"Aaaaace… It's soooo hot. I think I'm melting," came a tired whine from the couch. Luffy sat in a crumpled, cross-legged heap against the armrest, his arms draped over the side. He genuinely looked like he melted into a blob. His brother, Ace, sat behind the couch under the window, tinkering with the old air conditioner wedged onto the sill.

Ace gave a frustrated groan. "I know, Lu, but there's nothing I can do about that right now. I'm trying my best with this hunk of junk," he said smacking the air conditioner with the screwdriver in his hand. "But it's giving me squat. Just more hot air. I could've sworn we got this thing replaced last summer." He scratched his head in thought as he continued, "Piece of shit air conditioner."

"It's only 9! It's gonna get hotter and you haven't gotten any farther. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Ace looked up in mock offense, "Hey, I fixed the heater last December, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but that was the heater not the air conditioner. Also, it took you two weeks!"

"Okay yeah, but we were fine!" Ace said indignantly. "Besides, why aren't you helping?"

"I'm meeelting!" Luffy's blobbed form called again from the couch. "Let's just go outside and sit under the sprinkler."

Ace put down his useless tools and got up from the floor to lean over the couch. "You broke that yesterday, remember? You thought the hose was a snake and flung it into a tree."

"Oops... how about we go to the pool?"

Ace jumped over the back of the couch and collapsed on it with an exhausted sigh. "We didn't renew our membership from last year." A pause. "Ok, well 'technically', they kicked us out on account of you being 'a nuisance and a danger to others' because you don't know how to swim or something"

Luffy sat up quickly from his slouched position on the couch with a grin. "Oh yeah!" he laughed. "Cause I kept almost drowning and they got annoyed!"

"Yes dumbass, because you kept drowning."

Luffy smiled fondly at the memory and leaned back, resting his head on Ace's left shoulder. "That was fun." The two sat in a companionable silence for a few minutes, sweating on the couch in the sweltering heat. Ace put his head back and stared at the ceiling, eyes slipping closed as he drifted off to sleep, listening to Luffy's quiet breathing. He jolted awake however when Luffy suddenly had another thought.

"Hey! Doesn't Sabo have a membership to that other swim club in town? The Sunny something? Sunny Smites?"

"Sunny Smites?" Ace asked, turning his head to look at his brother in confusion

"OH! Do you think it's called Sunny Smites because the sun beats people up with its fire if you go there?"

"Well… I don't think that's what it's called, Lu. But you're probably not wrong though. I'm sure lots of people end up with sunburn after a day at the pool."

"Let's call Sabo and ask him!" Luffy said, jumping up from the couch.

"Lu, Sabo might be busy. He has a real job working for your dad, remember?"

"Dad shmad. Who cares. Call Sabo. Call Sabo. Call Sabo." Luffy chanted, pounding his fists on his thighs.

"Alright! Alright! Calm down. Let me go grab my phone. He might not pick up, you know." Ace got up from the couch with a groan and stretched his arms behind his back, hearing a dull pop as the joints in his shoulders unlocked. He walked across the room into the adjoining kitchen and picked up his phone from the charging station on the counter. Luffy followed closely, continuing his chant. Ace keyed in the number he knew by heart before shushing his little brother. He held the phone up to his ear, listening to the ring. Luffy stuck his head as close to the phone as he could, trying to listen in as Ace attempted to bat him away.

There was a click as Sabo answered. "Hey Ace. What do you need?" he said, sounding slightly exasperated. Luffy flung himself across the room and back onto the couch with a whoop when he heard his brother's voice on the other end.

"What makes you think I need something from you?" Ace said. "I'm your

favorite brother. Can't I call you every once in a while to see how you are doing?"

"Ace, it's you. If you want to see how I'm doing, you usually just show up at my place or text me. You never call."

"Sabo!" Luffy yelled across the room. "Is the pool called Sunny Smites?"

"Is that Luffy in the background?"

"Uh, yeah it is. Hold on, let me put you on speaker." Ace pulled the phone from his ear and squinted at the phone before finding the correct button and pressing it. "Ok shoot."he said as he walked back over to the couch.

"Hey Luffy, what were you yelling about?"

"Is the pool called Sunny Smites?"

"The pool I go to? It's called Sunny Smiles, Lu." Sabo said with a laugh. "Smiles, not Smites. The Thousand Sunny Smiles Swim Club."

"Ooooh, I like that much better. It makes way more sense, don't you think Ace?"

"I told you that wasn't what it's called, idiot."

"Liar! You said it's called that because the sun burns people!" The two continued to argue over who had said what as Sabo tried to regain their attention.

"Hey guys? Guys? GUYS!" Sabo called over them. "Is that the reason you called me? To ask what my swim club's called?"

"Well only sort of. You see…" Ace began before Luffy cut him off and grabbed the phone from his hand.

"Sabo, it's really hot today. I'm melting and Ace doesn't care!"

"Hey! That's not true! I've been trying to fix the air conditioner for the last two hours because you haven't stopped whining about the heat since you woke up!" Ace made a grab for the phone but Luffy held it above his head and climbed up on the back of the couch.

"Ace also said that you won't take us to the pool today because you're busy."

"You want to go to the pool?"

"Yes!"

"All right. Let's go! I'll tell Koala we're taking the day off. Be there in 20 minutes."

"Yay! Thanks Sabo!" Luffy called. He tossed the phone back to a surprised looking Ace.

"Anything for you, little bro. See ya!" came the response. The call disconnected.

Ace stared at the phone in his hand. "Well that was easier than I thought it'd be." He looked up at his little brother, still perched on top of the couch with an expectant look on his face. "You heard the man. Let's go to the pool! Grab your swimsuit from the drying rack and whatever else you need. Meet me out front in 10."

Luffy scrambled off the couch and ran as fast as he could towards his room.

Ten minutes later, Luffy and Ace were in front of their apartment building, each with a drawstring bag slung over their shoulders. Luffy wore a pair of red swim trunks, while Ace's were orange with a red flame pattern up the sides. Luffy clamped his signature straw hat to his hat with a big dopey grin on his face as Ace listed off items on his checklist.

"Goggles?"

"Yup!"

"Food money?"

"Uh huh!"

"Sunscreen?"

"Ewwwww."

"Luffy…" Ace questioned sternly.

"Yes, yes, I have the sunscreen."

"Good. And I have your floaties. Looks like we're all set. Let's go!"

"I can't wait to make new friends at the pool!" Luffy said excitedly as the boys took off running down the street, laughing and jumping on each other playfully.