Im really sorry for not updating lately.. i have no excuse this time other than im a selfish human being. I'm sorry, and I hope you enjoy this very late and very long chapter 21 of Wtf, Ace.
Day 20 cont.
Monday, December 23rd
After the discussion at the dinner table, Dragon retired to his comfortable bed to rest from his jet-lag, while the brothers sat back on the couch to continue watching their movie, and Rouge was somewhere in the house doing some sort of something. Ace smiled and pulled Luffy close to him and gave him a peck on the cheek when suddenly Rouge burst into the room with a wild exression, her hands clinging onto the doorframe like it were her lifeline. The boys' eyes widened and Ace stood up in alarm, quickly moving towards his mother.
"What's wrong?!" Ace whispered loudly, taking his mother's shoulders into his hands firmly. She stayed silent for a moment, looking past her oldest son and to a spot in the living room, and her horrified exression didn't wear off. Her lips opened slightly in hesistance, and then she managed to whisper softly..
"...all we have up is the Christmas tree ..." (Christmas is a big deal in the Portgas home..)
Ace's face quickly turned to the same exact look of shock, and Luffy quickly joined him in going down into the basement to bring up the boxes of other decorations. Once the heavy boxes were hauled up the stairs and they were once again back in the living room, Ace and Luffy crossed their arms silently as they awaited orders from their commander-in-chief, Rouge. Said woman put a thoughtful hand to her chin, her eyes closed. Abruptly, her eyes opened wide again and she proceeded to point down at the tree's box.
"You two start unwrapping the fragile things while I make hot coco!" She ordered loudly. Her children nodded firmly and turned in sync to a box while turned with a smile to go to the kitchen to make the most beloved chocolate-y drink of the household.
The older of the teen's began unwrapping the fragile glass decorations carefully and placing the protective paper next to him while Luffy did the same with a different box. And soon the two of them were placing Christmas reminders all over the household. As Luffy stood back to look at his work, Ace grinned and snuck up behind the younger, clasping the smaller in a tight hug, rocking back and forth. Ace tucked Luffy's head under his chin and placed his mouth against the soft black head of hair with a smile ever on his lips.
"I love you," Ace whispered, slipping a warm hand under the back of Luffy's shirt to warm up his boyfriend's body. Luffy smiled and silently giggled, raising his head a bit to place a kiss on Ace's chin.
"I love you too, Ace"
As Ace put the rest of the greenery on the mantle, Luffy skipped out into the kitchen and rested his head on his mom's shoulder with a smile, taking in the sweet aroma of the hot coco being made. Rouge smiled and rubbed Luffy's head with her unoccupied hand.
"What have you gotten Ace for Christmas, Luffy?" Rouge asked with curiousity, ready for anything. Luffy inhaled sharply and fell onto all fours, his forehead resting against the ground. Rouge sighed with a slight smirk and knelt down next to him and patted his back for a few moments before whispered into her son's ear.
"Sure it's 7:30, but we have time."
And so after the hot coco was made and given to Ace, the two tipped their hats to the last remaining and unsuspecting tree-man and quickly waltzed out the front door and off to some sort of store.
While in Rouge's car, the mother and son listened to the radio station of the younger's choice, and they sang aloud (yes, Rouge included) to the song, no matter what it was.
"I came in like a wreckkkinnng ballll!"
Finally, when the commercials came on, Rouge turned to Luffy and asked what exactly he had in mind to buy Ace, and Luffy had to really think hard. Not just the basic thinking, either. The mother chimed in with suggestions every one and a while, and Luffy pondered over each.
"How 'bout a new pair of track shoes? He'll need 'em eventually," Rouge suggested with a few swishes of her hand, and Luffy nodded briefly in agreement, but there was still something missing from it.. It needed more.. meaning. Luffy thought really hard about what meaningful things couples would give each other, and the only thing he could think of was rings, but he knew that was a bit weird... but hey, wearing rings doesn't just mean marriage!
So Luffy hesitantly expressed his thought of matching rings and Rouge nodded in agreement with a smile.
So mother and son went and bought two rings; one that would fit Luffy, and one that would fit Ace. The rings were exactly the same style except for each other's names engraved inside the ring. Of course, Ace would get the ring with "Luffy" on the inside, and Luffy would get the one labeled "Ace". The two did buy a new fancy pair of track shoes for Ace for his birthday, though, and several other gifts too.
Upon arriving home, Rouge shoved the rings in their small boxes into the pocket of her coat and slipped upstairs with the presents to Luffy's room, (sneaky, right?), to carefully wrap the gifts while Luffy was the distractor and came bounding in loudly through the front door and into the living room where Ace stood putting lights on the mantle-greenery. Ace turned his head to look at Luffy and smiled, extending an arm out for Luffy to come and hug him.
"Hey Lu, where'd you go off to?" Ace questioned, taking his other hand off of the lights to ruffle his little brother's hair playfully. Luffy just laughed and shook his head, making Ace very curious. Ace then quickly finished up the mantle-lights, taking a sip of slightly-cold coco every now and then. Red candles were placed all over the downstairs, and Ace went out to the garage, as cold as it was, to get some firewood and then placed it in the newly-cleaned fireplace. The house looked like it came out of a magazine, and Rouge was proud.
Luffy hung a branch of holly in the entranceway which topped off the deocrations, allowing the 3 family members stand back and admire their work and smile, lighting a fire in the fireplace for extra warmth, and a candle or two on the mantle was lit as well. Rouge then decided that the family was to bring their wrapped presents downstairs and place them under the Christmas tree. So the three all branched out and retrieved their gifts from wherever they hid them for safe keeping and set them in their designated place upon the tree-skirt.
As Ace stood up from placing his presents under the tree with a smile, he looked up at the tree and realized the star wasn't on the top of it. With a smirk, he grabbed the star carefully with nimble fingers and shoved it into Luffy's hands. Before Luffy could ask, Ace had lifted him up on his back and then Luffy understood. Luffy laughed and placed the star on the top of the tree and wrapped his arms around Ace's neck, trying his best not to choke his lovy.
The family smiled and laughed while they made the finishing touches on their decorations, then cleaned up their coco mugs and put out the fire before departing to their bedrooms, well, Rouge to be with Dragon and Luffy to be with Ace.
Ace carried Luffy like a bride up to his bedroom and set him down on his bed. Hesitantly, the older carefully removed all unnecessary clothing from Luffy's body and then turned and took off his own clothes. Luffy grinned and pulled the blankets up over him and held them up for Ace to crawl in next to him. After turning off the bedroom light, Ace did so willingly with a loving smile, and pulled his boyfriend against his chest, their warmth coaxing each other's heart and mind peacefully to sleep.
Day 21
Tuesday, December 24th - Christmas Eve
Luffy awoke from his sleep as peacefully as he fell asleep, his eyes fluttering open weakly before finally his vision focused on the back of Ace's neck, and he found his arms wrapped around the older's waist protectively. Ace wasn't awake yet, and his eyes were closed in a calm expression, the corners of his mouth slightly turned upward as if having a pleasant dream, which wouldn't be abnormal then.
The thing that caught Luffy's attention was an envelope slightly sticking out from under Ace's pillow, and Luffy instantly recognized that envelope; the envelope that held his love letter to his older brother. Luffy's heart filled with happiness and he blushed, nuzzling his head against Ace's bare shoulder blade and bent his arms at the elbow up over Ace's chest, trying to keep him warm and content. All of a sudden, Ace moved his hand up to place it over Luffy's hand, gently clasping it in warmth and acknowledgement.
"Good morning, nii-chan," Luffy whispered against Ace's back.
"Good morning, love."
After the two had gotten out of bed and quickly put on clothes to cover their cold bodies, they went down to find a breakfast of pancakes with bacon and sausage much to Luffy and Ace's delight. Rouge and Dragon glanced at each other with a smile as the two boys walked into the dining room with sleepily-happy expressions, and then nearly jumped out of their pants at the sight of food. It's these little happy moments that make life worth living, as I like to think.
Breakfast was quickly gobbled up happily and was greatly appreciated by the boys. Ace leaned toward his brother and placed a gentle hand on Luffy's shoulder, giving him a kiss on the cheek that made him smile immediately afterward, relieved that he was able to do that in front of Dragon. Luffy grinned back and took Ace's hand off his shoulder, holding it under the table. Ace traced a heart with his index finger on Luffy's hand and Luffy returned the favor, making them both laugh, getting curious glances from their parents. At this, the boys excused themselves from the table to quickly wash their dishes and return back upstairs to bed. (Yes, weird, I know, but who doesn't like a comfy bed? XD)
As Ace lay once more in his bed with Luffy's chest touching his, they felt perfectly happy with the world and felt a special sensation just from the physical contact and warmth from each other's bodies. Luffy could smell the scent of Ace's cologne on his neck, and Ace could feel his brother's clean and smooth skin against his hands as he rubbed Luffy's back. The younger could feel his lover's abs against his own smooth stomach and their manhood dangerously pressing against each other; it was already an interesting and unusual start to their Christmas Eve.
"Mmmm... Luffy," Ace whispered with need, bucking his hips against Luffy's, making the younger blush and slightly gasp.
"Ace... mm, not now.." Luffy whispered as he tried not to move against Ace as well, "Mom and Dad are.. going out tonight, so.."
"Perfect," Ace said as he pulled Luffy's face towards his own and kissed him deeply.
Later that day, after Ace was banished to shovel the walk and driveway and Luffy to go straighten up his room, the two brothers took a shower, seperately for the sake of necessary silence, and then lay flat on their backs on the fluffy cream-colored carpet in their living room, their heads completely empty of things to do. Well.. things that they could do then. Then they heard it... music.
Luffy turned his head to look at Ace, and Ace returned the glance. So they got up and turned on the stereo, tuning it till they found something dancable. It didn't exactly work out too well, though.. Ace was used to crazy mosh-pits while Luffy only knew how to ballroom dance. Ace stood back with a hand on the back of his head, observing Luffy head to toe, taking in every detail. It was awkward because Ace always thought of Luffy being the more female-ish one of the couple, but.. he himself had the curves.. *sigh* from muscle, of course.
Just then, Luffy's phone vibrated in his pocket, and Luffy curiously took it out to look at the text message he got.
- From: Roronoa Zoro to: Monkey D. Luffy : 3:42 P.M. EST -
Hey Luffy, how's your winter break been so far?
Ace looked over Luffy's shoulder at the message and frowned. Ace was still a bit nervous about Zoro.. Luffy looked up and off into the distance of his mind for a moment before typing in a reply.
- Reply; To: Roronoa Zoro From: Monkey D. Luffy : 3:43 P.M. EST -
Pretty awesome! Always happy, as usual! You?
Zoro and Bartolomeo had been out for the past few days deciding what to get Luffy for Christmas, and figured it would be polite to get something for Ace, too, but they had the most trouble trying to pick out what would be just right and what Ace would like and all that. Zoro held Luffy's precious gift in his hand; a simple necklace with two silver dogtags on it; one with Luffy's name on the front and Ace's on the back, and his own name on the other tag. But he also got Luffy a cute red sweatshirt and even wrote a card, too. Zoro took a lot of time trying to write the card, and what all he should and shouldn't say in it, but he finally figured it out. Meanwhile, Bartolomeo had gotten Luffy a red hat with matching scarf and gloves with a gold "L" on each item somewhere, and a can of Monster, and a card as well. For Ace, the green-haired brothers got a matching red sweatshirt and coffee mug with a giant "L" on it too. Yeah, they did that on purpose.
- Reply; From: Roronoa Zoro to: You, Monkey D. Luffy : 3:45 P.M. EST -
Thats good to hear.. my break has been really boring.. so I was wonderin if you would wanna come over for a little tonight?
Before Ace could object, Luffy had already typed in his response.
- Reply; To: Roronoa Zoro From: Monkey D. Luffy : 3:45 P.M. EST -
Sure! Be right over!
And with that, Luffy shut his phone with a smile and slipped it in his pocket, walking over to the main closet to put his coat on. Ace walked quickly after him, placing a firm hand on Luffy's shoulder.
"Hey, what about us?" Ace asked in a almost sharp tone. Luffy tilted his head and blinked for a second.
"What are you worried about? You're coming with me!"
Ace sighed in his mind and wanted to jump off a bridge, but did not, and slowly put on his coat too, then locking the door as they stepped out into the snowy winter Christmas Eve night and were soon on their way to the Roronoa household.
Upon arriving, Zoro was at the door in an expensive fancy coat on, waiting to usher the brothers into his house with great hospitality. The last thing he needed was to seem rude to Luffy's lover. Unfortunately, his excessive kindness backfired. Luffy thanked Zoro as he went into the house, but Ace grabbed the door from Zoro and let the green-haired one go in first. Bartolomeo stood just inside the doorway and patted Luffy warmly on the back with a smile and shrugged to his brother as Ace passed by him to follow Luffy.
"Zoro! Your house looks even more amazing!" Luffy exclaimed as he turned around in a circle, examining Roronoa's Christmas-y decorations and/or furniture. Bartolomeo patted his chest with his hand in pride and bowed.
"Thank you, Luffy. I try," Bartolomeo stated, recieving a glare from Zoro.
"Don't think you're the only one who contributed to this, asshole," Zoro mumbled towards his brother, with his arms crossed. Luffy just laughed at them both and then turned to Ace.
"Oh yeah, you've never been here before, have you?" Luffy asked honestly whilst looking up into his boyfriend's eyes. Ace thought about it for a moment and then silently shook his head, awkward in Luffy's friend's house. However, Luffy got an excited look in his eyes, and Zoro knew what Luffy was going to show Ace...
"Ace Ace Ace, follow me!" Luffy shouted as he took off the down the hall and then up the stairs to in front of Bartolomeo's room where he pulled down the ladder and climbed up to Zoro's room, Ace following behind hesitantly. Zoro prayed to who-ever-really-is-up-there that they wouldn't find anything embarrassing, but then decided to go up there with the two just in case, and Bartolomeo followed too, not wanting to be left behind by his "nii-chan".
"Isn't this so cool?!" Luffy shouted as he fell over on Zoro's comfy bed once more like he lived there, and Ace nodded in agreement with wide eyes, pretty impressed by it all. Ace then looked up at the ceiling and saw a half-shattered light bulb in its bare socket and proceeded to point up at it.
"What's up with the light bulb?" Ace asked, speaking for the first time since entering the house. The other three slightly blushed and tried to figure something out to say, and it was Zoro who spoke up and used his first excuse again.
"It was flickering and about to die anyway. So I punched it," the short-haired one said in monotone, looking off at a wall behind Ace. It took everything in Bartolomeo's soul to make him not laugh at this, and Luffy just nodded in agreement, trying not to let his blush be known to his boyfriend. Ace tilted his head at Zoro but then decided just to go with it.
"'Cause that's always the best route to take," Ace laughed, pointing to Zoro's hand which had several scars from the light bulb's glass. Then Bartolomeo chimed in to his bother.
"You should really get a new light bulb already, it's been weeks since you punched it in."
The rest nodded in agreement, and Zoro did in fact go and get a new bulb and replace the old one. Luffy lay back on Zoro's bed comfortably, arms behind his head, which Bartolomeo decided to steal Zoro's beloved chair. Ace decided to sit at the foot of the bed near Luffy, and they began talking about all different things while Zoro tried desperately to get to where he kept the light bulbs.
"Oh, and then Sanji stood up right in the middle of class and started fist-fighting with Zoro all because of a rubberband!" Luffy yelled out, laughing along with the other two guys with him. Zoro returned looking absolutely tired, but with a light bulb, and then finally changed it out, throwing away the old one. Seeing that all seating had been taken, Zoro tried to get his older brother out of his chair, but was unsuccessful. Bartolomeo just laughed to himself and grabbed Zoro by his hips and pulled him back onto his lap, causing the younger brother to freak out.
"C'mon nii-chan, stop acting like you don't know me," Bartolomeo coaxed, holding Zoro firmly on his lap while Ace and Luffy fought back laughter. Roronoa blushed in embarrassment and gave up, crossing his arms.
"It's not bad, Zoro," Luffy laughed while he sat up and looked at Ace for a second. Luffy then without warning hopped and sat in his brother's lap as well, clearly enjoying it thoroughly. Ace blushed and tried to clear up any suspicions that the green-haired brothers might have about them, but..
"Shuddap, we know," Bartolomeo interrupted casually, rubbing Zoro's hair like he was his pet of sort's. Well, Zoro was growling.. Meanwhile, Ace's face grew somewhat pale. Luffy craned his neck to look up at Ace and then grinned, planting a kiss on the freckled-one's chin.
"Nobody cares, Ace," Luffy explained, leaning back against Ace's shoulder. Ace looked down at his love and swallowed, hoping that his brother was right.
Bartolomeo's cheek were a bit pink while Zoro remained normal, slightly and strangely used to it. A strange silence followed afterward, and then the green-haired brother's gave their presents to the D-brothers, telling not to open them till the next morning, however. Luffy grinned in thanks, placing his boxes on Ace's box which lay on the floor next to the bed. Then again; another silence...
Bartolomeo looked at the back of Zoro's head and he bit his lip in thought.
"Nii-chan~" Bartolomeo whispered as he leaned his head near his brother's ear. Zoro frowned and grunted, which was replied with..
"Do you remember that one night when we got really drunk an-"
Zoro nearly fell off of Bartolomeo's lap but then quickly recovered himself and pulled his older brother's neck harshly against his shoulder, choking the older one which made Luffy laugh and Ace look on with concern and.. curiousity as to what the nose-ringed one was going to say.
"What happened, Bartolomeo?" Ace asked with a smirk, resting his head on Luffy's shoulder. Luffy listened to his brother's voice and then looked at Barto for an answer. Just as he opened his mouth to answer... Zoro stood up and kicked Bartolomeo in the gut with the heel of his boot, shutting him up.
"We got drunk and might have almost had sex," Zoro finished, eyes closed tightly with his tan skin tinted the color of red wine. Luffy's eyes widened in shock while Ace put two and two together in his mind.
"Zoro! You can't do that!" Luffy shouted, hopping up off Ace's lap and right up in his friend's face, "not till you're married!"
Ace sat in the backround silently applauding his boyfriend for his courage and right morals, sort of, but was afraid of what would be said by the short-haired one next, so he quickly got off the bed and slapped Luffy's ass, turning him around and boldly pushing their lips together, slipping his tongue in as well. Zoro was about to say how innocent Luffy was and that nobody follows that rule anymore, but was clearly distracted by this sudden act of love. Bartolomeo sat back in Zoro's chair with an amused face, knowing exactly what was flowing through everyone's minds.
Luffy pushed away from the kiss with parted lips and glossy half-lidded eyes, melting everyone in the room. After this, Ace blushed and looked away for a second before he unzipped Luffy's pants and slipped a hand down his boyfriend's boxers. Bartolomeo raised an eyebrow, his cheeks growing a bit darker and Zoro could barely stand it. Luffy moaned out and then pushed Ace away, recovering himself slowly on the bed while Ace stood in the middle of the room, his face with a look of success.
"What the fuck was that?" Zoro asked Ace, getting close to his face. Ace just pushed Zoro's face away from his with a hand and then coughed.
"If the moral Luffy's follows wasn't important, why would he be rejecting me, the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with?"
With this, Ace sat back down next to Luffy and kissed his forehead in apology, holding his hand tightly. Zoro stood there dumbfounded by what Ace did just to keep that moral in Luffy's head, denying himself sex from such a delectable boyfriend. What a man..
"Sorry, Ace.." Zoro mumbled, retreating back to Bartolomeo, where the said man sat with an expression of awe. Unfortunately, they all had problems.. which was a very large problem altogether considering what was just expressed. Trying to forget this dilemma, Bartolomeo spoke up to Luffy.
"So you are marrying Ace?"
"Yep! Not in a year, or two years, or even three, but when I'm definitely old enough and responsible enough for marriage."
Ace looked at Luffy with loving eyes and couldn't help but pull him into a deep passionate kiss. This kid was growing up by the minute, and everyone could tell. Zoro looked at Luffy with a look of pure longing and then looked at Ace.
"Can I just give him a hug right now?" Zoro asked as he gestured toward the smaller one next to him. Ace looked at shoes for a second and looked up at Luffy. Luffy looked willing. So Ace pushed Luffy towards Zoro.
Zoro didn't even know how to hug him anymore. He had hugged this black-haired teen time and time again, but now he didn't know how.. He sighed and scratched the back of his head, deciding. Luffy tilted his head in question, but was soon engulfed in the warmth of his green-haired friend, feeling oddly comfortable in his tight embrace. Placing his hands lightly on Zoro's back and turning his head to rest on his friend's chest, his expression never changed from blank. Ace just looked down at his shoes and then over to Bartolomeo who gave him a wink and then laughed silently. Ace smirked and rolled his eyes playfully, winking back.
"I know I probably sound like Rouge, but you've grown up so much, Luffy.." Zoro whispered into Luffy's ear in his deep voice, rubbing the younger's shoulder almost lovingly. Luffy didn't change his expression at all, he just shifted his eyes to look at Bartolomeo, and then up to the bottom of Zoro's chin. Why was he so comfortable in so many people's arms... it concerned him greatly that he might be unconsciously falling in love, and he instantly grew very scared and patted Zoro's back as a signal to let go, and quickly shuffled back over to Ace where he buried his face in Ace neck, smelling the scent of his one and only lover. Zoro stood there looking empty again with a matching empty smile towards Luffy. Ace saw the hollowness behind Zoro's eyes and suddenly felt very sorry for the teen; very empathetic... Luffy noticed this change in his friend too and frowned, his eyebrows turned in concern.
"I'm so sorry.. I can't fall in love with you too..." Luffy whispered to Zoro as he jumped up and gave him a tight hug full of sorrow and emotion, fighting back tears for his friend's feelings. Zoro clenched the boy close to him and sighed with a slight nod, their short conversation unknown to Ace or Bartolomeo.
The wind outside was whipping harshly against the walls, blowing heavy snowflakes all over creation, blanketing the earth with a beautiful and spotless sheet; Zoro wished his bedroom had a window now... Zoro placed his forehead against Luffy's and sighed.
"Ace, feel honored that you have this kid..." Zoro mumbled, rubbing Luffy's back before pushing the young one back to his lover. Ace and Bartolomeo looked on with awkwardly sad eyes and Ace nodded, taking Luffy back in his arms, hugging him tightly against his chest. Zoro looked on the couple with a fake smile, wishing he could hug/be hugged by someone like Ace was hugging Luffy.. Bartolomeo knew his brother too well and stood up to grab the short-haired one. Zoro felt strong arms wrapped around his chest from him and smelled his siblings' scent; he would have to get used to this.
The freckled teen, looking at this other half-couple (?), almost laughed considering how much taller Bartolomeo is than Zoro, almost half a foot, but settled with a large grin instead. Luffy looked up and saw that Ace was smiling, so he turned to see the other brothers and giggled a bit.
"I guess brothers are really good for each other!" Luffy said, nuzzling his head back into Ace's neck again, and Zoro just smiled, deciding that if Bartolomeo wanted to hug him, fine.
After a while, the four decided upon opening the presents after all. So Luffy and Ace opened their boxes at the same time, laughing and putting on and trying their new gifts. Ace helped put Luffy put his necklace on and then they both slipped their new red sweatshirts over their heads; they looked adorable. They laughed and thanked and talked about past Christmas presents and everything imaginable, and then, out of nowhere, the ladder pulled down abruptly, and a blonde-haired man with akwardly shaped eyebrows took a few resentful steps up the ladder, taking a look at the four before his eyes. Ace and Luffy looked like they were married and Zoro was sitting on Bartolomeo's lap.
"What..." Sanji thought to himself, looking at the brothers who all wore horrified expressions- especially Zoro. Sanji coughed and then continued up the ladder and then sat right in the middle of the room on the floor, cross-legged.
"Well well well, looks like I might have come at a bad time, but I figured no one in this household was capable of cooking anything worthy of being eaten on Christmas Eve, so I invited myself over. The front door happened to be unlocked, so.."
At this statement, Bartolomeo looked hurt at what Sanji had just said. "No one capable of cooking, eh?"
Sanji blinked and looked at Bartolomeo with questioning eyes and slowly pointed a finger in his direction, "You trying to imply that you, of all people, can cook?"
Bartolomeo nodded with determination and pushed Zoro harshly off of him, walking over to the ladder and then downstairs to the kitchen. Sanji stood up to follow, but Zoro grabbed his ankle from his place on the floor where he fell and just smirked.
"Let him be."
And so this happened.
A few hours later, after Ace got to know the younger friend's of his 'wife' better, he was very comfortable and almost at home. Sanji didn't dare ask Ace anything about his relationship for he was afraid that he might die in the process, and didn't even want to know about Bartolomeo and Zoro.. that was just plain random. Meanwhile, Luffy snooped through Zoro's closet and drawers like a ninja- well.. not really. More like Zoro didn't care.
Luffy found all sorts of things; watches, ancient Holloween costumes, baseball caps, books (which was a surprise to everyone) and a few ties even. As the youngest stood up tall and looked at the top shelf in Zoro's closet, the owner of the closet grew nervous and blushed, trying to signal Luffy back to the group. Luffy gave Zoro a wink and then took down a journal from the shelf, leaving whatever else up there, much to Zoro's delight.
Ace smirked at Zoro's likeness to his brother, while Sanji burst out laughing that Zoro kept a man-diary. Zoro jumped up and snatched the thing out of Luffy's hands and then shoved it up his shirt to keep anyone from reading it. He looked very embarrassed, but Luffy gave him a weird look.
"Can I read it? Please, Zoro?" Luffy asked, snuggling up against Zoro and pulling the bottom of his shirt up a little. Zoro sighed and gave in, lifting up his shirt so Luffy could take it. Ace whistled at the green-haired one's abs while Sanji laughed even more. Bartolomeo meanwhile, heard the muffled commotion and took a very quick break from cooking and yelled up from the bottom of the stairs.
"Nii-chan, journal?" Bartolomeo asked, and received a groan in reply as a 'yes'. The older smirked and sent his silent condolences to whomever was about to red his little brother's journal. There was a side to Zoro that only he knew.
So there Sanji, Ace, Zoro and Luffy sat, Luffy holding the precious journal in his hands carefully. Zoro was ready to pounce on anyone else who would try to read it, and urged Luffy to hurry up and get it over with. Luffy gave Zoro a smile and then gingerly flipped to a page in the middle and began reading in his head.
failed my geometry test today for sure.. goddamnit, why cant i focus anymore.. its not like sanji or anyone is distracting me.. well in that class at least.. oh whatever, doesnt really matter to me anyway. dont have parents who care so who really does care? as long as i graduate some time, im fine.
sigh.. what do i even live for..
saw luffy talking to ace in the hallway again, and then later on in gym, luffy dissapeared randomly which really isnt all that uncommon anyway lol but then the teacher went to go look for him like always, and apparently ace was with luffy in the locker room. people say that they were making out but i dont think so. thats just weird. but whatever not my business anyway... well i guess it sort of is since i li.. like luffy. kinda. i dont know... i like to think of myself as asexual, but i know that thats not true. i always imagine myself happily holding hands with someone or kissing someone, but the other person isnt a single definite person.. sheesh why do i lie to myself like this...
i just hope that luffy would hang out with me more often since im kinda starting to.. not miss him since that sounds lame, but.. well yeah i guess i miss his company. even if he may seem stupid and annoying, i know theres really a philosopher or professor or something inside him. nuff bout luffy tho, i sound like im in love with him.
so anyway, a lot of other stuff happened today.. . ... .. .
Luffy's eyes trailed off the paper to Zoro who sat next to him who had begun talking, and arguing, with the other two again and was completely oblivious as to what part Luffy was reading. Luffy looked down at the journal again at that one part..
..what do i even live for..
The young one glanced at Zoro's eyes and saw that his friend looked very lost and tired, like usual, but in his mind not his physical body. Even after Bartolomeo had silently decided to take care of him, there was still something missing in his being; he didn't know what he lived for. Luffy couldn't believe how dense Zoro was. The boy closed the journal carefully and stood up, causing everyone to look up at him as he went and put the journal back on its shelf and returned to sit next to Zoro, but wrapped his arms around him from the side and whispered into the green-haired one's ear, with emotion about to pour out of his being.
"Live for us."
Zoro's heart skipped a beat and he turned pale in realization. The other two looked suspiciously at the the friends and let thoughts flow through their minds.
"Not this again..." Ace thought wearily.
"What just happened?" Sanji asked himself, obviously confused.
"They stopped talking... *sigh* Zoro.." Bartolomeo nearly told himself aloud as he placed the giant plates of food on the dining table and took off his purple apron. He then walked up to his brother's room and snatched Zoro out of Luffy's arms and then dragged the shorter one back downstairs with him, and in silence.
Ace and Sanji peered down the ladder as the two brothers left, and Luffy sat there with tears threatening to fall down his cheeks, "I'm sorry Zoro..." Hearing a sniffle, Ace turned and saw Luffy and then wanted to kill Zoro for whatever he wrote in his journal. Sanji sat there awkwardly while Ace tried everything to distract Luffy from thoughts of Zoro. Kisses, spine-breaking hugs, smother him with a pillow..
"Luffy.." Ace groaned in defeat, letting the younger cling to his chest while he tried desperately to stop crying.
Meanwhile, Bartolomeo was downstairs fighting with Zoro, well, more like beating him up. Zoro lay on the ground with Bartolomeo's foot dangerously close to his neck, pressing painfully on his collarbone. Bartolomeo gritted his teeth with the mental image of Luffy being upset. He released his foot from his brother's collarbone and then kicked him in the side.
"You shouldn't have let him fucking read it, asshole!" Bartolomeo screamed, feeling Ace's anger almost flow into him. Zoro coughed and gasped, now laying on his side, and wiped the blood from a punch wound on his cheek. He didn't mean to make Luffy feel his pain.. he didn't ever want anyone else to know, but now everyone knew. Well, except for Sanji, hopefully... Zoro glared up at Bartolomeo in reply, and Bartolomeo helped up his beaten-brother and hugged him lightly, not wanting to hurt him anymore than needed.
"Idiot.."
Ace let Luffy lay against his shoulder, rubbing his back and telling him to calm down, and that Zoro was strong and would get over it. Luffy knew better.
Bartolomeo placed his hand on Zoro's ass to try and surprise him and then weakly smiled, pushing Zoro back towards the stairs. Zoro put a hand to where Bartolomeo touched him and sighed with a slight smirk, flipping his brother off. The older went back into the kitchen and cleaned up whatever needed to be cleaned up while Zoro crawled back up the ladder and stood near the other guys. He then recieved questions and concerned glances and stares, but he payed no heed and pulled Luffy into his arms, making Ace really tired of all this competition. Luffy hugged his friend a bit too hard for Zoro's liking, but he didn't want to look weak and so he returned the hug with a pained smile, patting the younger's head and whispered into his ear.
"Food's ready."
Luffy shut up and stared at Zoro's bloodied cheek for a second before kissing it and grinning, running downstairs to eat. Ace stared at Zoro with a shocked look while Sanji sat wondering what the hell was going on.
The five of them then ate the wonderful food that Bartolomeo had prepared on such short notice and even Sanji was impressed. Luffy looked so much happier with food in his stomach and all of them were glad. Bartolomeo told Zoro to go take a shower and clean off his wounds with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head.
It was dark outside, as it always is in the winter afternoons, and the heavy snow now fell lighter, making the dimly lit Roronoa house feel very cozy and comfortable. After dinner the 3 guests said their thanks and gathered their things. Sanji left first, wishing them all a Merry Christmas while Ace and Luffy stood in the doorway as well, about to leave next. The two turned to the other brothers with awkward smiles, and Zoro shivered, his wet hair starting to freeze. Luffy gave them both hugs, and secretly gave Zoro a kiss on the neck, and stepped back with a grin.
"You guys are always welcome in our house," Zoro stated with a sad smile, and Luffy smirked with a nod, Ace thanking the other two for their hospitality and food.
"We had a great time, and Merry Christmas, Zoro," Luffy said with a wink towards his friend and laughed, Ace's arm around his shoulder. They then parted ways and went back to their homes.
On the car ride home, Ace was mainly silent while Luffy sang to the songs on the radio, always urging Ace to sing along. At times he did, grinning like the idiot he was, and upon returning home, they stood at the front porch letting the cold bite at their noses and ears and the snow rest in their hair, and Ace leaned over and whispered.
"I love you, Luffy.."
"I love you too, Ace, so much," Luffy responded softly, their lips almost touching. Ace smiled and closed the distance between them, putting a hand behind Luffy's head and the other holding his mug.
Bartolomeo and Zoro closed their front door and walked to the living room, thinking deep thoughts and wincing.
"You didn't need to beat me up that bad.. I already felt terrible," Zoro teased, jabbing Bartolomeo in the gut. The older smirked and then put Zoro in a headlock throwing him down on the couch.
"Ahh forget about it, would ya? Oh, and don't think I didn't see him kiss you, you lucky bastard," the long-haired taunted, stradling Zoro's waist to keep him in place. Zoro blushed and rolled his eyes, pulling his brother into a tight hug. It was good to know that he had someone to hug and cuddle, even if it were his older brother. Bartolomeo still didn't exactly know to react to all this, and just went with it anyway. "Whatever keeps him happy and living," Bartolomeo thought as Zoro suddenly pushed his lips against his own. The older didn't exactly enjoy all this, but he knew he had to keep his promise..
Christmas Eve part 2 & Christmas Day - next chapter, coming soon!
+ ~ This is the longest, and I think feel-iest, chapter yet, with 7,187 words, and altogether this story has 32,449 words! Thank you guys for putting up with my selfishness and reading this story of mine which I originally based off a single picture of Luffy's butt on fire with the caption: damn it ace i told you to stop slapping my ass. oh yeah~ that was all the inspiration needed XD so I thank you for reading thus far! ~ +
