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Ace is a pirate now.
His twin brother, Sabo is too. They have proclaimed to sail out to sea and be free, especially after Sabo’s shitty father had tried to come for him and take him back “home”, which was a golden cage with rules to follow and little air to breathe for appearance's sake.
It was a life his brother hated with a passion and rather died than keep up with it one more second. So he did. With some help from Makino, Dadan’s skills in faking one’s death, they made believe the bastard that Sabo had died in the sea. It was rather easy, it took a boat, a dummy with Sabo’s appearance, lots of oil, and the perfect timing for it to burst into flames and burn into the sea.
Sabo’s ex-parents were more worried about their image rather than the life of his son! If it wasn’t for the fact that this would keep them away from his brother forever, Ace would have beat them up then and there. Surprisingly, Gramps arrived two weeks later, and instead of his usual crazy demeanor he has every time they see them, grief painted his face and hidden rage was in their eyes, but they knew it wasn’t for them this time but for the Celestial Dragon scum that did the job to blow up the ship. Once he saw that two of his grandsons -- he just looked at his blond brother and proclaimed him as his own, even if this training hurt like hell, both knew his love was better than those bastards and they were grateful from it (not the Fists of Love, of course, they were surprised how the hell they were still alive) -- and the tension leaked out of his body, a smile finally creeping of his face, yet it had no malice this time, rather relief that both were alive and well in the mountain, safe and sound as he intended.
He spoke to them for a bit, asking if this was the life they wished to have, up in the mountains living among beasts and criminals. They both agreed without missing a bit, of course, they prefer here without golden shackles nor the legacy of that man following his which each glance in the bars and streets. He just laughed and decided to take them for a treat, something that was completely out of character for a person that enjoyed throwing cannonballs like tennis balls pirate ships and making the king of the jungle chowder like a kitten in his presence, but this is much better. At the end of the day, they ate ice cream, the greatest thing Ace had tasted in his life, and had dinner in the Party’s Bar.
Now that he’s older and wiser (even if his twin tells him he ran out of brain cells at the age of 12) he knows why the old man did it. He almost lost a grandson at the hands of the people who ruled the world and had no restriction and he could do nothing about it. Another proof that Garp the Fist values his family over the institution he had dedicated his life to and both Sabo and him are grateful for it (the hellish training and reminder of becoming marines still make them tremble in fear though, that man is crazy).
He still tried to get them to become like him each time he visited, which was like twice a year. And a routine fell in, they would try to escape from him and fail miserably, after the beat up, he would teach them some moves which were surprisingly useful as self-defense and tell them stories of his golden days during dinner. It was nice having another adult, even if he didn’t act like it, to look out for them and try to make them stronger by kicking their asses. When they were both sixteen, Gramps decided to step up his game and gave them something to delay their escape to the sea.
A baby
With the name of Monkey D. Luffy
See? This man is insane!
Neither of them wanted that type of responsibility, they were teenagers for god sake! They barely knew how to survive without adult supervision, never mind taking care of a baby they had no ties by blood to. The man that was his grandfather dumped the kid into Ace’s arms and decided that they will raise him, which threw off a completely alarmed Dadan of having to raise another hellspawn from the marine hero.
While they were playing baby-hot-potato, trying to shove the infant into the other’s arms without much success, Dadan asks about his parentage. This was Garp’s grandson by blood and his father didn’t want him. That struck a chord in Ace’s blackened heart, even if he despited his father with all his might no child should suffer for their parent's sins, he knew what it meant to be born into their shadow forever and have no say on it.
Yet he wouldn’t take care of it, babies were annoying creatures that only cried, slept, and soil their diapers (even if that part was true, it wasn't everything).
His dumbass twin is the first one to fall for his charms when the baby showed the blond's finger into his mouth. (Which is still gross, but you can never say no when his baby brother is looking at you with the softest brown eyes Ace had ever seen). That same night, Dadan forces them to stay for the night, teaching Sabo (and Ace even if he acted as if he wasn’t paying attention, a scowl on his face) how to change his diaper and the correct position to hold him while feeding him. It was a more laborious task than both of them thought yet Sabo just kept falling harder for the brat.
It took four lousy weeks for Ace to have direct contact with the brat and shared the same fate as his twin. Sabo had the audacity to leave at the same time the little menace was supposed to be fed, leaving a wailing baby with Ace at the wee hours of the morning. The sheer desperation to shut the kid up and a promised ass whooping for his twin made Ace close the well-constructed space that Ace had built in his persistent avoidance with the little human.
His presence was enough to calm the infant, who was either wet or hungry and like hell, he was changing him nor knew where the hell his bottles were kept. As soon as his finger was caught in that tiny hand, Ace knew he had fallen hard . How can he resist such sadness and distress in the eyes of such a tiny creature? Sabo came seconds later with a bottle in hand and a sappy expression on his face (not that he was any better).
From that night, his whole life was filled with something he didn’t know he lacked but needed nonetheless. Someone who can love him infinitely, whose smile was brighter than the sun and was delighted to see Ace always. Sabo was his equal, his partner in crime that took place at Ace’s side in each step, he didn’t need protection but welcomed a helping hand and backward, he dared to think that Sabo like him, even love him if they never said it out loud. Luffy, his little sunshine was barely 5 months old. He needed their care and carved their attention always, something they fully comply with and rarely denied these days.
(The very few times neither of them couldn’t be with them, they came to a distressed Lu, full out sobbing, waiting for his big brothers to come back and hold him. Not leave him behind.
Their lives as thieves to collect enough money for their pirate fund had earned them a lot of enemies who would take their anger onto their defenseless baby brother if word of him ever got out of the forest. To extinguish this possibility, they beat every single thug that dared to get close to their home, to their baby brother.
Soon, every criminal at Gray Terminal learned to not mess with them if they wanted their limbs attached to their bodies or treasured unburned skin. After those days, Lu has been extra clingy and would cry each time one of them disappeared out of his sign. They swore to never let their little brother feel that kind of loneliness again, they both knew how that could crush your soul and suffocate your heart.)
Ace’s seventeen birthday came and went, and it wasn’t until Sabo’s birthday was in three days, they realized the situation they were in. Garp was a smart bastard even if he didn’t appear to, with a baby brother to take care of, pursuing their career as pirates made it harder for the brothers. They could handle the down street tugs and murderers but pirates of the East Blue were something else, plus the crazy weather of this world, never mind the Grand Line.
That night they decided their path. There was no way in hell they were going to leave their dream nor leave their little brother behind, they needed him as much as he needed them yet giving up their freedom wasn’t on their plans either. They packed their stuff, made the last raid to Gray Terminal, and bought a small boat that had enough space for the three of them and enough resistance to carry the three siblings across the seas.
Yeah, Ace is a pirate now but it was slightly different from what he had imagined. His baby brother wasn’t something he expected to happen in his life, he never saw himself as a father either, fearing he would just be like the sperm donor that cursed his existence before he even existed, but he is grateful now. Even if he promised himself to live without regrets, his earlier avoidance was something that made him guilty for neglecting such a wonderful being.
Yet the freckled young man is determined to make it up for it, which leads us to the present situation: Ace is waiting sideways of a store where Sabo was inside buying supplies for both their trip and their baby brother. They were running low on formula, so they stopped at a quiet island to get it.
The older twin was holding a restless baby brother in his arms, either for the lack of food or no blond brother in his sign. Ace couldn’t tell the reason but he hoped it wouldn’t be for long before Sabo came back. Because of an upset Lu was crying Lu and his heart couldn’t handle that.
“Shhh. Hey, it's okay” he reassured the little guy, cradling him close to his chest facing him. “I bet Sabo will come soon with your meal, okay? Even if I am smarter than him, we can trust him to get everything he has to”.
Luffy coos, taking Ace’s finger into his tiny hand (it still amazed him how tiny his baby brother was. Don’t break him, be careful, hold him steady repeated like a mantra every time he takes his baby brother in) and shove it into his mouth. He let out a sigh of relief, leaning back into the wall of the store, letting his baby brother chew his finger even if it was a bit gross (there were no teeth though), but he would deal with it if it meant less stress for the infant.
Wait a second Ace though, turning into the bag with all of Lu’s stuff his pacifier! Jeez, my brain is fried. Taking care of a baby and sailing was extremely difficult, yet he would keep going for his brother's sake.
Seeking through the bag, he mentally smacked himself for this, the lack of sleep and stress was taking a toll on him and Sabo. They should talk about spending a day or two at land to recharge and continue their voyage.
He finally found the little plastic pacifier (it had a jolly roger on top, it was never too early to be a pirate) when he felt something sucking from his left tit, what the fuck--
He acted on instinct (because not every day someone decided to use that part of his body as stress relief) and yanked a little too fast from whatever was doing it. Just as his brain caught up with what he had done, his baby brother burst into tears.
“Oh my god, what have I done!” He whispers/shouts, cradling his terrified sibling close to his chest, letting him cry. Anxiety and worry are eating him alive now. What did the book say about moving them too fast? They get scared shitless right? So I need to find a way to calm him down and convince him he is safe with me.
“I am so sorry Lu, I didn’t mean to scare you like that, I promise, you just took me by surprise!” Desperation leaks from his voice, Luffy’s crying his eyes out while he buries his face in Ace’s neck, the wetness not bothering him at all. Get a grip dammit! Your baby brother needs you! So calm down! They can feel your emotions so he will panic more, dumbass!
He takes a deep breath, running his hand up and down Lu’s tiny back, shuddering with every sob. “Okay, okay, first things first, we need to get you to calm down”. Taking the pacifier once again, he offers it to his wailing sibling, who looks up face red and full of tears, and snot his older brother gently coaxing from his hiding place and accepts the comfort.
“There we go,” he says softly, carefully he detaches his baby brother’s tiny fingers from his shirt, even if that earns him a whine, and places him into the sling strapped to his chest. “I need you to stay here for a bit, okay?” He reassures Lu, taking a look at the teary face of his sibling, one tiny hand flapping to get a grip of Ace again, whimpering again.
“I know, I know, but this would make you feel better, I swear.” God, just looking at his face breaks his heart. He reaches once again into the bag and pulls out a soft blue blanket. He was wrapped around his baby brother's fingers. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Extending the blanket into his legs, he takes Lu out of the sling, the infant stretching his tiny limbs towards his big brother's chest, eyes begging to be cuddled into his arms. Ace lays him down in the extended piece of cloth, swaddling him easier than he had a few months ago due to practice. Soon enough, he has a little sniffing bundle of chubby cheeks, brow still pulled down in sadness, and finally pulls his sibling close to his chest.
“See? It's okay, you are safe now” he speaks to Luffy, calmer yet still upset, hiccuping every once in a while. Baby brown eyes stayed up to him, shining with unshed tears. “I love you, and I will never cause you harm” he swore to this tiny human who had captured his heart the firsts time a tiny hand caught his finger and it felt like he never let go. Lu cooed once again and buried his face into his brother’s chest, feeling exhausted from his burst out and no meal for him yet.
A cranky baby was just as bad as a scared baby. He cursed his twin brother for taking so long in the shopping. Dammit Sabo, what the hell’s taking you so long! As if reading his thoughts (Ace liked to believe they could read each other like a book, with just a glance, they could have a full conversation and no one else would notice) the blond appeared at the corner of the wall, arms full of bags.
“Jeez, I was beginning to think you were living there!” Ace hissed, rocking his baby brother slowly as he began to whimper again. He tried to put as much annoyance on his tone without taking his eyes off Lu's chubby face, still tear-stained, something Sabo would figure out and call him out.
“Very funny, but you see it's a nice place to live in, the lady that owns the store has a big shelf of used books that are pretty cheap, so I came back to take Lu and ditch you”. With a quick pace, he closed the space and settled on the bench that Ace was occupying. He bends down, looking for something. “ I asked the lady if she sold formula, the one that Lu likes and doesn’t mess with his tummy.”
(It was a disaster the day they discovered Lu’s digestive system didn’t process certain types of milk. They had to ask Makino what to do after a sleepless night and too much vomiting that had them freaking out, believing their baby brother was going to die. When he refused to eat, they ran down to Windmill village to ask Makino as their last hope.
(They tried to ask Dadan, but neither of them knew exactly what to do, so she send them with the only person they could ask)
After learning what caused their baby brother so much pain and irritated his little belly, the trio avoided it like the plague)
He pulled a bottle of milk out of the second bag. “She told me to wait and gave me this. I already checked and it's warm enough for him”. The blond extended his arms, demanding to be handed the infant to feed him. There was a question in his eyes, they only swaddle Luffy when he was frightened or was inconsolable, so he knew something had happened and it was a matter of time before he forced the whole story out of Ace, but they had a priority who was starting to tear up in his arms in desperation.
With a huff, the older twin transferred the baby to his other brother, who beamed at the grumpy bundle. “Hello Lu” he greeted with a smile on his lips, taking the pacifier off the baby’s mouth. “Sorry for the delay.” He wasted no time and drew the bottle of milk near his mouth, Lu latching into it and drinking as if he had been starved for days. He relaxed into his brother’s chest, the sound of a baby drinking and fragments of conversations were the only sounds for a while.
“So” Sabo broke the silence, eyes locked into the baby he was feeding, “aren’t you gonna tell me why Lu is all bundled up and you are pouting?” he questioned, mischief in his tone.
“I ain’t pouting” Face grumped, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Yes, you are,” his smart-ass brother teased. “Did you finally realize that I am Lu’s favorite older brother while I was gone?”
“Like hell you are!” Ace proclaimed, he was not pouring right now!
The blonde chuckled, lifting his eyes over his twin gaze. “But seriously, why is Lu in his blanket? Nothing bad happened to him right?” His eyes narrowed a bit.
“Of course not!” Ace defended, puffing out his chest “I would never let anyone lay a hand on Lu, jackass!” His anger faded and guilt took over, Sabo frowned at the change.
“Course I do, last time someone tried to lay a finger on our baby brother there weren't even ashes of that bastard .” The twins face darkened, recalling the horrible memory when a beast in human flesh tried to steal the baby from their grip (Ace felt the incineration was a little too merciful, but there was nothing they could do, he was glad nothing bigger happened that day, still all three of them got a scare, the youngest crying until both of his older brothers had rocked him. They learned an important lesson that day.) “But really, what happened? You usually get grumpy when your time’s up, but know you're relieved.” He scooted a little closed, mindful of the infant he was feeding, bumping shoulders with his twin.
With a defeated sign, he told Sabo the whole “nipple incident” (it will be funny to tease Lu once he is old enough to comprehend what he did), expecting a scolding from his blond brother. Halfway in the story, Luffy finished his bottle, Ace passing the cloth to Sabo to burp him while he continued. When he finished, the sun had set reminding him of the meal he had skipped for the supply run.
Serves you right, a voice in his head calls out you shall suffer just like you made Luffy. He probably hates you, making him starve and scaring him.
Shut up he thinks, yet he doesn’t believe this.
The silence fuels his insecurities, stealing a glance at his brother's face expecting a disappointing expression instead he just looks annoyed. Oh god, maybe he thinks I would drop him next time he leaves us alone. If his twin doesn’t trust him (that's not true) with their baby brother (he loves him even if he doesn’t deserve it), that would kill him.
Instead of some kind of lecture and harsh words, his brother’s laughter reaches his ears, confusing the raven boy. His laughter is contagious because soon their baby brother is giggling into Sabo’s shoulder, with no trace of the sad baby he was a few minutes ago. Even if Sabo would tease him for the rest of his life, his shoulders relax, and tries to not laugh, and not pout, because Ace is an adult and adults don’t pout, thank you very much.
“That’s hilarious and you know it!” Sabo says between giggles, which earned a grunt from his flecked brother. “Even Lu thinks it's funny”. Ace rolls his eyes at Sabo but as soon as he sees his baby brother's smile his looks soften. It was full of love and adoration, erasing any dangerous doubt lingering in his mind. He gets closer to the infant, who lits up and reaches for Ace’s face to pull and grab at it.
He pulls his little brother into his arms and hugs him close to his chest, Sabo allowing him. Normally both elders fight for the right of carrying their little brother (I mean who wouldn’t? He’s the cutest baby in the world).
He’s grateful to have a twin-like Sabo, who can understand him just by a look or a touch, and a baby brother like Luffy, who would take all the pain in his heart away by looking at his chubby cheeks and giggle. Ace’s a lucky bastard all right.
“We should stay a couple of days here, it's peaceful enough, and marines barely patrol this area so pirates are well behaved,” Sabo speaks again, taking hold of the groceries bag. “We could trade our prays for money in the meantime, Lu needs more clothes and I was hoping to get a log pose for when we get to the Gran Line”. Ace nodded, bouncing his little brother in his arm to make him giggle. Tension leaked from his posture and the knot in his stomach finally eased, leaving the endless love and affection his little brother could give him with his presence.
“I bet I could hunt twice as you can” Ace declared a challenging grin on his face, placing the baby in the carried as gently as he could. “Psh, as if” the blond replied, passing some bags to his flecked brother now that he had his hands free. As they continued to bicker, the sun sunk in the sky, yet the three brothers were glad to finally had a normal place to sleep, enjoy each other company, and the taste of freedom the sea offered their little family.