#sabo: darling… no one expects anything other than adoration when it comes to you

[xamaxenta]

crashes in thru the window A Vision. Ive Seen A Vision. sabos hands are covered in scars from using his dragon claw thingy and professional martial artists like brickbreakers and shit literally have their bones thicken over time from healing microfractures to provide more strength and power BUT it can come at the cost of joint pain and/or arthritis especially with age. what im saying is scarred calloused weapons of mass destruction sabo hands and rough warm physicians tools, lifetime of rope and rigging and worn ships marco the phoenix hands, gently easing the very literal ache in sabos bones with his two hands cupped around sabos (and sabo is slighter, his hands at first glance look narrow and delicate, but by the time youre close enough to see the scars on his pasty ass skin its too late for you, and marcos workmans hands completely eclipse his) full of warm healing flames . sabo and marco bite and snark and tease and fuck nasty so much that some ppl cannot tell if they like or hate each other but at the end of the day there is no one sabo trusts more to look over his strongest most intimate weapons (LITERALLY attached to/part of his body) like honing the fine edge of a blade that cuts anyone who touches it . but marco bleeds fire. they bicker and argue and tease but here it is silent. the only sounds are the warm rustle of callouses dragging against each other abd the soft rumble of crackling phoenix fire, louder than a candle but quieter than a lantern, and when it pops and snaps it sounds more like leaves and sea waves carried by the breeze and sabo finally, finally can relax for just a moment

This makes me yearn so much i am so full of yearning rn

Absolutely beautiful commentary of their relationship

Sabo’s a man of many facets and Marco wholly understands this and does what he can to enable it, if anything to protect him

If Sabo needs to be seen as someone dangerous vicious tongued, sharper wit, someone so beyond the league of normal men then Marco, the phoenix, who has had plenty of experience would do anything to enable this image

Because when theyre alone he gets to see Sabo as he is because Sabo trusts him implicitly and that means so much more than any words they could share or any snarky performance for the public could

Its rly soft aaaaaah wnishdoshd

Also the softest imagery of Sabo allowing Marco to look over his hands, press out the hurt, the ache, soothe the angry sharpness in his wrists that flares up whenever he writes, Sabo going boneless into his embrace hes shockingly vulnerable like this, without the squaring of his shoulders and the confident commanding pitch of his voice its easy to see the soft nobility in his form something hes striven to move beyond

[yukipri]

Hi. Can I ask about Sabolu/ AceLu #40

Thanks so much for sending this in! Sorry it took a while, my response is LONG ^ ^;;;

40. Describe their first time (if any).

Oooh boy, here goes

AceLu + SaboLu, in that order. 

This ended up being LONG, so this is just Part 1, Ace & Luffy -> AceLu version. I’ll make a second post with SaboLu! *SWEATS*

Mostly lead up on Learning about the Existence of Sex, as well as slight non-graphic mention of sex with the younger party age 17 at the end.

~~

Contrary to gossip among Ace’s more raunchy crew mates, there was nothing sexual going on between him and Luffy prior to Ace leaving the island. There weren’t really even any pre-pubescent growing-up episodes, or weird questions.

The reason being, neither of them had any clue what “sex” was.

Clueless Luffy aside, one might assume that Ace at least would have known. He certainly looks and acts like he does, and Luffy certainly assumed Ace Knew Things.

And of course Ace acted like he Knew Things! He’s the Big Brother after all, and he has his pride, and when tiny dumb lil Luffy stared up with his sparkly eyes, all admiration and expectation, of course Ace had to have an Answer.

And before, Sabo was there, laughing quietly when Ace turned to him in wide-eyed panic while Luffy was facing the other way. And Sabo would explain, simplified but not mocking of his brother’s ignorance, and Ace would turn around and boast about his knowledge to Luffy while Sabo snickered in the background.

So, when one day, Luffy sees a pair of frogs on top of each other, he turns his ever inquisitive eyes on Ace, and asks, “Ace, what’re they doing?”

And Ace turns to ask Sabo, and…

Sabo’s not there.

Hiding the stab of pain (which would turn into a full three hour bawling session if Luffy noticed), Ace thinks. What would Sabo say? What’s the Smart Right Answer?

“Luffy,” Ace says. “Look, the frogs started the pile for you. They’re asking to be stacked. So we should find more frogs to stack!”

Luffy accepts the explanation with glee, especially since it comes with a quest! And so the brothers spend the next hour finding additional frogs to stack on top of the first pair Luffy found, who croak indignantly at having their activity interrupted.

It continues like this, and seven years is a long time for two boys with little to no guidance to find misunderstandings to pile together, much like they piled together random animals they found in the middle of copulating (Look Ace! This morning, some boars wanted to be stacked! And look there, the bears want to be stacked too! The brothers certainly had no idea they were creating unwilling animal orgies).

When Changes began happening to their bodies, Ace makes up additional, well, Bullshit.

While Luffy accepts Ace’s words as the Real Grownup Truth, some part of Ace should have remembered that it was all stuff he’d made up in place of actual facts from Sabo. But as the years passed, he’d come to accept them as How They Are.

Their ignorance certainly isn’t just the boys’ fault. They live with bandits after all, and there’s certainly plenty of vulgar talk going around. But if any of the bandits try to explain in any greater detail when Ace starts showing mild interest, Dadan thwacks them, daring them to imagine facing Garp’s wrath when the marine discovers they’d corrupted his darling grandsons.

Makino and the Mayor come by and help with their education, but it’s mostly things like manners, how to read, and how to fix their ripped of clothes. Stuff like their Bodies is something they left to family.

But unfortunately Garp, of course, also avoids The Talk, because of all the many responsibilities he’d avoided in the raising of his grandsons, this is certainly one he’s especially keen to avoid. He gives Ace an incredibly vague explanation to “If you do the Do, make sure to wrap it!” before disappearing, leaving Ace to mutter to himself, “Wrap what?” An even more garbled and meaningless version is passed from Ace to Luffy.

Ace leaves the island at seventeen, confident and strong, and completely oblivious to much of what the world has in store.

Shortly after he leaves the island, Ace meets his first crew mate, one ex-med student who goes by “Masked Deuce.”

To Deuce, Ace looks like a fine roguish young man in his prime, his chosen Captain, and Deuce hates to admit it, but definitely popular with the ladies. At their first island together after escaping the deserted island where they met, Deuce is proven right when the ladies hanging around the brothels crowd out to wave and call at Ace. Deuce wonders darkly if they’re going to make a stop, but Ace just waves cheerfully back, and they continue on their way.

“They sure don’t look very sleepy for people who want to sleep so much!” Ace laughs, and Deuce thinks he’s one to talk. But they head back to their raft with supplies and without further incident. That’s when Deuce has his first Bad Feeling that something may be amiss.

A few years later, after they’ve joined Whitebeard’s crew, a drunken Deuce will screech that one day, he should get to bash Monkey D. Garp’s face in. Garp OWES it to him!!! After what Deuce went through, after realizing how freakin’ EMPTY and beyond neglected some parts of Ace’s education had been!!! The Whitebeards are lucky, because the Ace today exists because of Deuce’s suffering!!!

Because Deuce realizes quickly that when Ace heard that ladies want to “sleep with him,” he thought it was an offering to nap together. When Deuce asked with mounting horror whether Ace knows what sex even is, his Captain responded with the most blinding pure smile and enough confidence that Deuce almost believed him, “Naked wrestling!” When Ace saw animals copulating (and in one memorable case, a random human couple in the alleys), he took it upon himself to generously stack a third, and if possible a fourth creature on top.

Forget knowledge of the Act, Ace didn’t even know that some people, well, had Different Parts down there. And Deuce groaned and restrained himself from bashing his head against the mast, because why would he? According to Ace, he grew up 95% with mostly just himself and his precious lil bro Luffy. He knew a grand total of two women, Dadan and Makino. The former, the thought of whom naked made Ace pale, and the second, who only stopped by occasionally but certainly had no reason to uncover herself. Ace didn’t know what a textbook was, and squinted when Deuce desperately asked if he’d at least seen porn magazines.

Sure, some women have biggish chests, but so do fat people, and Ace’s chest isn’t so bad either if he says so himself. So of course Ace had no reason to assume anything else was different.

Deuce remembers the agonizing incident where he’d hired a few hookers to help educate Ace. The ladies had been cackling non stop, Ace had cheerfully announced, “Ah, I see, so they’re like Fishmen! Similar, but with a few different Mystery Parts.” And Deuce couldn’t even applaud Ace’s open-mindedness, because he was too busy wanting to dig a hole for himself to die in due to mortification, cursing how the subject of his embarrassment didn’t even share a sliver of his shame.

Ace slowly filled the gaping holes in his knowledge with help from his crew (mostly Deuce), taking his own ignorance in good stride and laughing brightly with each new discovery.

But the thing that concerned Deuce most, was every time Ace Learned Something New, he’d scratch his head and mutter, “Oh shit, that’s not what I told Luffy.”

Deuce is extremely concerned for one Monkey D. Luffy, and occasionally mutters a prayer for the unfortunate youth who had apparently obtained the vast majority of his worldly knowledge second hand through Ace.

But despite now having knowledge of sex, Ace still doesn’t particularly express any interest in trying it himself. He continues to just wave at the ladies and even men who want his attention, just as cheerfully as he had in the beginning.

When Deuce cautiously inquires why, Ace just shrugs. “You’re supposed to do it with someone you love, right?” And Deuce doesn’t really have the heart to tell him any different.

~~

Three years after Ace sets out for sea, Luffy follows.

The brothers’ reunion comes faster than expected, for which Ace’s grateful, because not only does he get to see his precious little brother again, he also has the chance to maybe correct some of the things he’d told Luffy growing up before Luffy spends too much time in the outside world.

And so when night comes in the desert in Alabasta, Ace takes Luffy aside and they go a ways away from the men’s tent where Luffy’s crew sleeps, far enough away that the fire Ace lights on his arms to keep them warm can’t be seen, and their voices are washed away among the dunes.

They’re catching up Ace wants to hear all about Luffy’s adventures, yes, but Ace also feels responsibility to clear up any misunderstandings he’d caused. And his crew had warned him, including his new Whitebeard family, that it might be dangerous to leave a little brother as adorable as Ace claimed in such complete ignorance.

Ace insists that Luffy is strong and can beat up almost anyone who wishes him harm, but their words still catch on something that makes Ace feel a weird twist of something in his gut. Would Luffy know what kind of intentions are behind a wandering hand, a lecherous sneer? Wouldn’t Luffy also assume sleeping just means napping? This is a new kind of potential danger, something that Luffy’s definitely not aware of, and the thought of it sneaking up on Luffy unawares makes something dark and ugly rear in Ace’s gut.

But a lot of Ace’s complicated doubts and fears are swept away by the desert winds when Luffy crawls into Ace’s lap and leans back against his chest. Luffy likes human contact, he always had, but Ace used to like to pretend he didn’t (they both knew otherwise), so Luffy usually wasn’t clingy unless he was feeling especially vulnerable. 

Luffy’s thin, rubbery arms wrap tightly around Ace’s torso, and his grip is strong, but vibrating, somewhere between shaking and tension. The flames on Ace’s arms sputter out, and Ace carefully puts his own arms around Luffy, now more open with himself than he’d been three years ago, and accepting of how he craves this too, and had felt starved of Luffy’s affection during their time apart.

It can’t be more obvious how much Luffy had missed him, and Ace feels the same.

Luffy’d grown over three years, from a gangly child who still worried Ace, to a still gangly but strong young adult who’d already begun earning a name for himself as a pirate. His lanky body fits perfectly in Ace’s arms, because even though Luffy’d grown, Ace’d grown too, and Luffy still feels petite in contrast.

Ah, Ace thinks as he squeezes Luffy tightly, burying his face in his little brother’s neck and drowning in his familiar scent, allowing himself to openly display his affection in a way he’d only done a handful of times on the island. Luffy practically purrs, leaning back and nuzzling Ace’s cheek, practically begging for more attention.

Something stirs in Ace’s gut as Luffy’s lithe form squirms against his bare chest, pushing fruitlessly against Ace’s unbudging arms before deciding that it’d be easier to just contort himself so he’s sitting facing Ace. And then suddenly their eyes are meeting, and Luffy looks so happy, and Ace thinks oh.

Someone I love.

Ace leans in to press their lips together, and Luffy is curious but doesn’t hesitate to push back and attempt to imitate.

It never crosses Ace’s mind that this is something that he shouldn’t be doing with Luffy. They’re Brothers, yes, but the word can mean a lot of things. Ace is Brothers with all the Whitebeard pirates too, and they’re undeniably a family and their bond means the world to him. The brother he shares with his crew is a bond of shared admiration for their leader, a bond of family through how they all see Whitebeard as their chosen paternal figure. It’s about a shared goal, a shared experience, a shared choice.

But brother in that context is different from brother with Luffy and Sabo. With Luffy and Sabo, their brother means an unbreakable bond, of connection that is stronger than anything they were born with, something that overcomes Ace’s hatred for his blood father, Sabo’s disgust for his heritage, and Luffy’s own missing parents. It means a willing and deliberate promise of permanence, a steady and stable treasure that will continue glowing at their core no matter how they change and grow.

It means love, Ace thinks, and knows Luffy feels the same.

~~

“So Luffy, that thing the frogs were doing?”

“Yeah?”

“This is what they were doing.”

“Oh, okay! So they were feeling good.”

“…Yeah, they were feeling good.”

Ace leaves it at that.

~~

(and then the war happens. And their first becomes their last.)

~~

*COUGHS* or DOES it?

ANYWAY, barely a “first,” but a long rambling rant, ty for reading

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[marcoacesabo]

The Dance Instructor

Part 2: Marco’s dilemma 

The blond arrives home with a skip in his step, a happy humming in his throat and bright eyes. He managed to get off early today thanks to the project getting a few days ahead of schedule, allowing him to take rare time off for himself while in the middle of a new production.

Which means he could spend that time with his fiance.

 Ace had been putting in some extra hours in work- something to do with helping Luffy which honestly didn’t surprise him- and though they did live together and saw each other in the mornings it wasn’t the same as when they both had time to be together.

Not that Marco was mad at the raven haired man because he too worked long hours and most of the week. It would be hypocritical of him to expect Ace to wait at home for him and get mad when he tried to work harder. He couldn’t expect to have his other half put him above everything else in his life. 

That wasn’t how relationships work if you asked Marco. Equal respect and communication were key, and with Ace, he found that. Most of his past relationships didn’t understand, many angered that his family and his work were first when the relationship began. 

Not Ace. no Ace nodded with an approving smile  while saying “If you ever try to distance me from Luffy I would kick your ass!”

 This happened on their third date and the first time Marco thought he could truly love the man for the rest of his life. 

Ace made him feel young. Being with him was like a never ending adventure, that left Marco on his toes. He was learning new things about the raven haired man all the time, surprises at every corner. He loved it.

Now almost two years later, he was going to be marrying that man. The thought always warms his heart because he managed to snatch the best man on the market and Marco was damn grateful Ace thought of him as worthy.

That’s why he always tried to sweep him off his feet at any opportunity available. 

Glancing down at the roses he bought on a whim- Ace loved romantic gestures like these- the blond smile grows. He knows his fiance doesn't work today meaning he wouldn’t be expecting him home until late. 

Wouldn’t he be surprised to have the blond take him out to eat? Maybe go walk on the beach afterward and if he was up to it have a nice night of lovemaking or talking, either was fine with him-

��Wow! You’ve gotten better Ace!” Luffy’s voice echoes as he opens the door. The blond blinks. Was Ace’s brother visiting today? A lovely upbeat instrumental song was playing from the speakers somewhere making Marco raise an eyebrow.

That wasn’t the usual music those two listen to. 

He peeks into the living room to see the likeliness of sending the boy home so he could have his date night. As expected the loveable ball of sunshine was sitting on their large couch upside grinning at a sweeping Ace.

The coffee table was pushed to the side, making a clearing in the room but other than that the place looks clean enough- i.e not like a raging tornado stormed though-, meaning he hasn’t been here for long. 

Hmm. It seems that sending the boy home wasn’t going to happen but that’s fine with him he could do a date night some other-

Marco’s jaw drops doing a double take. 

No, he wasn’t sweeping, he was dancing. Ballroom dancing. With the broom.

Ace’s hips moved in ways he’s never seen before holding onto the broom like a person. He steps to the beat of the music, gliding around the room movements both smooth and jerky. Marco watched astonished as the moves started to make sense to him.

Mambo. Ace knew how to Mambo?

“Thanks, Lu! This is one of the easier dances for me, maybe because it’s so fast paced. I still have a little trouble with the others.”  Ace chirps letting the broom go to do some single shakes and steps that came with the dance.  “I’ll practice the foxtrot and the quickstep after this one.”

What?

“Shishishi. You can do those ones though. Practice the tango stupid Ace.” Luffy claps his sandaled feet together once again proving his yoga instructing license. “Or the Viennese waltz!”

“Yeah, I am a little rusty on those...” His fiance says stopping in the center of the room in an ending pose as the song come to a close. Marco almost swallows his tongue at the way Ace’s body shakes those last few beats.  “I mean I don’t know the kind of dances for the reunion so better safe than sorry.”

The reunion? Oh no...

Marco backpedals out the hall until he’s outside shutting the door as quietly as he can. Once he safe,  he runs a panicked hand through his blond hair. His formal family reunion was in two months.

He knows most of the ballroom dances from watching his numbers family members- Pops ran a chain of orphanages and all of them were family- glide across the rooms. Every year they do different dances and he’s seen them all. 

The thing was Marco himself didn’t know how to dance.

He had been riding on the idea that Ace was like him but obviously his wonderful incredible little spitfire, knew how to and was damn good at it too. Shit, he was going to look like a fool trying to keep up.

Ace literally admitted knowing five of the twelve most common dances, meanwhile, Marco could barely two step! 

The hell? Where was he hiding this talent? Sure they’ve gone out dancing before plenty of times on dates but those were always to night clubs or concerts...and maybe that had been Marco’s doing as he only had to jump up and down a bit to pass off as dancing. 

He starts pacing flowers gripped in one hand. Maybe, he wouldn’t have to dance? He could always tell Ace he was too tired-

The thought gets shut down immediately as he thinks about the smile on that freckled face just now. No telling Ace he didn’t like dancing when the other clearly loved it wasn’t going to work for him. He wasn’t that strong to fight against that pouting face. 

Then what do I do? He thinks desperately pacing faster. How can I learn five different dances in such a short time!?

Marco stops mid-step mind launching onto one word. Learn. As in classes. As in a teacher. As in a chance to not look like an idiot!

Hope restored he pulled out his phone speed dialing the one person who could get him anything at any time. 

“Hello?”

“Izo! Sorry for calling out of nowhere but I was wondering if you knew any good dance instructors in my area yoi.” The man whispers into his phone eyeing the front door in case the brothers popped out.  “I need one that can teach multiple ballroom dances. Someone who can teach me in two months.”

His brother is quiet for a moment making him worry that maybe he jumped the gun before Izo purrs “Oh I know just the man. His name is Sabo Outlook and let me tell you, darling, he’ll have you in top shape for the reunion. I’ll get his contact information and send it to you in a bit. Oh and Marco? Make sure to say you’re trying to impress Ace. Trust me, Sabo will make you irresistible.”

A few days later, when Sabo shows up to his house for their first private lesson session- Ace being out like he plan, these classes need to stay under lock and key forever- Marco realized why Izo sounded like a cat looming over a cornered mouse during that phone call. 

Irresistible was a good word to use. Marco couldn’t look away from him. Was this man even real? What kind of romantic fantasy novel did he escape from and why was there no warning of his beauty before hand? 

The dance instructor’s knowing smile as he started his first lesson- Mambo, The best thing Ace is good at- was like a soccer punch to his gut. “Your fiance is very lucky to have a man like you Mr. Newgate. I think it’s cute how your learning for him. You know I have a student in my community classes who is doing the same thing. ”

“Really yoi?” He smiles taking the started position a bit stiffly. Sabo gently guided his body into a more relax and correct form. 

“Really. It’s adorable.” The small blond smiles up at him, and Marco’s heart leaped. Shit, this was not part of the plan.  “Shall we began?”