Thanks for your interest! I know it's a marriage fic but nothing (extremely) kinky here, really. Things build up (slowly) as the story goes. You know my style..? I don't really (know how to) write sexy stories ;_; Tell me your thoughts! :3 *giggles*

"Thanks! Please come again!" The raven-haired teen says, as he places the cup of coffee in front of the customer, sending them away with a smile. Then, he proceeds to tend to the next customer, smile still on his face.

A smile that at a glance looks genuine but it is actually forced.

Well, who would not when life is being hard on you?

Luffy is not poor but he is not extremely rich either. He lives a comfortable life. His family can afford his university fees and his family does not live on food stamp. They have a beautiful two-story house not far away from the city and it is big enough for the three of them, plus a full-time nurse.

He is considered lucky. Really.

It is just that, his life is full of guilt. A guilt that haunts him everyday.

"One latte, big." A familiar voice speaks, snapping Luffy back to the reality and Luffy looks up to see a good looking red-headed guy, tall, and pale. The guy is smiling at him and he smiles back.

Eustass Kid, that is the name.

They go to the same university and Luffy had seen him in the campus a few times before. Kid is a year older, an engineering student, and he is in a band.

Pretty cool.

Luffy has to admit that he kind of have a crush on the male and Kid smiling at him is truly the highlight of his day.

"Here's your latte! Thanks, enjoy your drink! Come again!" Luffy sends him away with a smile and the older man smiles back at him.

"Oh, someone's in love." His co-worker and friend from university, Nami remarks from the coffee-making station as soon as Kid is out of the cafe and Luffy's face immediately turns red.

"I am not." He tries to deny but he knows better that he cannot fool Nami.

"Say that after you look at yourself." Nami replied, and Luffy sticks out his tongue playfully. Everyone working there knows he is not interested in women and none of them thinks it is weird or anything. Same-sex relationship and marriage are becoming more socially acceptable nowadays and he is grateful for that.

After he is done with his closing shift that night, Luffy says goodbye to his co-workers and makes his way to the train station by himself. It is an hour to midnight but the city is still so lively and he can see couples walking together, drunk men back from the club, workaholics who are on their way back home, and some students from the university looking for places to have their supper.

It is a chilly autumn night and he puts both his hands into the pocket of his jacket, warming them up as he slowly makes his way to the train station. To be honest, he is not sure whether he wants to be home but where else can he go?

No, it is not because he dislikes home. He does not hate his foster parents - Roger and Rouge either. In fact, he loves both of them and he is grateful to have them. It is just that he feels a big amount of guilt rushing through him whenever he sets his foot at home. That is one of the reasons why he decided to get a part-time job.

He knows Rouge always get sick nowadays and he should spend more time at home looking after her, spending time with her but he cannot do it. He knows it is selfish but he really cannot help it.

Shit. Why is he like this? Why can't he get over the guilt?

Before he can think of any answer to his own question, he realizes that he is already at the train station. He slowly walks to one of the ticket gates and scans his card, opening the gate. Then, he slowly makes his way to the platform where he will wait for his train home.

"Welcome home, Luffy." A voice greets him, as soon as he sets his foot in the living room. Luffy turns to the voice and finds Rouge, his foster mother looking at him with a smile.

"I'm back. Why are you still awake?" Luffy asks, concerned.

"I can't sleep so I've been sitting here."

"You shouldn't sleep too late."

"Okay. I'll go to sleep soon." says the woman and Luffy nods. He is about to go upstairs when Rouge calls him, and he turns to look at the older woman. "You know you don't need to work part-time, right? Roger and I can afford your fees."

Rouge surprised Luffy with her words but he tries his best to stay calm, tries his best not to show it.

"I'm just trying to get some life experience. I'll quit soon, don't worry about me. Good night, Rouge. I love you." Luffy walks over to where Rouge is seated and gives his foster mother a peck on the cheek. Then, he immediately makes his way upstairs, into his room. The moment the door closes, he leans on the door and let out a long sigh. Even after two years everything still feels really awkward.

Luffy's parents died in an accident when he was seven. There were no relatives that could take him in so he was adopted by a family friend - Gol D. Roger. It was awkward at first but he got over it. Eventually, he started to feel comfortable and began to live his life happily with both his foster parents and their biological son, Ace. His foster parents never treated him differently just because he was adopted. Anything they got Ace, Luffy got it too.

Too bad, his happiness was snatched away from him when Ace died saving Luffy in an accident two years ago. Of course, his parents were extremely sad but they never blamed Luffy for it. In fact, their treatment never changed. They still treat Luffy the same way and they have moved on from the tragedy.

Luffy knows he should stop feeling guilty but still, the guilt will not stop eating him from the inside.

It should have been Ace who gets to go to the university, who gets to date whoever he likes. Luffy should have been the one who died that day.

But there he is, still alive and guilty.

The economy has been bad recently and he knows Roger's business is affected so it makes him feels even more guiltier that they are paying for his education. His results and co-curricular achievement are good enough to apply for scholarships but the ministry had changed the policy so that only the very poor ones can apply for it.

There are times when he seriously thinks of dropping out but Roger and Rouge would not let him to. They have been telling Luffy repeatedly that they see him as their own son and they want Luffy to have a proper tertiary education. In a way, Luffy knows he has to complete his education and gets a good job. A job good enough that he will be able to take care of Roger and Rouge and provides everything they need.

That night, after he finishes washing up, he sits in front of his computer as usual. It has been a routine for him to check his email before he goes to sleep because he knows there will always be an important email waiting for him. A special email from a special, good friend, Matt.

Luffy met him two years ago in an online forum and he went by the username xy_4c77. They started replying to each other's posts and exchanged email addresses after few weeks. They have been good friends since then.

Both of them share the same sorrow of losing someone very dear to them and in the two years time, both of them have been supporting each other to go through life. They tried helping each other to make peace with the ghosts that have been haunting them, encouraging each other to move on.

It is strange but Luffy finds it very easy to open up to Matt. He tells Matt almost everything, more than what he tells his friends outside the cyber world. Even better, Matt will always respond nicely without any judgmental vibe.

Too bad for Luffy, Matt does not tell a lot about himself. In the two years time, never once had he ever seen a single photo of Matt. Luffy asked for his photo before but Matt told him that he was not ready yet. Not ready to disclose more things about himself, claiming that he is very shy.

Luffy knows better that Matt might not even be using his real name and maybe he is not even a boy like he claimed. He does not know how old Matt is, where he lives, or what he does. There is absolutely nothing from his email that gives away his personal information but still, Luffy enjoys sending and receiving emails from Matt. Of course, Luffy wants to know how Matt looks like, the friend who has been helping and supporting him. Luffy is disappointed but he is not mad at all. Luffy is grateful to have Matt as a friend and he is really glad they are friends. If Matt is not comfortable with it, then he will wait.

People will probably wonder how does a friendship like that last for two years? Don't they run out of things to say since Matt does not disclose anything about himself? To be honest, Luffy is not too sure how either.

Sometimes, they send each other random and pointless things by email, just for the sake of connecting. Luffy can tell that Matt cherishes the friendship and the same goes to Luffy. He tried to get Matt to switch to Skype and some other faster messaging or chatting system before but it ended up being refused.

Well, at least he tried.

He logs in into his email account and it does not take long for the page to load. Then, Luffy can see a new email notification on the notification bar. He clicks on it and he is immediately directed to the inbox where he finds a new email from Matt.

Hey, what's up? How do you feel today? How are things going with your parents? How are things going with Kid? You talked to him yet? Not yet? Man up, dude!

Something funny happened today. A thief got chased by a dog and his butt got bitten, whoa. That guy is crazy though. The police came after him and he ran with the dog still hanging to his butt. Ouch.

Later!

A smile is curved on Luffy's face as he reads the email. Somehow, it feels like Matt always knows how and when to make Luffy smiles. It was quite a tough day but the smile from Kid and the email from Matt made his day.

And yeah, he is being too open with Matt. To the point that he even told Matt about Kid.

Hey, nothing new. Same old things. University and part-time job. I'm doing good here and today did not suck. How about you? I'm still trying to fix my relationship with my parents and yeah, haven't talked to Kid yet. Man up? You're the one to talk. When are you going to man up and show me how you look like? ;)

Anyway, that dog story is quite funny. Wish I can see something as funny as that someday.

Later!

He clicks the 'Send' button and waits for the confirmation page to load. As soon as the delivery is confirmed, he logs out of his email account. Then, he proceeds to click on one of the folders on the desktop, opening a file where he can see thousands of thumbnails.

There are photos of him and Ace from their childhood up to the times before Ace passed away.

He clicks on the topmost thumbnail in the folder and begins his viewing.

He knows he should not be doing that but he suddenly gets the urge to do so. He knows he probably will not be able to sleep properly after that but it is okay. He misses Ace.

As he goes through the photos, he can feel his tears streaming non-stop.

If only he can turn back time.

Somehow it becomes too much for him to handle so he switches off the computer and immediately goes to bed.

Few hours later, he wakes up feeling thirsty so he gets up from the bed and makes his way to the kitchen to get some water. He is halfway downstairs when he sees Roger and Rouge, still up, sitting and discussing. He looks at the clock on the wall, it is almost three in the morning. Maybe Roger just got back from work. Lately Roger had been staying back until late at night and Luffy wonders why is it that Rouge is still not asleep. He is trying to make his way back into his room, avoiding the awkward encounter with Roger and Rouge when he accidentally overhears what they are talking about.

Due to the bad economy, Roger's business is not doing very well and it is on the verge of collapsing. Their debts are increasing and they are unable to get more loan from the bank.

Luffy is very shocked to hear it. He can feel his knees going weak and he almost tumbles downstairs. Luckily, he manages to hold firmly on the railing.

Then, he hears Roger telling Rouge that a representative from the powerful DonQuixote family - Doflamingo's trusted secretary, Vergo came to see him that evening. He told Roger that the president, Doflamingo is ready to offer a financial help with one condition.

Roger's son, Luffy has to marry the son of the powerful DonQuixote Doflamingo.

Same-sex marriage is common nowadays and there is nothing wrong with it, really. But then, Roger declined the offer. To be honest, Roger thinks it is weird that a very wealthy man like Doflamingo is generous enough to offer them a financial help and he cannot help but to think badly of it. He refuses to ruin Luffy's life and compromising his happiness just to save the business.

Before he left, the representative left his card on Roger's desk, asking him to think further about it and said the offer is still open.

"I crumpled and threw away the card." Roger tells Rouge and the woman smiles upon hearing it.

"That's the right thing to do." Rouge says, as she rests her head on Roger's shoulder.

"Yeah, I will definitely think of something else." Roger replies, but Luffy doubts it. He knows the situation is very bad and it will be very hard to recover the business. Then, he slowly makes his way back to his room and get in his bed again, completely forgetting that he is thirsty.

He stares blankly at the ceiling while he tries to think of ways to help Roger. He needs to do something. He have to. Too bad, he cannot come up with anything. Then, Roger's story about the offer from DonQuixote family resounds in his head.

DonQuixote family is a very wealthy and powerful family based abroad. The family has offices all over the world and runs a lot of businesses. Forming a tie with them is definitely beneficial for anyone running a business.

Is that the only way out?

The next day, Luffy wakes up earlier than usual with a mission - to search for the name card Roger threw the day before. He bumps into Rouge on his way out and she is shocked to see Luffy up that early. Luffy always wakes up early but this time it is way too early. He does not even wait for breakfast and he quickly walks out after he gives Rouge a peck to the cheek.

He immediately makes his way to the train station, trying to get the earliest train to the city so that he has plenty of times for his plan. He has to get the card before the cleaner clears the waste bin and he wants to be able to make it to his morning classes. It takes thirty minutes from the his neighborhood's station to the city's station and he cannot sit still on the train. As soon as the train stops at his destination, he moves as fast as possible to the company building and he is lucky that it is already open when he gets there.

The guard lets him in without any fuss since he knows Luffy is Roger's son and he immediately makes his way to Roger's office. He goes into the room and searches the content of the waste bin to find a crumpled card inside, just the way Roger told Rouge. Then, he carefully smooths out the card to find the name of the representative, Vergo and his phone number written on it. As soon as he confirms that he gets the right card, he immediately makes his way out of the office, straight to the university.

After his morning classes ended, he goes to a secluded area in the university during his break time and takes out the card he took from Roger's office. He contemplates really hard, tries to sort out his thoughts before he really makes the phone call because it is a big, risky decision.

After a while, he gives up and proceeds to enter the number into his phone, ready to give him a call. It does not take long before Vergo picks up.

"Hello, may I speak to Mr. Vergo, please?"

"Yes, Vergo speaking."

"I'm Luffy. Gol D. Roger's son. There is an important matter that I wish to discuss with you."

That evening, Roger goes to the cafe Luffy is working at and the teen can actually guess what it is about. He asks for a short break from his manager and both of them go to the park nearby to talk.

"Luffy, did you really make a call to that Vergo guy?!" Roger asks, and Luffy nods, slowly. Right after Luffy got off the phone with Vergo, the secretary went and gave Roger a call, informing him that Luffy had accepted the condition. "Why did you do that?! Why are you that willing to give up your life just to save my company?!"

"Please, it's not just about the business. If the business collapses a lot of people will suffer. Think of Rouge, your employees, their families. You know Rouge's health is deteriorating and she needs to get the best treatment. All of us wants her to be healthy again, don't we?" Luffy replies, and Roger is speechless.

Luffy is right but he really does not want to compromise Luffy's happiness. He tries to talk Luffy out of it, tells Luffy how the offer seems fishy to him but the teen convinces him that he will be fine.

"I'll be fine. Really. I know how to take care of myself. Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen to me. Trust me." Luffy says with a determined look on his face.

To be honest, Luffy feels like laughing. How can he ask Roger to trust him when even he is not very sure about what he is doing?

Then, Roger lets out a sigh, he had never seen Luffy so determined before and he really have nothing else to say. He cannot change Luffy's mind.

"Luffy, I'll trust you but if we find out this guy is bad I'll stop it immediately." says Roger, and Luffy agrees.

After Roger left, Luffy gets a call from Vergo telling him that the DonQuixote son will be flying over from abroad to meet him and he will send Luffy the details. Just shortly after the call ended, Luffy receives a text from Vergo containing the details of the meeting and Vergo also sent him a photo of DonQuixote's young master.

In the photo is a tanned, handsome teenager with midnight blue hair and grey eyes in a tuxedo. The photo looks like it was taken in some sort of high class function and the teenager has a bored look on his face, like he is not interested in anything around him.

At that moment, Luffy begins to wonder what is with the condition and if the marriage is actually a way for the extremely wealthy people to have fun.

That night when he comes home from work, he finds Rouge sitting in the living room, waiting for him. Apparently, Roger had told him about Luffy's decision and she was very shocked to hear it. She really hopes she can help change Luffy's mind.

"I'm okay, Luffy. You don't have to do this."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be meeting him soon and if he is a bad guy I promise I will withdraw.." Luffy says, although he is not entirely sure if he can withdraw just like that.

"But-"

"It's fine. I'll be okay. Really." Luffy says, stressing the finality in his tone and gives Rouge a peck on her cheek before he goes upstairs.

Who is he kidding? Of course it is not fine.

If possible, Luffy wants to spend the rest of his life with someone he loves but he is ready to let it go if it means he can help Roger and Rouge. And maybe, by doing that the burden he has been carrying will feel a lot lighter.

That night, he sits in front of the computer again, checking his email as usual. Matt tells him something funny but it is not enough to make him smile.

Maybe because the whole marriage thing scares him.

Then, he hits the 'Reply' button and begins composing a reply to Matt.

Hey, what's up? You know what? I think I am going to get married soon. Shocking, isn't it? I'm shocked too LOL

Later.

To be honest, Luffy is not sure whether it is okay to tell Matt about the whole marriage thing but he cannot help it. He is too used to telling Matt everything. But then, he is not telling Matt who he will be married to so it is probably alright.

Then, he hits the 'Send' button, sending the message away.

The next day is horrible to Luffy. He cannot concentrate properly on everything he is doing and he makes a lot of mistakes at work.

Well, no one can actually blame him.

He is nervous, he is scared.

His mind is occupied with a lot of thoughts, mainly about the meeting that will happen the day after that. Then, later at night, he comes back home from work to find an email from Matt as usual.

Hey, how are you doing? What do you mean you're getting married?! Is this a prank? Who is it? Kid? I thought you haven't talked to him yet? Or is it someone else? If it's someone else, how about Kid?

Later!

With Kid? He wishes. To be honest, he does not think he is too in love with Kid to actually settle down with the red head but it is probably better than settling down with someone you do not know.

Somehow, Luffy finds it funny, the way Matt is reacting to the news of his marriage. Then, he places his hands over the keyboard, fingers ready to compose his reply to Matt.

Hey, I'm good. How about you? No, it's not a prank! I wish it is! About Kid, I don't know. Well, it's just a crush. It'll go away. Anyway, I'm going to meet that person tomorrow. Let's just pray that he is not a weirdo or an asshole or anything worse.

Later!

Then, he lies on his bed and tries to sleep. Too bad, his mind is still very much occupied with the thoughts of the meeting. He cannot sleep at all!

He slowly gets up, shuts his eyes tightly, putting his hands together.

He knows he does not pray that much and God probably will not even listen to him now but he is really desperate.

He does not ask for much. If he really cannot avoid the marriage, he only hopes the guy is not some sort of a weirdo or a sadistic son of a filthy rich businessman.

Please, spare him from all the bad things that he is imagining in his head now, please.

The day of the meeting, he makes his way to the cafe mentioned in Vergo's text as instructed. Luckily his classes ended earlier that day and he managed to take a day off from his part-time job. As soon as he enters the cafe, he can hear a lot of people chattering. Apparently, they are talking about a certain teenager who is sitting at a corner far away from the entrance.

"He is so hot, is he a model?"

"How old do you think he is?"

"I want to date him, oh my god!"

From the entrance, Luffy tries to see the face of the teenager clearly and he manages to identify him as the teenager in the photo Vergo sent him. He is dressed in black and yellow hoodie with a weird smiley symbol on it, a pair of spotted jeans, and on his head is a fluffy spotted hat. He is sitting on one of the couches and he has his full concentration on his phone, wireless headset on his ears.

Luffy thinks it is a surprise that the teenager is waiting for him there alone. Since he is from the very wealthy DonQuixote family, Luffy actually expects him to at least have some bodyguards near him to protect him. The choice of meeting place also kind of surprised Luffy since it is not somewhere exclusive, just a normal cafe where the commoners hang out.

Luffy slowly heads to the couch in front of the teenager with his heart pounding like crazy and as soon as he is seated, the teenager in front of him slowly looks up from his phone with a stoic expression on his face.

At that moment, Luffy cannot help but notice the teenager's clear, grey eyes. How beautiful, how mesmerizing. Now that he sees him up close, Luffy also notices that the shape of his eyes are almost like a cat's. How adorable.

Suddenly, it is like both of them are in a staring competition because the teen keeps staring at him and Luffy will not lower his gaze either. Neither of them are saying anything. Neither of them are blinking their eyes.

A moment later, the teenager in front of him puts away his phone and leans on the table between them. He looks at Luffy with a mischievous smile on his face, chin resting on his two hands. "Hi. I'm Trafalgar Law."