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Ace is the oldest brother, and as such, it’s his job to protect Sabo and Luffy. He’s the one who’s supposed to make sure they stay safe, they have enough to eat, they won’t freeze or starve through the winter. Sure, he knows he isn’t perfect, but he hasn’t failed, at least.
It’s Ace’s duty to keep them safe and to patch them up if they get hurt. Even if he complains the whole time, he’ll still do it, and his brothers know that. Luffy knows that Ace still cares about him when he’s being surly, and Sabo knows that no matter how annoying Ace says they are, he’d never hate them or abandon them. It’s just not in his nature. Ace protects, and in turn, they trust him.
And he trusts them too, he really does. But… they shouldn’t have to be the ones protecting him. It’s not Sabo and Luffy’s job to patch him up when he’s done something stupid and gotten himself hurt.
He’s not even that hurt, anyways. Ace has had far worse from the wild animals of Mt. Colubo than a simple slash from some drunkard in the bars of Edge Town. It’s his own fault for seeking them out. He’s not about to make Sabo and Luffy deal with his idiocy – they shouldn’t have to handle that. Ace can handle it himself.
But, his body seems to disagree.
The cut’s been starting to sting more than an ordinary one from the bears or crocodiles, pulsing and aching like it’s got its own heartbeat. Ace woke up at least six times the previous night because he could feel the heat around it throbbing in time with some unsung melody, pain spiking up his arm every time he tries to move it. He just hopes that Sabo hasn’t noticed how Ace has been favouring his right arm as of late, trying to keep all of his pipe’s weight in his left hand whenever they go out to hunt.
And that’s another reason that Ace won’t make a big deal about an injury – someone’s got to hunt, and he won’t make Sabo go out into the jungle alone. Luffy won’t be any help, rubbery and floppy and scatterbrained as he is, but nobody ever goes out alone. Taking a partner along when hunting is one of their rules, and for good reason, because Ace doubts they would come back in such good condition if they were fighting crocodiles with no one to watch their backs. Ace can’t let himself be incapacitated, not when it would put extra weight on Sabo’s shoulders that the other boy doesn’t need.
He’s not the oldest brother, Ace is. Ace will do his seas-damned job, regardless of how much his arm is hurting him.
oOoOo
Sabo wakes up in the middle of the night to an awful cry of pain.
Bolting upright, he looks around the room, though he’s not sure what he’s expecting to see. It couldn’t have been one of his brothers – Luffy is only just waking up, and Ace is still lying on his side, muscles quivering as he curls tighter into the thin blanket pulled over him–
Shit. Ace is shaking.
Sabo doesn’t know what’s wrong with him. He’s not injured, so unless he’s sick… but why would he be in so much pain if he’s only sick? How bad is it?
Rolling off of his sleeping mat and gesturing for Luffy to stay still and hush up for a few moments, Sabo stands up and creeps over to Ace, trying not to startle him with any loud sounds. His older brother is curled up in a tight ball, left hand wrapped around his opposite arm right above the elbow in a way that looks almost purposeful. His face is scrunched up with an agonised expression, breath hitching and shoulders quivering, though his eyes don’t open. Sabo watches with growing horror as Ace lets out another cut-off gasp of pain, a shiver running up his spine and prickling in his bones.
“Ace? Ace, wake up!” Sabo’s trying not to be too loud, but then he remembers that this isn’t his former home living place. No one will come in to silence him if he yells. “Ace!”
His older brother shoots upright with a wild look in his eyes, pupils dilated and teeth bared, but his face is full of panic. He’s not angry like Sabo would expect him to be, considering his rude awakening – no, he looks… scared. There’s no connection behind his eyes when his gaze darts wildly around the room, passing over Sabo multiple times before coming to rest on him. Behind him, Sabo can hear Luffy mumbling a question, asking if Ace is okay, but no one responds.
“S-sabo?” Ace’s voice is shakier than Sabo’s ever heard before, like brittle ice melting over a pond in spring. “I ca– ’Bo, it hurts–”
Cutting himself off once again, Ace hunches over and tucks his right arm under his chest, gingerly cradling it. Sabo glances back at Luffy, who scooches over so that there’s one of them on either side of their distressed eldest. Luffy has his arms out in case Ace falls (or tries to bolt, but that’s another story), and Sabo takes his chance at getting closer.
“What’s wrong?” He asks, inching closer. “Ace, are you injured?”
Ace’s grey eyes are already wide, still wrought with his earlier spike of panic, but they go even wider at that question. He jolts, then quickly shakes his head.
“I don’t believe you. You believe him, Lu?”
“Mm-mm.” Luffy shakes his head and pouts. “If Ace is hurt, he’s gotta let Sabo take care of it. You make me do injury-healy stuff, so you gotta do it too, Ace.”
Ace shakes his head once more. “I-I’m not injured. It’s fine. Go back to bed.”
His argument would be a lot more effective if his voice had stayed steady and if he wasn’t still cradling his arm, so obviously Sabo has to have a look for himself to see what the matter is. Darting forwards, Sabo finds it easy to snatch away Ace’s forearm, though he keeps his grip loose once he hears his brother’s pained hiss.
“And just what in the hell is this?” Sabo points to the yellowing cut that’s scabbed over on the back of Ace’s forearm, its surface glistening ominously in the thin moonlight. “‘Not injured’, my ass. This look like a papercut to you?”
“...yes.”
“You are insufferable.”
“Am not! Quit being so– agh!” Ace yanks his arm out of Sabo’s grip to pull it close once more, causing Luffy to lean in closer.
Draping his arms over Ace’s shoulders, Luffy winds them around a few times like inefficient scarves before bringing his head down to take a close look at the wound. “Ace is hurt! Ne, Sabo, can Makino fix it? She always patched me up when I lived in Foosha.”
Ace shakes his head even more vehemently than before. “No! We’re not going all the way to Foosha just because I was an idiot and–”
“And got brutally injured?” Sabo interrupts. “Maybe not to Foosha, no, but there’s always the Middle Town clinic. You know we’ve got the treasure for it.”
“That’s our pirate fund, not our stupid injuries fund! We’e not using that!”
“You’re right, we aren’t.”
“Finally, you’re being sensible. Look, we don’t have to–”
“I’m using the pirate fund.”
“No!”
“Shishishi! Sorry, Ace, but you’re outvoted!” Luffy grins. “Sabo says doctor, and I say doctor, and there’s more of us than you.”
“Wha– no, I’m the oldest! My vote’s gotta count for double or someth– agh, fuck!” He winces once more hissing at the pain in his arm.
Sabo narrows his eyes. “Middle Town doctor first thing in the morning, and I’m only waiting that long because he’ll be asleep right now. We’re using the pirate find whether you like it or not. That cut’s infected, and you can’t be a pirate if you die of sepsis at 10.”