Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, the god of epicness Oda-sama does.

Family Affairs

Episode 4

The school's rooftop was cheerfully crowded by Luffy and his friends during lunch break. Having such a wide and spacious place for Luffy to munch all he wanted was always a comfort for those who avoided unwanted attention and who most of the time could not handle the mindless behaviour of the airhead, especially Nami and Vivi. Nevertheless, the two girls were currently more distracted with gossip talk than worried about any of the boys around them. Luffy's offensive eating had been easily ignored, Usopp's never-ending bragging totally indifferent and Zoro and Sanji's fight might as well have been non-existent. However, it would have never crossed Nami or Vivi's minds that their innocent girlish disclosure was being mildly overheard by Monkey D. Luffy. Obviously it was not something intentional since he cared about nothing in the entire world except a small handful of things, but because the revealing dialogue concerned one of those few things Luffy indeed cared about, he could not help but eavesdrop.

"Oh that new girl with the …hair?" Luffy heard Vivi reply excitedly to Nami.

"Yeah that one. Robin told me she just entered their class now"

"But we are in the middle of the school year!"

"I know!"

"So, she is after Luffy's older brother?" Vivi whispered discreetly so as not to call the younger D's attention, yet it was to no avail. Luffy was already way too sensitive about their conversation.

"It seems so, Nojiko said she works at the same part-time…"

"Oi! Luffy! Are you listening to me? That guy then- Oi!" Usopp's loud shouts distracted Luffy momentarily.

"Yeah yeah…" Luffy mumbled more dismissively than he intended. Fortunately, Usopp did not seem to mind his nonchalant demeanour. He kept rambling on and Luffy shoved another bowl of rice down his throat before leaning back slightly to overhear more of the girls' chat.

"…oh, that's where she must have met Ace-san" Vivi stated wisely. Nami nodded with her head.

"Surely, but she is in his class too so it doesn't make a big difference"

"Of course it does! …not only are they together during school but also outside" Vivi said putting an emphasis on the last word. Luffy's heart seemed have been pierced by a giant sharp object after such retort. His train of thought was totally out of control, more than the habit suggested, and the disconnected parts of the conversation were not helping him cope with the information one bit. Anyhow, the most disgruntling thing of all was the fact that this was all being kept secret and Luffy just didn't have it in him to face the girls and ask them about the subject head on. For some reason he simply could not talk to them about it. Lately, anything about Ace was bordering the embarrassing and knowing Nami, she would probably get strange ideas about the topic if Luffy intervened.

"I don't think they are dating" Nami suddenly blurted out, interrupting Vivi who had been digressing for a while. The word "dating" struck Luffy with a unique sense of anger that had not washed over him recently.

"You never know… give it time and…"

His rare display of discomposure was deafening his own ears. Luffy could barely stay focused on what to think. In fact, his thoughts were the thing horrifying him the most. Ace had a girlfriend? Since when? Why hadn't he heard anything about it? Luffy chewed on his lunch with rage. What the hell?

"What's her name again?" Vivi queried.

Luffy's breath halted as he waited for an answer. If he at least knew the girl's name he could go over to his brother's university and take a glimpse at her. He could go unleash a bit of his frustration and do something about it.

"I think it is Bo-"

"OI LUFFY! You haven't been listening to a word I said, have you?!" Usopp's outburst ruined Luffy's chance to learn the girl's name.

"Shut up! I was concentrating!!" Luffy yelled back angry.

"Yeah? On what idiot?!"

"Something! I was thinking!"

"Hahahaha!" Usopp laughed amused "You thinking? Don't joke with me! If you can think now, why didn't you think when we were playing Master Beamer III the other day?! We lost to that damn Kaku from class B!"

"It was his nose! Not my fault!" Luffy replied automatically.

"Have a problem with big noses eeeh, monkey glutton!?" Usopp asked threateningly.

"Have a problem with monkeys eeeehh?!"

"Aaaah?!"

"Aaaah?!"

"SHUT UP IDIOTS!" Nami cried frustrated. Luffy and Usopp averted gazes and went back to eating the rest of their lunches in silence. Luffy in particular ate with all his might trying to erase his brain in the process. He didn't want to think about anything, hear anything or know anything. The stupid thing was eating his insides.

"Oi Luffy let's go! The bell's ringing" Nami called from the rooftop's exit door half an hour later.

"Oh, right…" Luffy replied still thoroughly numb. He passed by the red haired girl quietly and unassuming. However his internal turmoil did not slip by Nami.

"Is everything OK?" she asked eerily. Luffy didn't turn back to answer. He simply threw her a casual reply.

"What are you talking about? Of course everything's not OK! We lost Master Beamer yesterday!"

After school Luffy planned to run home. He wanted to shut himself in his room, see no one and talk to no one. Not even Ace would be able to calm him down this time. In fact he would probably just make it all worse accounting for the seemingly innocent cause of Luffy's distress. Obviously, there was a taunting need, a pressing desire to go to Ace's university and see proof with his very own eyes but Luffy didn't even know the girl's name. He could not burst in and go berserk on every female in sight with the sole purpose of venting out some anger, not that he lacked the guts to do so, he simply would end up troubling a lot of people including his brother and that was the last person Luffy wanted to deal with at the moment. Hence, he did has he planned and rushed out of the school building alone, successfully detaching himself from Usopp and Zoro by the lockers. However, not long after he reached the front gate, a firm strong grip caught hold of his shoulder.

"Luffy I need a favour" Nami's sweet pleading voice startled Luffy to death. He turned around as casually as possible and smiled back at her weakly.

"What do you want?" he asked, though it sounded more like "What can I do for you to leave me alone?"

"Bellemere gave me these oranges this morning" Nami said dangling a plastic bag in front of his face "I was supposed to deliver them to Robin but I told Vivi I would go to her house today after school. Could you deliver them for me? I know you're free" she added cunningly.

"Eeh? But isn't your sister in Robin's class? This is troublesome…" Luffy complained with a pout. He scratched the back of his head reflexively and Nami scowled. Needless to say she didn't like to see her requests being denied.

"Nojiko left earlier so Bellemere gave them to me" she explained bitterly. Luffy remained silent while pondering the horrifying idea of going over to his brother's school.

"So?!" Nami pressed impatiently.

"Ok, ok, I'll go!" Luffy agreed, more fearful than willingly. The red haired girl handed him the bag of oranges and Luffy put it around his neck stubbornly.

"Don't go running around like that! You'll spoil the oranges" she chided.

"It's fine, it's fine" Luffy reassured absent-mindedly. Nami shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

"Thanks Luffy, see ya tomorrow then"

"See ya! Oh, by the way, where's Robin?"

"At school of course! Don't you know your own brother's timetable idiot?! They're the same!" Nami sneered. She waved her hand in the distance and afterwards disappeared shortly behind a corner.

"As if I knew that, idiot…" Luffy mumbled to himself depressed. He turned around somehow yielding and started walking shyly towards the university buildings. There was a certain anxiety tickling underneath his skin that was driving him slightly mad, nevertheless, he could not back out now. He wasn't a quitter by nature either. It seemed that fate was pulling all the right strings to send him to the place he dreaded the most. The confusion in his mind didn't allow him to understand which thing he feared the most and most importantly, why he feared anything to begin with. That irrational anger that had struck him earlier was also ready to swarm in any time soon and Luffy cursed. He cursed the whole damn world because he didn't know what or who to curse particularly. Nami and Vivi's conversation at lunch, or whatever he had managed to hear of it, was jabbing at his mind constantly and consequently, the will to find out more about Ace's supposed girlfriend grew more and more intense.

"I could ask Robin…" Luffy thought to himself. He kept reflecting deeply on the subject, as much as his simple and dense mind enabled him to, though when he entered the university campus his concentration lost itself forever. Instinctively, his eyes and senses began browsing every centimetre that came into sight and the bag of oranges hanging loosely on his neck seemed to raise some attention towards him as well. A familiar face rapidly hurried to greet him.

"Luffy-kun?"

Luffy turned to meet the young woman.

"Ah!! Nojiko!!" he shouted surprised.

"What are you doing here? Looking for Ace?"

"N-no of course not!" he stammered "Nami asked me to bring some oranges for Robin"

"Oh she did?"

"Yeah, because you didn't bring them!" Luffy reminded her irritated. Nojiko smiled apologetically in return.

"I'm sorry Luffy-kun"

"Anyway, where's Robin?"

"I think she was talking to Boa back there…" Nojiko said carelessly. The sudden name amidst her speech paralyzed Luffy. He remembered Nami talking about a Bo-something girl.

"W-who?"

"Boa. Boa Hancock. It's a new girl that just entered our class, she's really something! All the guys in the campus are head over heels for her" Nojiko said rather fiercely.

"Right… where are they then?" Luffy replied quickly. The words were puking out of his mouth, he wanted to patch things up and leave.

"Hmm, last time I saw them they were-"

"Luffy?" an elegant female voice interrupted them happily. Robin's tall well-built figure emerged behind Nojiko with a big smile.

"Robin!"

"It's a surprise to see you here. How have you been?" she asked politely.

"Great, I-"

"What's this?" a second girl appeared beside Robin. She was about the same height as Luffy's elegant friend and her hair was also longer and darker. She had light blue eyes and very beautiful features. Around her neck she wore a long scarf that resembled a snake, including the pattern. Luffy looked at her perplexed but as soon as Robin began introducing the girl his awe turned into contempt immediately.

"Sorry Boa-san, this is a friend of mine, Ace's younger brother Luffy" Robin said gently pointing to Luffy. Boa threw him a harsh cold stare and he welcomed her in the same fashion.

"This is Boa Hancock, she's-"

"Yeah I know about her" Luffy almost spit the words out "I don't care one bit, just take this" he said to Robin angrily, proceeding to take the bag of oranges from around his neck "and goodbye."

Nojiko and Robin looked at him surprised. It was pretty strange to see Luffy acting unfriendly towards people, especially girls. He was probably the most docile creature in the entire world and watching this awkward rudeness was simply shocking. However, they didn't have knowledge of his current inner turmoil; they didn't have any idea of the boiling jealousy running through his veins.

"Luffy-kun is everything alright? You seem upset" Nojiko remarked worriedly. Luffy brushed her concern aside and handed the oranges to Robin.

"Here" he told her. Robin took the bag in her hands and stared at him silently.

"Do you want me to call Ace for you? You actually came here to see him, didn't you?" she said compassionately. Her tone of voice flared Luffy's frustration even more.

"No! I don't want to see him!"

"Are you fighting?"

"No!"

"I suppose-"

"You really don't have any manners, do you?" Boa interjected coldly. Luffy's embarrassed expression instantly changed into one of rage.

"What did you say Snake girl?!"

Boa's eyes widened with perplexity. It was obvious she did not expect to be challenged or defied in this way.

"Who are you calling Snake girl?! This is outrageous!"

"You're the one walking around with a dead snake on your shoulders!"

"W-what?" she exclaimed. Boa raised her hands to her face in shock.

"Yeah you heard me!"

"Luffy…" Robin tried to stop their argument but she didn't now how to approach this unusual over-sensitive Luffy.

"Who do you think you are little kid?"

"Don't call me kid, old hag!"

"HAG? Who are you calling an old hag?!" Boa's voice hit such a high pitched tone that all the students in the vicinity turned their heads towards them.

"I-I can't believe this!" she stuttered "You-you… you idiotic little-"

"What's going on over here? I thought I heard someone screaming…" the cool overly familiar voice of Ace felt like icy water running down Luffy's back. He wanted to hide in the nearest hole available.

"Ace! I'm glad you're here" Nojiko said loudly calling the older D. towards their spot.

"Nojiko?"

"Yeah, come, come! Luffy is-" Nojiko turned around to survey the younger brother but as soon as she laid eyes on him he was already meters away.

"OI! You coward! Come back here!" she shouted after him, but Luffy was out of sight by the time she noticed his inaudible reply.

"What was he doing here?" Ace wondered out loud. He stood next to Nami's sister quite confused, gazing at his brother's trail.

"He came to deliver those oranges to Robin" Nojiko explained motioning to the bag in Robin's hands.

"But he seemed very indisposed" Robin added.

"Yeah he was acting strange" Nojiko nodded.

"Really? He was fine this morning"

"But he was lashing out at Boa here, that's not related to fine in any way!" Nojiko told him in a scolding manner. Ace bowed slightly and approached Boa.

"Oi, are you OK? Sorry my brother must have hit his had somewhere he is not like this usually, I-"

"Wh-what was his name again?" Boa asked out of the blue. Her stare was locked somewhere in the horizon, in a place none of her companions were able to see. Ace blinked twice puzzled by the abrupt question.

"Luffy" he answered.

"Luffy, Luffy what?"

"Monkey D. Luffy" Ace told her again. She took a deep breath and then turned to the three befuddled students around her. Her eyes bore an unprecedented glimmer and her cheeks were slightly flushed.

"I… I think I'm in love"

"WHAT?" the other three cried with dismay.

What the hell? Ace's ears must have been playing tricks on him, most definitely. He found himself mentally grinding Boa's foolish outcome the entire way to his part-time job. He could barely believe it. How come she was suddenly in love with Luffy? She had to be crazy. And why the hell did he care? Luffy probably wouldn't even notice her and he wasn't any good with those emotional matters either, so Ace really didn't have anything to worry himself about. Yet, Boa's sudden attachment wasn't easy to swallow altogether. It was hard to admit but sharing Luffy with other people was always a hassle. It only proved how sickly close the two of them had become, though Ace didn't dislike that, on the contrary, he wanted to preserve that bond for as long as possible. It was brotherly love, what was wrong about it? Only brotherly love, only that…

"You're late today" Marco stated bored.

"Sorry, it was-"

"Your brother, right? We can figure out that much, hahaha" Thatch said with a laugh. The blonde passed by them carrying two heavy boxes and then disappeared. Ace smiled weakly in response but felt a certain degree of embarrassment creep him up. Being so easily read was something he couldn't be proud of.

"You should hurry up and change. She's already here" Marco deadpanned earnestly.

"Wha-? Shit!" Ace ran to the small locker room and minutes later returned to the warehouse's entrance. Marco was still there, glancing around suspiciously.

"And?" Ace whispered.

"I saw her going to Moby Dick's back storage"

"Then I'm going the opposite direction" Ace told him determined.

"Ok, good luck"

Ace gave Marco a silent thumbs-up and sprinted out of sight.

Moby Dick was the giant warehouse where Ace worked. He and his colleagues all worked for old man Whitebeard who was the big shot around the area. The work environment was close to perfect for someone like Ace who spent his whole life worrying about his little brother. He could vent all his frustration on the physical strain and sometimes talk about it with Marco, who one had become one of his best friends. However, a startling recent development had transformed this personal heaven into hell and the new female employer named Jewellery Bonney was the main cause. She was a pink haired devil who not only shared the same job with Ace but also attended the same school. She was the plague. Totally in love with him regardless of the constant turn downs he gave her. Fortunately they had different classes and thanks to Boa Hancock's coincidental arrival into Ace's class, Bonney's chances for romantic advances had become pretty slim at school. Everyone in his class was constantly surrounded by people asking questions about the absolutely stunning new girl and thus, Ace was certain to never be left alone at the mercy of devious Bonney. Yet, this immaculate situation could not be applied at work. There he had to keep alert and hidden so as to avoid her completely. Although, she seemed to pop out of nowhere every time Ace thought he was safe.

"Ace! Good timing!" Jozu's deep rough voice called him from nearby "Come here and help me with this"

"Yeah sure-"

"Aceeeee-kunnn~~~~"

A chill ran through Ace's spine.

"Sorry Jozu, gotta run! I told Thatch I was giving him a hand today!" Ace excused himself. A pink blur was approaching quickly in the distance.

"But Thatch's shift is almost ov-"

"Yeah, yeah I know! Bye!"

"Jo-chan, where's Ace? I thought I saw him here" Bonney asked outraged once she reached Ace's previous spot. Jozu sighed before grimacing.

"I don't know what's on that kid's mind…." He muttered whole-heartedly. Bonney scowled and crossed her arms in a childish fashion.

"You sound like an old man Jozu"

"I'm home…" Ace announced tiredly as he closed the front door of the apartment behind him. His drained senses met absolute silence fact which surprised him slightly.

"Luffy? You there?"

Ace took off his shoes and walked up to the living room. He slid the door open and met an empty room.

"Oi Luffy? I'm home!" he called again. A soft yawn was heard from the corridor and Ace stepped back to take a glimpse at Luffy's bedroom door. Standing between the frame and the door was a sleepy looking Luffy staring hazily into space.

"Were you sleeping?" Ace asked in disbelief.

"Mhum…hum…" Luffy mumbled with a nod of his head.

"What about homework? Did you even take a shower?"

"My head hurt…" Luffy replied lazily.

"I bet it did, what was wrong with you treating Boa like that?!" Ace scolded angrily. He didn't mind the fact that Luffy had treated her harshly, because, given the circumstances, Ace didn't care much about her either, but who knew if Luffy's rash behaviour hadn't been the origin for Boa's fondness? The idea irritated Ace severely.

"It was her fault" Luffy said averting his gaze.

"Don't make excuses Luffy. At least apologise to her tomorrow" Ace warned him calmly, though the advice seemed to flare Luffy's anger.

"Will NOT!" he blurted out wide awake. Ace was taken aback by the sudden change in mood. Robin and Nojiko had been right he was definitely not fine.

"What's the problem?"

"I'm not apologising to her!" Luffy repeated.

"Why not? I know she may seem unpleasant, but if you apologise she-"

"I don't care! I'm not apologising to Ace's girlfriend, and I don't care!" Luffy shouted angrily and then he shut himself inside his room once again. Ace was left standing in the corridor with pure shock. Had he missed something? What was going on?

"Hey, Luffy what's with that story?" Ace asked anxiously knocking on his brother's bedroom door.

"Open up, let's talk about this"

"I don't want to! I'm going to sleep!" Luffy's muffled voice yelled from inside.

"Don't be stupid, get your ass in here!"

"Go away idiot Ace! Leave me alone!"

"Not until you tell me what the hell you were talking about!" Ace bellowed, his anger catching up with his worry.

"I know about Ace's girlfriend, don't act like a dumb monkey!" Luffy replied louder. He was definitely glued to the door on the other side.

"Bonney isn't my girlfriend! How did you find out about her-"

"Bonney?" Luffy repeated stoically. An awkward pause followed the break in the heated discussion. Ace gulped. What could that airhead be thinking? And how did he come to the conclusion Boa liked him? It was ridiculous! Ace's hasty current of thought was brought to an abrupt halt as Luffy's bedroom door opened up with a jolt. The wooden surface hit Ace straight in the face and he fell backwards.

"Luffy you idiot! Watch that door!" he yelled. Yet Ace's complaints were not heard. Not in the least. Luffy lunged at him fiercely and headbutted him with all his might deepening the pain.

"Two?! Two girlfriends? You fiend!!!" Luffy cried out loud "You're even cheating on that Boa girl?!"

Perhaps it was the pain, perhaps it was his own mixed feelings propelling everywhere… either way, Ace felt like exploding. Seeing Luffy like this damaged his soul and angered him to lengths unheard of.

"What the hell are you talking about idiot?!"

"It's your fault stupid!"

"You're really pissing me off now!"

"Oh yeah? You're pissing me off even more!"

"Shut up! I'm not listening to more of your crap talk!" Ace yelled. He pushed Luffy aside with a strong shove and got up.

"Fine!" Luffy replied stubbornly.

"Fine!"

"I'm not speaking to you ever again idiot!"

"Neither am I!"

Luffy shut the door of his room with a loud BAM and Ace entered the bathroom in the same fashion. He threw his clothes to the floor with all the strength he could muster and then turned on the water tap. He needed a bath to put his thoughts in order. With Luffy it was always his emotions commanding his actions.

"Damn him and his stupid head…" Ace muttered furiously. He just could not understand how the freaking day had turned out. First that unbearable Boa, than that annoying Bonney and now Luffy going berserk? What was happening in the world? Had everyone gone crazy and left him as the solely sane individual on earth?

"Shit no…" Ace slid inside the bathtub and let the hot water scald his skin along with his irate mind. He stretched his back and slouched further down the tub, allowing the water to graze his chin.

"Damn him… idiot"

Eternity flew by in quietude and when Ace was about to fall asleep in his comfortable position loud footsteps startled him.

"Hm?"

"Yooooooshh!"

Ace's eyes widened with shock as Luffy rushed inside the bathroom and jumped into the tub. The splash sent water flying everywhere and a big wave overflowed to the floor.

"W-what are you doing?" Ace didn't know if he should act angry or embarrassed. It ended up being a mixture of both. Luffy's naked body touching his was a very disturbing matter, making it impossible for him to think straight.

"I don't want you to be mad at me. I came asking for forgiveness" Luffy begged.

Ace blushed. It was difficult to come up with an answer while trying to untangle their legs underwater. A deep flush was threatening to dye his whole skin red.

"Oi, Acee~~ Are you hearing me? Ace!" Luffy shook his brother's shoulders to get his attention.

"Alright, alright, just get out of the tub!" Ace replied somewhat in panic. Luffy obviously did not understand the older D.'s distress.

"What's with that? You're ignoring me again!" Luffy said slapping the water's surface.

"Go wash yourself over there! I'm taking a bath now!"

"Can't do. I'm taking a bath as well" Luffy said annoyingly.

"We'll talk later just-"

"You're still angry at me"

"No I'm not, I-"

"Really?"

"Yeah" Ace nodded. He truly wanted to get out of this entanglement. Luffy was too close, too naked, too vulnerable.

"Really really?"

"Really"

"Yaay! I'm so relived!!!"

Before Luffy made any movement Ace already regretted having said anything. The younger brother threw his arms around his neck and hugged him happily. It was more than certain that Ace was hyperventilating by now, trying to cope with the uncontrollable beating of his heart and the blissful closeness between the two of them.

"Not only do we sleep together, we take baths together as well. Hehe" Luffy said with a dorky giggle. Ace coughed and tried to block the unwanted alluring thoughts haunting his brain. In their current situation it would be very risky to venture down that way.

"Don't "hehe" me!" he managed to reply "Turn around, I'll wash you back"

"Yeeesss Ace-sama!"

"Shut it"

AN: Finally done! I'm sorry for taking a while to update this. I got too distracted with another fic. Please forgive me dear readers! Thanks for all the reviews and favourites and alerts. I'm entering college now so please be patient with future updates. I'll try my best! R&R