Work Text:
After meeting Sabo, and then later Luffy, Ace always had hands on him.
At first it was mainly from Luffy, after they had all become brothers. The little idiot leaping from trees to tackle him or hug him, or hug and cry on him after he got eaten by another crocodile. And at night all three of them would curl into each other, limbs tangled.
Comfortable, safe; he could still feel their breath on his skin when he slept sometimes.
After a while the tactileness spread to Sabo. When they were done with their 100 spars and just laying on each other in the dirt, hugging but not really. He would lean on Ace’s shoulder whenever they stood in one place for too long.
Sabo's touches were more subtle, as if he were afraid Ace would reject it, which, to be fair, he might have if Sabo had actually verbalized what they were doing. He was pretty bad with emotions as a child.
(he still was if he was honest)
After Sabo died… Luffy came to him more often. More touching, more hands.
On his back when he carried him, on his sides when Luffy hugged him, on his head if the little monkey was trying to “sneak attack” him. It was surprising to be honest, because looking back he and his little brother were basically joined at the hip along with Sabo, so how could they be even closer than they were? Maybe now that their third was gone he was getting the attention that was given to Sabo? What an awful thought.
(and yet here they were)
The hands weren’t always nice. His grandfather comes to mind, but that was an explanation in itself.
Dadan acted like she hated even the idea of anyone under 20 coming within a mile of her. Her touches were: smacks to the back of the head, a shove out the door, a rough hand on his shoulder. But he remembers the night Sabo died; that was the only time they were allowed to sleep in her bed.
She was their surrogate mother after all.
Even when it was only him and Luffy though, there were always hands, and they were always touching.
Makino. Sweet, kind, beautiful Makino.
( A second mother? his mind whispered. Ace flushed at the thought. The third technically. )
She taught him manners and how to be polite, even to people you don’t like. She was sweet, yes, but she wasn’t afraid to be stern if he was too bull headed. The people of Fūsha claimed she’d never hurt a fly, but Ace remembered the feel of his ear being twisted when he and Luffy had broken plates in the bar by wrestling.
(his ears twinged)
Still, Makino hugged him if he were frustrated with something, rested her hand on his head when she was proud of him, gripped his wrists when she wanted him to listen carefully, squeezed his shoulder when she caught him being gentle with Luffy.
(gentle? To Luffy? ...ha!)
After he left the island (and his brother, and Dadan, and Makino, and his grandfather ), there were still hands.
He was quick to find a crew, it only took him a month believe it or not. When he collected them all there were more hands than he thought he could stand; he got used to it though.
A hair ruffle here, looping their arm though his, a pat on the back, a squeeze to the shoulder, his first mate hugging him.
An arm over his shoulder, a back to his when fighting a rival crew, a hand on his forehead after he ate his devil fruit and their doctor thought he was sick.
There was lots of cuddling after he ate his fruit, especially near the colder islands and wow he attracted a lot of touchy feely people.
(he didn’t deserve it)
Then there was Jinbei, and a wall of fire, and Whitebeard, and being stuck on the Moby without his crew and then-
And then there were no more hands and—
It was awful.
Even a fight would be better than what he experienced during those next 100 days.
(it was half the reason he attacked Whitebeard, besides the need to prove himself. getting punched was a step down from a hug but fuck he needed—)
He fought Whitebeard everyday, and after a few weeks the captain’s hands were all he knew.
Time passed, 100 days, and they asked him one more time, Join us! Let us be your family! He finally agreed, but there were still no hands. At least not at first, but eventually they came, starting with Thatch, his crew mate, his—
(family? his brother, his siblings? what was this warm feeling again?
he doesn't deserve this.)
Thatch grabbed his arm that first morning he spent on the ship as one of theirs, to lead him to breakfast. It was the best food he’d ever eaten, especially since Thatch had stayed with Ace to eat. He put his arm around his shoulder and joked and said some other things, but all Ace could think was, Oh thank God the hands are back.
Throughout the rest of the day (and long after) he was treated exactly the way Makino had treated him, and how Sabo had treated Luffy, and how he treated Luffy when he thought his brother wouldn’t make a big deal of it.
He was treated as younger, as a little brother, and it was... nice.
Advice, hands correcting his grip on a weapon, a foot to move his to a better fighting stance, a palm on his lower back to steady him, an arm around the back of his neck to press his forehead to theirs.
The nurses were gentle when he came in for his checkups, hands brushing his hair away from his face and fingers dancing lightly on his arms. All except Winny, the head nurse, she was rougher when he came in, though it was justified since half his injuries were usually from something stupid. She was: a tight grip on his arm and a threatening stranglehold on his chin.
(he saw the concern in her eyes)
Marco was the best worst when it came to touching. It was strange that he touched him at all since he was the 1st Division Commander and therefore should not have time for him, yet-
At night, when he was drowning in self doubt or thinking about his cursed blood ( fuck you Roger ), it was Marco who always came, like he could read his mind from across the ship.
Marco was complicated. He touched Ace the least, but when he did, god did it mean the most.
He tucks Ace into bed.
(he is not a child!)
He rests his hand on Ace’s head, combing his fingers through his hair and just looks at him. No one has looked at him like that except Luffy and Makino ( and Sabo ). All love and adoration and I’ll keep you safe even if you think you don’t need it.
“What are you thinking about yoi?”
Ace glares at him, a blush on his face. He turns over on the bed and covers his head with his blanket, displacing Marco’s hand.
(they gave him his own room because he’s the youngest. precious baby brother, he’d heard some of the nurses whisper.)
“Why is family so handsy?” he complains quietly.
Marco let out a soft laugh and Ace buries himself deeper in his bed in embarrassment.