Hello all~ And, yet again, I get to apologize for an absence which was and always has been entirely unintentional. *bows dejectedly* Sorry.

Now on to the good stuff! I haven't specified out boys' ages in this little present-tense Summer ficlet, but Luffy is between 7 and 10, so Ace is between 10 and 13, logically. Right? Well, you can imagine them however you want them, but then what would be the point of me?

Enjoy~

It is a hot day, mid-September. It's always hot, it seems, no matter the time of day and it doesn't feel like it's getting any cooler any time soon, though, logically, Ace knows it's bound to. Eventually. Hopefully. In the meantime, back to guzzling a huge glass of lemonade.

Luffy is flitting around, long since adapted to the heat, finding enjoyment in everything under the sun and in the shade. More in the shade, really, if Ace paid attention, but he's too sweaty for all that.

The breeze is stiflingly warm, smothering him every time it blows and damn if it isn't windy. He rests his cheek on the picnic table he is currently melting into, but the shade-cooled wood only helps for a second before it becomes just another surface to stick to. As soon as he closes his eyes, he sees a mirage of shaved ice and a swimming pool. Cruel, really.

"Ace! Hey, Ace, are you listening?" Luffy shouts, hands cupped around his mouth, from under the shade of a big tree so far away that Ace can barely make out the scar under his eye.

"Yeah," the elder D calls back boredly, taking another swig of lemonade.

"Then what do you say?!" his baby brother screams, entirely too loud and ethusiastic. It's too hot to be that energetic.

Wait. Heat aside, what is he supposed to be answering? "Uh..." He glances at the quickly melting ice in his glass for help, but it just clinks unhelpfully. "Yeah, I guess?" he offers, hoping vaguely as he wipes the sweat from his brow that he hasn't just given his brother permission to do anything crazy.

"Cool!" Luffy flattens himself against the tree trunk and crouches slightly, his megawatt grin shining even from that distance. Before Ace can question what he is doing, Luffy shoots like a bullet out from the shade of the tree and leaps over a huge patch of sunny grass. It looks like he slows down in mid-air, legs pulled up expertly, hovering four feet above the ground right before Ace's eyes. Next thing he knows, Luffy lands perfectly on his feet in another patch of shade, giggling as he gears up for another leap.

After a second of staring, Ace recovers enough to speak. "Hey, you're gonna get hurt like that- What are you doing?" he asks, half-standing so he can watch.

Luffy pauses, his back against another tree. "I told you, Ace," he calls, his grin never faltering, "I'm coming over!"

Ace looks down at the picnic table, then, confused, and then looks back up at Luffy. "I'm... right here. Why don't you just walk?" he asks because, honestly, that seems so much more logical in this weather.

"That's no fun!" Luffy rears back and leaps again, landing with a stumble only a handful of yards away from Ace. "This is much better! You should try it, Ace!"

It is a testament to his love for Luffy that Ace considers it, even for a moment. Ultimately he decides it's too hot and sunny, but he did think about it. A little. "I'm good," he says, raising one hand placatingly.

"Suit yourself." Another leap. "I'll be there in a second!" Luffy wiggles a little, preparing for his biggest jump yet. Ace is not aware that he is holding his breath until he lets it out as Luffy lands ungracefully a few feet away, on his hands and knees but still safely in the shade. Ace doesn't have the opportunity to ask if he's okay before Luffy is grinning up at him and skipping the rest of the way to the picnic table.

The hot breeze blows again and Ace watches his little brother sidle up like he was one with the wind and grab Ace's glass right out of his hand. "Hey," Ace grumbles mildly, but he doesn't stop Luffy from chugging half his lemonade.

"Thanks, Ace!" Luffy grins, claps Ace lovingly on the shoulder. "Wanna play with me now?" He takes another long sip of Ace's drink and hands it back to him, a bead of moisture dripping down from the rim.

Ace takes the glass, watching the drop keenly. "Maybe later," he says vacantly. "You have fun, Lu."

Luffy pouts but he runs off anyway. As soon as he is a safe distance away, Ace rotates the glass and catches the escaping bead of lemonade with his tongue. He takes a quick sip, barely a taste, from the place where Luffy's lips had touched, secretly revelling in the indirect kiss for a moment before rolling his eyes and groaning at his own antics. He really is ridiculous. He should probably be embarrassed, but, he thinks to himself, with a brother like Luffy, who could really blame him?

*sigh* I have missed these two. Wasn't that a sweet little thing? Ah, young love. Really young. And vaguely(haha) incestual. No biggie. xD

Anywho, I hope you guys enjoyed this and I will try and write a bit more in my downtime. But only for you, 'kay? ;)