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The mornings were predictable, but Ace didn’t mind.
A chill would come as the blankets were moved, emptiness inviting itself in and making the other two bodies stir with its presence. They would adjust quickly as their bodies reoriented to fill in the loss and seek out the warmth of the other, the smell of cigarettes bringing comfort of the third and letting them return to sleep with ease.
Even when he was gone, they still had him close.
Behind them, sounds of a ritual would begin like a soft alarm and bringing with it words need not spoken. The early morning was Sanji’s domain, and they were happy to let him have it if it mean soaking in the last few moments of lazy bliss before the sunlight took the peace. Ace wrapped tighter around the lithe body in his arms, fingers dancing along the notches of his spine and following the patterns of ink he had memorized over the years.
Underneath him, a sigh would come with each trace of a swirl and an unconscious chase of the touch as Law nuzzled closer into the embrace. He was always like this – confident and needy when he didn’t have that pesky pride of his in the way. But Ace didn’t mind. It was a treat when he got to see that stoic face twist into a pout at any threat of loneliness, tattooed fingers grasping around his waist and pulling him close.
It was a precarious move when Ace’s stomach would growl from the smell of breakfast wafting into the room. Sanji’s cooking was hypnotizing and he knew it, using it to his advantage to coax either of them into events or, to get one of them to give up their movie night votes for another run of a beloved romantic comedies.
But most days, it was a labor of love that made fighting sleep even harder for Ace.
He’d come to associate the smell of bacon and eggs with soft light as it crept past the blanket, the black hair tickling his skin unchanging as it sat wild against his abdomen. Every morning, he would have to untangle himself from the sleeping bear in a conflict the doctor would forget as soon as he woke up. Law was an impossibly sound sleeper despite his job – or perhaps, because of it – and it was a trait Ace and Sanji would joke about over prep nibbles and freshly brewed coffee that Law desperately needed to be present.
However, making the coffee was Ace’s job, and that unfortunately meant getting out of bed.
“Hey, big guy. I have to get up now, okay?”
A pitiful groan came in response, nothing Ace hadn’t heard before even when his warnings came with a gentle hand in his hair and kisses meant to soften the blow. He knew who he was dealing with as sleeping Law required more finesse, more praise and affection that the awake Law wouldn’t demand outright.
And Ace?
Well, he was more than happy to indulge this side of him.
He would give another gentle request littered with kisses and gentle rubs, tucking his nose into the cocktail of disinfectant and mint shampoo lingering on Law’s hair. The fruits of his efforts would show in the way Law loosened up around him at the mention of Sanji, his weaknesses on display even when unconscious. Still, Law wasn’t above guilting him, and Ace would hear another chorus of sleepy whines come from the bed before a pillow would take his place.
“If only he was that cute when he was awake.” Ace sighed, watching his otherwise reserved boyfriend cradle the replacement with a satisfied smile creeping behind the fabric. It was a sight that Ace had a weakness for, and he sat on the edge of the bed, watching the gentle rise and fall of that heart tattoo before hunger would take him towards the kitchen.
Ace took his time when he walked, breathing in the heady scent of cigarettes poking through the aromatics that he would follow to the sunlight now making itself a guest in their home. He tried to be quiet as he walked through the hallway, an endeavor that tested his willpower but rewarded him tenfold when the faint humming would echo in the space.
Sanji was singing, and it was wonderful.
He mostly sang like this alone, Ace and Law usually hearing the sweet melodies over one too many glasses of wine. The kitchen was where Sanji felt the most comfortable and the mornings were his drug, a high that he built on with every passing minute of the world waking up outside of their window. It was a release for him to pay back that love with a gift of his own and it was a guilty pleasure to hear it.
Walking into the kitchen, Ace tried to contain himself as he took in the blonde standing in front of him, one of his shirts and Law’s pajama pants loosely hanging over his frame while he poured French words of adoration onto scallions without a care.
Calling him adorable would be an understatement, though Ace was certain Sanji wouldn’t mind if he said it aloud.
He wrapped his arms around the blonde, listening as the words he barely understood fell into a surprised whine at the hold. He tucked himself neatly into the body that fit in his arms, nuzzling the crook of Sanji’s shoulder and neck as he greeted him.
“A-Ace!”
“Morning.” Ace purred, feeling victorious when Sanji relaxed against him and he could properly get his fill of him. He watched as the gradient of pink and red flushed around the tips of Sanji’s ears, embarrassment floating to the surface in a reaction that made his heart ache.
“…It’s dangerous to sneak up on a man with a knife in his hands.” Sanji murmured, no malice behind his warning as he tried to gather himself. Ace would cling to him as he reached for a spoon, watching him dip it into a yellow sauce and present it to his towering backpack for tasting which Ace did happily.
“Needs more...tarragon.”
He bit into his lip as Sanji’s eyes narrowed.
“There’s no tarragon in this.”
“…parsley?”
Ace couldn’t contain the snicker as Sanji rolled his eyes, the brown nearly being eclipsed in white at the open regret of his boyfriend’s teasing.
“Why do I ask you for help?” Sanji asked, lips curling into a smile that betrayed his tone.
“You know you don’t need it.” Ace shot back, and his compliment would bring that pink into a deep red as Sanji melted at the words.
Oh, Ace loved just how much those little reactions spoiled him. He was greedy for the way Sanji would tuck his lips into his teeth, hiding his embarrassment behind muffled laughs and little insults that meant he wanted nothing more than to hear those words again.
“Shut up, don’t you have something to do?” Sanji gestured the tip of his knife towards the kettle, French press and bean grinder that would make up their drink station. Ace answered his question with a kiss on his cheek before unwrapping himself to do what he had to barter from the older man sleeping upstairs.
He was greeted by the smell of coffee while he filled up the kettle to begin the task of hand brewing the beverage. It was a process he would call “way too involved” with Law and Sanji calling it “the proper way” much to his chagrin. Somewhere along the line, they had tricked Ace into doing it every morning after learning his weakness for praise and heaping on with each cup he made.
Still, he couldn’t deny that even he liked it more than what their automatic brewer could do.
Ace poured the hot water into the beaker of the French press before starting the timer, flipping the little clock this way and that before putting it on the counter. Above them, he could hear the clumsy footsteps of the doctor above and he gave a knowing glance to Sanji who chuckled at the all too predictable response.
“It looks like the grumpy doctor is awake.” Ace mused, sauntering over to the other side of the kitchen where Sanji was draining a bunch of fried potatoes into a basket for serving.
“I think coffee would get him up before smelling salts.”
Sanji grinned at his own joke as Ace laughed out loud, returning to his rightful place on the chef’s back and inhaling deeply as he relaxed his weight on the shorter man. Ace enjoyed clinging to Sanji far too much in the kitchen and it was a little habit that Sanji would barely protest, an encouraging sign for Ace who was sneaking potatoes over his shoulder.
As he let himself get led to the sink, Ace waited patiently while Sanji placed dishes into the sink and snuck a glance at the timer sitting on the counter. They still had a few minutes before the coffee finished brewing and Ace would make the most of it before Sanji’s cook instincts took hold.
After that, he would have little forgiveness for morning nonsense.
“A gaze that make me lower my own…”
Ace wouldn’t give Sanji much time to react as he crooned softly in his ear, feeling the blonde tense up at the coarse French and using that opportunity to turn him away from the sink.
“Oh goood…” Sanji drawled, a huge grin peeling across his cheeks as he was now front and center to the madness thrust upon him. Ace had thrown his head back in an all too dramatic fashion as he started to sing, playing up the words with even more dramatics as Sanji wrapped wet hands around his shoulders with a giggle.
Sanji knew what song he was singing as it was one he had heard millions of times before. Yet, he would never grow tired of it if the delight written on his face was anything to go by. It was the first French love song Ace could remember Sanji teaching them and it held a special place in his heart.
So, if he could get the chance to sing it to the blonde now shaking in his arms with laughter, he would.
His singing echoed through the kitchen and Ace was certain that Law would hear them, but he was never against the doctor joining in on their cheesy little dance. Twirling the blonde around, Ace sang the song slowly as they moved.
“When he…takes a…bite out of me…” Ace began, still swaying Sanji in the kitchen as the blonde looked at him with raised eyebrows as he sang. If he could hope for anything, it would be that Sanji would be used to his poor French by now and not notice how quickly his pronunciations had fallen apart.
Though judging by his face, Ace was sure he already knew.
He had gotten by on this song through rote memorization rather than an understanding of the language, some parts more practiced than others, and with that came its own challenges when trying to romance. Ace took the opportunity to slide his hands lower still on Sanji’s waist, fingers cupping around his ass in a welcome distraction from his words.
“Ace!”
“He got me through the low cough…” Ace grinned as Sanji’s face turned beet red at the grip and the man’s legs would falter in his grasp. Sanji had quite the weakness for being grabbed there and Ace was content to take advantage as he leaned further into the hold.
“Ace, ton français est toujours terrible…” A low voice came out from behind, full of sleep and sarcasm that made the couple freeze in their tracks and the timer rang out as if on cue. Ace looked up to see the taller man standing by the French press, tanned skin and tattoos catching in the sunlight while he laid out three coffee mugs on the counter.
“Good morning to you, sleepyhead.” Ace said, frowning as he caught his name thrown into the same sentence as ‘French’ and ‘Terrible’ with the rest of it falling into place. Between the two of them, Law was more proficient at French than he was, and it made for quite the communication gap when the other two would use the language for flirting and insults as intended.
“Did you get back to sleep okay? I had to pry myself off of you with threats of stealing Sanji away.”
Ace punctuated this with another squeeze on Sanji that made the blonde yelp in his arms and Law huffed in amusement much to their boyfriend’s dismay. Sanji was far too fun to tease and the other two would take turns trying to see how flustered they could get him, showering him in apologies and affection once the frustration became too much.
“I did. But I don’t sleep very well holding non-Ace things.” Law said, picking up his coffee mug and walking over to the pair while maintaining disinterest in their paused dance. Ace let out a small hum of appreciation when he felt the tattooed fingers card through his hair before Law pressed a kiss on his forehead.
“Thanks for the coffee.”
Law had to lean over to kiss him, a fact that made his sleeping on Ace’s side all too amusing as he was the tallest. The doctor had reasoned it had to do with sharing body heat, but Ace had woken up to being the big spoon enough to know how much Law loved it and he was willing to spare his pride in exchange for cuddles.
“Bonjour, chéri.”
Those tattoos would tangle in blonde hair as Law pressed a kiss between curled eyebrows with Sanji having to turn his head up fully to receive it. The chef kept his arms wrapped around Ace as they met for the first time that morning, leaving him to stand quietly as he soaked in the passing sentiments between the two.
Watching them was nice.
Ace could come up with several things he loved about either of them alone, enough to fill a book each and it still wouldn’t fit. But it was a special thing for him to see how the two of them would give and receive that love – how Sanji’s face would crease from smiling too hard, how Law would close his eyes as he lingered on his skin between kisses, things he couldn’t see when he was part of those tender moments together.
It was in being on the outside that Ace found himself overwhelmed with emotions he couldn’t name but felt all the same.
He listened as they talked in French, watching their faces for context that they would supply eagerly in their expressions between the small exchanges. Law would ask a question as he pet Sanji’s cheek with his thumb and Sanji would respond with a shake of his head, looking over at him with a curious look and the word mignon that provided the only thing Ace needed to know.
“I’m cute, hm?” Ace cut in, raising an eyebrow at Law who was trying to hide a smirk at how easy it was to get his attention. The older man wouldn’t reply, instead taking a sip from his coffee cup before giving Ace another series of kisses from his lips up to his forehead, leaving his answer in the little gesture before putting his chin on top of Ace’s head with a sigh.
“A pain is what you are.” Law said playfully, running his free hand through Ace’s hair.
“A cute one though, right?” Ace looked up at Law who was looking back at him from behind the coffee cup. Sanji laughed below them, loosening his arms from around Ace’s neck to wave them behind in an inviting gesture.
“Hey, come and dance with us. Please?” Sanji asked, voice soft and sweet and all too much of a weakness for either of them.
From where Sanji was standing, he couldn’t see the little flush of red coming onto Law’s face as he heard the voice calling from behind him. He knew the question was coming, Ace and Sanji would never let him go without inviting him to join in on their antics, and he always reacted with the same toned down embarrassment before accepting.
All too cool, that one.
Law would make his way around to meet Sanji’s hands, wrapping himself around the other two with Ace sandwiched between them in an all too familiar position that made Ace’s cheeks warm at the thought. He sucked in a stuttering breath as both of them nuzzled close, Sanji taking his respective place underneath Ace’s chin with Law’s goatee tickling his ear, and the scent of coffee and cigarettes making him melt in their arms.
It was always like this. The three of them still finding each other between little routines and fitting comfortable sentiments in every part of their mornings, things that made him fall in love with them more each day.
Mornings were predictable with them, but Ace wouldn’t have it any other way.