Disclaimer: You know One Piece is all Oda's. No funny thing here.

Family Affairs

Episode 6 Part I

It was near seven o'clock in the afternoon when Ace finally got home. He opened the front door lazily with a sigh. The hours of study and work were weighting on his back stiffening his shoulders. His new hobby of spacing out was taking a serious toll on his life and he could not stop mulling over it. He was constantly up in the clouds trying to find an escape, an explanation, whatever kind of reason he needed to thrust some sense into himself. Obviously, such complete discomposure of being didn't have a sole ground on Ace. He knew it beyond words that it was all about Luffy and his playful antics. He could not dismiss them. Luffy was always bouncing around, gravitating around his older brother with new crazy ideas popping every other day. The latest, however, had taken it all. It had inclusively taken Ace's sanity and lips. His soul was still baffled by the occurrence. It disturbed the chief of his being and it dragged on and on behind him wherever he went. It was a nasty, unshakable memory.

The door shut close with a low sound and Ace proceeded to take off his shoes.

"I'm home…" he said slightly devoid of emotion. His thoughts had robbed him of any excitement possible.

Ace stepped into the main hall and waited for a dazzling reply to his greeting, yet there was none. The only thing that showed the minimum sign of life in the house was the light creeping under the living room door. He approached the said room and soon loud noises reached his ears, more specifically various voices. It was definitely not the television. Luffy had brought a huddle of people home surely.

"Are you an idiot? Look at that result! Do you even know what's two plus two? What a dunce!" Usopp's distinctive tone rang outside the room.

"Shut up!" Luffy replied irritated. Ace chuckled. The loudmouth group was as lively as ever.

"You two stop arguing this minute! You're pissing me off!" Nami chided immediately silencing the other two.

"Don't be so rude on Luffy-kun!" Another girlish voice followed. At this Ace froze. The hand he had deliberately raised to slid the door open stopped its friendly motion and halted in shock.

"It can't be…" The words slipped of Ace's mouth in a whisper. He was trying to reassure himself but the more conversation reached his ears the more he dreaded; the more angry and insulted he felt. She could not be here. In his house, in his temple, in the invisible unconscious cage he shared with his brother. It was simply not possible! When had their relationship come to such a point as to invite her to come here? Ace was outraged. He flung the door open briskly and, under surprised stares, scanned every centimeter of the room.

"A-ace?"

"Ace! You're back!"

Ace nodded to the perplexed welcomes and greetings. The room was indeed crowded. Around the kotatsu sat most of his brother's usual friends: Nami, Usopp, Vivi and Robin. Then, inexplicably, right between the last two girls sat another one which Ace knew all too well by now; dark long hair that descended her back beyond the waist, light blue eyes and a cold expression adorning her perfect face. Boa Hancock, his latest arch-enemy sat right there in his living room, in his favorite cushion! Ace tried to suppress a frown but a fragile bump against his knee distracted him from doing it.

"Ouch!"

Ace turned around to find a dizzy Chopper whirling slowly from the sudden impact.

"Sorry there Chopper, I didn't knew you were here" Ace excused himself quickly and bended to survey the short reindeer.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I didn't hit you that hard" He replied with a giggle.

Ace was just about to ask him another question when a pair of arms attached themselves to his neck, bringing with them the rest of the supple body.

"Ace is home!" Luffy chirped happily. Ace sighed and began deleting all the sensations his nerves were producing in his brain.

"Don't cling to me like that, go study!"

"Ace is right, Luffy! Get your ass back in your seat and finish the damned equation!" Nami shouted a meter away. Ace thanked her mentally and relaxed his body as soon as Luffy sadly detached himself from him.

"They've been cramming for two hours almost. No wonder Luffy is already tired, everything is an excuse to run away" Chopper said by Ace's side. The two stood by the entry door surveying the study group attentively.

"Two hours? I can barely believe it" Ace said in disbelief. Chopper laughed at his reaction.

"It's true, really"

"Incredible… It's all Nami's work though. I'm glad she keeps them in order"

"Yeah"

"I'm going to fetch a few snacks. Wanna help?" Ace asked innocently.

"Sure!"

His plan to lure an informant succeeded. They entered the kitchen and after gathering a few glasses he and Chopper began pouring iced tea into the recipients.

"So how come you're here? Don't tell me they dragged you out of Kureha's clinic again?" Ace asked with little interest.

"Ah no, no! I came to see how you were doing and then I bumped into the large party" Chopper explained.

"I see"

"Has the rash disappeared completely?"

"Yeah, it vanished a couple of days ago- here grab this" Ace handed Chopper a plate of chocolate cookies and sighed "Don't place them near Luffy, I know it won't make much difference but…" he told the small doctor, yet murmured the last part mostly to himself. Chopper nodded and zoomed off returning a few minutes later to help Ace carry the drinks. A short silence then ensued while they divided the glasses evenly. Thankfully, Chopper cut to the chase fast enough.

"I have been meaning to ask this for a while…" Chopper began awkwardly. Ace peeked at him from the corner of his eye. He knew what was coming and he was anxious for the doctor's opinion "Who's that pretty girl? Is she in Luffy's class? I didn't get it very well"

"No. Actually, she's attends my school, I guess she's here because Robin brought her or something"

"Oh! So is she your friend?"

"N-no, not really" Ace answered honestly.

"She seems rather… distant… I don't know. But she is pretty" Chopper said shyly.

"Yeah, she's a strange one indeed" Ace grinned to himself before their conversation ceased at the living room.

Another half an hour passed in intensive studying. With Ace there, Nami and Vivi were less harassed by Luffy's annoying complaints and they were able to concentrate deeply in their math. Apparently they had a test next week, fact which mildly scared Ace. Did they mean to spend the following days in his house studying with that leech there as well? From time to time Ace would send Boa a suspicious glare and she would return it mercilessly. It was strange how they had established such an ambience without the use of words. Although, truth be told they weren't needed. Ace knew why she was there and she knew why he was shooting her those glances, or at least she supposed. Ace doubted she knew even a speck of his thoughts. He amused himself for a while wondering what causes Boa might have conjured to justify his hostility. Maybe she thought he simply disliked her, which was not far from reality, perhaps she thought he liked her and thus was playing hard to get, maybe-

"Ace-kun? You're spacing out. Focus, please" Robin's polite call brought him back from his musings. She had been helping him with his own studies since the younger folk were already being assisted by Boa, especially Luffy. The long haired girl was presently using the cookies Makino had given the D. Brothers to reward the latter for each solved exercise. The wench!

"Sorry, sorry, could you repeat that?" Ace turned to Robin apologetically. He was decided to bury himself in his papers to avoid further anger.

"Yes, of course. Listen…"

When the clock struck eight the group finally decided to disband. Vivi had already left with Chopper fifteen minutes earlier since she lived near his neighborhood. By the entrance the guests were putting on their shoes and dressing their respective coats. Nami was giving her last instructions to Luffy in a very barren tone and Usopp was rummaging through his bag looking for her notes.

"See? It's this formula! You can't forget! Think about a sheep. This formula is a sheep. That equation is grass. Every time there is grass like that you need to call the sheep to eat it! 'Kay?" Nami said gesturing exasperatedly. Ace looked at her with pity but after perceiving his brother's violent nod he shook his head with a grim.

"What about a cow? Cows eat grass too"

"Forget the goddamn cows! Math doesn't have cows!"

"Then how can it have sheep? I don't understand!"

"Ok! I give up! I tried, I really tried- oi Usopp! My notes! Quick or this airhead will stun the rest of my brain!" Nami ordered. Usopp fumbled with a few papers and then got up.

"Here, found them!"

"Finally! Thanks"

After this little display Ace turned to the older girls. Robin was finishing putting on her boots and Boa was staring coldly at him. It started him at first but he did not lose time fearing it. He sent her a weak smile and bowed his head gently to brush her off. Fortunately it worked. She turned away with a click of her tongue and crossed her arms offended.

"Hey! Where's my left shoe? AH-! Stop stepping on it Luffy!"

"Ah, sorry. I didn't see it!"

"Open your eyes then, sheesh! Look at this, it's all squeezed"

"Well, then. I'm off!" Nami announced. She waved them all goodbye and walked out of the front door.

Ace watched her go with a thoughtful expression. He wondered why lately every single friend he saw hanging around Luffy was a girl. Did his brother have a freaking magnet or was he doing it on purpose? Sometimes it really ticked him off. When Vivi first came to existence in their chain of friends it had pissed Ace as well. Even now she still seemed to have something of a crush for Luffy, a tiny shimmering of attraction. Ace knew it better than he should. But it didn't worry him much. She was too shy or impulsive to act. However, Boa was a whole different subject. She was bold and direct and she bothered Ace to great extents. Not to mention all the superficial attributes people already noticed about her. His brother's density was indeed a gift from heavens.

Ace then glanced towards Usopp. There was a guy he really liked. The decent, normal friend! Ace had once bestowed his blessings on Sanji and Zoro too, but thanks to the latest developments his good graces had fell from their high rank. It didn't matter much if they were lovers or not, the only problem he had with the pair was the unjustified example they gave and would eventually give to Luffy in the future. Ace's misery was their entire fault to start with. He had pondered many times on the subject. If Luffy hadn't watched the two kissing would he have still kissed him too? It was an eerie supposition which obliged Ace from exploring no further.

"Thanks for having us" Robin said with a slight bow. Boa mimicked her and smiled gracefully.

"Thanks for the invitation Luffy-kun"

"See you tomorrow"

"Goodbye!"

The two dark haired girls headed out and a substantial weight was lifted off from Ace's shoulders. The air seemed strangely breathable once again. Not that anybody else noticed of course. Usopp left after them a few minutes later, shouting at Luffy until he was at least one block away. A stranger would be shocked at the amount of yells Luffy understood from such a distance, though Ace was already used to it.

"Aah… they finally left… I still don't understand the sheep thing…" Luffy muttered to himself disappointedly. Ace closed the front door and pushed his brother towards the living room in a fake cheer.

"Just go tidy that room so I can serve dinner. Go, go"

"Right away!"

Ace gave Luffy's shoulders a few condescending pats and then fled to the kitchen to avoid any scene. He was beginning to feel very anxious of any possible awkward silence. Besides, the fact that one could never know how Luffy would react was eating his insides. The kid sure was an impulsive person. Ace didn't know what to expect and every time he remembered himself of it, his thoughts returned to the endless wonder about what could have ever made Luffy kiss him the other night. It was frightening. Their relationship was stepping dangerously out of its protecting boundaries and all Ace could do to reassure himself was repeating over and over again in his head that it had been a once in a lifetime thing, biased by a confusing display of affections from Luffy's friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

After dinner, Luffy immediately dropped asleep in front of the television. The mental strain the study session had demanded from him was clearly looking for compensation. Ace nudged him a few times on the belly, telling him to go sleep to his own room but it was hopeless. Luffy remained sprawled in the living room floor in a deep slumber while Ace washed the dishes and stored the rest of his brother's junk away.

"This room is a mess!" he shouted from Luffy's bedroom bewildered "When I said to go tidy your things I didn't mean to transport the dump in the living room to another place! Can't you at least sort things into piles or something? Damn, look at this…" Ace ranted for a whole half hour before returning to his brother's location. Obviously the fool was happily asleep and deaf to any complaint. Ace's brow furrowed with frustration.

"Free of worries, aren't we?" he said ironically to the motionless body. He got no reaction apart from a loud snore.

"You really piss me off sometimes..."

Ace picked up Luffy's right arm and pushed him up. He managed to drag the lethargic sleeper to his respective bedroom and lay him down on his futon. He didn't bother to change Luffy's clothes; it would only be embarrassing and strange at this point. Ace placed a hand on his brother's forehead and caressed the messy hair for the sake of motion. He couldn't stand being there staring at the younger D. without doing anything. His hand almost begged to do something just so he wouldn't collapse into a pool of shame.

"What am I gonna do with you…" The sigh put into words Ace's main concern. What to do next, how to react… he had no idea. Sometimes he wanted to go back to the time when things were not complicated, when his urges didn't affect a single bit of his reason. It was by far the best solution, but it was the hardest one too. While he ached for the past, Ace would unconsciously let a glimmer of hope shimmer on the present state of affairs, even when they were starting to differ from their usual family tone.

Ace drew back his hand and tapped gently Luffy's arm one last time before leaving the room. Unfortunately for Ace, his last gesture did not go by unnoticed. A sluggish hand came clinging to the hem of his shirt and softly pulled him back as if asking him not to leave so soon. Ace smiled sadly and took Luffy's hand on his own. He tried to remove it from the grip on his shirt, but it was of no use. The following measure was stupid, it triggered what should have remained dormant, yet Ace couldn't possibly have guessed it. He leaned over Luffy and whispered softly on his ear so as not to disturb him more than necessary.

"Sleep Luffy, sleep" he said, shaking his brother's hand away.

His speech met a grumble of disapproval and Luffy's drowsy arms proceeded to wrap themselves around Ace as if he were a pillow. The latter shoved the hyperventilation aside and tried desperately to flee from the situation. It angered him that a circumstance such as this could have once been regarded as of no importance at all. Damn his stupid mind and damn stupid Luffy!

"Luffy let go… I have to go to sleep too"

Any verbal retaliation only found answer in rumbles and snores. Luffy was either very deep asleep or very persistent, which would not surprise anyone by now. Ace let his head fall on the futon in defeat for a few minutes and, when Luffy's tight hold finally loosened, he backed away and got rid of those menacing arms. The little brother groaned at the sudden withdrawal, but Ace rewarded him with a flimsy peck on the cheek just like he used to do when they were little. Terrible choice. Ace acknowledged the immensity of his mistake just before the dull Luffy reacted to the kiss with a torrent of kisses of his own. The older D. suppressed poorly his chuckles at the cute sight, but he wrestled efficiently against the cuddly antics.

"Luf- Luffy, stop, stop, stop… I just came here to put you to sleep. Come on' stop that or I'll hit you!"

Luffy halted his snuggle more from habit than from will. It was good to know Ace's threats still worked to an extent. Nonetheless, Luffy pouted and opened a slant streak of his eyes to plead.

"Ace stay"

"I need to go turn off the lights" Ace told him patiently.

"…tomorrow"

"No I can't do it tomorrow. Now go back to sleep, idiot" Ace at last detached himself from Luffy and walked up to the bedroom door. The sleepy head kept mumbling incoherently for a while, but Ace shut the door close so he wouldn't succumb to any abrupt temptation.

He turned off the lights in the living room and hall and then entered his own bedroom to rest over a good night's sleep.

The next morning dawned cloudy. Ace had just finished dressing up when the doorbell rang and he gave his morning greetings to Makino.

"Good morning Ace-kun. Here, I have your mail" she said good-humouredly and handed the elder brother his letters.

"Thanks Makino-san. I forgot to check it yesterday"

"Don't worry. Wood Slap insisted for me to come give them to you. He wants me to keep an eye on you two"

Ace sneered "Yeah, right…"

"Anyway, I won't detain you any longer. Good day at school. Say hi to Luffy-kun for me"

"Sure"

"Bye!"

Makino walked back to her own apartment and Ace went back inside. He checked the letters one by one with a frown, since most of them were bills and then he came upon a very unusual envelope. He spent a few seconds studying the handwriting on the front and, with eyes widened as far as physically possible, he tore it open excitedly. He perused the contents at least four times before putting the damned piece of paper down.

"Luffy! Oi! Come here for a sec! You got to read this!" He called happily. The younger brother walked out of the bathroom with toothbrush still in his mouth.

"Uhgha?" Luffy asked. His lips were covered with blue foam. Blame the toothpaste.

"You won't believe who just sent this" Ace said gesturing to the piece of paper in his hand. Luffy bit the toothbrush hard and grabbed the letter with his two hands to read it thoroughly. Unfortunately, he didn't reach the end before staining the hand-written document with blue froth. His excitement got the best of him and he spurted out imperceptible words of joy along with a mix of drool and toothpaste.

"Give me that! Go spit that out first, then I'll let you read Dandan's letter again" Ace scolded harshly. He grabbed the paper back and sent Luffy to the bathroom with a stern look. Needless to mention, the latter returned not even a second later with the corners of his mouth still stained with blue stuff.

"I'm back. Let me read it again, let me, let me, let me" Luffy insisted. Ace handed him the precious mail and picked up the nearest napkin to brush off the sticky remains of Luffy's blue toothpaste.

"Turn over here" Ace said. He grabbed Luffy by the chin and cleaned his mouth completely while the other read the letter attentively. Once he finished, Luffy began shooting his usual array of questions.

"So, when are we going to visit Dandan and the guys? I really miss them! It's been years since we last saw them! I bet she is fatter and nastier! Shishishishi!"

"I was thinking maybe this weekend. I don't know" Ace wondered "But we have to go as soon as possible. Dandan said my mother's gravestone finally arrived. I should go and see it for myself"

"Yay! So we're going!"

"Yeah, we are- hey! What about your test? You should study this weekend" Ace suddenly remembered. He stroked his hair pensively while trying to think of a solution to their problem.

"You can stay. I'll go" was the first option that popped into his head. Luffy instantly refused the idea.

"No way! I want to go too! It's been ages since I've seen Dandan. And gramps never takes us there either!" he protested. Ace nodded.

"You're right but-"

"I'll study real hard during the rest of the week, I promise" Luffy said with an exaggerated bow. Ace eyed him suspiciously.

"This doesn't sound good"

"It does, it does. Come on! Don't be a jerk!"

"Oi! Don't push your luck!"

"Can I go or not?"

"Suree.." Ace granted Luffy his consent with a feeling of defeat. It's not like he could resist him.

AN: I'm almost afraid of posting a decent author note. I don't know how to beg for forgiveness for such a late update. Things became kind of chaotic lately with exams and stuff, and inspiration took a while to come. I hope you readers will pardon my laziness as well. I divided another episode in two because I'm still not sure how things will go with Dandan. After re-reading this chapter I think of it as a light introduction for the second part. I'll also try to focus more on Luffy's insight next time. Hopefully this fic (and many others on this site) will help the readers ease the pain of Ace's death. I cried tears and snot when I saw his grave. It freakin' hurt!

Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favs. The support is awesome. I'm glad there are so many Ace and Luffy fans out there. R&R.