Welcome!

So, LawxVivi surprised you, huh?

GOOD.

I'm not done.

-Evil smirk-

Relevant Tarot Cards for this chapter:

The 4 of Wands: This card says that the necessary ground work has been established. It signifies the successful completion of a first stage or a first draft, first full rehearsal, first election to a small but significant post. It also predicts that the querent will come to enjoy this moment of completion and will celebrate it.

The Star: The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing, even unexpected help to offer us sustenance in bleak times.

8. 4 of Wands - The Star

The sun set that day surrounded by a myriad of colors illuminating the sky before giving way to the twilight, preluding the evening and its big city lights.

Luffy closed the front door of his house and dropped his keys on the nearby table, going straight ahead, passed the living room and towards the main hall.

The main hall of their house connected with all the principal parts of their residence. From there you could take a left when you came from the entrance hall onto their raised terrace where they held barbecues and further in, go down a few stone steps towards Robin's flower garden, their large pool and a widespread view down the suburban hill they lived upon.

Turning right from the main hall brought you straight into their patio, with the living room on your right again through its patiodoors, the big and lush courtyard tree with the large round pond with koi fish in front of you, next to the brick pathway, and to the far left up ahead, the kitchen's patiodoor. The brick pathway waltzed from the living room entrance to the kitchen's entrance, drawing a stretched out 'S' on the mostly grass covered surface of the courtyard.

The cast iron table and its seats stood against the opposite wall from the main hall with the pond to the right, behind the tree, the wallplants coming down from the wall on the living room side hanging low over its surface.

If you went straight forward from the entrance hall, you went up a set of stairs leading to the first floor and Luffy's wing of the house, which consisted out of his bedroom, his gaming room, bathroom and his personal office, all situated above the space the kitchen took on the ground floor at the back of the house.

Luffy's wing of the house connected to Robin's by two broad hallways that ran in parallel to each other, each on the opposite sides of the rectangle that was the patio which the house was build around.

The hallway overlooking their yard was a reading lounge containing Robin's library and was situated right above the main hall, the one at the other side of the courtyard overlooked their neighboorhood, was situated right above their garage and connected to it by a set of stairs. It housed different showcases with pictures of their family and friends, personal paraphernalia of the siblings, academic and athletic achievements and other objects of emotional value.

Robin's wing of the house had hers and Zoro's bedroom, the master bathroom, a dressing room, her office and guestroom for the nights on which Zoro was sent to the doghouse or for when they had a guest, like now.

"There you are!"

Luffy smiled and turned right from the main hall, stepping out into the courtyard to find Garp sitting on a cast iron chair under the shade of the tree, smoking his after dinner cigar. "Hey, grandpa."

"Did you pick up your friend?" he asked, taking the cigar out of his mouth and turning the page of the book he was reading.

Luffy made an affirming sound, nodding. He sat himself on a chair next to Garp. "I brought him home."

Garp watched his grandson smile to himself. "Is he the one who has you grinning like that?"

Luffy looked up at him, his smile widening. "It's thanks to you, really. I told this guy that I liked him and now we're taking it one day at a time."

"I see ..." Garp said with a nod, proud of him for finally opening up about what he felt. "I'm glad you found the courage, son."

"One step at a time, right?"

"Sometimes that's the best pace to achieve the best results," Garp agreed.

Luffy grinned and nodded. "Have you seen my sister around?"

"She and that greenhaired boytoy went to her loungebar," the older man answered, putting his cigar back between his lips and taking a drag. "Are those two getting married soon?"

Luffy shrugged. "I wouldn't know, but I know Robin won't say no if Zoro were to ask her."

"So it's just a question of having that kid gather his balls and ask her?" Garp stated, sounding exasperated,his eyebrows raised questioningly. "He's been having fun with my granddaughter for 4 years now! I'd like to see some commitment."

Luffy scratched the back of his head, visibly not at ease with the topic of conversation. "The decision should be theirs to make, grandpa."

Garp picked up his book again and huffed, shrugging. "I suppose it is."

"Hey grandpa," Luffy then said, sitting back in his seat and looking up at the darkening skies in between the canopy of leaves of the courtyard tree. "How's... how's dad?"

"Still living his important life in the Media Emporium of the world, Water 7, why?" Garp wondered, flipping a page of his book.

"No reason," Luffy answered, standing up again. "When is your plane leaving in the morning?"

Garp glanced at him wordlessly. He noted that Luffy seemed fidgety. "At 11," he answered, frowning slightly.

Luffy let out a small sigh before walking up to his grandfather and hugging him. "I'll place an order with Baratie to have a royal breakfast delivered tomorrow morning so we can enjoy it all together before you leave."

Garp grinned, a little surprised by the sudden gesture. He placed his book on the table and his cigar in the ash tray next to it. He then rested his right hand on Luffy's left arm, taking hold of him. "Luffy, you don't need to."

"I need to," Luffy whispered over his shoulder, tightening his grip on him. "I'm going to miss you and God knows when I'll be seeing you again. You're virtually the only family Robin and I have left that takes the time to visit us and actually wants to be with us."

"Luffy..."

"Thank you," Luffy smiled, closing his eyes. "If you hadn't taken me in 4 years ago, I wouldn't be here, grandpa. I never would've graduated, never would've returned to my friends and Robin. Thank you for saving me, grandpa."

"Come here," Garp whispered, taking his grandson in an intimate embrace, smiling into his hair as tears shone in the corners of his eyes. "My door will always be open whenever you need help, or just feel like talking. That goes for your sister too."

Luffy nodded, sniffling. "I'll tell her."

"You know, your father he... he just forgot how to be a father," Garp continued, holding on to Luffy. "Children need more than just financial stability, they need emotional and psychological support too."

Luffy opened his eyes, his attention going briefly to one of their Koi fish that disturbed the surface of their pond.

"It's really time for that idiot to get over himself and start concerning himself with you kids," Garp stated with a disapproving shake of his head.

Luffy let go of him and shrugged. "It's too late. His presence now wouldn't change a thing."

Garp sat back in his seat with a sigh. "Who will give Robin away when she gets married?"

"You will. Robin won't object to that, I'm sure." Luffy answered calmly. "You've been more of a father to us in these last 15 years that he's ever been anyway."

Garp smiled sadly at that, closing his eyes.

Luffy shifted his gaze dejectedly to the side and sat down in his seat again. "He'd never approve of the way I live my life."

"Just because he was shocked when it was revealed you had an affair with your teacher doesn't mean he sees you as a failure, Luffy," Garp quietly said.

Luffy chuckled derisively and shook his head. "Stop defending him, please. He's digusted by me."

"You're being too hard on yourself, son."

"But it's true..." Luffy sighed, letting his head fall back in his neck, closing his eyes. "He told me... that being what I am wasn't what he had planned for me. That alone makes me not care what he has to say anymore..."

Garp scowled at the insensitivity Dragon exhibited towards his only son, gritting his teeth in anger. "Luffy," he quietly lamented.

"Either way, I don't care," Luffy concluded, bringing his head back to Garp's eyelevel with a smile and a shrug. "I feel like having some tea, would you like for me to make you some tea?"

Garp cocked his head to the side, sensing Luffy unsettlement. "Sure, but don't you have plans for tonight?" he asked, giving him a chance to get out of having to share more than he felt ready for.

"None other than spending more time with you," Luffy replied, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "And I'm in a romantic mood, so why don't you tell me about how you met grandma again?"

Garp picked up his cigar from the ashtray and took another drag. He then watched through the whisps of smoke how his kind-hearted grandson walked towards the kitchen, wishing now that he had more time to give him the comfort he was looking for. He did notice the change in behaviour from Luffy, compared to the day before he was actively trying to open up and talk about what was bothering him rather than trying to run away and as expected, what he'd been holding back now came rushing out in a flood of held back emotions. If Luffy felt ready to tell him all that had been weighing on his heart, he'd gladly listen and give him all the support he could. Garp knew like no other how trampled Luffy's heart had been and he'd thought that seeing him hurting during the last 4 years had pained him like nothing else in this world could.

And yet having to leave now that Luffy finally began to reach out for help aggrieved him even deeper.

Garp grunted, feeling his old age wearing him down more heavily in that moment. "Damn you, Dragon, you fool."

His son had long since passed the age when he used to head his father's words. Garp knew he'd never really gotten over the loss of his wife, but he didn't understand how that pain translated itself in the alienation of his own children.

Garp took another drag of his cigar and then looked at the roll of tobacco in between his fingers, wondering how much longer lady Fortuna would grant him the chance to be with his grandkids. He felt now, more than ever that they needed him around, just a bit longer. So if he was allowed to, he wished to be here.

Just a little bit longer.

The following afternoon at Mugiwara, the scheduled staff meeting took pace in the Briss Room, located on the 17th floor, which was the Sales' floor.

Luffy realized that he was the only one of his colleagues to know what was going on as he watched them all ask questions to each other as to why they'd been asked to gather on the 17th floor for their staff meeting.

Luffy didn't go into the conversation, prefering to stay behind when it was time to take the elevator, dying to see Ace.

They'd decided to only have their closest friends and family know about their relationship, this for personal reasons as well as professional ones. They were fully aware of the impact the news of their relationship would have on Luffy's credibility and on Ace's reputation if it were to be known that the two of them were dating.

And so, they kept from seeing each other on the workfloor, stealing short moments in the bathroom or in the elevators whenever they happened to be there together. The incessant texting between them did help coordinate secret meetings, making that first day of the week just a tad more interesting.

When Ace and Marco finally appeared to take the elevator, Luffy pushed in the going up button casually, leaving the two other men to their current discussion.

The moment the elevator doors closed after they'd gotten in, Ace turned around and took Luffy in his arms, kissing him.

Marco smirked, pushing in the button to their destination. "You guys are lucky this one was empty."

Luffy grinned back at him, squeezing his eyes shut and chuckling at the sensation of Ace's lips pressing against the side of his neck.

"Have you heard from your grandfather yet?" Ace asked Luffy softly, looking down at him.

"Yeah," Luffy answered, sighing gratefully as he leaned the side of his head against his chest, closing his eyes. "He landed 40 minutes ago at Mariejois International. I'm so going to miss him."

"I wish I could've met him, the way you talk about him makes it sound like you two share a very special bond," Ace commented, smiling into Luffy's hair.

Luffy looked up at him with a grin. "We do. Maybe you can meet him next time he's in town."

"I'd like that; I can ask for his autograph next time," Ace chuckled, bending down to kiss Luffy's smirking lips.

Marco gave them an endeared smile from his side of the elevator and turned his head upwards to the changing numbers above the metal doors. "So what's the gameplan here, Ace?" he asked, turning to them again.

Luffy pushed himself away from from Ace to look at him. "Are you going to tell them about your cancer?"

Ace made an annoyed face and looked away. "No, that doesn't concern them. I'll tell them that I'm to undergo surgery for medical reasons and that I'll be gone for 6 to 8 weeks. I'm not expecting too many questions. They can speculate all they want."

"Our Chief of Marketing is a very private person," Marco commented with a mocking frown.

Luffy nodded in understanding. "Well, you are entitled to at least that."

"Damn right," Ace confirmed, pressing his forehead to Luffy's. "That, and I always protect what's dear to me."

Luffy blushed, pushing himself up to kiss him again. "Plus one point for the handsome Marketing Director..."

Ace raised an eyebrow smugly. "That's what I do it for; scoring points."

"You guys are making me miss my wife," Marco said with an amused shake of his head. "Stop it."

The couple laughed at him, holding each other close.

"I'm curious to meet her tonight," Luffy whispered to him, a blissful smile on his lips.

"Well, someone needs to go to Vivi's performance and represent Mugiwara," the blond haired man remarked. "She'll be at the hospital with you guys for Ace's pre-surgery party tonight, while I get assaulted by reporters wanting the details of our collaboration with the starlet."

"You are our Communications Manager, Marco," Ace said with a smirk. "Our spokesperson for the media. It's kind of your job?"

"Now that they've gotten wind of the location of her promotional video shoot tomorrow, someone needs to reign in those vultures," Marco replied with a pout. "What's wrong with wanting to spend a night with my gorgeous wife at a friendly get together?"

"You get free drinks and food by Sabaody's biggest chef?" Luffy said, grinning. "Frontrow seats to the show and a meet and greet. And Vivi's really nice and she won't bite, I promise."

Marco chuckled, "Alright, you had me at free drinks and food."

"Did Law confirm for tonight?" Ace asked with a chuckle, taking a step back from Luffy as the elevator began to decelerate. "I need to talk to him about something."

"Surprisingly, he said he had tickets for Vivi's performance tonight, but he was going to meet you at the hospital beforehand," Marco replied.

Ace looked at him quizzically, glancing up at the doors when the chime announcing their opening sounded. "Does he have a hot date or something?"

Marco laughed, shrugging as he moved to exit the room. "I don't know, I looked at him the same way you are now when he told me earlier during lunch, but he remained as tight lipped as ever. Maybe he's just a fan?"

Ace shrugged, following his friend. Luffy walked out last.

"Ah, Ace, Marco."

An older man with shoulder length, white hair and a stylized goatee of the same colour was waiting near the corridor that lead to the Briss Meeting Room. He pushed himself away from his leaning position against the wall, pulling his hands out of his dark blue dresspants that were part of his expensive suit ensemble.

"Rayleigh," Marco greeted with a nod and a smile.

Ace grinned and reached out a hand to the man, meeting his in a friendly handshake. "Rayleigh!"

Rayleigh tapped his free left hand on the younger man's shoulder, smiling in a fatherly fashion. "Are you ready for this?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Ace replied, still grinning.

"Unfortunately not," Rayleigh said with a shake of his head, letting go of him. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright," Ace answered with a nod.

Rayleigh nodded too, knowing that he wouldn't get any more from him. He then let his eyes fall on the young male standing behind Ace, a smile forming on his face.

"Oh, you must be Luffy!"

Luffy, who'd been trying really hard not to stare at the man he considered his role model, gulped and blushed, unable to keep himself from grinning excitedly. "Y-yes, Mr Silvers!"

Rayleigh gave him an amused chuckle before glancing at Ace who was smirking conspicuously, his low voice vibrating through Luffy like the sound of a drum.

"Call me Rayleigh," the older man then said with an amicable smile, reaching out a hand towards him.

"Okay," Luffy exhaled, taking his hand and suppressing a giggle at the shiver that went down his spine. "It's really nice to finally meet you, Mister Rayleigh. I admire your work," he said, returning the handshake.

Rayleigh laughed at the usage of his name by the obviously flustered youth, acknowledging his compliment with a nod. "I'm to understand that your work is pretty admirable as well. How old are you, Luffy?"

"22, sir," Luffy breathlessly answered, trying to ignore Marco and Ace's chuckles behind him.

Rayleigh looked at the other two briefly and then turned his attention to Luffy again. "So young and already so talented. I'm glad to have you onboard, Luffy."

"Thank you!" Luffy happily said, smiling from ear to ear.

Rayleigh patted him on his shoulder before turning around towards Ace. "So then, shall we? I believe that we're the only ones missing."

Ace agreed with a nod and followed him into the corridor leading to the meeting room. Marco went after them, but didn't miss the chance to briefly turn around to face Luffy.

"Jizzed in your pants, yet?"

Luffy blushed hard at that before walking past him in embarassment. "Shut up."

Their entertwined hands rested between them as they sat together in the waiting room of the Oncology Department, awaiting a nurse to take them to Ace's private hospital room.

Luffy watched with a heavy heart how Ace's thumb incessantly caressed his thumb, reflecting Ace's nervousness. He silently pressed his forehead against his shoulder, sighing and closing his eyes. "It's going to be okay, they have very capable doctors here," he comfortingly whispered, hoping to reduce his stress if only a little.

Ace turned his face his way and pressed a kiss on the crown of his head. "I know," he murmured back.

They'd stopped by Ace's appartment after work and picked up his already packed traveling bag with necessities before Luffy drove him to Hiluluk Memorial. "Was your father going to come?"

"He'll be here tomorrow morning before the surgery," Ace answered, exhaling shakenly. "I'm already immensely grateful that you're here."

"But of course," Luffy said, looking up at him again with a caring smile. "I'm not planning on going anywhere. I'll be here when you wake up tomorrow afternoon."

Ace smiled warmly at him and they shared a gentle kiss.

"Mr Portgas?"

They looked up to find a young, green haired nurse standing in front of them, holding a clipboard in a hand. "Yes," Ace said, moving to stand. Luffy followed suit.

She smiled at them. "Your room is ready, please follow me."

They did as told and soon arrived at Ace's private hospital room, located on the other side of the Oncology department's floor. The room set itself apart from the others by the size of it and the sole, much larger medical bed with the custom beige cotton sheets and the luxurious duvet, the stylish curtains, the modern interior with large, full-length windows and the art that hung on the walls as well as the new chamber plants that stood on the few pieces of white furniture that matched the immaculate white vinyl floor. There was a large beige couch standing in front of the central window with a small glass cofee table in front of it. There was a menu card readily placed on the little table, making the patient's stay more of a hotel experience.

"Please make yourself comfortable, Mr Portgas," the nurse said with a welcoming smile, standing by the door as they both stepped in further. "Your doctor will be coming to check up on you soon."

Ace placed his bag on his bed and nodded to her with a small smile.

The door closed behind the girl and Luffy walked up to the large window closest to Ace's bed, looking out at the green valley that was now bathing in the light of the sunset. The hospital was situated north-west from the city, on the outskirts of the western yarukiman forrest and was reknown for its excellent privacy policy and security.

"Hey, Luffy."

Luffy turned around and approached Ace as he reached out for him from his sitting position on his bed. He wrapped his arms around the older man's shoulders and buried his nose in his hair, holding him close against his chest as Ace wrapped his arms around his waist in search of comfort. They remained in their intimate embrace without saying anything because Luffy understood that Ace needed to express his worry, fully aware that with him was the only place where he could.

Ace wasn't a supercilious man in general, but he did take pride in the fact that he was never a burden to anyone. When he first got sick at age 20, he hated how everyone took pity on him and how he couldn't even do the littlest of things without having to ask for help, the chemotherapy they had him on weakening him tremenduously. He knew it was only a natural reaction of his loved ones to want to help him, but he couldn't stand it; he was angry at himself, at his body, for failing him so completely and making him dependant of others.

It wasn't arrogance, but more a feeling of guilt he felt because it was like he was saved from orphanhood only to be killed by genetics.

He was immensely grateful and all this cancer did was throw all Newgate, Rayleigh and Jinbe did for him right back in their faces.

Many times had he wondered if it even had been worth it to save him.

"Ace," Luffy began, looking at the darkening skies outside, resting his chin on the top of the older man's head,"this may be too soon to tell you at this stage of our relationship, but I just want you to know that I need you."

Ace tightened his hold on him, squeezing his eyes shut with an appreciative smile.

"There is still so much I would like to share with you," Luffy whispered, closing his eyes. "Just to hold you like this, knowing that you feel so strongly about me is something that I had given up on finding in anyone else but my family. You arrived at a moment in my life when I didn't even realize I desperately needed you to. You're kind, you're honest and strong, smart and ambitious, humble and so, so generous. Plus, you have this sexy confidence about you that makes you absolutely irrisistable to me."

They laughed a bit at that and Ace looked up at him, expression going soft as he stared into his dark brown eyes.

Luffy played the back of his right hand fingers against the side of his face, smiling gently. "You're my saving grace," he admitted, tears prickling behind his eyes. "And I already need you so much... so much. I just felt like you should know in the light of what's about to happen..."

Ace gently pulled him down by the back of his neck, quieting his whimpered confessions in a tender kiss, tasting his salty tears as they mingled in between their lips.

"I'm sorry," Luffy whispered after they broke apart, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand.

"Don't be," Ace whispered back, resting his hands on Luffy's hips. "You told me you're learning to be honest with your feelings, and I'm liking your honesty so far."

Luffy chuckled gratefully at the encouragement, but shook his head, "I had promised myself that I wouldn't cry on this evening, so not to depress you too much."

Ace grinned. "Tears aren't always a bad thing," he replied. "Sometimes they convey so much more than words ever could."

Luffy sniffled and smiled down at him, looking into his hazel brown eyes and seeing nothing but acceptance and gratefulness, sentiments that he only reciprocated. "I'm so into you," Luffy whispered, eyes still locked with his.

"I'm so into you, too," Ace whispered back, coaxing him into another kiss, his hands sliding over Luffy's hips and down his buttocks, giving both of them a soft squeeze.

Luffy grinned into the kiss, granting Ace's tongue access as its tip tentatively met with his, letting it slide over his languidly as the kiss deepened and turned into a passionate make out session.

When Ace slid his lips downwards to Luffy's throat, Luffy could feel himself get more aroused, swollen lips parted with soundless gasps. He closed his eyes and bit his lower lip when Ace found that one spot on the side of his neck again and took suckle, grunting at the knowledge that they couldn't take this any further.

"How long will it take for you to be able to... to...?" he whispered, his next words disappearing in a sigh of pleasure.

Ace slid his hands into his hair on either side of his head and made him kiss him again, this time with a ferocious lasciviousness that made Luffy's toes curl with desire. "In a week, maybe a week and a half..." he murmured after he'd broken the kiss, now staring at those sinfully engorged lips.

"So soon?" Luffy breathlessly whispered, a healthy blush on his cheeks, as his eyes went half hidden behind his bangs.

"Sex isn't enough to have my ticker give out on me, don't worry," Ace smirked, licking his lips, eyelids at halfmast as he still stared at Luffy's glistening lips. "But it is a welcome exercise and I know just the kind of exercise I'd love to put those lips of yours on."

Luffy bit his lower lip briefly with a throaty moan, but took a step back, sighing regretfully. "You'll have to jerk off to those thoughts, I'm afraid..."

Ace watched him grab his travel bag from behind him on the bed, pulling it to him to start unpacking his toiletries. "And what if I already have?"

Luffy burst with laughter at that, shaking his head as he made his way to the bathroom left from the entrance door.

A knock sounded against the main door and Ace went to open it, finding a blue haired woman with a large black floppy hat standing behind it, holding in her perfectly manicured hands a giagantic basket filled with different movies on Blu-rays, the latest editions of multiple men's magazines, car magazines, healthy snacks and a get well stuffed animal in the form of a cute golden retriever puppy.

"Whitey!" Ace exclaimed, courtuously taking the visibly heavy basket from her.

"Whoa, thanks, love," she said as she was relieved of the weight, smiling when he bent over to kiss her on her cheek in welcome. She then walked inside, her high heeled, toe-less black leather ankle boots click-clacking on the vinyl floor.

Ace closed the door behind her, placing her basket on a nearby dresser before walking up to her awaiting stretched out arms. They hugged each other lovingly, quietly swaying from side to side for a moment.

"How are you holding up, love?" Whitey whispered desolately over his shoulder, staring at the light spots embedded in the ceiling above them. She comfortingly rubbed her left hand over his back, kissing his cheek.

"As well as can be expected I guess," Ace replied as they let go of each other and he took a step back to look at her, still holding her hands. "And you're just as glamorous as ever," he remarked, eyes going over her plain white, sleeveless shirt, the black leather skinny pants, the shoes, her black cardigan that fell short on each side of her petite frame and then grew longer in the back and her hat. "Fabulous."

Whitey let her head fall to the side with an appraising smile on her bloodred lips. "Oh stop," she softly said. "You're the one who looks like a model. Why won't you do a runway for me? Just one?"

Ace laughed and shook his head amusedly, "Is the Spring/Summer Collection of the applauded Whitey Bay that much in need of male models?"

She grinned and took off her hat, throwing it on the bed. "No, but I just know you'll make my sales skyrocket with those handsome... attributes of yours."

Ace chuckled, "Uh huh."

At that moment Luffy walked out of the bathroom and Ace went to him, taking him by his hand to introduce him. "Luffy, I'd like for you to meet Miss Whitey Bay, Marco's wife. Whitey, I'd like for you to meet Luffy D. Monkey, Marco's new assistant and my..." he fell silent and looked back at Luffy, quietly asking him for permission for what he was going to say next. "My boyfriend...?"

Luffy grinned and shook his head in amusement, reaching a hand out to Whitey. "Hi, nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."

Whitey smiled back and shook Luffy's hand. "Likewise, Marco had nothing but praise for you." She let go of his hand and addressed Ace, "How can you refer to this pretty thing as your 'boyfriend'? That's so lame, didn't you and I graduate from the same high school? Like, ten years ago?"

Luffy chuckled in his fist. "Oh, I like her."

Ace sent a grimace her way. "And I'm starting to like her sister Bonney better," he said, watching her gasp apalledly with a content smirk. " But fine," he then grunted, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "This here is Luffy. He's mine."

Luffy looked up at him, still laughing. "I've always wondered how it felt like to be someone's possession," he sarcastically commented, shrugging.

"Prized possession, mind you," Ace corrected him. "Prized."

Luffy chuckled again along with Whitey. "He's a basket case, that one. Trust me, I've seen enough of his kind during my show in Dressrosa," she told him with derisively pouted lips. "All beauty, no brains."

"You've been to Dressrosa?" Luffy questioned, following her as she went to seat herself on the beige couch. As they got to talking, someone else knocked on the door and Ace went to answer it, this time letting in Law.

"Hey man," Law greeted him, patting him on the back as they embraced each other.

"Glad you could make it," Ace said with a small smile as he stepped back. "I hear you got a hot date?"

Law smirked. "I'm sure you hear a lot of things," he smugly said, shrugging and walking in.

"I'll take that as a yes," Ace said with a mocking shake of his head, closing the door.

"Hey Traffy," Whitey greeted him, standing up from her seat to exchange a friendly kiss.

"Hey," Law whispered back with a smile. "When did you get back from Dressrosa?"

Whitey sat back down on the couch. "This afternoon. How's the new job?"

"Good, interesting," Law answered with a nod, eyes now resting on Luffy. "Luffy, right?" he said, watching Ace press a kiss on Luffy's foread as he tilted his head backwards slightly.

Luffy brought his face back to his eyelevel and raised a condescending eyebrow. "Right," he then said, moving to stand again when there was another knock on the door. "I'll get it," he whispered to Ace, not feeling like being around Law in any kind of way.

Whitey raised her eyebrows and switched her gaze between Law, Ace and Luffy questioningly. "What's going on here? What did you do?" she wondered, looking at Law.

Law rolled his eyes. "Why do you think I did something?" he scoffed, looking away.

"Because even with all the brains you have, you still come over as an arrogant dumbass," Whitey replied, scowling.

"You talk like you know this guy," Law said with a questioning hand gesture.

Whitey chuckled and rolled her eyes derisively. "Knowing that you don't tend to play well with others is enough for me to know that LouLou is not the problem."

Law scoffed. "You already have a petname for him?"

"Jealous?" Whitey retorted, cocking her head to the side.

Ace stood up again from his seat on the arm of the couch and held up his hands to get them to stop bickering, having seen the doctor enter his room. He then looked at Law reprimandingly. "Dude, I'd seriously like for you to apologize to Luffy. We're together now and I would really like for him to be able to be in a same room with you without feeling the need to walk out." He glanced at the platinum blonde doctor who was still talking to Luffy and turned his attention back to his friend. "I know you were just worried for me, but he doesn't deserve the treatment you gave him, so please."

Law sighed in annoyance, "You barely even know him."

"That's what you think," Ace sternly said, his tone putting an immediate end to the discussion.

"Fine," Law said, conceding with a ticked off flick of his hand.

By the door, Luffy hugged Kaya tightly. "I heard the news! I know that this is late, but congratulations!"

"Thanks, Luffy!" Kaya said with a happy smile. "I'd heard you came back, but I haven't had the time to come see you."

"That's okay. But look at you, a full fledged doctor!" He said, grinning. "Are you going to be performing the surgery?"

She tucked a strand of her hair behind an ear, nodding. "Yes, Ace was transfered into my care by Chopper's recommendation after Dr. Crocus passed away last year."

"Oh, like that..." Luffy nodded, now understanding why Chopper knew about Ace's case.

"How do you know Ace?" she asked, noticing that Ace was still talking to his other guests.

"He's my superior at work," Luffy replied, glancing over towards Ace too.

She gave him a suspicious look, smiling. "The nurse said she saw you two kissing."

Luffy looked down with a smile. He had wanted to keep the nature of their relationship to himself. "We're dating," he admitted, nodding.

Kaya observed his discomfort and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We're not being nosy, but we need to know these things for security reasons as well. It helps when the treating doctor knows this, so we know who to admit in the intensive care unit."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Luffy agreed.

Ace now appeared behind Luffy. "Hello, doctor," he greeted Kaya, smiling warmly.

Kaya looked up at him with a caring smile. "Hello, Ace. Ready for tomorrow?"

Ace slid his arms around Luffy's waist and looked at her from over his left shoulder. "I'm ready if you can tell me that this pericardial patch plasty* will bring me a step closer to being cancer free."

She gave him a slightly reprimanding look. "You know what I told you saturday morning, the chances of this procedure being a success are 95 percent and if successful it will reduce your chances of a relapse considerably."

"What's 'considerably'?" Luffy whispered, turning his head to look at Ace, rubbing the tip of his nose against his cheek.

"You'd be cancerfree for at least 15 years," Kaya whispered, smiling softly. "That's a lot longer than the last prospect Dr. Crocus gave you 4 years ago and cancer research has advanced tremenduously since your father died 28 years ago; we can improve the quality of life of cancer patients like you and help them live longer."

Ace took a shaky breath, nodding. "Sorry to put you on the spot like this, doctor."

"I understand, Ace," Kaya replied, shaking her head. "But I assure you that everything will be okay and it's not like we'll stop treating you after your surgery, those 15 years will give us extra time to look for a definitive answer in case your cancer does come back." She began to move towards the door again. "Do not hesitate to ask the nurse for me if you have extra questions before I see you tomorrow."

"How long will the procedure take, Kaya?" Luffy asked her.

"Between 2 to 3 hours, but we should be done around 2.30 tomorrow." She opened the door, smirked and added, "He'll be awake around 7."

They both smiled thankfully at her, wishing her a good evening as she exited.

"She's the wife of one of my best friends," Luffy told Ace as they took a moment for themselves, still holding each other.

Ace smiled, understanding the connection now. "I see... And when will I get to meet your friends?" he wondered, pressing a kiss on the junction between Luffy's neck and shoulder.

Luffy smiled. "Once you're better, I'll arrange a dinner party at my house with Sanji and the gang."

"Ooh, that's definitely something to look forward to," Ace whispered back, burying his face in the side of his neck and closing his eyes..

Luffy coaxed him to let go of him and took him by his hand so they could go back to where Whitey and Law were sitting on the couch, now bickering. "Making plans for the future is a part of life. It's what keeps us moving forward."

Ace stilled at that, following Luffy back towards his friends. He noted that Luffy was positively glowing, visibly blossoming from opening up to him. If making plans kept them moving forwards, he'd gladly follow him and support him to the fullest of his capabilities.

This time tomorrow he'd awake to a new beginning, one he fully intented to share with no one else but Luffy.

*Pericardial patch plasty : Repair or replacement of a hart valve with a prostethetic, or organic valve. Ace will undergo a repair of his aortic valve, because only the tumor will be excised and not the entire valve.

To be continued...

In: 9. Reversed King of Wands - The Emperor

-BDP-