Chapter Text
Luffy didn’t know a ship could get bigger than the Red Force. He still thought the Red Force looked cooler, but the Moby Dick looked like a whale, so it was a pretty close second.
He loved the Piece of Spadille too, but it wasn’t making his list.
Especially because he’d told Ace they needed something awesome like a lion as the figurehead when they were designing it, and that jerk had laughed at him.
Luffy’s future ship would have a lion, and it would be a million times better than the Piece of Spadille’s dumb horse.
And more comfortable to sit on! There was barely any room on the dumb horse, so what was the point?
He hadn’t found a good spot on the Moby Dick yet, either.
Another reason the Red Force was cooler! It had a dragon and was the absolute best nap spot. Shanks thought so too. And sometimes, Luffy could even convince Ace to nap there with him, which was nice. Shanks called it bullying, but Luffy had always been able to convince Ace to curl up with him for a nap for as long as he could remember. And even though Ace would grumble and act like he didn’t want to, he never fought much, so Luffy didn’t care what Shanks called it.
Still, exploring another pirate ship was awesome, even if Ace said he couldn’t climb the mast yet.
Spies weren’t supposed to be seen.
Which was stupid. How was he supposed to spy on the whole ship if he couldn’t get up high enough to see it?
Being up high would make finding Ace easier, too. His stupid brother wasn’t in bed where Luffy had left him, and now he had to carry a whole plate around looking for him.
He’d tried crawling through the vent with Ace’s food, but the plate wouldn’t fit right. Moving was weird when he couldn’t put both hands down, and then he’d almost spilled the meat.
And nothing was worse than spilled meat.
Luckily, Bread-Hair was a really good guy with really good ideas. He’d said something about sticking to the shadows on deck.
And Kimono had said he’d be like a ninja.
Ninjas were almost as cool as pirates!
Luffy decided then and there that getting Ace his food meant becoming a ninja-spy-pirate. Kimono even gave him a ninja mask! It kinda made his nose itch, though. And then Bread-Hair gave him super special spy sunglasses too!
And Luffy knew he had to look like the best ninja-spy-pirate there was because Bread-Hair couldn’t stop grinning at him, even as he and Kimono followed him from a small distance.
Which was fine because they probably wanted to learn how to sneak like him. Luffy would teach them!
He crouched lower and held Ace’s plate above his head as he shuffled behind a barrel as another crew member passed on the back deck.
Bread-Hair made a funny choking noise behind him.
Luffy peeked around the barrel and pressed a finger to his mask. “Shhh!”
Kimono nodded very seriously and grabbed Bread-Hair by the shoulder. Good. At least one of them understood the mission.
He’d have to tell Pineapple about Ace. He’d given his brother a very important job – staying in bed – and Ace had already messed it up. Pineapple had said to take it easy for three days. It’d only been two since Luffy found him in the infirmary!
Ace was stupid and always forgot to look after himself. That was why he needed Luffy to remind him. And maybe tie him down to the bed. There was plenty of rope around, and he was getting pretty good at knots…
(“You’ve got a secret superpower, Lu. Tell him you’re worried about him, and he’ll fold like paper.”)
Luffy missed Sabo. Ace listened to him better, no matter what Sabo thought. Ace would just brush Luffy off.
He shifted the plate into one hand and smacked his cheek with the other. No. No thinking of Sabo right now. Focus. Find Ace.
Luffy crept along the deck with the plate held carefully in both hands. The sunglasses kept sliding down his nose, and pushing them back up meant balancing the meat with one hand. And his face was starting to feel kinda hot beneath the mask, too.
Being a ninja-spy-pirate was harder than it looked.
It didn’t help that the ship had so much stuff, and Luffy kept getting distracted by it all. Ropes thick enough to swing on, stairs leading up to more deck, and doors that probably had even more interesting things behind them. Way overhead, the sails puffed out in the wind. Luffy tipped his head back to look until his straw hat bumped against his shoulders.
He bet he could see forever from up there.
No. Later. Important job first.
He ducked behind a stack of crates. Bread-Hair and Kimono stopped a little way back. Bread-Hair leaned against the railing, shoulders shaking, while Kimono held his fan over his mouth.
Luffy’s eyes narrowed behind the sunglasses. They weren’t taking sneaking very seriously.
He pointed at them, then at the crates. Kimono obediently stepped behind one. Most of him still stuck out, but Luffy nodded. Better.
A man with a fancy mustache walked past carrying a coil of rope, and Luffy froze, pulling the plate closer.
Fancy mustache man glanced down at him with raised eyebrows. Looked at the plate. Then looked at Bread-Hair. “Afternoon.”
Bread-Hair’s grin widened, eyes delighted. “And what a perfect afternoon it is, Vista.”
Luffy didn’t answer. Ninjas didn’t give away their positions. If he stayed quiet, the fancy mustache man would forget he saw him.
“Have fun with that.” The man kept walking.
Ha! It was working.
Luffy shuffled around the crates and crossed to another barrel sitting beside a short flight of stairs. The wood was warm against his shoulder from sitting out in the sun. Would be a good nap spot for later.
Somewhere nearby, metal clanged, and somebody shouted to get out of the way. Luffy peeked around the barrel, curious.
Nothing. Just more people, more ropes, and a wooden divider blocking his view of the next stretch of deck.
It sounded like some kind of fight.
It’d been a while since he’d had a fight. Maybe he could get Ace to start back up their hundred matches while they stayed here. It’d be fun to show him how his super cool moves were getting better.
“Number twenty-nine,” somebody called with a laugh.
A crash split the air and then the divider burst apart. Someone caught the back of his shirt and pulled him behind the barrel again and a familiar quiet sigh; oh, Bread-Hair. Luffy clutched the plate to his chest protectively and ducked his head as splinters flew across the deck.
Ace came flying through the gap, hit the boards, rolled once, and skidded to a stop a few feet away.
A huge laugh followed him from the other side. “Gurararara!”
Luffy checked the plate real quick to make sure the meat was still okay. He tilted his head and watched Ace lie very still, glaring up at the sky. Then, his older brother sighed and pushed himself up. “Fucking—”
“Ace!”
Ace’s head turned slowly toward him. Luffy beamed behind his mask, holding out the plate. “Shishishi, found you!”
His brother stared. His eyes moved from the sunglasses to the mask and then back again. “What the hell are you wearing?”
“I’m a ninja-spy-pirate! Pretty awesome, right?”
“You look like a moron.”
Luffy scowled and shoved the plate against Ace’s chest. He would’ve aimed for his face, but that would ruin the food. “Nuh-uh! I look awesome! You’re just jealous.”
Ace rolled his eyes. He took the plate and settled it against his raised knee. He inspected the contents and snagged the biggest piece of meat. “Jealous,” he repeated around a mouthful. “Right.”
“Yep.”
“Of this?”
Before Luffy could dodge, Ace hooked a finger beneath the edge of the mask and pulled it over his eyes, knocking the sunglasses crooked.
“ACE!”
“Can’t see you now. Great disguise.”
Luffy shoved the mask down, making his sunglasses fall into his mouth; they tasted gross.
Ace laughed hard enough that Fancy Mustache stopped coiling his rope to stare. Luffy glared at him too. It wasn’t that funny.
Stupid Ace. He spat the sunglasses into his hand and wiped them on his shirt while his brother helped himself to another piece of meat. “Bread-Hair and Kimono said it was good.”
Ace stopped chewing. “Who?”
Luffy pointed behind him, where his students were watching, Bread-Hair a little closer than Kimono. Bread-Hair waved. Kimono raised his fan in greeting. Ace stared at them for a moment. Then he swallowed the food in his mouth and looked back at Luffy, finally processing the situation.
“What happened to staying hidden?”
Luffy tugged his sunglasses back into place and folded his arms. “I was.”
Ace glanced pointedly around them and then back at him. “You’re standing in the middle of the deck.” Luffy didn’t understand why he didn’t look happy. He brought him food. Luffy would’ve been thrilled if roles were reversed.
Ace was just in a bad mood because he lost again, he decided. Had to be why he was glaring at Kimono and Bread-Hair too.
“Found you already.” Obviously. Luffy stepped closer, his toes nearly touching Ace’s knee. “Don’t gotta hide from you.”
It was always safe where Ace was. Duh.
Ace opened his mouth, then shut it again. He rubbed his forehead with his free hand, nudging a few loose strands out of his eyes. “Two days,” he muttered. “Couldn’t even give me three.”
Luffy leaned forward, trying to see his face beneath the hand. “What?”
“Nothing. Deuce just owes me money.”
“Blue Doc’s got money?”
Ace snorted and lowered his hand. “He better.”
“I want some.” Luffy held out his palm.
Ace dropped a crumb into it. “No.”
Luffy stared at the crumb, then flicked it back at him. “Why?”
“Because you weren’t in the bet.” Ace brushed off his chest and helped himself to another piece of meat.
“What bet?” Luffy reached for his wrist before he could eat it. Ace lifted his hand higher, making Luffy stretch up on his toes at first and then resort to full on rubber stretching as he wrapped his arms around Ace’s wrist several times.
His brother grinned down at him.
Luffy didn’t like that grin. It usually meant something annoying was about to happen.
“Deuce said you’d make it another couple days before somebody found you. I said three days, tops. Whoever was closest…”
Luffy quickly forgot about the meat. “You bet on me?”
Ace popped it into his mouth. “And won. There was extra if I got the day right, but you couldn’t even manage that.”
“You should’ve told me!”
“So you could cheat?”
“So I could bet too!” Luffy stomped his foot.
Ace snorted. “Get your own money.”
“Then share the meat!” Luffy caught his wrist again, this time with both hands.
Ace smirked. “You brought it. I’m eating it. Sounds like teamwork to me. Besides, think of it as punishment. Instead of a timeout, I’m eating in front of you.”
“That’s not sharing!” Luffy planted his feet and tugged. “And why a punishment? I didn’t do anything wrong!”
Ace tugged his arm back suddenly, and Luffy stumbled, still clutching his wrist. His brother’s grin widened.
Stupid Ace. He did that on purpose.
Luffy drew breath to tell him so, but cut off, noticing the thin red line running down Ace’s forearm. Blood had reached the heel of Ace’s hand. There was a splinter caught near his elbow, too. “Hold still.”
“What—ow, you little shit.”
Luffy pulled it free and flicked it onto the deck. “You had wood in you.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
“You’re welcome.” He wiped his fingers on Ace’s shorts, ignoring the offended noise that earned him. It was still bleeding pretty good. Luffy stared at the blood with mild fascination.
Kimono stepped closer, and suddenly, Ace’s hand closed around Luffy’s wrist. Not hard but enough to stop him moving, kinda like he would when he heard rustling in the bushes and thought a tiger was close by. Ace’s grin disappeared as he looked up at Kimono, wariness in his eyes.
Luffy glanced between them, confused at the reaction. “It’s Kimono.”
“Commander Izou,” Ace corrected. “I can see that.”
Kimono stopped a few feet away. He held out a folded white cloth, leaving his other hand loose at his side. It looked like a fancy napkin. Not like Sabo’s fancy napkin he wore around his neck, though. “For your arm.”
“Why are you being weird?” Luffy asked when Ace just eyed it without moving. He reached out to grab it himself, but his brother’s fingers tightened just enough to hold him back. “Ace.”
A pause. Then Ace let go.
Luffy eyed him for another moment before taking the cloth. He pressed against the scratch with a little too much force if the way Ace startled was anything to go by. “Big baby.”
They got cut up a lot in the jungle. It wasn’t a big deal. They usually patched each other up; didn’t even need to bother the bandits for it.
“A little gentler,” Kimono advised.
Ace hissed through his teeth. “A lot gentler.” It was funny recognizing when Ace wanted to curse but was trying to be nice and proper like Makino taught him. It didn’t always work.
Luffy eased off. “Sorry. Better?”
“Better.” Ace sighed. He rolled his free arm a little, muscles stiff and sore.
Kimono stayed where he was. Ace watched him for another moment out of the corner of his eye before taking the cloth from Luffy. “Before you push my arm off.”
Luffy stuck his tongue out.
His brother’s free hand settled against his back, keeping him tucked beside Ace’s knee. Ace looked from Kimono to Bread-Hair. “You two have anything better to do?”
“Dinner, actually.” Bread-Hair crouched nearby, resting his forearms on his knees. “Which your brother helped me make. So you’d better finish that.”
“I’m eating, aren’t I?” Ace snorted. “Though knowing Lu helped… makes me wonder if it’s even edible.”
“Hey!”
“He can’t be that bad. He was a pretty big help,” Bread-Hair boasted, making Luffy preen with confidence because yes, yes he was. “Even stopped eating to make sure there was enough for you.”
Ace looked skeptical. “And yet, here he is trying to bully me into taking over the plate.”
Luffy deadweighted against his side, trying to annoy him. “Because sharing is caring. I shared, so you gotta share.”
Ace’s arm tightened around him. Luffy didn’t mind that part much. He hadn’t gotten to cuddle with Ace much lately. Even if his brother was being stupid, he’d missed it.
Still, it made looking around him at the broken wall harder.
Luffy leaned farther, trying to glean pieces of the short fight he’d missed. “Soooo, you lost again.”
Ace’s eyes narrowed. “I’m working on it.”
“Twenty-nine times?” Luffy needled, getting his revenge for Ace being a jerk.
“Who’s counting?”
“Everybody. Duh.”
Bread-Hair snickered. “He’s got you there.” Kimono turned his face behind his fan. Ace glared at both of them; the kind of look that usually meant Luffy would find himself tied to a tree with his own arms.
Luffy grinned. “I bet I could beat you now.”
Ace squawked in offense. “You couldn’t beat me if I was asleep.”
“I could if I was quiet.”
“You’ve never been quiet in your life.”
“I’m a ninja!”
Ace hooked a finger beneath his mask and gave it a tug. Luffy swatted him away, laughing, then grabbed the plate as Ace shifted to get up.
His brother planted a hand on the deck.
Stopped.
Luffy’s grin faded a little. Bread-Hair went quiet too. He caught a frown on his face out of the corner of his eye.
Ace tried again, slower this time, and got one foot beneath him. His mouth went tight. He wasn’t even looking at Luffy anymore.
That was wrong. Usually he’d have shoved Luffy over by now just to prove he could.
“You’re still all busted up,” Luffy said.
“I’m fine.”
“Didn’t say you weren’t fine. Said you’re busted up.”
“Very helpful.”
Luffy pursed his lips and leaned forward, trying to catch Ace’s eye. “You’re supposed to be in bed,” he said, as if just remembering.
“And you’re supposed to be invisible. Guess we’re both disappointing people today.” Ace sounded tired. Frustrated. Luffy didn’t like it.
“That’s different.”
“Is it?”
“Yeah. I got you food.” Luffy pointed at the broken divider. “You broke a wall.”
Bread-Hair made a choking noise.
Ace looked past Luffy, eyes narrowing. “Something funny?”
“Nothing, nothing.” Bread-Hair raised both hands. “Think the kid’s right though. Maybe stop by the infirmary on your way back in?”
Luffy held the plate out of Ace’s way and offered his free hand. Ace looked at it, then pushed himself upright without taking it.
Stupid.
Luffy kept his hand out until Ace was standing. Just in case. Then he pressed it against his hip and tipped his head back to glare. “Pineapple said to take it easy for three days. He's gonna be soooo mad.”
(“Pineapple?” Bread-Hair repeated in the background, eyes widening with stars in them like he’d just been granted a gift. “That’s perfect.”)
“Yeah, well, Pineapple isn’t my captain, is he? He can get in line.”
“Fine. I’ll be mad first,” Luffy decided, chest puffing up.
Ace’s mouth twitched.
Luffy scowled harder. He wasn’t being funny. This was serious, and Ace was making it really difficult. He pulled the sunglasses off and hooked them into the front of his shirt. Then he pushed his mask down beneath his chin. “There. You can see I’m mad now.”
Another mouth twitch. “I was getting the general idea.” Ace brushed a bit of wood dust from Luffy’s hair. Luffy stood still for it, watching the way his brother kept his other arm close to his side.
Still busted up. No matter what he said.
“You can finish eating in bed.” Luffy waved the plate to remind him what was at stake.
Ace’s eyes followed it. “I can finish eating here.”
“And then you’d just fight the banana man again.”
Somebody laughed beyond the broken divider, leaving Ace flushed a bright pink as his head snapped around. “You stay out of this!”
Luffy leaned sideways, trying to see past him. There was a really big shadow through the gap.
The banana man. Luffy really wanted to sneak a peek.
And maybe fight him too.
Ace noticed. Of course he noticed. His hand settled on top of Luffy’s head and turned it pointedly away. “No.”
“I didn’t say anything!”
“Worse. You were about to do something stupider than normal.”
Luffy puffed out his cheeks.
Ace pushed Luffy’s hat down over his eyes. “Keep talking. See what happens.”
Luffy shoved the brim back up, grinning despite himself. “Bed happens.”
“No.”
“Food and bed.” He lifted the plate beneath Ace’s nose. His brother’s eyes dropped to it before he could pretend he wasn’t interested. “Then you can lose again tomorrow.”
“I’m not going to lose.”
“Good. You’re getting boring.”
Ace opened his mouth, offended, and reached for him. Luffy caught his hand before he could grab the mask again. He threaded his fingers between Ace’s and tugged toward the stairs. “Come on. You can handle a day, baby.”
His brother’s fingers shifted around his. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, Ace glanced back toward the broken divider and clicked his tongue.
“One,” he muttered.
Luffy beamed. “Shishishi, good.” He tugged again, and Ace took a step after him.
Behind them, Bread-Hair said, “Remarkable. Should’ve tried that two weeks ago.”
Ace raised his free hand without turning around and made a gesture Makino didn’t like.
Luffy kept pulling him toward the stairs.
Deuce stepped into the bedroom and paused. Both eyebrows rose even as a grin started spreading across his face. “What did the brat do now?”
Said brat scowled from the bunks, his rubber arms wound around the bedpost and knotted together. He tugged once, making the knot tighten. “Nothing! I’m innocent.”
“Innocent my ass,” Deuce snorted. He closed the door and leaned against it, folding his arms. “Guessing Operation: Spy is over with now?” The question was directed at Ace, who was lounging in the bottom bunk, orange hat covering his eyes.
“Yeah.”
“No!”
“Made friends with two of the commanders, apparently.”
Deuce glanced back at Luffy. The boy had abandoned pulling and was now trying to reach the knot with his teeth. Yeah, that sounded about right. This was Luffy, after all. “Which ones?”
Ace sighed. “Izou and Thatch. Better than it could’ve been, I guess.”
“Helps that you like Thatch.”
“I don’t. He’s just persistent,” Ace muttered, but Deuce knew his captain better than that, knew him better than himself even.
Which was why all Deuce did was roll his eyes. He’d heard Ace complain about persistent people before. Usually right before finding room for them on his ship.
No point saying that out loud.
Didn’t mean they were staying here, of course, but he knew Ace wasn’t half as miserable as he pretended to be.
He pushed away from the door and crossed to the bunk. “Any new war wounds for me to check out?”
“Already took care of that!” Luffy abandoned the knot and straightened proudly. “I put my foot down.” He gave an adamant nod.
“Oh you did, did you?” Deuce’s grin widened. “Our captain can be pretty thick-headed, so good job.”
When in doubt, Luffy was the best way to get their captain’s injuries looked after. Ace could hide a wound from Deuce for hours. From his brother? Usually about five minutes.
The reward system helped.
Unfortunately, his stash of suckers was still aboard the Spadille. He’d have to keep count until he could replace it.
Ace lifted the brim of his hat just enough to glare at him.
Deuce held out a hand. “Arm.” Just because he was already looked over didn’t change that Deuce preferred to see for himself. Made it easier to compensate in a fight if he knew what he was working with.
Ace stared. “It’s a scratch.”
It was a bit more than a scratch. Dumbass was covered in bruises. Deuce wouldn’t be surprised if he’d sprained something too.
“Then this’ll be quick. Don’t be a baby.”
Luffy nodded so vigorously the bedpost creaked. “He’s all busted up.”
“Traitor,” Ace muttered.
“I’m innocent!”
The scene eased something tight in Deuce’s chest, glad to see the two brothers bickering like normal. There was nowhere on the seas he’d rather be than with these two. Wouldn’t even be alive if he hadn’t run into them on Sixis.
Ace finally offered his arm. Deuce supported his wrist with one hand and turned it toward the light, leaving the scratch alone for now. With the other, he gently pressed around the wrist, watching Ace’s face before working his way up the forearm.
Ace’s fingers twitched.
“There?”
“No.”
Deuce looked at him.
Ace looked back.
“You know,” Deuce said, “this goes a lot faster when you stop lying to me.”
“Then stop asking stupid questions.”
“Excellent,” he said dryly. “We’re making progress.” He shifted his supporting hand beneath Ace’s forearm. Ace let him, though his fingers curled against the blanket when Deuce moved closer to his elbow.
Luffy leaned around the bedpost, trying to see. “He did that getting up too.”
Ace turned his head to look at him. “You taking notes now, brat?”
“Maybe.”
“Keep ‘em to yourself.”
“Nope.”
Deuce bit back a smile. “What did you land on?”
“The deck.”
“Which part of you hit it first?”
Ace’s mouth flattened. He glanced toward Luffy then back, and Deuce tried not to groan. As much as Luffy was the secret weapon to knowing if Ace was hurt or not, it was a double-edged sword too since his captain hated showing his pain to his little brother. They’d had many arguments about it in the past, Ace adamant that he didn’t want to worry Luffy any when there wasn’t a point to.
“Shoulder. Maybe.”
Deuce moved his hand higher. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“Ask me again in five minutes.”
“Lift your arm.”
Ace started to, then stopped well short of where Deuce wanted it. His jaw tightened.
Deuce didn’t push. He lowered the arm carefully back onto the blanket. “Right. That can stay there for now.” He grabbed a spare pillow and slid it underneath for better support.
“It’s fine.”
“Then you won’t mind resting it.” There was a challenge to his voice.
Ace gave him a deeply unimpressed look.
From the other side of the bunk, Luffy made a small triumphant noise. “See? Bed.”
“I’m already in bed.”
“Stay.”
“I’m not a freaking dog!” Ace reached toward the bedpost with his good hand. Luffy ducked, nearly knocking his forehead against it.
"Woof."
Deuce caught Ace’s wrist before he could grab his brother. He gave him a pointed look before releasing his hand and crossing to the washbasin. A clean cloth hung over its edge with a small stack of supplies set neatly beside it.
Someone had replenished them.
Deuce paused then took what he needed. Behind him, the bunk creaked, catching his attention. He glanced back. Ace had shifted forward, his hand braced beside his hip. His eyes narrowed. “Where are you going?”
Ace gave him a sardonic look and then looked at the overall room. “Nowhere, obviously.”
“Good. Saves me asking you to lie back down.”
Ace sank against the pillow with a muttered curse.
Deuce dampened the cloth and returned to the bunk. He removed the old bandage and cleaned the new blood from Ace’s forearm while Luffy watched, chin propped awkwardly against one of his own stretched arms.
“Can you untie me now?”
“Depends,” Deuce said. “You tied up just for being a tattletale? Or something else?”
“Because Ace is mean.” It was said with such sincere, heartfelt belief.
“Compelling testimony.”
“He kept trying to steal my food,” Ace defended.
“I brought it!”
“For me.”
“I saved the biggest pieces!”
“And I appreciated them.”
Luffy kicked a heel against the bedframe. “Stupid Ace.”
Deuce glanced at the empty plate on the bedside table. Not a scrap left. Whatever argument they’d had over it, someone had won.
Probably both of them.
He covered the scratch, then set the supplies aside and held out his hand again. “Other arm.” Ace stared. Deuce waited. With an aggrieved sigh, his captain offered it, looking away with an expression pretty close to a pout.
Luffy watched for another moment before beginning to worry at his knot with his teeth again.
These two…
“Don’t,” Deuce said without looking at him. Luffy froze, mouth still open. “I’ll get you loose. Just let me finish this.”
The boy immediately sat straighter.
Ace looked betrayed. “You’re rewarding him.”
“I’m negotiating.”
“With a terrorist.”
“Learned from his brother.” Deuce checked the other arm and then nodded toward Ace’s ribs. “Those next. Shirt off.”
“Those are old!”
“And I’m sure you’ve reinjured them when you fell.”
“Got thrown,” Luffy corrected. “Banana mustache man threw him.”
Ace stared at his brother. Deuce pressed his lips together until he trusted himself to speak without giving into the urge to throttle his captain. He’d warned him to hold off on any more attempts. And from the whispers he’d caught, this wasn’t even the first one since the last time he was in the infirmary.
“Thank you for the clarification, Luffy.”
“You’re welcome!”
Ace lifted his hat and settled it over his face again. “Both of you can fuck off.”
For a moment, Deuce let the quiet settle. He could hear people moving in the corridor, the soft knock of something against the adjoining wall. Luffy’s heel began tapping the bedframe again, unable to stay still for long. (There was a reason why they always had someone keeping an eye on him on the Spadille.)
His captain wasn’t asleep. The hand resting on his stomach was still curled too tightly.
“Did they give you trouble?” Deuce asked at last.
Ace’s fingers loosened a fraction. “Who?”
“The commanders.”
“No.” Deuce thought Ace sounded almost disappointed. Probably hoping they’d prove him right to not trust them. Feral jungle brat logic that Deuce tried and failed to understand most of the time.
Luffy leaned forward. “Bread-Hair gave us food. Kimono gave me a mask.”
“That explains the outfit.” He’d assumed Luffy just went snooping and stole whatever caught his attention. Wouldn’t be the first time.
“And sunglasses!”
“Then he tried to eat them,” Ace said beneath the hat.
“They fell!”
“Into your big mouth.”
Deuce glanced at the sunglasses hooked into Luffy’s shirt. One lens bore a cloudy smear.
He decided not to ask.
“Did they follow you back?”
Ace pushed the brim up again, eyes serious and lips thinned.
“Follow us?” Luffy repeated, confused. “I found him.”
“I gathered that.” Deuce kept his attention on Ace.
“...Yeah. Thatch followed us down.”
There it was. Not anger about the food or the disguise, then. At least, not only that. He didn’t know much about Ace and Luffy’s past. Ace didn’t like talking about it, and Luffy, for as much as he talked, never really gave out anything important about it that could make the picture any clearer.
But Deuce saw the way Ace always watched Luffy like a hawk when other people were around. Wild animals or sea beasts? He’d shrug and say the kid could look after himself. But people?
Whatever happened back then meant Ace didn’t take chances when it came to strangers and Luffy. Which was made difficult by the fact that, to Luffy, strangers were just friends he hadn’t made yet.
He bet a shrink would have a field day with the both of them.
Deuce picked up the unused roll of bandage and set it back where he’d found it.
“Because I had the plate,” Luffy added. “He took it when we got to the stairs. Ace kept eating.”
“Vital work,” Deuce said.
“Exactly.”
His captain’s mouth twitched, then flattened again. Deuce left it alone for now. He turned toward Luffy and began working the knot loose. The boy tried to help by pulling, which tightened it immediately.
“Stop moving.”
“I’m helping.”
“Help by doing nothing for ten seconds.”
Luffy groaned but obeyed. Once Deuce loosened the first loop, the rest slipped apart. Luffy’s arms snapped back to their usual length, and he shook them out with enormous satisfaction.
Then, predictably, he climbed straight onto Ace.
“Ribs,” Deuce warned but didn’t stop him. Luffy might be the best way to keep Ace in bed, but only if he didn’t climb straight onto the injuries.
“I know.” Luffy settled carefully against his brother’s uninjured side, tucking his feet beneath him. Ace’s good arm lifted before the boy had even finished moving. Automatic. Deuce watched it settle around Luffy’s back.
Made him wish he had a cameko, the scene oddly sweet.
“There,” the boy announced. “Now you can’t go.”
Ace lowered the hat back over his eyes. “Wasn’t going anywhere, twerp.”
“Good.” Luffy pressed his cheek to his brother’s shoulder, content.
Deuce pulled the chair closer and sat down before grabbing his book from the nightstand.
He’d heard that promise before. This time, at least, their captain had a small, determined weight holding him to it.
If Ace thought Deuce had forgotten about checking those ribs though, he was in for a rude awakening later. At least he seemed to have forgotten all about the bet.
Of course, Deuce summoned bad luck with that line of thought.
The hat lifted again just enough for Ace to peek one eye out at him. "I expect my three thousand berries up front."