39WhiteyWolf26: Thank you! Yeah, it would suck to always be stuck as a child, never growing older. Makes me wonder if they would always have the brain of a child, since they wouldn't be growing, or if they would mature based on how long they were alive. There are reasons the love is unrequited.
Guest: Hope it's a good strange! lol.
Idoray: Aww, thank you. I'm glad you've liked my stories.
RIAEVENS: Thank you.
cantstopwontstop4u2so: Thank you! It's a super fluffy and cute story, so if that's what you're looking for you have come to the right place.
When you catch up to the One Piece manga and are now terrified for certain character with status unknown. But at least we got the history of the yonko! That was cool. Only interesting part in Wano for me.
Enjoy~
"Ace, will you bring me food from the town?" Luffy asked when Ace got up to leave. He uncurled from Luffy's small body, and had woken him up. The boy was still sleepy, as it was in the middle of the afternoon. He still had a couple more hours of sleep.
"How about I bring you some takoyakis?" Ace offered as he put his boots on, which were near the door and away from the fluffy carpet under Luffy's comfortable bed. Luffy grinned and nodded.
"You better," he mumbled and drifted back to sleep. Ace chuckled and said goodbye to Sabo, who had also woken up. It was lucky they could function with only a few hours of sleep. But Sabo stayed in bed with Luffy, thinking of how lucky they were to have Luffy.
"Be safe, Ace," Sabo said, what he always said to him when he left his brothers. Ace smiled and replied with, "Will do." Then he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Sabo left not too long after Ace did, unwrapping the young vampire from him and tucking him in gently.
Luffy was used to waking up with his brothers already leaving, so he would be fine with Sabo leaving. Luffy knew Ace and Sabo had stuff they had to do during the day. Luffy had never known any different, but wished he could stay up during the day. He was just always so tired when the sun was up! Always so sleepy.
Ace came back with the rest of the crew sans Sabo and Jojo, carrying all of the supplies they had to get. Ace had some warm boxes of food for Luffy, since the others had gone out to dinner. It was almost time for Luffy to wake up. Sabo met the group and helped load things onto the ship.
When Luffy woke up, he was ecstatic for the takoyaki breakfast. He had woken up later than usual, probably from that day's adventure. Many of the crew had already gone to bed, but Deuce and Ace and Sabo were all still awake, and played a board game with him. Luffy was sharing the takoyaki with Deuce, since he had over three boxes of them.
Luffy's pale skin and red eyes had never bothered Deuce. He was just a normal child that had something happen at the wrong time. Even when Deuce didn't know about Lu's past, he was still accepting to the little vampire, the first human other than Ace and Sabo, so Luffy latched onto the blue-haired man.
"I win!" Luffy declared as he had the most pieces left of the game they've been playing.
"I'll win next time," Ace teased with a smirk. Luffy stuck his tongue out.
"Stingy Ace," the boy accused. Ace looked in mock horror. Luffy was unable to process lies, either just because of who he was or how old he was, and looked guilty.
"Sorry, Ace," he said sadly. Sabo smacked Ace's arm for making Lu upset. Sabo reassured him that Ace was just joking. "Meanie," Luffy grumbled. But, they moved on quickly from this and turned to a card game. Luffy was not good at cards, and bent the rules often, not understanding them so making up his own. And, as wrapped around his finger as they were, the other full-humans let him win and put up with the senseless changes in rules of the games. They could play for real when Lu was asleep.
When Luffy was awake, they let him have the most fun as possible since he was missing so much in life for his safety.
-x-
"Captain Ace, we have a problem," Saber said in concern. Ace was holding Luffy and looking up at the stars, Sabo leaning against the railing and napping. Ace looked to his crew member in concern, wondering what was the problem and would make Saber look so worried.
"What is it?" Ace asked.
"We're out of blood. Aggie had to use the last couple for Zeno after the shark attack," Saber said. The blood drained from Ace's face. Luffy had never been out of blood. If he didn't get any, they didn't know what would happen. But, they also didn't want to have to have him drink from the source. Ace knew the next island was over two weeks away. That meant two missed feedings.
But, if he had to, Ace would let Luffy feed off of him. It wasn't prefered, but Ace would do anything for his baby brother. Luffy wondered why Ace was upset. What was blood? Luffy thought that the blood he needed was just juice. Ace and Sabo didn't want him knowing what he was drinking. Luffy was part human, how would he feel about drinking from another human's body? Even if they were premade blood bags, they still came from someone.
Ace could just get a cut, drain the blood from his arm and then put it in a cup for Luffy, like there was nothing different about what he would be drinking. Ace put on a fake smile, looking down and assuring Luffy that things were fine.
"I'll figure it out. Don't tell Sabo, you'll make him worry," the captain said in a hush, poking Luffy's tummy in distraction for the boy to laugh.
"Aye captain," Deuce said, sending a reassuring look to Luffy. It would do no good to worry the boy. They'd figure something out. Deuce knew that Luffy's brothers would go to hell and back for him. They wouldn't let Lu starve or be uncomfortably thirsty. No one knew how Luffy would react, so that was slightly worrisome.
Luffy always acted like a human in his behavior. If they ever did completely run out of blood, would Luffy's vampire side take over? Even if he was mostly human, could he turn blood thirsty? Deuce didn't want to think about that, and neither did the brothers. They never wanted to see Lu act like a full vampire would.
After Luffy was put to bed with Sabo, Ace went to the small infirmary and told Aggie 68 to get the sea stone cuff and take some of Ace's blood. "I know Luffy's out of blood, and I'd rather get this done sooner than later," the captain said with hardened resolve. He hadn't been cut in years, not since his devil fruit. They only had the sea stone cuffs because Sabo thought they'd be worth it some time and stole it from a marine at the beginning of the trio's escape.
Aggie didn't question him at all, and just nodded. He didn't have a devil fruit, so handling the sea stone cuffs was fine. "Sit there," he instructed. "This will make you tired and maybe limp, so don't freak out." Ace nodded at the warning and held his hand out.
It was very uncomfortable, feeling so drained. He suddenly felt pity for devil fruit users caught by marines and shackled in this terrible mineral. The blood draw was quick, and Ace had instructed his doctor to take as much as possible. Three full blood bags later, Aggie 68 stopped, and uncuffed him. The puncture wound closed up immediately.
"You okay, cap?" the big man asked. Ace nodded and thanked him, saying to not tell Sabo about this. Aggie clearly felt conflicted about lying to one of the captains. Thought it was rare, it was always uncomfortable when the captains set orders against each other, because either way one of them would be upset.
"Got it," Aggie 68 said and took the fresh blood bags to the cooler in the corner. They kept the blood bags separate from the food, even if the blood was contained. Ace walked out of the room and to his and Sabo's. There was a divider in the middle of the room to keep some privacy and the beds separate, but when one of the elders were always with Luffy, the room was practically Ace or Sabo's alone, depending on the schedule they kept.
Ace was a bit tired from the blood draw, so he easily fell asleep, faster than he usually did. But he was content that he'd solved a problem without worrying either of his precious brothers, and Luffy would still have blood to feed off of until they restock their supply of other people's blood.
Yes, you could buy blood, as vampires were part of society, but none of the crew wanted any affiliation that might make it known they had a vampire on their ship. Especially one as unique as Luffy. So, one of the crew, usually Ace or Sabo, would steal blood bags. It was easier to steal from a hospital than a real blood bag merchant. Those were almost always able to defend themselves since they'd be dealing with vampires.
Mere hospital staff couldn't put up a fight with the strength of one of the crew members. And they made sure to do it so they weren't caught. It had become easy after practice.
-x-
It was Sabo's week to stay up with Luffy to keep him company, and for once the feeding didn't go smoothly. Usually, Luffy would be asked if he was thirsty, say yes, and drink some blood. Then move on and do it again a week later with the other big brother.
"Are you thirsty?" Sabo asked, like usual, as he ate home made potato wedges with Lu. Luffy swallowed his mouthful of potato and nodded with a grin. Sabo wiped his chin with a napkin fondly and left the room to get the blood, transporting it into a sippy cup and then came back to heat on the stove for a moment. It was a lot easier when Ace did it.
But, when the vampire child was given the warm drink, he sniffed it and frowned. "What is this?" he asked in confusion. Sabo frowned, confused as well.
"It's your juice. What else would it be?" No one had named the red liquid Luffy drank, and it hadn't connected to him that it was blood. Luffy didn't get hurt often, as his brothers were almost too protective, so he couldn't recognize it compared to his own.
"But… why does it smell like Ace?" Luffy questioned. He sniffed it again and put it down. "It smells like Ace, Sabo."
Sabo wiped the frown off his face, irritated that something had happened with Ace and he wasn't told. "Does it usually smell different?" Luffy nodded. "Why don't I add some stuff to it to make it not smell like Ace? Maybe Ace accidentally stuck his hand in it," Sabo offered, though he knew that excuse was bullshit. Luffy nodded and handed the cup back.
Not being a chef, Sabo just added some spices to it, not knowing if he was completely wasting an important batch of life force for Luffy. But, when the blood was given back to the boy, he was happy to say that the drink smelled more like spices than Ace. And Sabo was relieved when Luffy drank it just fine.
Though, the thought of Luffy drinking Ace's blood and not a stranger made him feel like he betrayed Lu by lying to him about it. Sabo really hoped this wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass. They often sugar coated things so much it could be considered a lie to Luffy, but this was a flat out real lie.
Hopefully, it would pass and be forgotten by him. But Sabo was still cranky with Ace for whatever reason he didn't tell him about them having run out of blood or something that would be cause for Ace to use his own blood to feed his brother.
"Why don't we go play outside?" Sabo offered, picking Luffy up from his seat and empty plate to go play with the ball outside. The ball was useful to play with because it had glow in the dark paint on it so those without enhanced night vision could see it better. The moon and starlight lit up the deck well enough, but the addition of the ball glowing was helpful and appreciated.
Luffy threw the ball towards the cabin, since he had less control and some throws were wildly strong and others barely reached Sabo's outstretched hands. More than a couple times, Sabo had to hide the pain of getting the rubber ball thrown at him too hard. At least Ace wasn't hurt and the ball could just go right through him. Sometimes Sabo was jealous of his brothers. Ace's devil fruit and Luffy's (most likely) eventual strength. Luffy already had enhanced senses.
Speaking of that, Luffy looked to the side of the ship and at the water to see a school of dolphins. "Sabo, look!" Luffy cried as he rushed to the railing to look at the passing school of dolphins. Luffy was ecstatic because, cooped up inside the ship during the day, he rarely saw animals of any sort.
"They're dolphins," Sabo said, picking Luffy up to sit on his shoulders and watch the hundreds of dolphins pass the stationary ship.
"Pretty. I wish I could swim," Luffy said with a pout.
"Ace can't swim either," Sabo pointed out. "Maybe next time we're lucky and come across an island with no people living on it, we can find a lake or creek and go swimming. For now, do you want to settle on a bath?" Luffy nodded his head happily, complaint forgotten as he and Sabo walked to the bathroom. It had been another reason they chose this model. It had a large bath tub that Sabo could sit in with Luffy, even if it was cramped and uncomfortable for the older brothers. Ace had to use the shower and would turn helpless in the bath.
"Bubbles?" Sabo offered, making Luffy's "day".
-x-
Luffy was put to sleep for the day, and Sabo finally had time to corner Ace about what he'd been hiding from Sabo. Ace knew just by the glare Sabo gave him that he was in trouble. And he had a feeling what about.
"So, Ace. Care to tell me why Luffy said that his juice smelled like you? If he weren't so innocent and was convinced you stuck your hand in it, he would still be thirsty." Sabo wasn't happy with Ace keeping secrets from him. Especially Sabo! They were brothers, closer than you could imagine, and having Ace hiding things was never good.
"We ran out of blood for him, so we used some of mine. I didn't want to worry you and I know one of us would have done it anyway," Ace replied, not meeting Sabo's narrowed eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want to worry you or bring anymore attention to it for Lu. He doesn't even know what his 'juice' is. I don't want him to know and I know you don't either.
"Once we reach the next island, we'll refill our supply and toss out the ones I donated," the teen finished. Sabo sighed, knowing that Ace did the right thing even if he should have told Sabo. He would have offered himself.
Sabo assumed that Ace had used sea stone to solidify himself so he could have blood taken. It must have been uncomfortable. Sabo knew it was the most terrible feelings to a fruit user, besides being helpless in water. The blonde brother sighed. There wasn't anything he could do about it now, and it had been in the best interest to Luffy, the most important one of them all.
"We should try and get Jojo to disguise the smell of you in the blood. I added random spices, but Luffy will eat anything that smells remotely good. Jojo could probably make it much better," Sabo hypothesized, moving on from their squabble which was a moot point now.
Ace was glad Sabo dropped the issue. "Good thing these people are weird and are fine with handling and vampire and blood," he joked. Both of them headed to the kitchen, where Jojo would most likely be. Luffy wouldn't need to feed for another week, so it would be pointless to alter the blood now. It was too early. They could just ask for some ideas from Jojo what would taste good to Lu.
Jojo knew everyone's favorite foods best. Ace and Sabo preferred spicy foods, while Luffy preferred sweet foods. The others had specific tastes as well. While the identical twins liked sweet, Luffy was dump-sugar-on-rice sweet. Jojo herself and Aggie 68 like tangy and sour. So, Jojo treated everyone's servings as individuals. She really was a dedicated chef on the ship. They couldn't have asked for better.
Both of them headed to her, ready to ask her for some advice on how to make blood taste better. And both of them knew she'd do her best to fulfil what the brothers wanted, and especially for Lu. Everyone wanted him happy, even if many of the crew didn't see him much do to scheduling.
Luffy woke up too early. He knew the sun was still up, but he really had to use the bathroom. Instead of alerting his brothers or the crew, he decided to go on his own. It was just across the hall from his room. Well, maybe down the hall, but there were no windows, so the sun wouldn't get him.
He silently got out of bed, fluffy slippers on his bare feet, as he left the safety of his room and walked out to the bathroom. The window was covered by a small curtain, so no sun got in the bathroom. Artificial light was fine, so the light was turned on so he could see where he was going and what he was doing.
The boy was washing his hands when he heard shouts from the hall. He dried his hands on his pjs quickly and opened the door, assuring his brothers that he was fine, just had to pee. He didn't like how scared both of them had looked. Luffy knew what would happen if he went outside alone during the day. He'd get horribly sunburned and would be in pain. Not to mention, he'd have a splitting headache.
Ace and Sabo tucked him back in, telling him, almost sternly, to alert them over the monitor if he had to leave the room. Or if he couldn't go to sleep and then they could get him something to help sleep. But, that had never been a problem and he was out like a light, tucked back into his comfortable bed, stuffed giraffe under his arm and all.