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Ace is used to warmth.
Even before he was a living furnace, he always ran hot- Luffy and Sabo would monopolize that, the opportunistic little shits, snuggling into him and pressing their cold feet against him like nobody’s business. Ace rolled his eyes and sighed and complained, but in the end, always gave in. His use as a living heat-pack only grew when he ate his devil fruit. He’s used to warmth, used to feeling warm.
This warmth, though- this is- this is wrong.
Luffy’s head lolls against Ace’s shoulder, little puffs of breaths barely ruffling the hairs at the nape of Ace’s neck. His arms rest limply by his sides, which is- no, Luffy always wraps his arms tightly around Ace’s neck, and Ace pretends he’s on the verge of choking to death, and Luffy laughs, and-
Ace’s chest is warm. A spot of warmth trails down Ace’s chest- wait, no, that doesn’t make sense- Luffy’s warmth is constant. He presses against Ace, torso to torso, warmth surrounding Ace’s chest just as inner warmth fills his heart and-
It had been going so well. Ace was free, running and fighting alongside his little brother like they hadn’t been able to do for years. Ace was grinning, Luffy was laughing, and even though Ace had never been more tired and he had just had to say goodbye to his father and it was quite possibly the worst day of Ace’s life, he couldn’t help but be relieved.
Then-
Akainu started taunting. Ace stopped running. Luffy called for him to keep going, Ace didn’t listen. Akainu landed a hit on Ace. He went after Luffy. Ace threw himself between Akainu and Luffy, and then- and then-
Luffy lets out a wet cough, and Ace snaps back to the present. “Shishishi,” Luffy laughs, quietly, haltingly. “Saved…you…Ace…”
“Shh, shh,” Ace hushes, panicked. “Don’t talk- save your strength- we can-” Ace jerks his head around, and his eyes land on- “OI! FABIAN!” The doctor snaps out of whatever shock he’d been in and runs towards them. “Help him!” Ace snaps. In contrast to his tone, he carefully eases Luffy away from his chest. Luffy lets out a pained gasp, and Ace soothingly runs a hand through his hair. “You’ll be okay,” he whispers. “You’ll be okay.”
Ace keeps his eyes on Fabian as he takes a look at the- at Luffy. “You can help him, right?” Fabian’s face does a weird little thing- his eyes close, and his lips press together in a frown. “Right?” Ace asks again, quieter.
“I’m sorry, Ace,” Fabian whispers.
At that same moment, Luffy lets out a hacking cough, and Ace reflexively jerks his head towards him. And finally, his eyes catch on-
Oh, Ace is finally forced to realize. Oh. The warmth against his chest was blood.
Luffy’s chest is just- a mass of red. A massive gash is carved into the center of Luffy’s chest, and red trails from his mouth down his chin. Luffy’s face is twisted in pain, his hands lying listlessly by his sides. Ace’s stomach twists, and twists, and twists, as he finally faces the fact that- that-
That Luffy is dying.
“Luffy,” Ace whispers. His fingers run gently through Luffy’s hair. Luffy leans into it; Ace’s stomach twists even more. “Why- why would you do that?” Images flash through Ace’s mind at light-speed: Akainu leaping towards Luffy, Ace darting between them, Luffy somehow lunging forward and reaching out and shoving Ace away and-
“Shishishi.” Somehow, Luffy manages to smile, and it’s just as bright and happy a thing as Ace has ever seen. “You’re my older brother!”
A knot lodges in Ace’s throat and he swallows heavily. Luffy reaches up and cups Ace’s face in his hand. Ace lets out a choked sound, reaching up and pressing it closer. This isn’t- this isn’t how it was supposed to go. Luffy wasn’t supposed to-
Luffy lets out one last breath. His hand slips from Ace’s face. His head falls back limply, a small smile on his face. His eyes are still open.
And something in Ace shatters.
-
Something sinks in Marco’s chest as he sees Strawhat fall limp. Ace seems shock-still, still cradling his little brother close. Little Lu, Ace always called him, his face shining with pride and joy and a love deeper than most Marco has ever seen. That love had shone in his eyes throughout this awful war, and there was a certain happiness to Ace as the brothers fought side-by-side.
“Look, Marco! This is my little brother! Hell of a first bounty, right?”
Marco’s haki pings, and he quickly snaps his eyes to the bastard who ruined the hope they worked so hard to gain. “Don’t you dare,” he growls, intercepting Akainu as he started to launch forward at the brothers. Akainu sneers.
“Justice will prevail. The bloodline of the Pirate King will end today,” Akainu says, and Marco snarls.
“You’ve done enough.” Marco launches into a flurry of punches and kicks, driving Akainu further back. Vista quickly joins in, and together they manage to keep Akainu at bay. “I can’t believe we let this happen,” Marco mutters.
Vista shakes his head sadly. He glances over his shoulder, and his frown deepens. “We gotta get Ace moving,” he says. His eyes catch Marco’s for a split-second. “I’ve got him. Go to Ace.”
Marco hesitates for a moment, but then lets out a frustrated breath. “Got it.” But, before Marco can move-
A wave of heat bursts out from behind him. Marco jerks his head over his shoulder – it’s fortunate that Akainu is just as distracted, otherwise Marco undoubtedly would have paid for that mistake – and his heart leaps into his throat. Ace is still kneeling down, head bowed over his little brother’s body. Pulses of heat explode out from him every few seconds. Slowly, Ace reaches down and closes Strawhat’s eyes. He lays Strawhat down on the ground, gentle gentle gentle, and then stands.
When he turns to face them – face Akainu – his eyes are fire.
“Ace-” Marco starts. “Ace- you-” Ace’s glare turns toward Marco. Marco’s voice cuts off and he rears back, because- Marco has never seen that level of hate in someone’s eyes before.
“Get out of my way, Marco,” Ace says. The fire spreads down Ace’s body, to his arms and hands and legs, until all you can see is flame. Vista takes a step away, and unwittingly, Marco finds himself doing the same. Akainu lets out a laugh, derisive.
“What, you back for more?” Akainu taunts. “Me killing the son of Dragon wasn’t enough? Failing to protect your brother not enough for you?”
And something- shifts.
The flame on Ace’s hands glows red, then orange, growing more and more blinding as he steps closer to Akainu. The ground below Ace’s feet sizzles and crackles, and then starts melting. The battle, barely still going after Strawhat was hit, slows to a stop around them. Marco feels himself gape as Ace roars, turning blinding white and streaming toward Akainu. He punches Akainu, and where that hit just made him laugh earlier, now Akainu’s face drops from his mocking sneer to a pained grimace. When Ace pulls away slightly, Akainu’s upper arm is scorched.
Awakening, Marco realizes with dawning awe and terror both.
Ace doesn’t let up, sending fireball after fireball at Akainu, before suddenly dropping his hands to the ground. Marco barely has the time to blink before the ground around Akainu is suddenly covered in- no, before the ground becomes flame. White, blazing, destructive flame. Marco barks out a quick order to the crewmates around him to back up as screams erupt from marines and pirates who didn’t escape the blaze.
Despite this, no flame has even come close to where Strawhat lays, unnaturally still.
Ace hasn’t stopped screaming. His roars shift to something closer to crying, his pain so deeply palpable that Marco can almost feel himself wanting to join him. His eyes catch his father’s eyes over the shell-shocked crowd, and the pain he feels is reflected in them. Marco has to do something. Because despite what must to be Ace’s awakening, Akainu hasn’t gained any serious injuries and is starting to push back against the flood of flame Ace is pushing at him. They can’t lose him. Marco starts moving forward, but then-
Ba-bump.
Marco isn’t sure why, but he stops in his tracks. Something feels- different.
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
Unconsciously, Marco brings a hand to his chest. His heart is pounding.
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
He looks around wildly, and his eyes catch on his father’s. There’s a hint of confusion in Whitebeard’s eyes, but that confusion is giving way to a smile that’s slowly spreading across his face. Whitebeard turns to the side slightly; Marco follows his gaze to-
Doom dut da da! Doom dut da da! Doom dut da da!
“Gurararara!” Whitebeard bursts out laughing. His smile has grown to a full-out grin. He cuts a glance to Sengoku, and says, “Looks like things are about to become really interesting around here!”
Marco can’t even begin to understand the sheer horror that is starting to spread across the Fleet Admiral’s face.
But what he does know is that when he glanced at Ace’s brother, he saw his chest move.
-
“I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL FUCKING DRAG YOU INTO HELL WITH ME LIKE YOU FUCKING BELONG, YOU MOTHERFUCKING ASSHOLE!”
(Ace knows loneliness like the back of his hand.
Until he was five, he had no one in his life he could fully and completely trust. He couldn’t trust the bandits. His grandfather was never there. Sabo was the one who proved, again and again, that he would stay. That he wouldn’t leave, even when Ace blew up at him. Even when he learned that Ace was the son of the devil. Even then, it took until he was ten to learn what it felt like to not feel lonely. It took until then to find out what it felt like for someone to always be happy he was there, for someone to be truly thankful for him to be alive. For someone to make Ace genuinely smile and laugh.
Sabo taught Ace trust, but it was because of Luffy that Ace learned what true happiness felt like.)
“YOU MOTHERFUCKER!” Ace roars. His voice cracks at the end. If Ace weren’t on fire, he thinks he’d be crying. He thinks he is anyway. “I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL MURDER YOU, ASSHOLE, YOU MOTHERFUCKING DICKHEAD FUCKER SON OF A BITCH-”
(When Sabo died, he asked one thing of Ace. Take care of him. Take care of Luffy, their dumbass, troublesome, death-seeking little brother. It was a full-time job, making sure Luffy didn’t die via crocodile and making sure he knew how to take care of himself. When Ace let Luffy be mauled by that bear, Ace swore that it would never happen again. That Ace would die before Luffy ever got hurt like that again.)
Ace lets out a shout, sweeping his arms toward Akainu and flooding him with fire. He pushes and pushes and pushes, not acknowledging the pain in his wounds; the magma leaving pinpricks of pain on him; the fact he could pass out any second.
(He failed.)
Ace is careful to direct his flame in front of him. Even though he heard Luffy’s final words, even though he felt his heart stop beating against his very hands, he can’t- he won’t- he’ll protect him. He'll always protect him.
He steadies his feet and sends another flood of fire at Akainu. He can’t stop. He won’t stop. He has to kill him. He has to avenge him- has to do at least that much. He has to- he has to-
Ba-bump.
Ace’s pulse reverberates in his mind. Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump. It’s getting louder. Ace knows that means he’s pushing himself too far. He doesn’t care. Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump.
Doom dut da da! Doom dut da da! Doom dut da da!
Auditory hallucinations. That’s new. Ace hasn’t ever hallucinated a drumbeat like that before. He doesn’t know whether that’s a good sign or not. He doesn’t care. The drumbeat continues, growing louder and louder and louder. Despite himself, Ace feels his flames waning, and suddenly-
“Ace!” A pair of hands grab his shoulders and pull him to the side. Ace glares, even as his head swims.
“Let me go,” he spits. Ace attempts to rip himself free, but Marco holds fast. His hands burn over Ace’s flame, blue flame flickering as he heals himself.
Marco insists, “Ace, listen. Your brother-”
“Don’t you dare.” Ace rips himself away for a split-second, but Marco grabs on twice as tight. “Listen, I know, Marco. I know Luffy’s-” Ace’s voice chokes before he can finish the sentence. “So just stop and let me-”
“Ace!” Marco spins them around, and points. “Just look!”
Ace tries to look away, but Marco forces Ace to keep his eyes on- on the body. Ace scrunches his eyes closed, tears running down his cheeks. Ace’s heart pounds. The drumbeat continues, growing louder and louder. He blinks his eyes back open, blinking rapidly to get rid of the tears, and opens his mouth to yell at Marco again. But-
Ba-bump.
Luffy’s chest-
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
It’s moving.
Doom dut da da! Doom dut da da! Doom dut da da!
Luffy’s hair is…turning white? The ends are almost melting, looking goopy as the white spreads down the strands of hair. A smile spreads across Luffy’s face, and it’s almost unnatural with how wide it is. Ace has seen Luffy smile a million times, but- none have looked like this.
Doom dut da da! Doom dut da da! Doom dut da da!
And- against Ace’s wildest hopes-
Luffy’s eyes shoot open.
-
“Oooooh, I can do everything I wanted to do! I think I can fight for a bit longer…my heartbeat sounds so funny! This is the pinnacle of what I can do! This is…hmm, Gear 4 doesn’t sound right. I’ll call it…Gear 5!”
-
It takes a moment for Ace to remember how to breathe again.
In the blink of an eye, Luffy leapt to his feet, bouncing on ground that has seemingly…turned into rubber? Ace tests the ground. Yup. Rubber. Then Luffy lets out a burst of Conqueror’s Haki, knocking out half the battlefield. Luffy’s bleeding has completely stopped- somehow. Ace wonders if he’s living in a fever dream.
Ace stumbles sideways, and Marco steadies him. His grip on Ace’s arm is solid. Real. This is real. Which means-
“Lu-” Ace’s voice cracks. He clears his throat and tries again. “Luffy!” He calls out, desperate. Luffy glances over, and his grin grows even wider.
“Ace!” He responds happily. He laughs, and it sounds off. It’s Luffy, but…different, in a sense. Ace can’t bring himself to care, though, and takes a step forward. Marco follows. Ace glances over at him, and there’s a sort of wonder crossing over his face that Ace can’t quite parse.
Before Ace can do anything, though, a wave of heat explodes from the side. Ace startles in shock and jerks his head toward the bastard he somehow managed to forget about it. “So you’re alive, son of Dragon,” Akainu growls.
“Luffy, get back-” Luffy lets out a laugh.
“Don’t worry, Ace! I got this!” Ace watches, terror curling in his gut as Luffy dashes toward Akainu.
Akainu scoffs, and sends a wave of magma at Luffy. “You don’t even know haki,” he says derisively. “You have no chance of fighting back.”
Luffy keeps laughing, and laughing, and laughing, only seeming to notice at the last second the attack Akainu sent at him. He gasps, then, jerking back in fear. Ace launches forward desperately, but then watches in awe as Luffy rips up part of the ground, using that as a barrier to the magma. “That’s not nice!” Luffy calls out, and then stretches forward to- grab Akainu by the legs?
“Hahahahaha!” Luffy laughs joyfully, while swinging Akainu around above his head. “This is fun!” Akainu seems to be trying to turn into magma and escape, but- something seems to be stopping him. Luffy furrows his brows in concentration and then- throws Akainu out of the battlefield. His outraged yell grows fainter and fainter until Akainu himself disappears into a light in the sky.
Ace has absolutely no idea what the fuck is happening.
“It’s like a comic strip,” Marco whispers. Ace lets out a breath- it might be a laugh or a sob, he doesn’t know. All he knows is his brother is alive.
He’s alive.
“SOLDIERS! KILL STRAW HAT LUFFY! HE CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO MAKE IT OUT OF HERE ALIVE!”
Luffy laughs yet again, bouncing higher and higher into the air. The ground surrounding him seems to grow more and more bouncy and rubbery, almost like a trampoline, each wave taking out more and more marines as they flood toward him. Marco dashes off- to keep the other admirals occupied, Ace assumes. He shakes off his tiredness and leaps into the fray to help his brother.
“You are in so much trouble,” Ace says breathlessly as he finds his place at Luffy’s back. Luffy laughs and sends a cheeky grin at Ace – and despite the fact that everything about Luffy looks different right now, that grin is the same one that Ace has built his life around. The lump in Ace's throat finally starts to fade.
“You’re just mad I was able to take out Akainu and you weren’t,” Luffy responds, taking out another wave of marines. Ace scoffs and throws a fire fist to his right.
“As if.”
Luffy says brightly, “I finally beat you!”
“As if!”
Ace can’t help but grin. Despite everything, despite the fact that he thought Luffy was dead not even ten minutes ago, he doesn’t think he’s ever felt lighter in his life. But, of course, that’s when things start to go wrong again.
Luffy stumbles. His hair shifts back from white, and his whole body seems to age a hundred years in an instant. He starts to collapse to the ground, coughing. “Luffy!” Ace catches his little brother when he falls. His heart drops.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. Of course his brother wasn’t magically okay, regardless of whatever bullshit his devil fruit did now. Of course he’s not able to keep fighting for much longer. Panic chokes Ace’s throat, and he immediately starts running toward the sea.
“Go, Ace!” Jinbe yells, jumping in behind him and taking out a flood of marines. “I'll cover you!” Ace can't even nod to thank him, sprinting as fast as he can.
“I can…keep…going…” Luffy mumbles from where his face rests against Ace’s chest. Ace hushes him, looking desperately for an escape. Luffy's breathing has grown labored. Ace feels warmth trickling down his chest, and fear strangles his throat.
“You’ve done plenty,” he says. “Let your big brother take care of you now, okay?”
“I’m…fine…” Luffy whispers. Immediately after, his head goes limp against Ace’s chest. Ace curses, and runs faster, looking around frantically as he nears the shore. All but one of the ships his crew brought are destroyed, and they’re all still fighting, and Ace doesn’t know what to do-
“BRING STRAWHAT-YA OVER HERE!” A call comes from Ace’s left. He barely even questions it before starting to run over. A yellow submarine bobs just above the surface, and a small mass of people wait on the deck. A large white bear beckons him when Ace hesitates.
“Captain is a doctor!” He says. “He can help!”
Ace can’t feel Luffy’s heartbeat anymore. He doesn’t have time to hesitate. He leaps onto the submarine, and in an instant Luffy’s been taken from his arms and is being taken down into the bowels of the sub. Ace makes to follow, but he’s held back. “Let me go!” He yells, frantic. He can’t let Luffy out of his sight. He can’t- He can’t- “LUFFY! LUFFY!”
“Sorry about this,” he hears muttered behind him, before two fingers dig into the back of his neck.
Ace feels his knees buckle as his vision goes black.
-
“This is a catastrophe.”
“Marineford destroyed, Fire Fist Ace escaped, Nika awakened…”
“Not to mention the fact that none of the Whitebeard commanders died, and Whitebeard decided to escape with his crew.”
“It’s all due to that boy.”
“We must do something.”
“It’s unprecedented, but his bounty must be…”
-
Ace gasps awake. “Easy, easy,” a voice comes from his left. Ace jerks his head over, ignoring the screaming from his head and neck and- everything, really.
“You’re alright,” the man reassures. He’s got a weird hat on, with the word ‘penguin’ written across the front. Ace takes a deep breath, and the events of the past couple days flash through his mind. Being in Impel Down, the war, his family, Luffy-
“Luffy!” Ace sits up rapidly. “Where is he?! Is he okay?! What-”
“Calm down,” Penguin says, holding his hands up. “Your brother’s fine. The surgery was successful. Captain says-”
“Can I see him?” Ace interrupts. The stranger sighs.
“I mean, you really shouldn’t be moving yet-”
Making to get up, Ace says stubbornly, “I don’t care.” Penguin sighs in exasperation.
“Hopeless,” he mutters. “Whatever, sure, I'll take you. He's in the next room over.” He helps Ace get carefully out of bed, and before Ace knows it, he's looking at his little brother.
In a daze, Ace makes his way over and sits down. Luffy looks- for lack of other words, horrible. His entire body is wrapped in bandages, a mask resting over his face. But his heartbeat monitor beeps reassuringly, Luffy’s chest moving with every breath. Ace lets out a shuddering breath. He gently takes hold of Luffy's hand, bowing down and pressing his forehead to it.
“You're alive,” he whispers. A tear trails down his cheek and soaks into the bandage.
Penguin, still standing by the door to give them a small sense of privacy, clears his throat. “I should tell you,” he says. “You have a visitor. Captain’s been making him stay on the other ship until you woke up, but he's been insistent that he needs to talk to you.”
Ace is quiet for a moment. “Give me an hour,” he finally says, “I'll figure out whatever the fuck he wants then.”
Penguin nods, and bows out of the room.
For the hour Ace just…sits. Luffy came for him. He almost died for him. His little brother- the boy who once got tortured for a boy he didn't know, just for the chance of making a friend. “You really haven't changed, huh, Lu,” Ace whispers. He gently pushes the hair out of Luffy’s eyes. He watches him for a bit longer, then stands up.
When Ace reaches the deck, the crew that greeted him at Marineford is gathered and quietly talking. There's a ship sailing next to them- Ace saves questioning that for later. “Oh, you're up!” The talking bear says cheerfully. Ace blinks at him for a bit. Then he promptly moves on. He's seen weirder.
“Thank you all for saving me and my brother,” he says, finally remembering his manners. He bows down. “I owe you all a huge debt.”
A tall man, spotted hat on head and a sword resting against his shoulder, waves a hand. “I just felt like it,” he states. “No need for all this debt talk.”
Ace smiles slightly. “Still, thank you.” He looks around. “Where's the man that-” he squints at the man who was watching Ace. “I can't keep calling you Penguin because of your hat,” Ace says, eyeing the stranger. The whole group bursts into snickers, and the man buries his head in his hands.
“My name is Penguin,” he says into his hands. Ace winces.
“My condolences.”
“I'M NOT UPSET ABOUT IT!” Penguin protests through renewed laughter. He sighs, and calls over his shoulder. “OI, SABO! HE'S AWAKE!”
Ace’s heart stops. “What did you just-”
His mouth goes dry as a man jumps down onto the deck of the sub.
The first thing Ace notices is the black coat the stranger- because Ace refuses to use that name- wears. It swishes around his ankles as he takes one step forward and then stops. Ace’s eyes then catch on the stupid napkin tied around his neck-
“It's a cravat!”
“It's a goddamn napkin!”
-Ace forcefully stops that train of thought. He forces himself to look up and take in- his face, and his eyes immediately catch on the eyes. Sabo’s eyes were almost electric, a type of blue Ace has never seen since.
This man’s eyes are exactly the same.
Ace feels his jaw wobble.
The man takes off his hat in one smooth motion, revealing the shiny, wavy blonde hair. His mouth turns up into a small smile. “Hey, Ace,” the man says, and Ace’s eyes burn. There's the same little lilt at the end of Ace’s name, a remnant of his noble upbringing. Ace always used to tease him about it. It's the exact same.
“...Sabo?” Ace whispers.
Sa- the man lets out a laugh. It sounds wet. “Did you miss me?” He asks, and it cracks at the end. Ace scrubs at his eyes, wiping his own tears, and stalks forward.
“You bastard,” Ace spits, and punches Sabo in the face.
-
“You really learned how to throw a punch.”
Ace snorts, catching the ice pack thrown to him by one of the crew members and handing it to Sabo. “You could've easily dodged that,” he responds as Sabo presses the pack to his eye. Sabo shrugs slightly.
“I deserved it,” he says quietly. Ace sighs. He takes a seat next to Sabo, pressing their shoulders together. Luffy lays prone in front of them – the doctor (Trafalgar Law, apparently) had just come, removing the oxygen mask, and saying that he should be waking up soon. Luffy’s hand is wrapped carefully in Sabo’s.
Ace murmurs, “Amnesia, huh.” Sabo lets out a shuddering breath and leans into the contact. His hand tightens around Luffy's.
“You both could've died,” he whispers. “I saw the picture of Luffy in the paper, and I thought- I thought-”
Ace threads his fingers with Sabo’s free hand, squeezing tightly. Sabo squeezes back just as hard. “I thought I lost him,” Ace admits quietly. His lip trembles. He bites down hard to still it. “I- Akainu went after him, and I tried to get in between, but- Luffy, he-”
“He pushed you,” Sabo finishes quietly. “Yeah, Iva-san told me.” Ace bows his head. He can't seem to stop his shaking.
In an instant, Sabo turns and throws his arms around Ace. “He's alive,” he says fiercely. “He’ll be okay. And I am so unbelievably glad that you're alive, too.” His arms tighten enough to hurt. Ace lets out a choked sob and returns the embrace.
“I'm glad you're alive, too,” he whispers into Sabo’s shoulder. He leans back to meet Sabo’s eyes. He brushes his fingers briefly over Sabo’s scar. “No regrets,” he decides. “We're alive. We're here. That's enough.”
Sabo’s eyes swim with emotions Ace won't even try to name. After a moment, he lets out a wet laugh. “No regrets,” he echoes. His guilt will linger, Ace knows, just as he knows Ace’s own will manifest in nightmares for months to come. But they made it. That's what matters.
After a while, Sabo lets his grip loosen. He leans forward and brushes his fingers through Luffy’s hair. “Y’know, now that we know what his devil fruit truly is, it couldn't be more fitting,” he says musingly.
Ace looks at him questioningly. “His devil fruit?” Sabo gives him a small smile.
“Right, you wouldn't have heard that story. One of my old friends told me about it.” Pain flashes across Sabo's face for an instant. Ace puts a pin in that to ask about later. “Legend says there's a certain god,” he starts. “The sun god, Nika. This god goes around, putting smiles on faces, taking them under the sun and giving them the freedom of the sea.”
Sabo smiles fondly. “He's always smiling and laughing, and it's said his rhythm brings laughter to the people.” Ace furrows his brows, and then they shoot up high.
“Are you saying that Luffy is a god?!” Ace asks incredulously. Sabo laughs.
“Not that kind of god. Nika’s different - some call him the Warrior of Liberation. He brings the freedom of the sun and sea to all. And given all that Luffy's done…” Ace sets his eyes on his little brother. He thinks about his laughter. His smile. And how he's saved thousands of people.
How he's saved Ace.
“I'm going to be the Pirate King!”
“What, you wanna conquer everything?”
“Nah! The Pirate King is just the freest person on the seas!”
“...it is fitting,” Ace murmurs.
Sabo lets out a laugh. “Even so,” he says lightly, “he’ll always be our dumbass little brother.”
Ace snorts. “You've got that right. Remember that day he got eaten by crocodiles five times?”
“Pfft, and the time he fell down that bridge and we spent hours searching for him just to find out he’d found a friendly group of wolves and was just fine?”
“Oh my god, yeah.” Ace shakes his head. He places a hand on Luffy’s wrist, rubbing gently. “You’re a piece of work, y’know that?” He says softly. “Troublesome little brother.”
As if on cue, Luffy’s hand twitches. Then his arms, and legs. Ace snaps to attention, leaning closer. “Luffy?” A quiet groan is his only response. Ace can’t help the grin spreading across his face, and he shares a joyful look with Sabo. “C’mon, Luffy, open your eyes,” Ace coaxes.
And finally, Luffy does. His eyes flick from side to side, groggy. “Where…I’m…Ace!” Reality seems to hit Luffy like a truck, and he jerks as if to sit up. Ace quickly stands up and holds him down.
“Hey, hey, hey, I’m here.” Luffy keeps fighting. “Luffy,” Ace repeats, more firmly. “I’m here. I’m okay.”
Finally, his words seem to register. Luffy freezes, his eyes darting around Ace’s body, before finally resting on his eyes. “Ace…” Luffy says, trailing off. He finally relaxes all the way back, and tears fill his eyes. “Saved you,” he whispers, voice cracking. Ace laughs wetly, swiping at his eyes.
“Yeah, you saved my ass, I’ll give it to you this time.” Luffy lets out a sob and reaches out. Ace meets him halfway, carefully enfolding Luffy in his arms. He buries his head in Luffy’s shoulder, and finally allows himself to believe that his little brother’s okay. “I repeat- you are in so much trouble,” he whispers. He leans back, meeting Luffy’s eyes, and says fiercely, “You could have died, Luffy. You almost did!”
“So?” Luffy narrows his eyes. “It was worth it! I couldn’t let you die!”
“Protecting you is my job! It’s not yours to protect me! You should’ve just left me!” Ace willfully ignores the glare that he can feel drilling into the back of his head. Luffy shakes his head.
“You’re my older brother! I’d rather die than let you die!” Ace opens his mouth, but Luffy barrels on. “No regrets, remember?! I would’ve regretted it forever if I let you die!”
Ace closes his eyes, willing the tears to go away. A few trail down his cheeks anyway. “You’re impossible,” he whispers, and pulls Luffy into another hug. “I can’t lose you, Lu. I can’t.”
“And I can’t lose you either,” Luffy shoots back. Ace swallows back a sob. He leans back, and finally gives Luffy a watery smile.
“Guess neither of us are allowed to die, then, huh,” he says. He runs his fingers through Luffy’s hair. Luffy beams and nods.
“Mm!”
“Along that train of thought,” Ace says. He glances at Sabo, who visibly swallows nervously. Ace rolls his eyes at him, then turns back to Luffy. “I have a present for you, Lu.”
“Ooooh, present?! Is it food?!” Luffy looks around excitedly.
Ace laughs, and moves back from the bed. “A little better than food, Luffy.”
Luffy freezes as Sabo comes into view.
Sabo smiles hesitantly as Luffy’s eyes go wide. “Hi, Luffy,” he whispers. Luffy’s lip starts trembling. His eyes bounce from Sabo’s eyes, to his hair, to the cravat that’s lost its neatness, to the coat that’s hanging over the back of his chair.
Luffy lets out a shuddering breath. “…Sabo?” He asks, his eyes already tearing up.
Sabo sniffles and nods. “Yeah, it’s me, Lu. Sorry I took so long.”
“SABO!!!” Luffy sobs, reaching out and dragging Sabo closer. Sabo lets out a choked laugh and goes willingly, careful not to aggravate his injuries. Luffy wails, and Sabo buries his hand in Luffy’s hair, pulling him as close as he’s able.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers. His hand pets Luffy’s hair almost frantically. “I’m sorry, I’m here now. I’m so sorry.”
“Stupid Sabo,” Luffy chokes out. “Stop apologizing for being alive!” Sabo lets out a choked sob. Ace snickers slightly, wiping away his own tears. Luffy glances at Ace, and before he knows it, Ace is being dragged into the hug as well.
“If you ruin my work, I’ll kill you all,” Trafalgar’s voice comes from the open doorway. Ace flips him off.
“Fuck off!” He says cheerfully, leaning fully into the hug. There’s a heavy sigh, and then they’re alone again.
Sabo says dryly, “You really shouldn’t antagonize him when he’s the one who kept you alive.”
“Meh,” is the only response Ace deigns to give. Sabo sighs, and Luffy laughs.
And Ace hugs them both close, burying his smile in his brothers’ shoulders.
-
(“Oh, by the way, Luffy, you have a new bounty now.”
“Oooh, show me, show me!”
“Man, not me?! C’mon, I just escaped from an execution, gimme a raise too.”
“Well, technically, Luffy did save your ass-”
“Shut the fuck up. Anyways, what’s the bounty?”
“Here.”
“ONE BILLION BERI?!”
“Shishishishishi! I win!”
“Just wait till our next sparring session, brat, then you’ll change your tune.”
“Guys, please, don’t fight in the med-bay, I can’t keep promising Trafalgar revolutionary secrets as payment-”
“Shishishishishi!”)