A/N: So the prompts are still flowing! Again thank you to the lovely people fave/follow/reviewing/reblogging and sending in prompts!

From roaringbearstormlove: Could i request platonic Acelu for the 27th soulmates prompt? not sure if i requested that right, but thats the "you can transfer your soulmates injuries to yourself" prompt.

Ripples in the Sea

27. Soulmates (Platonic ASL)

Sabo sat in the dim alleyway, tucked far enough back that no passing pedestrian would notice him if they just happened to pass by and glance down it - not that they ever would. Most people went about their days without ever so much as glimpsing into one of those shadowed passages, and that was one of the reasons they made such good hiding spots and meeting points for anyone who didn't want to be noticed or found.

He was perched on the edge of a pile of old crates, arms crossed over his chest as he glanced furtively towards the alley's only entrance. He'd been there for nearly half an hour now, he estimated, and his stomach was twisted into nervous knots. It had taken him almost ten minutes on his own to reach their meeting spot, and he hadn't expected to be the first one there. He'd taken off as soon as he'd finished with the distraction he'd caused, but Ace and Luffy should have been long gone with their spoils by that point. So where in the world were they?

It was at that moment the other two boys came crashing into the alley, winded and carrying two bags a piece. Ace's hair was damp from sweat, his shirt ripped and a harsh scowl on his face. It was impossible to tell Luffy's condition, as Luffy took two steps and immediately fell on his face, spread eagle and panting as he tried to catch his breath. Both of his forearms were covered in bandages.

Sabo's eyes widened, and he leapt off of the boxes, landing nimbly on his feet and dashing over to the two of them. "Where have you been?" he demanded, somehow remembering to keep his voice down at the last minute. "I've been waiting here for thirty minutes!"

"We ran into trouble," Ace snapped, tossing his bags to the ground. He didn't immediately rush to Luffy's aid, which meant he was angry with their youngest brother. Even more troubling was the fact that despite his disheveled state, Ace didn't have a single scratch on him.

Sabo quickly knelt next to Luffy, glancing briefly at Ace and noting his demeanor and ripped clothes before turning his full attention back to their little brother. "Trouble?" he repeated. "What kind of trouble?" He reached out for Luffy, gathering him up into his arms and turning him so that he wasn't face down anymore.

"The kind that makes idiots act without thinking," Ace snapped, making his way to the boxes and sitting down to catch his breath.

"I'm not an idiot," Luffy protested, pouting over at Ace. He looked up at Sabo, a bandage at the corner of his mouth and some showing under the collar of his shirt. "Tell Ace he's being mean to me."

"Tell Luffy to stop acting on his own like a selfish little brat!" Ace practically shouted.

Sabo's throat tightened at the sight of the bandages - clearly treating the injuries had been part of their delay, not just the trouble they had found themselves in. "Start from the beginning," he instructed, holding Luffy as he looked over at Ace. "Tell me exactly what happened after we split up."

"We nearly got caught," Ace muttered, shoving his hand into his hair. "We had to run down Julep Street."

"Ace broke a window so we could hide," Luffy added, sitting up now and pouting at Sabo. "He got hurt."

Ace scowled even harder. "And as always, Luffy didn't listen to me. So I had to steal some bandages from the drugstore and patch him up before we came here."

Sabo let out a sigh, shoulders slumping slightly, though he felt a rush of relief - he hated the thought of either of his brothers being hurt, but it could have been a lot worse. "Yeah, I had a feeling that was what had happened," he said.

It wasn't the first time this type of situation had occurred. Ever since Ace and Luffy had discovered that they were soulmates, they'd had a habit of taking each other's injuries - and usually wound up doing it without asking permission first. Since neither of them wanted the other to be in pain, it led to a lot of aggravation and arguing. It was easier whenever Ace took Luffy's injuries - because Luffy was easier to distract and placate - but when Luffy took Ace's, the frustration and helplessness from seeing Luffy injured and being unable to do anything about it caused Ace to lash out in anger.

Since this had started happening Ace had tried to make a conscious effort not to get hurt, but the nature of the lives they led made that impossible to completely avoid. Especially with Ace's bad habit of never running from a fight, and often acting recklessly if he thought he was protecting his brothers. It resulted in Sabo having to be the one to step up and take care of Luffy during moments like this, simply because Ace would just keep pushing Luffy away for as long as he felt guilty over getting hurt and Luffy taking his injuries.

Luffy's lower lip quivered, and then he was throwing his arms around Sabo and hugging him. "Ace is stupid," he mumbled.

"I heard that," Ace growled. "Let's just get out of here before it starts raining. The last thing we need is one of us getting sick, too." He leaned down to scoop up the bags, knowing Sabo would pamper and carry Luffy all the way back to their hideout.

Sabo nodded, then gathered Luffy up into his arms - Luffy would have latched onto him with both arms and legs if he'd just tried to stand. Fortunately, his brother was still small and slender enough that Sabo could pick him up with ease. "Try not to move too much, Luffy," he reminded him. "It'll just make it hurt more."

"Okay," Luffy agreed, latching on with only his arms. "You're always so much nicer than Ace."

Ace clenched both fists, but he didn't say anything in response as he started down the alley. Though they knew the way to their hideout by heart - from almost any location in the city - he still preferred to get there before it got dark.

Sabo tightened his arms slightly around Luffy, giving him a hug as he followed after Ace. "You know he doesn't like it when you take his injuries," he murmured. He knew that Ace would do anything for Luffy - and Luffy, likewise, would do anything for Ace. Neither of them ever hesitated to take away the others' pain; it always came down to whoever got hurt first. The difference was simply that Luffy didn't understand why Ace would insist on taking away his pain when he felt like he could handle it on his own, and Ace would blame himself for getting hurt whenever Luffy took his.

"But he was hurt," Luffy protested, looking up at Sabo with an earnest expression. "I don't like it when Ace is hurt. And I'm okay!" His lower lip quivered again, eyes averted as he attempted to lie. "I'm strong. I-It doesn't even hurt…"

"I know," Sabo said with a smile, knowing full well that Luffy was in pain and trying his hardest not to let it show. Going along with it was the least he could do, because he knew how important it was to Luffy to be strong for Ace. "He doesn't like it when you're hurt, either. You two are really alike, Luffy."

Luffy let his head rest on Sabo's shoulder, closing his eyes. "But I really don't like it when Ace is hurt," he protested, only mildly placated by hearing Sabo agreeing with him.

"You two hurry it up!" Ace called over his shoulder. They were still a good fifteen minutes from the most recent hole in the wall they called 'home', and it was unlikely Ace would calm down until they were safely hidden within it.

"We're coming!" Sabo called back. Once Ace calmed down he knew that things would be okay between him and Luffy, so the sooner they could get back to the hideout the better. He tucked Luffy in close to his chest, and hurried after Ace.

By the time they reached their hideout, what had started as a light drizzle had turned into a heavy rain. Ace held the door open for them, pushing it shut and propping a loose board against it in case the wind picked up once they were inside.

"Damn it," he swore, shaking his head and sending water droplets everywhere. "I was hoping it wouldn't start raining until after we got here."

Sabo carried Luffy to the area that they'd designated as their bedroom, which was really just a corner of the hideout that was piled with various blankets that they'd scavenged. He settled Luffy onto it, then gathered up some of the less moth-eaten ones and carried them over the door to start covering it with them to keep out the wind and rain. They'd be able to wrap the rest around them, and blankets with holes were better than no blankets at all.

Ace set the bags down and moved to help Sabo, snagging the blankets on some of the nails jutting out and leaning a few more boards against it. While they worked on that, Luffy reached out to turn on some of their lanterns. Stealing batteries was easy enough, so no one complained whenever Luffy decided to have the lights on.

There were five lanterns in total, designed to emulate real flames. They had a variety of other nifty gadgets to help offset the fact that their home was literally an old storage room in an abandoned building that could be demolished as soon as someone wanted to build on that spot. Luffy's favorite was a toy reindeer that wiggled from side to side, which he picked up to hug while he watched his brothers.

"That should do it," Ace sighed, wiping his forehead. "At least our clothes didn't get too wet. Let's eat."

"Food!" Luffy agreed, eyes lighting up. "Sabo, we got all kinds'a good food! We even got cookies!"

"And a bunch of other junk food," Ace agreed. "We got some fruit, too. Ya know, since you insisted we needed some," he said, shooting Sabo a look.

Sabo just flashed a grin at Ace, moving to settle down on the bedding next to Luffy. "Good," he said. "Let's start with that fruit then, since the junk food will keep longer." It was the same thing he insisted on every time they stole something that was actually healthy, because if he didn't he knew both Ace and Luffy would immediately gravitate towards the junk food and nothing else.

Ace shrugged and made his way over, tossing the bags down and sitting on Sabo's other side instead of next to Luffy. Luffy's face fell at the obvious snub - he always sat between both of his brothers - but he tried to hide it by reaching into the bag and pulling out an apple.

He waited to bite it, squirming impatiently. It was tradition that they waited for each other to eat, and even though Luffy always seemed to be hungry, he managed to wait for his brothers every time.

Sabo made sure that Ace made his selection from the bag before he did, taking an apple for himself. He honestly didn't mind whether or not Luffy started eating first, but they'd started the tradition in order to keep Luffy from eating half of their spoils before he and Ace had been able to help themselves.

"Go on, Luffy," he said, giving him a smile. He could see how impatient Luffy was, and there was no reason to make him wait any longer than absolutely necessary.

Luffy had the entire apple in his mouth before Sabo finished speaking. Ace scowled and reached behind Sabo to smack Luffy on the back, forcing him to spit it out.

"Don't choke on your food," Ace scolded.

"Ow!" Luffy protested, staring up at Ace with large eyes. "That hurt!"

Ace scowled, getting up and heading back to the door to eat his apple. Wounded, Luffy picked his back up and started taking bites - huge ones, of course - though he didn't seem to be enjoying it.

"Ace," Sabo hissed, shooting a look at his brother, who pointedly ignored him. He knew why Ace was acting this way towards Luffy, but that didn't mean he enjoyed seeing it happen. He sighed and shook his head, then reached over and ruffled Luffy's hair lightly, trying to comfort him. It was frustrating; Ace got upset like this when Luffy took his injuries and got hurt, but his attitude towards Luffy was hurting their little brother more than those injuries ever would.

Luffy looked up at Sabo, apple juice dripping down his chin as he finished his food to the core. "Sabo," he mumbled in a hushed voice. "How do I make Ace not mad at me again? I don't like it when Ace is mad at me…"

Sabo wrapped his arm around Luffy's shoulders and gave him a sideways hug. "Just give him a little time," he said softly. "Ace'll stop being mad as soon as he feels like he's able to do something for you."

Luffy pondered this, wiping his face with his sleeve. He looked over at Ace, then at Sabo. "As soon as he can do something for me…?" He frowned, then started to nibble at his apple core, which he intended to eat anyway - and then abruptly bit down with more force than necessary, biting two of his fingers hard enough that they began to bleed. He dropped the core into his lap with a yelp of pain, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Luffy!" Ace came rushing back to his side, kneeling down and grabbing his hand. "You idiot! Did you bite yourself?!"

"It-it doesn't hurt!" Luffy protested through his tears.

Sabo's eyes widened, and he nearly dropped his own apple - he couldn't believe Luffy had just bitten himself on purpose. He was sure that was what had happened, too; Luffy had eaten food twice as fast as that before, and he'd never accidentally bitten his fingers. Especially not hard enough to draw blood.

As soon as his shock registered, though, Sabo wondered just exactly why he was surprised by this - he'd just told Luffy that Ace wanted to do something to help him, so of course Luffy would create an injury that Ace would have to take away from him, just to try and make Ace feel better. Nevermind that Luffy was seriously hurt - that wasn't important to his little brother. All that mattered to Luffy was how Ace felt. And Ace, being Ace, had immediately snapped himself out of his mood to rush over and see to Luffy.

Sabo absolutely loved his brothers.

"Idiot," Ace chided again, his voice softer this time. He held both of Luffy's hands in his own, and while he couldn't do anything about the wounds underneath all the bandages showing on Luffy's wrists and forearms, the bite marks on Luffy's middle and pointer finger transferred over without delay. Ace hissed, but Luffy pulled his other hand away and fumbled for the bandages they'd stolen, intent on patching Ace up the way Ace had patched him up.

"I'm sorry I bit myself," Luffy apologized, clumsily wrapping the white bandages around both of Ace's fingers - essentially tying them together.

"Just try and be more careful when you eat," Ace told him sternly, allowing his hand to be wrapped up as messily as Luffy wanted. A light blush dusted his cheeks, his eyes averted, and then he was scowling at Sabo as if daring him to comment on how flustered he was by Luffy's care and attention.

Sabo simply met Ace's scowl with a smile - it was tempting to tease him, but he decided that, just this once, he'd let it pass. Besides which, Luffy was in the room, and if Sabo did start teasing Ace about it then Luffy might do something that would only make it worse.

Instead, Sabo just turned his attention to Luffy. "You're doing a good job wrapping those bandages, Luffy," he praised him. They were actually kind of a mess, but he knew Luffy had been trying to get better at it, because he was determined to take care of Ace himself whenever Ace had to take his injuries. As messy as they were now, they were better than they'd been before.

Luffy's eyes lit up. He worked a little faster in his excitement, then raised his head to stare at Ace with hopeful eyes.

Ace sighed, meeting Luffy's eyes and offering a rare, gentle smile. His other hand came up to brush Luffy's hair back. "Thanks, Luffy. You should finish eating now. Carefully."

Luffy nodded, releasing Ace's hand and digging in the bag again. He pulled out a bag of cookies, tearing it open.

Ace pulled back, eyes flickering to his hand as he studied the shoddy knots and loose bandages. His fingers weren't bleeding badly enough for him to feel the need to redo it yet, but once Luffy fell asleep, he'd have Sabo help him with disinfecting and fixing it.

Sabo smiled in understanding - it was easy to figure out what was going through Ace's mind then, and it wouldn't be the first time that he'd redone Ace's bandages after Luffy had fallen asleep. Luffy always meant well, but his enthusiasm wasn't always effective.

They lapsed into companionable silence then, busying themselves with finishing off the food that they weren't going to save until later - which meant that they had to physically stop Luffy from eating the rest of it, because he would have gladly helped himself to the rest of their stash.

"It's probably gonna rain for a while longer," Ace observed once he'd finished packing away the rest of the food. Luffy's eyelids were drooping, hands folded over his full belly. It wasn't often they stole enough to feel full after one meal, and the sight had Ace smiling - even with the visible bandages where Luffy had taken his lacerations from the broken glass. He made his way back over and sat down, opening his arms.

Luffy readily climbed into his arms and hugged him, snuggling close. "Ace, I like it when you're not mad at me."

"I know," Ace sighed, rubbing his back. "But I'm always mad when you're hurt, Luffy."

"Are you always mad at me?" Luffy pressed, his voice small.

Ace hesitated, then shook his head. "No. Not always." He glanced at Sabo, silently asking if he should say something else for Luffy's sake.

Sabo met Ace's gaze and nodded encouragingly. Ace was on the right track - reassurance that he wasn't mad at Luffy was what Luffy needed. It would help, because that was what Luffy was the most worried about. He would be able to handle Ace's anger as long as he knew that it wasn't aimed at him.

Ace swallowed at Sabo's reassurance, tucking Luffy closer. "I'm mad at me."

"Ace is mad at Ace…?" Luffy echoed.

"When you get hurt, I can take your pain away," Ace continued - and this time he had to look away from everyone, closing his eyes. "It's the one thing I can do for you. You're my little brother, Luffy… and when I get hurt, it's because I'm protecting you. If you take those injuries, then it means I can't even do that. That's why I get so mad, Luffy… me and Sabo, we care about you more than anything. So it hurts us more if you're hurt, okay?"

Luffy didn't seem happy about that. His posture radiated his displeasure and he was incredibly tense. Then, all at once, he relaxed and burrowed closer in Ace's arms. "Okay."

Ace's eyes flew open in surprise. "Okay?" he echoed.

"Okay?" Sabo repeated as well, staring at Luffy. He'd hoped Luffy would understand what Ace was trying to tell him, but he hadn't expected him to just... accept it like that.

He also couldn't believe that Ace had actually admitted all of those things. He'd hoped that Ace would open up, but he hadn't expected it to be that quickly, or that much.

"Okay," Luffy said again. "I understand. I didn't know I was hurting Ace more when I took his pain. I thought I was helping, but if it hurts more, that's not helping. I thought Ace didn't want me to take his pain because he thought I was weak. But I'm strong!"

"Luffy," Ace murmured. He pulled back just enough to look Luffy in the eye, keeping his hands on Luffy's shoulders. "You are not weak. You're an idiot, and you're stubborn, and you can be such a pain in the ass…" His grin was crooked and playful as Luffy pouted up at him. "And you're strong. Our strong little brother."

Sabo grinned, watching the two of them affectionately. "Really strong," Sabo added, just to make absolutely sure that Luffy knew it was a sentiment that they both shared. He reached out and playfully ruffled his hair, the look that he gave both of them full of warmth.

Satisfied, Luffy twisted to smile at Sabo, then went back to burrowing in Ace's arms. He started snoring almost instantly, which had Ace shaking his head with a rueful smile. One of Luffy's arms flopped over him, and the sight of the bandages there had Ace's stomach curling with guilt again. His hand came up to skim over those bandages, recalling where each cut had been before Luffy had stubbornly taken them. It frustrated him to no end that a wound could only be transferred once - that the moment Luffy took his pain, he was stuck with it.

"Do you really think he'll stop taking my injuries?" Ace asked, moving his hand to rub Luffy's back again.

"I think he'll try," Sabo said, smiling softly at them both. "And he'll probably succeed with anything minor, but if you're ever seriously hurt I doubt he'll be able to stop himself. He cares about you too much for that." His smile dimmed, his expression growing more serious. "So that means you're going to need to promise to be more careful, Ace. To stop being so reckless all the time."

"I will if you promise me something too," Ace said, holding his hand out for Sabo to fix. The bandages were tight enough to hurt, but he'd dealt with it for Luffy's sake.

"What?" Sabo asked, reaching out to take Ace's hand. He began unwinding the bandages, while rummaging through the supplies Ace and Luffy had stolen to find the disinfectant.

"If I ever get hurt… like really bad…" Ace murmured, watching Sabo work. They always tried to keep first aid supplies on hand, but with how often they found themselves injured, it was difficult. "If I'm ever dying because of an injury, you have to stop Luffy from taking my place."

Sabo swallowed hard at that, because the thought of either Ace or Luffy being in such a situation made his heart ache. It was his worst fear, to lose his brothers like that. But that was the only thing that made him pause for a moment, because the actual promise was easy enough to make. If Ace was dying, and Luffy took his place, Ace would never be able to forgive himself. Sabo would end up losing two brothers, not just one.

"I promise," Sabo said, pausing in what he was doing to look Ace straight in the eye. "I promise."

Satisfied, Ace nodded, holding Sabo's gaze. Then he grinned. "I don't plan on dying any time soon, so don't look all serious and Sabo-like," he teased. He looked back to Luffy. "I'll try not to get mad the next time he takes one of my injuries."

Sabo managed a strained, but sincere smile. "The key part of that being the word 'try'," he teased back. "But I know you'll do your best. And if you do get angry, then I'll be here." A thought occurred to him, and he tilted his head to one side. "You know, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea if you let Luffy take some of your injuries - the ones you get from accidents. The minor ones. Then he can feel like he's still helping you, but he won't be taking any injuries you get while protecting him."

Ace scowled at the thought of Luffy being hurt at all, but he had to admit, it made sense. "How about this. From now on, Luffy needs your permission to take an injury from me. I can't make the decision, Sabo. I don't want him hurt at all. But if you say he can, I'll trust you."

Sabo smiled, and gave a nod. "Deal," he agreed. It made perfect sense, and it was a rule that Luffy would easily be able to follow.

"Thanks," Ace murmured. "I guess I'm gonna take a nap too. Luffy's not getting up anytime soon."

"Go ahead," Sabo said with a nod, having finished with redressing his injury. "I'll stay up and keep an eye on things."

Ace nodded, attention going back to Luffy as he settled back on the blankets and tried to get some sleep.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to check out our tumblr, Synchrosin, for more prompt posts and ficlet requests.