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Ace doesn’t know who’s more to blame for this. True, he’s never been normal about Luffy—but then, Luffy was the one who brought up the idea in the first place.
“You’d look cool with earrings,” Luffy said. He sat next to Ace on the deck of the Sunny, leaning contentedly into his side.
“Hm?” Ace looked up from the fruit he’d been splitting open. It had a tough rind that was a bitch to cut away, but the juice-surrounded seeds inside were worth the effort. Ace wiped his hunting knife against his pants to clean it of the bright pink juice.
Luffy lifted an arm to point, gesturing toward the grassy lawn where Zoro and Sanji kicked and sliced at each other. Another fight?
Thinking of Luffy’s words, Ace noted Zoro’s earrings, and the way they flashed in the light while swinging about. He let out a long hum.
“You want me to look like your first mate?” Ace said, voice warm with lighthearted teasing.
“Mm, not really.” Luffy faced Ace again, bringing his fingers to idly trail through his brother’s long hair. “They’d just look good on you, you know? Like little sparks.” Luffy grinned, words growing excited. “Plus, I could give you more nice stuff.”
Ace felt an endeared laugh build in his throat. Luffy had been cute lately, giving Ace small gifts of treasure, jewels, or accessories that glittered in his hair. It made Ace feel spoiled out of his mind, but he’d never put a damper on Luffy’s celebration of his newest Strawhat pirate.
Of course, Ace knew that wasn’t the only reason for his special treatment.
Luffy’s fingers swept to Ace’s ear, and he brushed the skin thoughtfully. “Guess you’d have to get these pierced first, huh.”
Ace shivered at the touch. “Probably,” he replied dryly. He watched Luffy for a moment longer, who seemed truly enchanted with the idea. Ace felt a smile growing on his face. “I’ll think about it. Anyway, here, have some of this—”
Digging a few seeds out of the fruit in his lap, Ace pressed the morsels against Luffy’s lips. Warmth spread through his gut as Luffy readily accepted the treat, tongue darting against the pads of Ace’s fingers to gather any juice he’d missed. When he caught Ace’s eyes practically burning through him at the action, Luffy slowed his movements; the drag of his lips against Ace’s hand turned deliberate, almost curious. Ace returned the pressure as an answer, knuckles weightily testing the plush give of Luffy’s mouth.
Before a full breath had passed, silent understanding passed between them. They were up and tripping toward their shared quarters without a sound (barring a playful giggle from Luffy).
Everything had changed between them after Marineford, and it was all worth celebrating. Private moments like this, most of all: the closeness, kisses, sighs and touches… Ace was proud to swear his life to his new captain, but really, Luffy had ruled over his heart from the beginning. Now things were just in the open.
Lying in their bed, curled around Luffy’s afterglow-warm body, Ace lingered in his sentimentality. Even if it took nearly losing his life for those realizations to happen, Ace was glad he and Luffy were where they were now.
Still… Ace frowned, thoughts turning dark.
Marineford had left a lingering weight on both their hearts. Ace could recognize it every once in a while. It was the lost look in Luffy’s eyes, or the bruised squeeze of Ace’s chest, when they were reminded of how close they’d come to losing each other. Those thoughts just led to ruminating on how far apart they’d grown during their three years separated, and the idea that they might have never closed the distance. It was still strange even now, feeling their way around the changes that had sprouted up since Goa.
Sure, Ace’s heart would always know Luffy’s, and Luffy would always know his, but they’d practically been one soul before Ace left. How could they come so close to parting ways forever?
As Ace stared at Luffy’s content, lidded grin, he took in the purpling mark of hickies farther down his torso. His own back still smarted with scratches, too. But those signs of their bond would fade. Ace knew he was here to stay, but the ache in his heart lingered—the only bruise that seemed to last.
So, during the quiet spell, Ace thought about earrings.
—
“I’ll do it. The piercings.”
Luffy blinked back to awareness, after happily lingering on the edge of sleep.
Ace smiled at him. “What do you think? I’ll dedicate ‘em to you.”
Brain catching up on the train of thought, Luffy yawned, then slowly nodded. “Sounds awesome. Though...” Luffy tilted his head. “You already have tattoos for me. Right?”
Ace’s face flushed. He felt both abashed and prideful about the statement. It was true, of course: on top of the tattoos he’d previously gotten, he’d acquired some new ink on Sabaody to mark the latest chapter in his life.
This was different, though. “The tattoo’s about me joining your crew, and finding a new dream. It’s for my captain,” he said. “This, though…” Ace touched his ear, holding Luffy’s gaze. “This is for my brother.”
At the way Luffy’s breath paused, Ace decided it was time to broach the next part of his idea. Nervousness fizzled in his veins.
“Also… I want you to do it to me. The piercing itself.”
Luffy blinked at him, and Ace tried to sound steady as he continued, “I think I should get three, right here.” He brushed the rim of his ear. “One for each year we were apart.”
Luffy’s expression finally shifted, going from surprise, to tenderness, to an almost comical seriousness.
“Should I get them too?” he asked. “So we match.”
Affection flickered through Ace. “Not if you don’t want them. Besides, I was the one who left.”
“What—” Luffy frowned. “That doesn’t matter. You were following your dream, like we promised.” A burrowing animal, Luffy snuggled closer. His next words were spoken into Ace's shoulder: “I don’t wanna do it if it’s gonna make you feel bad.”
Ace stared out. It had been two years now, and he was still getting used to Luffy’s particular brand of acceptance: unconditional, unyielding, and contagious. It was almost like Luffy knew Ace regretted the brash pride of his teenage self, who’d refused to sail with his brother when the opportunity was right there.
Of course, it hadn’t made sense back then. There was no need for Ace to blame himself for following the path he had. Breathing slowly to keep his thoughts in check, Ace traced circles on Luffy’s back.
“I know,” he whispered. “Still, I just feel like… we were apart, and you were the one who brought us back together.” He hated how childish it sounded as he added, “Even though I’m the older brother.”
Ace thought over the pain he was inviting. He hadn’t gotten piercings, but he at least knew something from his tattoos. He pictured the sting in his skin… and the certainty.
“I want this,” he said firmly. He leaned back, searching Luffy’s gaze; when he felt that sureness being returned, he took Luffy’s hand.
Ace brought it to his mouth, slowly pressing a kiss to the worn knuckles. “I... I want it from you.”
Wide, dark eyes watched Ace as he trailed his lips further. He didn’t meet any resistance, so he kissed his way to Luffy’s palm, down his wrist; then he switched to Luffy’s neck, right by his jaw.
Maybe it was the intimacy of the moment, how he felt safe, yet still so, so lost. The next words were out of his mouth before Ace could think them through.
“Make me feel close to you,” he sighed. He wondered if this was where he crossed the line, because he couldn’t hold back the thread of neediness in his voice. Surely Luffy, his better, would gently let Ace know this was taking things too far. As nice as the sentiment was, a part of Ace whispered that this was a shameful idea. Asking Luffy to take part in it was another layer of obsession, clearly out of line, and his brother would put a stop to—
He felt Luffy’s pulse speed up.
Oh.
Ace took a deep breath, steeling himself. Then, he nuzzled his way to Luffy’s ear. Fully aware of how his brother’s joints went stiff and his spine shivered, Ace softly pressed:
“Bind me to you.”
The words hung in the air. Once again, Ace pulled back to look at Luffy.
His brother’s gaze was completely dilated. A black void, centered fully on Ace.
Meaning to caress Luffy’s cheek, Ace reached a hand out. However, Luffy reacted faster than Ace could register. He snatched his wrist from the air, holding it tight.
Ace was frozen. His pulse thundered. Luffy was shifting closer, pinning Ace with his gaze, clearly watching the breath shudder in and out of his chest.
And then—“OI,” Sanji’s voice cracked from outside. “Dinner’s ready!”
In their room, Ace and Luffy remained still. A few more endlessly stretched, tense moments passed before the others’ talk broke their spell.
“I can’t believe Luffy and Ace are taking this long,” Usopp’s comment came.
“Maybe they’ve been delayed?” That was Robin.
“Probably Luffy’s fault,” Nami sighed. “He better not have broken anything.” She inhaled deep, and then shouted, “Luffy!”
The brothers finally broke eye contact, glancing toward the door. Ace felt a grin pull at his lips, slight as it was.
“Better get dressed,” he said with just a note of reluctance.
Luffy breathed hard, then closed his eyes. “Yeah,” he said over a long, petulant groan. “But, hey.” He looked at Ace while he sat up, reaching for a shirt to pull on. “At dinner, let’s ask how to do it right. The piercings.”
Ace stilled.
Luffy looked at him, and Ace knew most people would simply see the knowing, good-humored warmth in his expression, like breezy clouds in a summer sky. Ace caught the other part, though. He saw the swirling, hungry thing beneath the surface. Maybe because he felt it, too.
When Luffy swung the door open to abrasive scolding, he complained, “Ow! Stop, stop, it’s not my fault! It’s not Ace’s either! Cut it out!”
Ace, for his part, wasn’t so sure he agreed.
—
In a surprising show of self-preservation on both their parts, Ace and Luffy got the experts on crew to help prepare everything.
“And this is the tool you’ll be using, alright Luffy?” Chopper was doing a valiant job of explaining things. “Franky made it special. All you have to do is squeeze—gently, okay? Are you listening?—and the needle will pierce the cartilage. Then on release, it inserts the stud. Got it? Just hold…”
Chopper demonstrated use of the tool on, of all things, a fruit rind.
“...then, release.”
The tool parted from the fruit, leaving behind a dummy piercing in the dimpled flesh.
“The real studs are ready on the tray. I’ll handle loading them in, that way they stay sterile. …Luffy?”
Luffy, who had started poking at the altered fruit rind, nodded absently. “I got most of that! Wow, this thing is awesome—you and Franky are the best!”
The compliment just set Chopper’s wobbly frown deeper. “T-that doesn’t…” Turning to Ace, Chopper sounded like he had the world on his shoulders as he asked, “Are you sure about this? I could handle the procedure instead, if you feel the need at all—”
Ace, having observed everything calmly, simply laughed. “It’ll be fine. Thank you for all your help, Dr. Chopper.”
Disarmed by the manners and use of a title, Chopper rallied to make one last plea. “I’d really like to insist we do this in the infirmary, at least. I know you’ve done your best to prepare this space, but the infirmary’s environment is much more controlled.”
This time, Luffy answered. “We want it done here!” He nodded to the room—they were once again back in Luffy and Ace’s shared quarters. “Ace is scared of needles, but he likes our room, so this keeps him comfortable!”
Chopper again looked at Ace, expression doubtful. Ace didn’t offer any denial other than a shrug. He wasn’t about to divulge the real reason—that he and Luffy had arrived at the same conclusion, almost instinctively. A ritual like this needed to happen in their bed and nowhere else. They both felt it with primal, possessive certainty, but how would anyone else understand?
Finally, Chopper sighed and stepped forward to make the final preparations. Using some kind of marker, he designated the spots Luffy would pierce along Ace’s left ear, getting Ace to confirm the positions after looking in a mirror.
“That’s… That’s everything, then.” He swabbed the tool one last time to sterilize it, and handed it to Luffy. “I’ll be right here to observe, alright?”
“Yeah!” Luffy sprang to the side of the bed. Ace, who’d been sitting on its edge, took a breath and laid back.
“This is gonna be so cool,” Luffy enthused, scooting closer. As his gaze lingered on Ace, however, his demeanor changed. The frantic buzz of energy in his limbs seemed to still the longer he looked.
Luffy brought his free hand to Ace’s temple, carefully sweeping away a long, curving bang so it more gently framed his face. Ace blinked up, keeping his respiration steady as he felt Luffy position the needle.
His brother cupped his cheek. He quietly asked, “Ready?”
“Yeah,” Ace said. Despite his racing heart, he kept carefully still.
Luffy made the first puncture. As the focused pain hit Ace and then receded, Luffy showed no sign of hesitation, even when his brother winced with the placement of the stud. Ace appreciated it. They both knew he was committed to this change. His conviction wouldn’t waver, so neither would Luffy.
Ace wanted this. And from the look in Luffy’s eyes… he did too.
Chopper came forward to examine the work. Deciding it looked as it should, he prepared the tool with the next stud. Of course, Ace was only vaguely aware of the doctor’s approval; he was too focused, instead, on Luffy’s gaze trapping his own, and Luffy’s free hand casually slipping into his hair.
With the shock of the first piercing out of the way, Ace was somehow able to focus on his body as a whole during the second. The pain again rode its wave outward—but there was also the pressure of Luffy’s elbow near his shoulder, the chill of the air on Ace’s mostly-bare torso. And beyond all that, there was the umbrella of Luffy’s warmth as he leaned over him, so, so close. When Luffy’s fingers began scratching against his scalp, gentle yet steady, Ace felt electrified. This time he barely even registered Chopper’s voice, trying to parse whether Luffy’s movements seemed particularly… possessive?
As they prepared for the third and final piercing, Ace remembered his words from earlier. Make me feel close to you.
Three years apart, whittled down to just one undone stitch. Ace studied his brother, and felt the world narrow to the two of them as Luffy positioned the tool. Luffy tracked every minute twitch of Ace’s face, every stirring of breath over his lips. Ace’s flesh yielded to his touch.
Ace didn’t necessarily want to hide from his brother’s gaze… but he felt exposed when Luffy retracted the needle, and Ace shivered, and Luffy’s eyes swallowed the movement up like a hawk tailing prey.
Hadn’t Ace wanted this? Didn’t he know, on some level, that he’d be baring himself totally to Luffy today?
Chopper’s final approval was a mere haze to Ace at this point. The only thing he noticed, while their long-suffering crewmate retrieved his supplies and left, was Luffy’s stare searing into him. Still seated at his side, arm braced by Ace's shoulder, Luffy lowered his head even closer. His eyes were lidded, but still quick as they flickered across Ace’s face, matching the dart of his tongue across parched lips.
“Ace,” Luffy murmured, drinking his brother in. He took in Ace’s hair, grown long and soft lately, spilling gently around his jaw and neck; Ace’s broad, lovely shoulders, now sinking into the comforter of their bed, hiding almost shyly in the material; and the blush, spreading like a fever across his freckled cheeks. It spilled beautifully into the pink, heated rim of his ear, where three studs now sparkled. The ones declaring Ace’s commitment to him. His devotion. His offering of himself, wholly, a willing present in their bed—
“Ace,” Luffy groaned, sinking his head into Ace’s neck and baring his teeth. All he knew then was the drag of skin across his tongue, the prick of salt rising to meet his hungry mouth. He scraped and lapped against the column of Ace’s throat, in his single-minded instinct to have.
“L-Luffy!” he heard his brother pant, spine arching. At the sound—airy, startled, and vulnerable—Luffy knew he needed more. He pulled back briefly, holding off his daze long enough to get his bearings.
Ace felt the mattress near his hip compress under Luffy’s knee, and then Luffy was shoving his way over, knees tactlessly bumping Ace’s legs out of the way. What happened next was a chaotic rush. Luffy’s mouth was back on Ace’s skin, licking a greedy stripe up Ace’s abs; his fingers scrabbled around Ace’s hips to undo his belt. Then, somehow, his lips were higher, sucking marks under the swell of one pec while his hands clutched and pushed. Ace’s thighs were up, pants dragged off—Luffy parted from his chest just long enough to get everything out of the way. Then he latched back on, earning a hiss from Ace when his tongue swept over a nipple and stayed, insatiable.
With Luffy’s hips settled properly, he seemed frightfully content to linger there, exploring how much pleasure he could extract from his brother. He ground himself between Ace’s legs, driving up the heat between them, while his mouth made a slow, steady mess of Ace’s chest. Ace shivered under the assault. His breath left him in pants and moans, unable to even form Luffy’s name reliably with the sultry fever plaguing his mind. Sweat trickled down his neck, made worse when Luffy lifted his head and stared with that red, wet mouth. Under Luffy’s gaze, Ace felt hot and obscene, too aware of his sloping, trembling body. He was just like the fruit from before, dripping flesh presented solely for Luffy’s delight.
Desperate, Ace tangled his fingers in his brother’s unruly hair and pulled, gratified when Luffy obligingly shifted to his lap at his neck, and then mouth. Finally, their lips slid together. Ace was already lightheaded, but only got dizzier as his brother kissed him; it suddenly felt like his lips wouldn’t know any sensation again, except for the feeling of being sweetly abused by Luffy's tongue and teeth.
Ace arched again, canting his hips against Luffy's in a way that had his brother groaning into his mouth. Luffy immediately started shoving his own clothes away, abruptly aware of them and clearly wanting them gone.
Once their cocks were free to slide together, Ace practically predicted the words that fell from Luffy’s mouth.
“Needa be inside,” he gritted out. “Are you still loose? From before? Don’t—don’t think I can wait—or stretch you right—”
“S’okay,” Ace breathed, petting Luffy's hair even as he tried to stave off his own desperation. “Just, get it slick. Lube, in the table—come on—”
“Yeah,” Luffy gasped, reaching toward the bedside table and nearly tearing the drawer out of its hinges. He was sloppy getting it along his dick, so much falling messily on the bed. It didn’t matter. Luffy stared down again at Ace, his miraculous, trusting brother, splayed out across the bed; at the flushed, curving bulk of his body, the twisting locks stuck to his neck with sweat, his panting, parted lips and lust-hazed eyes. Ace was waiting, submissive and sweet and waiting for him.
Finally, Luffy was back over Ace, spearing himself slowly inside. Ace’s head rang. For the second time that night, he winced at Luffy’s invasion; but like before, it was completely worth it. Pleasure was already surging through him as his brother started moving, knowing exactly what Ace liked, what he was looking for.
Closeness. Acceptance. Everything Ace had to offer, taken by the one person who mattered, for all it was worth.
Ace bore the tender throb in his ear, and the sweet, pulsing heat in his gut, probably babbling nonsense as he stared up at Luffy—his everything.
Anyone else would have made Ace reign in the gnawing, desperate thing inside him long before now. But not Luffy. No, Luffy was just as greedy as Ace, but what was that between them, if not love?
“Please, please, please,” Ace said, over and over. Luffy was entranced with the way he panted in time to his thrusts, finally feeling so drunk with arousal that he had to devour the sound.
“Of course. Got you,” Luffy moaned into his lips. “Told you, always got you.” He pulled back to watch Ace’s eyes flutter, and the way his sharp chin bobbed against his chest as he surrendered more and more to pleasure.
“That’s it,” Luffy breathed, grinding slowly. His eyes trailed over Ace's body, taking in the marks and bites he'd pressed into his brother's willing flesh—across his pecs, all around his collar bones and throat, down his stomach and gyrating hips...
When Ace's moans switched to Luffy's name, it didn't take long for his thrusts to lose all restraint. The only things he knew were Ace’s head tipping back, slick throat choking with gasps; Ace’s fingernails rasping through his hair, spasming down his back; and the gorgeous, full-body seize that came with Ace’s release, strong thighs squeezing around Luffy's hips.
Luffy wasn’t far behind. He buried his nose against Ace’s chest, taking in the scent of his sweat, his spend, the smell of the two of them combined. When he looked up, forearms locked together behind the lolling arch of his brother’s back, he caught Ace’s eyes just barely open in their fucked-out bliss.
Luffy grunted, thinking of how this was just the start. The idea didn’t come to him in words, but he savored it nevertheless: the thought of keeping Ace on his cock all night, fucking until the sun rose, maybe longer—for days and days, as long as he wanted. Because Ace was his forever, now. Maybe he even said it out loud—why else would his brother’s eyes widen like that, like he understood? And—oh—
Luffy finished inside Ace, his brother's needy hole milking him until his seed dripped sloppily onto the bed. Smiling, he rubbed his cheek into his brother’s skin with the same lazy assurance as the last few languid, oozing pumps of his hips.
Coming down from the high, Luffy’s shuddering breaths tapered into dazed exhales. He stared blearily at Ace’s bitten collar bones, ear pressed to Ace’s skin. His brother’s pulse was frantic, though even that modulated itself eventually, settling into calm.
Luffy lifted his head just slightly. He wanted to give into the pull of sleep, but needed one last reassurance from Ace.
Feeling the shift, Ace blinked his eyes back open, letting out a tired mumble. Luffy’s gaze had finally lost that all-consuming intensity, but captured Ace’s heart just the same. For now, this was again the face of his guileless, loving brother.
Ace smiled, thumbing the rim of his ear forward. Considering everything that had just happened, it was probably unexpectedly cheeky, but he was feeling loose-limbed and freer than he'd ever been in his life.
He knew the change in angle would make the studs twinkle, and probably catch his brother’s eye. Probably, because he was at last too exhausted to keep his head up; he let it thud back onto its pillow, determined to sleep until his aching muscles stopped their complaints.
Slipping into slumber, Ace didn’t catch the twinge of heat that his little trick provoked. Luffy blinked, shifting his hips again as his fingers depressed Ace’s flesh ever, ever so slightly.