My deepest apologies for the wait. A big warm thank you to everyone that pushed me with your lovely comments to get this done. This one's for those who stuck with me 3 a big personal thank you to all those who sent me pm's to get my butt in gear. I love you. I would definitely recommend reading this from the beginning to refresh your memory.

Authors note: it's been almost 3 years and my writing has changed a lot and I hope that isn't reflected too heavily in this piece and onward – fair warning though my tense has changed from past to present sorry :/ I feel like my flow is better in present tense. I'll possibly go back and do a re-write of this when all's said and done.

A few days later Ace finds himself idling in the lobby of a mechanics shop. He'd finally done the adult thing and called in an appointment, unsurprised to find that his oil needed changing and a whole wealth of other technical issues he hadn't the presence of mind to actually listen to. It wasn't like it mattered whether he understood it or not, he wasn't the one dealing with it.

The place is pretty small time, and Marco knows the guys who owns it so he's not too worried about the cost. It's nice, being able to have that kind of security most days.

His thoughts still linger on his conversation with Luffy, and its immediate aftermath.

He'd paid, Luffy promising he'd be back to figure out the milkshake some other time. Elmy had been sad to see them go, but had made Ace promise he'd drop by again soon.

The car ride had been vaguely uneventful, Luffy promising not to say anything to their father until Ace had dealt with it. Instead, they'd gotten home and curled up on the couch with a movie on. Luffy had fallen asleep there, drooling on Ace's shoulder and refusing to make it up the stairs without being carried. Ace, despite the stupid urge to dump Luffy in his bed and let them sleep together again, actually ended up tucking Luffy away in his own room. A little space wouldn't hurt, anyway.

Now, waiting for his car to finish being serviced, he finds himself more than a little bored. He'd already played every stupid game his phone had on it, and had finally resorted to playing an endless loop of snake.

It's then that he remembers the mention of a Halloween party. Feeling a little impulsive, and with only a few days left until the gathering, Ace pulls up his brother's number and fires off a text.

'want to come to a party with me friday?'

The reply is almost immediate, despite Luffy currently being in class.

'its halloween friday!'

Ace can't help but roll his eyes, smiling despite himself.

'i know, it's why i'm inviting you. i want you to meet some of the crew.'

There's no reply after that, but half an hour later his phone starts ringing and he picks up without checking who it is.

Unsurprisingly, it's Luffy.

"You really mean it, you'll let me come?" His voice is all high excitement through the line, and Ace slumps lower in his seat, letting his grin stretch his face. Not even a hello and right to the point, just what he anticipates from his little brother.

"Yeah, 'course. They're dying to meet you anyway. And I'll feel better if you're with me." Ace answers revelling a little in the loud whoop that trickles through the line. There's a brief scuffle, before the line goes clear again.

"Should I dress up? I don't even have a costume, I was just planning on handing out candy with mom." Luffy says, sounding pleased and just slightly on the edge of uncertainty. What Ace wouldn't give to be talking to him face to face. Maybe he should have just waited until he picked him up.

"Do whatever you want, some of the guys might be in costume but it's up to you." Ace offers. Luffy hasn't really talked about his Halloween plans all that much, probably due to the fact that he didn't have very much lined up at all.

"Uhm, I don't think I will. Are you gonna be something?" The boy asks. Ace shakes his head before remembering that Luffy can't actually see anything he does.

"Nah, I never do. I think I did a couple times as a kid, but I grew out of it pretty quick." Ace shoots back, sinking lower into the waiting chair he's taken up as home for the time being. Luffy laughs a little, the sound breathy like he's walking.

"I used to love it. Shanks would take me out if Dad was busy that year. I think I was a pirate five years in a row." Luffy says, the line going muffled again for a moment. "Shoot, it's my next class. I'll see you after school, right?" He asks. Always unsure, like Ace would even consider passing up the opportunity to pick up his kid brother.

"Course, study hard and all that."

"Okay, awesome! See ya later, love you Ace."

Ace pauses for a moment, unsure what to say before a warm smile spreads over his features.

"Love you too, kiddo." He responds, cutting the line and dropping the phone into his lap. God, Luffy catches him off guard way more than he was willing to admit. Every time he lets his defences down just a little, Luffy always finds the tiniest crack to slip through.

He scrubs a hand over his face, trying to clear his thoughts as one of the mechanics emerges from the side door and gives him an expectant look. Oh, good, if he has to play one more game of snake on his phone to pass the time he'll shoot someone. Possibly himself.

"It's all done Mr. Portgas."

"Thanks." Ace replies, sliding his phone into his pocket and standing. He hands the mechanic a hundred, mouth ticking up into a smile as he debates whether or not to make Luffy a surprise for the Whitebeards. Perhaps he will.

When he picks Luffy up, the boy is all excitement and laughter. Ace knows that if he gets out of the car, he's going to be tackled into a hug immediately. As it stands, Luffy just slides into the passenger side with a too-large grin and enough jittering to make the whole car tremble.

Ace finds himself responding just enough to gently urge Luffy down from his animated mood. While it's hilariously cute, it's also distracting – too often Ace finds himself engrossed with his brother's vibrant expressions rather than the road in front of him.

Eventually Luffy settles, thin fingers splaying against the glove box and resting there. Ace has all but given up trying to dissuade his brother from touching it.

When they get home, Ace ushers Luffy through the door with a hand wrapped around his upper arm, snickering over Luffy's detailing some small fight he'd witnessed at lunch.

He's caught off balance when he sees his father standing in the kitchen, halfway through preparing a sandwich and looking just as shocked to see him. His gaze flickers towards Luffy for a moment before landing back on Ace, something vaguely apologetic in his eyes that Ace doesn't particularly want to analyze.

Luffy, to Ace's surprise, shifts slightly closer to him, pressing up against Ace's side without hesitation. Ace wonders if the show in solidarity is deliberate, or if the boy is just naturally leaning more towards him these days. He figures it doesn't matter either way, the gesture is weighted regardless.

"Boys." Roger says, nodding slowly. There's a beat of silence and Ace finds that he has absolutely nothing to say. He feels his grip on Luffy's arm tighten almost painfully for a moment before dropping, skimming his little brother's wrist before curling into a fist.

"Hey Dad." Luffy cuts in for him, saving Ace from what would have inevitably been a piss-poor response.

Roger just resumes the makings of his late lunch, popping a cucumber slice into his mouth as Ace all but pushes Luffy upstairs, slamming the door a bit more forcefully than he intends.

"You've gotta talk to him eventually." Luffy comments, once they're huddled up safely in Ace's room. Luffy spreads himself out on Ace's bed, kicking off his shoes and shrugging out of his sweater before turning to face him.

It strikes Ace as utterly bizarre that Luffy should be so comfortable in his room. He can't get rid of the feeling of 'rightness' though, and shrugs off the train of thought entirely.

"I know that." Ace says, more than a little sourly. He moves Luffy's shoes to the far corner, slipping his own next to them, and reminding himself to take them downstairs at some point. He knows he's acting a little childish, avoiding his dad like that, but Ace doesn't know what he'd have to say.

"He's not mad at you." Luffy adds.

"Drop it." Ace snaps, shooting him a sharp look. Luffy's lips purse before he huffs out a sigh, burrowing his way under Ace's covers and making himself comfortable.

"Fine. I'm gonna nap. Wake me up when it's dinner time." The younger mumbles, voice mostly muffled by Ace's pillow.

Ace wants to tell him to go nap in his own room, except he really doesn't. A part of him really just wants crawl in with him. He's impossibly worn out, and falling asleep tangled with Luffy sounds more and more appealing the longer he thinks about it.

A light knock startles him from his musings, allowing him to shake the thoughts away. Only one person could be on the other side of that door. Ace debates ignoring it for all of two seconds, in which he makes the mistake of glancing at the pile of blankets on his bed. Luffy's head pokes out, looking at him almost expectantly.

Ace groans, trudging over to his door and cracking it open just a slit.

"Ace."

"Dad." It's a strange mockery of days ago, what feels like a lifetime ago, and Ace suddenly feels less angry than he was just a moment ago.

"I know you don't want to talk to me right now, but I do recommend you talk to Whitebeard. He'll answer your questions." Roger says succinctly, not waiting for a reply before moving past Ace's room and into the master bedroom.

Ace gazes dumbly at the empty hall for a moment before letting his door snick shut. Luffy's pretending to be asleep, doing a rather miserable job of it too. Ace drops down next to him, jostling Luffy enough that his eyes slip open, grin on his face far too pleased.

"You're a brat, you know that?" Ace says, tangling his hand in Luffy's hair and tugging just a little. Luffy makes a gentle noise, leaning up into Ace's touch and closing his eyes again.

"Mmh, but you love me anyway." He mumbles, face switching to absolutely blissed out as Ace starts threading his fingers through the black mop, smoothing out tangles and scratching at his scalp.

Ace stares at him for a moment, something foreign and warm welling up in his chest before he leans down and brushes a kiss against Luffy's temple, the gesture quick and impulsive.

"Yeah." He murmurs, pressing the words into the smooth skin there. "I really do." And it hits him how true it is. Somehow, over the course of just a few lightning quick weeks, Luffy has become so impossibly important to him, it's a small wonder that it hasn't hit him any earlier.

When he pulls back, Luffy's eyes are wide open, staring at him with naked adoration and something that looks shockingly like hope.

"Ace –"

He feels some sort of impending shift in the cadence of his name, and he's quick to snatch his hand back before he can listen to whatever else Luffy's about to say. He stands too quickly and stalks to the other end of the room, jamming his feet into his shoes.

He feels his face flush, suddenly embarrassed but not entirely sure why. God, what the fuck is it with this kid?

"I'm going to head out for a bit." He states, before Luffy can finish the rest of his thought. Ace, intent on not looking his little brother in the eye, busies himself with organizing some papers on his desk, stomping fully into his kicks while he gathers himself.

"Oh." Luffy says, and Ace automatically turns to him at the disappointment in his voice. As predicted, Luffy's lips are already shaped into a small pout, frown in place as he sits up in Ace's bed. Unable to stop himself, Ace finds himself drifting back to Luffy's side, standing over him and tilting his face up.

He cracks a smile, albeit a shaky one, and runs the pad of his thumb against Luffy's lower lip, smoothing out the gentle moue.

"I'll be back by dinner. You were going to nap, yeah?" Ace says, watching almost hypnotized as Luffy's eyes flutter closed at the contact. It's sweet, really, how the kid reacts around him. He never thought that he'd be such a source of comfort for another human being.

"Yeah…" Luffy mumbles, voice a little bit distant. Ace, without thinking, moves his hand to cup Luffy's jaw, bringing up his other hand to flick his nose gently before leaning in to soften the sting with his lips.

Luffy reacts in a way that Ace can only describe as perfect. His cheeks pink immediately, warming his face with a pretty blush that trails all the way down his neck. His mouth parts, just slightly, and a small puff of air, too quiet to even really be a gasp, slips loose as Ace draws back.

Ace is completely entranced.

"Promise you're gonna be back?" Luffy murmurs, eyes opening to stare up at Ace again. He'd probably promise Luffy the fucking moon at this point, if it meant keeping that look on his face.

"Yeah, Luffy, I'll be back."

Luffy smiles, achingly warm and unreserved, and it takes every ounce of Ace not to push him back into the mattress and fall asleep tucked around him.

Ace has a terribly difficult time trying to keep Luffy out of his thoughts on the drive to Whitebeard's place. He fails miserably, images of the way Luffy had flushed when Ace has kissed his nose infiltrating his mind. It'd been a feather-light thing, just enough to make contact, but apparently it'd been enough to make his little brother blush.

Ace distantly wonders what on earth is wrong with him for thinking Luffy looks riveting like that. He makes a mental note to talk to Marco later, maybe it'd help sort out the disorganized headspace he's trying to live with.

By the time he pulls up and parks, Ace has mostly managed to shove thoughts of his little brother aside. He's here to straighten a few things out and the more he thinks about what has been kept from him, the more incensed he gets.

Nothing good ever comes from secrets, Ace knows firsthand.

When he gets to Whitebeard's, there's a conspicuous lack of people around. The old man always had a knack for knowing when Ace would show up, and apparently today was no different. He finds his boss sitting in his main office, clacking away at something on his computer as Ace wanders in.

"So he finally told you, hm?" Whitebeard says, amused grin on his face as Ace takes a seat. It isn't often that they met in such a formal setting. Either Ace is terribly unlucky or Roger had warned the other man that he was on his way. The latter irks him, and he tries not to think about it lest he blow up.

"Yeah." Ace says shortly, wishing that he didn't feel like a child in front of the other man. Perhaps he wouldn't admit it out loud, but since being taken in by the gang, Whitebeard had been almost a father to him, and the sting of being lied to by someone he trusted so fully was refusing to fade.

Whitebeard sighs, sounding like he knows exactly what Ace is thinking, amusement falling off his face like a mask.

"You're angry." He allows, like he's discussing the weather. It should drive Ace just halfway insane hearing it, but something about this whole situation just exhausts him. He can't find the energy to react.

"I've known your father for years." Whitebeard goes on, looking at Ace indulgently. "He's been a close friend of mine much longer than you've been alive. When he told me that he didn't want you knowing who he was, it was not my place to ask questions, you are his son."

"I just don't understand." Ace cuts in, some of the heat returning to his eyes. "What was so important about this that it had to be kept from me? Why did you both feel the need to lie to me?" Ace says, voice cracking and hands curling into fists to stop them from trembling.

Another sigh slips from the older man, as if he were explaining something to a very small child and already bored of it.

"Ace," He says, pausing briefly as if truly considering his words for once. "Your mother, Rouge, is she aware of who you are? Who your father is?"

Like he isn't aware Ace keeps everything from her. Why is this even being brought up? The two situations are completely different.

She isn't a part of this life, he is.

"Don't ask me stupid questions." Ace fires back, agitated and forgetting all semblance of respect. Whitebeard lets it slide this time, frowning heavily and pinching the bridge of his nose. Well, Ace has to get it from somewhere.

"Tell me why you keep her out." Whitebeard presses.

Ace finds his frustrations building, but he knows there is a reason for this. And fuck him if he's ever going to get a straight answer from the man in front of him without following along.

"To protect her." Ace replies.

"How does her ignorance protect her? Everybody knows who she is, everybody knows who you are. How does her lack of awareness stop anything from happening to her?" Whitebeard asks, stating a fear Ace too often refuses to look in the face.

He doesn't understand why the other man is even saying this. It's almost cruel, and the terror of it send chills all through his body.

Ace knows.

He knows that protecting her innocence is not synonymous with protecting her physical safety, but what else can he do? If Rouge is aware of anything, she'll be sick with worry, and who knows what she'd do trying to protect him in turn? It isn't fair for him to drag her into his life.

When he doesn't respond, Whitebeard sighs, drawing Ace's gaze up from where it'd fallen to his lap.

"Son, I'm not saying this to scare you, I'm trying to help you figure out how you're helping her. Your father and me, we… we keep a lot from you. We keep the things that scare even us from you, in hopes that by somehow not involving you, you won't be tainted by what keeps us up at night.

"By letting fate play out her hand, we rest easier knowing whatever happens was not brought about through our meddling. When we choose not to tell you of our involvement and our history, consider, perhaps, what we are trying – however futile – to save you from." His voice begs understanding, imploring Ace to see mirrors where he does not want to.

It's hard to view himself the way he might look at his mother. He feels stronger than that, more capable of defending himself from anything they might be implying.

But maybe he isn't.

"I don't want to be treated like a child." He says, because he has nothing else. This conversation hurts him, makes him feel like he won't be able to safeguard the few people who really matter when everything beings falling through.

"It's not that – you know it isn't." Whitebeard shoots back, immediate and sure. "You are important to me – to both of us. When I leave you out of matters it is because I fear for you, and I consider it a blessing that I still have enough of my sanity to feel fear.

"I know feeling scared is frightening and confusing, but you cannot abandon that terror and anger. That emotion, when used wisely, will be your most powerful tool in preserving what you hold dear."

Ace doesn't want to hear any of this. He wants a stupid, generic apology and a blanket promise that he's never going to be lied to again. Instead, he's getting this – a lesson on why there's always going to be things that are kept from him.

"What am I supposed to do now?" He asks, because he feels like all of his most important relationships have suddenly shifted, moved one note over and creating unfamiliarity where before there was only comfort.

"You keep your head up and you act like a man. You're not stupid, Ace, you never have been. You panic sometimes though, and I know you are better than that. Moving forward from here, when you gain new information, when your views and beliefs are rocked, you can draw back to this – what will seem like a minor incident in the face of what is brewing – and you will know how to handle yourself."

Ace frowns. He's starting to understand, possibly, what this is all about.

"So this – you and Dad – this was all, what? Some test? To see how I'd do?" He says, anger making a reappearance in the quake of his voice.

"No," Whitebeard says, shoulders slumping and blowing out a heavy sigh. "A lesson. You have nothing to prove to us, and we need no such thing. This was for you. Think about how you reacted, how you felt powerless and then spiraled." He pauses then, levels Ace with a stare that makes him feel small.

"That cannot happen when there is more on the line."

Ah.

Luffy, Kidd, everyone.

Real things, not the budding relationship between him and his father, and definitely not his perception of being fully aware of everything happening at all times.

"It hurt to know you couldn't trust me." Ace whispers, like he barely means for it to be heard. The moment it's out of his mouth, though, he realizes that perhaps most of his anger stems from that.

"I trust you with my life." Whitebeard says immediately, and when Ace meets his gaze again, he sees that blaze of pride that makes his cheeks colour.

"I trusted you to make your own connections, to do your own research, and to figure it out. You did, and I'm proud of you for that. But I needed you to learn to not dismiss what is right in front of you. Willful ignorance will get you killed, and who, then, is left to protect those you hold dear?"

Ace doesn't know if he fully understands, or even agrees really, but he's beginning to see the man's point. It's hard to ascribe his own malicious intent to the situation when he knows they weren't just playing with him.

Maybe he'd known that from the start. It was just easier to believe this was all some sort of game, not preparation for something bigger and worse. Something he didn't know if he'd have the power to properly stand against.

"I'm sorry you were hurt by this, that wasn't my intention." Whitebeard says, when Ace still fails to respond. He doesn't know what to say, really. Because he is. He's hurt and scared and confused and wants everything to go back to the way it was a few weeks ago, when he felt in control of every player on his board.

Now, there's only uncertainty and trepidation.

"I'll get over it. It- it's getting late. I should go home." Ace hates the way his voice shakes, but thankfully the other man doesn't draw any attention to it. Instead, he waves a hand towards the door.

"Go spend time with your family. Remind yourself why you have to remain level headed."

Ace doesn't need a second dismissal, he's out of his chair in a beat, making his way out and failing at organizing his thoughts on the way to the car. It's dark out, now, and he's suddenly so tired he can barely stand. But he makes it to his car, and thankfully his mind is blank through the drive home.

When Ace gets home he's exhausted in a way he hasn't felt in too long. He trudges in to find everyone seated around the table and halfway through dinner. It must have gotten later than he thought, time slipping away as his family waited. The disapproving glances shot his way are more than telling.

He can't even muster up a sheepish smile, instead looking away as he toes off his shoes and dumps his jacket on a hook.

"Is everything okay?" His mother asks, and when he glances back at her the disappointment has melted into concern, genuine in that way moms always are. Ace nods, scrubbing a hand over his face before making towards the stairs.

"Just tired. I already ate, so I'm going to bed." He says absently, dismissive in a way that's only going to make everything harder.

"Ace!" Rouge calls after him, but he can't be assed to turn around and explain himself. He just wants to go to sleep, and maybe stay asleep for a few days. It'd feel a whole lot better than being awake, right now.

Ace is woken by the sound of his room door opening. He's on alert almost immediately, but a gently whispered, "Ace," puts him at ease again. His instincts start to force him upright, only to feel delicate hands press his shoulders back down against the bed.

"Wha-?" He starts, abruptly cut off when Luffy's lithe body drapes over him, wiggling in between Ace and the wall before pressing his face into Ace's chest and burrowing under the covers.

"This okay?" Luffy asks, voice barely audible even in the dead silence. Ace absently wonders how late it is. Instead of replying, though, Ace just slides his arm over the boy's waist, drawing him close by the small of his back and nuzzling his lips into Luffy's hair.

God he's tired, still so tired, but this – well, this feels like heaven.

Luffy has no idea, Ace thinks, this is so far beyond okay. Ace can't remember the last time he'd needed someone the way he needs Luffy right now. In the quiet and the dark, Ace suddenly has the vivid thought that this is always going to be what he needs to feel okay.

"Yeah, s'fine." Ace mumbles eventually, listening to Luffy's soft sigh. His face moves from Ace's chest up to his neck, and Ace is hyper aware of how every breath his brother exhales creates a warm, wet patch in the hollow of his collar bone.

He wants to reassure Luffy, tell him everything is fine and he's fine. Instead, all he manages to do is cradle the boy just that little bit closer, drifting off to sleep as Luffy murmurs something incomprehensible against his skin.

When Ace wakes up in the morning it feels like everything and nothing has changed. He's still too hot and too sticky and too cramped, but he looks at Luffy with a kind of delicacy he didn't quite experience before he spoke to Whitebeard.

There's something different, something unsettling about looking down at one of the things you treasure most and realizing how easily it can be stripped from you. There's a fragility to his feelings that wasn't there before, and he wonders how far he'd go to make sure nothing ever damaged this.

And this is the boy he has wrapped around him.

This is the fists clenched in his shirt to prevent them parting through the night.

This is way Luffy's eyes roam restlessly behind his lids before they slowly part as if aware he's being watched. Barely conscious but focusing only on Ace.

And it fills him with something almost like greed, the way Luffy arches into him, trying to pull impossibly closer, fingers tightening and mouth stretching into a yawn.

Ace thinks that he'd destroy anything that tries to take this from him.

Luffy just stares up at him, expression turning a little confused but overall pleased when Ace fits his own arms around him, hands sliding up the back of his shirt and catching on the damp skin there. He uses the leverage to fit them together, watching in satisfaction as Luffy smiles, still tired and lost but responding to Ace in the small ways that matter.

"Morning." Luffy mumbles, a barely comprehensible thing that slips easily between them. Ace doesn't respond, not interested in idle morning chatter when he can be enjoy the physicality of them.

Ace has never been one for contact and proximity, but with Luffy, it's all he seems to crave. And he figures it's early, and he's been dealing with a lot, and he can let himself have this.

So he does.

Runs his hands further up, pressing against all the bare skin he can find, lips seeking out Luffy's hair, then his forehead, and then the bridge of his nose – pausing when the younger's breath hitches, stuttering over a small, "A-Ace?" Before falling quiet again.

And a part of Ace knows he should stop, that this is weird, even for him.

But then Luffy slides his hands up and around his neck, pulling himself up enough to fit his mouth against the curve of Ace's jaw, following the line of it with a motion too deliberate to be nothing.

Ace shivers, feels it mirrored in the way his brother trembles against him, doesn't want this moment to end.

But then Luffy draws back, and Ace thinks maybe he's showing too much of this tenuous feeling he doesn't understand yet – but, he's wrong.

Luffy just looks at him, and Ace has one hysterical moment to think that he actually woke up cuddled up in bed with his teenage brother.

The thought scatters when Luffy's fingers thread through the hair at the nape of his neck, lips pursing as his forehead wrinkles in thought.

"I love you." Is what Luffy says finally, and Ace is so close he can see every detail of how the shape of those words curve Luffy's mouth, how the sentence brings a small trail of red sliding up his brother's cheeks. Ace doesn't think twice before leaning in, kissing a path from Luffy's jaw to the corner of eye, tugging his brother back in to kiss his way over to his ear.

"That," He murmurs back, voice low and raw. "Is what I'm trying to protect." When he draws back to get a good look at the kid, there's an expression on his face that Ace doesn't recognize, something open and expectant that he doesn't know what to do with. So he pulls Luffy tight against him one more time, inhales the scent of home and familiarity and love before pulling away and putting a little bit of space between them.

"C'mon, I still have to get your butt to school." He says, cracking a smile. The strange, needy look fades off Luffy's face, and within moments he's scrambling over Ace to propel himself out of the bed.

"I call first shower!" He yells, like Ace is about to fight him on it.

"Whatever you want." Ace mutters, scrubbing a hand over his face and trying to disperse the emotions running through him.

There'll be a time to deal with the sudden weight of them, but he's too tired to deal with it right now.

He's got to get Luffy to school and get the rest of his week organized.

I dialed up the cute bc you cuties have been waiting so long. Let's get this ball rollin