A/N: Hello everyone! Check it out, I survived my first OP Big Bang! I want to say a huge thank you to all my readers who have been patient with me. This is my first attempt writing romance in a very long time, and I hope you enjoy it!

The cover is a collaboration piece by my (incredible, wonderful, absolutely AWESOME) two artists, and you can find the rest of the amazing artwork for this story by lsain and Joraqi on tumblr, or on the opbigbang masterpost with links. (I would include links but they'd get eaten.) Seriously you guys, they did such beautiful work for this story and the best part about this event for me was meeting them.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to both of you for putting up with my hectic writing schedule and my crazy, un-beta'd mess.

And on that note...

Huge, HUGE thank you to my two wonderful beta readers, Beyond Kailani and Akatsuki Celeste. The blood, sweat, and tears they put into helping me get this story fixed up are no joke! And also HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Akatsuki Celeste! (I picked this posting date just to say that :3 )

story warnings: graphic violence, mentions of death, sexual situations (including borderline non-con).

Azure and Ash

Part One

"You do good work, kid. Ever thought about enlisting? The King pays his men well."

It wasn't the first time he'd heard the words and he knew it wouldn't be the last. Ignoring the involuntary revulsion that shot through him at the suggestion, he forced a smile onto his face and shook his head. "Enlisting isn't for me," he answered in a perfectly rehearsed tone, accepting the small bag of coins - less than half of what he would have been paid if he were an enlisted member of the King's army - and bowed politely.

If it were another life, maybe. He had wondered from time to time how things might have turned out if he'd never met his brothers, but the thought of not knowing them - of not loving them and being loved in return - always left an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach that caused him to stop questioning it.

No matter how much pain it would eventually cause him, no matter how much harder it was to live day to day, he would never trade his brothers for anything.

Shoving the bag into the leather pouch on his belt, Ace sighed and headed for the same stall he always went to after he returned with the hunting party. Intrusive thoughts of how much simpler it would be if he escaped into the wilds invaded his mind. Hunting was easy, and surviving on the land sounded ideal when compared to adhering to a monarchy whose rules monitored everything from how much food could be stocked in a single home, to how many coins were being earned by every member of a household.

Don't be stupid, Ace, he reminded himself as the merchant prepared the usual dose of medicine without needing so much as a prompt. It's impossible.

He could survive in the wilds. Sabo could survive in the wilds.

Luffy… Luffy could barely survive at all.

The routine of pocketing the medicine and making rounds to buy supplies was a dreary dance Ace knew by heart. Some of the merchants already had the exact amounts ready, eying him hopefully to see if he'd earned extra coin for his hunting that week. He didn't know whose disappointment was worse; he would have loved a little extra money to surprise Luffy with more food, but game had been scarce and there were more able-bodied men and women joining the hunt these days. Competition was fierce, and Ace couldn't even hate them for making his life more difficult. They were all struggling to feed their families and just live in the dredges and slums of the kingdom.

It was with a heavy sigh that he finally left the markets of Midtown carrying two light bags of food, all his coin spent and his welcome in the higher tier of society officially over. Truthfully, he didn't like spending much time around those people anyway. Even though the inhabitants in the lower rings of the kingdom's structure were far from nobility, there was a distinct line between those who came from one of the towns, and those who made their home in the outskirts. He couldn't make himself blend in with them the way Sabo could, and even though he was positive Sabo hated them more, he couldn't shake the unclean feeling he got from being around them.

The irony of someone like him finding the wealthy subjects of the kingdom to be the unclean ones wasn't lost on him. With his bloodstained hunting tunic and a thin layer of grime he could never seem to keep off his skin, he would never look as though he belonged anywhere but the trash heap they lived in. Suddenly anxious to see Luffy, Ace picked up the pace, heading to the gates that separated Midtown from Edge Town.

A familiar scent assaulted him, his stomach rolling before it fully registered what he was smelling. Cursing inwardly for not noticing it on the way in, Ace brought his arm up and buried his face against it, trying to block it out with the scent of the wilds still clinging to the sleeve of his tunic.

It worked - somewhat - but the pungent odor of charred flesh could never be fully covered. Not by the heavy layer of perfume the inhabitants wore, not by the scented wreaths decorating the lampposts. Ace had never personally ventured into the deepest depths of the kingdom where the walls held no cracks or uneven bricks to climb and the guards surrounding the castle gates would be killed for falling asleep on the job, but he was positive the stench permeated even there. He took long strides through the less pristine streets of the Midtown, crossing through the gates to reach Edge Town, where the smell of poverty and despair was only slightly more appealing than the smell of perfumed death.

He tried to keep his head down, not wanting to catch a glimpse of the source, but it didn't matter. He'd seen enough victims to know what it looked like. Blackened flesh and bones hanging limply in chains, their mouths twisted in silent screams that anyone with a shred of compassion could hear long after the fire silenced them. It only took one time - one instance of witnessing a so-called heretic burning at the stake - to sear those images and sounds into someone's memory. Ace had been five the first time he'd witnessed it, and as far as he knew, he and Sabo had sheltered Luffy from ever having to experience such a thing. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to shield him from the gruesome aftermath.

It was a lost cause to waste any energy wishing things were different, or wishing someone could save the accused before they were burned. There were rumors that some had escaped, but nobody was foolish enough to believe it - not unless they also believed that the accused could actually use magic.

Maybe - once upon a time - Ace had been idealistic, harboring good intentions and heroic tendencies… but everyone knew what would happen to anyone caught aiding a branded heretic. Ace had no time for misplaced heroic deeds when he had Luffy depending on him to come home.

The scent of moss and dirt helped clear his head. He was eventually able to lower his arm, nodding to people he recognized and avoiding eye contact with those he didn't. More often than not, people were recognizing him these days. Ever since he'd joined the hunting parties and started earning an honest living, meager as it was, the folks in Edge Town had started to whisper.

Still, he didn't have it nearly as bad as Sabo did. If not for the burn scars over the left side of his face, he could have easily been mistaken for one of the nobles meant to be strolling around High Town rather than wading through the garbage of the slums. The whispering and pointing was less frequent these days, but many people had the same knee-jerk reaction at the sight of a possible noble making his way past Edge Town. Even when they did venture out to judge the commoners or flaunt their superiority, they tended not to stray that far.

Ace supposed the recent pointing and staring could have had something to do with the fact that he'd only joined the hunts within the last few months and had already started making a name for himself as one of the top hunters by bringing in the most kills. He'd heard the whispers - the accusations that he must have had prior hunting experience in the wilds - but he didn't care. Under normal circumstances, leaving the outer gate surrounding the slums was punishable by death. The gate itself was never guarded due to the fact that a wasteland of trash had accumulated over the years and none of the guards seemed to be able to stomach the smell, but it required the King's permission and at least a dozen of his men to open. Even if the residents of the slums had felt like taking their chances in the wilds, by the time they were able to actually open the gate, the guards would have been breathing down their necks.

No one would have believed the real story anyway - that he and Sabo had never needed to open the gates because they'd simply climbed them, or that they'd done their illegal hunting as children. It had been a long time since they'd risked such a thing, anyway. With an actual physical residence to call their own, they were subjected to the same laws as the residents of the towns, and that included a limit to how much food they could store. There had to be a reasonable explanation for their provisions, and any illegal hunting would be impossible to hide.

The hunts, on the other hand, were a sanctioned event for able-bodied individuals to hunt beasts in the wild once they'd procured an official hunting uniform. It sounded good in theory, but there were plenty of stipulations that no one ever mentioned. Like the fact that the only members of the hunting party who got to keep their own kills were enlisted members of the guard. Or that it didn't matter how much dedication or work you put in - the entire group including the enlisted guards split the profits. There was no compensation for loss of life, either, so the risk of actual sabotage in the wilds was high as well. More than one naive hunter had fallen prey to the greed of man, and it had served as a deterrent to new recruits for a very long time.

In all honesty, if it wasn't for the fact that becoming an enlisted guard under the King was basically signing away your life and freedom, Ace would have enlisted in a heartbeat. The promise of more money, more perks - it wasn't worth the knowledge that he would never be free to make his own choices again. To be able to put his brothers' needs before his own, or to abstain from a hunt if Luffy needed someone to take care of him.

The hunt wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be, either. Or maybe that was Ace's own interpretation because he was one of the strongest hunters. It wasn't unusual to see the healthier men and women of Edge Town in the hunting parties when times were rough, but no one in the slums ever seemed fit enough to venture out into the Wilds - nor could they afford the uniform.

Until Ace, anyway.

He slung both bags over one shoulder, absently placing his hand over the pouch of medicine at his hip to make sure it was still there. The hunt had only lasted a week this time around, and if he had his schedule right, Sabo was still out giving lessons in Midtown. It meant Luffy would be at home by himself.

Hopefully. He had scared the hell out of them by sneaking out in the past.

That thought had him walking faster. He'd almost made it to the thicker gates surrounding the city - ones that were meant to act as a barricade rather than a dividing line - and the outer ring that had become an unintentional home to the poorest members of the kingdom. Even if Luffy was at home where he was supposed to be, it still meant he'd be all alone and waiting for one of his brothers to come back. Ace hated the thought of keeping Luffy waiting.

It didn't take long before their modest hovel came into view on the very outskirts of the slums, half-supported by the thick walls surrounding the entire kingdom. There were telltale signs of homemade traps and snares in the surrounding dirt that Ace knew to avoid, and as soon as he'd crossed those obstacles, he pushed the door open.

"Luffy?" he called, instantly worried by how dark it was. They didn't burn candles during the day because the cracks in the ceiling let enough light in, but Luffy almost always had a candle burning if he was cooped up alone inside and Ace had taken too long to come home.

His heart jumped into his throat when Luffy didn't come running to tackle him in a hug or search him for food. He quickly dropped his bags against the wall, heading towards his bed - he and Sabo each had one, and Luffy alternated which one he slept in - because it was the only one he saw with blankets on it. He'd barely made it three steps before a familiar head of scruffy black hair popped up and a smile that somehow managed to light up the room greeted him.

"Ace!" Luffy cried, scrambling out of the blankets and launching himself directly at him.

Ace caught him with ease. With his childish features and scrawny frame, people often mistook the fourteen-year-old for a kid half his age. Luffy was no help in dispelling that image, either. He was affectionate and optimistic with eyes that still held hope despite the constant bleakness that surrounded him. For Luffy, simple errands became an adventure and every day was a precious gift.

"Were you sleeping?" Ace chuckled, wrapping his arms around Luffy and holding him close. It bothered him how cold Luffy felt when his face seemed flushed and feverish. He reached up with one hand to card his fingers through Luffy's hair, prompting his younger brother to snuggle and hide his face in Ace's neck.

"Only a little," Luffy answered with a muffled yawn.

"Only a little," Ace echoed with a soft laugh, struggling to stifle his worry. For the most part it worked, but there were times when Luffy's gaze was perceptive and Ace couldn't tell if he was only pretending not to notice how scared his older brothers were.

"You smell like the forest," Luffy informed him, pulling back a little and giving Ace another wide smile. "Did you have fun on the hunt?"

"It's not exactly 'fun', Luffy," Ace joked, forcing another laugh. "It was a decent haul, though."

"Did you bring back any wild beasts to eat?" Luffy asked with a hopeful grin.

"You know I don't get to keep anything I kill," Ace reminded him. "But I did bring home some meat from the market."

Luffy immediately tried to look for it without getting down out of Ace's arms. He wound up pawing at Ace's shoulders and face like an eager puppy until Ace finally managed to untangle him and set him on his feet.

"First, medicine," Ace ordered in what he hoped was a stern voice. As a child, being strict with Luffy had been so much easier. "Then we'll have some food."

"But not all of it," Luffy added, bouncing on his heels. "We have to wait for Sabo to come home so we can all eat together."

Ace smiled, unable to resist pulling Luffy into another hug - this time with Luffy's feet on the ground. "Yeah, we'll all eat dinner together. Have you been behaving for Sabo?"

"Yes?"

"Why does that sound like a 'no'?" Ace teased, pulling back again. He barely held back from laughing again when Luffy pursed his lips and tried to look innocent. "Okay, okay. Let's get you your medicine and then some food."

It took some time to get Luffy to take his medicine - it always did since the taste made him reluctant, and Ace had to promise lots of meat as a compromise - but once he'd taken the usual dose and the flush on his cheeks had gone down, Ace set to work on heating the coals under the cooking pot. Despite all of their furnishings being constructed out of secondhand materials or broken items they'd scavenged from the trash heap, it was cozy and convenient, and it felt nice to finally sit down and rest his legs.

Half of the food he'd brought would be stored along with the rest of their emergency rations, and he couldn't help but smile proudly when Luffy carefully began setting aside some dried meats without sampling them. They had a decent amount of base ingredients kept away in mismatched jars and pots, so despite how little meat Ace was going to be able to give Luffy, he was at least confident the taste would leave him satisfied in the end.

"Sabo's been bringing home a lot more food recently," Luffy chirped. "He said he's teaching a lot more kids now."

"That's great news," Ace answered, grinning.

"Are you making meat?" Luffy questioned, draping himself over Ace's back to look into the dented cooking pot.

Ace reached up with one hand to gently push Luffy's face back. Ever since they'd managed to get their hands on a reliable supply of coal, heating their home and cooking had come much easier, but it was still habit. He could still remember the old days when he and Sabo would cook over an open fire and Luffy would stick his face directly into the path of the smoke and wind up coughing miserably while they worried.

"I'm making meat," Ace confirmed. "I'm cooking stew so it'll fill you up faster."

"You put vegetables in it, didn't you?" Luffy accused.

"You can't live off meat alone," Ace said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Did Sabo make you eat vegetables?"

"No?" Luffy tried, his tone lilting in a telltale sign that he was attempting - and failing - to lie.

"Mmhmm," Ace chuckled. "I think I'll trust my gut on this one and make sure you eat somewhat healthy food."

Luffy sighed, pressing his cheek against Ace's shoulder. "Are you uncomfortable in your hunting clothes?"

"Nah," Ace lied. "I'll change as soon as I finish getting this ready, though."

"Kay," Luffy murmured. He remained draped over Ace's back, watching as Ace added dried spices to the pot and counting exactly how many pieces of meat he could see in the thickening stew. It was a regular dish for them, as they had a decent supply of clean water thanks to a contraption Sabo had created to catch rain.

As soon as the water came to a boil, Ace was gently pushing Luffy off of him so he could change clothes. His hunting uniform had been one of the more expensive purchases they'd had to make, but he'd already more than doubled the cost in profit. The only issue was knowing he couldn't let it get damaged or he'd have to replace it. Even if the uniform itself hadn't been strictly required, going into the Wilds without protection from the beasts and elements would have been suicide.

Once he'd folded and stored his hunt clothes where they wouldn't get wet or trampled on, he slipped into a plain cotton tunic and a pair of loose pants. His eyebrow went up when he saw fresh boards sealing cracks that had been problematic for a while. "Did Sabo fix this?"

"I helped," Luffy said, puffing up and beaming at Ace. "Sabo said it's going to get cold again soon so we have to fix this place up."

Ace chuckled humorlessly. "Have you been cold?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"A little," Luffy admitted. "But now you're back!" He gave a bright smile, immediately reattaching himself to Ace in a clingy hug. "You'll keep me company during the day when Sabo's at work, right?"

"You know it," Ace promised, reaching up to card his fingers through Luffy's unruly hair again. "Someone has to keep you out of trouble."

Luffy huffed again, but he didn't protest. Even if he could convince Ace that he didn't need someone watching him during the day, he didn't want Ace to think that meant he didn't want his company. He hated being alone far more than he hated Ace thinking he couldn't take care of himself.

He filled the time spent waiting for the stew to cook by telling Ace all about the days he'd missed while out in the Wilds - about how many people had been burned as heretics and if anything interesting happened in the slums. Luffy wasn't allowed to go into town without one of his brothers, a rule he seemed to respect after the first time he'd seen a corpse on display as a child. They didn't scare him anymore, but he had cried for days the first time.

The newest tale - stories of a large ship coming into port - was cut short by Sabo's arrival. The blond was dressed almost as nicely as a High Town resident, but one only needed to examine a little closer to see the bare threads and stains in his dark blue clothes. "Welcome back, Ace," he said the moment he walked through the door.

"Sabo!" Luffy scrambled to his feet and rushed at Sabo as if trying to tackle him, but Sabo easily caught him.

"Shouldn't I be welcoming you back?" Ace joked, offering a teasing grin. "I got here first. And aren't you early? Luffy said you wouldn't be back til later."

"Technically this is when I finish; I've had extra work the last few days," Sabo admitted. "How was the hunt? I saw some of the others in Edge Town talking about it on my way out."

"Not good, not bad," Ace said with a shrug, laughing when Sabo gave up on trying to untangle Luffy and managed to take his overcoat off without dislodging the clinging boy. "I picked up some food and more medicine. How about your hunting?"

Sabo rolled his eyes, knowing full well Ace only referred to his position as a tutor as hunting to annoy him. He'd much rather be out fighting beasts than faking smiles for them. "Better than normal," he answered, reaching into his pocket to remove a thin cloth napkin. The scent alone would have indicated he'd stolen it from one of the wealthier members of the kingdom, but this one also had embroidery on it.

"What's in there?" Luffy asked, squirming to try and look without having to let go.

"One of the kids slipped me some cookies today," Sabo chuckled, expression warming when he saw the way Luffy's face positively lit up at the word 'cookies'. "I need to return the napkin without getting caught - this family counts them - but I thought we could have a little something sweet after dinner. You know, to celebrate Ace being back."

"YES!" Luffy practically shouted, hugging Sabo again and being careful not to dislodge the cookies.

Ace met Sabo's eyes and grinned ruefully, knowing full well he would have come up with another reason if Ace hadn't returned. He probably would have claimed the cookies were because Ace wasn't home. Ace didn't mind though; it kept Luffy happy, and he'd come to learn that just about anything was worth it if Luffy smiled in the end.

Sabo's arrival was enough of a distraction for Ace to add a few more vegetables to the pot. They shared a secretive grin that went over Luffy's head, and the night continued like every other night when the three of them were all home together.

Luffy, of course, was given the biggest portion of food and the extra cookie. As always, he checked no less than three times to make sure it was okay before eating everything he was given - and even then, he was treated to Ace and Sabo's leftovers. It was an unspoken agreement they'd had for as long as they could remember.

Excess was always given to Luffy, and if he was feeling sick enough to ask for anything more, it was given to him without question.

By nightfall, Luffy's energy had completely run out, and since it was cold enough to warrant their heavier furs, they decided to push the beds together to share warmth. It had been the only way to survive as children, and was perhaps more a source of comfort than heat now.

As usual, Luffy fell asleep snuggled between them. They'd jokingly fought as kids about who Luffy liked more depending on who he chose to face when he fell asleep, only to find out he tossed and turned so much that he spent equal time facing each of them. Whenever they were feeling particularly snarky, they'd still claim Luffy liked one of them better based solely on who he was facing when they woke up.

A soft smile spread across Ace's face as Luffy mumbled and burrowed into the pillow, rolling so that he was partially flopped against Ace. It had been a long time since Ace could remember having actual dreams, but it seemed like Luffy had them every night. He would smile, murmur, hold entire conversations with people Ace would never know - and it filled him with warmth to know that even if Luffy never made it out of the kingdom, he was at least having adventures in his dreams.

A mere consolation prize, but a prize nonetheless.

He shifted more firmly onto his side, reaching up to brush Luffy's hair from his face, then pulled their blankets up to try and trap a little more heat. While it was true Luffy hadn't looked worse than usual, he hadn't looked better either. Ace didn't want to risk Luffy falling ill because one or both of his brothers had become complacent and lowered their guard.

One of Ace's biggest fears was that it would be him - that he wouldn't come home in time to buy medicine, or that their lack of a real house and food would cause Luffy's health to deteriorate the way it had when they'd been children. Before they'd known how ill Luffy really was.

"He's fine, Ace," Sabo's voice wrenched him from his thoughts before his anxieties could take root, and he lifted his troubled gaze to meet Sabo's understanding one. They were in the same boat, after all, both desperately trying to sustain a life that would have ended many times over if they hadn't intervened. "He's been a little more feverish than usual, but it's nothing to worry about."

"I wasn't worrying. Yet," Ace added the last word when he caught Sabo's gaze turning skeptical. "I just… sometimes I worry about being gone for such long periods of time."

Sabo exhaled, reaching across Luffy to place his hand on Ace's shoulder. Luffy sighed softly at the added weight and smiled in his sleep, mumbling something about dragons. Both older boys took a moment to grin at Luffy before returning their attention to each other.

"That's not going to happen, Ace," Sabo continued. "You promised him, remember?"

"Yeah, I was a kid making empty promises to get him stop crying," Ace muttered, closing his eyes. "I made any promise he wanted, but I don't think any of them are true."

Sabo didn't answer, and after a few moments he removed his hand and settled back in to go to sleep. It was a sign that he knew nothing he said was going to help Ace's mood and it would be better to try and get some rest. Ace wasn't offended by the action, having grown used to it - and besides, Sabo's intervention, no matter how brief, had helped.

Still, as he closed his eyes and tried to recall exhaustion from his days spent in the Wilds, hoping he could trick himself into sleeping, he heard his own voice echoing in his head. Young, arrogant, and entirely blind to the way the world really worked.

"Luffy, I promise, you are NOT going to die alone! As long as me and Sabo are your brothers, we're going to take care of you. So no more talk about dying!"

As his sore muscles finally started to relax and fatigue won out, he couldn't help but think if he'd known more about the world back then, about what was within or beyond his control, he never would have made such a promise to a dying little boy with trusting eyes and smiles that exuded unconditional love. It wasn't fair to lie to someone like that.

...

Though the uneasy feeling eventually went away, Ace would be lying if he tried to claim the next few weeks were peaceful. Luffy's condition worsened twice, which hadn't happened in years, and Sabo had even contemplated cancelling some of his lessons. They hadn't been able to afford it in the end - lessons were guaranteed money, and the hunts depended on the overall haul. A stroke of bad luck - or someone injuring themselves - always led to a lower overall bounty, and there was nothing Ace could do to compensate. The last time he'd tried, he'd only wound up straining his muscles and feeling miserable in the downtime. Hunts may have been a constant and the only way for many people to survive, but it was never a guarantee.

With Sabo's hands tied and Luffy's health declining by the hour, Ace had had no choice but to forego the next hunt. They'd immediately portioned their food to prepare for the loss of income, but the most worrying part was that Luffy had started to eat less as well. It had Ace too paranoid to stray very far from their home during the day.

Especially when Sabo came home early during the third week, a day when Luffy had finally seemed well enough to leave the house again. He'd tugged Ace outside briefly to tell him another so-called heretic had been caught and would be put to death in the square, effectively cancelling Sabo's lessons for the following day. The residents of the slums and most of Edge Town preferred to hide in their homes and their trash piles until the display was over, but the jaded residents of Midtown and sometimes even High Town often dropped everything to observe. Sabo had claimed it was because they didn't view anyone below their social status as people anyway, so it wasn't like they were watching a murder - a loss of life - they were simply watching the trash being cleansed.

What little money they'd managed to save was immediately spent on extra food and water so there would be no chances of any of them needing to go into town, and though neither one indicated anything was wrong, Luffy seemed to inherently know.

He didn't ask for details. He never did - he simply accepted that something was wrong and adjusted his actions so as not to add more stress. There was no fussing over a lack of meat or the decision to remain indoors rather than go salvaging in the trash, and despite the fact that he'd spent the majority of his time bedridden in the past few weeks, Luffy obediently curled up to sleep when his brothers told him to.

It was almost too good to be true. That was Ace's main thought as he drifted off to sleep with Luffy safely tucked in his arms. Their money was gone but they seemed to be in good shape. Luffy had fallen ill, but he was finally recovering. Someone was about to be murdered, but they were safe.

It was too good to be true.

Ace's eyes snapped open. He sat up, blood rushing to his head as he twisted to look for his brothers. His sleep had been dreamless as always, but even though it felt like he'd only just closed his eyes, the bed was cold beside him. Luffy had been gone for at least an hour.

"Sabo!" Ace all but shouted, reaching out to shake him awake. "Get up! Luffy's gone!"

Sabo jerked awake immediately, blue eyes flying wide open as he sat up. "What?!" he demanded, voice hoarse from sleep.

Ace didn't bother answering, stumbling out of bed and grabbing his boots. It was too cold to dress down at night, so the moment his boots were on, he was lurching for the door and throwing it open with enough force to damage the hinges. Sabo was right behind him, rubbing at his eyes and cursing under his breath.

"Where the hell do you think he went?" Sabo asked when they didn't see Luffy in the immediate vicinity.

"I have no idea. Did he seem hungry or anything?" Ace shoved a hand into his hair, looking around almost wildly. All of their traps were in place and there wasn't even a trail to follow.

"No…" Sabo trailed off, but before Ace could take off running without a destination in mind, Sabo reached out to grab his arm. "Ace."

"What?" Ace whirled around. "Do you see him already?"

"It's not that," Sabo answered, keeping his voice down. "I didn't want to tell you, but this has happened before, I think. While you were out on the hunt."

Ace's eyes swiftly narrowed and he closed the gap between them, keeping his voice just as low. "Explain."

Sabo released him, a troubled look on his face. "I've never outright asked him about it, but I've had this feeling he's been hiding something."

"Why didn't you ask?" Ace hissed.

"Because neither of us have been around," Sabo snapped in response. "I didn't think it was fair to question everything he did."

Ace tried not to flinch at having those words thrown in his face. He knew Sabo was right, but that didn't make it any easier. He hated that Luffy had to be left by himself as often as he was. "So where do you think he's been going?" When Sabo didn't answer, Ace clenched both fists. "Sabo?"

"Some of the heretics have been escaping," Sabo murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "It isn't an empty rumor. Someone has been helping them. I didn't think about it until just now, but Luffy's not stupid. He knows what it means when my lessons get cancelled and why no one in the slums wants to leave their homes. He knows a heretic is going to being executed tomorrow."

Ace paled, the blood draining from his face so quickly his vision actually swam for a moment. "You think…"

"I think Luffy has been aiding them," Sabo confirmed, distress evident in his tone. "You and I both know he has the ability to."

"If they catch him, they'll kill him!" Ace met Sabo's eyes and saw the same look of alarm reflected back in his brother's expression.

"But if we go charging after him, what if we blow his cover?" Sabo asked, wringing his hands together. "He hasn't been caught yet."

"Yet," Ace echoed, his voice dull. His temper flared. "Yet."

Sabo sighed in frustration, clenching his jaw. "I know. Okay, everything Luffy learned about sneaking into places and stealing, he learned from us. We won't blow his cover if we go after him. But let's be calm and rational about this."

"Sure. Calm. Rational," Ace echoed in a mocking tone, brushing past him and reaching to his hip, where his hunting knife was sheathed in case he needed it.

The only answer he received was a heavy sigh before Sabo was following after him, the two brothers making their way past the gates into Edge Town with ease. If any residents in the slums saw, no one commented, and neither was careless enough to be seen once they'd entered the city.

It worked to their advantage that the residents of High Town - where security was an actual concern and guards took regular patrols - would be too scandalized to have a prison of any sort in their territory. When the gallows or stocks weren't being used, criminals were thrown into an old underground workshop that had been converted into a prison, which held anywhere from one to five prisoners at a time. There weren't prisoners that often - the kingdom tended to find execution a more fitting punishment than imprisonment, and the dungeons in the castle itself housed only notorious criminals who were meant to be tortured, not killed.

At one point, the security had been lax enough, that had the prisoners been unchained, they would have been able to make it out all on their own. But after so many rumors of heretics escaping, the King had started posting guards around the entrance. According to Sabo, a solitary patrol had been recently added. Discounting all of the other possibilities of things going wrong, Ace was mostly worried that if Luffy really had been freeing heretics this whole time, the King would know it wasn't just a rumor. Eventually, a decoy would be planted in the prison to catch whoever was freeing them, and Luffy - innocent, bright-eyed, always-looking-for-the-good-in-people Luffy - would fall for the trap in a heartbeat.

They stumbled upon the first guard within moments of the building coming into view. He was unconscious and face-down against wooden crates that had been stacked outside, almost completely obscured from view. The second guard had been left by the door, haphazardly strewn across the ground and much more obvious than the other. Sabo took a moment to drag him into the shadows by the first, hoping to delay any detection, then joined Ace to break into the prison.

The door was slightly ajar, and all the proof they needed of Luffy's meddling was in the way the locks had been handled.

They'd simply been broken. Luffy never had been one for lock picking or subtlety.

"Come on," Ace muttered in irritation, pulling Sabo inside and closing the door behind them. "We better hurry. He's still here." He nodded to the candles along the wall, all of which were still dripping wax. They'd recently been blown out.

Sabo let Ace take point as they bypassed the front room and found the entrance into the cellar.

"Be careful," Sabo warned Ace. "I don't see the warden."

"Yeah well," Ace knelt to touch the stairs, then stood again, holding his hand up where Sabo could see it.

Sabo grimaced, and even though he knew the blood coating Ace's fingers wasn't Luffy's, it was bad news. Knocking the guards out was one thing - injuring or possibly killing one? Retribution would be horrifying. The King seemed to take it as a personal insult to have his men injured. Images of an old man being dragged through the streets by his bound feet immediately came to mind, disgust flashing in Sabo's narrowed eyes.

Ace met his gaze and nodded to show his agreement as the same memory assaulted his mind, wiped his hand off on his pants, and headed down the stairs.

The man hadn't even been trying to injure a guard. That day was particularly vivid in their minds because the event had happened while Luffy had been with them, and he'd wanted to intervene. One of the patrol guards who'd always gotten a kick out of bullying the commoners, knowing they couldn't retaliate, had been harassing a young woman on the street under the guise of performing his patrol duties. The man they were remembering had been her grandfather, a harmless looking elder who had reacted poorly - albeit justifiably - when the guard had ripped his granddaughter's dress, taunting her about how grateful she should be that someone of a higher class was willing to take her to his bed.

It hadn't mattered that no lasting damage had been done to the guard, or that the single shove had only caused him to hit the ground due to him losing his balance and tripping over his own iron greaves. The elderly man had been apprehended and no one had come to his aid save for his granddaughter, whose voice had been ignored and outright mocked.

Ace swore that even now, three years later, the bloodstains had yet to fully fade from the paved stone streets, and he hadn't seen the granddaughter in public again. The only saving grace was that the elderly man had died quickly - his suffering hadn't been prolonged by a younger, healthier body. Luffy may have been sickly, but he would last much longer and be put through much worse if he was caught.

The candles in the prison level were still lit, and they didn't have to go far to find their brother. After stepping over the prone - but still breathing - form of the warden, they nearly collided with Luffy in their haste to reach the cells.

"Luffy!" Ace growled, and though his voice was barely above a whisper, it may as well have been a shout.

Luffy stumbled back against the bars of the nearest cell, lifting his head to stare up at his brothers with wide eyes. His movements seemed sluggish and awkward, the cause becoming painfully obvious at the sight of the barely conscious man slumped over his shoulder. Both of the man's arms were limply draped over Luffy, tightly cuffed at the wrist, and every inch of exposed skin seemed to be covered in bruises or dried blood. Luffy opened his mouth to shout his brothers' names, but Sabo recognized the action and quickly shushed him, practically hissing.

"Be quiet!" Sabo urged, moving forward to take the man's weight off of him.

The man groaned with discomfort, but his voice was barely audible. Once Sabo had him steadied over his back, he nodded to Ace, who grabbed Luffy's arm and unceremoniously hauled him back towards the stairs. It didn't seem like any of them had a moment to stop and breathe as they snuck back up the stairs and out of the building. Ace didn't let go of Luffy's arm once, half-dragging him through the street and down the alleys. Using the main gate was out of the question - it would only take being spotted by one person to ruin their chances of coming out of this unscathed - but they knew plenty of alternate routes in and out of Edge Town. The walls and gates separating it from the slums weren't maintained nearly as well as the ones around Midtown.

Ace took the lead, yanking Luffy through several back alleys and down into a crumbling tunnel that ran under the thick stone wall.

"Sabo, do you need help?" Ace quietly called down the tunnel once he and Luffy had made it out.

"I'm fine," Sabo answered, lowering himself to all fours at the mouth of the tunnel. Ace and Luffy had been able to crouch, but with the heretic's added weight and size on him, Sabo could do nothing but crawl.

As soon as he reached the other side, Ace and Luffy were both there to take his hands and help pull him up, grunting from the extra effort it took to pull their fourth companion up too.

No one spoke until they'd reached an old hideout in the trash heap. It looked like any old pile of garbage, but they'd discovered a sturdy foundation of old scrap metal as children that created a secret shelter. None of the metal could be salvaged for their new home, and no sane person would try to live buried under a mound of trash, but it technically had a door and a ceiling, and would suit their current needs just fine.

"Ace-" Luffy started, but Ace cut him off with a loud growl.

"What the hell were you thinking?! Were you thinking at all?! Do you ever think?!" Ace demanded, grabbing Luffy by both shoulders and shaking him.

"Ace, calm down," Sabo snapped, hauling the limp arm back over his head and half-dropping the man against the nearest wall. He knelt by a crate and fumbled for the flint they kept tucked away, struggling to light a candle they hadn't used in years.

"But Ace, he was gonna be killed," Luffy protested in a pleading tone. "I had to do something!"

"You could wind up being killed!"

It took a few tries before Sabo was able to light the candle, which was basically a tiny piece of wax with a barely usable wick, but it was enough light to be able to see each other.

Luffy hadn't answered. Ace was gripping Luffy's shoulders tightly, his hands visibly shaking, and none of the brothers spared a glance for the one Luffy had rescued - the one that had put them in such a position.

"Ace," Luffy said finally, his tone far too heavy for a boy his age. "Everyone deserves a chance to live. I don't want to stand by if I can help someone else have a chance." He lifted his head and smiled up at Ace, and the smile absolutely broke Ace's heart. "I'm going to die soon anyway."

"Don't say that," Ace swore, his voice cracking. "You're not going to die!"

"I don't want to have regrets," Luffy continued. "So-"

Ace shook him harder, his eyes blazing. "Sabo and I are supposed to protect you, Luffy! We can't do that if you're running around doing stupid shit like this!"

"Ace!" Sabo cut in, shoving his way between them and pushing Ace back. "You're going to hurt him!" He took a deep breath, grabbing Luffy and tucking him protectively into his arms. "You're too angry right now. I'll take him home - you deal with that guy."

"Why should I have to deal with him?" Ace demanded. "We should leave him here before he causes us anymore trouble!"

"And if someone finds him?" Sabo countered, squeezing Luffy to stop him from protesting and sparking Ace's ire again. "If they catch him, do you think they'll just carry on like he escaped on his own? Or do you think they'll torture him until he tells them exactly who helped him? How long do you think it'll take before the guards come searching the trash heap?"

Ace clenched both fists, and in the dim light, Sabo could just barely make out his furious expression. The tense silence dragged on for several minutes before Ace spoke again. "Fine," he snapped. "Get Luffy home."

"But Ace-" Luffy started, trying and failing to worm his way out of Sabo's arms.

"Luffy, go," Ace ordered. "I'll handle things here. Listen to Sabo and go."

Luffy was clearly very reluctant, but he let Sabo guide him back to the exit without any further complaints. He only stopped once, pausing in the makeshift doorway to address Ace. "His name's Marco, Ace. He's really hurt, okay?"

"Fine," Ace growled, and his only answer was the quiet sound of the door swinging shut. He shoved a hand into his unruly hair, turning his gaze to the man they'd risked their lives to rescue, and froze.

Intense azure eyes gazed back at him in the dim light and his breath caught in his throat, nearly suffocating him.

For a moment, Ace forgot everything but the sight of those eyes. His anger and worry faded into the background, the candle sputtered out, and those eyes continued to pierce straight through him. Somewhere above them, the trash shifted in the wind and clanged against the metal ceiling, jarring him from his thoughts as if a spell had been broken. He knelt by the candle, dumping out the excess wax and using the flint to light it again while telling himself over and over that magic wasn't real, the heretics weren't capable of casting spells, and he'd only frozen because he'd been tense and startled.

The fire coming back to life had some of the tension draining away, as if it was somehow safer than when they were alone in the dark together.

"I should kill you, you know," he muttered, staring at the pathetic flame as it struggled to remain lit. "It would save us a lot of trouble. It's not like you're going to be able to blend in anywhere. There's no life for you here once you're branded a heretic. Someone will recognize you."

'Marco', as Luffy had introduced him, remained silent.

"You'd never make it out of the gates surrounding the kingdom either," Ace continued bitterly. "And even if you did, you'd be in the Wilds. Guy like you wouldn't last a day. Sabo was right - if the guards catch you, they'll just torture you until you sell out my little brother."

He clenched his fists again. He'd killed plenty of beasts before - injured plenty of men without checking to see if their wounds were fatal - but he'd never gone after an unarmed, captive prey before. The very idea had his stomach rolling.

"I really should just kill you," Ace practically whispered.

"So why don't you, yoi?"

Ace nearly jumped out of his skin, whirling around and almost smothering the candle. He yanked his hand back at the brief flash of pain and found himself locking eyes with Marco again. "What?"

Marco spoke again, his voice just as soft, just as curious, and absolutely devoid of accusation or fear. "Why don't you kill me?" It wasn't the voice Ace would have imagined him having, but then, he hadn't actually gotten a good enough look at him to judge, either. Maybe it was just because he was used to the residents in the slums or Edge Town, who all seemed to have raspy or gruff voices.

Ace stared, too dumbstruck to think of an answer right away. He'd expected some kind of desperate emotion - anger maybe, or pleading for his life - and the gentleness of his tone was throwing Ace off. "What kind of question is that?"

Marco closed his eyes for a moment, leaning back against the wall. In the darkness, Ace could barely make out more than the size of his frame. He leaned closer, examining the person he'd just considered murdering. His hair seemed light, like Sabo's, and his skin was definitely paler than Ace or Luffy's. He didn't seem weak or underweight, but the oversized prisoner's clothes made it hard to tell what his actual muscle tone was. The dark brown fabric was stiff and rough, and it didn't lay correctly on Marco's body as far as he could tell. Some areas seemed darker than others, folding in, while others remained loose. For several moments, Ace was confused, only to have it strike him very suddenly that the clothes were sticking to open wounds - and that Marco was probably trying to keep the fabric away from his body on purpose to keep reduce the risk of infection.

It was then that Ace noticed the extent of his injuries, like he'd already been tortured, and a sharp pang of guilt nearly had him flinching. He'd been so focused on Luffy that he hadn't stopped to remember that this captive - Marco - was likely just an innocent man who'd angered the wrong person, or caught the wrong woman's eye and been accused out of jealousy from an insecure husband.

He could have been someone's brother, lover, father - someone's family - and all Ace had seen was an inconvenience. A potential threat to the stability they'd found. He was torn between guilt at devaluing another human life and indignance that it might matter to him at all. No one was more important than Luffy - than his brothers - and risking any of them to save a stranger was still out of the question.

"I can't stop you, yoi," Marco continued, opening his eyes to watch Ace again. "It would be safer for your family."

Ace sighed in frustration and shoved both hands into his hair. He was silent for several moments before he turned and knelt, reaching for Marco's shackled hands. "If I kill you now, I won't be able to look my little brother in the eye when I go home."

"You can't lie to him?"

"I've lied to him enough," Ace snapped, harsher than he'd intended. He took a deep, steadying breath. "I don't want to lie to him again. Not if I don't have to. But I don't owe you a damn thing just because he tried to save you. If you get caught again, I'm going to be the one who comes and finds you," he warned, his voice eerily calm. "And I'll be the one to kill you so you can't be tortured into telling anyone about my brother."

"Fair enough," Marco agreed, his acceptance only adding to Ace's conflicting emotions. "But I wouldn't tell anyway, yoi."

"That's bold talk before the torture," Ace muttered, bringing the candle closer to look at the shackles. "Here, hold this."

Marco accepted the candle with slightly shaky hands - the strain from his injuries was making the simplest of tasks difficult - and watched with curious eyes as Ace went rummaging through an old crate in the corner.

Ace returned a moment later with small, jagged pieces of wire that looked as if they'd been torn from a rusted fence or grate. "Hold still. Been awhile since I've done this."

"Lock picking, yoi?" Marco questioned, sounding more impressed than skeptical.

"Comes in handy," Ace answered. He grimaced when he felt warm blood oozing from under the left shackle. "Sorry."

"From wanting to kill me to apologizing for a little extra discomfort," Marco chuckled, his voice faint. "You're a strange one, yoi."

"You're the strange one. What does 'yoi' even mean? And it's not like I want to have to kill you," Ace argued, scowling down at the shackles as he worked. "But I'll do it if that's what it takes to keep my brother safe. That idiot never should have risked himself like this."

"I'll agree to that." Marco's voice was softer, his eyes fluttering shut. The candle faltered in his hands, causing Ace to hiss as the hot wax dripped onto his skin.

"Hey," Ace yanked his hand back, rubbing it on his pants, "stay awake!"

"Sorry," Marco whispered, opening his eyes again. "I don't have very much strength right now, yoi."

Ace wiped his other hand off, then guided Marco to lie on his side, taking the candle from him and jamming it into the soft dirt on the ground where it nearly flickered out. As soon as he was sure his light source wasn't going anywhere, he took Marco's wrists in his hands again. He'd never been gentle - never pretended to be the gentle one - but if he tried to imagine he was taking the shackles off of Luffy, it helped him soften his touch.

Marco didn't speak again as Ace worked, painstakingly fitting the rusted wires into the keyhole and working with them until he heard the telltale clicks that they were sliding into the correct places. He'd messed it up a few times, trying to turn them before they were in place and having to start over, but rather than let frustration take over, he'd forced himself to keep reacting like it was Luffy's exhausted form in front of him. Like it was Luffy's bruised skin under his fingers. He had to keep his face calm and patient or Luffy would sense his agitation and react in kind.

He didn't notice Marco's half-lidded gaze on him as he worked, carefully twisting the wires. The enclosed space made it difficult to breathe, especially with the stench of garbage all around them, but Ace never once lost his focus. He could feel the tension in the metal, like it would snap open the instant he finished, and he knew it had to be excruciatingly painful. With his mind calm and his frustration under control, he slowly let go of the idea that it was Luffy he was helping. After all, as long as he could remain patient, there was no need to stress himself out by imagining that it was Luffy in pain.

As the wires finally, finally slid into place and a small flick of his wrist had the thick metal shackles snapping open, Ace breathed a sigh of relief and looked to Marco. He froze for a moment, not expecting to find their gazes locked, and he suddenly found it difficult to speak. There was an intense curiosity in those sky blue eyes, almost as if Marco was sizing him up, but Ace couldn't think of a single reason Marco had to judge him.

"Sleep here tonight," Ace ordered once he found his voice again. "No one will come looking for you. This is a safe place. I'll come back tomorrow and we'll figure out what to do with you then."

Marco nodded just once to show he'd understood, before settling into the dirt to rest. Ace leaned down to blow out the candle, frowning at the size of it. It had been quite a while since they'd used their old hideout, but it might not hurt to refurbish it a little in case of an emergency. With that thought in mind, he started to push himself up, only to freeze as Marco reached out to grasp his wrist.

"Thank you," Marco spoke, his eyes once again piercing through the darkness.

Ace opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. He felt like Marco's eyes were glowing, and he couldn't tear his gaze away.

"Please, thank your brothers for me too, yoi," Marco continued, slowly releasing his wrist and then closing his eyes.

Ace yanked his hand back to his chest, cradling it as if his skin burned. He scrambled to his feet, daring another glance to make sure Marco's eyes were still closed. It had to be adrenaline. That was the only explanation for the sudden pounding of his heart and the feeling of heat seeping into his wrist. He dared one more minute of watching, waiting - but Marco didn't speak or move again.

It was starting to get light outside, but there was still enough natural cover for Ace to sneak out of the trash heap and back home without being detected. He could only imagine the manhunt that would take place once the guards were discovered. In past instances, the guards had claimed witchcraft or unholy arts to explain the escapes, but that was likely to save face. To try and pretend they hadn't been overpowered or taken by surprise. It wouldn't work this time, not when one of the guards had left a very noticeable trail of blood. No one would dismiss this as a mere rumor.

Sabo was still awake when he arrived. He could see the silhouette of his blond brother in the window as he approached, and he knew it meant Sabo wanted to speak with him. Otherwise he'd be curled up in bed with Luffy, keeping him warm and safe. He couldn't afford to hesitate at the door, not when his clothes were stained with blood and any suspicious activity would draw attention, so he slipped inside and shut the door behind him, immediately reaching to remove his clothes.

"Is he still alive?" Sabo's voice was hushed, and Ace immediately knew Luffy was sleeping.

"Yeah," Ace answered, shaking his hair free of any lingering dust or debris. "I left him there for now."

Sabo didn't speak again for a few moments, allowing Ace to change his clothes and grab a damp cloth from next to the water basin to clean his hands.

"I'm surprised," Sabo admitted, eyes on Luffy's sleeping face. The youngest was curled up on Ace's bed, wrapped up in all of the blankets and looking utterly relaxed, like he hadn't just broken a handful of laws that were punishable by death. "I thought you were going to kill him as soon as we left. To protect Luffy."

The edge in Sabo's tone had Ace pausing, looking over his shoulder. Sabo's entire body may have seemed casual and relaxed where he sat on the crates by the window, but his hat was in his hands, and every few moments he would turn it, thumb rubbing over the worn edges as if he needed to keep his hands occupied. There was something dangerous in Sabo's eyes, something Ace could relate to, but hadn't expected. Sometimes, he forgot that when it came to Luffy, Sabo was the more dangerous of the two. Strangely, the idea of Sabo returning to their hideout and slitting Marco's throat came to mind, making his stomach drop.

"If he gets caught, I'll take care of it," Ace promised, his tone hard. "Right now, I don't think he's a problem. Let's just go back to bed for now, Sabo. I feel like tomorrow's going to be a long day."

"Mm," Sabo acknowledged, though he didn't leave his perch at the window, lounging there like he was completely at ease while the muscles in his jaw were tense and a dead giveaway of his mood.

Ace sighed and headed to the bed, climbing over Luffy and gathering him in his arms once he was lying down. Luffy automatically turned towards him and snuggled close, and that simple, instinctive action had the rest of the tension draining from Ace's body.

He knew Sabo would eventually join them - likely after he calmed down - but he just didn't have the energy to stay awake for it.

...

For the first time Ace could remember, he dreamed. He couldn't recall exactly what his dreams were about when he opened his eyes, but there was a certain sense of weightlessness that had carried over.

Weightlessness and the image of blue flames surrounding him - engulfing him.

Usually, any reminder of fire would leave him tense and irritable, but the blue fire hadn't actually burned in his dreams. It had almost seemed gentle, like a warm, simple caress, and he had no rational explanation for that.

He shook his head to dispel any lingering traces of the strange flames from his mind, looking to see if Sabo was awake or even present. Luffy was still sleeping - he was snoring rather loudly and still snuggled close - and Ace realized with a surprising amount of relief that Sabo was asleep on his other side. His face was far from relaxed and his presence behind Luffy was more shielding than comforting, but he didn't appear to have left at any point in the night to finish Marco off.

Ace still wasn't sure why that thought bothered him so much, but he didn't want to dwell on it, either. With the practiced ease of a big brother who'd had to slip out of his younger brother's sleepy clutches multiple times over the years, Ace managed to climb over both of them without waking either one, padding over to their cooking pit to get something started. A soft smile touched his lips as he noticed Luffy turning and curling into Sabo for warmth.

Even if he'd disobeyed their rules, risked himself, risked all of them, Ace couldn't help but feel proud. Luffy had been sneaking past the guards for quite some time apparently, and if he couldn't sneak past them, he was strong enough to take them down. He hadn't dissolved into a single coughing fit the night before, and as far as Ace knew, Sabo hadn't needed to carry him home. It meant he was getting stronger, and for the first time in years, real hope began to blossom in Ace's chest.

Maybe Luffy could still recover. Maybe Luffy could one day be healthy. Maybe he hadn't lied to his little brother after all.

He even allowed a small, wistful smile to touch his lips as he got started on breakfast. If Luffy could get to a point where he didn't need medicine, maybe the three of them could still escape to the wilds one day and live freely.

"Is it morning already?" Sabo groaned.

Ace's grin widened and he looked over. "Sorry. I didn't think I was being that loud. When did you get to bed?"

"Few hours ago," Sabo grunted, his voice a little hoarse. "It's a good thing I don't have any lessons today. I feel like shit."

"You don't look like shit, if it helps," Ace joked. When Sabo shot him an unamused look, he sighed. "Sorry. I just… slept really well. And I'm going to go check on Marco after I'm done cooking. Make sure he's not dead, or in danger of getting caught."

"And then what?" Sabo asked, sitting up and angling his body towards Ace's. Luffy fumbled in the empty space where Sabo's chest had just been, then flopped his body across the entire span of the bed and continued snoring.

"As soon as he's strong enough to walk, I'm going to sneak him out," Ace answered calmly. "He'll learn to survive out in the Wilds or he'll die. Either way it won't be our problem anymore."

"You don't think he'd be able to survive in the slums?" Sabo raised an eyebrow, surprised by Ace's decision to take another risk - one that wouldn't even guarantee survival for the man they'd rescued.

"I think he'd stand out too much," Ace admitted. "I didn't get a very good look at him, but his eyes are a really bright blue, like the nobles." He ignored the way Sabo's body went rigid at that comparison. "Someone will notice him if he stays around here, and we can't afford that."

"And if he can't survive out there in the Wilds?"

"Then that's his problem, not ours," Ace answered quietly, his gaze going to Luffy. "No matter what Luffy wants, we can't save everyone. I didn't forget that when I spared Marco."

Sabo exhaled, climbing out of bed and making his way over to sit next to Ace. It wasn't a particularly cold morning, but he sat close to conserve heat anyway. "I know, Ace. This is my fault too, in any case. I thought Luffy might be getting into mischief because he was lonely during the day, but I just didn't want to believe he could be the one helping heretics. It's not that I didn't think he was capable, either. It's just… I didn't want it to be him."

Ace took in those words, pausing for a moment as he read between the lines. "You were glad someone was doing it, though."

With a heavy sigh, Sabo nodded. "It's being thrown in my face every time I march into that godforsaken place. The air of superiority, like we should all be grateful we get to live in the same world as them. I don't believe for a second that the people being put to death are heretics, or witches, or anything like that. They're unsightly people that the kingdom wants to be removed without being seen as outright murderers. They're the people who got on the bad side of the wrong person. They might not all be innocent, but they damn sure don't deserve to be killed - to be made a spectacle of. One of the first people I noticed to be freed was a girl Luffy's age." He cast a helplessly proud look in Luffy's direction. "I wanted to help them, Ace. But I didn't want to get caught and risk leaving the two of you to fend for yourselves. Luffy might not have been thinking like that - about consequences or logic, or anything he should have - but his heart was in the right place."

They sat there in silence for several moments as the sweetened oats Ace were attempting to cook began to boil and thicken.

"It's been a long time since I've cared about anyone else," he finally spoke, glancing at Sabo. "I just don't have the capacity to worry about more than I already am. I worry about our money, our food supply, if the hunt is going to be good, if I should enlist after all… I'm always worrying. If I stopped to worry about people I didn't even know, I don't know if I'd be able to keep going some days." He felt the pressure of Sabo's hand on his shoulder and swallowed, closing his eyes and bowing his head. "Is it wrong? For me to be the only one who didn't care if innocent people were dying as long as our family was safe?"

"Of course not," Sabo instantly reassured him. "And it's not like you didn't care. You weren't letting yourself care, and that's fine. You were the honest one. You knew you should care and turned your back because of your responsibility to Luffy. I was the one hiding behind a fake smile and silently cheering for whoever was doing it, wishing I had the courage to do it myself."

"What a pair we make, huh?" Ace chuckled, and it was a hollow sound. "And then our idiot little brother, the one we've been trying to protect all this time - he just goes and does it on his own."

Sabo laughed too, but he didn't sound nearly as bitter as Ace. "That just means we're raising him right." He shook his head before Ace could argue. "But we won't be letting him do it anymore. Someone should be freeing those people, but not Luffy. I'm going to do it from now on."

Ace nearly choked, turning to look at Sabo with wide eyes. "Excuse me?"

Sabo smiled back at him, a light glinting in his eyes. "I said I'm going to be the one who helps them from now on. No one will suspect me, and this way Luffy won't have to do it."

"None of us has to-"

"I know," Sabo interrupted, shaking his head. "But I want to, Ace. I've always wanted to. Seeing Luffy go for it without fear like that… it was just like, what the hell am I doing? We're not supposed to have regrets and I'm letting them pile up while I sit back and make excuses. I'm tired of it."

"What if you do get caught?" Ace asked, stirring the mush in the pot before it burned.

"Then neither of you had a clue I was sympathetic to heretics. Neither of you can believe you associated with someone like me," Sabo said with a simple shrug. "And I'll break myself out and live in the wilds like a hermit."

Ace rolled his eyes, but he could tell Sabo had made up his mind. There would be no changing it. "Then do me a favor and don't get caught while I'm out on the hunt."

"Yeah," Sabo agreed, casting another glance at Luffy. "So how much are we lecturing him?"

"Ugh," Ace groaned. He took the pot off the fire and started scooping it into bowls. The smell was starting to rouse Luffy, but not enough to fully wake him up. "I still want to throttle him."

"Well, I didn't throttle you for leaving Marco alive, so you're not throttling him for saving the guy in the first place."

"He was strong enough to take out those guards - he's been strong enough in the past," Ace added, a small smile touching his lips. "He's getting healthier, Sabo."

Sabo hesitated, but he didn't voice his thoughts, and he schooled his expression before Ace sensed anything might be amiss. "Maybe he'll be feeling well enough to join the hunt someday," he teased, knowing full well that would not be an option anytime soon.

Ace snorted. "Okay, sure. Go wake him up."

Despite the overwhelming urge to immediately lecture Luffy about his reckless behavior, neither Ace nor Sabo really had the heart to do it once Luffy woke up and smiled at them both, launching into a detailed explanation of the dream he'd just had. He didn't ask about Marco, trusting that Ace would have helped him - his trust in his brothers never wavered - and he didn't ask for more food even though he finished his entire bowl.

He told them stories of flying away and finding a kingdom where nobody lived in a trash heap and people were allowed to hunt their own food. That people sang songs and partied without excluding anyone, and the seas were a second home that welcomed all.

It was a surprising type of dream as far as Ace was concerned. As children, they'd wished for any escape from the smothering oppression of the kingdom, but they'd never considered escaping to the sea. The only port was heavily guarded and beyond their sight. It was the only real proof they had that there had to be other kingdoms, other places out there beyond the walls, but they'd never actually seen the ships themselves.

"Did you become a captain of a ship?" Sabo teased, offering Luffy the rest of his breakfast.

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded enthusiastically, taking the bowl and shoveling the rest of it into his mouth. "But I didn't know how to sail, so I had to have help."

"What makes you think we'd let you be captain?" Ace chuckled, handing his bowl over next. He was still hungry, but the sight of Luffy actually eating a full share had him in high spirits.

"Because I'm the captain," Luffy answered. "It was my dream!"

"He's got us there," Sabo joked.

"Sure, only in your dreams," Ace teased, rolling his eyes.

Luffy pouted at them, then deflated, setting the bowls down in a neat stack. "Are you mad at me?"

They both paused, exchanging glances before looking to Luffy again.

"I'm not mad," Sabo spoke first, his tone gentle. "Worried… a little jealous… but I could never be mad at you for doing what you think is right, Luffy."

"I'm mad." Ace folded his arms over his chest. "Your life is more important to us than anyone else's, Luffy. Before you do anything reckless, you have to ask us for help."

"But-" Luffy started, waving his arms and looking at both of his brothers as he geared up to protest.

"But nothing," Sabo took over for Ace, knowing they had to agree to get Luffy to listen. If either one of them offered any sort of dissent in the ranks, Luffy would try to argue. It had been that way for as long as they could remember. "You're our little brother, Luffy. The only little brother we have. It's not bad that you wanted to save all those people, but you shouldn't have been doing it behind our backs, and you shouldn't have been doing it alone."

Luffy tugged his legs to his chest and looked to them both over the tops of his knees, his lower lip sticking out a little. "You wouldn't have let me help them."

"You don't know that for sure," Sabo answered, shooting Ace a look. Of course neither one of them would have allowed it, but admitting that fact would only invite more argument. "Wouldn't it hurt you if we were going behind your back and doing something dangerous that could get us killed?"

Luffy flinched. He puffed his cheeks out again, averting his gaze - an action that made him look even younger. It reminded Ace of the sickly little boy who cried if he lost his grip on one of their shirts, or panicked when it was time to sleep because he was scared he wouldn't wake up.

"Luffy," Ace sighed, his resolve cracking. "Come here." He opened his arms and Luffy practically jumped out of his seat in his haste to climb into Ace's lap. Ace's arms were around him in an instant, and the younger boy made himself at home without hesitation, his cheek pressing into Ace's shoulder. "We can't change the past, so I won't be angry about it anymore. From now on though, you trust us. Understood?"

"Understood," Luffy echoed, angling his face towards Sabo.

Sabo smiled back at Luffy, impressed with how well Ace had handled the situation. "Good," he added, confirming his agreement.

"I'm going to go check on Marco," Ace said after a few minutes. "He said thank you, by the way."

Luffy giggled, pleased. "He's really interesting, Ace. Can I come too? I promise I won't do anything reckless."

"We may as well stick together. It would look suspicious if any of us left alone on a day when someone is supposed to be burned," Sabo relented.

Ace sighed, sensing that he was outnumbered and shrugging his shoulders. "Alright. He's probably still asleep anyway."

"We should bring him food," Luffy added.

"We don't have food to bring him," Ace immediately argued.

"But he was in that dungeon for days," Luffy stressed, yanking back to stare up at Ace in horror. "He's probably starving!"

"A person doesn't starve in four days," Sabo tried to soothe him. "But we can and will starve if we start handing out our food without being cautious about it. Let's go see how he's doing for now. If he really needs it, we'll figure something out."

Luffy didn't look very pleased with that compromise, but he didn't push the issue as he climbed out of Ace's lap so they could get dressed for the day. He didn't even protest when Sabo insisted on washing his face before they left, something that usually made him squirm and whine.

The air in the trash heap was tense. Few others were out and about - the fact that anyone had left their homes at all meant news of the heretic escaping must have already spread. It wasn't unusual to find the countless residents scavenging for anything they might be able to use, especially when some things were thrown out because replacing it would be less cumbersome for a noble than repairing it. But the guards would be searching Midtown and Edge Town first, and eventually the trash heap would be swarming with the King's men, the clank of their armored boots putting every resident on edge until all finally fell silent again.

The brothers had to make a show of looking through some of the old piles, acting natural enough that the prying eyes would lose interest before heading down the path to their old hideout. It was almost ironic that the place they'd hidden as children - the one place they'd always fallen back on as a 'safe space' - was now housing a criminal whose discovery could lead to all of their deaths.

After a quick glance around, Ace knelt by the latch and pulled it open, shifting the light garbage out of the way and looking inside. While it was technically big enough for all of them, it was a tight fit, and he didn't want to use up the remainder of the candle.

"Hold the door open," he told Luffy, who moved to do so without question.

The entire hideout couldn't have been more than five by ten feet, but it had always seemed larger in the dark. Now, with the light shining in and the messy crates in the corner, it seemed too small for one person.

Even though there wasn't anyone inside.

"Where did he go?" Sabo demanded, moving closer to get a better look. He kept a hand on Luffy's back, poised to yank him away in case it was a trap.

Ace ignored him, heading into the room with a frown. The shackles, the blood - even the candle was gone. It looked as though no one had disturbed their secret hideout for years, but he could distinctly remember the way Marco's blood had felt on his fingertips, and the warmth he'd felt while picking the locks.

More than anything, he could remember the way Marco's eyes had pierced through him, glowing even in the darkness.

"Ace?" Luffy questioned.

Ace knelt in the spot he'd last seen Marco, touching his hand to the ground like he expected Marco might be there - maybe invisible, if magic was to be believed - but his hand met the cold dirt on the ground. It didn't feel right. That was his first thought, and he withdrew immediately to check and see if perhaps the strange texture was due to dried blood, only to frown as he saw nothing but ash clinging to his skin.

"Ash?" he mumbled aloud, rubbing two of his fingers together. It felt silky and warm, as if the fire that had produced it had only gone out moments earlier, but there was no fire, no smell of smoke - nothing to explain it.

"What is it?" Sabo asked, frowning.

"Ash," Ace answered, slightly louder this time. "I don't know where it came from… but he's gone."

"Do you think he burned himself with the candle?" Sabo asked hesitantly, casting another glance around.

"Maybe it's a mystery," Luffy added, his usual response to any situation he couldn't easily explain.

"There was barely anything left," Ace murmured in response to Sabo, shaking his head. A chill abruptly swept down his spine for no reason he could discern. His heart leapt into his throat and then he was rubbing his hand on his trousers, scrambling out of the hideout. "Let's go home. Now."

"Ace?" Luffy questioned, yelping when Ace roughly grabbed him by the arm and hauled him away from the trash pile. "Ace!"

"Keep it down!" Ace snapped.

Sabo stopped him with a firm hand on the shoulder, then knelt in front of Luffy. "Luffy, we need to go home now. Why don't you climb on my back and I'll carry you?"

"Okay…" Luffy sounded hesitant, but he never turned down an opportunity to have one of his brothers carry him.

As soon as Luffy was secure, Sabo stood back up and nodded to Ace, hooking his arms under Luffy's knees. "Calmly," Sabo murmured. "If we sprint home, people will talk."

Ace took a deep breath. Under the joint gazes of his brothers, he felt some of his nerves calm. Sabo was offering the same steady smile he always managed when things were tense, and Luffy was looking at him like he trusted Ace to have all of the answers.

"Yeah," he agreed, keeping a slower pace this time. "We should definitely lay low for a little while, though. I don't know if anyone found him or not, but there's always a chance he got caught."

"I hope he's free," Luffy grumbled, resting his cheek on one of his arms.

"Is there any chance he got up and left on his own, Ace?" Sabo asked in a low, serious voice.

Ace thought back to the glowing eyes, the relaxed attitude, and the bold claims. To how he'd thanked Ace. As if he hadn't been planning on seeing him again. He wanted to say no because Marco hadn't even been capable of managing his own weight when Ace had left… but something in his heart told him Marco hadn't been caught.

"He acted like he wouldn't be here in the morning. I just didn't realize it at the time," Ace answered truthfully. "But I don't want to take any chances."

Sabo nodded, though Ace had no way of knowing whether or not he actually believed him.

...

The first few days after Marco's disappearance were tense. Sabo was reluctant to return to his lessons, but as always, he had no choice. They decided to have Ace abstain from the hunts again until it became an absolute necessity, and he spent his days scavenging with Luffy instead. They managed to make a few extra coins by doing manual labor on the outskirts of Edge Town, but it wasn't enough to keep them comfortably fed.

Within two weeks, the incident seemed all but forgotten. When the guard patrols were no longer as vigilant, the gossip died down, and with Luffy still in relatively good health, Ace decided to return to the hunts. They'd run low on food and money, and all three boys had gone to bed hungry several days in a row.

Unfortunately, the hunt didn't go as well as expected. More able-bodied young men and women had joined and the pickings were slim. It took over a week before they'd even caught enough for the trip to be worthwhile, and by then most of the group had been too demoralized to push for more. They'd returned defeated, bickering over scraps and nearly coming to blows. Ace himself was struggling not to let his frustration show after he picked up his earnings - less than half of what he usually earned on a long hunt - and subsequently spent everything on medicine and a single satchel of food.

His homecoming was the only thing that didn't disappoint. After spending over a week surrounded by people he didn't trust or even like, nothing could compare to holding Luffy in his arms. He listened with rapt attention as Luffy described everything that had happened since he'd left, and when he found out Luffy hadn't relapsed at all, it was like a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Sabo had seemed just as happy to have him back, both optimistic about Luffy's health and the general state of things. He'd taken on another student and had therefore added enough income to make up for Ace's poor results with the hunt. They had high hopes that if they could continue on that track - if Luffy no longer needed quite so much medicine - they would be able to afford an actual home within the city limits someday soon.

It was with renewed purpose and determination that Ace signed up for the next hunt. They'd initially hoped he wouldn't have to in the winter months when the hunt was more dangerous and less profitable, but the ground was only lightly dusted with frost in the mornings and the heavy snow hadn't started to fall quite yet.

The following hunt was a disaster. It was one of the worst ones in recorded history for the kingdom, bad enough that Sabo knew about it before Ace actually made it home. The gossip had spread throughout the kingdom, and it wasn't until Ace heard about the hunting party's shortcomings from Sabo's point of view that he realized how many merchants and business were dependent on the hunt's success.

One of the families who employed Sabo made half of their income in tanning hides from the slain beasts to be delivered to the King - and the lack of kills being brought back had a negative domino effect for them as well. With barely any hides to work with, they had also come away with barely any coin, and had in turn, cancelled several of Sabo's lessons.

For the first time since childhood, both Ace and Sabo were feeling the same dread and uncertainty. They both understood that if the hunts continued to disappoint, it wouldn't be long before neither one of them had any kind of income. Neither one wanted Luffy to worry, but despite their attempts to hide it, their brother knew something was wrong. He didn't pester them about it, but he did sleep curled up with Ace, clinging to him as if he was afraid to let him go in the morning.

As difficult as it was for Ace to leave that embrace, he forced himself to dress for the hunt and sign up again.

What followed wound up being two of the most miserable weeks in Ace's adult life. The snowfall started two days after the hunting party left and multiple people nearly perished from being undergeared and unprepared. With nearly half the group having to return empty-handed, the pressure was on for the rest of them, but in the end Ace was the only one who managed to make a kill. Since the hunt was a collective effort and he wasn't enlisted, it didn't matter that he'd done it on his own, or that he'd gotten injured - he had to split the pay with everyone and it was even less than the previous hunt.

Sabo didn't lose any more employers, but there was the underlying threat that if the hunts continued to disappoint, he would. It was hard enough for the people in Middle or Edge Town to try and afford tutoring for their children without the added difficulty of countless families depending on income from the hunt and coming away empty-handed.

The next hunt was just as bad - worse, because Ace's injury hadn't fully healed before he'd tried to embark, and he returned in worse condition for no reward. Upon seeing Ace struggling with pain and fatigue every time he moved, Luffy had thrown a fit, pleading with Ace not to go on the next hunt. The only reason Sabo hadn't voiced similar concerns was because they both knew it was necessary. Luffy's cheeks had finally gotten rounder when Sabo had taken on the extra students - and now they were hollow, a harsh reminder that they couldn't afford food. Sabo had been doing his best to steal food from his richer employers, but it wasn't enough.

For the first time Ace could remember, Luffy would not calm down. The more they tried to placate him and remind him of all the reasons why Ace had to leave, the worse his mood seemed to get.

"Luffy!" Ace snapped, losing his temper and slamming his hand into the ground. "Enough is enough! You don't have a say in this! I'm going on the next hunt and it's leaving in two days!"

Luffy clenched his jaw, tears of frustration burning in his eyes. "No! You can't go, Ace!"

"Luffy," Sabo groaned, shoving a hand into his hair. He looked just as exhausted as Ace. "Ace will be back as soon as he can. Please, just drop it. We're all tired and hungry and it has us in a bad mood."

Luffy shook his head, reaching for Ace's arm and tugging at him. "Ace-"

Ace hissed in pain, yanking his arm away and wincing from the sudden movement. "Damn it, Luffy! Don't do that!"

"But Ace," Luffy argued, his voice growing louder. "I don't want you to leave!"

"Well you don't always get what you want!" Ace pushed himself to his feet, cradling his ribs protectively with one arm. "Do you think I want to go back out there and freeze half to death? Do you think I want to sleep next to people who'd rather slit my throat than share the profits?"

"Ace-" Sabo started, rising as Luffy scrambled to his feet. He had to catch the younger boy before he could make another grab for Ace - his desperation had him forgetting Ace was hurt.

"I don't want to hear it!" Ace exploded. "I'm so fucking tired right now! Just leave me alone!" He stormed away before Luffy had another chance to reach out and grab him, stalking out into the cold. He hadn't even bothered to take his hunting uniform off, and the snow crunched under his boots.

...

"Sabo!" Luffy twisted and struggled, trying to get free and go after him. "Sabo, he can't go!"

"Luffy! Please, calm down," Sabo pleaded, wrestling Luffy to one of the beds and sitting him down. He knelt in front of the panicking boy, keeping his hands clasped on his shoulders to stop him from bolting right back up. "Ace isn't going anywhere tonight."

"Sabo," Luffy grasped at his wrists, though he'd stopped trying to break free. "Tell Ace to stay with us, please?"

"Why is it so important this time?" Sabo questioned, his tone soft. He gently rubbed Luffy's thin shoulders, trying to help him relax. "You've never panicked like this before. Are you worried about him?"

Luffy nodded, releasing Sabo's wrists to rub at his eyes. "I'm worried about Ace," he admitted, his voice wavering. "But… I just want Ace to stay this time…"

Sabo's chest tightened at the raw, earnest pleading note in Luffy's voice. It reminded him of a much younger, much weaker Luffy. He didn't try to offer up anymore logic. There was no point, not when Luffy knew all of the reasons why Ace had to go - it meant his desire for Ace to stay was stronger than any other emotion.

"I'll go talk to him," Sabo relented, tugging Luffy close and folding him into a warm embrace. "Maybe he can skip this coming hunt."

"He won't," Luffy complained, his voice muffled and dejected.

"I'll still try to convince him," Sabo promised, his mind already racing to come up with an alternative way to survive the coming winter. He couldn't deny having Ace leave for the hunt and come back empty-handed hurt the situation more than Ace abstaining - but the chance to be paid was an opportunity they couldn't easily pass up. The only possible way Ace would agree to stay home was if they had an alternate source of money or food to make up for the possible loss.

Even if his chances of stopping Ace from signing up were slim, he had to try. It was difficult enough refusing Luffy's heartbreaking pleas on a normal day - but Ace wasn't the only one suffering exhaustion and despair, and Sabo had always seemed to have the weaker resolve when it came to Luffy.

"I'll go get him," Sabo decided, pulling back after a moment. It was cold enough that he was starting to worry about Ace as well. "Stay here, okay?"

Luffy nodded, rubbing his eyes again and looking reluctant. "Hurry home, okay, Sabo?"

"Okay," Sabo promised. He smiled at the complete trust and faith he saw in Luffy's eyes, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his little brother's forehead like he used to when they were children.

It was difficult leaving Luffy's side - leaving the warmth of their tiny, cramped home - to venture out into the snow after Ace. Night came earlier in the winter, and they couldn't afford to waste candles stumbling about in the darkness. Luckily, there was enough snow on the ground for Sabo to follow Ace's tracks all the way to their old hideout.

None of them had visited the hideout since the Marco incident. Not to Sabo's knowledge, anyway. There had been a distinct lack of accused heretics since then - as if Marco's escape had given the guards pause to try and condemn anyone else for a while - and while Sabo hadn't lost his newfound desire to help the innocent, he had become temporarily complacent.

The door was open, but there were no candles left to be lit. Still, despite the darkness, he could just make out Ace's silhouette in the small, enclosed space. He was sitting against the wall with one leg bent and his arm draped over it, head bowed.

"I'm still going," he spoke before Sabo could announce his presence. "I don't have a choice, Sabo. We're starving. Luffy's starving."

"I know," Sabo murmured, his voice strained from the reminder as he made his way closer and knelt. Ace was shivering, his fists tightly clenched. "But you have to look at it from his perspective too, Ace. You're gone more often than not and you come home angry and defeated. You come home hurt. And that's not feeding him either."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Ace snapped, lifting his head to glare at him.

"Maybe it would be better if you sat this next hunt out. What makes you think it's going to be any different?" Sabo challenged. He motioned to the snow outside their hideout. "It's only going to get colder and more miserable. You're in so much pain that even Luffy grabbing you made you flinch. Even if the hunts start becoming worthwhile again, how would you expect to fight any of the beasts in your condition? Just this once, skip the hunt and stay home with Luffy. I'll figure something out. I can steal, or-"

"Sell your body?" Ace muttered bitterly. He regretted the words almost as soon as he'd said them, and he didn't have to look at Sabo's face to know his expression was pained. No matter how bad things had gotten, despite several men propositioning Ace, Sabo had adamantly refused to let his brother consider that path.

"I told you, that is an absolute last resort," Sabo whispered.

"I'm running out of 'resorts' here, Sabo," Ace shot back, bowing his head again.

"Then when we actually run out, I won't stop you," Sabo practically growled. "But for now, let's go home. Help me calm Luffy down, and tomorrow I'll see what I can steal. One of my lessons is near High Town."

Ace sighed heavily, but he didn't protest as Sabo started to help him to his feet. He cursed how much of his own weight he couldn't support, but Sabo merely grunted in response. As soon as he managed to get Ace's arm hooked over his shoulder and his own arm around Ace's waist, he was helping him trudge back through the snow to get home.

"Yeah, you'd be a lot of help in the Wilds," Sabo chuckled dryly. "Why do I always have to be the responsible one?"

"Shut up," Ace muttered, although his voice had very little bite.

As soon as their home came into view, Ace pulled away to walk on his own. He didn't want Luffy to see how much pain he was in or how weak he felt. Even though each step sent a fresh wave of agony through his ribs, he kept his face calm and Sabo didn't push it. When it came to presenting themselves to Luffy, they were both in agreement that they had to appear damn near invincible for his sake.

He was the one to make it to the door first, pushing it open and bracing himself for an enthusiastic or even petulant hug.

It never came.

He barely registered the sound of his own voice shouting Luffy's name, and even though he'd been struggling to walk just moments earlier, there was absolutely no hesitance, no pain, nothing but desperation and urgency as he rushed to Luffy's side and fell to his knees.

Luffy was completely unresponsive.

His cheeks were flushed, and Ace's heart stopped at the sight of the blood staining Luffy's lips. All other noises became muted as a dull roar filled his ears. It took the sharp pain of Sabo physically shoving him to snap him out of it, and he turned to stare with wide, horrified eyes.

Sabo was rolling Luffy onto his back, leaning forward to place his ear against Luffy's chest. There was no visible rise and fall - no obvious proof that Luffy was still breathing - but when Sabo sat up in relief, Ace allowed himself to breathe again.

"We have to get him to a doctor," Sabo ordered, barely holding back his frantic worry. "I don't know what to do for him - we don't have anything."

"Carry him," Ace choked out. He didn't care that it was dark outside or that they had nothing to pay with. He didn't even care that he was still wearing his hunting uniform. There were doctors in Edge Town, and at that point Ace didn't care if he had to threaten them with physical violence. Luffy needed help.

They only stopped to wrap Luffy in one of the thicker blankets, with Sabo lifting him effortlessly into his arms and tucking him close. Neither one moved like they were tired or injured, and even though they ran at full speed for the entire trip to the gates, they didn't slow their pace or pause to catch their breath.

It wasn't often they actually came to see the doctors in Edge Town. Doctors were a luxury those from the slums could not afford. In the years since they'd become a family, Ace could only remember coming to them twice, and each time they had barely managed to pay the price. He had wanted to hate them for refusing to help without reimbursement, but he'd understood in the end that they were doing their best to survive, just like the brothers. Even if they'd started with almost nothing, even if Sabo's burns had become prominent scars, Ace had always understood that the trade-off had been worth the results and that he couldn't expect anyone to help them for free.

It was an entirely different story for them now. The doctor allowed them inside and allowed Luffy space on one of the beds for sick patients, but even though he seemed to understand exactly what was wrong and how he could help, he demanded payment up front and Ace knew they had nothing to give. It was the first time Ace could remember outright hating someone for a reasonable demand.

"We'll pay you," Sabo promised, his voice shaking as he looked to the doctor. "We can't pay right now, but Luffy-"

"I absolutely refuse to treat him without payment up front," the doctor interrupted.

In a show of hostility Ace hadn't seen from Sabo in years, the blond lashed out and grabbed the doctor by his shirt, getting right in his face.

"My son will call for the guards!" the doctor cried in panic, holding both hands up.

"Sabo, stop!" Ace grabbed him by the shoulder, looking to the doctor with a wild expression. "Please - there has to be something we can do for you to treat Luffy right now!"

Sabo audibly growled, but he released the older man before he or his son got too jumpy. The last thing they needed was to have the guards get involved.

"Your uniform," the doctor blurted out, beady eyes going to Ace.

"My… what?" Ace asked, not quite comprehending.

"Your hunt uniform," he clarified, and Ace automatically reached up to touch the thick leather of his jerkin. "My son is of age - and close enough to your size."

Ace felt his blood run cold, and in that moment he understood two things. The first was that the kingdom was in worse shape than he'd realized if a doctor was on the verge of sending his son on the hunts. The second was that he had no choice - Luffy needed help now, and it didn't matter how much the uniform had initially cost - as long as Luffy survived, it would be worth it.

"Fine," Ace answered, feeling the weight of Sabo's gaze on him. "Okay, you can have the fucking uniform. Just please, please, help our brother."

There was a moment of hesitation, as if the doctor was considering insisting Ace remove the uniform and hand it over as proof that he'd follow through, but Sabo's gaze had shifted off of Ace and he made the wise decision of moving back to the bed where Luffy slept. Ace watched to make sure they hadn't missed their chance, that Luffy was still with them, but the sound of Luffy coughing against whatever concoction the doctor had given him was all the proof he needed. With a heavy sigh, he started working at the buckles to his uniform, grateful when Sabo's deft fingers began to help. As it was, he couldn't even reach the back on his own - not with the excruciating pain in his chest.

Stripped of his uniform - and grateful he'd listened to Sabo about wearing an extra layer of clothing beneath it - Ace felt oddly vulnerable. It was more than losing a protective piece of armor. It was like losing a sense of security. With no uniform the hunts were off limits, and with the kingdom in such a terrible state, it left him with only three choices.

Steal, sell his body, or enlist.

One option would likely yield subpar results for a much steeper risk, and the other two left him feeling cold and hollow. He honestly didn't know which one would feel more violating.

The uniform was hastily taken from his hands, although he fought for the boots. In the end, the doctor - whether it was from guilt or fear - agreed to let Ace keep the boots since it was the least important part of the uniform and any pair would do as long as they were black. The trio was left alone with a single candle lighting the room, and when Ace sank into the chair beside Luffy's bed, all of the strength and adrenaline seemed to drain right out of him. Sabo's hand came to gently rest on his back as he pulled another chair over and sat beside him, eyes trained on Luffy. The blood had been cleaned from his face and he seemed less flushed, but he didn't look peaceful.

"Has he seemed sick? At all?" Ace murmured, reaching out to take one of Luffy's hands.

"No." Sabo's voice sounded hollow and defeated. "He seemed hungry, but we're all hungry right now."

Ace closed his eyes. The last time Luffy had started coughing blood, they hadn't had the funds to take him to a doctor. Instead, they'd used all of their savings to buy extra medicine and something to suppress his coughs, and the problem had seemed to go away on its own. Neither one of them really knew what to do for him when it happened, but he had never seemed as frail as he did right then. They had never worried about whether or not he was still breathing.

"Luffy," Ace whispered, opening his eyes to look at their little brother's sleeping face. He jolted slightly when Luffy actually opened his eyes, unable to stop himself before he gave Luffy's hand a squeeze.

Deep brown eyes gazed at them, with Sabo scooting closer, but it didn't look like Luffy could actually see them.

Ace felt a lump rising in his throat, and his next words came out in a choked plea. "Why didn't you tell us you weren't feeling well? Why didn't you say something?"

Luffy's eyelids fluttered. He was clearly under the effects of some sort of sleep syrup, and very obviously unaware of who he was speaking to. "Ace always gets sad."

Ace tensed. "What?"

"I don't want Ace to be sad," Luffy continued, his words beginning to slur together. "I'm going to die soon… so I want Ace to be happy as long as he can until I'm gone… then maybe he can still be happy after I go…"

"Luffy!" Ace clutched his hand tighter, but Luffy simply smiled, curling up on his side.

"Sabo," he murmured in his sleep. "Make Ace stay… I don't want him to go… he promised."

Sabo slid his arm around Ace's shoulders to pull him closer and stop him from completely breaking down.

"He's talking in his sleep, Ace," Sabo promised, his voice just as choked and emotional as Ace's. "He always talks like this when he gets sick. You know that."

Ace didn't answer. He couldn't help feeling like he should have known somehow. Luffy wouldn't have begged him to stay home without a good reason. He wouldn't have continued grabbing at him or tugging on him when it caused obvious pain unless he'd truly believed he was dying.

Those slurred words - he promised - the reminder that Luffy believed Ace would be with him in his final moments… it was too much on top of all his frustration and exhaustion. He bowed his head, then crumpled forward with no regard for his ribs, tears burning his eyes and dripping onto the sheets. His eyes slid shut as Sabo's other arm came up to embrace him. He couldn't hide his breakdown from Sabo, but at least Sabo could offer him refuge - could give him a place to break down where no one else would see it.

...

Sabo's hand rubbed small, light circles on Ace's upper back. He didn't tell him not to cry - to be strong for Luffy's sake - nor did he try to console him. Sabo understood better than anyone that there was no consoling Ace in this situation. The only thing stopping him from losing it was the need to support both of his brothers. Though Ace was the one who appeared more openly feral or menacing, Sabo had always been the one to hide his real emotions under a carefully constructed facade. Even when it came to his brothers, he did his best to control his expressions to suit the situation.

Ace had never been able to hide his initial reactions. It took time for him to school his expression and face Luffy - a handicap Sabo had never dealt with.

Sabo had always had an inherent instinct to hide his true self and present what others would want to see, an instinct he'd developed in his childhood years around his biological parents and the company they'd kept. It was true that his guard was almost always down around his brothers, but there were times where his true expression would have caused them to worry. He had a sinking suspicion that Luffy still knew, could see through his calm mask to the terrified boy who didn't have all the answers, but Luffy had never once called attention to it.

Luffy, being Luffy, had always offered his smile, his unconditional love, and his own unique form of comfort.

Watching Ace struggling not to sob over Luffy's fragile body, Sabo realized that he'd never hidden his emotions for Luffy's sake. It had always been for Ace.

That realization strengthened his resolve, and he managed to hold his tears back as he continued to comfort Ace, eventually helping him climb into bed beside Luffy to rest. They both needed it, after all.

No one disturbed them for the rest of the evening, but despite the calm, quiet atmosphere, Sabo couldn't fall asleep. He remained sitting beside the bed, maintaining a silent vigil as he started to plan out how much he would need to steal from each home to avoid suspicion - and how hard it would be to sneak into High Town to steal from the ones who wouldn't suffer for his actions. Stealing from people in the same situation left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he found he was perfectly willing to do it with the right incentive.

As the doctor came back to check on Luffy in the early hours of the morning, Sabo pierced right through him, freezing him in his tracks with a single look.

"Ace is hurt too," he said quietly. "He was injured on the last hunt. You and I both know you're taking advantage of our desperation, and I get it. You're desperate too. Right now I'll accept it because you're treating Luffy." Sabo's eyes narrowed then, and he knew the scar on his face made his expression look far more severe. "You're also going to treat Ace."

"I was paid to treat one boy," the doctor swore, raising himself up to his full height.

Sabo turned back to his brothers, gently pulling the blanket up to their shoulders and tucking them in. He stood, very calmly turning back to face the doctor. "You extorted more than enough to treat them both."

"Are you threatening me?"

Sabo smirked, knowing how offsetting it had to look with the intensity and danger in his eyes. "The only thing stopping me from murdering your entire family and taking everything you own? It's my brothers. Right now, they're both breathing. You want to keep it that way, don't you?"

He saw the way the doctor tensed, eyes flickering to the sleeping boys on the bed and then back to Sabo.

"As long as you do your job, I'll overlook my personal feelings about the payment you took, and when I leave, I'll be a satisfied customer," Sabo continued. "Do we have an understanding?"

There was hesitance - the brief flicker of a man weighing his options and trying to decide whether or not his screams would reach the guards before his life could end - and then he hung his head in defeat.

"Yes."

...

Ace never questioned why his wounds were dressed or why the pain in his ribs had lessened when he awoke. He wordlessly got out of bed, testing his mobility before informing Sabo he was going home to find actual clothes to wear for the day. Sabo nodded in acknowledgment, but otherwise didn't speak.

He returned as Sabo was preparing for a day of lessons and thievery, taking the recently vacated spot beside Luffy. "How long is he letting Luffy stay?"

"Until he recovers," Sabo answered crisply, straightening his clothes. "I need to talk to you tonight. Will you stay with Luffy while I'm gone?"

"Yeah, of course," Ace sighed, shoving a hand through his hair. "I won't leave his side."

"Get some rest if you need it. I'll come by between lessons to get you some food," Sabo promised. He was gone before Ace could think of anything to say.

Ace simply remained sitting by the bed, watching over Luffy in silence. He'd come to the conclusion as he'd made the trek back to their house that there was no way Sabo would be able to support their entire family on his own. It had been the main reason he'd joined the hunts in the first place - and that had been with Sabo's work as a tutor flourishing. For the first few days he was sure Sabo would be able to steal enough to keep them going, but he had to think long term. He refused to think of anything less.

By the time Luffy awoke, Ace had already made up his mind, weighing the options in his heart for the one that would leave him the least ruined. With a goal in mind, he was able to relax and smile for Luffy, opening his arms when the sleepy boy realized he was there.

"Ace!" Luffy cried joyously. His voice was weak, and he had dark circles under his eyes despite the fact that he'd slept through the night.

Ace gathered Luffy into his arms and held him tight, sighing softly.

"Ah," Luffy suddenly tried to pull away, sounding concerned. "Ace is hurt!"

Ace tightened his arms, refusing to allow Luffy to escape. "It doesn't hurt that much," he promised. "You're the one who was hurt. You scared the hell out of us."

Luffy's faint struggles immediately died down. He latched his arms around Ace's neck, clinging to him. "I didn't want to scare you," he whispered in a small, worried voice.

Sighing again, Ace shifted to sit on the bed so he could hold Luffy in his lap. "How long have you been feeling sick, Luffy?"

Luffy shrugged his thin shoulders, nudging his head under Ace's chin and settling there. "I didn't know I felt sick, Ace," he murmured. "I just didn't want you to go."

"Before you collapsed," Ace clarified quietly. "You didn't tell me you felt sick because you didn't want to upset me."

"Yeah," Luffy confirmed, unashamed. "I don't like making you and Sabo upset."

"It hurts more when we're blindsided, Luffy!" Ace swore. He took a moment to calm himself, then continued in a softer voice. "Please, please don't hide anything if you feel sick, or weak, or hungry."

"Okay," Luffy whispered. "I'm hungry, Ace."

The earnest note in Luffy's voice, as if it were any normal day, had a soft laugh escaping. Ace stroked his hair, gently carding his fingers through the soft strands. "Hang in there until Sabo can come see us, okay?"

"Okay," Luffy agreed.

They didn't have to wait long for Sabo to arrive. The doctor remained out of sight, giving them room to eat in peace. It was a small, modest meal of fresh bread and cheese, but it was more food than they'd had in a single meal all week. Luffy ate everything they gave him, then accepted a small dose of sleeping syrup with the promise that Ace would still be there when he woke up.

As soon as they heard Luffy's soft snores, Ace turned to Sabo. "I'm going to sell my body, Sabo."

The look of pain on Sabo's face was like a punch to the gut, and Ace expected him to protest it, but he remained silent. The counterargument died in his throat.

"I've had offers," Ace continued after a few moments of tense silence. "A few in Edge Town, one from Midtown. I'm sure I can get more. At least until this mess with the hunts clear up. Then I'll buy a new uniform and we can go back to the way things were. We'll keep more medicine on hand. More food."

Sabo clenched his fists, bowing his head. "I want to tell you not to. That you don't have to… but I can't steal enough to support all three of us. Not when Luffy needs medicine."

"We can't afford another scare like this," Ace agreed, looking to his hands. "It's not like I plan to do it forever. Just enough to help us."

With a frustrated growl, Sabo pushed himself to his feet, nearly knocking his chair over from the force. "I know," he snapped. "Damn it, Ace… I know."

Ace lifted his head to look at his brother. He knew how much Sabo wanted to protect him, how much it was probably killing Sabo to hold back and allow Ace to make such a dangerous choice, but neither one of them could deny that Luffy could very well die if they didn't figure something out fast.

"I spoke to the doctor," Sabo muttered, turning away. "We can stay here one more night. We get enough medicine for the rest of the week, and some sleep syrup in case Luffy has trouble falling asleep. After that we're on our own."

"Okay."

"I'll be back tonight."

"Okay."

There were a few more tense moments of silence before Sabo placed a hand on his shoulder. He didn't speak, just giving Ace a supportive, apologetic squeeze, before he turned and left the room.

The ensuing silence would have been suffocating if not for the soft, gentle snores emanating from Luffy's sleeping form.

...

The only thing worse than the sense of complete helplessness Ace had started to feel was the utter loss of hope that followed. While Sabo's lessons continued to become fewer and far between, he was still able to blend in just enough to indiscriminately steal from the residents of Midtown - and as predicted, it wasn't enough. The first few days had been entirely devoted to caring for Luffy, especially as it got colder, but once they were sure he had started to recover, Ace had gotten started on his own agenda.

It was a few days after the hunting party embarked and the streets felt almost abandoned. He had never really felt self-conscious in Midtown despite knowing he didn't belong there, but as he walked along the paved street with the goal of selling his body in mind, he couldn't help feeling nervous and uncertain. Like every single person who saw him knew where he was going and what he was about to do. Thankfully, his destination came into view before he could psych himself out - a modest building with a fancy sign hanging over the door, reading 'Branton Hunting'. The same place he - and almost everyone else - had purchased their hunt uniform.

His breath caught in his throat when the door caught as he tried to push it open, a sign that it was closed. He managed to keep his hand steady as he knocked, desperately hoping the owner was still there and simply not accepting the usual customers. When the door eventually swung open, Ace yanked his hand back and cradled it to his chest.

"We're closed," the owner, a middle-aged man named Branton, hissed, his voice gruff and his breath reeking of alcohol. Every other time Ace had seen him, he'd appeared imposing and arrogant with his slicked-back hair and perfectly styled mustache. Now he just appeared disheveled and sloppy.

"I'm not here to buy anything," Ace answered, averting his eyes. "Can I come in?"

For a moment, Ace was sure the door was about to be slammed in his face, but Branton's bloodshot eyes were greedily studying him, and he eventually stepped aside. With a steadying breath, Ace walked into the store. He was immediately struck by how empty it looked. Racks that had once held a variety of leather jerkins were barren, and the only trousers he saw were shorter than average.

"I imagine business has been going well," Ace mumbled, fidgeting. "Everyone capable is joining the hunts."

Branton snorted, shutting and bolting the door. "Oh sure. Everyone wants to join the hunts. Where do you think my leathers are supplied from, boy? I have to have wares to sell them."

Ace heard the slur in his words and immediately started second guess his choice. "I'm not here about a hunting uniform," he mumbled.

"Didn't imagine so, since I… vividly recall selling you yours."

The voice was directly behind him, and Ace could feel the hot breath on his neck. He immediately tensed, turning and backing away to put some distance between them. He could vividly recall it too - the lingering touches to his upper body and the lack of personal space he'd been allowed during his fitting.

"Back then, you offered to let me pay for my uniform with my body," Ace mumbled. He felt Branton's gaze sweeping his body and had to resist the urge to hide himself away. "And before that… before I needed anything you were selling, you approached me in the market and offered money."

"I vividly recall that as well. You told me you weren't for sale."

Ace swallowed the lump in his throat, fingers brushing over an empty rack near his hip. "Back then, I wasn't."

"And now?" Branton edged closer, his own hand coming up to cover Ace's and then slide up his wrist towards the bend of his arm.

"Now I am," Ace answered, lifting his head to look up finally. The smell of alcohol was almost overwhelming with Branton's face so close to his, but he stood his ground.

The hand on his forearm abruptly tightened, fingers digging in. "And how many times have you been for sale, Ace?"

The sound of his name on Branton's lips had another surge of panic shooting through him. Thoughts of those lips on his own, his name being moaned and those greedy hands taking everything he had left instantly assaulted him.

"I-I haven't," Ace stammered. "I mean I've never… I-"

Branton's other hand came up to grasp Ace's chin, cutting him off. "So you want to sell me your first time, do you? I'm honored."

Ace tried to back away, but he stumbled into another empty rack and Branton closed the distance between them, pinning him with his own body.

This is what you came here for, Ace, he reminded himself, trying to detach from the situation. He had to fight back every natural instinct to push Branton away. This is for Luffy and Sabo.

His eyes slammed shut as Branton lowered his head and breathed against his neck, his mustache coarse and greasy against Ace's skin. It smelled like Branton hadn't been bathing regularly - ironic considering how hard Ace had scrubbed his own skin that morning to try and present himself as desirable - and as those disgusting hands groped and clutched at his body, his eyes flew open. There were few reasons Ace could think of that would cause such a lapse in Branton's prideful appearance, and Ace's instincts screamed at him that something was off.

"Wait," he ordered, pushing at Branton until he had enough room to slide away from the rack and put some distance between them.

"What now?" Branton snapped, narrowing his eyes and taking one step towards Ace.

"I want to be paid up front," Ace demanded, struggling to calm down. His heart was racing the way it normally did when he was in immediate danger.

"I don't pay up front," Branton hissed.

"Your store is empty," Ace argued. "No one has any money because of the hunts… every business is suffering from it. I want proof that you can pay me."

"Now listen here, you little bastard," Branton started, reaching out to grab him. Ace immediately took a step back, raising his arms in a defensive pose to show he planned to fight back if Branton advanced again.

"Either you prove you can pay me, or I'm leaving right now," Ace swore.

Branton's cold eyes swept over Ace's body again, and then he snorted derisively. "And here I thought the blond was the smart one," he mocked. "Get out."

Ace's cheeks burned. He didn't give Branton a chance to try to change his mind, and he didn't spare a second glance as he rushed back to the door.

It took him almost an hour to calm himself back down, looking for work wherever he might find it and coming up empty-handed. Even the markets were bare and sparse, with nothing for him to attempt to steal.

He finally headed back into Edge Town, already knowing the other men who had propositioned him wouldn't be able to help. If Branton, the man who had always seemed to have money to spare, couldn't pay him… there was no point in even trying anyone else.

That didn't stop him, though, and he came away feeling both disgusted and defeated.

When Ace returned home, his hands were completely empty. Sabo didn't even need to ask to know things had gone badly.

They didn't talk about it. Ace could tell both of his brothers knew something was really wrong with him, but he didn't admit to it. Over the next few days, they sold literally everything they had that might be considered of value to anyone who would buy it, and an increasingly desperate Ace tried to frequent the alleys he'd seen other young men and women presenting themselves to be sold.

The alleys were empty.

To make matters worse, the conditions in Edge Town had deteriorated to the point where neighbors were turning on each other and accusations were flying. Anyone with any stored food or money found themselves accused as a heretic, and the tiny jail cells in Edge Town were overflowing in a matter of days.

Due to the sheer volume of prisoners, any hope of liberating them was immediately dashed. Both Sabo and Luffy had been upset, but they took comfort in knowing that none of the prisoners were set to be executed any time soon. Ace, however, hadn't taken comfort in anything at all. He didn't care about a hundred nameless faces that could be burned to ash before the New Year. He didn't care if everyone in Edge Town turned on each other until there was no one left.

When the realization that he no longer cared about anyone else sank in, Ace knew that he'd finally run out of options - run out of hope. He couldn't hunt. He couldn't work. He couldn't even sell his body. He was almost worthless. The only things that held any value at all were his brothers and his freedom, and if he wanted to keep one, he had to sacrifice the other.

Unlike his last decision, Ace refused to discuss it with Sabo at all. On a day when Sabo had no lessons and the only plan had been to scavenge whatever they could from the trash heap, Ace lied about his intentions and headed for Edge Town. He didn't stop there, marching into Midtown with determination in his gaze. Unlike the last time, he walked with confidence and certainty.

All thoughts seemed to leave his head as he came up to the barracks. Thoughts of the dreams they'd had as children, the life they'd imagined once Luffy recovered, every promise he'd ever made… all of it seemed to burn away and leave him feeling empty and blank inside. Normally, he'd force himself to think of Luffy, to recall some sort of memory to motivate him when his energy was spent and he didn't think he could push through it… but this was the one situation where thinking of Luffy would be detrimental to his resolve.

The guard behind the counter sneered at him when he walked in, but he didn't shrink away or avert his gaze.

"What do you want, boy?" he asked with absolutely no effort to hide his disdain.

Ace lifted his head, trying to meet the man's gaze head on as he spoke the words he'd never wanted to say.

"I'm here to enlist in the King's army."

...

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think!

~Mithril