Hello, I'm back. It's been a while and I feel rusty.

Commission long overdue. The request was AcexSanji without specifics, so I decided on a restaurant setting (wow! so original!). This went through several rewrites before I chose to drop my usual angsty formula for a more lighthearted feel. Hope you enjoy.

Those Who Wait

"All right! We're down a body until seven thirty because I just sent Susan home with a cough! Watch the pomegranate sauce tonight, yesterday it was a little tart! Nick! Please don't forget you're injured! Go slow and steady because if you break a single dish I will personally break your other foot! Okay everybody! Go! Go!"

The team of cooks, wait staff, and dishwashers shouted out choruses of "Got it!" and "Ok, here!" and "Move it!" as Sanji turned and made his way out into the dining room. He wanted to check on his hostess one last time before they let in the first wave of diners. She was doing very well, but this was her first night alone. Glancing out the windows, he saw that the restaurant's first few reservations were already waiting in the lobby, even though the doors didn't officially open for another five minutes.

Every night at Sanji's Bistro was a bustle, but Saturdays it really took off. The restaurant was deep in the heart of the city and on a corner straddling downtown and the university district. It was a favorite of both the upper class business owners, and the average college student. The prices were affordable and the food was good enough to make the city's Top Five Restaurants four years running—which coincidentally happened to be the number of years Sanji had worked there. The restaurant had originally been his uncle's, but after six years of chef school in France, Sanji had come home and accepted his uncle's offer and taken over. A fresh coat of paint, a new name, and significant upgrades to the kitchen and the place had become one of the city's hot spots. It had even appeared on The Food Network and had been featured on The Travel Channel twice.

Sanji was proud of the work he did, and he loved his craft. Unfortunately, he had been so busy with paperwork, schedules, menu planning, and other various duties that were involved in running a business that he had not had much time to actually cook. It was a little frustrating, but the satisfaction of his business doing well and the feeling that accompanied the positive reviews that continued to pour in made it all worth it. These were his creations after all; these were his ideas, and people loved them. It was enough.

"Amy, my flower, are you ready for your first day solo?" Sanji smiled as he moved in behind the front counter and replenished the menu stack. Amy smiled back at him and tucked a lock of light brown hair behind her ear.

"Yes, I think so."

"Studied the wine menu?"

"Yes."

"Good. You'll do fine. Page me if you have any questions."

Her smile widened, "I will, thanks."

Sanji backed out from behind the counter and saluted. "Go ahead and open the doors."

The first half of the evening went well, nothing broke, no one was hurt, and nothing was set on fire. That's all anyone can ask for on any given day of work, really. But about quarter after eight, things started to go wrong. Table ten in the special reserve section was crammed with several couples from the country club up Main Street. They weren't particularly fancy but they apparently wanted everyone to think they were. First the wine wasn't to their liking, and so Sanji sent them a complementary bottle from a select shelf. Then the appetizers were too slow, but Sanji dealt with that as well by letting them have their quiche and coconut shrimp for free. Sanji would have been fine with just letting them be monsters until they left. He even would have looked the other way when they insulted the waiter, (Matt was a good guy, thick-skinned, he would be fine), but when one of the diners sent back their dish requesting a completely new meal, Sanji finally lost it.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Sanji. I'm the owner and manager of the restaurant. I've come to inquire about the food that was sent back to the kitchen."

The man sitting directly across from where Sanji was standing puffed out his chest and spoke while sniffing absently at his wine.

"Yes, the Steak Au Poivre is a little tough. I've had softer rib eyes down at the Applebee's. I'm sure you can do a rib eye as good as a chain restaurant, can't you?"

Sanji resisted the urge to start chewing his lips.

"You want a replacement?"

The man with the wine glass nodded. "Yeah, that would be great. And maybe have another one of your cooks prepare it. Someone who knows what they're doing, maybe?"

Lips twitching into a smile, Sanji slipped both of his hands in his pockets. He closed his eyes and counted to five slowly before he opened them again.

"Sir," he said quietly, catching the man in a hard, cold stare. "Steak Au Poivre is traditionally served with a strip steak, not a rib eye. The rib cut is the upper middle section of the cow, directly in front of the short loin, which is where the strip steak is taken. Rib eye will always be more tender than the strip because, not only is it worked less, but its fat content is higher. The strip cut is perfect for this particular dish because the tougher, more developed meat only soaks in the sauce so far so the outside can caramelize and the center stays pink."

The man stared at Sanji for a few moments, his jaw slack. A few of the other diners had taken notice of the conversation and were watching, smiling softly. Several of them were regulars and knew what was about to happen.

"Please don't come into my restaurant and talk to me about meat cuts when you clearly don't know anything about them. It says right on the menu that the Steak Au Poivre is a strip steak, but of course, you don't know that because you don't actually read French, you're just trying to show off."

"This is totally unacceptable!" the man growled, setting his glass down on the table a little harder than necessary. "I want my order remade and I want it complementary!"

Sanji shook his head.

"No."

The man's jaw clenched and his face turned an awful shade of red.

"What do you mean, 'no'!?"

"I mean," Sanji replied, his voice low and menacing, "that to me there's nothing worse than people who waste food, except someone who wastes food and insults my cooks. So your server will be back shortly with your check, and you will leave."

With that, Sanji turned around and headed back to the kitchen. A few of the diners smiled at him, one table full of regulars from the college actually gave him high-fives him as he passed. Sanji heard the man shouting after him, but he paid no attention. If they caused any trouble on the way out, Sanji's man Patty would take care of it. Patty was very large and didn't take no for an answer.

"Verne," Sanji said as he pushed through the double doors, "get some to go boxes and take table ten's food over to the homeless shelter real quick. Take a few boxes of fries too."

"Got I, boss," Verne replied.

Making his way through the kitchen Sanji taste-tested the sauce for the sweetbread truffles Janette was working on and nodded his approval. He turned away from her grinning, blushing face and slipped into his office. He was only mildly surprised to find a beautiful redhead sitting in his chair.

"Wow, that's only twice this week," Nami said. "You start cutting down on the number of people you kick out of your restaurant and the culinary community's going to think you've gone soft."

"Ah, Nami, Moon of My Life! What are you doing here?"

"Don't try and woo me with Game of Thrones. That only works once."

Sanji grinned, "Do you want something to drink?"

She smiled back and shook her head. "No, I'm fine, thank you."

Sitting across from her, Sanji reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes. After lighting up he flipped the switch on the air filter and relaxed back in his chair.

"So, how's everything?" he asked.

"Good. You?"

"Good…" Sanji took a long drag and eyeballed Nami pointedly. "Not that I don't enjoy your visits, love, but it's a rare thing for you to come see me, and even rarer for you to come for just a chat."

"Ah, well," she smiled sweetly and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, "there is a motive."

"What's up?" Sanji asked.

"Need a favor."

Sanji exhaled and tapped his ashes into the tray by the window. "What kind of favor?"

"Friend of a friend needs a job."

"Which friend?"

Nami's eyes shone mischievously when she glanced in his direction.

"Luffy."

The sound Sanji made at that was a sort of groan mixed with a pained laugh. He ran his fingers over his eyelids and slumped in the chair. "Nami, I love you, you know I do, but the last time I let one of Luffy's friends work here he scared off a bunch of my staff."

"You said Bartolomeo was a good worker!"

"He was, but that doesn't matter if I have servers and bus boys and all of my hostesses call in sick at the same time because they're afraid of him."

Nami waved her hand dismissively, "This one isn't anything like Bartolomeo. Promise."

"I don't know, Nami, I run a pretty tight ship around here. Bringing in another one of Luffy's crazy—"

"—He's Luffy's brother."

Sanji halted in bringing the cigarette to his mouth. "Brother?"

"Yes."

"Luffy has a brother?"

Nami laughed. "Half, I think. Or not, I don't know. He introduced the guy as his "older brother"."

It was strange thing to think about. Sanji had never met any of Luffy's family and had always just assumed he had none and had been grown in a tube.

Nami watched him from across the desk, waiting patiently as he scratched at the stubble at his cheeks.

"He needs it," she said softly.

Leaning back, Sanji put the cigarette between his lips and inhaled. The smoke burned pleasantly as he thought about it.

"Is he going to bring trouble to my restaurant?"

"No," she said calmly.

He closed his eyes, breathing slow and even as he waited the proper number of seconds before answering. He had already decided what he was going to say, but he wanted to make Nami think he was actually wrestling with the idea.

"Okay."

"Great!" Nami said as she stood, "Then I'll tell him to come by tomorrow. What time do you get here?"

"I get here at noon, but none of the other staff get here until three. If he come at two I can show him around, get him set up."

"Thank you, Sanji!" Nami shot him one of her brilliant smiles as she moved from behind the desk and headed for the door.

"Nami," Sanji said wearily.

"Hm?"

"If he's anything like Luffy I'm going to go insane."

Nami giggled softly and said nothing as she slipped out the door.

Sanji cursed under his breath.

"Shit. Why do I do this to myself?"

By one thirty the next afternoon, Sanji had finished planning and paperwork and was smoking lazily in his office. He was going to give Luffy's brother (God, Luffy's brother, how crazy was that?) some things to fill out and a quick tour before the rest of the staff began to arrive, and then get him started by letting him shadow Raoul, the dishwasher on for tonight. Raoul wasn't his first choice for training, but he did a decent enough job. He could show the newbie the ropes without getting too behind.

It had occurred to Sanji around noon that he didn't know Luffy's brother's name, and that was kind of awkward. He had texted Nami and asked her but she had not replied, which was pretty typical of her actually. Everything she did, she did on her own time. He had thought about texting Luffy but had felt uncharacteristically embarrassed.

Sighing, he pulled himself to stand and crushed the cigarette butt in the ashtray. He stretched, thinking he could go put on a pot of coffee, and there was a pile of boxes he had broken down earlier that could go out back. There was no excuse for sitting around, sitting around was for people that didn't own five star restaurants.

The lid to the recycle was a pain, a large sheet of metal that was heavy and awkward. Heaving the stack of flattened boxes inside, Sanji slammed the lid shut behind them and wiped his hands on the towel he had slung over his shoulder.

"Are you Sanji?"

Sanji turned and found a tall, dark-haired man standing at the foot of the restaurant's back steps. His hoodie was worn and his jeans were ratty, but he was clean. His shaggy hair fell into a pair of sad, dark eyes, and an amazing splash of freckles stood out across his nose and cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm Sanji. Are you Luffy's brother?"

The man nodded, "Ace."

"You're early," Sanji said, pulling his phone from his pocket and checking the time.

"I know," Ace nodded and his eyes turned away. "Sorry, there's only one bus that runs here from where I'm staying."

Waving his hand, Sanji slung the towel back over his shoulder. "Oh, no, it's okay, nothing wrong with being early. That was a compliment."

"Oh," Ace nodded and he shoved his hands down deeper into his pockets, "It's just, I know you probably didn't want to hire someone you've never met, with the only point of reference being my kid brother."

Sanji shrugged, "You got as many knuckle-head friends as I do, you get used to it. If you manage to get through the first hour and a half without breaking something, you'll set a record."

Ace smiled at that, and wow, Sanji actually felt his heart skip. It was incredible how much the man's face changed with just a small pull of the lips and a flash of white teeth.

"So I make it to two hours without destroying something and you'll keep me on for a while?"

Sanji scoffed and led the way inside. "Ace, you make it two hours without destroying something and I'll consider making you assistant manager."

Ace made it through the first two hours easily. In fact, he made it through the entire day. He was a quick study and took instructions without a fuss. By the end of the first week he knew the kitchen like he had been working there for months, and by the end of the third, Sanji decided to promote him to lead and upped his pay. Hard work deserved rewards.

Before the end of that first month, Sanji had noted a few similar traits between Ace and Luffy. Like his brother, Ace had a care and respect of the job, and a readiness for hard work if it was necessary. Luffy seemed cavalier at first inspection but that was only if you didn't know him. Then of course there was the physical resemblance. Their smiles were the same, their laughs were the same, and that underlying strength beneath a rather lean exterior was unmistakable.

However, that was where the similarities stopped. It was incredible how different Ace was from his brother when you really got down to it. Sanji would even go as far as saying they were polar opposites. Both brothers had a way with people, but it was completely different. Luffy bulldozed his way into friendship, not giving anyone a second chance or even an extra moment to think about it. Ace approach was less profound and his tactic was much more simple: he was just a really nice guy. He was easygoing, fun to talk to, and someone everyone was comfortable being around. Where Luffy was loud and rambunctious, headstrong and spontaneous in his every thought and act, Ace was calm and thoughtful, his actions calculated and considered. Everyone at the restaurant loved Luffy, but Ace? Ace was everyone's favorite.

Ace also got a lot of work done. He understood the flow and structure of the kitchen, and he was the kind of person you only had to tell something to once. All things considered, Ace was probably the best worker Sanji had ever hired, except maybe—begrudgingly—that green-haired asshole that Chopper had brought in. That guy washed dishes like a machine.

The only downside was, despite Ace good work ethic, and his ability to get along well with customers and his coworkers, Ace did not really fit in. There was something about him, a purposeful distance he set between himself and the rest of the staff. He was polite about it, the man was ultra-polite about damn near everything, but it was obvious that he had no intention of getting to know anyone beyond a working relationship. Not even Sanji himself.

At least, that's what Sanji thought at first.

"Goddammit," Sanji murmured under his breath as he shuffled through paperwork, "what are they shipping this shit in, diamond cases? Why is this twelve-thousand dollars?"

A soft knock on the door pulled Sanji out of his musings.

"Everything okay?" Ace's eyes were bright underneath his fringe of shaggy, dark hair.

Sanji sighed, "Yeah, I just need to find another company that imports this type of cocoa. Right now I'm paying an arm and a leg for it and I don't want to jack up my dessert prices."

Looking up from his paperwork, Sanji suddenly realized how unprecedented this visit was. Ace never bothered him in his office unless it was an emergency, and now here he was, standing in his street clothes, looking tired but almost happy.

"Do you need something?" Sanji asked.

Ace shifted and glanced over his shoulder. The rest of the staff had finished cleaning up and were talking excitedly as they made their way out of the kitchen and out to do whatever it was they did every night.

"Uh, not really. I was just wondering if I could… talk to you for a minute."

Sanji nodded and motioned to the seat in front of the desk.

Ace put up his hand. "No, thanks, I'd rather stand, if that's okay."

A small smile stretched across Sanji's face and he pulled his cigarette pack from his front pocket. "What'd you break?"

Teeth flashed as Ace grinned at the floor. "Nothing. I'm still sixteen days without an incident. And I still maintain that I only broke that glass because Carne threw the chicken at me."

"Such a record breaker," Sanji snickered, "Your name is never going to come down off the board."

Ace chuckled and slipped his hands into his pockets. The look on his face was a mixture of many things so Sanji couldn't get a read on what the man was thinking.

The cook had a thought suddenly.

"Are you turning in your two weeks?" It was amazing how sad that idea was.

"No," Ace said softly and Sanji relaxed back into his chair, "I'm not planning on quitting any time soon. I just wanted to tell you that I put money down on an apartment today before I came in."

"Oh?"

Ace nodded. "I know it's not the biggest deal in the world… I mean…" his voice trailed off as his gaze searched the floor at his feet; fingers scratched at his chin absently. When he spoke again his voice was quiet.

"I know hiring me was a risk, and I know you only did it because of Luffy, but still… No one else, no decent place anyway, would have taken me with my background. So the only reason I'm able to get a place and support myself… move on… is because of you. And I wish that I had the words to express how grateful I am, or that there'll be something I can do to repay you someday, but I doubt there ever will be, so… yeah…"

Sanji leaned back and watched Ace's eyes study something on the wall across the office. Those were eyes that used to be so sad and troubled, lonely in a way that Sanji knew he would never understand, but now they were so clear, so bright, and maybe just a little frightened.

If he was completely honest with himself, and Sanji usually was, there was no denying that he was attracted to Ace. He hadn't been at first, but the more he had learned-or not learned, the guy was still mostly a mystery-the more interested he became. Now, with the things that Ace had just said, Sanji couldn't hold it any longer. Now was a good a time as any to attempt a connection.

Standing, Sanji started to shove his paperwork back onto respected files. "You got any plans for tonight?"

There was no response for a few seconds before Ace choked out, "What?"

"Plans," Sanji said and looked up, "Are you doing anything tonight?"

Ace looked something like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck, but he managed a quick shake of his head.

Sanji smiled, "Good. Go turn off the lights and we'll go upstairs."

"Upstairs?"

"Yup."

"What's upstairs?" Ace asked.

"My apartment."

The lights in the kitchen clicked off as Sanji made his way towards the front to lock up. The keys jangled in his hands and the deadbolt clicked unto place with a loud snap.

"Are you serious?" Ace's voice was higher than usual, excited. "You live above the restaurant?"

Sanji nodded as he led the other man through the dining area towards the fire escape in back.

"Yes, but don't talk about it. None of the staff knows and I kind of want to keep it that way."

"Yeah," Ace chuckled, "I can understand that."

Sanji's apartment was fairly simple, spacious, with furniture and appliances that aimed towards comfort and functionality rather than aesthetic. His couches were wide and soft, the carpet was texture plush so it felt nice on bare feet, his kitchen was small but orderly, and his liquor cabinet was stocked.

He skipped the tour and motioned to the couches as he kicked off his shoes and loosened his tie. "Make yourself at home. You allergic to cats?"

"No."

"Good, Chopper keeps bringing them over and I fatten them up while he finds them a home. What do you drink?"

He heard Ace shifting around as he settled on the couch. "Uh, whatever you're having is fine. I don't really have a preference."

Sanji smiled and shrugged out of his jacket. He laid it over the rack in his room and tossed the tie on top before he left and moved into the kitchen. He started rolling up the sleeves of his shirt as he called over his shoulder.

"I have some Evan Williams, just opened it yesterday."

"Yes," he heard Ace chuckle, "yes that would be really, really great."

After filling two glasses, Sanji grabbed them and the bottle and made his way over to the couch. Ace accepted his with a nod and a soft "thank you" before settling back and taking a sip.

"Oh yeah, that hits the spot."

He let Ace have a few minutes to process. No doubt an invitation for a drink at your boss's apartment would be enough to put someone off balance, and by the way he was sitting and glancing around the room nervously, Sanji figured Ace was definitely a little off balance.

"How long have you lived here?" Ace asked.

"About two years," Sanji said as he took another swallow, "but that's not what you really want to ask me, is it?"

Ace chuckled, a soft, pleasant rumble that pulled at his cheeks and touched his eyes.

"No, but we have time, right?"

"That we do." Sanji polished off his drink and leaned forward to refilled both glasses. He fished his pack from his pocket and stood, taking it, his lighter, and his glass to the balcony door. The heat from the day had lessened and the breeze was cool against the cook's face.

"You want one?" he asked, not turning around.

"No thanks," Ace said, "I quit a few weeks back."

"Hm," Sanji murmured, "good for you."

"It was rough though, with you always sucking them back in your office."

"Sorry."

He listened to another one of those soft chuckles and felt a pleasant tremble slide down his spine. However, Sanji still did not turn around. He smoked and watched the lights of the city from over a few blocks of low buildings. He needed to cool it for a minute. He wasn't going to kid himself-he was turned on. It wasn't a bad thing, Sanji was not afraid of his attraction, nor did he worry about Ace's reaction to it if he were to find out, but he didn't want to move too fast. He really had invited Ace up just to talk.

"So," Ace said behind him, "is this where you turn psycho and kill me?"

Sanji laughed, "What?"

"Well," Ace downed the rest of his second glass, "this is all a little surreal. Too good to be true type stuff. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"There's no other shoe. Promise."

Sanji felt that silky chuckle across the back of his neck again and he almost shivered. Ace's voice was some kind of aphrodisiac.

"I just can't get my head around it."

"Around what?" Sanji asked.

"Around you. I don't.. besides being eternally indebted to you, I don't really know what to make of you."

Grinning, Sanji spoke into his glass. "Give it a shot."

"I don't... Okay, you strike me as a pretty straight-forward guy. You love to cook, and you're fucking great at it. You're a hard-ass when it comes to work, but you're fair. Your staff loves you cause you're actually really kind even though you shout like a drill sergeant-which is really funny sometimes when you're not the one being shouted at." Ace was silent for a few seconds before he continued.

"You're super-hot, and a shameless flirt but you don't actually mean any of it."

At that, Sanji finally turned around. Ace was leaning back on the couch, studying the bottle of bourbon in his hands.

"What do you mean?" Sanji asked, the "super-hot" comment still ringing in his ears.

Ace shrugged. "You mess with everyone. Just enough to make people think you're a scoundrel, but it's mostly bull-shit."

Sanji dropped his cigarette butt into the ash bin outside and moved back to the couch. He sat closer to this time, on the edge of the end cushion. If he adjusted a fraction of an inch he would be able to brush his knee against Ace's.

"You think I fake-flirt?"

Ace shook his head, "No, I don't think you're faking. I don't know how to describe it. You're friendly, you keep yourself and your doors open-literally-for anyone to come to you at any time, and you're easily approachable, but..."

Sanji waited, transfixed.

"You don't ever... go to anyone, I guess. Uh, I'm not making any sense, am I?"

Sanji's found his lungs had tightened and it was getting hard to breathe. "No, I-I mean yes, you are. You seem to... well, have gotten your head around the concept of me just fine."

Ace blinked at the half-empty bottle in his hands for another moment before he took a breath and looked up. He ran his fingers over his eyes and smiled lop-sided.

"Sorry, I don't know what I'm saying."

Another smile pulled at Sanji's mouth. "Drunk already?"

"Not drunk, tipsy. A couple more and I'll be there. Why? You trying to get me drunk?"

Smiling widening, Sanji leaned in and took the bottle. "That wasn't the entire plan, but it might have been a part of it, yeah."

After Sanji took a quick swallow, there was just enough left for Ace to get one more in before the bottle was empty. He stared at it for a few seconds before setting it on the coffee table and leaned back. Dark eyes flashed in Sanji's direction and that tingling wave moved through the cook's body again, this time quicker and a little more intense than the last time. Ace let his head fall back against the couch cushions and watched as Sanji fought with himself to stay in control.

"Am I staying here tonight?" Ace asked.

Sanji nodded, "It might be a good idea."

"In what... capacity?"

The tingling became an all-out shiver and Sanji had to clench his fists against the urge to spring up and crawl across the couch. He licked his lips and tried to breath.

"In whatever capacity you want, Ace," he said softly. "I'm not going to push you in any direction. I don't want you to feel obligated because of the job or whatever. We left all that at the door. This is just us, you and me. Your decision."

Ace's smile was warm, relaxed, and his eyes studied Sanji with something so like affection it was almost painful not to react to it. When he finally spoke, it was so sudden Sanji felt like the silence had actually shattered around them.

"Thank you..." Ace whispered, "I mean, for everything, not just for that."

"You don't have to thank me," Sanji grinned behind his fingers, "especially when most of the day I think about what you might look like naked."

Ace laughed. It was bright and musical and everything Sanji had thought it would be. Another similarity Ace shared with his brother.

"Give me a few days, let me sober up. Let me get my head around the fact that my super hot boss is not, in fact, banging the sexy hostess with the corn rows."

"I still could be," Sanji flashed some teeth.

Shaking his head, Ace dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand. "You wouldn't be coming on to me if you were, you're not the type."

"You've just got me all figured out don't you? I'm feeling a little left out. I don't know much about you at all."

"Well," Ace said softly, "like I said, we have time, right?"

Sanji nodded, "We do."

The sound of his door opening woke Sanji. He had been sleeping lightly, so he was not startled or disoriented as he glanced toward the window, noting it was still dark outside. The clock by his bedside read 2:03, he had only been asleep for about an hour.

Pulling himself up on the pillows, Sanji watched as Ace folded into the room, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt.

"Hey," Sanji murmured sleepily, "What's up?"

Ace's tousled hair fell into eyes that flashed mischievously in the semi-dark. He grinned and took the bottom of his shirt in his hands, slipping it up and over his head. The contours of his chest stood out against the faint light from the open window as he made his way over to Sanji's bed.

"I changed my mind," he whispered.

Sanji chuckled and moved over. Ace's body was warm, his hand rough as it slid over Sanji's chest. The cook felt his heart slamming against his rib cage and his lungs barely able to handle the breaths he took, but it was amazing. Ace came down over him and pulled the blanket up, covering them completely. They were hidden from the world, cocooned in their own tiny fortress of warmth and laughter. Ace's lips were chapped but soft, and he kissed Sanji like he thought he would break.

"What happened to giving you a few days? Getting your head around it all?"

Ace kissed him again before he answered. "I'm a big boy. I know if I want something this much it's not going to go away in a few days, or just by me getting sober."

"I can be pretty high maintenance, you know," Sanji said.

Ace laughed against Sanji's throat. "Oh yeah, I know."

"Wait, does this mean you're still drunk right now?"

"Stop talking," Ace said as he nibbled down warm skin. "All I want to hear right now is how good you're feeling."

"Hmm okay."

It felt very good. It felt amazing. As they pulled off what was left of each other's clothes, skin came into direct and perfect contact with skin and they gasped, groaned in each other's arms. Ace's mouth electrified parts of Sanji that hadn't felt anything in years, maybe forever. The cook found himself writhing under gentle hands and making sounds he never thought he would make.

He gave as good as he got, however. After Ace had gotten his fill of teasing, Sanji flipped them and ground down on Ace's packed body with strong hips. Muscles strained under tanned skin and Sanji rode the high of being in control. He took his length and Ace's together in his palm and stroked slow and even. He felt fingers in his hair and lifted his head to meet Ace's lips again.

The pace became frantic after that. Words whispered on short breaths, hands fumbling in the low light together, two heartbeats racing as one toward the peak of tension. Ace was lovely as he came, his body froze, back arched and mouth open for one soft moan of pleasure. Sanji drank it in and let go, coming hard across Ace's chest.

Ace didn't stop kissing him for a long time, and Sanji didn't mind. It was sweet, sensual, calming unlike any kiss he had experienced. How Ace could be all those things at once was incredible and frightening, but in the best way. Sanji relaxed against the pillows and let the other man spoil him. Strong hands massaged sore muscles and a breathy, tired voice whispered delicious things against sweaty skin.

Sometime later, as they lay together under nothing but moonlight, Sanji ran his fingers across the freckles on Ace's cheek.

"You sure?"

Ace smiled sleepily. "You picked me up off the streets and fed me. Gonna be hard to get rid of me now."

"Oh," Sanji chuckled, "are you a cat?"

Ace's smile widened and he scooted closer. He laid one soft kiss on Sanji's nose and settled back into the pillows. When his face turned serious, Sanji took his hand.

"What?"

A few heartbeats of silence went by before Ace replied.

"I have a lot of baggage. I don't think it's anything you can't handle, but it's there, and... I'm sorry."

Sanji shook his head. "It's all right. You think you're the first person I've hired who's been to jail?"

Ace did not flinch, nor did he back off, and Sanji was glad of it.

"You know?"

Sanji nodded. "I talked to Luffy."

Ace sighed softly and closed his eyes. "I figured you would eventually."

"For what it's worth," Sanji moved closer, sliding his fingers through Ace's unruly hair, "I don't think you did anything that I wouldn't have done."

"I didn't have to go that far."

"You didn't kill him," Sanji said firmly, "and you did it protecting a friend. That might not be okay in the eyes of the law, but Luffy is proud of what you did. And I'm proud to know you would go that far for someone you care about."

Ace's eye opened and little by little, that smile started to return.

"I'm gonna fall in love with you if you keep talking like that."

Sanji grinned and slid closer, sliding one leg over lean thighs to straddle that beautifully toned body. He stole another few soft kisses, as if he hadn't gotten enough already, and whispered against those soft lips.

"Well, it wasn't the entire plan, but it might have been part of it."

Ace's smile was exquisite as he reached down and pulled the sheets over them once more.

END