Chapter Text
Marco was too old for clubbing.
No one told him that to his face, but it was something he’d long since decided for himself. He didn’t drink much to begin with, the music was always far too loud, and most of the people there were at least ten years younger than him. There was simply nothing he could gain from the experience other than a headache.
Still, for some reason, he was there.
He thought maybe some part of him wanted to reminisce about his college days, back when he had the time and energy to get hammered and do dumb shit with his friends. As he’d gotten further into his studies, those reckless nights happened less and less. Once he graduated and got a respectable job, he’d stopped going out altogether.
In fact, this was his first voluntary night out on his own in nearly a decade.
He wanted to avoid the crowds as much as possible, so he ordered a drink and found a seat in one of the empty booths against the wall. It was late enough into the evening that most of the other patrons were drunk, or at the very least, tipsy. The music was definitely too loud, but at least his drink wasn’t bad-- he’d allowed himself one beer, simple, no bells and whistles. He planned to leave as soon as he emptied the bottle.
Considering how loud the crowd was getting, he was glad it didn’t take very long to finish.
He was just thinking about how much he wished he’d brought earplugs when a tap on his shoulder startled him. He looked up from where he sat and saw a man he hadn’t spotted in the crowd before. He looked young, like everyone else there, and he was wearing a tank top that hung loosely from his shoulders. His face was flushed, and he had a big, dopey grin on his face that suggested he’d been drinking.
“Hey, are you here with anyone?” the man called over the music, his voice much louder than necessary.
Marco furrowed his brow. He didn’t like that question, nor the implications of it. “Excuse me?”
The man stepped closer, which wasn’t entirely necessary. “Are you single?” he asked. “I wanna make a point to someone.”
Marco glanced around them. Make a point to who, exactly? He couldn’t see anyone looking in their direction. “What do you—”
His question came to an abrupt end when the man grabbed his shirt collar and kissed him. Marco froze, eyes wide open, brain trying to process just what the hell was happening. All he could see was the man’s face, the freckles that covered his cheeks and nose. He hadn’t noticed them before, in the dim lighting of the club, but they were clear as day to him now.
The man didn’t seem to be showing any signs of stopping, and Marco decided he could just… let it happen. Even if only for a moment. It certainly wasn’t a bad kiss, minus the initial impact, so he closed his eyes and leaned into it. The man started nipping at his lower lip, and as Marco’s lips parted, he could taste some sort of sweet drink on the tongue slipping into his mouth. He was very clearly intoxicated, and Marco had no intention to take things any further than a kiss— though, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying himself.
He intended to keep his hands to himself, because he was a respectable man with plenty of self-control. But as the other man started climbing into his lap, Marco had to hold his sides to keep him from falling over. His hands faltered when he felt the man’s hips roll against his thigh, and he decided then and there that it was time to stop. He tilted his head back and gave the man a gentle push, hoping to communicate his intentions without causing any problems.
It didn’t work.
The man only doubled his efforts, his chest pressed against Marco’s while he wrapped his arms around his neck. The fact that Marco was still kissing him back probably wasn’t helping his case, though the distinct feeling of an erection grinding down against his hips pulled him back to his senses.
When Marco finally forced them apart, the man was panting, and the blush on his cheeks looked significantly darker. He looked around for a moment before he looked down at Marco’s shirt collar and smoothed it out. “Thanks,” he said, a lopsided grin on his face. “I think I got my message across.”
Marco furrowed his brow. He realized he still had his hands on the man’s hips, so he dropped them down by his sides instead. “And… what message was that, exactly?” he asked.
The man opened his mouth to reply... but his body went completely limp without any sort of warning. He slumped over against Marco, who had to hold his sides to keep him from falling over. The man was still breathing, at least, and checking his pulse put Marco a bit more at ease. He had just… fainted, for whatever reason.
The man was out a bit too long to constitute ’fainting,’ but Marco stuck around through it, because leaving someone drunk and unconscious at a club was a bad idea. Even if said person was still straddling his lap, and they were getting some strange looks from passersby.
When the man finally came to, he seemed startled. He looked around like he was taking in his surroundings before his gaze settled back on Marco. He seemed to have some sort of realization, because his eyes went wide, and the blush came back with a vengeance.
“Are... you alright?” Marco asked.
“Yeah, yeah, m’ fine,” he replied with a nervous little laugh. Carefully, he climbed off of Marco’s lap, straightening out his shirt along the way. “It happens. I’m... used to it.”
Marco frowned. How often did this guy pass out on random strangers? “You’re sure?” Marco asked, “Do you… have anyone else here with you?”
“Uh, yep!” said the man, who seemed more than ready to get the hell out of there. “My friend was in the bathroom before. I’d, uh, I’d better go meet him.”
“Sure,” Marco replied, but silently decided he was going to stick around until he was sure the kid wouldn’t be left on his own like that. “You passed out,” he said. “You should… maybe get checked out. Call your doctor.”
“Oh, there he is, I’d better get going!” the man said, already walking away. “Bye!”
Marco raised an eyebrow. He watched as the man met up with a blond guy who seemed a lot more steady on his feet. That was a good sign, right? Marco could definitely just finish his drink and go home. And then never go back there again.
“What do you mean, you kissed a stranger?”
Sanji sounded like an angry parent as he glared at Ace through the rearview mirror. Ace had insisted on sitting in the backseat because he was ‘tired’ and ‘needed space to lie down.’
“I meant exactly what I said!” Ace replied. “I just grabbed him and kissed him. It was exhilarating, Sanji.”
Sanji rolled his eyes. “Exhilarating or not, I’m pretty sure that counts as some form of assault.”
“Okay, but I’m drunk,” Ace reasoned. “He seemed pretty sober, and s’not like I had my hands down his pants or anything. He didn’t seem too bothered by it, anyway.” He paused. “I mean… I think. I didn’t really get to see his reaction ‘cause we were kissing. But I don’t think he was mad! He was totally kissing me back.”
“You’re such a dumbass,” Sanji groaned. “I’m not leaving you alone when you’re drunk anymore. You always manage to do something stupid.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault I attract creeps!” Ace whined. “You’re lucky you weren’t around, or I would’ve kissed you to scare her off.”
Sanji just sighed. “You know you can talk to security if someone’s bothering you, right?”
“But that guy was so nice, Sanji,” Ace continued, completely disregarding the question. “I fell asleep right after we kissed, and he stuck around until I woke up!” Not that he had much choice in the matter, but still.
Sanji frowned, his expression quickly shifting from annoyed to worried. “You fell asleep again?” he asked.
Ace froze, immediately realizing he’d fucked up. Then, he gave Sanji his best pout through the rearview mirror. “So what if I did?” he asked.
“So, this is the fourth time this week,” Sanji said. “You have to go see someone about this.”
Ace just groaned, flopping over onto his side despite the seatbelt struggling to keep him in place. Perhaps this was a discussion for sober Ace— he was a little less whiny.
Getting Ace set up with a doctor was like pulling teeth, only worse. For one, he hadn’t seen a primary care physician since he was in foster care, and he really didn’t want to go through the process of finding one on his own. When prompted, he argued that he had no idea how to go about it, to which Sanji suggested he ask Franky or Robin for guidance. Ace wasn’t about to take that advice, though, as it would bring him closer to seeing an actual doctor, which he very much did not want to do.
Naturally, Sanji just invited Robin to their apartment without telling Ace.
Robin was kind, loving, and excellent to have as a grown adult friend when they needed help. In fact, Ace considered her something of a distant mother. An aunt, maybe. However, she could also be pretty fucking terrifying at times— when it came to her friends’ wellbeing, she didn’t take no for an answer. By the time she left the apartment, Ace was all set with a new doctor and an appointment next week.
He was dreading it.
Though he had to admit, the weird sleeping spells were really starting to have an impact on his life. He assumed he was just overtired the first time he passed out at work, and his boss very forgiving. But he could tell that Franky was really starting to worry, especially when Ace’s head dropped while he was leaning under the hood of a car, and he ended up bleeding all over the engine. After that particular incident, Franky had forced Ace to take a few days off in the kindest way he could.
At least, if anything, it gave Ace some motivation to get his sleeping problems sorted. It would be pretty detrimental to his work if he kept passing out like that, and even more detrimental to his financial situation if he couldn’t work at all. So, by the time his appointment rolled around, he’d just accepted it. He could deal with one anxiety-ridden day, get some sort of medication to make him stop falling asleep at random times, and move on with his life.
Ace made Sanji drive him to his appointment. Not because he was scared, he insisted— if anything, he was more worried about falling asleep at the wheel and driving off the road. He’d started walking most places for that exact reason.
The waiting room was full of people who looked about as happy to be there as he was. He distinctly remembered his old pediatrician’s waiting room as a much more colorful and welcoming place. But he was an adult now, so he got boring white walls and a small stack of magazines in the corner.
The wait was surprisingly short, and while Ace would have loved more time to stall, he knew it would be best to just get it over with. He jumped when he heard his name, but stood from his chair and offered the nurse his most convincing smile regardless.
“You’re gonna be fine,” Sanji said from behind him. He paused before he continued in a teasing tone, “Do you need me to come in with you?”
“Shut up,” Ace muttered, even if he’d seriously considered asking just that.
His time with the nurse was surprisingly… alright. She seemed to pick up on the fact that he was nervous, because she made a lot of friendly conversation and even got a few laughs out of him. While she checked his height, weight, and vitals, she explained everything she was doing and why she did it. While he’d typically see that as patronizing, it was actually putting him more at ease.
And then, she left him in an exam room with a neatly-folded gown in his hands, and he remembered why he didn’t want to be there in the first place.
With no friendly nurses to distract him, the environment around him had his full attention. Everything was so… white, the smell was uncomfortably sterile, and the whole vibe of the place was just plain unpleasant. His gaze wandered across the various tools and devices hanging on the walls, more than half of which he couldn’t even guess the purpose of, and he felt his heart rate skyrocket. Even if the doctor was just as nice as the nurse and explained everything they were doing, this wouldn’t be an easy endeavor.
Apparently, he’d been standing there for a little too long, because a knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts. “Uh, just a minute!” he called, wincing at how shaky his voice sounded. Shit, he was supposed to be wearing the gown. He stripped down to his boxers as quickly as he could, and tied the gown haphazardly at his back before he hopped up onto the exam table. “Okay, come in!”
Just as the door opened, Ace realized he’d left his clothes strewn around the table. He was such a mess, he hadn’t even thought to put them down on a chair or something. As he worked to get them into at least a pile (folding was out of the question with such shaky hands), he spotted a pair of dress shoes stepping into the room out of the corner of his eye.
“Hello, sorry for the wait,” a calm voice greeted him, and he lifted his head to see the doctor offering a hand to shake. “I’m Dr. Newgate. I’ll be—”
Ace blinked. He must’ve looked like a deer caught in headlights, because he certainly felt like one.
That was the man he’d kissed at the club last week.
“...Oh. Hello.” The doctor cleared his throat, stuffing his hand into his coat pocket. “Ah. While I’m glad you took my advice and sought out medical help, I’d strongly suggest you see someone you’re not already… acquainted with. As that would be more… appropriate. Ethically speaking.”
Ace took another few moments just to stare at the doctor, fuzzy memories of their impromptu kiss looping in his mind. He wasn’t sure how he could ever forget a face like that, but now it was staring right at him while he was clothed in nothing but a thin gown. He felt vaguely like he was going to throw up, or maybe just pass out. Both seemed like viable options at the moment.
“...Mr. Portgas?”
“Right, I… I agree,” Ace managed, nodding his head. “And, uh… I’m sorry. About before.”
Dr. Newgate had finally stopped looking at him, looking down at the clipboard in his hand instead. “I’m… sorry for the inconvenience, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to find another doctor who’s free at the moment,” he said, completely ignoring Ace’s own apology. “You might have to reschedule this appointment and come back another day.”
Ace let out a heavy sigh, putting his head in his hands. He was absolutely mortified, and now he had to come back and do all this over again. “Alright,” he muttered, “Whatever. That’s fine.”
“I’ll leave you to get dressed, then.”
The reminder of his current state of dress only made Ace feel worse, and he curled further in on himself as the room started spinning around him. All at once, his vision went blurry, and he barely registered the sound of someone speaking to him before he blacked out.
The nurse told him he was only out for a few seconds, but it seemed much longer. It was the same kind woman as before, hovering over him and asking him questions. He knew what day it was, he knew where they were, so she told him he’d be fine for the moment. After checking his vitals, she helped him sit up and left him to compose himself and get dressed.
In his tired haze, he vaguely registered that Dr. Newgate had made himself scarce.
Ace was supposed to go back to the front desk and make another appointment-- so, naturally, he did not. He just grabbed Sanji by the wrist and got them out of that building as fast as humanly possible.
Sanji had plenty of protests along the way, as well as questions that Ace refused to respond to. But once they got to the car, Sanji didn’t start the engine, just looked over at Ace. “Did you… get a diagnosis?” he asked.
“The doctor was that guy I made out with at the club,” Ace blurted out, and immediately regretted it because he knew he’d never hear the end of it. “He said it wasn’t ethical, or something, and… and then I passed out. And no one else was free for an appointment, and I can’t go back there ever again.”
For a moment, Sanji was quiet, just processing what Ace had said. He decided it would be best not to answer, not to discuss this while Ace was in such a rough state, but he had to hold back his laughter as he backed out of his parking spot.