Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It wasn’t exactly surprising to see a pile of trash moving in the Gray Terminal. Even though it’s far from ideal, people make homes in the trash. They learn to live with it and thrive.

What was more surprising is what they actually find.

“Poor thing,” Sabo said, but he keeps his distance. 

“What is it?” Luffy asked, tilting his head. “Can we eat it?”

“We’re not eating it, Lu,” he scolded, but they all knew that someone would eventually scoop it up and devour it.

“How did it end up here?” Ace knelt closer to it. Sabo kept a firm hand on his shoulder to keep him from touching it.

Sabo clenched his teeth. Ace felt his grip on his shoulder tighten. “Some damn noble probably threw it out. Didn’t want to deal with the kittens.”

“Shit,” Ace cursed. Nobles couldn’t take responsibility for anything.

“Funny,” Sabo continued. “It doesn’t really look like a normal cat.”

“How can you tell?” It doesn’t hurt to ask. Sabo’s always been more knowledgeable about specific stuff like that.

“Its ears are kinda funny looking.”

“Maybe it’s just dirty.”

Ace wondered how long it’s been here alone, covered in dirt and garbage, filthy to the bone. That thought stirred something within him. 

He cupped his hands and held them out. The kitten sniffed his fingers then slowly crawled into his hands.

“Ace…” 

A grim thought hung in the air between them. Maybe it would be easier for the kitten if they just put it out of its misery or let it die, but they couldn’t bring themselves to end something so young and innocent. 

The kitten mewled quietly, and their hearts melted.

“You’re just like us, little guy.” An orphan.  

They didn’t go into Foosha Village much, but it was the first place they thought to go to. 

“The cats like to hang around Makino’s bar!” Luffy exclaimed as he skipped ahead of them. “She’ll know what to do!”

He got there before them, and he was already talking Makino’s ear off when Ace and Sabo arrived. 

“Slow down, Luffy,” she said. “Can you explain that again to me, please?”

He doesn’t even have to. He just pointed at Ace’s hands.

Ace could have said anything, but words found him without him realizing. “I don’t want it to die.” This little kitten could have been him or Sabo or Luffy, alone and on the brink of death. Could he just let it die like that?

Soon after, Makino had given them a towel and a bottle, 

“You don’t have to hold him,” Makino instructed. She guided Ace’s hand to hold the bottle, tilting it towards the kitten squirming weakly on the towel. “Just let him do his thing.”

Ace nudged the tip of the bottle gently against the kitten’s mouth. Slowly, it started to suckle on the tip of the bottle, feeding properly for the first time.

“He's lucky you found him,” Makino praised. She let go of Ace’s hand. 

“Will he be okay?” Luffy asked. He swung his feet back and forth from stop the barstool.

“We just have to wait and see,” she answered as she pats his head. “Do you have a name for him?”

Ace bit his lip. They weren’t even sure if he was going to survive yet. It seemed cruel to name him, but if Sabo and Luffy came up with one, he wouldn’t stop them.

“I think Ace should name him,” Sabo said.

“Mm-hm!” Luffy nodded. “Ace is a mama now.”

“Shut, up, Lu,” Ace muttered, yet he couldn’t contain the reddening of his cheeks.

Soon, the kitten was more than just bones and more than they expected.

“Looks like he’ll be fine,” Sabo commented as he stroked the top of his head, “but he’s definitely not a normal cat.”

He was already bigger than some of the kittens in the village. They’d been sizing him up every time they went since they needed to visit Makino for the proper supplies.

“You did a great job, you three,” she praised as she watched the kitten toddle around on the blanket they set out in her home. It was cold that day from the winter chill, so he kept trying to crawl towards the warmth of the kotatsu that Ace, Sabo, and Luffy had their legs tucked under. 

“Ace did all the work!” Luffy piped. He loved the kitten as well, but he was much too rambunctious to give him proper care. Sabo reassured him that they could play with the kitten once he was older. They didn’t want him bouncing off the walls and crushing the poor thing by accident after all. They’d been keeping him in their treehouse despite the risks of the natural elements, but he seemed to be as resilient as the three of them.

Ace still remembered one of those tough nights clear in his mind: 

It was snowing outside, some of it drifting inside their home. The three of them were huddled together under the mountain of blankets Makino provided to them, the kitten in the middle so they could all keep him warm. The kitten snuggled right up against Ace’s chest. Ace tried his best to remain still, so he didn’t disturb his slumber.

It was then when the kitten meowed and opened his big round eyes, looking right at Ace. 

“I got ya, little guy,” he whispered, curling a protective arm around him. “I got ya.”

Since that day, the kitten preferred Ace's attention, and would even whine when Ace left him for too long.

“Have you thought of a name now?” Makino asked. She set their plates of curry in front of them. 

Ace shrugged. “We’ve really just been calling him ‘cat’ or ‘little guy.’”

“Well, he’s a part of the family now.” She watched the kitten crawl over to Ace now. “I’m sure he’d love to have an actual name.”

“I just haven’t really thought of one.” He looked away. It’s not an easy thing to admit. It made him seem cold and distant, but he just wanted to focus on caring for him as best he could. 

The kitten dug its tiny claws into the fabric of Ace’s shorts. Ace helped him climb into his lap and lifted the futon up to tuck him under for warmth, making sure that his head was still peaking out. The kitten meowed in content,

“How cute!” Makino giggled. “Let me grab the *cameko.”

Ace wanted to protest, but he would admit, he would mind having pictures of their newest addition while he was still young. He looked down at him. The kitten’s eyes were closed, and he was making a low rumbling sound.

“He’s purring,” Sabo said. “I guess he really likes the kotatsu.”

“Kotatsu, huh,” Ace said to himself. He looked at how pleased the kitten was, and suddenly, it all made sense. “I think that works.”

Chapter Text

Ace clearly had a soft spot for Kotatsu, which of course only cemented his position as resident “cat mom.” He hated the nickname, but it only made Sabo and Luffy tease him about it more.

“Oi! Shut up!” Ace barked, but he quickly quieted down so he wouldn’t distract Kotatsu from feeding. It was hard to take his protest any seriously when he was busy holding a bottle for the kitten. Kotatsu was still feeding on milk since he was still a baby, but Sabo estimated that he would be ready for solid food in a few months. Ace didn’t quite mind the extra work though. It was actually rather relaxing to bottle feed Kotatsu, and it was super fucking adorable— not that he was about to admit that he thought that to Sabo and Luffy.

Kotatsu finished the contents of the bottle (he was ravenous just like the three of them). The wild kitten meowed happily, crawling closer to Ace and clambering his way onto his lap with his tiny claws. 

“We’re just about to go, Kota,” Ace mumbled, scratching his finger against Kotatsu’s fuzzy head. He scooped up the kitten into his hands, carefully depositing him into his pocket. Kotasu poked his head out and let out another mewl. He was a vocal one for sure, but Ace liked the sound.

Since they lived in a treehouse, carrying Kotatsu in one of their pockets was pretty much the safest way to get him up and down. Sabo told them that they could probably make some sort of pulley system. “It would help with supplies too,” he added helpfully. For now, they were still in the planning stages.

Ace didn’t like the idea of leaving Kotatsu behind in the treehouse alone, it would be too much of a trip to leave him with Makino every time, and he sure as hell didn’t trust the bandits not to cook the poor cat up. So when they went out for their daily sparring sessions, Kotatsu came along.

Of course, Ace wasn’t stupid enough to keep Kotatsu in his pocket while he fought. Whoever was sitting at the sidelines had to watch over him. Even Luffy, who was easily distracted by almost anything, was able to handle it (though unwilling).

“Hey!” Luffy whined. Kotatsu climbed up his back and onto the brim of his precious straw hat. The hat sagged and fell over Luffy’s face. “Get off!” It was no surprise that he was annoyed. A kitten’s claws were prone to poke holes into his treasure. 

“Play nice, Lu!” Ace scolded. Sabo used this moment of distraction to swing his pipe at Ace, but Ace, used to his brother’s tactics, dodged it anyway. 

“I think Luffy’s jealous,” Sabo admitted as he jumped back.

“Why would you say that?”

He shrugged. “Well, he’s not the baby anymore.”

Ace scoffed. “He’s always gonna be the baby.” Even if Kotatsu was a new addition to their family, Luffy was always going to be their baby brother. “They’ll get used to each other eventually.” Though Kotatsu already seemed plenty used to Luffy, climbing all over him like that. “We’ll fix up your hat later, Lu!” he called before he and Sabo started up another round for real this time.

They were surprised when they finished up (the result for today was a tie) to find Luffy napping peacefully, Kotatsu curled up against his side. Luffy didn’t get to spar, but it seemed like they were done for the day anyway.

Ace took Kotatsu, quietly apologizing for waking the little guy up, and put him back in his pocket. He quickly fell back asleep, head lolling against Ace’s leg. Sabo took care of Luffy, carrying him piggyback. 

Even their new family member had a place in their everyday routine. 

“I made you guys something!” Makino exclaimed with a smile. She bent down behind the counter and emerged a few seconds later with a box. 

Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were busy scarfing down their meal. Ever since Kotatsu had joined their little family, they visited Makino much more often. She didn’t mind seeing them more often too. “You three make things more lively around here!” she had insisted. Kotatsu was always welcome as well, even though the village cat seemed weary of the strange kitten.

She pulled something out of the box. Finally, they looked up from their meal.  

Sabo slurped up his noodles, “What is it?” he asked, completely ignoring the spaghetti sauce on his cheek. 

Makino rearranged it in her hands to show the straps. It seemed to be some kind of harness. “Usually, people use these for babies.” She pulled it on over her head to show off how it fit. There was a compartment in the front. “The holes are for the arms and legs,” she explained. “Kotatsu is going to grow out of your pockets eventually, so you can use this when he does!”

“Can’t he just walk?” Ace pointed out. 

“You boys move fast, I don’t know if Kotatsu won’t be able to catch up just yet.” It was hard to argue with that, but if Ace had a say, Kotatsu would be the fastest cat in the world. “Besides, I know you like carrying him.”

Ace blushed, absolutely speechless.

After they finished eating, Makino got to work repairing the tiny punctures in Luffy’s hat. Kotatsu didn’t do too much damage, but Luffy was very particular about how his hat was treated. It was his precious treasure, after all.  

“Ace needs his own hat!” Luffy piped as he watched Makino sew up a tiny hole. 

“Why do you say that, Lu?” Sabo asked. They looked at their little brother curiously. 

Luffy pointed at Kotatsu, who was sitting in Ace’s lap. “Katsu— ”

“His name is Kotatsu, Lu.”

“— keeps sitting on my hat! If Ace has his own hat, then Katsu can sit there instead!” Luffy answered adamantly. Ace had a feeling that they wouldn’t be able to correct Luffy’s pronunciation, but he almost always had food on the brain. “Ace needs a hat to match me and Sabo too!”

“I don’t need a hat, Lu,” Ace sighed. “What would I even wear?”

When the start of the new year rolled around, he was pleasantly surprised with a brand new hat: an obnoxiously orange cowboy hat that had equally obnoxious decorations. Ace loved it. Kotatsu was already taking a shine to it too, curling up inside of it whenever it was left within reach. It seemed like Luffy had been right.