Ace sat on the couch, an empty bottle of whiskey clutched in his hand, his eyes were blood shot and surrounded by dark circles. He looked up as someone knocked on his door but didn't move. He didn't have the strength, or the will.
"Ace, I'm coming in."
Sanji
The door opened and he looked up slowly as two pair of foot falls came into the living room.
"Your lucky you guys gave me an extra key, Zoro was ready to break the door down."
Zoro? Wait they came together? Must be really worried to work together.
"Sanji, I don't think he's listening..."
"Hush, babe. I know how to get through to him."
Zoro shot him a short glare at the endearment.
Babe? Wait...Sanji just called Zoro....
Ace sat up so fast he felt the cheap booze stir in his stomach and almost came back up.
"You two are dating?!"
Sanji let out a laugh as Zoro shook his head.
"You know if you actually came to school this last couple of months you would know that."
Ace looked up at the burly green haired teen and blinked.
Months? Has it really been that long?
"I didn't realize I had been gone that long."
"Yeah we know. I don't think you even realize that you've been doing normal things on instict there Ace."
He looked over at Sanji confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Eatting, sleeping, bathroom that kind of thing, answering the phone is a big one."
"I answered the phone? I don't remember..."
"Yeah we kinda thought so. You kept asking if it was Luffy."
Ace's face fell and he looked at the floor.
"Look, we came to get you out of here. You've only come out to get booze and or food."
Ace shook his head.
"I don't want to you guys...I don't have the heart."
Sanji looked up at Zoro who just shook his head.
"There's nothing more we can do...We've tried everything we can."
"But drag him out."
"We're not doing that. He'll come around when he's ready."
Sanji nodded leaning agaist Zoro and than followed behind him as they walked out of the once noisy apartment. Ace sank back against the couch and sighed, he missed Luffy, still, even if it had been months, it only felt like days to the older D. He heaved another sigh and resigned himself of fighting the hope that the next time the door opened it would be his little brother bouncing in and climbing into his lap....He would never again know that joy. He stood up and wandered aimlessly through the house til he wound up in his room, flopping down on the bed he looked around, seeing his room for the first time in months. He blinked and gave his forehead a loud smack. It was littered with empty whiskey bottles and old fast food wrapers. They hadn't been joking, he'd been out of it for months. But that meant that they would all soon be graduateing too didn't it? What month was it? Exactly how long had he been out of it? He wasn't sure but he would start trying to get out more and get his mind off of things. He decided he would clean the house and invite everyone over for dinner, just like they used to...In the morning. He buried his face in his pillow and allowed himself one last night to mourn his brother, one last night to cry his pain away. One last night...and than he'd try, he would make the effort. No promises though...


Ace walked through town feeling detached, like nothing was there...nothing phased him as the cars wizzed past him on the streets. He barely even noticed when Frankie emerged from a nearby diner and yelled his name.
"Yo, Ace!"
He turned and looked across the street at the other teen who waved excitedly back at him, the raven haired Robin also waving gently at him. Raiseing his hand back he looked both ways before he crossed and entered the diner to see the rest of their group sitted at a table smiling, but to Ace it still looked empty. It seemed to quiet, the one person that made everything worth it. He sighed but sat down none the less and blinked as Sanji leaned into Zoro, and Robin entwined her fingers with Frankie's.
"When did all this happen again?"
Sanji looked up and smiled.
"Oh yeah, you missed the whole announcement. Zoro and I have been together since freshman year, we hid it pretty well."
Ace's eyes bugged.
"Are you series!?"
Zoro nodded, Ace shook his head in disbeliefe.
"You guys managed to hide it from everyone for that long? How?"
Sanji answered this time with a smile as he glanced up at Zoro.
"Oh you know, fighting that kind of thing."
Again Ace shook his head.
"Never thought either one of you swung that way."
"We don't."
Zoro's flat reply took Ace by surprise and he looked up giving him a shocked look.
"We don't swing that way, both of us only dated girls til we met. There's always that one person your meant to be with, guy or girl."
Ace nodded knowing full well the meaning behind that, Ace loved Luffy and they were brothers. It almost felt normal sitting there with them til nearly midnight as they all joked and laughed talking about this or that but still Ace felt as if there was a hole in his chest, every little thing made him think of his little brother and he couldn't help but miss him more and more as each minute ticked by til it was to much and he had to leave. Taking an offered red for Sanji Ace walked back out into the lamp lit streets and headed home, back to the emptieness, the quiet. Back to his whiskey. Back where there was no Luffy...Back to being an empty shell.