Hello there and welcome back!

Thanks again for the responses to this little fic of mine! You guys are suuuuuuupeerrrr!

So, Ace has cancer. The type of cancer I'm talking about in here is a Papillary Fibroelastoma, a real type of tumor that mostly affect people of Ace's agegroup. It's not heriditary, but for the purposes of this story, I made it so.

I know some tables have been flipped and tears have been shed over the cancer revelation, but I did warn that this story was going to be dramatic and things are only going to get darker from here on.

But for now, please enjoy this here chapter.

Domo!


7. Five of Pentagrams - The Moon


Moments passed, feeling like hours stretching themselves further into time, getting lost in Luffy's accusatory statement as they stared at each other wordlessly.

Ace then finally closed his eyes and sighed, taking a step back into his condo as he opened his door further, silently inviting Luffy in.

Luffy stood and walked passed him, coming to a halt in the welcoming hall, waiting for Ace to close the door again. "Yesterday, in your office... and then at the lounge... why didn't you tell me?"

Ace leaned against the now closed door and folded his arms over his chest, his eyes downcast as he remained quiet.

Luffy gritted his teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut, knowing that he had no right to ask, especially with the way he stormed off last night. He didn't know what he was expecting from him, he just needed to see him now that he had learnt the news of his illness. And by the way Ace wasn't saying anything, let alone denying it, it was true.

Ace had a cancerous tumor in one of his aortic valves.

"Ace-"

"How did you find out?" Ace softly asked, still not looking at him.

Luffy heard his heart break at the unspoken accusation in his voice and at the sight of his defeated posture. "Your friend is the new head doctor of the Free Clinic on Sakura street. I have one of my friends who is a doctor there too," he whispered. "I begged him to tell me once I realized..." he added when Ace remained silent.

Ace pushed himself away from the door and walked passed Luffy without a glance his way. "Why do you care?" he asked, sounding more tired than anything and turning left at the end of the hall into his kitchen.

Those four little words were like a punch to his stomach and he realized in that moment that he wanted - needed - Ace to know that he cared and that he was worried for him. "Ace," Luffy whispered, following him into the kitchen. "I need to apologize for last night."

Ace didn't say anything and simply opened his fridge to take out a bottle of water.

"Ace, please," Luffy said, walking up to him and placing a hand hesitantly on his on the handle of the fridge door. He then wrapped his other arm around his waist and pressed his forehead against Ace's back when he didn't feel him move away, taking a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Ace stilled in his movements and closed the fridge door, his disposition visibly softening. "I can tell that you're damaged goods, Luffy. It doesn't take a a degree in Psychology to see that."

Luffy only tightened his hold on him, wordlessly begging him not to let go. "I shouldn't have run off like that..."

Ace turned himself around in Luffy's hold and placed both hands on the sides of the younger male's face, pressing a kiss on his forehead. "When you're ready, Luffy, let's try this again."

Luffy looked up at him, his heart sinking. "Ace...?"

Ace smiled softly and wrapped his arms around Luffy's shoulders, hugging him tightly. "Don't you think we went too fast in this...?"

"So what if we did?" Luffy asked after a few moments passed, taking a step back to look at him, now thorougly confused. Wasn't he the one, who only last night admitted that he wanted to be with him? If he'd been sincere in that statement, why the change of heart now? Didn't he believe him now that he'd apologised for his behaviour? "Ace, don't push me away."

Ace pulled him close again, smiling into his hair and pressing a kiss on the crown of his head. "I'm not, Luffy... It's just not the right time."

"Is it because of your cancer? Ace?" Luffy whispered, shutting his eyes, twin tears rolling down his cheeks. "Ace, I-"

"If your friend told you the details of this tumor, you should know that the coming weeks aren't going to be easy for me," Ace whispered back. "I told you I wanted to be with you, but now that I think about it, I can't ask you this. I care too much about you to put you through this with me."

Luffy shook his head against his chest, biting his lower lip. "And what if I want to? What if I-"

Ace made a shushing sound and rocked them gently from side to side, smiling when Luffy quieted down. "We've known each other for a week, Luffy. We can take a break and resume this anytime we feel the time is right."

"Can we?" Luffy wondered, thinking back of the file and the diagnosis he'd read and knowing that Ace was deliberately pushing him away. "You could... die, Ace..."

"I could," Ace agreed. "I've had this for a few years now and I've beaten it before. I have full confidence in my doctors."

Luffy shook his head regretfully. He'd finally found to courage to admit to himself that he liked someone again and now this...?

"Was this... a mistake? Did we make a mistake, Ace?" he wondered, sniffling and taking a step back, eyes dejectedly facing the floor.

Ace placed a finger underneath Luffy's chin and made him look at him. "We have chemistry, there is no denying that. I don't regret what we did to each other, it was the best I've felt all week."

"Did you relapse because of what we did...?" Luffy whimpered, eyebrows knitted together as he tried his hardest to understand.

Ace laughed heartedly at that, but shook his head. "That's not how it works, but the excitement did trigger some familiar symptoms that put me on alert."

Luffy sighed in frustration. "I care about you, Ace... I really, really do," he confessed, another tear rolling out of his left eye. He leaned into Ace's touch and closed his eyes when he reached up a hand to cup his face and wipe the tear away with his thumb.

"I know you do, otherwise you wouldn't be here, all in tears," Ace said with an endeared expression and a chuckle.

"So then, why?" Luffy asked softly, losing his patience. "I don't care about your cancer. The moment I heard about it... it was like, like..." He fell silent and looked away, gathering the courage to say what he was going to say next. "You were the only thing I could think about."

"Luffy," Ace said, surprised.

"Why minimize what it is I know you feel for me? The way you touched me that night, that is what scared me most!" Luffy stated, grabbing his hand resting against his face. "I am damaged goods, I'm not denying that. Sex for me, is just that, sex. But you... you made me think of how it could be different. It scared the crap out of me and yet I got so jealous when that guy touched you in your office yesterday. I know that we've gone too fast, but that's because, for me, this wasn't supposed to go anywhere! I wasn't supposed to be feeling..." he made an awkward hand movement between them, "This!"

A small grin had begun to form on Ace's face as he watched him ramble on.

Luffy missed that grin because he closed his eyes with another sigh before continuing, "I've been told that I need to open up more when it comes to my feelings and this is me doing so, for the first time in years, so do not slam the door on me, not when I know that you feel the same!"

Ace chuckled, taken aback by Luffy's high-spirited monologue.

"If you want to take things slow, let's take things slow," Luffy offered, voice desperate. He took a step forward and wrapped both his arms around his waist. "We can start over and get to know each other like normal people," he finished, smirking softly in relief as he saw Ace laugh.

"And not like rabbits in heat?" Ace commented, biting his lips to keep from laughing harder.

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with being in heat," Luffy replied, chuckling back. "I do my best work when I'm in heat..."

Ace raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "I have no doubt about that. But normal is boring."

Luffy laughed, "Oh good, because I prefer being weird..." He grinned and lifted himself up on his toes when Ace lowered his face on his and gave him a peck on his lips, "And freaky," he then whispered before the next kiss. "Weird and freaky," he murmured, returning Ace's kisses with a caring one of his own, sliding his tongue over his briefly.

"I can agree to that," Ace grinned, as his eyes looked at him in newfound wonderment. "A freak in the bed."

"You bet I am," Luffy replied, kissing him against his still grinning lips, chuckling happily from the effect of alleviation his tender embrace had on him.

"I've been building walls around my heart out of fear, but I'm willing to take this risk with you, Ace," he whispered a few moments later when his ear was resting against his chest, eyes closing at the soothing sound of his deceptively strong heartbeat. "Allow me to share in your risk as well, don't let this," Luffy placed his right palm against his chest, right above his heart, "come in between us. Let me in, bit by bit and I'll learn to do the same with you. Bit by bit."

Ace rested the side of his head against Luffy's and tightened his hold on him, smiling thankfully. "Okay."

"Okay," Luffy whispered back, smiling as he imagined the first cracks forming on the glass walls surounding his heart.


Luffy spent the rest of the afternoon at Ace's place, where the older man cooked for him and spent the evening telling him stories from when he was younger, terrorizing the streets of the city with his unruly crew of misfits. Luffy wasn't surprised the hear that Law had been in that band too, being one of the few, along with Ace and Marco who managed to turn their lives around and built respectable careers for themselves.

They watched a movie together but neither of them saw its ending because they fell asleep on Ace's humonguous sofa which was super plush and comfy, only waking up by the time the last of the end credits rolled up on the screen.

"Oh crap," Luffy whispered, lifting his head up from its position on Ace's chest. He looked to his right at the splendid view he had of Sabaody's coastside through Ace's panoramic windows, its beaches, waterfront estates and beautiful moonlight ocean all completely covered by nightfall's veil.

"Do you need me to drive you home?" Ace groggily said, sitting up a bit. "It's 10.45pm," he remarked after glancing at his armwatch.

"You're sweet, but crazy. You are not fit to drive," Luffy answered with a grin, reaching for his shoes as Ace closed the roomlength, beige curtains with a press of a button on one of the many remote controls on the glass table.

"Why not spend the night?" Ace asked, letting Luffy kiss him on his lips, eyes watching him move to the kitchen island to retrieve his black leather jacket.

"Because you need your rest," the younger male answered, smiling. "And because I promised my grandfather that I was coming home tonight."

"Your grandfather?"

"Yes," Luffy confirmed, putting on his jacket. "Grandpa Garp."

Ace sat back with a look of amazement on his face. "Garp D. Monkey? The war hero?"

Luffy nodded, adjusting the collar of his jacket.

"Is there anyone in your family who isn't worldfamous?" Ace asked, watching Luffy climb on top of him again, straddling his hips.

Luffy grinned and kissed him softly. "Well, aside from my grandfather, father and mother, just my sister and me, I guess."

"Your mother? Who is she?" Ace wondered, looking at his lips longingly.

"My mother was an archeologist," Luffy stated, sitting down in Ace's lap. "Olivia Nico. She died in a cave-in when I was seven."

Ace stilled and looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Luffy smirked a little and shrugged, "It happened over 15 years ago. If it wasn't for pictures and videos I'd barely remember what she looked like."

"You were very young," Ace whispered back.

"Yeah, but anyway she was considered worldfamous, so there," Luffy concluded, bending over to kiss him passionately. "And now I really need to go! Grandpa is taking me fishing in the morning!"

"Sounds like fun," Ace grinned as Luffy jumped off of him.

Luffy checked for his car keys and grinned when he found them. "Yup!" He then moved to the frontdoor. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Text me when you get home," Ace requested, smiling when Luffy pursed his lips and send him a kiss, opening the door and dissappearing behind it as the automatic lock secured the house again.

As he was getting ready to go to bed after he received Luffy's goodnight text, his phone rang again, the name appearing on its screen making him frown slightly.

"Hello, father."


After having returned from his early morning fishing trip with his grandfather, Luffy drove to Hiluluk Memorial the following afternoon to pick up Ace from his preliminary check-up rounds before his pre-surgery check-in on Monday evening.

As he exited the elevator on the Oncology department's floor, he found Marco sitting in the waiting area in front of the reception desk.

"Luffy! What a coincidence!" he exclaimed standing up to give his assisstant a welcoming hand.

Luffy took a nervous breath, having had no idea that he'd find him here. "Hey, Marco," he replied, wondering briefly if Ace had brought him up to speed on their relationship.

"What are you doing here?"

And realizing in that instant that Marco had no idea that he and Ace had become a couple.

"I'm here to see Ace," Luffy admitted with a smile, growing more nervous when he saw Marco's questionning expression turn into a confused one.

"How did you know that Ace was here?" Marco asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well..."

"Luffy. You're here."

Luffy turned around in relief and found Ace walking up to him, putting on his coat. He'd finished a battery of tests and echocardiographies. He looked very tired and Luffy noted dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey," he whispered, sliding his arm around his waist and pushing himself up to give him a kiss on his lips. "How are you feeling?"

"As expected: like crap," Ace replied, moving his lips up to his forehead and planting a kiss there too before letting him go and turning to Marco.

"You guys seem awfully friendly with each other," Marco said with a frown and chuckle.

Ace smirked. "I'd appreciate it if you kept this under wraps for now, man. We don't need people to know, not just yet."

Marco just raised his hands and shrugged. "Hey, you do what you want, and I won't say anything, but do you guys think this is the right time? I mean Ace, you're about to undergo heart surgery."

"We know the risks, Marco," Luffy said, taking Ace's left hand in his right. "And we're willing to give this a chance."

"What he said," Ace said with a grin, pointing his finger to the side towards Luffy. "And it was a super dramatic talk with lots of tears and heartwrenching moments."

"You should've seen him; tears and snot dripping all over his face..." Luffy said jokingly before giggling at the pokes Ace was giving him in protest to what he'd just said.

Marco watched them make faces at each other for a moment, smiling to himself. "I can definitely imagine it."

"Oy!" Ace said with an amused smirk.

"And since I'm sure Law put two and two together, it explains why he was surlier than usual," the blond man commented, scratching the top of his head. "When he called me up with the news of your relapse, you'd think another world war had broken out and everyone had died. The man doesn't know how to deliver bad news to save his own life."

Luffy frowned a bit at that, looking at Ace questioningly. "You told him about...?"

"He's my acting physician, I had to," He replied apologetically, smiling when he saw Luffy nod in understanding. "And either way, Law is always surly. He can't get surlier, it's medically impossible," Ace said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Give that man the position of head doctor and he still walks around with a face like someone shot his dog."

"What is that guy's problem?" Luffy wondered remembering all too well how Law had treated him the last times he'd seen him.

"He means well. I think. He just takes himself too seriously," Ace replied. "Way too seriously."

"Which makes him socially awkward at times," Marco chuckled. "He needs to get laid, pronto. Your sister doesn't happen to be single, does she?"

Luffy chuckled, "She has her own surly and socially awkward boyfriend to worry about." He then let go of Ace's hand as he went to check himself out at the reception desk.

"So, how long...?" Marco wondered, lowering his voice as it was just the two of them now.

Luffy gave him a lopsided smile, "How long what?"

"You told me you met him at Baratie the other day, so when did you guys...?"

"Actually? Yesterday," Luffy answered, reminiscing. " I found out about his cancer, he tried to push me away, I cried, he gave in, we got together."

Marco laughed. "Well, then I suppose your chemistry isn't just the professional kind."

Luffy looked at him briefly as he pursed his lips, cheekily rolling his eyes away as another grin formed on his face. "Oh no... no it's not."

Marco blinked and then chuckled, clearing his throat as his imagination took over after that last statement. "Okay, well that says enough."

Luffy smirked and then stilled, liking how cool Marco was about all of this. He'd expected for him to be against him dating his friend, let alone superior, but Marco didn't seem to be too worried. He'd expected opposition which, of course, made sense with all that was going on and the reason they were at the hospital in the first place. And eventhough neither of them mentioned it, he had a feeling that it was Law who was opposed to the idea. He hoped that those reasons were purely medical and not-

"Just know that Ace has always been quick to know what he wants and especially who he wants," Marco then quietly said, looking at his friend's back. "If he told you that he likes you, he does. He's honest that way, both professionally and personally."

"I've noticed that," Luffy remarked, eyes softening as he thought of the previous evening. "Hey, did Law and Ace ever...?" he whispered, having flashbacks of the doctor's tattooed hand on Ace's shoulder.

The other man raised an eyebrow at the question but shook his head. "God no. Those two are like fire and ice. They'd be horrible together. They care about each other, like brothers. And besides, Law is straight." He smiled when he saw Luffy's tense posture relax from relief.

Marco let a few moments pass by in silence before sighing. "This isn't Ace's first rodeo, you know?" he said, changing the subject.

"I know," Luffy answered, turning to look at Ace behind him, who was now filling in some insurance forms.

"And there's a chance that he'll relapse after the surgery."

"He told me."

Marco closed his eyes and pushed his hands into his pockets. "It's deceptive how well he looks, considering. He's always been strong, that guy. I suppose those genes of his are both a blessing and a curse."

Luffy turned to look at the Communication Manager, finding the man in his previous seat again. He sat himself next to him when Marco leaned his elbow on the arm of the chair and placed his palm against his forehead in obvious worry.

"He'll get through this, Marco" Luffy whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be there to help him."

Marco smiled at him. "He's my best friend, I have to worry, even if he hates it."

"That's just why you need to be there for him," Luffy said, sitting back in his seat. "He'll never admit to needing or wanting help, so you need to make sure to be there to lend a hand when he's too proud to reach out."

Marco frowned in surprise at Luffy's insightful advice, smirking back at him apraisingly. "Speaking from personal experience?"

"Is it that obvious?" Luffy replied, looking down with a small smile.

"Not necessarily," Marco said. "But I have a feeling you are."

Luffy nodded his head in affirmation, but didn't go into it further.

"Tomorrow afternoon we'll have another staff meeting to discuss how our department is going to handle Ace's absence," Marco said after a moment of silence.

"I thought you were going to take over Ace's duties?"

Marco shook his head. "It's been decided by Newgate himself that Rayleigh is going to take over Ace's functions from him for the time he'll need to recover. So you'll be reporting to him when it comes to the planning of our upcoming PR event."

Luffy's eyes widened at that and he sat up. "I know I shouldn't be too excited about this now, but are you saying that I'll be working directly for Rayleigh? I've always wanted to meet him... I so admire his work."

Marco grinned. "The man is a marketing legend and you know that he personally approved of your plan, saying that he was already very impressed with you as well."

Luffy blushed at the praise, biting his lower lip in enthusiasm.

"What are you two grinning so goofily about?" Ace asked, having returned from the front desk and now ready to leave.

"About how much we're going to miss you at work," Marco said, standing again.

"Aww, man, did you tell him Rayleigh was taking over?" Ace asked with a grunt. "Now he won't be able to shut up about him! I told you that he's Luffy's older man crush!" He then let out a disappointed sigh, "You'd think that a 6 year age difference would be enough for the guy, but obviously..."

"You're 28! You don't even qualify to be an older man crush!" Luffy exclaimed, thoroughly embarassed as he stood up and followed the both of them towards the elevators. "And oh my God! Why would you tell him such a thing!"

"So, Rayleigh gives you a hard on, eh?" Marco commented as the elevator arrived on their floor and its doors opened. "That's bound to make for interesting and easily manipulable situations."

"Don't you dare," Luffy warned, Ace's hysterical laughter making him chuckle in turn even though he really meant what he said. "Marco, please!"

But it was to no avail as he watched the two friends fall into each other's arms with laughter, having little choice but to follow them into the elevator to be the butt of more jokes on their way down.


At the same time, on the other side of the city, Vivi was preparing her dance lesson at the Thousand Sunny Centre.

Having studied dance from the world famous choreographer Bonkurei, she'd agreed to teach the 17 year old Modern Dance students of the Sabaody Dance Academy a choreography and of course, to give them the chance to meet with her and receive a free authograph.

While warming up by practising the moves she was going to perform during her showcase at the 'Bloom Room' tomorrow evening, she'd suddenly felt a sharp pain in her right ankle.

Fearing a sprain, she'd asked Franky, who was doing some work in the monitoring room of the recreational hall one floor down, to call for a doctor to come and check her out, just in case.

Her ankle didn't hurt that badly anymore by the time Franky walked into the danceroom with a tall black haired man in tow, but she was still thankful to see him.

She sat down on a folding chair in one corner of the room as Franky left them alone and began to take off her right sneaker by the doctor's request.

His hands on her naked ankle made a shot of dull pain shoot up her leg and she winced, jumping on her seat a little.

"You've overexerted your ankle," He said to her, looking up, still holding her right foot in his tattoed hands. "It's not sprained, but you came close."

She looked downwards at him, feeling her heartbeat quicken when his grey eyes locked with her deep violet ones. She carefully pulled her foot out of his warm hands and placed it back on the floor next to her discarted dance sneaker. "I suppose I'm just extra cautious, since I am ankle sprain-prone," she whispered with a smile.

"I'll bandage it, just in case, to give you extra ankle support," Law replied, reaching in his doctor's case next to him on the floor. "And you should be wary, especially with the job you have."

"So, you know who I am?"

Law looked up at her briefly. "I watch TV and listen to the radio."

Vivi nodded and sat back in her chair, silently watching him carefully wrap the tissue over the lower parts of her leg and solidly over her ankle and part of her foot. "I was so excited to see my friend again, that I didn't think about doing a check up with my doctor first."

"A star of your stature should take these things seriously, a lot of people depend on you, don't they?" Law said, finishing the bandaging of her ankle.

Vivi pursed her lips at his reprimanding tone, finding him to be more amusing than annoying. "Then I suppose I'm lucky that Franky called such a capable and caring doctor?"

A minim smile formed on the man's features. "I suppose."

Vivi bit her lower lip with a smile as he placed her foot back down gently, already missing his touch. "I'm going to do a dance routine real quick, can you stay, just in case my ankle causes me problems again?"

Law nodded and watched her put on her shoe again before standing up and moving to the dance mirror. He caught himself looking at her slim, yet beautifully toned body that was dressed in tightfitting, black work out pants and a stomach baring, black work out top. Her long light blue hair was gathered in a high ponytail which swayed sensually over her back as she walked away with a soft sway in her hips.

"Franky?" She asked, speaking into her earplug communicator. "Track 17, please."

A heavy bass beat sounded through the speakers and she took place in front of the mirror, warming up her body with small in place jumps, and loosening up her muscles by rolling her hips, shaking out her wrists and moving her head from side to side on her shoulders. After the music had swollen up to a more danceable rhythm, her small body powerfully erupted with the song, shoulders and chest moving with the beats, hips moving from side to side as she whipped her hair around to the sound.

Her choreography was energetic and emotive, and she was soon perspirating, visibly enjoying her workout and the music. By the time the music began to fade out, strands of her hair were sticking to her damp skin.

Law handed her the towel that rested on the back of the chair. "That ankle looks good."

She took the towel from him, grinning and panting; "Just the ankle?"

He bit his lower lip and grinned back as she turned around and walked to the other end of the room, obviously enjoying the fact that he couldn't keep his eyes from her.


To be continued...

In 8. The Four of Wands - The Star

-BDP-