Ace looked back and forth from the items on the bed to Luffy. As he thought, Luffy gazed at Ace.He had donned three necklaces of various lengths in addition to the red beads. He had multiple earrings in, his wavy mullet was styled, and he had put on a little bit of eyeliner. Luffy noticed his slender hands had been adorned with a few rings. He had also added a cloth belt with rivets that went all the way down the length of it. Chains hung off of the belt loops, connecting to different pockets. His black jacket laid on the bed next to Luffy.Ace picked up a dark leather bracelet and handed it to Luffy. It was a couple of inches thick, and wrapped once around Luffy's wrist, closing with a snap. He looked at it on his wrist.“Y'think so?” He asked.“Mm,” Ace was looking at the items on the bed again. “You're not…an accessory guy…I'm struggling,”Luffy giggled and looked at the pile of things next to him. He sifted through the pieces of jewelry and belts and chains. He looked up when he felt a soft touch on his elbow. Ace was smiling at him.“I think you look great,” he said.Luffy beamed up at him. He looked down at the bracelet on his wrist.“I'll still wear this,” he said.Ace smiled and then walked over to his dresser, grabbing a bowl off of the top and bringing it to Luffy.“Want any pins?” He asked.Luffy's eyes lit up and he grabbed the pin bow, sifting through it. Ace laughed and grabbed his jacket, slipping it on and zipping it up halfway. He scooped up the stuff on the bed and put it away as Luffy picked out a pirate flag pin, a bowl of ramen, and a cat. Ace plopped on the bed next to Luffy as the smaller boy was studying a heart shaped pin that was pink, purple, and blue.“Hey,” Ace said, gently.Luffy looked up at him, slightly startled, and beamed. “Hey!”“What're you thinking ‘bout?”“Uh,” Luffy looked down at the pin and sucked his cheek.“You ready to come out like that?”He looked up at Ace. He twisted his lips back and forth. “I…”“Wait…” Ace said quietly, “Have you even thought about that much?”Luffy blushed. “No, actually…”“So, how do you know you're bi?”Luffy frowned. “Wha'd'ya mean?”Ace smiled at him. “You know sexuality is a spectrum, right?”“I mean,” Luffy twisted his brows, “Yeah?”Ace tenderly took the pin from him. “Let's wait on this until you can think about it more, okay?”Luffy smiled at him. “Okay… will, um…”“What?”“Will you talk about it with me?”Ace grinned at him. “Of course,”Luffy bit his lip, smiling, trying to resist the urge to kiss the boy in front of him. Ace smiled back, gazing at Luffy's lips. He flicked his gaze to the open door and took a deep breath. Ace stood up and held a hand out to Luffy, pulling him up. Luffy was giggling.“Ready to go?” Ace asked.“Yup!” Luffy said, skipping out of the door.Ace shook his head giggling, following Luffy out into the living room where their little sisters were watching the early countdown. The girls jumped around their brothers with excitement. Ace giggled as he picked up Tama, Aika climbed into Luffy's arms, throwing hers around his neck. The boys spun their little sisters around to the music on the TV.“Are you two going to the same party Sabo and Uta will be at?” Makino asked from her seat on the couch with the baby.“Yeah! The one downtown for all the teenagers,” Ace said, still spinning Tama around.“Okay, be safe, please,”“We will!” Luffy chirped.“Is ma gonna be home before midnight?” Ace asked, spinning his way toward Makino.Makino smiled. “Yes, but she will be home after I put all of these ones to bed,”“That'll be nice,” Ace winked at her.Makino giggled. “Yes,” she said, “yes it will,”Ace and Luffy attacked their sisters with kisses before they were let go out of the door. Ace nudged Luffy as they walked to the car. Luffy looked up at him, beaming. Both of their fingertips vibrated with desire.As soon as Ace started the car, Luffy grabbed his hand, entangling their fingers and placing their hands in his lap. Ace chuckled under his breath. Luffy squeezed his hand.“Let's stop by the pier for a few minutes,” Luffy said.Ace laughed. “Insatiable,” he mumbled as turned down the street toward the pier.Luffy grinned.They pulled into a spot on the end of the parking spots away from the lights. Ace parked the car, leaving it on and turning the heat up slightly. Luffy grabbed Ace's jacket, pulling him close. Ace giggled, letting Luffy kiss him.Luffy was on his knees in the passenger seat, his hands tangled in Ace's perfect hair. Ace had turned himself sideways to kiss Luffy. His hands were on the smaller boy's hips, creeping their way under the hem of his shirt to caress soft skin. Luffy hummed into the kiss, parting Ace's lips with his tongue.They kissed for only a few minutes. Ace brought his hand to Luffy's cheek, petting his cheekbone with his thumb. Luffy leaned his head into the touch, his eyes closed and sighing contently. Ace quickly kissed Luffy's lips once more before he pulled out of the parking lot and headed their way downtown.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Downtown Highwater was cramped and noisy. Ace had to find a place to park on the street a block or two from where they were going. He flung his arm around Luffy's shoulders as they walked through the cold city to the highrise that the party was taking place at. Even as they got closer to the building and more people they recognized from school gathered heading the same way, Ace kept his arm around Luffy. He would have even before, he was actually very paranoid about Luffy hurting himself. Mostly because the idiot was extremely accident prone.The building looked like it was one solid sheet of glass going up and up into the sky. Luffy was mesmerized by all of the glittery gold in the lobby. It covered everything: the walls, the floors, the desks, the light fixtures and the decorative pillars, even the elevator—everything was golden. He let Ace steer him into the elevator with a group of other teenagers where even the inside and the buttons were gold. Luffy thought that it was the longest elevator ride he had ever taken.When the doors opened, they were hit in the face with loud music as well as the smell of weed and alcohol drifting over them. In the confusion of the crowd, Ace slid his hand down Luffy's arm to entwine their fingers and pull him along with the flow of people. The penthouse was two stories with a pool on the lower level. The lights were low with multiple strobes and multicolored lasers flashing throughout the open living area where a dense crowd of people were dancing. Ace snaked through the bodies to find themselves near the island that separated the living area from the kitchen area.“Firefist!” Thatch waved at Ace from the other side of the island.Ace beamed at his friend and waved back. “Hey!”He and Luffy made their way around the island into the actual kitchen area. As they approached, Ace let go of Luffy's hand and hooked his arm around his neck instead. They took the cups they were offered when they reached Thatch and Marco.“What's going on, bros?” Marco asked over the music.“Not a lot, man,” Ace said, laughing as Luffy started downing his cup, “Hey, Lu, chill!”“It's New Years, Ace!” He chirped as he finished off his cup, grimacing, “And your birthday tomorrow!”Ace laughed, throwing his head back. “Yeah, yeah, you got me there,”Luffy held his cup out to Thatch for a refill. “I'll nurse this one, promise,”“You better,” Ace looked over his shoulder, scanning the crowd. “Your friends here?”“Probably,” Luffy shrugged.“Wanna find them or chill here?”Luffy looked over his shoulder, scanning the crowd around him for any sign of his friends. He pulled his phone out and opened up his texts to Zoro. “I'll chill with you. They'll find me when they want,”Ace blushed slightly as he smiled, turning back to Thatch and Marco.“Did you guys have a good holiday?” He asked.“Hell yeah!” Thatch grinned. “My parents got me some sweet accessories for my bike, I'll have to show y'later,”“Oh, sweet,” Ace laughed.“Dude, I like that necklace, is that new?” Marco asaked, reaching up from his seat on the counter to tug at the red beads around Ace's neck.Ace beamed. “Yeah, Luffy got it for me. Isn't it great?!”Marco's eyes flicked up to Ace's face, then quickly to Luffy's and back before smirking slightly.“Yeah,” He dropped his hand and motioned to Thatch for a refill, “You should never take it off,”Ace laughed. “Well, I can't wear it in practice or competition, so, I'm not sure if I can never take it off,”Marco shrugged. “Fair,” He motioned behind Luffy, “In coming, by the way,”Luffy frowned. “In com—”He was tackled from behind, giving Ace barely a moment to react and not go down as well. Suddenly, they were overrun with Nami, Vivi, Usopp, and Franky all talking over each other, soon followed by the rest of them. Ace sighed and moved closer to his teammates, watching Luffy's friends energetically monopolize him, a small smile on his lips. Grinning, Luffy turned to him as they were pulling him away.“I'll find y'later?”Ace winked at him, smirking now. “You better,”Luffy was dragged away and Ace rolled his eyes as he reached over to refill his drink. He caught Marco looking at him with an eyebrow raised.“What?” He asked, frowning.Marco shrugged. “Nothing, just thinking,”Ace rolled his eyes. “That's a first,”Marco punched him on the arm. “I've got better grades than you, vice,”Ace laughed, punching him back. “Yeah, yeah, whatever,”He felt Marco grab at his jacket and pull him closer to him. Ace tried to protest as Marco held him firm, studying his face. Scrunching his face up, Ace pushed against his friend, eventually getting him to break his grip.“What's your problem, man?” Ace scoffed, smoothing his jacket down.“How long you been seeing them?”Ace frowned at him. “What?”“You're seeing someone, and it's serious,”“You know I date around,” Ace sighed as he dragged his hand across his face. “Since when do you care?”“Since you come to parties with your competition eyes,”Ace narrowed his eyes on his friend. “What?”“I mean, he's right,” Thatch chimed in, “You only have that look in your eyes on tourney days,”“Pfft,” Ace rolled his eyes and took a swig of his drink. “You guys are crazy,”“Maybe,” Marco said, “But if it's not your competition eyes, you've got someone you're gonna knock heads over, and they're here tonight,”“You don't know anything,”“You're really gonna keep it on the down low?”“Trust me,” Ace sighed, “It's better on the down low…”“As long as you're not boring,” Thatch retorted.Ace laughed, punching Thatch on the shoulder. “I…” he sighed, “I'm not gonna be hooking up with any random people tonight if that's what you're asking,”“Damn, really? That serious, huh?” Marco looked at Thatch, “Has he ever been that serious about someone?”Thatch shook his head. “Not since we known him,”“C'mon guys, it's nothing like that…”Marco rolled his eyes at his friend. “I hate to tell y'man, but it's been written all over your face all semester,”Ace rolled his eyes, looking away from Marco's accusatory gaze. “It's not…it's nothing like that,”“Sure, okay,” Marco scoffed, smirking at the red flush creeping across Ace's face.Ace buried his face in his drink. He could see Luffy on the dance floor, spinning and laughing with his friends. A smile crept across his face. Luffy moved without inhibition, his head back and his arms flung out to the side. His radiant smile shined through the darkness of the party to where Ace was hiding with his friends. Marco lightly backhanded Ace on the chest, making him grunt and look at the other boy.“They're dancing?” Marco asked.Ace rolled his eyes again. “Drop it…please?”Marco huffed. “So, Thatch, have you figured out your Blender combination yet for Districts?”Luffy caught a glimpse of Ace laughing with Thatch and Marco before he was pulled across the crowd by Usopp as Robin and Vivi pushed him from behind, dragging their counterparts with them. Zoro was sitting cross-legged in a low chair he had commandeered with a large bottle of rum in one hand. Sanji was sitting in front of him with one of his legs stretched out straight and the other bent at the knee. Sanji's upper half was twisted around so that he could look at Zoro. He was chattering aggressively about something, his rolled cigarette waving about with his hands. Luffy was plopped down on the ground next to Sanji while the rest of his crew found a seat somewhere around him. He looked up at Usopp who had taken the chair above him and took the joint that was offered to him.“So, w-what's been going on w-with you?” Usopp ruffled Luffy's hair.“Nothing,” Luffy giggled, “You?”Usopp rolled his eyes, looking at Nami and Franky.“G-get a load of th-this guy,” he jabbed his thumb at Luffy making their friends laugh.“What?” Luffy giggled.“How's it been with your…uh…” Franky tapped his chin. “What're you guys again?”Luffy dipped his head, swirling the liquid in his cup. He was smiling. “I dunno,”“Well, what do you want him to be?” Robin asked from her seat lounging on Franky.Luffy sucked his cheek, looking down at the lyrics on his wrists. “Mine,”His friends chuckled.“I think you got that covered, mon ami,” Sanji ruffled Luffy's hair.Luffy laughed and waved his friend off. He looked across the party to get a look at Ace, his eyes sparkling.“Call it what you want,” he shrugged, “I don't care, as long as he calls himself mine,”Vivi squeaked, her hand flying to her lips and then tucking her face into Nami's shoulder. Her counterpart was grinning at Luffy, her eyes slightly misty. Franky and Robin looked at each other and grinned. Usopp sniffed and patted Luffy on the head. Luffy looked up at him frowning and looked around at his friends. Zoro smirked at him and took a swig of his bottle.“What?” Luffy asked.“You're just cute, mon ami,” Sanji said, passing him the joint.Luffy frowned and pouted at him. “Am…am not,”His friends giggled around him.“The way you are about him…” Nami said dreamily, “It's just too sweet, Luffy,”Luffy's eyes flicked down sheepishly, a smile and a blush creeping across his cheeks. “I don't know about that…”It occurred to him that he liked that his friends were giddy about him and Ace. Joy was one of the emotions that had dominated his mind the past few weeks since the night Luffy had first kissed him. It made his heart flutter and swell that his friends were experiencing his joy along with him. He took another swig of drink.“Did he get you the hoodie?” Sanji asked, nudging Luffy's shoulder with his.“Yes! And look!” Luffy held his wrists up so Sanji could see the lyrics.“Oh, wow,” Sanji said, running his fingers over the embroidered letters. “He did good,”“I know right?!” Luffy hugged himself and pulled the collar around his nose. “Smells like him too,”“Okay, you gotta stop, mon ami, you're too cute,”Luffy shook his head “no,” grinning like an idiot.“Ohmygosh, Nami!” Vivi squeaked, hopping up and dragging Nami to the dance floor, “This song!”The night carried on in bejeweled delight. Luffy found himself dancing again after a few minutes, jumping on Franky's back as he cha-cha'd after Robin and Usopp. At one point they were outside in the cilly night air, threatening to push each other into the pool. Luffy burst into high pitched giggles as the shoving became too aggressive and he lost his balance. He was weightless and a little numb as he fell backwards in slow motion, looking up at Zoro and Nami's shining faces and the stars behind them through kaleidoscopes.Cold shocked through his entire body as he broke the surface of the water and sank below. The sounds of the world faded away from him, the lights and colors of the world danced in front of him, cold water surrounded him, but a strong sensation of warmth spread throughout his body. He grinned up at the blurry shapes frantically moving above him as he felt the bottom of the pool gently against his back. His head turned to the sides, looking at the edges of the rectangular pool around him.It wasn't anything visually impressive, but it was salt water, which Luffy liked a lot. The tiles were three different shades of aqua with pale orange ones scattered randomly. He was laying on the decline in the middle of the pool where it transitioned from the shallow end to the deep end. He figured he was about six feet under at the moment, not the deepest he's been.Gold skin shining in the lights of the party caught his attention above him and he grinned. He was looking through the water and the haze of intoxication, but he could tell that Ace was standing in the middle of his frantic friends with his hands on his hips. Ace put his hand on Franky's shoulder (Franky was the biggest shape up there, so Luffy could tell it was him) and laughed. Luffy giggled to himself under the water when Ace leaned over the edge of the pool, staring directly at him. He moved his arms slightly and moved towards his friends.He flung his head back as he broke the surface of the water, taking a big gulp of air and bursting into giggles. His friends were above him, absolutely laying into him.“That was mean, Lu,” Ace laughed as he reached down to grab Luffy's arm. “They were really worried about you, they're not used to the shit you pull around water,”Luffy was still giggling as he grabbed onto Ace's torso as soon as he was pulled out. “I know, I'm sorry everyone,”“What the fuck was that?!” Nami asked in a panicked voice.Sanji aggressively began drying Luffy off with a towel he already had ready, mumbling angrily under his breath. Zoro stood close to Luffy, his crossed arms being the only outward sign of stress.“I can hold my breath for a long time, always been able to,” Luffy laughed, trying to shove Sanji off. Ace grabbed Luffy's wrists and gently shoved his hands down so Sanji could continue drying him.“Gimme your hoodie,” Ace said to Luffy quietly.Luffy puffed out his cheeks and frowned.“There's a dryer, it'll be warm,” Ace laughed at the shorter boy.Luffy rolled his eyes and pulled the hoodie off of him, handing it to Ace and letting Sanji start patting down his back. Ace booped Luffy's nose and started walking toward the house with the wet hoodie.“Sanji, stop,” Luffy tried to push Sanji away again.“You're soaked,” Sanji muttered as he followed behind Luffy who was being dragged inside by Zoro.Luffy was plopped down in front of the fireplace in the living room of the penthouse. Vivi dropped a fluffy towel around his shoulders, Sanji still patting him down and Nami examining his head.“I didn't hurt myself, Nami,” Luffy giggled.“Stay still, I just want to make sure,” she mumbled as she raked through his wet hair.Luffy rolled his eyes. Sanji had finally finished fiddling with attempting to dry him off and had left to the kitchen, presumably to throw together something warm. Franky was handing Luffy shots, insisting it would warm him up.“I'm not cold!” Luffy laughed.Robin and Usopp each raised an eyebrow at him as he shivered under the towel.“Take the shot, Lu,”Luffy looked up and grinned at Ace who was standing above him. Ace crouched down behind Luffy and kicked his feet to either side of the smaller boy, engulfing him in a big bear hug. Luffy giggled as Ace tugged at the towel, pulling it over Luffy's eyes. He failed his hands until he could see again, gazing up into Ace's eyes from a half-laying position now.“Where's my hoodie?” He chirped.“In the dryer,” Ace laughed. “It'll be a bit until it's dry,”Luffy pouted and let his head fall back onto Ace's chest. In the low light of the party surrounded by their group of friends, they were pretty hidden from prying eyes, or at least enough for Ace to lean down and brush his cheek against Luffy's for a moment. Luffy grinned up at the boy leaning over him. His eyes flicked to his friends who were only partially paying attention to them. Looking back up to Ace's eyes, he lifted his hand to gently brush his fingertips down his jaw.Ace's breath caught in his throat at the simple touch, his heart began beating faster and he became light-headed. A laugh escaped his lips and he started giggling as he gazed down at Luffy. The moment was almost ridiculous, bursting with tender adoration radiating from both boys as they took the opportunity for semi-private affection. Ace looked up and around the party before looking back down at the boy laying in his lap. It was a dream he could have only ever hoped for. If only he could lean down and kiss Luffy right here and now in front of everyone. That's what he really wanted.He brushed a damp piece of hair from Luffy's forehead, smiling. Sighing, he looked over his shoulder and dared a glance at Thatch and Marco on the other side of the room. Thatch was distracted talking to a couple of girls, but Marco had his eyes focused on Ace and Luffy. Ace felt heat rush up his neck to his cheeks and quickly looked away from Marco. Damnit.Ace sighed and patted Luffy's head before standing up. Luffy pouted up at him, making him laugh.“I'll see you later, Lu,” he smiled, waving as he wandered back through the crowd of people.Luffy sprawled out on the floor in the middle of his friends, pouting. He chewed on his cheek as he stared up at the ceiling above him. The lines of the metal-looking tiles were wiggling in his blurry vision. He yawned, his eyelids feeling heavy.“You're not falling asleep, are ya?” Franky laughed.Luffy opened one of his eyes to look at his friend. “Nah, just chilling,”Zoro nudged him with his toe and Luffy turned his head to look at him, frowning.“It's only like forty-five minutes until midnight,” Zoro said.“Really?” Luffy yawned again. “That close, huh?”He smiled as he closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the party around him. He tugged on Sanji's pant leg next to him, grabbing at the joint and taking a hit before passing it to whoever took it from him after that. Sanji gently pulled Luffy's shoulders into his lap, leaning back onto Zoro's legs as his head rested against the boy's knee as Sanji chattered to him.Luffy hummed contently to himself. His feet were propped up in Vivi's lap while Vivi was relaxed on Nami's chest. Usopp laid on his stomach, his shoulders and chin resting on Luffy's belly. Franky and Robin were sprawled next to the pile, Robin playing with Nami's hair and laying in Franky's lap. Cuddle piles weren't unusual for them to find themselves in at all. It was actually one of Luffy's favorite things his friends did.Franky and Usopp were talking about their robotics team, Sanji was blabbing away to Zoro in French. Luffy couldn't hear the conversation the girls were having as well, but he thought it was something about Vivi's father at the moment. It didn't actually matter, he just liked the conversations around him.He opened one of his eyes when he felt Sanji tap him on the forehead, raising his eyebrow.“It's almost midnight,” he said, smirking down at Luffy.Luffy popped up, surprising Usopp.“Sorry,” he giggled.“Y-you're good,” Usopp giggled, pulling his phone out.Luffy looked over the crowd of people all moving about. There was a TV in the living room where the party had mostly been taking place where they could watch the ball drop. A lot of others were outside by the pool so they could see the fireworks go off. He spotted Ace on his way to where Luffy was, holding his hoodie in his hand. Luffy bounced up and moved to meet Ace a few feet away from his group. He grabbed at his hoodie and tugged it on.“Aw…” He pouted.“What?” Ace chuckled.“Doesn't smell like you anymore…”Ace threw his head back, laughing. He moved close to Luffy and spoke so only he could hear. “I'll wear it to bed, okay?”Luffy grinned up at him, his heart fluttering. He looked over his shoulder at his friends. Vivi and Nami were already outside together in a blanket waiting for the fireworks. Franky and Robin were still curled up together next to the fire, speaking softly together. Usopp had moved away to the corner so he could talk on the phone with his girlfriend, Kaya, who was studying overseas. Sanji was on his phone, but still yapping away to Zoro who was still lounging on his chair with a bottle of liquor. Zoro waved at Luffy when he noticed him looking. Luffy smirked at his friend before looking back at Ace, taking his hand.“C'mon,” He said quietly, tugging slightly at Ace.Ace smiled at him, glancing around them before quickly moving them behind the stairs and down a dark hallway behind them. Luffy could hear the countdown start from behind him as he and Ace giggled in the dark.“Ten!”He pushed the older boy up against the wall, sliding his hands up his bare chest.“Nine!”Ace pulled Luffy close, his arms around the smaller boy's waist.“Eight!”Luffy grinned up at amber eyes shining in the darkness.“Seven!”Ace's breath hitched in his chest as he looked down at the boy in his arms. Big, bright, black eyes were fixed on his face. Luffy's cheeks were flushed, obvious even in the low light.“Six!”His hand slid up to caress Luffy's cheek. He whispered. “Happy New Year, Lu,”“Five!”Luffy grinned up at Ace, leaning his cheek into his touch. He moved closer to the older boy, pressing the length of his body up Ace's.“Four!”“Happy birthday, Ace,” He whispered.“Three!”Ace's mind was spinning. A shiver ran up his spine, making goose bumps appear and his hair stand on end. He squeezed Luffy close.“Two!”Luffy closed his eyes as Ace lifted him slightly in his arms, bringing their faces closer together. He wrapped his arms around Ace's neck, tangling his fingers in perfect curls as their noses brushed.“One!”They collided open-mouthed, both of their tongues fighting for dominance in the kiss. Luffy's fingers clenched in Ace's hair, his leg lifting slightly to wrap around Ace's knee. Strong hands were already under Luffy's shirt groping at soft skin on his back. Luffy's hand moved down Ace's chest, wrapping around his back and grabbing at his ass. Ace gasped against Luffy's lips, moving his own hand down to firmly take a hold of Luffy's thigh he had hiked up just below his ass. He gently pulled the boy forward, grinding their hips together, reveling in the erection he could already feel in Luffy's pants.Gasping, Luffy broke their contact, leaning back and grinning in the most devious way. He hooked two of his fingers under Ace's necklace and began walking backwards, pulling him along until Luffy hit a door and dragged him in.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Luffy…” Ace said softly as Luffy closed the door and pushed him against it. They were in a small half-bath that was only partially lit by a warm lamp.“Ace…” Luffy breathed before kissing him for a moment. “I…”He trailed his fingers down Ace's chest and belly, gently hooking his pointer finger in his belt. Ace's breath hitched in his throat as his eyes fluttered behind his eyelids. He took Luffy's face in his hands, his fingers tenderly brushing against the back of his neck.“Lu…”“You want me…” Luffy whispered.Ace laughed, kissing Luffy's perfect lips again. He rested their foreheads together, sighing. “Yeah…”It was Luffy's turn for his breath to hitch. He braved a second finger in Ace's waistband, sliding his hand closer to the zipper and caressing the button with his thumb. Ace was breathing fast, but he wasn't stopping him. Luffy clenched his jaw and swiftly moved his other hand to Ace's belt and undid it.Ace gasped and slid his hands to Luffy's shoulders, gripping firmly. His face slid down the side of Luffy's to nestle into the crook of his neck. Luffy let his head fall to the side, resting his cheek on Ace's hair.“Ace?” He moved his hand to tenderly lay on the back of Ace's neck. “You okay?”“Yeah,” Ace whispered into his skin. “I'm just…a little overwhelmed,”Luffy kissed Ace's ear, laughing slightly. “Why? It's my first time,”Ace chuckled, pulling Luffy in close and drawing circles on his back with his fingers.“Exactly,” He whispered. “I never thought…the fact that it's you…and you want me? Me?”He started laughing, his shoulders shaking. Luffy wrapped his arms around his neck, holding tight.“This has to be a dream,” Ace spoke so quietly he was almost inaudible, “I can't be this lucky,”It was Luffy's turn to laugh. “Lucky?”Ace leaned up to meet Luffy's sparkling eyes. “Yeah,” he said, “I have to be the luckiest guy in the world if you're really here with me, wanting me,”Luffy's grin was brilliant. He leaned up on his toes to kiss Ace sweetly and deeply.“I promise this is real,” he whispered.“Oh, fuck,” Ace took a few deep breaths, “Hang on,”He gently pushed past Luffy and went to the sink, turning on the water and splashing himself in the face.“Are you really okay?”Ace looked behind him and smiled. “Yeah,” he said, “I've just…this is embarrassing,”“What?”“I've just, um,” He sighed, “I've just thought about you…like that…for so long that…I don't know, it feels like a fantasy, like it's too good to be true,”He looked over his shoulder to see Luffy beaming at him, hopping from one foot to the other. Ace laughed and rolled his eyes, moving back towards the smaller boy.“You're adorable,” He said softly.“Y'think?” Luffy bit his bottom lip, grinning.Ace pulled Luffy to him, his hand on the small of his back, and caressed the smaller boy's face. His breathing was still erratic, his head was still reeling, and his heart was still thundering.“Ace…” Luffy whispered, hooking the first two fingers of both of his hands in the waistband on his jeans. “Can I…”“Ohmygod, Luffy…” Ace tucked his face in the crook of Luffy's neck again. “I don't know…”“Ace,” Luffy said tenderly but firmly, “I want you. I want to touch you. I want to…pleasure you,”Ace laughed, tightening his grip on Luffy's waist. “Fuck, that's insane…”Luffy smiled and kissed Ace's cheek. “I don't think so,”“Of course you don't,” Ace leaned back up, looking at Luffy's pretty face, running his thumb over his cheek. “When you want something, it just makes sense to you. I…”Ace sighed, running his hands firmly over Luffy's shoulders and arms and chest and back like he didn't believe Luffy was real.“You're a dream,” Ace spoke softly, “A fantasy, you're a desire I never thought possible. I can barely comprehend this, Lu,”Luffy beamed and burst into giggles, grabbing Ace's face and gently squeezing his cheeks. “Let me help you?”Ace took a deep breath and closed his eyes, surrendering to the moment. Luffy's heart beat faster as he felt Ace relax under his touch. He lifted on his tiptoes to kiss his boy, gently pushing him back to lean against the counter. Ace hummed into Luffy's kiss as soft hands trailed down his torso. His heart was hammering in his chest, but panic was subsiding to arousal as nimble fingers hooked in his waistband again. Ace gasped, his knees shaking. He gripped the edge of the sink to steady himself and felt Luffy smile against his skin.Ace's head was already flung back, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Luffy placed his hands firmly on Ace's hips, keeping them still as he knelt on the cool tile.“Y'sure you're okay, Acey?” Luffy cut himself off, a blush rising to his cheeks.Ace giggled, his head still thrown back. “Acey, huh?”“Sorry, just ignore it,” Luffy said, ducking his head and staring at Ace's belly button. Slender fingers gently tangled in Luffy's hair and he looked up to sparkling eyes.“Hey,” Ace said softly, “I like it,”Luffy's eyes sparkled before his smile reached his lips.“Yeah?” he asked quietly.“Yeah,” Ace caressed Luffy's cheek, lifting the boy's gaze to his, “And, yes, I'm okay, Lu,”Luffy's eyes widened. Ace had called him Lu before but… He stood back up, making Ace frown for a moment. Luffy wrapped his arms around his waist and rested his chin on Ace's chest.“Say that again,” he whispered.Ace raised an eyebrow. “What?”“My name,” he said, “Like that,”Ace smiled down at him, wrapping the smaller boy in his arms and leaning his face close to his ear.“Lu,” he whispered, sending shivers down Luffy's spine.When Ace leaned back up, Luffy's were wide and a little wet.“What is it?” He asked, concerned.“Nothing,” Luffy pressed himself against Ace's entire body, “I just…say it again,”Ace laughed, throwing his head back, before cupping Luffy's face in his hands again.“Lu,” It sounded like a love song.Luffy made a strange sound halfway between a squeak and a laugh. A grin broke across his face as he jumped up on Ace, surprising the older boy and kissing him deeply. Ace grinned against Luffy's lips, trailing his fingertips up and down Luffy's back.“Okay,” Luffy whispered as he slightly pulled away from the kiss, “You're sure you're okay?”“I'm doing great, Lu,” Ace caressed Luffy's cheek, “Calming down,”Luffy smiled up at him, swallowing and licking his lips. He noticed his heartbeat again, taking a deep breath to try to steady himself.“Okay,” he whispered, “Can…can I…”Ace took a deep breath, sneaking his fingers under Luffy's hoodie. “Can you what, Lu?”“Shit,” Luffy giggled, his face burning.“Hey,” Ace kissed Luffy's temple, “It's okay,”“I know, I'm…” Luffy was still giggling. He took a deep breath and looked up to Ace's flushed face.He smiled, his eyes focusing on Ace's parted lips. Ace smirked and bit his bottom lip as he adjusted his hips slightly. Luffy's hands were on the counter on either side of him and his body was starting to react naturally. Luffy leaned forward, brushing their noses. Ace leaned into him trying to connect their lips together. Luffy giggled and drew back from Ace's attempt, making him gasp.“Luffy, please,” He whimpered.Luffy's eyes widened, his smile making them sparkle. His lips were on Ace's jaw, teeth raking over warm skin eliciting soft sighs from above. Luffy covered Ace's hands on the edge of the counter with his hands, gripping his wrists with his thumb and pointer fingers. He pressed his body up against the boy, focusing on grinding his hips into Ace's.“Lu,” Ace gasped.One of Luffy's hands moved to Ace's lower back, his fingers venturing below the waistband. Ace arched his back at the touch, causing Luffy's mouth to slip down his neck to his collarbone. Luffy smirked as he kissed down Ace's chest, making soft moans fall from his lips.Luffy knelt again, his hands gently moving to Ace's waistband and kissing down the V in his muscles on his lower abdomen. He gazed up at the boy he was before, taking in his toned chest rising and falling in rapid succession, his strong forearms and hands flexed as he gripped the edge of the sink, his tanned and freckled shoulders shaking slightly, his head still thrown back. Goddamn, he was beautiful.He bit his lip and moved his gaze in front of him. Ace's belt was still undone, and his skinny jeans weren't concealing anything. Luffy felt heat move across his face as he looked at the bulge in Ace's pants, his mouth suddenly going dry. He cleared his throat. No time to psych himself out. Lemons. Sour candy. He took a deep breath.“Acey,” he said softly as he traced his thumb over the button.“I'm okay,” Ace breathed out.Luffy nodded slightly as he undid Ace's jeans, sliding them and his boxers down slightly. Ace moved one of his hands to help free himself momentarily before gripping the counter again. Luffy swallowed. His breath had hitched in his throat and his vision was swimming.“Lu, you okay?”He looked up at Ace and bit his lip, nodding. “Yeah,”“Look, we don't have to—” Ace's hand moved again, this time to caress Luffy's face.“I'm okay, really, Acey,” He covered Ace's hand with his own.Ace smirked as he blushed slightly, flicking his eyes away. “I really do like that, Lu,”“Fuck, you're cute,” Luffy blurted out.Ace laughed, still not looking at Luffy, but his blush deepening. “Shut up, you're the cute one…”Luffy giggled, shaking his head. “You're fucking so cute, so pretty, so…hot,”His fingers gently took hold of Ace's dick making him gasp and arch his back again. Luffy swallowed and slowly started moving his hand up and down the shaft. It felt in his hand physically similar to his own, but the way he held it, stroked it…he willed everything he felt into his fingers. All of the tenderness his heart had been filled with he wanted to pour out.“Oh my god…” Ace whimpered, his knees shaking. “Lu… Luffy… fuck…”Luffy never thought his own name could sound so amazing. He took a deep breath, looking down at Ace's hard dick. His hips were moving with the rhythm Luffy had fallen into, soft moans escaping his lips. Luffy smirked, taking a deep breath before leaning down and kissing Ace's tip. Ace bucked his hips, his back arching as he groaned in pleasure.“Ohmygod…” he gasped, “Luffy…”The boy on his knees smiled, opening his mouth and taking Ace inside of him for the first time.“Fuck—Holy fuck—!” Ace gasped as Luffy slowly moved his lips down his shaft. “I don't know what I did to deserve you—fuck—”His hips were bucking as Luffy's lips met where his hand was resting at the base. Ace groaned in pleasure as Luffy began moving a little faster, becoming more confident by the moment. He thought that oral would taste funny, but Ace just tasted…bland? He didn't know how to describe it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't like he liked it. It was just neutral. A sensation he appreciated because he could focus more on how Ace's dick felt in his mouth, which he was much more interested in. Ace was pretty big by Luffy's standards, though there wasn't much to be compared to. He had noticed that Ace seemed to be one of the bigger guys on their team, so he figured that's where the thought came from. His cheeks puffed out, filled with cock, the tip hitting the back of his throat over and over when he moved down. He used his hand on the parts he couldn't reach with his mouth.Luffy's jaw started getting tired faster than he really wanted. Ace was still moaning his name like a little prayer, one of his hands gently tangled in Luffy's hair, the other one white-knuckling the edge of the sink. Luffy didn't want to stop at all. He let Ace's dick fall from his mouth, sighing as he continued to gently pump the length and open and close his mouth to stretch his jaw.“Tired, Lu?”Luffy looked up and grinned at Ace's half-laden eyes fluttering at him. “Just my jaw,”“I know, it's a lot your first time,” Ace said tenderly. He caressed Luffy cheek, out of breath. “If you can hold on for a minute or two, I'm…”The words hung in the air between them as Luffy's heart beat faster. Ace cupped Luffy's face in his hands as the younger boy continued to tease his cock, throwing his head back and groaning deeply.“I'm close…”Luffy's breath hitched in his chest as he leaned down and took Ace between his lips again. He shut everything else out of his mind. Right now, it was just him and Ace, here, alone. His right hand pumped along with his mouth, his left hand roughly gripping Ace's hip.Ace didn't even notice the pain from Luffy digging into his hip bone, the ecstasy he was under pushing away all other sensations. He had a vague thought that he was going to have another bruise, but the thought flitted away quickly. Needy, high-pitched moans fell from his lips as his grip in Luffy's hair tightened.“Luffy…Luffy…Luffy…” he whined, almost a desperate cry.Luffy hummed deep in his chest as Ace bucked uncontrollably. Pride filled his chest, making him act more confident than he felt, but he was getting into the moment and it seemed like Ace was definitely enjoying what he was doing.“Oh, fuck, Luffy~” Ace cried out as his dick tremored once, Luffy's only warning before Ace started coming down his throat. He felt each pulse of come shoot up Ace's shaft and hit the back of his mouth. This tasted hot and slightly salty, but still almost like nothing. He looked up at Ace's flushed face, his head still flung back, as he finished pumping into Luffy's cheeks.“Ohmygod…ohmygod…” Ace mumbled under his breath, gently tugging at Luffy's hair to let him know it was okay to move back.Luffy leaned back on his heels, swallowing and wiping his lips with the back of his hand. His other hand was still resting on Ace's hip, caressing where he now realized he had bruised by accident. Ace's whole body shook once, his knees buckling under him and sliding down the cabinet door.“Whoa! Acey!” Luffy giggled, trying to catch him before he landed hard on the tile.“Fuck,” Ace was breathing heavily, his legs now on either side of where Luffy knelt, one stretched out, the other bent, his arm resting on it. His head lolled back against the cabinet. He was grinning, laughing a little, even, and very flushed and a little sweaty. He rested his hand over his eyes, chuckling.“What?” Luffy asked gently, tracing circles on Ace's thigh.Ace gazed at Luffy through his fingers, biting his bottom lip and smiling. In one motion, he reached forward, placing his hand on the back of Luffy's neck, and pulled him to his chest, wrapping him in strong arms. Luffy, surprised, willingly fell into Ace's chest, looking up to nuzzle into the crook of his neck as he laughed.“What?!” Luffy lightly hit Ace's chest, catching the giggles.“That…” Ace was shaking from his laughter, “That was… fucking incredible…”Luffy burst into giggles and started kissing Ace's neck and jaw over and over again. The kisses turned Ace's laughter into giggles and he turned his face toward Luffy's to attack his cheeks with his own kisses. The boys devolved into a drunk tangle of limbs and hormones and laughter. They ended their brief play match with Luffy laying back on Ace's chest. His legs were stretched out wide in front of him and his head lolled back on Ace's shoulder. Ace had his one leg stretched out too, his other was bent over one of Luffy's knees. He wrapped his arms around Luffy's shoulders, entwining their fingers together and leaning over him. Luffy was looking up so that he could catch Ace's lips, kissing him hungrily.Ace sighed and leaned against the cabinet behind him, looking down at Luffy's big eyes. “What?”“Wanna do anything else?” Luffy asked in a small voice, a blush creeping across his cheeks.Ace smirked down at him. “Do you—” He rubbed his nose up against Luffy's, making him giggle again, “—wanna do anything else, Lu?”The soft way Ace whispered his name made Luffy feel like he was melting. His toes curled and he stiffed another giggle as his cheeks flushed again.“I…um…” He snorted and tucked his face into Ace's chest.Ace laughed again, tightening his hold on Luffy. He ducked his head to whisper in his boy's ear. “You okay?”Luffy hummed to himself. “Yeah, just drunk,”Ace laid his cheek on Luffy's hair. “Wanna go home?”“No, I…” Luffy swallowed. “I wanna fool around s'more,”“Oh?” Ace kissed Luffy's temple, looking around the bathroom.“I mean…” Luffy squeezed Ace's hand, his hips twitching slightly.“Not here,”“What?”“Get up,”Ace pushed Luffy up and got himself off of the floor, redoing his pants and belt before grabbing Luffy by the hand and leading him quickly out of the room. “C'mon,”He led Luffy through the party of teenagers still drinking and dancing toward the kitchen.“Thatch!” He shouted over the music, waving to get his friend's attention. “Thatch! Keys!”“I thought you weren't hooking up with anyone random tonight!” Thatch said as he fished a small keychain out of his pocket.“I'm not!” Ace winked as he took the keys from his friend and pulled a giggling Luffy past them by the hand.“…wait.” Thatch looked at Marco.Marco shrugged. “Are you really surprised?”Thatch looked back in the direction where the boys stood close together waiting for the elevator. He shrugged, taking a swig from his beer. “Nah—you?”“Absolutely not,”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ace pulled Luffy out of the big double doors in the lobby of the skyscraper. The cold night air hit them in their flushed faces, a stark contrast to the sweltering heat of the party.“Ah!” Luffy squeaked, wrapping his arms around him. “It's freezing!”Ace pulled him close, grinning as he shivered slightly himself. He pulled his phone out and quickly ordered a car to where they were. “Okay, looks like the ride's around the corner,”They stood huddled together as cars and people whizzed by them, the lights of the city twinkling in their eyes. Luffy nuzzled into Ace's side, his arms around the taller boy's waist tucked under his leather jacket. Ace had his arms around Luffy's shoulders, his face turned down the street where the car was supposed to be coming from, glancing back and forth from his phone. He rested his chin on the top of Luffy's head as the smaller boy melted into his warm embrace, drawing circles on Ace's lower back.The ride arrived quickly, a small red sedan that was nondescript enough. Ace opened the door, letting Luffy get in before sliding in after him, confirming the address with the driver. The car pulled away from the curb and joined the flow of city traffic. Ace pulled Luffy close to him, his arm around his shoulders as he looked at his phone again, reading and returning Sabo's text. Luffy leaned against Ace's shoulder, watching the buildings go by outside.“Where are we going?” He asked dreamily.“Somewhere we can be alone,” Ace said, kissing the top of his head.The ride was short and uneventful, winding through the city streets, taking them out of the gilded part of uptown and into midtown. Finally, the car pulled up in front of a nondescript building.“This is it,” Ace said, squeezing Luffy's hand.They got out, the cold night air hitting them in the faces again. Ace led Luffy to the building's dimly lit entrance. The hallway was narrow and smelled faintly of old beer and stale air. Ace led Luffy up a flight of tight stairs, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the quiet building. Ace pulled out the keys Thatch had given him, unlocking the door to the studio apartment. He pushed it open, revealing a small, dimly lit space.Luffy stepped inside, taking it all in. “Oh, wow! This place is tiny!”Ace chuckled, tossing the keys onto a small, cluttered counter in the kitchenette area.“It's functional,” he flicked a switch, and a string of fairy lights strung across one wall flickered to life, casting a warm, orange glow over the room.The studio apartment was barely bigger than a walk-in closet. One wall was covered in graffiti of a kickboxer mid-kick with an abstract background depicting their team's skull and crossbones. Thatch, Marco, Ace, Jozu, and Vista's team monikers in artistic font were also scattered around the figure. The small window, high up on the far wall, offered an obstructed view of the side of the neighboring building. A full-sized bed—neatly made with a couple of pillows and a soft looking blanket—sat on a basic metal form pushed up against an exposed brick wall and took up a significant portion of the room.“That's, uh…a bed,” Luffy observed.“Yeah, it is,” Ace replied, huffing out of his nose in a laugh. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto a beanbag chair in a corner. “Make yourself at home,”Despite the small size and slightly grungy feel, the kitchenette Luffy wandered toward was surprisingly well-stocked. There were cabinets without doors hung on the walls, all crammed with energy drinks, protein bars, and various snacks. A mini-fridge hummed quietly in the corner, likely filled with similar fare.“You guys really like your supplies, huh?” He giggled.“Gotta be prepared,” Ace quipped, joining him. He pulled a couple of sodas from the mini-fridge, holding one out to Luffy. “Thirsty?”Luffy nodded, taking a can and cracking it open. He looked around the small room again, his gaze lingering on the graffiti art on the wall.“What is this place?” He asked, his head tilting in curiosity.Ace leaned against the counter, his shining eyes studying Luffy. The fairy lights painted Ace's skin in a warm, inviting glow, drawing Luffy in like a moth to a flame. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drum beat against the quiet intimacy of the room. The air crackled between them. Ace's pulse thrummed in his ears, a counterpoint to the nervous flutter in his stomach. Luffy's breath hitched, his gaze locked on Ace's, eyes sparkling.“It's a place a few of us chipped in on. Handy to have sometimes,” he shrugged slightly, a small, reassuring smile dancing on his lips. “Don't worry about it,”Luffy chuckled and rolled his eyes, his attention shifting back to Ace's name on the wall. “I like it!”Ace grinned, biting his bottom lip as his eyes flicked down to his phone. He opened his Spotify and searched for David Bowie playlists, looking for one that fit the moment. He decided on This Is David Bowie and clicked on Heroes, the opening notes coming from a small speaker on the window ledge.Luffy's attention snapped to where the music came from, beaming as he flicked his head back and forth between the window and Ace.“Hey!” He giggled. “Bowie!”“Yeah, I know,” Ace said softly, his eyes filled with affection.Luffy sighed happily, holding his hand out to Ace. “Will you come here?”Ace took a deep breath, ducking his head as he pushed himself away from the counter. He stepped close to Luffy, taking his hand in his, his thumb gently caressing Luffy's skin. His breath caught in his chest, his gaze on Luffy's soft fingers in his.“Hey,” he whispered softly.“Hey,” Luffy giggled, pressing his forehead against Ace's.Ace sighed deeply, clearing his throat and speaking barely above a whisper. “Are you sure you want to be here, Lu?”Luffy laughed and put his drink down so he could trail his fingers up Ace's lower back.“Of course I do,” he said, moving his face to rub their noses together.Ace inhaled sharply, the scent of Luffy filling his lungs. His body betrayed him, leaning into Luffy's space as drawn by an invisible thread. His hand was suddenly in Luffy's hair, gently combing through, the other resting between his shoulder blades. Luffy hummed as his fingers drew circles up Ace's back.“Lu…” he breathed out.“Acey…” Luffy brushed his lips against Ace's. “Fuck, I want you so bad…”“Jesus Christ, Lu,” Ace chuckled.“Ace, please,” His nails dug into Ace's shoulders.Ace gasped, a ragged breath escaping his lips. His hand found the small of Luffy's back, fingers digging into the soft fabric of his hoodie as if he needed something to hold onto. His hand in Luffy's hair cradled the back of the smaller boy's head as Luffy leaned backwards slightly, pulling Ace towards him.“Luffy…” He breathed, their lips brushing.“Ace…”Luffy surged forward, his lips meeting Ace's in a ravenous kiss. His tongue darted out, exploring the warmth of Ace's mouth, tasting him. Ace groaned into the kiss, his hands tightening where it clutched at the perfect boy's back. Luffy's nails scraped down Ace's back, firmly taking hold of his hips and pulling him towards the bed.“Luffy…” Ace moaned against soft lips as his feet moved with Luffy's coaxing.“Ace… My Ace…” Luffy mumbled, masterfully hooking his foot around Ace's ankle, spinning him around so the back of his knees hit the edge of the mattress.Ace gasped, losing his balance, his hands slipping away from Luffy's hair as he sprawled on the bed. He chuckled to himself as he was covered with warmth and weight. Opening his eyes, he gazed up at Luffy straddling his hips, sturdy forearms on either side of Ace's head. A slight blush appeared across Ace's cheeks as Luffy's mesmerizing eyes pinned him in their intense stare.“Hey…” Ace said dreamily.“Hey,” Luffy grunted, his voice heavy with a myriad of emotions.Ace smirked, electricity burning through his entire body at hearing Luffy's desperation. His hands slid up Luffy's thighs and gripped his slender hips, eliciting a gasp from the perfect boy above him.Luffy dipped his flushed cheeks closer to his boy's face. His boy. No one else's—His. He lowered his body so he was leaning on his elbows and pressing his chest against Ace's. His fingers found Ace's jaw, tracing the strong lines before gripping his chin in a firm grip.“You're mine,” He said low, his dark eyes boring into Ace's pretty amber ones.The blush that was already tinting Ace's cheeks deepened as his heartbeat raced at the declaration.“I…” he laughed.“Say it: you're mine,” Luffy whispered as he leaned closer to Ace, their noses brushing.“I…” Ace breathed deeply, “I'm yours…”He whimpered as Luffy kissed him roughly, tears stinging his eyes as he squeezed them shut.“Luffy…” he moaned into the kiss.Luffy braced himself on his elbow and moved his hips to grind into Ace's. His movements were erratic and clumsy and oh so desperate. Ace moaned into their kiss, his fingers digging into Luffy's lower back. Luffy's obvious erection in his pants rubbed against Ace's hip. The older boy smirked against Luffy's lips.In one fluid motion, Ace—ever the more strong and dexterous of the couple—knocked Luffy off balance and reversed their positions. He pushed his smaller counterpart up the bed to where the pillows were, running his fingers up Luffy's side under his shirt. Luffy giggled, his face flushing slightly.“Hey,” Ace whispered, brushing his nose against Luffy's.“Hey…” Luffy breathed.“You okay, Lu?” He spoke softly.“Yeah, Acey…” Luffy matched his tone.Ace smirked and pecked Luffy on the lips, moving to kiss at his neck. His hand slowly moved back down Luffy's body, trailing over toned skin toward his hips. Luffy's hand flew to grip tightly at Ace's shoulder, his nails digging in.“Fuck, Ace…” his voice was raspy, “Fuck, I love you,”Ace gasped against hot skin, tucking his face in the crook of Luffy's neck and huffing deeply. Luffy's nails dug into his shoulder. Fuck. He hadn't meant to let that slip out, but it did, and it was true, so…he eased up his grip on Ace's shoulder, letting his head fall gently to the side, bumping against Ace's. He had stopped. He hadn't pulled away or anything, just…stopped. His breathing was deep and even, and he was gently rubbing Luffy's stomach with his thumb. Ace huffed out in a laugh, leaning up to look Luffy in the eyes.“What'd you say, babe?” He brushed a piece of hair from Luffy's forehead.Luffy's breath hitched in his throat. Ace's eyes were filled with such tenderness and warmth he thought he might never be able to breathe again. And the way his voice faltered slightly on babe. Not in a bad way, though. It was a soft flutter, like his heart had been in his mouth when he said it. Luffy beamed up at his beautiful boy.“You heard me,” he teased.Ace scoffed down at the troublemaker under him, but he was smirking. “Not sure if I heard you right,”It was Luffy's turn to scoff, his came with a pout and head toss, however. Ace laughed, leaning down and kissing Luffy on the scar under his left eye.“You're so cute,” he whispered.Luffy growled low in his chest as he muttered. “Not saying it again ‘til you do…”Ace smiled, brushing Luffy's cheek with the back of his fingers. “Hey…”Luffy didn't turn his face to look at Ace, but his eyes did flick to burning amber ones.“I love you, Luffy,”Luffy's breath hitched, his nails digging into Ace's shoulder again. He turned his face to look at Ace directly, his eyes wide and maddening. His heart was dancing in his ribs and his mind was spinning. That was real, right? He really just said that?“Really?” he squeaked out, grinning.Ace frowned at him. “What, you're doubting me?”“No, it's just…heehee…” His heart was like a fucking drumbeat. “You love me for real? Like, for real for real?”Ace's scowl softened into a smile. He dipped his head, his cheeks burning slightly, and took a quick breath before looking back up at Luffy's big, beautiful eyes.“For real,” his voice was soft and warm, shaking slightly, “I love you, Lu. I…I think I always have,”Luffy giggled, pulling him close so their noses brushed. “Always have, always will?”Ace laughed softly through his nose.“Yeah,” he spoke quietly, their lips brushing, “Always have, always will,”“Same,” Luffy whispered as he captured Ace's lips again.Ace sighed against Luffy's lips before leaning up away from him, leaving the boy in a pout. A grin spread across his face as he huffed through his nose.“So,” he curled a piece of Luffy's hair around his pointer finger, “What did you have in mind, Lu?”Luffy coughed slightly, a blush spreading across his cheeks as he tossed his head to the side. “I…um…”“Gotta use your words, babe,”“I—I don't…um…”Ace moved beside Luffy and laid on his side, propping his head up on his hand. He laid a soft hand on Luffy's stomach.“It's okay,” his voice was gentle and oh so warm. “We don't even have to do anything if you don't want to,”“No, no, I do!” Luffy whipped his head over to look at Ace's soft eyes.“You sure?” His eyes searched Luffy's face.“I…”“It really is okay if you're scared,”“I'm not…”“Second thoughts?”Luffy's eyes flicked down.“Really, Lu, it's okay,” Ace gently shook his boy, “You're young, you don't have to do any of this if you don't want to,”“But…” His voice was small. “I do want to, just…”Ace slowly kissed Luffy's forehead. “I know you do, but if you're not ready…?”“I'm ready,”Ace's eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”“Yes,” Luffy took a breath. “I…I wanna fuck you, I just…don't know…um…what do you like?”Ace felt his cheeks burn as he beamed at Luffy.“Fuck,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against Luffy's cheek. He took a deep breath. “You really wanna know?”“Duh,” Luffy giggled.Ace laughed and kissed his cheek. “Okay, then, sit up,”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Luffy knelt up on his knees in the center of the bed, his face ducked low so he could kiss Ace, hands tangled in his hair. Ace leaned back on his heels, his hands on Luffy's hips. He broke their contact and leaned back on the pillows, undoing his belt and zipper. Luffy's heart was racing as he helped him shimmy out of his skinny jeans. Ace discarded his pants off the side of the bed and looked up to Luffy.A deep blush had settled across Luffy's cheeks as his eyes grazed over Ace's body, letting himself, for the first time, really look. Ace was toned and muscular from his athletic lifestyle, scars from childhood fights peppering golden skin. And freckles were everywhere, decorating him like little stars. He had never been very hairy, he only had hair on his legs, underarms, and between his thighs.He laid a gentle hand on Ace's upper thigh, absently caressing his skin with his thumb.“You're beautiful,” he said softly.Ace bit his bottom lip, a blush blazing across his cheeks. He had been called beautiful before by partners, many in this room, but hearing it from Luffy just…hit different. It sounded less hollow or lustful than the others. The words had fallen from his lips easily and danced in the air like they were alive. Tears stung his eyes again as his heart swelled in his chest.He shook his head slightly to chase away the unnecessary tears, beaming up at Luffy.“Take your pants off, babe,” he said gently as he leaned over to the nightstand next to the bed, grabbing a bottle of lube.Luffy's fingers fumbled slightly with his zipper, falling back on his butt and roughly tugging his pants off before throwing them off the edge of the bed. He kneeled back up, grabbing at the hem of his hoodie.“No,” Ace said, clutching the red fabric in his hand. “Keep it on,”Luffy was breathing heavily. “Why?”Ace shrugged. “I just like you in it,”“Okay,” Luffy tugged at the necklaces on Ace's chest, “Then take all of these off, leave mine,”“As you wish,” Ace smirked, pulling the necklaces over his head and clustering them on the table.“And the rings, and the bracelet,” Luffy said, already touching himself, “You can leave the earrings, I like those,”Ace laughed and shook his head as he took all of his accessories off and plopped the handful of metal and leather on the nightstand.“Anything else, babe?” he asked.“No, you're perfect,” Luffy breathed, “But, um, I do have a question,”“Yeah?”“Do you,” Luffy twisted his mouth back and forth, “Like to be…fingered?”“Um,” Ace bit his lip again, smiling, “I mean, yeah…especially if you wanna…y'know, fuck me?”“Yeah?” Luffy tilted his head.“Yeah, um,” Ace picked up the bottle of lube again and fiddled with it, “Even for the most experienced, a little foreplay and prep goes a long way. Ultimately, it'll feel better for both of us,”“Well, okay, I want you to be the most comfortable, so,”“Luffy,”Luffy raised his eyebrow. “What?”“I've done this before, it's your first time,” Ace said, “Are you comfortable?”“Yeah,” Luffy smiled at him, “I'm still doing great,”“Good,”“But, um,”Ace raised an eyebrow.“Will you…show me?” Luffy bit his lip. “How you like to be, uh, prepared? I guess?”“Fuck, that's hot,”“What?”“Just…you asking is hot. You…surprisingly…knowing what you want is really hot,”“Well, you're smokin’, so I'm glad I can compare, hot stuff,”Ace threw his head back in laughter.“Fuck, I love everything about you,” he looked up at Luffy. “Of course, I'll show you,”Luffy's heartbeat raced as Ace bent his knees, exposing his asshole. His breathing came in deep, ragged breaths as he gazed at the tight, little hole. It was so small looking and just slightly darker than the rest of his skin. He took a deep breath as his vision swam.“You okay?” Ace asked, his face full of worry.“Yeah,” Luffy breathed heavily, “You're just so fucking hot I think I almost passed out,”“Shut up,”“No, seriously,” Luffy laughed. “You look…fuck…”Ace couldn't stop grinning. He lightly covered his mouth with his hand, a blush creeping over his cheeks.“Oh, c'mon, you're supposed to be the cool one about all this!” Luffy squeaked.“Can't with you, it seems,” Ace breathed out. “This feels…new and exciting. Like my first time again,”“Good,” Luffy whispered.Ace smiled and took a deep breath, applying lube to his fingers. “Okay…you ready? Not gonna pass out on me?”“I'm good,” Luffy giggled, “No passing out, promise,”“Okay,” Ace whispered, closing his eyes and moving his first and middle fingers to his hole. “And you better be playing with your dick while I'm doing this, babe,”“Don't worry, hot stuff, I absolutely am,”Ace brushed his fingers against himself. “I like…one first, the middle probably, and…”He slipped his middle finger into his asshole, making Luffy gasp and clutch at the bedsheets, his fingers stinging.“Slowly…” Ace whispered as he pushed his finger into himself fully. He then drew out at the same slow pace and began moving in and out.Luffy breathed deeply, stroking his dick as he got harder watching Ace finger fuck himself. His eyes flicked back and forth from Ace's ass to his face, which was driving Luffy crazy. His eyes were shut tight, a flush across his cheeks, and his mouth was hanging open as he quietly moaned. Luffy's breath hitched as he became more and more aroused.“Fuck…” Ace moaned, “And then—when you do this you'll be able to tell—after I've loosened up a little bit…”He slipped his pointer finger in and continued fucking himself. Luffy gasped, his dick twitching involuntarily in his hand.“Fuck, Acey…” he whispered harshly.Ace beamed, his eyes still closed. Hearing the raspiness in Luffy's voice made a rush of pride coarse through him. Luffy was so fucking turned on and it was for him. Him. He couldn't believe it. He breathed out a little moan, remembering Luffy's lips wrapped around his dick earlier tonight and gasping slightly.“Ace…” Luffy grunted quietly.He chuckled to himself. Luffy's obvious impatience made him giddy in a way he hardly recognised. The years he had spent in this very room, collecting partners and experiences like they were rare pokemon or something, seemed like a dream; some kind of fantasy he had entertained himself with while waiting for the real thing. He would chastise himself for acting like a love-crazed teenager—except for the embarrassing fact that a love-crazed teenager was exactly what he was.Finally, he grinned up at Luffy's flushed face, pulling out of himself and catching a slender wrist in delicate fingers.“C'mere, love,” he coaxed gently.Luffy sucked in a deep breath as he knelt forward, his knees tucked under Ace's, his arm on the other side of his lover's hip bracing him. Their noses brushed once, slowly, before Ace leaned back on the pillows again, his long hair falling like waves in the ocean over the cover. Luffy kept his eyes firmly on Ace's fluttering ones as he guided Luffy's hand between his thighs.“You okay?” Ace whispered.“Yeah…” Luffy breathed, feeling a hitch in his chest when his fingertips brushed Ace's wet hole. “You?”“I am doing amazing, Lu,” Ace whispered softly. “I need to know you're okay with this, though,”“Yes,” Luffy assures, lacing his voice with confidence, “I'm okay, Acey, we can keep going,”“Oh, damn, you're hot,” Ace huffed as his head lolled back on the pillows. He closed his eyes, taking a deep, controlled breath. “Okay…when you're ready…”Luffy took a breath mirroring Ace's as he slowly rubbed the unbelievably soft place he had the honor of touching. His lips traced over burning skin, ghosting kisses over Ace's stomach and upper thigh. Sweat beaded down Ace's chest, causing him to almost glow in the dim light of the fairy lights. Luffy could already feel his muscles flexing and relaxing through his fingertip. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he lovingly pressed his lips to Ace's stomach, and slowly inserted his fingers.Ace gasped, his back arching as the familiar feeling of the act rushed over him. He noted that though it physically felt the same, emotionally and mentally he was in an entirely different arena than usual. He moaned like he was stupid, his nails digging into Luffy's shoulder, even through the hoodie, bracing himself.“Babe…” he barely whimpered out.“I haven't even done anything yet!” Luffy giggled, placing a quick kiss on Ace's thigh.“I…I know…y-you're just—” His nails dug deeper into Luffy's shoulder as Luffy slowly curled and uncurled his fingers, teasing him. “Fuck, how do you know how to do that?”Luffy smirked with pride and mischief. “Feels right,” he said, “and there's some things I've seen in videos recently that I've been wanting to try,”“Ohmygod,” Ace hissed, his back arching so much he was practically sitting up.Luffy adjusted his balance to brace his arm around Ace's lower back, keeping his lover close to him as he moved his fingers in almost a practiced rhythm. What he was supposed to do just kind of came naturally to him. Everytime he wanted to try something, Ace reacted in the best way, his face pressed into the crook of Luffy's neck. Luffy spread his fingers slightly before continuing with his established rhythm.“Luffy…Luffy…fuck…” Ace panted into Luffy's shoulder, biting into the fabric there for stability.Luffy was so fucking horny. He wanted Ace so fucking badly. Now.“Acey,” he whispered, raspy, in his ear, “Are you ready for me?”“I…” Ace whispered. “Yes…”Luffy pulled his finger out and moved Ace back onto the pillows, cradling him. Ace looked dazed and was breathing heavily, his eyes shining up at Luffy. Ace's legs were bent over Luffy's thighs, his hands were clinging onto Luffy's back and shoulders under his hoodie, and his eyes were glassy with need. Luffy took a deep breath, grabbing his own cock in his hand and rubbing it against Ace's asshole. Ace whimpered, flinging his head back. Luffy caressed Ace's cheek with his thumb, his fingers on the back of his neck, bringing Ace's face to his. Their noses brushed together and Luffy laid a soft kiss on Ace's freckled cheek below his eye.“Look at me,” he whispered.Ace opened his eyes and locked onto Luffy's dark irises. His pupils were so wide in the low light that it looked like he had two big solid black marbles as eyes. Ace's were twinkling like little burning embers. Luffy caressed Ace's cheekbone, their lips brushing only slightly. They met each other's gaze as Luffy lined himself up. And pushed himself in.They both gasped, Ace's fingers digging into the skin of Luffy's back, Luffy's grip tightening slightly on Ace's neck as he pushed all the way in. The world slowed to a halt, just for a moment. Just for a breath, they were the only living beings in the universe. For a long minute they just breathed and searched each other's eyes for any sign of regret or remorse. After a moment, a smile broke across Ace's cheeks and it was like a switch had flipped in Luffy's mind.He beamed down at Ace, smashing their lips together in a sloppy kiss and pulling out slightly. Ace gasped against Luffy's lips at the movement, his nails scraping down back muscles again. Luffy moved his hips, pushing in, eliciting more wonderful sounds from Ace.Warm tightness surrounded him, the most incredible physical sensation Luffy had ever experienced. Every thrust brought new amazing feelings and sounds. Ace's moans were more high pitched than they had been, and filled with desperate neediness that fueled Luffy's movements.Only the first couple of thrusts were slow and calculated, after a moment, Luffy naturally began moving faster, bracing himself against the wall, his other arm wrapped around Ace's beautiful waist. He tucked his face into Ace's neck, peppering kisses and bites along his jugular.“Ohmygod…Luffy…Luffy…” Ace whimpered.“Fuck, Ace…” Luffy grunted out. “I…fuck…I wanna fuck you harder,”“Don't be scared,” Ace breathed out, “I can take it,”“Y'sure?” Luffy beamed.“I—ohmyfuck—” Ace gasped in a breath at a specific way Luffy thrusted into him. He chuckled. “God, I love you…but I've done a lot, I can handle you pounding me,”“Ohmygod,” Luffy picked up his pace, thrusting quicker and harder.“Oh, babe,” Ace's back arched, bringing his chest closer to Luffy.Luffy latched onto golden skin with his teeth and sucked slightly, making Ace gasp.“Vampire…” he mumbled.Luffy giggled, letting go for only a brief moment before latching onto another piece of skin. Ace moaned deep in his chest, his fingers tangling in Luffy's hair.“Luffy…” he moaned, “My Luffy…”After a few more bites, Luffy leaned up and kissed Ace passionately, letting their noses brush when he pulled away.“You're mine,” Luffy said low in his chest, “Always have been, always will be…say it,”Ace smirked at his possessive partner. “I'm yours, Luffy…I always have been, and I always will be, I swear it,”“I love you,” Luffy whispered. “I love you…I love you…I love you…”“Thank you, Luffy,” Ace cupped Luffy's face in his hands, tears stinging his eyes, “Thank you for loving me…thank you so much…thank you…thank you…I love you…”Luffy gasped. “A-ace…I…I'm c-close…”Ace petted Luffy sweaty hair. “That's it, babe…it's okay, come for me…you're doing so fucking good…”“But…” Luffy panted, “But, y-you haven't…”“It's okay, I'm okay, love,”“N-no…”“Wha—”Luffy pecked a quick kiss on Ace's lips before leaning up and away from the boy. He tucked his hands under Ace's knees and pushed his thighs up and together against his chest, allowing for a different leverage position.“Oh, holy fuck!” Ace screamed as Luffy dove deeper than Ace had ever taken anyone. “Ohmygod, that's—ohmygod!”Luffy leaned into the new position heavily, quickening his pace and intentionally trying to hit as deep as he possibly could. Ace was no longer moaning his name, but screaming it in such pleasure Luffy thought he would lose all control, but he was determined: Ace would come first.“Ohmygod, Luffy, what the fuck are you doing? Holy—oh, goddamn—where did you learn this?! Ohmygod!”“Ace…Ace…Ace…” Luffy grunted, his eyes shut tight.“Luffy!” Ace gasped, his nails scraping down his thighs, “Right there, holy fuck…”Luffy smirked, focusing all of his pounding on the spot Ace had indicated and listening to the beautiful sounds falling from Ace's perfect lips.
“Holy fuck, Lu, that's gonna make me…I'm gonna…”
Luffy felt Ace's orgasm as pulses through his asshole, rhythmically tightening around his dick. It was maybe the most amazing sensation he had experienced all night—maybe. He couldn't hold back any longer and released his own seed as deep as he could inside of Ace. It was longer and harder than any orgasm he had ever had, sending waves of pleasure coursing through his entire body.“Fuck…fuck…fuck…” Luffy grunted as he finished, exhausted. He pulled out and collapsed backward, his arms outstretched.He was breathing in heavy huffs, his entire body shaking from the amount of pleasure he had just gone through. He could hear Ace muttering “Luffy… What the fuck, Luffy? Luffy, what the fuck?” over and over again up on the pillows. He started giggling to himself, joy swelling in his chest. He pulled himself up to flop on top of Ace.Ace grunted and looked down at his little lover. He beamed and chuckled, wrapping his arms around the boy.“Ohmygod, Lu, that was…” he shook his head, “That was fucking incredible,”“Heehee,” Luffy giggled, endlessly satisfied with himself.“Fuck…” Ace breathed. “Grab…ohmygod…grab me a water from the mini fridge, will ya?”Luffy snorted as he popped up from where he laid. “Why can't you?”“Can't,” Ace took a deep breath, “move,”Luffy frowned slightly. “Is…is that a good thing?”Ace plopped his hand on Luffy's cheek. “Yes,” he whispered, “You just fucked the life outta me,”Luffy broke into a fit of giggles, pulling the collar of his hoodie over his nose.“Yes, baby, be very fucking proud of yourself, good job,” Ace shook his head slightly, grinning, “Now, water,”Luffy hopped up and danced the couple of feet to the mini fridge. Ace giggled at him, his heart swelling with complete adoration for the bit of sunshine turned human he had for a lover. Damn, he was lucky. Luffy plopped down next to Ace on the bed with a bounce, tossing him a water bottle and opening his own. Ace caught the bottle with practiced agility, greedily demolishing the liquid. He took a few deep breaths and swallowed before tossing his head to the side, kissing Luffy on the nose.“Hey,” he said.“Hey,” Luffy giggled.“So,” Ace took a deep breath, “What'd'ya think?”“That was,” Luffy wiggled, beaming, “more amazing than I ever could've imagined, Ace!”He kissed Ace abruptly and fiercely. Ace reached his arm over to caress Luffy's cheek and tangle his fingers in his hair. Luffy easily rolled on top of Ace who started giggling.“What, wanna go again?” he mumbled against the kiss.“Whenever you're ready,” Luffy answered.Ace started laughing and broke the kiss to look at Luffy. “Lu, I'm ready to get my ass literally handed to me tonight, but—are you really already ready for round two?!”“Ah…no,” Luffy giggled, “Not yet,”“Yeah, thought so,” Ace muttered and pulled Luffy in for another kiss.“Looks like I bruised you,” Luffy whispered.“Yeah, everywhere,” Ace snorted. “Fucking biting me, pinning me down—you fuck like you fight,”Luffy bit his lip and raised his eyebrows, wiggling on top of Ace.“Shit,” Ace rolled his eyes, “No, don't start acting like that—don't let that go to your head!”Luffy had already pinned Ace's wrists to the bed, giggling like a madman.The night wore on in exhausting increments of fucking and giggling. Since it was New Years, they wouldn't be expected home until early morning, so when Luffy was struggling to keep his eyes open after round…four(?)…Ace enveloped him in his arms and let him doze off for a few hours. When they woke up, it was still early morning. Ace sleepily rolled over and texted the family groupchat that he and Luffy had found a safe place to land and then let Luffy fuck him back to sleep. It was just past noon when they finally woke up.“Hey,” Ace whispered, sleep still affecting his voice.“Hey,” Luffy whispered from his side of the bed.Their noses were brushing.“Sleep well?” Ace asked.“Yeah, you?” Luffy beamed.“Better than I've ever had,” Ace kissed his little lover.“Shut up,” Luffy giggled.“I'm serious, Lu,” Ace caressed Luffy's cheek with his thumb, “Whenever we nap together is when I get my best sleep sometimes. And getting to sleep with you after I fuck you? Best sleep ever, hands down,”Luffy kicked his feet, giggling. “I love you, too, Ace,”Ace blushed and grinned, kissing Luffy lovingly. They ignored the clock for another hour, choosing instead to fuck one more time. After that, it was back to shady corners at parties and Ace's back seat, and they wanted to savor their freedom for just a moment more.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Monday morning after New Year's was dull and rainy, and unusually cold for Goa County. Luffy tucked his legs under his hoodie in the passenger seat, regretting wearing shorts. Ace had washed his hoodie, and then he wore it to bed one night after he showered, so it smelled like him again. Luffy tucked his nose into the collar, shivering. Ace chuckled under his breath as he stopped at a red light. He reached his hand over and wiggled his fingers, tempting Luffy out of his bundle. Luffy glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, a playful smirk on his lips. He quickly reached out his hand and gripped Ace's. Luckily, Ace had always had warm hands.Ace let go of Luffy's hand when he pulled into the parking lot of the school, using both hands to steer the car. Luffy sat up, grabbing his bag from the floor of the car and looked over at Ace.“What is it, Lu?” Ace asked, smiling.“Nothing,” Luffy said quietly, “I just love you,”A small blush spread across Ace's cheeks and he smiled down at Luffy.“I love you, too,” he whispered. “C'mon,”They got out of the car and walked together towards the doors, Ace's arm hanging around Luffy's neck in a casual manner. Luffy was distracted, his nose in his phone as he texted the group chat back. Ace, though, was well aware of the couple of stares they were getting as they walked together. There weren't many, only one or two people watching them as they passed by, but it was enough. His jaw clenched, his eyes flicking down to Luffy. He sighed and ruffled Luffy's messy hair.Luffy giggled, swatting playfully at Ace and skipping a few feet in front of him.“I'm gonna miss you today,” Luffy chirped.Ace laughed. “You'll see me at lunch and practice, b—”Luffy's bright grin faltered into something more devilish at the mistake.“Shut up,” Ace said, barely concealing a smile. He rolled his eyes, speaking in a hushed tone. “I'm gonna miss you, too,”Luffy's smile turned sweet again and he spun in a circle on his heel, continuing to walk backwards in front of Ace.“Lu, you're gonna hurt yourself,” Ace chuckled, reaching out to try to grab at Luffy's shoulder.“I'm fine,” Luffy said, dodging both Ace's hand and another student behind him.Ace shook his head, catching Luffy as he tripped over the next person he passed. “I told you,”“Shut up,” Luffy elbowed Ace in the side and received another hair ruffle in return, both boys bursting into giggles.“Hey, lovebirds,” Thatch laughed as Ace and Luffy stumbled into him and Marco.Ace's smile dropped and Luffy suddenly became unusually serious.“Jesus, Thatch, don't say that!” Ace said quietly but full of venom.Thatch scrunched his face in confusion. He held out his hand. “Keys?”Ace rolled his eyes and took the apartment keys out of his pocket and dropped them in Thatch's hand. Thatch nodded at the keys in his palm and then looked up at Ace.“What's the one rule for the apartment?” He asked.“Hook-ups only,” Ace mumbled, not looking at Thatch.“Hook-ups only,” Thatch's eyes flicked to Luffy then back to his friend, “You left together,”“I…” Ace sighed, “Yeah,”“We're not stupid, Ace,” he whispered.“Look, brother,” Marco said, “On some level, you knew that we'd figure it out,”“Okay, but can we, like, not talk about it in the middle of the hallway?” Ace scoffed. “At the next party, you guys can ask me all the questions you want, alright? Just…keep it quiet, please,”“Ah,” Thatch snapped his fingers and pointed at Ace with finger guns, “Still on the down low, got it,”“I—” Ace turned to Luffy, “I'll see y'later, okay?”“Okay,” Luffy chirped, winking as he bounced away.Ace couldn’t help but smile as he watched him go, biting his bottom lip slightly.“There, right there!” Thatch said.Ace turned his scowl onto him. “What?”“That's the fucking look, bro!”Ace blinked at him. “Okay…what the fuck do you mean?”“He means,” Marco said, quieter than Thatch, “We kinda already knew,”Ace sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Goddamn it,”“What, bro, like we care?” Thatch chuckled.“No, ‘cause if we can tell, he's doing a shit job keeping it a secret,” Marco quietly snapped.“Shut the fuck up, it's not for lack of trying!” Ace whispered harshly. “But, like, you guys didn't…know, did you?”“What? Luffy?” Marco asked.Ace bobbed his head to the side.“Nah, figured it out New Year's,” Thatch said.Ace took a deep breath, nodding. “Okay,” He looked at Marco.“I…” Marco sighed and looked away then back to Ace. “I…suspected—”“Goddamnit,” Ace groaned and stared down the hallway.“Ace—hey—” Marco said as he and Thatch followed him to their lockers.“This could fucking hurt everyone,” Ace muttered as he opened his locker and threw his bag in.“Dude,” Marco said quietly, looking around him before speaking. “I just had a suspicion, okay? Just a thing or two I noticed at a party or practice or something, there's no way anyone else has—”“I can't take that chance,” Ace said quietly. “I gotta do better,”“Bro, don't beat yourself up—” Thatch tried to say.“If this all falls apart it's my fault,” Ace hissed, slamming his locker and storming away. He couldn't fuck this up. He had to do better. Luffy's smile, his laughter, his joy…he'd do anything for that. He had to do better.Practice was another monster altogether. The humidity in the locker room did nothing to distract Ace from the cracks starting to form. Ace glanced over Luffy's body, thankful the scratches he'd left had already faded. The bruises Luffy had left on him, though, were still stubbornly there.“Damn, Luffy,” Thatch mumbled in his ear as he walked past in the locker room.“Wha—?” Luffy looked up at Thatch and Marco.“Sore, there, Firefist?!” Thatch laughed, slapping him on the back.Ace grunted and half-seriously threw a punch at Thatch, who laughed and dodged.“Did you lose a fight or a fuck?!” Thatch continued laughing.Ace scoffed, furrowing his brow and crossing his arms. “Can you lose a fuck?”“When you come out of it looking like that!” Thatch laughed and left the locker room.Ace clenched his jaw and looked down at Luffy. The smaller boy flicked his eyes over Ace, half dressed, a small smirk on his lips. A smile tugged at Ace's lips as he glanced around the locker room. No one had even looked their way. He took a deep breath and pulled a long-sleeve athletic shirt on, hiding at least half of the bruises. Luffy gave him a small pout and Ace gently knocked the back of his head.Still, Luffy kept sneaking glances over toward Ace, and it was worse than usual. Every flex of his muscles, every punch thrown, every take-down executed, reminded Luffy of New Year's.“Monkey!”Luffy's attention snapped back to Izo's frown. He blushed, scratching the back of his head.“Sorry, cap,” Luffy mumbled.Izo huffed and tossed his head to the side. “Push ups. Now.”Luffy sighed and went to the side mats to work on his punishment. He glanced at Ace before taking his athletic shirt off, tossing it on the ground next to him. From where he had to perform the exercise, he could easily watch Ace spar. He focused on the way the muscles in Ace's shoulders flexed every time he moved. Ace took Thatch down with a leg grapple, his thighs flexing around his partner's arm. His skin glistened with sweat, his cheeks slightly flushed, and his eyes wild. Luffy's mouth went dry as he watched Ace, his heart rate quickening and not from his exercises.Ace popped up from the grapple, and Luffy could see the bruises he left on the back of his thighs. Luffy immediately looked down at the mat under him, trying to calm the fuck down. Goddamn, Ace was hot.“Luffy,”Luffy looked up from the mat to see Ace standing above him, a mischievous smirk dancing on his lips.“Hey, hot stuff,” Luffy mumbled quietly enough only Ace could hear it.“Fuck,” Ace muttered, looking over his shoulder. “Don't be like that,”“Why? Cause you want me too much?” Luffy hopped into a crouch, still looking up at Ace. He liked this angle.“Shut up,” Ace was grinning now, his cheeks red. “You know the rules,”Luffy bit his lip and shrugged. Ace rolled his eyes.“What did you do this time?” He laughed.“Too distracted,” Luffy smirked, looking over Ace's body like he was looking at a plate of meat.“Listen—” Ace was trying to suppress his smile to no avail.“I'm only fourteen,” Luffy threw up his hands and batted his eyes.Ace sighed. “Yeah, trust me, I know,”He touched Luffy's shoulder with his fingertips, sending a jolt of electricity through both of them.“Finish your push-ups,” he said, a little breathless, “And stop staring,”“Why do I have to?” Luffy mumbled, moving back into a plank position to continue his exercises.“If you do,” Ace muttered as he moved past Luffy, “Might take you to the pier after practice,”Luffy smirked, dipping his head down, and mumbled, “Yessir,”They chose opposite ends on the showers after practice, as usual, but Luffy couldn't help a little bit of roughhousing after they got out of the water. They laughed, Ace pinching Luffy's side and Luffy batting him away. Luffy jumped on Ace's back when he was dressed, Ace still only had his sweatpants on.“Get off!” Ace barked, swatting at Luffy and pulling at his arm. “I gotta throw my hoodie on, damnit!”Luffy plopped down on the bench behind Ace, who frowned at him and rolled his eyes. Luffy stuck his tongue out, his eyes shut tight and his cheeks flushed. Ace's heart fluttered, catching Luffy's stupid face out of the corner of his eye. He pulled the hoodie over his head and quickly moved to grab Luffy around the neck. The boy giggled and playfully struggled against Ace's grip. Ace gave Luffy a soft noogie before letting him go and pushing him towards the door.“Go, move,” Ace said, a smile playing on his lips. He followed a skipping Luffy out of the gym and towards his car.Luffy spun on his heels, bouncing from one foot to the other by the passenger door. “Can we go to the pier?”Ace smirked at him. Absolutely insatiable. “Yeah, I think you behaved well enough,”He unlocked the car and Luffy jumped into the passenger seat. The drive to the pier was filled with Luffy's incessant chatter. He told Ace about the math test he had that day, and what Usopp did in biology that cracked him up, and the argument Zoro and Sanji had gotten into at lunch. Luffy scrolled through his phone as he chatted, occasionally showing Ace a short video when they were stopped at a red light.Ace's heart swelled. Luffy's joy was probably the most brilliant and amazing thing he had ever witnessed. He couldn't get enough of the way Luffy talked about everything and nothing all at the same time. The boy just liked filling the silence, and Ace liked listening.He pulled the car into one of their usual spots at the end of the parking area. Ace's fingers found Luffy's and intertwined them together. He was staring out of the front of the car at the water.“What is it?” Luffy asked, squeezing Ace's hand slightly.“I…” Ace sighed. “I dunno,”“Hey,” Luffy said, his voice small, “We okay?”Ace looked at him then, flashing his award-winning smile. “Of course, Lu,”Luffy's heart fluttered at the way he said his name.“What, you think I'm gonna fuck you and drop you? You?” Ace squeezed Luffy's hand and pulled him a little closer. Luffy giggled as Ace's other hand slid up to the side of his face, caressing Luffy's cheek with his thumb.Luffy closed his eyes, deeply breathing in Ace's scent. He smelled of the gym and of sweat and of cologne and of Ace. His Ace.“I'm so obsessed with you,” Ace's fingers trailed down Luffy's neck. “Wanting you…needing you…it's a part of my DNA,”He kissed just under Luffy's jaw where he could feel the boy's heartbeat racing. Luffy dug his nails into Ace's shoulder, his breath coming in heavy and rapid gasps.“Acey…” he moaned in Ace's ear.“Goddamn,” Ace hooked his hands under Luffy's thighs and in one motion pulled the ball of giggles into his lap on the driver's side.“Oh, I'm insatiable?” Luffy laughed.“You let me have you,” Ace breathed, his hands finding their way under Luffy's hoodie. “Now, I need you like breathing,”“Shut up,” Luffy mumbled against Ace's lips, his tongue flicking into warmth and running along perfect teeth.“No, Luffy, listen to me,” he whispered, pushing Luffy away slightly. “I know you've heard of my reputation,”Luffy shrugged.“I need you to know something,” Ace's fingers tangled in Luffy's hair, his other hand on the small of the boy's back. “I'm never leaving you, not ever, okay? I promise,”“But why me?” Luffy pouted. “Why me and no one else? You've…you've dated a lot,”“Yeah,” Ace sighed. “I've never found anyone that felt right. And you know why?”“Hm?” Luffy raised one of his eyebrows, smirking.“Cause I've been in love with you since the day we met,” Ace whispered in his ear.Luffy beamed, wrapping his arms around Ace's neck. “You're damn right,”Ace grinned as their noses brushed, biting his bottom lip and pulling Luffy as close as he could. He breathed deeply, inhaling everything that was Luffy. He hated that his friends were right. He hated that it was so hard for him to hide how smitten he was. But, he loved this. He loved Luffy. Oh, how he loved Luffy.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Regionals were being held at a college gym about an hour south of Goa County. The entire team crammed onto an old bus for the trip there and back. Ace and Luffy sat curled up together in the seat furthest in the back on the driver's side, Marco and Thatch sitting in the seat across from them. No one looked at them or batted an eye, and they were able to tuck themselves down in the seat, Luffy practically sitting in Ace's lap as he scrolled through his phone.Ace rested his chin on Luffy's shoulder as he watched the video on the screen. His arms were wrapped around Luffy's waist, breathing in unison. He glanced to the side at where Thatch and Marco were yapping together. Thatch threw a crumpled piece of paper at another of their teammates in one of the seats ahead of them, laughing and making a face. Marco rolled his eyes, catching Ace looking at him.“Sup, Firefist?” He asked, a knowing smirk on his lips.Ace shook his head slightly and turned his attention back to Luffy, nuzzling into his neck and making him giggle. It was nice to be able to be open in front of Marco and Thatch.“Hey, Luffy,” Marco said quietly, suppressing a grin, “Did your boyfriend tell you there's gonna be scouts watching him at the meet today?”Ace turned his head and frowned at Marco. “Hey, we're not—”Luffy's head had popped up from his phone when he heard what Marco said.“Really?” he asked, his big eyes sparkling with excitement, “Really, Ace? Are there really going to be scouts looking at you today?”Ace laughed and squeezed Luffy's waist, kissing his temple. “Uh, yeah,” he said, glancing away slightly, “Pops invited some people he knows from the industry and…yeah, they're looking at me,”Luffy squealed in delight and grabbed Ace's face in his hands. “That's so awesome! Are they from an equipment brand? Ooh, is it Hayabusa? I heard you get free gear sometimes if someone like them sponsors you—when—when do they want to start the contract? Do you know—”“I literally know nothing, Lu,” Ace said, chuckling. “I'm gonna be meeting them today,”“Ah! This is so awesome!” Luffy flicked his body back around, settling up against Ace's chest as he pulled up his Instagram, mumbling. “Let's see…um…Hayabu—no…Modern…Vintage…”Ace snorted with laughter, plopping his chin on Luffy's shoulder again.The athletics center the competition was being held in was big and nice. It had been remodeled just a couple of years earlier, so it had a fresh and new feeling even if the signs said it was established in 1964. Luffy bounced on his toes on the sidelines, slowly spinning in a tight circle as he took in the big room. He looked at the nicely dressed people near the judges' box, his eyes narrowing to focus. He couldn't quite figure out if they were the scouts or not, but the likelihood was pretty high.Luffy bounced over to where Pops was watching part of the team warm up. Pops looked down and smiled at him when Luffy tugged on his sleeve.“Are those the scouts?” Luffy asked, his voice low like they were sharing a secret.Pops looked over his shoulder and caught the group of people Luffy was referring to out of the corner of his eye.“I recognize a couple,” he looked at Luffy again. “Who told you about the scouts?”“Marco,”Pops chuckled. “He was teasing Ace, wasn't he?”Luffy shrugged and spun in a circle on his heel. “He said it on the bus,”Pops smirked and looked over Luffy to someone behind him. “Pretty positive he didn't want y'knowing yet,”“Yeah, that makes sense,” Luffy spun again, his back now to Pops so he could watch Ace warm up. “He's nervous,”“He should be,” Pops grunted.Luffy looked up at him over his shoulder.“This is his first step towards a real career,” Pops explained, “High school's coming to an end and the fighting world is waiting with baited breath for him,”Luffy hopped slightly on his toes, facing Pops more. “Really?”Pops looked down at Luffy's big, sparkling eyes and laughed. “You really don't know how talented your big brother is, do you?”Luffy felt blood rush to his cheeks. “Wha-what, um…”Pops nodded slightly toward the group of people behind the judges' box. “They've been scouting from local teams since before Ace started with me,” he said, “They've been waiting for this opportunity. I wouldn't be surprised if half of them already have contracts to send home with him,”“You're joking!” Luffy squeaked.Pops laughed. “Hardly,” he frowned down at Luffy. “Now, shouldn't y'be warming up?”Luffy giggled and hopped away toward the mat where the JV squad was. Pops shook his head, a small smirk on his lip, and looked back to Ace and Marco on the varsity mat.The day wore on full of excitement and anticipation. Luffy went up against three opponents from two different schools and one gym. The last guy from the gym team was probably his toughest fight yet. He had kept Luffy at bay long enough he thought they were going to have to go into a sudden death round. It was right at the last possible second Luffy noticed his opponent falter slightly on his left side. His mind immediately went to something Pops had said about someone's non-dominant side and took the advantage, pinning the other boy with great effort and earning the points needed.When he hopped up from the mat, he was almost instantly picked up. Luffy giggled as he felt strong hands on his thighs and shoulders under him. His fingers on one hand tangled in Ace's hair to keep his balance while his other fist waved above him. Ace paraded around with Luffy on his shoulder for a solid two minutes before he dropped the shorter boy down on the ground in front of Pops, wrapping his big arms around Luffy's shoulders.Pops looked down at the boys, one eyebrow raised. Ace looked up at him, his face shining like the sun, and Pops smiled. He clapped Luffy on the shoulder.“Amazing job, Monkey!” He bellowed.Luffy was giggling wildly and hoping from one foot to the other to the best of his ability while Ace held him in place. “That was so fucking hard!”“Hey, language,” Ace mumbled into Luffy's ear.“Sorry,” Luffy chuckled. “But really! He was tough, Pops!”Pops threw his head back and laughed. He looked like Ace, almost like they were father and son. “He's from a gym,”“What's that mean?” Luffy asked, gladly accepting the water bottle another teammate threw at him.“Kids that fight for gyms are usually better off than the kids fighting for school teams,” Pops said, looking over his boys toward the other teams. “They have all the advantages of a private school and then some,”Luffy frowned and tilted his head. “So, I was the underdog?”Ace chuckled behind him.“Sure,” Pops smirked.“What?”Ace squeezed Luffy's shoulders.“Well, you weren't the underdog, Monkey,” Pops said.“What? Why?”“Our team isn't considered underdogs,” Ace said, ruffling Luffy's hair. “Not with Pops as our coach,”Luffy frowned up at him.“Not with you as a prized fighter,” Pops pushed back. “I've been volunteering with this team for years and you're the first kid to put them on the map, Ace,”“Shut up, old man…” Ace mumbled.Luffy looked back and forth between the two of them, his frown deepening. “Hey, Marco!” he said, wiggling out of Ace's hold, “C'mere, I got a question,”Marco listened as Luffy explained about Pops and Ace being weird. He rolled his eyes when he was finished.“They're both too damn modest,” he said, “Pops was the biggest star in the fighting world in his prime. He was the number one fighter in the world, actually. But that was a long time ago,”“What happened?”“Nothing,” Marco shrugged as he tightened his gloves. “He was just done, felt like retiring. But he was never actually gonna leave the world of professional fighting. That's when he started volunteering as coach for the school,”“That's why he doesn't have to teach a class?” Luffy had plopped down cross-legged on the bench, looking over where Pops was barking orders as Ace warmed up.“Well, yeah, it helps when you don't have to pay the coach,”“But how's he make his money?”“Has Firefist seriously never taken you to The White Whale?” Marco frowned.Luffy shrugged and Marco sighed.“Pops owns his own gym. They train some really exclusive names,” Marco explained, “Pros, Olympians, some really fucking good fighters,”“And Pops trains them?”“During the day when we're in classes, yeah,” Marco looked up at Pops and Ace. “He's got other coaches on his payroll, but Pops is the best,”“So, that's why he said we weren't underdogs,”“Well, kinda,” Marco chuckled, “I said they're both modest,”“Okay?”“The Pirates weren't an underdog team but they weren't a team anyone had their eye on either until Firefist showed up,” he shook his head, lost in memories, “When he joined the team Pops literally wouldn't shut up about how finding a talent as raw and unfiltered as Ace's was a rare thing for a coach. He became his pet project pretty quickly,” Marco laughed and elbowed Thatch who joined in the merriment.“What?” Luffy frowned.“Oh, nothing,” Marco waved him off, still chuckling, “When Pops’ attention turned to Ace, the pressure came off of me, so I get a kick outta it,”“Pressure for what?”“Well… first you know he's my dad, right?”“Well, yeah,” Luffy rolled his eyes.“Jesus, okay,” Marco brushed his hand across his eyes. “Just imagine that, though, for a minute, okay? Like, he said he wasn't trying to push his legacy or expectations onto me, but he raised me as a fighter. I was the captain of the JV squad as a freshman and I was captain of the whole team the next year after the previous captain graduated,”“Oh, yeah, damn,” Luffy said bluntly, his eyes wide and focused intensely on Marco.“So, when Firefist showed up I felt relieved,” Marco laughed again. “I feel sorry for him, Pops’ expectations are heavy,”Luffy looked back at Ace who was smiling up at his father figure as Pops broke down the strategy for Ace's half of the tournament. Luffy had seen the personality change in Ace when he had joined Pops’ team. He had become more focused, less prone to anger, and he laughed more. Luffy remembered seeing a lightness in Ace that had never been there before and remembered being happy it had appeared. It must have been Pops’ influence. Luffy smiled as he watched them hug on the sidelines before Ace jogged to the mat. Pops truly was important to him.Ace's fights were violent and a little scary. Every opponent he was going to face from now on would be more intense than the next. Pops had made sure Ace's opponents were some of his most technically challenging to date. He curated each individual match to show off a different skill set of Ace's.The first fight was fast, like each boy was bouncing on lightning. Ace chased his opponent across the mat, easily cornering the other boy and subduing him. The second fight took strength. Ace obviously had the advantage of speed and stamina, but the guy was just big and wouldn't go down so easily. Ace had to use all of his physical strength to eventually pin the giant.Luffy was watching the group of scouts closely as Ace prepared to go out for his final fight. They had their eyes focused solely on Ace, whispering to each other and comparing things in their little notebooks.“Hey,”Luffy's attention snapped back to the angelic boy covered in freckles standing over him. He grinned.“Am I too boring for'y?” Ace smirked.“I'm just watching the scouts,” Luffy bit his bottom lip trying not to grin any bigger.Ace's smirk faltered slightly when his eyes flicked to the group of smartly dressed individuals. He forced a grin when he looked back at Luffy, clenching his jaw slightly. “Forgot about them,”“No, y'didn't,” Luffy reached out and took Ace's wrist in his hand, squeezing slightly. “You're gonna do amazing!”Ace's smile was genuine when he chuckled. “Well, yeah, duh!”Luffy rolled his eyes. “Pops thinks half of them already have contracts to send you home with,”Ace frowned, tugging his arm away from Luffy's grip. Luffy sighed.“If you do as well as we both know you're gonna do, you'll be fine!” He said.“I wish I could have your confidence, Lu,”Luffy threw a punch, which Ace easily dodged and hooked his arm around Luffy's neck, laughing. He gave Luffy a light noogie and pushed him away, allowing their fingers to brush together momentarily as he did.“Thank you,” he said quietly.Luffy beamed up at Ace, wishing he could just fall into the boy's arms. “Of course,”Ace winked at him and then moved swiftly to the mat for his final bout. Luffy had watched every single one of Ace's fights up until now, and this opponent had always been a beast.Jesus Burgess was the same age as Ace, half an inch taller, and just barely wider in the shoulders. Next to each other, there was hardly any physical difference between the two. He and his team were out of a gym called Triple Saber a few hours to the east. Their coach, Marshall Teach, had apparently been close with Pops back in the day, but something had caused a fallout between the two. Burgess and Ace apparently took that seriously.This wasn't the first time the Firefist and the Champion had gone head to head, and it wouldn't be the last.Luffy was always nervous when Ace fought Burgess. The other boy was notorious for injuring his opponents. Ace seemed to be one of the only people that could fight him and come out of it relatively unscathed. However, Luffy knew Burgess had been trying his damndest to destroy Ace's chances at going pro for years. He had watched every fight between the two and Burgess always had a dirty trick up his sleeve.His attention was torn between the fight and the scouts he could see beyond it. He knew Ace could handle himself just fine—he was the Firefist, afterall—but Luffy found his muscles tensing slightly when Burgess threw a punch or a kick.“That was too close to his head!” He shouted from the sidelines, his heart racing. Marco put a hand on his shoulder.Luffy screamed when Ace took a hit directly in the face. His feet shuffled on the mat, desperately wanting to move as he noticed blood well on Ace's lip. His fists clenched as Ace walked back to Pops to reset for the next round.“That was too hard…” He growled under his breath.“Calm down, little ember,” Marco muttered. “Firefist knows what he's doing,”Luffy growled again, his scowl on Burgess. What was that fucker gonna try? Luffy caught Ace staring at him out of the corner of his eye. He looked over at the boy, shining in the fluorescent lights and smiled. Ace grinned and winked at Luffy again. Luffy bit his lip as Ace bounced back into the center of the ring.“Go get ‘im,” he mumbled as the third round started.Ace circled Burgess, both of them moving slowly and analyzing their opponent. Burgess was the first one to strike, moving in on Ace with practiced speed. Ace countered his attack easily, moving back and blocking Burgess’ flurry of blows. Ace side-stepped Burgess and bent his left knee, aiming a kick at his opponent's head.Burgess saw the kick coming and lunged forward, hooking his arm around Ace's leg and twisting to knock his opponent off balance. Luffy held his breath as Ace went down, slamming so hard on the mat the breath was knocked out of him. Burgess immediately pinned Ace to the ground with his knee, his posture shielding his upper body from the ref and the judges.“Too high—” Luffy snapped, Marco's grip tightening on his shoulder as he tried to lunge forward. “Lemme go, Phoenix—”“Chill out, ember…” Marco muttered, his brow furrowed.Burgess' knee was too high, but just below the legal limit. Ace struggled against the hold as his opponent slowly provided more and more pressure to his sternum, making it harder and harder for him to breathe. He could hear Luffy shouting from the other side of the mat, loud and panicky. Burgess grinned maliciously down at Ace as he pressed harder, attempting to force a tap-out.Ace's eyes burned with rage. He braced his feet against the mat and bucked his hips, forcing space between him and Burgess. He twisted his lower body in the gap, hooking his leg around his opponent and, using his entire body strength, flipped Burgess over and slammed him onto the ground.“Hell, yeah!” Luffy whooped. “There we go!”Ace was on his feet, circling Burgess as he got up. The boy in the center of the mat charged his opponent, intending to take Ace down for good this time. The Firefist planted his feet on the mat and swung as Burgess did, connecting a left hook with the other boy's jaw.Burgess went down, laying face first on the mat. Ace stepped back as the ref moved in and checked out the boy on the floor. You could hear a pin drop as the crowd waited with baited breath. After a tense moment, the ref stood up, grabbing Ace's wrist and holding it up in the air. Deafening cheers rang through the arena, crashing over the teenager like waves. Ace looked around him, his breath coming in deep huffs, his muscles beginning to shake from his adrenaline receeding. He couldn't stop smiling.The moment he saw Luffy he held his arms out and the boy leapt into them. The younger boy was giggling and chattering wildly in Ace's ear. The noise surrounding them from the crowd and the team, now on all sides, was drowning out Luffy's words. Ace started laughing and squeezed Luffy's waist.“Okay, okay,” he said, putting his love down. He looked into Luffy's big shining eyes and grinned. “How'd I do, Lu?”“You were fucking incredible, Ace!” Luffy chirped. “The way you reversed that hold—ooh, that hold was dirty!—but, but then you reversed it and, and you—BAM!—slammed him on the ground! And, oh, and your last punch?! Just—whoo!” Luffy bounced on his toes, imitating the punch. “And he was down! K-fucking-O!”Ace bit his lip, grinning, his eyes sparkling as he watched Luffy yap. God, he loved him.“Ace!” Pops boomed over the group of boys crowded around Ace and Luffy.Ace turned his attention to where Pops stood with five different smartly dressed people.“C'mere, son,” Pops motioned to him.Luffy squeezed Ace's hand and Ace looked down at his smiling face. He grinned back as he brushed his hand against Luffy's shoulder before moving away and being greeted by the scouts.

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“Five contracts!” Luffy squealed as he bounced in front of Makino in the kitchen.Ace sat on one side of the kitchen island, his fingers tangled in his messy waves as he stared at the pile of papers strewn about the countertop. Dadan sat beside him reading through one of the contracts carefully, her readers perched precariously on the end of her nose. Sabo and Uta stood in the kitchen leaning against the island. Uta was listening to Luffy chatter, smiling to herself. Sabo was next to Ace, casually reading one of the contracts.“All five of ‘em!” Luffy spun in a circle, making Makino and Uta laugh, “And—and none of them were like ‘we'd like to discuss with you, blah, blah, blah,’ nope! They were just like ‘we'd love to sponsor you, here's a contract, call us if you're interested!’”“I know, I know!” Makino laughed as Luffy continued to bounce and spin around her.Ace groaned quietly, clutching at his hair.“Dude,” Sabo said under his breath, gently nudging his brother.“What's coach Ed think of all this?” Dadan asked, barely glancing away from the contract she was invested in.“It's just Pops, Ma,” Ace mumbled, “And he was the one who invited them, so…”“Hm,” she said, flipping to the next page.“What's up with you?” Sabo probed.“Nothing, bro,” Ace grunted.Sabo rolled his eyes.“Ace,” Uta said softly.Ace sighed and held out his arm. “C'mere, sis,”Uta came and gave him a hug, sharing a look with Sabo. Ace was beyond stressed and firmly in freaking out territory.“Ace, Ace, Ace,” Luffy leaned over the counter, attempting and failing to grab at Ace's tank top.“What?” Ace laughed, a genuine laugh, reaching his hand out and gently catching Luffy's wrist. Uta glanced at Sabo, her eyebrow raised just slightly. Sabo flicked his eyes away quickly and Uta narrowed hers.“I think you should take…” Luffy shuffled through the packets of paper, “this one!”Ace laughed again as Luffy waved the papers in his face, letting go of Uta and grabbing the contract, reading the header. “XXL Nutrition?”“Yeah!” Luffy bounced on his toes, “The other four were, uh, gear and sports drinks, yeah? So, you, like, gotta choose between those—but they were the only nutrition brand—Pops, like, knows the rep, and—and—and they're gonna give you free snacks!”“You're probably right,” Ace smiled, tension visibly easing from his body as his attention refocused on Luffy. He started skimming the contract he held in his hand. “Which one do you have, Ma?”“Adidas,” Dadan answered.“Nah, I think I'm gonna go with the Everlast,” Ace said, flipping the page on his packet.Dadan looked at her eldest over the edge of her readers. “An Adidas contract is nothing to balk at, Ace,”“No, I know, Ma,” Ace started.“I think Everlast carries more weight in the fighting world, Mama,” Uta said from where she was play-fighting with Luffy.“Hm,” Dadan lowered the papers in her hand. “Ace?”Ace bit his lip, suppressing a grin. “I mean, yeah, she's right,”Dadan sighed and plopped the contract on the counter top. “Hand me the Everlast one, then,”Ace smiled as he handed her the packet.“We'll have to set up a meeting with Ed and see what his opinions on these are,” She said, examining the words carefully, “Does he have any suggestions on coaches after you graduate?”“You're not staying with Pops?” Luffy whined.“How could he?” Dadan frowned.“I've told you about his gym before, Ma,” Ace told her.“I didn't think he coached there,”“Yeah, full time,” Ace answered.“And coaches the high school team?” She asked.“Yeah,”“Hm,” she grunted, “Well, we can't afford that, Ace,”“I know, Ma,” Ace sighed, “That's why he's been so adamant about these scholarships,”“What do you mean?” Makino asked.“Uh,” Ace glanced up at her then back down at the papers in his hands. “Well, if I get some good sponsors, then…well you two won't have to pay for anything out of pocket ever again. Not for me,”Makino tsked. “Oh, Ace,”“Hm,” Dadan chewed on her lip. “It's just the sponsors, though—he's not giving you any special treatment, yeah?”“He should!” Luffy laughed.“Lu,” Makino petted Luffy's hair to try to quiet him.“No, but Ace is awesome!”“Yes, he's very talented, Luffy, but,” Dadan looked steadily at her first child, the boy—the young man she's raised since infancy, “We don't take handouts. We work for what we get, right?”“Of course, Ma,” Ace reached over and squeezed Dadan's arm, “Blood, sweat, and tears, remember?”Dadan chuckled. “I don't want you hurting yourself,”“Yeah, he's done that too much, already,” Sabo playfully punched Ace's shoulder.“Shuddup,” Ace mumbled, glancing at Luffy across the counter. He was leaning on his elbows looking at the last contract that hadn't been grabbed by anyone, but mostly stealing glances at Ace when he thought no one was looking. Ace smiled at him and winked, making his stomach turn somersaults. Luffy bit his lip and looked back down at the paper, barely seeing the words.“Have you told your boyfriend?” Makino asked.Ace looked up at her, eyes wide. “What?”“Or your, uh,” Makino motioned to a mark that was faded but still present on Ace's collarbone, “Themfriend?”“Mom,” Ace hissed.“What?” Makino held her hands up slightly, “You haven't told us anything about them, I have no idea what their pronouns are,”“How do you know it's even the same person?” Uta chuckled, nudging Sabo.“Ha, right!” Sabo laughed along, but it was just a little too forced.Makino gasped. “Ace D Portgas, you do not date around,”“Mom,” Ace said through grit teeth. “Jesus, guys, please,”“Ace,” Dadan said in a stern tone.“I—okay, I've never had a long-term partner, just casual stuff, happy?”“Mm,” Makino sighed, “So, not a themfriend?”“Ohmygod, mom, please,” Ace covered his face with his hands, “Partner, he'd be my partner if he was non binary, mom,”“Wait,” Uta looked from Ace to Sabo, who was also covering his eyes with one hand.“So, you do have a partner?” Makino perked up.“Mom, no, I—” Ace glanced at Luffy quickly, “We're not…official…yet,”“O-kay, well, I'm outta here,” Uta laughed, grabbing Sabo's ear and pulling him with her. “You, come with me,”“Ow, ow, ow, owowow!” Sabo moved with the iron grip on his flesh and disappeared behind their sister down the hall.“Well?”Ace turned back to Makino. “Hm?”“Have you told him?” His mom asked. “I'm sure he'd like to know,”“I, uh,” He glanced at Luffy again who was pretending like he wasn't listening, but the small smile dancing on his lips told Ace otherwise. Ace looked down at the counter top, a smile spreading across his own cheeks. “Yeah, he knows,”“I'm sure he's just as proud of you,” Makino patted Ace's arm, “And I'd love to meet him sometime. Especially if he's your first serious partner,”“Mom…I can't with you, I swear…” Ace chuckled.“Love you, too,” She winked at him before looking down at Luffy, who was completely undefended at the moment. “And what about you? Do you have a boyfriend? Girlfriend? Partner?”“Gotta go,” Luffy said, moving so swiftly that Makino barely had time to turn around before he had slipped into his bedroom and closed the door behind him.Ace laughed. “I shoulda done that the first time!”Makino gave her son a playful glare before rolling her eyes and moving towards the fridge to grab the chicken she intended to prepare for her family's dinner.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ace and Sabo's room never looked this messy. Ace had thrown all of his clothes out of his closet onto the bed or the floor and he was shuffling through each item, mumbling to himself. Luffy watched from where he was lounging on Ace's bed. Occasionally, the older boy would curse under his breath and throw a piece of clothing or a shoe. He had been acting restless, like an animal in a cage all day. Luffy knew it was because the party tonight was at the beach.“We don't gotta go,” Luffy said as he played with a loose thread on one of Ace's shirts next to him.“Jesus—” Ace snapped in frustration at the chain he had been fussing with in his hand, before sighing. “No, I gotta go,”“But, why?” Luffy frowned at him, “You hate the beach,”“Yeah, and it's just a party, I can get over it,” he mumbled.Luffy huffed out of his nose, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “If you hate it you shouldn't gotta go,”Ace turned his head to look at his lover, laughing slightly. “And you love the beach, Lu,”“So? Doesn't mean you have to,”“I know,” Ace shook his head and looked down at the damn chain in his hands.“Y'know,” Luffy mused, his foot bouncing in the air, “You never told me why you hate the beach,”Ace took a deep breath in, a shiver running down his spine as he pushed down dark memories. “It's nothing, it's just…” he twisted his face, “Don't like the sand. It's scratchy, and it gets everywhere, and it stings when—”Luffy waited, wondering if Ace would finish what he was saying. He watched closely, studying over Ace's golden skin, the way his hair shined in the soft light, how his hands were shaking for some reason, and that the silence was continuing to grow. He rolled from his back onto his stomach so he could reach off of the bed and touch Ace's shoulder. Ace's head snapped up to look at Luffy, his expression immediately softening when he registered who it was.“What's up?” He asked.Luffy twisted his face at him. “Y'know you can talk to me like I talk to you,”“I know,” Ace said softly, touching the top of Luffy's hand with his fingers. “It's really nothing,”Luffy pouted and tucked his hands under his chin. “Well, can you hurry up and get ready then? You're taking forever,”Ace groaned and rolled his eyes, looking back down at the chain in his hand and discarding it. “What should I wear, Lu?”“How should I know?”“You're no fucking help,” Ace shook his head and riffled through a pile next to him.He eventually decided on some black cargo shorts and a yellow short-sleeved button-up with only his belt, a single bracelet, and his beaded necklace. His clothes were haphazardly thrown back into his dresser and closet once he was satisfied. The amber polish on his nails was chipping, the edges jagged. He needed to repaint them. He sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning up against the bed and methodically removed the old color.“What color should I paint them?” He asked Luffy.“Hmm,” Luffy was laying on his back with his head hanging over the edge of the bed. “Red,”“God, make me look like a lady of the night, why don't you,” He laughed, shuffling through his polishes.“No, not that one, the darker one,”“This?” Ace held up a bottle of a deep candy red, the slight shine catching the light.“Yeah!” Luffy giggled.“Okay,” Ace laughed. He carefully painted his short, round nails with practiced precision, holding his right hand up to the light when he was done. It would do, he didn't want to spend too much time worrying about it.“Pretty~” Luffy hummed.“Yeah, now I gotta do my dominant hand,” Ace chuckled.“Shut up, I know you're androgynous,” Luffy scoffed.“I mean…?” Ace frowned at him. “Not really?”“No!” Luffy pouted. “I've seen you switch hands! Like, writing and fighting, you do both!”Ace blinked at Luffy for a moment before breaking out into full on belly laughter.“What?!” Luffy whined, pushing Ace's shoulder. “It's true!”“It…it's…” Ace snorted, trying to stop laughing, “Ambidextrous, Lu,”“Ambinectious?” Luffy twisted his face. “What did I say?”“No, it's—” Ace giggled, “Doesn't matter, you said androgynous,”“Oh…” Luffy frowned, thinking, “What's that?”“Um, like, not really being masculine or feminine, but like both or neither,” Ace explained. “Like Bowie,”“Oh!” Ace could see the gears in Luffy's brain turning. “Nah, I don't think you're like that,”“No,” Ace chuckled, moving on to painting his other hand.“Hey,” Luffy rolled onto his stomach and plopped his chin on Ace's shoulder. “Will you paint mine when you're done? You haven’t done that in a while,”“Yeah, sure,” Ace said, turning his face slightly to the side. They were close enough that Luffy could kiss him if he wanted. The boy just beamed at him. “What?”“Your eyes are little embers,” Luffy hummed.Ace blushed and turned back to his nails. “Sto~p,”Luffy nuzzled into Ace's neck. “Never,”“Hey, you know the rules,” Ace laughed and pushed Luffy's face away.Luffy scoffed and rolled back onto his back. “It's not like the rules are helping anything,”“That's because you keep breaking them,” Ace mumbled.“Do not!”“Uh-huh,” Ace looked at the nails on his left hand. They looked good enough. “C'mere,”Luffy hopped down off of the bed and sat in front of Ace, their knees touching. He held his hands out to his lover, wiggling his fingers. Ace lightly slapped Luffy's rebellious fingers and then gently took one of his hands in his own, laying down the first layer of color.“I don't keep breaking the rules,” Luffy said quietly.“We both keep breaking them,” Ace mumbled, concentrating on what he was doing.“Why do we even need them? It just complicates things,”“What do you think we are?” Ace asked him, “And they're there to protect us, to protect everyone,”“But are they?” Luffy blew on his nails as Ace moved onto his other hand.“If we bothered to follow them,” Ace sighed.“But why?” Luffy whined.“I can't keep having circular conversations with you, Lu,” Ace chuckled.“Wha'd'ya mean?” Luffy tilted his head to the side. “You never explain anything,”“I think I've explained everything just fine,” Ace glanced up and smirked. “You just like pushing my buttons,”Luffy looked away, pershing his lips. “Do not,”“Sure,” Ace chuckled again. He wouldn't have it any other way.Luffy pouted. “Are you done yet?”“Not if you don't hold still,” He said, tugging Luffy's wiggling hand closer to him.Luffy huffed and plopped his head in his other chin. “Meanie,”“You were the one that asked me to paint your nails,”“I didn't think it'd take this long!”“We go through this every time,” Ace laughed, finishing the last nail. “There, happy?”Luffy held his hands up together so he could look at them.“Perfect!” He laughed, “And, look! We match!”He grabbed Ace's hand and held his nails next to his. Ace laughed and put the bottle of polish back in the box. He let Luffy's touch linger on his hand for a moment before moving away. He really needs to start following the rules.“Hey, Acey,” Luffy said, quietly.“Hm?” Ace did look up from the box of polish he was fussing with.“Love you,”Ace smiled and bit his lip, looking at Luffy then. “Stop…love you, too,”Luffy grinned and hopped up. “Ready?”Ace laughed, standing as well. “Sure, let's go,”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The bonfire that Luffy and his friends were sitting around burned low and warm, nice for a cooler night on the beach. Spring was on the horizon, but the ocean air could sometimes bring a chill. Luffy lounged on a blanket with his head in Robin's lap. She was brushing her fingers through his hair as she talked with Franky. Vivi offered him the joint and he took it, taking a hit before handing it to Robin.Pulling his phone out, he leaned up slightly to catch a look at Ace across the beach. He was play-fighting with Thatch a few fires away, but as Luffy watched them, he could still tell that Ace wasn't totally feeling the party.you ok? Luffy texted him and laid his head back in Robin's lap. His phone buzzed a moment later.
yeah, as good as i can be, babe x
Luffy grinned, his stomach fluttering.“Oh, Jesus, look at Bellamy Samuels over there being an asshole,” Nami scoffed.Luffy looked behind him to see a blonde boy being obnoxious with a group of boys a little ways away. He frowned when Bellamy pointed toward their group and laughed.“What's that about?” He asked.Robin and Franky looked behind them, the rest of the group's conversation slowly dying down.“Haha, yeah—hey, yo, Monkey!” Bellamy shouted.Luffy's adrenaline kicked in and his muscles tensed. He pushed himself into a sitting position and turned his glare onto the boy.“Heard your brother's been up to some shady shit recently,” he mocked.Luffy's jaw clenched. Ace? Sabo? He looked at Nami, Vivi, and Usopp across from him, frowning, before looking back in Bellamy's direction.“What the fuck are you on about, blondie?” He snapped.Bellamy laughed, a harsh, almost cruel laugh as he moved closer to the group. “I heard Portgas has been hooking up with someone for weeks now. Like he actually fucking thinks he's not a fuckboy or some shit,”Luffy clenched his fist. Ace had been acting differently. Everyone knew of his reputation, he may have been the most eligible bachelor in school until recently. Were there already rumors going around? How much did this fucker know?“So? Ace can date whoever he wants,” Luffy snarked, “What's that got to do with me?”“Careful, Luffy,” Robin muttered under her breath so only Luffy could hear her.Bellamy laughed one loud, aggressive “Ha!” before turning to his friends, who also broke into laughter. “Get a load a this guy! ‘What's that got to do with me?’”His attention snapped back to Luffy. “You fucking know damn well what it's got to do with you,” he flashed a shit-eating grin laced with venom and enjoyment, “Brother-fucker,”Every muscle in Luffy's body tensed as his freeze reaction activated. The accusation buzzed in the air like flies around a dead animal even after the words had rung out. His eyes frantically darted around, noticing the glances and stares coming from all directions. Bellamy had said it loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear.Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit.“A-yo, what the fuck did you just say?” Franky said, standing up and moving toward Bellamy along with Zoro and Sanji.“You d-don't wanna d-do this, d-dude,” Usopp said to Bellamy as he joined them.“Y-y-you d-d-d-don't wa-wa-wanna—shut the fuck up, spaz—” the blonde boy snapped.Robin moved to wrap her arm around Luffy's shoulders. The boy was still sitting on the sand with his eyes wide and his breathing quickening.“Luffy?” She asked, gently.The world was spinning and it felt like he couldn't get a full breath into his lungs. What the fuck just happened? What the fuck just happened? What the fuck just happened?Across the sand, sat at his own bonfire, Ace's attention was pulled by the commotion building around Luffy's fire. He looked over his shoulder, frowning. He couldn't quite tell what was going on, but he could tell there was yelling. He glanced back to Marco and Thatch, who were already looking in the same direction.“Jesus, it's fucking Samuels,” Marco sighed.All three boys stood up together and moved toward Luffy and his friends. As they got closer, Ace could see Zoro and Sanji toe-to-toe with Bellamy and a couple of his cronies, Franky standing right behind them like a large brick wall, Nami and Usopp flanking him on either side. Usopp was trying and failing at diffusing the situation and Nami was glowering at the offending group. Sanji was speaking fast in French (likely cursing like a man below his level of sophistication) while Zoro seemed to be threatening the boys in some way.Ace noticed Luffy arguing with Robin and Vivi and made a b-line for them.“Hey, what's—” He started.Luffy turned around quickly to face him and Ace was taken aback for a moment. Luffy's cheeks were flushed red and streaked with tears. Ace saw fear in his eyes, but mostly fury. Unbridled, uncontained, burning fury. Ace's jaw clenched as he moved close to Luffy, resting his hand on the boy's bicep and squeezing gently. He was frowning slightly as he looked deep into Luffy's eyes, swirling and dark like a storm was raging inside of him.“Ace—” Luffy grabbed Ace's open shirt, clutching the fabric like it was a lifeline.“Oh, and look! Here's the alpha brother-fucker!” Bellamy taunted, “Come over here to get all cozy now that everyone knows what you two get up to behind closed doors?!”Ace's body stiffened and his jaw clenched. He didn't look away from Luffy, but he could feel the rage bubbling up inside of him to match the fire in his boy's eyes. How dare he? How fucking dare he?“Say that again, motherfucker—” Thatch and Marco began walking towards Bellamy who was still laughing.“Shut the fuck up, Bellamy,” a girl in the crowd said. “You're just being obnoxious,”“Yeah, everyone already knows they've been together, dude,” someone else chimed in.Ace glanced away from Luffy for a moment to look towards the other students around them.“So, what? Everyone in this town is just cool with incest these days?” Bellamy mocked.“Aren't they foster brothers?” Rang through the crowd and Ace turned his head toward the way it came from.“Yeah, no, those two aren't related,” someone else added.“They just live in the same foster home, right?”“Oh, they live together? I thought they were just dating, neat, I'm jealous,”“Naw, naw, naw, c'mon—this is gross!” Bellamy pointed aggressively at them.Ace pulled Luffy closer to him, wrapping his arm around the shorter boy's shoulders protectively. Luffy positioned himself slightly in front of Ace, shielding him. He wanted to protect the boy he loved, too.“Look at them—!” Bellamy desperately tried again.“I suggest you shut your goddamn mouth,” Thatch said, moving in front of Luffy's friends and pushing Bellamy and his followers back with just his presence.“Before we shut it for you,” Marco said as he came up next to Thatch.“I…” Bellamy didn't want to get into it with a couple of seniors from Coach Newgate's team. He looked around and quickly realized that no one was paying attention anymore. The party had already moved on.He looked at Thatch and Marco and tsked, motioning to the other boys behind him to back off. They all moved away from the group defending Ace and Luffy, sulking towards the parking lot.Ace's hands were trembling and he let out a shaky breath when the danger had moved away from them. He looked down at Luffy and squeezed him slightly. Luffy looked up at him, his eyes still shining with anger, but it was fading.“You okay?” Ace asked him tenderly.“I…uh…” Luffy looked away from him, frowning. “I think so? What…what just happened, Ace?”“I, hm, I don't know,”“I think,” Robin moved closer to them, “That the whole school just came to your defence,”“But…really?” Luffy looked around them. His brain was working overdrive and it was starting to hurt.“I…” Ace squeezed Luffy's shoulder again, “Let's just go sit down over by that far fire pit,”“Sure,” Luffy gently let go of the shirt, his fingers casually brushing against Ace's chest.Ace looked down at him, studying his big, dark, beautiful eyes. He tentatively raised his hand to meet Luffy's, entwining their fingers and turning toward the fire pit. Both of their hearts raced as they walked through the crowd. Even with their friends walking beside them, it was difficult to shake the sensation of exposure. Their secret was out.But, as it seemed, it already was. Or, rather, it had been the common assumption. Not only that, but most of those who were aware appeared to be…indifferent. Some eyes glanced their way and there were some whispers, but hardly anything more than the interest people might generally take in a new couple as they walked among their peers at a party. Especially, though, since Ace was taken now. Girls and boys both mumbled disappointed sentiments around them as they moved to a less populated part of the party.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The fire pit was surrounded on two sides by a cut out in a low, sandy dune. Ace sat on a blanket that was laid out behind the fire with his back to the dune and leaned against it. He spread one of his legs out in front of him, the other bent under his knee. Luffy sat cross-legged next to him, still holding his hand. Franky and Robin sat across the fire from them, sharing a blanket wirth Marco and Thatch, chatting away. Nami, Vivi, and Usopp were sprawled out together on another blanket on one side of the fire, across from them Sanji was waving his joint wildly as he argued at Zoro in French over the card game they were playing.“Hey, Ace,” Nami said, drawing Ace's attention, “What was that thing that Mr. Asano was saying about lines Thursday in class?”Luffy studied their fingers in his lap as Ace talked. His right and Ace's left. He caressed freckled skin with his thumb, golden, like his dad someone had told Luffy once. Dadan? Garp? He couldn't remember.Ace glanced at him, smiling. As he looked back towards Nami, he quickly squeezed Luffy's hand twice. Doki doki. Like a heartbeat. He hadn't done that since they were kids. Luffy immediately returned the gesture in kind. Doki doki. Four heartbeats. Their hearts beating together.Oh. Maybe he should have figured it out sooner.Ace looked back at Luffy as Nami and Usopp started bickering about something and smiled. He took a deep breath, his eyes flicking around quickly before landing on Luffy again. He let go of the boy's hand and grabbed the yolk of his hoodie, pulling him close and wrapping his arms around him. Luffy giggled as he gently fell to the side, curling his legs under him and laying his head on Ace's shoulder. He leaned up and kissed Ace softly, smiling against his lips. He nuzzled their noses together before settling back on Ace's chest, looking up at the night sky.“Look!” He gasped, pointing, “You can see the big dipper tonight!”Ace looked up, following Luffy's indication. He laid his cheek on the top of his lover's head, looking at the constellation of stars.“Nami said,” Luffy quickly continued, “If you line up, um…these two stars and trace a line up a bit, you can find…the North Star!”Ace grinned as he looked for the guiding light where Luffy was pointing. He tightened his hold tenderly on his amazing boy. How had the idiot retained facts about the stars? Nami must have been a good teacher. But, then again, Luffy had always loved stargazing. Maybe it was just something he had deemed worthy of knowing.“Ooh! And look there! That's, um, the lion,” Luffy shifted where his finger was in the air quickly, “Which means the, um, uh, the crab and the, um, the girl are on either side of it, I think. It's either the girl or the weighing thing,”“Weighing thing?” Ace chuckled.“The um, uh,” Luffy gently bonked his forehead with the heel of his hand, “The~ scale!”Ace laughed and kissed Luffy's forehead. The younger one continued excitedly explaining what he could remember about the constellations. At one point, Usopp and Franky entertained them with a dance they improvised together, leaving the group laughing hysterically.After another drink, Luffy started getting a little bit sleepy. He settled against Ace, laying more on top of him, one of his legs flung over the one Ace had stretched out. He started to doze in and out, only partially listening to the conversations around him.As Luffy dozed, Ace's muscles slowly released tension. What happened earlier… Had that really happened? Had their secret just been outed to the whole school and they just…didn't care? Did that mean they had made it? At least among their peers? There was no way they could let their moms find out, though. Or their social worker. Or… Ace shook his head. There was no way Garp could find out. He lived in the town over, near the naval base and was literally always busy. As long as no one…reported them.The way Bellamy was acting was a concern. That meant there were at least some people who had a problem with them. He knew that would happen. He would have to talk to Sabo about damage control.He glanced around at the friends surrounding them and felt something he hadn't in a long time. For once in his life, Ace dared. He dared to let the tension in his muscles ease away. He dared to laugh at Thatch's stupid jokes and Usopp's outrageous stories. He dared to press his lips and nose into Luffy's hair, inhaling everything that was him. He dared to just be with the boy he loved. He dared to hope.And, oh, how heavenly it was.“Hey, Ace,”Cold dread spread over Ace's body. Nope, no, it can't be. He didn't want to look up. If he didn't look up, it wasn't real. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat and flicked his eyes to Marco. His friend, his teammate, his brother looked at Ace with eyes full of knowledge and he knew he couldn't delay the inevitable. He reluctantly looked up to the figure crouched next to his head on the dune.“Coby,” he said, his throat dry.Their cousin through their grandfather huffed in a way that seemed to be apologetic and gave him a small smile.“Coby?” Luffy sat up, rubbing his eyes, “What're you doing here?”Coby sighed and looked between his two cousins. “Look, if it was up to me, I wouldn't say anything, but—”Ace's jaw clenched as he held Luffy tighter, the smaller boy blinking slowly as he tried to process what was happening.“I need to warn you,” Coby continued, “Mepp's already called the Admiral,”The blood drained from Ace's face and he could feel Luffy's hand on his chest ball into a fist.“What?” Luffy squeaked, his voice quiet and strained.“Yeah, I found them—Hey, Ace!”Ace's head snapped toward the voice to see Sabo quickly walking up to the group. Sabo's eyes darted from his brothers to his cousin and then went wide, the blood draining from his face as well. “Yeah, he's with Luffy…okay—”He frowned, lowering the phone from his ear and locking it before looking back up to his brothers.“Ma says we gotta get home,” he said, a chill in his voice, “Now,”“Sabo!"Sabo turned to see Uta walking out of the crowd toward them. “Shit,”“Yeah, they're all here—huh? …uh-huh…uh-huh…okay, love you, too, mom,” She hung up and looked at her brothers. “The moms need us all home, sounds like the Admiral is pissed about something? Did you guys know the Admiral was coming into town?”“Who's the Admiral?” Nami asked.“My grandpa,” Luffy answered, his voice shaking.Ace could see tears beginning to well in Luffy's eyes as realization dawned on him. He squeezed Luffy's shoulder, hoping, wishing that this was all a bad dream. Uta looked at each of her brothers in turn, then at their cousin, then back to Ace and Luffy together.“Jesus, fucking…” She glared at Sabo. “I fucking knew there was something up and you—”“Yeah, yeah, okay, I get it, not the fucking time, Birdie,” Sabo snarked.Luffy's phone began ringing and everyone's attention turned in his direction. His hands were shaking as he frantically struggled to pull it from his pocket. When he looked at the screen his breath caught in his throat. He grunted and coughed, trying to calm down.“Fuck,” he said looking up into Ace's pleading eyes. “It's grandpa,”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The moms’ master bedroom was at the back of the house, and their bathroom was in the back of that. Soft music played as Uta sat on the floor next to the bathtub, holding onto the baby with one hand. Tama and Aika sat in the tub on either side of their brother, playing with their toys and bubbles. Uta laughed as Tama sang a song about her mermaid Barbie. She looked down at her phone on the floor, checking for any messages before glancing at the closed door. In the moms’ bedroom, Sabo was standing guard at the cracked door, listening to the yelling coming from the living room and sending his sister updates.“What in God's name were you fucking thinking?!”Admiral Garp D. Monkey paced back and forth in the living room of the small house. He was a giant man, towering over everyone in the house. His navy jacket was thrown on the recliner in the corner, leaving him in his short-sleeve tee. When the kids had arrived, Coby and Helmeppo stayed in the car, and Uta and Sabo were sent to the moms’ bedroom with the little kids.Dadan and Makino were in the kitchen, Dadan leaning on the island counter with her head bowed, and Makino sitting on a stool by the stove, fiddling with a fraying string on her sleeve. When they were blindsided with the information that two of their sons were having an illicit relationship together it shocked them to the core. However, watching the two boys—they were just boys—sit quietly on the couch as they were berated and belittled broke the mothers’ hearts.Ace and Luffy sat a foot apart. They were so close to each other, but they dared not touch. Not when Garp was lecturing them. Ace leaned his upper body forward, his elbows on his knees. He hung his head, his eyes fixed on the worn carpet under his feet. Luffy sat up, his back straight, feet planted on the ground and his hands clasped in his lap. Tears streamed down his face, but still, he kept his gaze defiantly on Garp, following him as he paced.“You're brothers! Brothers!” Garp shouted, his big hands shaking in the air, “This is extremely inappropriate behavior between brothers!”“Grandpa, we're not—” Luffy tried.“Be quiet, Luffy!” Garp barked, “I don't care if you're not biologically related! I was tasked with your security when your fathers failed you! You were placed here to be raised as brothers!”His attention flicked to Ace. “You, as the older of the two, should have taken more responsibility!”“I'm sorry, sir,” Ace mumbled.“Stop it! Ace tried really hard!” Luffy squeaked. “I wanted this! And, I'm really sorry, Mom, Ma, but I don't regret it!”“You are only fucking fourteen!” Garp snapped, “You have no idea what you want! You're a child!”“That's not fair!” Luffy shouted.“Your bawling and tantrums just prove your immaturity,” Garp snarled, “You have no fucking idea what you’re doing,”“I know what I’m doing!” Luffy croaked. He cleared his throat and wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand. “I…I wanted to do it…”“I told you to be quiet!” Garp snapped at him again before turning on Ace, “Speaking of Luffy's age, what the fuck were you thinking? When did you say this disgusting thing started?”“I dunno, like, the end of November?” Ace spoke quietly.“Seventeen. You were fucking seventeen, closer to eighteen,” Grap said, “You should have known better. You should have been able to make a smarter decision. But, then again, I can't exactly blame you, considering your parentage has genetically dispositioned you to make idiotic, life altering mistakes. Look at me!”Garp took a step toward Ace and the boy looked up at him, his amber eyes holding the man's steely blue ones.“You are selfish, callous, and fucking simple minded,” Garp's lip curled as he spat, “Just like your father,”Ace's breath caught in his throat and tears stung his eyes as the words hit him like a fist straight through his chest.“I…” Ace cleared his throat, trying to take a breath. Memories flooded into the forefront of his mind, cruel words and actions others have taken against him for his father's legacy. He clenched his jaw, actively fighting back tears.“That's not fair, grandpa!” Luffy shouted, standing up.“Sit down!” Garp yelled, pointing a harsh finger at Luffy.Luffy stood pushing his chest against Garp's finger, his quivering lip twisted into a frown. His grandfather's eyes widened slightly as he took a half-step forward, increasing the pressure on Luffy's sternum.“I said: sit…down.” Garp growled.“Luffy, don't,” Ace said, quietly, placing a gentle hand on Luffy's arm.Luffy broke his glare on Garp to glance down at Ace's beautiful eyes. They were filled with so many emotions Luffy didn't know where to start. There was a storm raging inside Ace to match the one in his own heart. Luffy knew Ace just wanted to protect him, no matter what. He flicked his eyes at Garp and sat down quickly, his heart dropping lower than it already was when Ace removed his hand from Luffy's arm.Makino and Dadan shared a glance.“Two brothers together.” Garp continued his pacing. “Romantically. When I think about it my stomach turns. I know times are changing, but they cannot be changing this much!”“If we—” Luffy tried.“Quiet!” the Admiral barked. “I'm not even sure if I'm alright with two…men…being together…like that! I will not condone this depravity! And neither will anyone else!”“The other kids—” Luffy tried again.“Did you even think about this family's reputation?!” Garp continued, “What about my reputation? What about your mother's reputation? Do you fucking know how hard she works? And what is the community going to think if they find out about this? My friends, their friends? What will polite society think if they find out?!”“I mean, we're not a part of polite society, so...” Luffy mumbled.“You will be!” Garp shouted. “You're the grandson of a high ranking admiral! I have intended for you to join the navy, and this will hurt both of our reputations,”“I'm not joining the navy, grandpa!”“Oh, trust me, you will be. Especially after this. You need some fucking dicipline, Luffy,”“I'm not joining the navy, I'm gonna be a pro fighter, like Ace!”Ace stiffened. Garp's eyes flicked toward him before his face slowly turned.“A professional fighter? Are you fucking kidding me?” Garp asked. “What happened to the naval academy?”“I never wanted to go to the naval academy, sir,” Ace answered.“And what exactly makes you think you can make a career out of your little hobby?”Ace's lip twitched. “You know how good I am, sir,”“He already has sponsors, grandpa!” Luffy pushed.“You won't if they find out about this!” Garp said harshly, “You think you could be a professional fighter and be…gay?”“I'm…I'm bi…” Ace whispered.“What's the difference?” the man sneered.Ace's eyes flicked back to the ground.“I took you in and promised to guarantee you would be raised right—even after what your father did—out of the goodness of my heart, and because I still respected the man your father used to be,” Garp said, looking right at Ace, “But even if I could get past everything that was morally and ethically wrong about what is going on between you the two of you, even if you are my grandson I have sworn to protect…what exactly makes you think I would let my flesh and blood go tramping around with the son of a terrorist?”Ace clenched his jaw, the words slicing through him, exposing him, and leaving him feeling empty.“That's it, I've had enough,” Garp said, “Luffy, go pack a bag, you're coming with me,”“No, I'm not!” Luffy leapt to his feet as Dadan and Makino surged forward. Ace even stood.“Garp, don't do this—” Dadan stated.“Sir, I know we're all hurt, but please—” Makino pleaded.“I'm taking Luffy to come live with me—” Garp pushed.“No! Grandpa, I don't want to!” Luffy was starting to hiccup from his crying.“This is irrational, you're acting out of anger—” Makino tried to interject.“You can't just take him—” Dadan said.“Like hell I can't!” Garp snapped. “Luffy, I said pack a bag!”“I'm not going!” Luffy screeched, “You can't make me!”“I am your grandfather, and what I say goes in this family!” Garp barked.He grabbed Luffy's upper arm and Luffy growled at him, struggling against his grip. Garp shook him slightly, making Luffy squeak.Panic was building fast inside of Ace. He stood watching the scuffle as his breath quickened, on the verge of hyperventilating. He squeezed his fists, digging his nails into his palms so hard it stung. The yelling was too loud. Luffy's face was red and puffy. Ace could see the fear and panic in the boy's eyes. His boy's eyes. He couldn't let this happen.“I'm gone!” He shouted over them. “I'm going, I'll move out!”Luffy whipped around, his eyes wide. “What? No, Ace, you can't!”“No, Ace, let's be reasonable—” Makino tried.“I'm eighteen, I can go if I want to,” Ace interjected and looked right at Garp as he started moving along the edge of the living room, “Will that appease you? Will you please let Luffy stay if I go?”“No, Ace, please!” Luffy said, panic starting to rise in his throat.Garp frowned at Ace, looking him up and down. After a moment, he flicked his head.“Luffy can stay if you go,” He agreed, “For now,”Ace nodded and ducked into the hallway.“No! Ace, no!” Luffy screamed and ran after Ace as he headed to his bedroom..Ace grabbed his bag that his moms had gotten him for Christmas, the bag that represented their pride in him, and began shoving a few pieces of clothes, about a week's worth, into it. Luffy was next to him, pulling at his arm, blubbering. Makino and Dadan were also crowded in the room, talking over each other and Luffy. Ace turned quickly and tried to push past them.“Please,” He begged, “This is the only way,”He got into the hallway and his heart broke.“Big brother Ace!”He turned down the hall and bent down to hug the girls that were running toward him.“Tama…Aika…” He whispered, seeing Sabo and Uta coming quickly up to the commotion with the baby. “I love you,”He stood up and tried to move toward the front door.“No, wait, what is happening?” Sabo asked him, stopping him in the living room.“I'll call you, I promise,” Ace said, pulling Sabo close.He bent down and motioned to his little sisters again, squeezing them tight when they ran to him.“Where are you going?!” Tama whined.“Don't go, big brother Ace!” Aika cried.“I have to, sissies, I'm sorry,” Ace said, his voice quivering, “Mommy and Mama will explain the best they can, I promise,”He let them go and Dadan grabbed them both. Ace moved over to Uta and kissed their baby brother on the forehead before hugging his sister.“Thank you for everything, Birdie, I love you,” He whispered.“Ace…” Uta sighed.He moved toward the door and turned to look at his moms as Luffy rushed to him. Ace wrapped his free arm around Luffy's shoulders as he wrapped his arms around the taller boy's waist.“Mom, Ma, I'm sorry, I never meant for any of this to happen,” He said.“Ace…” Makino choked.Dadan's eyes shone with unshed tears.Ace looked down at Luffy's hysterical eyes.“Ace, please,” Luffy hiccuped. He was crying so hard it was difficult for him to talk. “You…can't…g-g-go…”Ace pressed his forehead to Luffy's. “Everything is going to be okay, Lu,” he whispered softly, “I promise,”He looked over Luffy's head at Makino and let the boy he loved so much go, moving away through the front door.“NO! Ace!” Luffy screamed, Makino wrapping her arms around his chest and holding him tightly. “No! Please! You can't leave me! Ace! Please~!”His knees buckled as his sobs wracked his body. Makino caught him, wrapping him in a tight hug. He clutched the front of his mother's shirt, keening.Ace clenched his jaw, tears starting to fall from his eyes. He tried to keep his breathing even as he moved towards his car. The world was swimming in a haze around him and it felt hard to breathe. Against a background of the cries of his favorite person, clutching only a remnant of his past life, Ace walked away from the only home he had ever known.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Edward “Pops” Newgate grunted awake, startled by the doorbell. He groaned and looked at his watch. 3:45 AM. He must have dozed off reading. The doorbell rang again, frantically, and Pops pulled himself up.“I'ma commin’, I'ma commin’, hold yer horses,” Pops groaned as he walked down the stairs.He wiped his face with his hand, yawning. He looked out of the peephole of his door and frowned when he didn't see anyone. Grunting, he opened the door, taking a small step back when he saw the figure slumped against the wall of his landing. Pops took a quick breath in, kneeling next to the person and gently placing a hand on their shoulder.“Ace?” He asked gently.Ace raised his head from where it had been resting on his folded hands and bent knees. His face was red and splotchy and wet with tears. His eyes were swollen and red from crying. His head lolled against the brick wall behind him.“Pops,” his voice was hoarse, “I…I fucked up…”Pops scooped the boy up, grabbing the bag that was next to him as well, and quickly turned into the house.“Marco!” He called, as he closed the door with his foot. His son had come home just a bit ago, he should still be awake.Marco shuffled down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. “Jesus, Pops, what's—”He stopped short when he saw Ace in Pops’ arms. He rushed forward to grab his friends shoulders as Pops leaned Ace on his son.“Will you take him to the guest room?” Pops asked Marco, “I gotta call his foster mom and find out what's going on,”“Pops,” Marco's voice shook.Pops stopped and looked his son in the eyes, seeing fear.“It's bad,” Marco told him.Pops clenched his jaw as his heart raced. He nodded and motioned down the hall. “Get him comfortable,”Marco nodded and turned to lead Ace down the hallway toward the guest bedroom. Pops sighed as he turned. He shook his head before he walked through the house to his study. Closing the door behind him, he took his phone out and pulled up Ace's foster mother's number.“Ed?” Dadan answered after one ring. She sounded frantic. That wasn't like her. “Is Ace there?”“Yeah,” Pops said, tiredness and confusion weighing down his voice, “Dadan, what's going on?”“Ed, it's a fucking shit show,” there was commotion going on in the background, “Can Ace stay there for the time being? I'm so sorry, but I'd really appreciate it,”“Of course he can, Dadan, you know that,” Pops said, “But, why? What did he do?”“I can't really explain right now—” there was screaming—Luffy, maybe? “He just needs somewhere I know he's safe,”“He's always got a place here,” Pops told her, “But, Dadan…is everything okay? Is…is Luffy okay?”There was a pause, heavy with a dark storm of emotion.“No,” she finally said, “Thank you, Ed, I'll call y'later, tell Ace we love him, okay?”“Okay,”She hung up and Pops set his phone down on the desk. Marco was right: whatever happened, it's bad. He would have to have a conversation with his boys when Ace was in a better state.Marco had helped Ace down the hall, into the room, and on the bed. Ace laid on his back in the starfish pose, staring at the ceiling. Marco dropped Ace's bag on the floor and sat on the bed, pushing Ace over. The other boy grunted and rolled, curling into the fetal position.The friend sat next to Ace, his legs stretched out. He pulled out his phone, scrolling through different social media apps. He sat silently as Ace periodically shook with sobs.Eventually, Ace flopped over and looked up at the ceiling. Marco closed his phone and set it down.“It was bad,” Marco said.“It was so fucking bad, Phoenix,” Ace whispered. “He…he wouldn’t stop…and Luffy…”Ace clenched his jaw, staring at the cream colored ceiling. He felt tears stinging his eyes. Fuck, he had cried a lot. Luffy’s face, red and desperate, flashed in his memory. Luffy’s tortured screams echoed through his mind.“He tried to…defend me so much…” A tear escaped down his cheek, getting in his ear and making him rub it with his hand. He reached over with this right arm to his left shoulder, holding where his tattoo was.Marco knew Sabo had a matching one on his thigh. Ace's tattoo on his left shoulder read ASCE and Sabo's tattoo on his right thigh read SAABO. They had gotten them the summer they were both sixteen and their moms were pissed. On the inside of the same bicep on Ace and the inside of the same thigh on Sabo, they had the birthdays of each of their family members—both of their moms, each other, Uta, Luffy, Tama, Aika, and their baby brother.That family meant everything to Ace.Marco rested his hand on his friend's shoulder. Ace took a shaky breath, clutching at his skin. Marco swatted at Ace's hand, moving it away and inspecting the red marks he had left on himself.“I told you to stop doing that,” Marco chided.Ace huffed and sucked on his teeth. “I fucked up so bad, dude,”Marco sighed. “Yeah, I guess you did, I'm not gonna lie to ya,”“I don't know what I'm gonna do,” Ace whispered.“How about get some sleep, huh?” Marco stood up, “I'll check on you in the morning,”“Okay,”Marco switched the light off as he left, closing the door behind him. Ace was by himself in the dark.The silence was deafening as the walls started to close in on him. Ace tried to do some deep breathing, staring up at the ceiling. Tears welled in his eyes again and spilled down his cheeks, mingling with his hair on either side of his face. He closed his eyes, his mind oscillating between Luffy's smile and his tears.He opened his phone again, pulling up his messages with Sabo. At pops’ he texted, backing out and staring at his other messages. Luffy hadn't contacted him yet. Sabo's text came through.
Ik, mom talked to Pops, glad you made it safe.They took Luffy's phone.
So that was it. Why?
The Admiral and the moms are fighting about it.
Ace's chest felt tight. Why?
The Admiral wants to take it away. The moms, rightfully, are arguing that's too far.He doesn't want Luffy to be able to contact you. At all.
And he's gonna do that by isolating him completely? I'll fucking block him if need be, they can't do that to him. Fire burned in Ace's belly.
Ik that's what mom said. Ma's fighting with him about it, currently.

How's Lu taking it?

He's in his room throwing things.
Ace sighed. That tracks. Please tell him I'm sorry.
He knows that. We all do.

I didn't mean for any of this to happen, Sabo.

I know, Ace, it's ok.
No, it's not. Ace groaned, covering his eyes with his hand. The old man was right. I should have known better.
I'm not gonna sugar coat it for you, bro.You did know better.We talked about it more than once.
“Fuck,” Ace muttered, squeezing his eyes shut and hitting his closed fist on his forehead.That's fucking worse. He sent and sighed.I'll text you later.He tossed his phone onto the other side of the bed and sighed up at the ceiling. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. The old man was right…the old man was right. His actions were callous, idiotic…just like—Ace shook his head and hit his forehead with the heel of his palm. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. He had worked so hard to separate himself from his father's mistakes. Would they really fucking follow him no matter what he did?He took a deep breath and sighed, getting up and opening the door. He made his way to the kitchen, walking over to the cabinets next to the stove. He moved a few of the plates and plastic containers, and pulled out a bottle of rum. Pops and Marco were constantly trying to hide their booze from each other, and Ace had figured out most of their hiding spots. He stood up and examined the bottle in his hands. It was three fourths full. Plenty.Ace popped the cork on the bottle, taking a long swig as he shuffled back to the dark guest room.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Neither Ace nor Luffy went to school on Monday. Makino didn't even try to wake Luffy up when she noticed he was going to be late. Garp would have insisted, but neither of the moms were on his side, so she let the poor child sleep.He wasn't sleeping, though.Luffy's head hurt. Makino had tried to get him to drink water, but he just threw the cup across his room. She had gotten irritated with him, but she picked up the plastic cup and wiped up the water.He had been crying so much, his eyes were red, swollen, and tender. It was hard to breathe through his nose still, so his lips were dry as well. He laid curled in his bunk, the covers over him like a shell, and one of Ace's hoodies wrapped around his small frame. It wasn't his Bowie hoodie, but rather one Ace had left when he was packing. It was big and soft and smelled just like him.He started crying again.He'd gotten his phone back, but the bastard old man had deleted and blocked Ace on everything, and Luffy couldn't figure out how to fix it. He had brought it to Sabo, crying. After a few minutes of fiddling, Sabo looked at Luffy with a sad smile.“I think he blocked you, Lu,”That brought a fresh wave of tears. “But why?!”Sabo pulled his adorably pathetic younger brother to his chest. “It was probably the only way to get your phone back to you,”“B-but..” Luffy sobbed, “I…don't…n-need…it…i-if…I can't…text…Ace~”“And what if you couldn't text Zoro, huh?” Sabo felt Luffy shift in his arms. “Or Sanji, or Nami, or Usopp…or me, or Uta, or the moms?”Luffy leaned away from Sabo's embrace and wiped his snotty face with the back of his hands.“I…” he hiccuped, “I still wanna talk to him…”“I know,” Sabo ruffled Luffy's hair, “But we all knew you needed that phone back, Ace most of all,”Luffy sniffed, tugging at the string on the hoodie he was engulfed in. “Will…will you text him for me?”“Lu…” Sabo chimed.“Just!” Luffy held his hand up, “Just to t-tell him…I'm…um, okay?”“But you're not,”“I…” Luffy huffed, “Just tell him I'm thinking about him, and…”Sabo waited. “And?”“And tell him thank you,” Luffy mumbled and held up his phone, “For getting this back for me,”“I will,” Sabo had ruffled Luffy's hair again.Laying under his covers, Luffy grabbed his phone from under his pillow, pulling up Sabo's number.
Tell him I'm sorry I couldn't do it when you see him.
He tucked the phone under his pillow and pulled the hoodie tighter around him. It was only a moment before Sabo texted back a screenshot. Luffy opened it.
Message from Idiot Twin
Please tell Lu I'm sorry, I can't get out of bed today.
Luffy felt like he was going to throw up. Sabo.
?

I love him so fucking much
Luffy watched the dots hop on the bottom of the screen, disappear, and then pop up again.
Don't have to tell me. It's more than obvious.
Luffy sniffed and tucked his phone back under his pillow, staring at nothing. His phone buzzed again and he frowned as he pulled it out.
He says he loves you too.
Gross.
Luffy laughed and tucked his phone back under the pillow. At least Sabo could still make him smile.Tuesday, though, was absolute hell.Garp had not been happy about Luffy missing school, especially since he wanted to have a meeting with the principal. 8AM Tuesday morning, Luffy was called to the principal's office. He shuffled slowly down the halls, knowing Garp was what awaited him.“Lu?”Luffy's head shot up and he ran to Ace, wrapping his arms around the boy's middle.“Ace!” He cried, burying his face into Ace's chest.Ace wrapped his arms around Luffy and held on for dear life. Finally, it felt like he could breathe.“What are you doing here?” Luffy mumbled into Ace's shirt.Ace rested his cheek on the top of Luffy's head. “Same reason you are, I think,”Luffy's grip tightened around Ace's waist.“Ace!”Ace looked up and saw Pops coming down the hall toward them.“Got your text!” Pops bellowed.When he got close, Ace let Luffy go. The smaller boy whimpered, clutching Ace to him harder.“Hey,” Ace cooed, stroking Luffy's hair, “It's okay,”Luffy shook his head and planted his face firmly in Ace's chest.Ace looked up to Pops, his eyes weary. Pops sighed, looking at his boys and realizing everything he had missed. It was so…obvious if you thought about it for even a second. Ace and Luffy? It just made sense. Pops laid a hand on Luffy's shoulder.“Luffy,” he said gently.Luffy shook his head.Pops sighed. “Luffy, you gotta let him go before your grandfather finds you,”Luffy clenched his jaw. He knew that. He just…didn't want to.Slowly, Luffy's vice grip on Ace eased up, and the taller of the two was able to lower Luffy's arms away. Luffy's hands flexed and relaxed, already feeling the loss of Ace's touch.“C'mon,” Pops gently coaxed them, holding the door to the office open.Principal Eisburg was a tall middle aged man with hair so black it looked blue in the fluorescent lights of his office. His eyes were a bright ice blue, giving him the nickname most people and students knew him by: Iceburg. He was always a cordial man, very kind to his students, and understanding of the intricacies and nuances when dealing with teenagers. He smiled up at Pops when the small group came in.“Ed!” Iceburg said cheerfully, “I didn't know you would be attending this meeting,”“I'm not going to leave my son to be attacked alone,” Pops said, shooting a glare at Garp. “Admiral,”Garp nodded to Pops. “Iceburg and I were just discussing our time on the USS Hounder together,”“You were much younger then, sir,” Iceburg laughed.“So were you, kid,” Garp smirked.Iceburg laughed and looked back to Pops.“Now, Ed,” he said, “This meeting isn't about attacking anyone, but rather to address inappropriate behavior,”“In—!” Luffy started.Pops laid a hand on his shoulder.“This was far from inappropriate, Tom,” Pops said.Iceburg glanced at Garp and back to Pops.“Either way, Luffy's grandfather has some concerns about the safety of his grandson at our school,” he motioned to the chairs in front of him, “Please,”Pops sat in the chair next to Garp, Luffy sitting on the other side and Ace sitting on the far side of the row. Pops patted Ace on the knee quickly. Garp tried to lay his hand on Luffy's shoulder, but the boy jerked his body away, almost causing his chair to fall.“Don't be like that,” Garp said sternly.“Don't touch me,” Luffy hissed, his eyes flashing.“Sir, I think you better let it go for now,” Iceburg said, calmly.Garp huffed through his nose and crossed his arms. Iceburg looked at the men and boys sitting before him.“Now, I would like to hear what is going on,” he said.Garp and Pops opened their mouths simultaneously. Iceburg held up his hand.“From the boys, please,”There was silence as Ace and Luffy looked up to Iceburg and then at each other across the other men.“Go ahead, Lu,” Ace said gently.Luffy looked straight at Iceburg and blurted, “I fell in love with Ace,”The principal raised his eyebrows, a small smirk dancing on his lips as he looked at Garp. “Not quite the words you used,”“He's fourteen, he doesn't know what he's talking about,” Garp barked.“He's still quite young, yes, but let's not dismiss his emotions just yet, sir,” he turned to Ace. “Ace? What about in your own words?”Ace glanced down at the Newton's cradle on Iceburg's desk and sighed.“I fell in love with Luffy,” he mumbled.“Just as I thought,” Iceburg nodded. “As I understand it, you boys are not biologically related at all, correct?”“Yessir,” they mumbled in unison.“And neither of you have been legally adopted by your foster mothers?”“That's correct, sir,” Ace said, quietly.“Hm,” Iceburg looked at Garp, “I don't see how this may be inappropriate beyond the various typical things. I know relations between foster siblings creates a mess in the system, but I understand Ace has moved out, yes?”“He's staying with me,” Pops said.“Thank you, Ed, that's very kind,” Iceburg said.“Didn't have to think about it, he's my son,” Pops grunted.“No, he's my grandson!” Garp snapped.“I'd rather be Pops’ son,” Ace mumbled.“Don't you say that!” Garp spat.“I'd rather Ace be Pops’ son…” Luffy mumbled.“No one asked you!”“Sir, please,” Iceburg held up his hand. “There's no need to be cruel,”Garp crossed his arms, but shut his mouth.“Also, the age difference is of some concern, Ace being eighteen now and Luffy still fourteen,” Iceburg continued, “I fear there is no help there, therefore, I apologize, but boys, Admiral Monkey has brought up some concerns that as an educational administrator, I have to take seriously,”Both Ace and Luffy's hearts sank.“For the rest of the semester, we will have to separate you,” the principal said, “Ace, you're a senior, you're permitted to leave campus for lunch, please do. I will provide a small stipend, myself, to cover food and gas costs until you graduate,”“Yessir,” Ace mumbled. Could be worse.“Good, now it doesn't seem like you have any classes together,” Iceburg looked at his computer, “So we don't have to juggle that around, however, I do see that you are both on Ed here's kickboxing team,”Ace stiffened and Luffy clenched his jaw. Fuck, what was about to happen? They glanced at each other the best they could. Luffy's heart strained when he saw the fear in Ace's eyes. Anything but kickboxing, that was everything to him. Luffy knew what he had to do.“Well, one of them has to drop out, and it's not gonna be Luffy, that's unfair,” Garp stated.“No!” Luffy said before Pops or Ace could interject. He gripped Garp's arm tightly, intentionally digging his nails in, “The only reason I did kickboxing is because Ace wanted me to, I don't…I don't really like it, I'll quit,”“Luffy…” Ace whispered, his heart breaking.Luffy glanced at him, his eyes shining with tears he was desperately trying to hold back. “I'm sorry, Ace, I shoulda told you,”He was lying, and they both knew it. Ace set his jaw and nodded slightly.“It's okay, Lu, I'm glad you're telling me now…” he said quietly.If Ace could give up his home, his family to protect Luffy, then Luffy could give up the sport he loved for Ace.“Are you sure, Luffy?” Iceburg asked, “We can—”“No!” Luffy snapped, “I don't wanna do it anymore,”Iceburg nodded and typed something into his computer. “I believe that covers everything. Sir, are you satisfied?”Garp grunted approval.“I guess that'll do,” Iceburg said, “Please try to limit your interactions in the halls between classes, I will have to inform our monitors of the situation and you may be asked to separate if they deem your behavior too inappropriate,”“Pfft, inappropriate…” Luffy grumbled.“Do we understand each other?” Iceburg raised an eyebrow at the boys.“Yessir,” they mumbled in unison.“Good,” he said, “Well, I think we're done here, boys, you may go back to your classes. It was nice catching up with you sir,”“Like wise, Ice,” Garp nodded his head.Ace and Luffy stood, leaving the room together as the three men chatted. Ace closed the door and they stood in the hall just looking at each other.“Why'd you do that?” Ace whispered.“I couldn't let them take kickboxing from you, you've already sacrificed too much, Acey,”The pet name hit Ace's heart like an arrow. “But you love it,”“It's okay, I can join next year after you graduate,” Luffy said, “I've got time, you don't,”Ace sighed, desperate to take Luffy's hand in his. “Thank you, I love you,”“I love you, too,”They stared at each other again, both heart sick.“I'll talk to you later, I promise,” Ace whispered.“You better,” Luffy's eyes were misting, “I miss you,”“I know, Lu,” Ace's heart strained as he glanced at the door to Mr. Eisburg's office. “I miss you, too,”Neither boy wanted to part, but they knew they had to. Ace set his jaw and nodded, the first to turn and walk away. Luffy stood in place for a moment, his nails digging into his palms. He took a deep breath, willing himself not to cry, and turned around to walk back towards his class.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Luffy laid on the couch in the living room, staring at the ceiling. Ace had promised he was going to talk to him again, but that had been a week ago. He had been impatiently waiting for days, and he was starting to worry that Ace wouldn't figure out how to make it happen.This sucked. Everything about this sucked. Luffy had been with Ace for almost eight years now, he could barely remember a time when they weren't together. Well, before a couple of months ago they weren't together together, but they had never really been apart. For Luffy, it felt like there was a big, gaping, Ace-shaped hole in his heart and nothing could accurately fill it. He sighed. This sucked.He was startled by the door flinging open and sat up to see Sabo standing in the doorway.“Good, there you are,” he said, a little out of breath, “C'mon,”“What?” Luffy frowned at him.“Just come with me!” Sabo insisted, walking over to Luffy and grabbing his wrist and sandals.“Sabo, what—” Luffy frowning when he saw Zoro's car parked in front of their house. “What—?”He didn't have time to react before the back door opened and Usopp pulled him in, Sabo immediately following and shutting the door.“We're in,” he said, and Zoro took off down the road.“Okay, seriously, what's—” Luffy tried, only to be shushed by Usopp placing a finger on Luffy's lips. He frowned at his friend and swatted at his hand. “Stop that!”“J-j-just wait,” Usopp said.“No, tell me—”“Luffy,” Zoro said.Luffy looked up and caught Zoro's eye in the rearview mirror. Luffy huffed and crossed his arms, proceeding to pout.“That's better,” Zoro said as they drove.Luffy frowned out of the window. “Are we going to the pier?”“You'll see,” Sabo said, his attention on his phone.Luffy growled and looked back out the window. He recognized the street they were on. They were definitely going to the pier.“I don't wanna go to the pier…” he mumbled.“Just wait, okay?” Sabo rolled his eyes. “Also, since when do you not wanna go to the pier?”“You know when…”Sabo sighed and threw his arm around his brother's shoulders. “This might just change your mind about that,”Luffy frowned at him in confusion as Zoro pulled into the beach parking lot, the same one Ace used to take Luffy to make out. They pulled up just before the pier, where Robin, Franky, Nami, Vivi, Chopper, Uta, Thatch, and Marco were mingling. As the car slowed to a stop, Sabo hopped out, holding the door open for Luffy. The boy climbed out, looking at the friends gathered near him, still confused. He looked up at Sabo, who motioned toward the beach under the pier. Luffy looked where Sabo poined, squinting.His heart raced when he saw the small figure on the edge of the shadows. Without saying a thing, Luffy took off down the sandy dune and toward open arms.Ace embraced his boy tightly, lifting Luffy a couple of inches off of the sand and burying his face in the crook of his neck.“Ace,” Luffy whimpered into his shoulder.Ace's arms tightened around Luffy. “My Lu,”They held each other like that for five solid minutes, neither wanting to ever let go. Eventually, Ace stroked Luffy's hair and the smaller boy leaned back, taking in his lover's beautifully freckled face.“You figured it out,” he said.“Yeah, I figured it out,” Ace glanced over Luffy back at their friends. “I asked them to keep watch. They all wanted to come this time, but next time it'll just be a couple of ‘em,”Luffy glanced over his shoulder at the group, his heart swelling.“Just because I can't talk to you doesn't mean I can't talk to them,” Ace whispered in Luffy's ear.Luffy smiled and laid his head on Ace's chest. “But that means we can't fool around,”“Yeah,” Ace sighed, “Probably best if we avoid that anyway right now, my love,”Luffy sighed and looked up at Ace, pouting. Ace laughed and squeezed Luffy slightly.“C'mon,” he said, taking Luffy's hand and leading him into the shadows where he had a blanket laid out.“Oh, shit, is that Five Guys??” Luffy rushed to the blanket, plopping down and grabbing at one of the bags that was there.Ace laughed and settled beside Luffy, leaning on his arm that crossed behind his boy's back.“Yeah, I wanted to spoil ya a little,” he said, “I felt bad,”Luffy looked at Ace with a mouth full of fries. “Why?”“Just for everything that's going on,” Ace looked at his silly boy, “I'm so sorry, Lu,”Luffy shook his head. “Don't be, this is just as much my fault as it is yours,”“I was supposed to protect you,” Ace caressed Luffy's cheek with his fingertips, “I was supposed to protect everyone,”“Ace,” Luffy said matter-of-factly, “You're eighteen,”“So?”“So, you should be out dating and planning your future,” Luffy said around a bite of burger, “Not acting like you have an entire, I dunno, clan under your watch,”Ace let out a melancholy laugh. “I guess you're right,”“Besides, it's just as much my fault as it is yours,” Luffy took another bite, “Right?”“I…”“You said you figured it out when?”“When I was twelve,”“And…how long ago was that?”Ace laughed. “F-five? Around five years, I think,”“You successfully kept your feelings in check for five years,” Luffy said, “I didn't last for, like, a month,”“Mm, that's true…” Ace bobbed his head to the side.“How long do you think you could have gone loving me in secret if I hadn't made a move on you?”Ace sighed, sucking on his teeth. He glanced at Luffy, then back down at the blanket. “Forever, maybe,”“Yeah,” Luffy sighed, grabbing another container of fries, “So, who's fault is it?”“You're right, you're right,” Ace sighed.“Damn right I am!” Luffy grinned, ketchup on his chin.Ace bit his lip and grinned. Even though he had said no fooling around, he wanted the idiot so bad. He wiped the smear of ketchup from Luffy's chin and then licked it off of his thumb.“Oh, fuck you,” Luffy said, dropping the container of fries back in the bag and tackling Ace.Ace started laughing as Luffy straddled him and leaned down to the crook of Ace's neck, biting gently. The boy under him sighed, his hands sliding down Luffy's body and squeezing at his ass. They could feel each other's partial erection through their pants and Luffy ground into Ace's hips, making them both moan quietly. Ace's hands explored every part of Luffy, savoring every touch, memorizing every shape.After a few minutes, Luffy leaned back up, running his thumb over the mark he made on Ace's collarbone.“There,” he said, “It was starting to fade,”Ace chuckled, snorting through his nose a little. “Fuck, you're possesive,”“I want everyone to know you're mine,” he traced his hand down Ace's bare chest. “Even if we can't be together,”Ace reached his hand up and caressed Luffy's face. “Hey, I'm not gonna cheat on you,”“Well, it wouldn't really be cheating…” Luffy looked away, biting his lip, “I don't even care if you fuck other people right now, I just want them to know they can't, like, have you, y'know?”Ace sat up, wrapping his arms around the boy in his lap. “Well, it's not coming to that right now, now is it?”“No, not right now…” Luffy sighed, “But…gramps is still talking about taking me to live with him for the summer…and you and Sabo will be moving to the city…”“Listen,” Ace squeezed him slightly, “If that happens, we'll figure it out, and he's only threatening the summer, right?”“Yeah,”“And how exactly can you claim me if you're an hour away?” Ace giggled.Luffy took Ace's face in his hands, squeezing his cheeks. “I just need you to not fall for anybody while I'm gone,”Ace started laughing, his eyes squeezing shut.“What? What?!” Luffy whined.“Lu…” Ace gazed at him, “You're the only person I've ever fallen for. All those other bodies? They meant nothing. And others? They will mean nothing, too,”Luffy smirked sheepishly, glancing down at his fingers playing with Ace's necklace. “Always have, always will?”Ace pulled him close, nuzzling their noses together. “Always have, always will,”Luffy smiled, biting his lip. “But, it's okay if you keep up appearances for your sponsors…while I'm gone,”“I'm choosing to believe you're not going anywhere,” He tucked his face into Luffy's neck. Because it wouldn't be just hooking up. Ace knew his habits, and when he's in a particularly bad state, casual sex was almost like a pain reliever.Luffy laid his cheek against the crown of Ace's head. “Me too,”They stayed together for a few hours, talking and laughing and kissing. After some point, Ace looked at his phone and sighed.“Sabo's calling it,” he said, “Gotta let you go,”“No…” Luffy whined, holding onto Ace's waist.“We can only have little moments, Lu,” Ace sighed, petting Luffy's hair. “And we can't draw too much suspicion,”Luffy sniffed and looked up to Ace's face. “When can I see you again?”“Next week,” (Luffy moaned) “I know, it sucks, but it's gotta be like this for right now,”“What about the party this weekend?”“We can't be seen publicly together,” Ace explained, “And this time it's serious, if we have any chance we have to do this right, okay?”Luffy sighed. “Okay,”“Thank you, Lu,” Ace cradled Luffy's face in his hands, “Now, kiss me, idiot,”Luffy scoffed, smiling. “Dummy,”Ace grinned and leaned down, capturing Luffy's lips with his own. Oh, how bittersweet it was. Ace could feel Luffy's lip quiver against his and he wondered if he was betraying his inner turmoil as well. Despite their pain, they consumed each other, neither wanting the moment to end, but end it eventually did. They stood with their foreheads pressed together, eyes closed.“I love you, Acey,”“I love you, Lu,”“Always have, always will?”“Always have, always will,”Luffy sighed and regretfully let the love of his life go. “I'll…I'll see you next week?”Ace smiled, sad. “See you next week,”Luffy nodded and sighed deeply, turning to walk up the sand dune and back to the car where Zoro and Sanji were waiting for him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Weeks carried on in the same way, time marked by their secret meetings. Luffy went to school, came home, and curled up in bed. Ace went to school, went to practice, and drank. Every Tuesday night after practice, they met at the pier under the watchful eye of two of their friends. Luffy liked that it was after practice for Ace, because he smelled like the gym and that specific smell that was purely Ace. They would spend a couple of hours holding hands and talking, soaking up every second they could.Like this, spring came and went, and the days gave away to summer, graduation on the horizon.“Hey,” Ace said, snapping Luffy back to reality, “What is it?”Luffy sighed and squeezed Ace's hand. “Gramps still wants to take me to his place for the summer, Ma's pissed,”“That makes sense, she hates when the Admiral butts in with the kids…” Ace noted.“I don't wanna go,” Luffy sniffed, "It's boring at grandpa's. He's always at the base, and Coby and Mepp are always at the academy,”“Maybe he'll be hosting someone,”“Not until the end of summer…” Luffy pouted.“I'm sorry, Lu,” Ace leaned up to kiss Luffy's cheek.Luffy looked down at his phone. “I need him to okay me going to graduation,”“How would he keep you from graduation?”“He might take me early,” Luffy clenched his jaw, “As soon as I finish this year,”Ace grunted and shook his head. “Fuck,”Luffy squeezed Ace's hand tightly, his eyes staring off into nowhere.“Hey,” Ace sat up and pulled Luffy to him, “What is it?”“I…” Luffy's voice was so small, “I don't want to be alone,”Ace felt the physical sensation of his heart shattering in his chest. “I'm so sorry, Lu,”All Ace wanted was to be able to hold Luffy in his arms, protecting him forever. It was unfair, cruel, and vindictive of Garp to force such a measure on the boy. Ace didn't know what to do and the helplessness had been eating away at him more and more.“Hey,” he said, “Franky's here right now, yeah?”“Yeah, why?”“One sec,” Ace picked up his phone and shot Franky a text.It took him only about five minutes to come down to where they were.“Ay, there, brother,” He said in his cheerful voice, “Brought the gun,”“Gun?” Luffy frowned.“Uh, tattoo gun!” Franky smiled.Luffy laughed, looking at Ace. “You're getting a tattoo? Now?”“Only if you want one,” Ace smiled.“Huh?”“Frank, can you do a half heart here?” He held up his left hand and pointed to the space under his thumb, “And the other half on Lu's right hand?”“So it completes when you hold hands, sick,” Franky said, “Hell yeah, brother, I can get that done for ya!”Ace looked at Luffy. “What do y'think?”Luffy was grinning, biting his lip. He nodded his head aggressively.“Sweet,” Ace laughed, “It's gonna hurt like hell,”“I know,” Luffy wiggled with barely contained excitement. Part of him was looking forward to the pain.“Neat,” Franky sat down on the blanket with them, opening up a tool box and pulling on some latex gloves.He took out a piece of paper and a pen, drawing the heart carefully and measuring it against both Ace and Luffy's palms. He then cut the heart out and cut it in half. He brushed a solution onto one of the pieces and laid it onto the spot Ace had asked for. Luffy was mesmerized by the way the drawing on the paper had stayed on Ace's skin.“Cool,” he said, stars in his eyes.Ace laughed and gazed at Luffy. “Right?”“Okay, c'mere,” Franky motioned to Luffy.Luffy wiggled up to Franky and held out his hand, trying to stay still. Franky placed the stencil and then motioned to Ace.“Alright lemme see,” He held both of their hands, slowly rolling them together to check the alignment. “Yup! Perfect!”He dropped Ace's hand and peeled the stencil off of Luffy's.“Wha'd'ya think?” He asked.Ace looked at his hand then at Luffy. “Lu?”Luffy looked up from his hand and smiled at Ace. “Yeah! It's perfect!”“Sweet,” Franky set up a mini tattoo station and slapped his bare legs. “Right, brother, you ready for this?”“Hell yeah, dude,” Ace chuckled.“Alright, here we go!” Franky said, turning on the tattoo gun and leaning down.Ace clenched his jaw as the needles pierced his skin. He glanced at Luffy next to him and held out his other hand. Luffy took it and Ace squeezed. He was humming This Ain't a Scene, It's An Arms Race to himself with his eyes closed.“Fallout Boy?” Luffy giggled.“Shut up,” Ace peeked at him out of one eye, smirking.“At least it's not Welcome To The Black Parade,” Luffy laughed.“It could be Helena, shut up,”“Hm, now I'm second guessing this decision,” Luffy twisted his lips.“Hey, don't chicken out on me, now,” Ace chuckled.Luffy scoffed, but he was smiling. “Fine,”It was a small tattoo, so it didn't take long for Franky to finish it up. Once he was done, he smeared a clear looking goop on Ace's hand and wrapped it up.“I'm assuming you know how to take care of this?” He asked.Ace laughed. “Yeah, I'm good,”“Sweet!” Franky turned to Luffy, “Alright, your turn, little brother,”Luffy swallowed and took a deep breath. He looked at Ace, who immediately opened his arms. Luffy slid into Ace's lap, their chests pressed together and Luffy's chin resting on Ace's shoulder. Ace wrapped strong arms around Luffy's shoulders, successfully turning them around so Luffy was facing Franky. Luffy held his right hand out to his friend while Ace absently drew spirals on Luffy's back.“Cute,” Franky said, taking Luffy's hand in his, “You sure you're ready?”“Mm-hm!” Luffy nodded.“Alright, here we go!”Luffy hissed as the needles penetrated his skin, the fingernails on his other hand digging into Ace's back. He tried to focus on keeping his hand still, but it burned like hell.“You okay, Lu?” Ace whispered in his ear, instantly calming Luffy's rapid heartbeat.“Yeah…” Luffy said through gritted teeth, “Just hurts,”He breathed through the pain, his head swimming. When Franky was about halfway done, the annoying burning subsided to a stinging sensation akin to when Luffy would slap his thigh really hard. Luffy clenched and unclenched his jaw, his eyes closed, but not squeezed tight. His head began to loll to the side, resting against Ace's.“Are you falling asleep?” Ace chuckled in his ear.“Mm, no,” Luffy mumbled.The feeling of the tattoo gun was relieving emotional and mental pain Luffy hadn't totally realized he had been carrying. Even his shoulders were starting to relax and they had been tense for weeks. He breathed in Ace's smell and let his muscles relax into the boy under him.Luffy was a little disappointed when Franky was finished and wrapped it up.“Well, there you go, bros, y'like?”Luffy turned around in Ace's lap and looked at the tattoos side by side.“They're going the same way,” he frowned.“If you look at them like that, but like this, see?” Ace held their hands up so they were facing each other, but not touching.Luffy tilted his head left and right, looking at the symbols on their palms.“Oh, yeah! I see it!” He chirped and looked at Franky. “They're so cool!”Franky bowed with a flourish. “A-thank a-you,”Luffy giggled and then waved him off. “Okay, you can go now,”Franky scoffed, feigning offence. “Oh, I am unwanted, how shall I ever recover!”He quickly walked away, fake sobs falling from his lips.Ace and Luffy giggled at Franky's show. Luffy looked back at the tattoos on their hands.“Thank you,” he said and Ace wrapped both of his arms around Luffy's middle, tucking his face into the crook of his neck.“You're welcome, Lu,”“Now, people will know you're mine,” Luffy trailed his fingers down Ace's arm, “Even if you're fooling around,”Ace sighed. “I don't want you to think like that, Lu,”“But, you're going to, right?” Luffy twisted his mouth slightly. “Because that's how you deal with things?”Ace clenched his jaw and sighed again. He didn't want to admit it, but he had to. “Probably,”Luffy tsked and bit the inside of his cheek. “Yeah, I probably would, too, if I could,” he quickly looked behind him at Ace, “Not that—I mean—”“I know,” Ace kissed him on the temple, “If you can find some relief over there, I don't care,”“I don't think I will,” Luffy sighed. “It's all the military brats, and the try-hards at the academy,”“Hm, yeah, I remember,” Ace twisted his mouth.“But no matter what, whatever happens while I'm gone, it's you and me, right?” Luffy looked at Ace's beautiful amber eyes, “Just us against the world?”Ace squeezed Luffy's middle and nuzzled his nose against the boy's cheek. “No matter what,” he whispered, “It's you and me, just us against the world. Forever,”Luffy heard his phone buzz and scrambled for it.“Woah, hey there,” Ace laughed. “I was just promising myself to you forever, no big deal,”“I need to know if gramps said I can stay for graduation,” Luffy mumbled then looked at Ace, “It's not like you were proposing or anything, yo,”Ace laughed and sighed. “No, no, I was not,”“Fuck, yes, he said I could stay,” Luffy grinned, “I get to see everyone graduate!”Ace kissed his cheek. “I'm so glad,”“Which means this should be healed before I have to go,” Luffy looked at his hand. “Fuck, Mom's gonna pissed, isn't she?”“I think you might have to worry more about Ma,” Ace chuckled, “Mom'll be pissed, but she'll get Ma to yell at you,”Luffy sighed. “Yeah~, I know,”Turns out, no one said a word to Luffy about the tattoo. Makino noticed it, but she only pulled Luffy in for a big hug.“How is he?” She whispered.Luffy squeezed her. “He's okay…doesn't he call?”“No,” Makino sighed, “I think he feels guilty,”Luffy clenched his jaw, whispering, “Yeah…he does…”“Tell him we love him, okay?”“He knows, Mom,” Luffy closed his eyes, “He loves you guys, too…a lot,”“For what it's worth,” Makino whispered in his ear, “I'm not surprised,”Luffy looked up at his mother, feeling little again. “Really?”“If anything was meant to be in this world,” she said quietly, cupping his face in her hands, “It's you and Ace,”Luffy's lip quivered, a single tear falling down his cheek.“Oh, Luffy,” Makino said, holding him once more, “Everything will be okay, baby, I promise,”“Thanks, Mommy,” Luffy whispered, holding on desperately to the last little bit of comfort he had these days.