I apologize for being late and hope this meets expectations.

Sabo leaned against the outside of the bar fighting off the flock of nerves battering him to turn tail and run. He'd made it this far, he wasn't running.

They'd had smooth sailing (surprisingly so) all the way to Barrock where they'd estimated Ace would have to resupply and, wouldn't you know it? They managed to overhear people gossiping about Fire Fist Ace entering a certain bar just a few minutes after arriving in town. Why couldn't it be harder to find him? Or maybe a near miss? Sabo just knew his brother was gonna be pissed and wanted to put it off as long as possible.

But no, everything had fallen into place and here Sabo was, debating with himself over how to greet his long forgotten brother. 'I'm sorry' was a bit too pandering for Sabo's tastes and a simple 'Hey, so… I had amnesia, don't kill me for real' just felt wrong. He was clearly going to get hit (this was Ace after all) but, Sabo would prefer to get a couple licks in before he got his ass beat. Maybe his old crush on Makino? Him actually having manners? Maybe the fact that he'd admitted Dadan was a half-way decent caretaker? (At least enough to thank her as he left.)

Too soon the bright orange cowboy hat (and when did Ace get a hat?) was passing him by and Sabo went with the first thing that came to mind. "For your information, the section of a letter written as an afterthought is called the 'Post Script', or P.S. BS on the other hand, stands for 'bullshit'. Personally, I think BS suits you better."

The notorious pirate had stopped just a few feet past him, shoulders growing rigid in anger with every word spoken. When Sabo said that 'bullshit' suited him better, he'd spun around with an acid glare. "How the fuck did you get that letter?" It was a vicious command, barely restrained to maintain a respectable volume.

"You sent it." Was all Sabo had to say.

Fire flickered behind silver eyes (did that mean that 'inner fire' was literal for his brother?) before he marched up to Sabo who simply pulled the rim of his hat a touch lower, not quite ready for this confrontation. "That letter was never supposed to be read by anyone. Who the fuck are and what did you think you were doing?"

He was clearly just refraining himself from bashing Sabo bodily against the wall so Sabo braced himself. This was it. No more time to think about it or prepare himself: impact was here. "Didn't you say, 'somehow from beyond the grave'? Well, 'somehow' turned out to be a news coo and 'grave' should be replaced with amnesia." The air fell still between them and Sabo waited another moment before pushing his faded black top hat up by the tip of his pointer finger. "Hi Ace."

Silver met blue as his brother slowly took him in. The initial reaction was rage but Ace slowly took in the suit (Sabo had made sure to wear a blue one), the top hat, and finally settled on what Sabo could only presume to be his goggles and his expression changed to dismayed, disbelieving shock. Eyes snapped back to his face, searching every line and curve to find his lost brother. Sabo tried to give a shit-eating, mocking grin, but the corners would only lift so far as he waited on his brother's verdict. The familiar pang of annoyance and embarrassment came when he felt his scar being examined; this time accompanied by the uncomfortable knowledge that this was what could have killed him – that Ace was looking at the proof that his brother should be dead. Sabo resisted the urge to fidget: he'd give Ace as long as he needed.

"You- you… I…" Ace held up a finger and cautiously poked him in the chest.

Oh for goodness sake; "I'm real Ace. I got your letter and I'm really here."

That seemed to snap his brother out of it as eyes snapped to his, connecting, and surprise tinged with hope painted his brother in childlike naivety. Sabo was warmed that he could make his brother feel this way and had to smack away the urge to coo even if it would break the tension.

"Sabo… ?" It was questioning, like he still wasn't willing to believe it, and the tentative grin Sabo wore turned soft.

"Yeah, it's me Ace. I'm sorry." Damn, he hadn't meant to say sorry until after he could explain himself. He didn't care though and it seemed Ace didn't either.

He looked torn between decking Sabo and hugging him but before he could do either a wall slammed up. "Prove it. Prove you're Sabo."

He'd been expecting this. Ace was a defensive little shit and that was one thing Sabo had been sure would never change. "When we were eight, we attacked a boar that was too big for us and your ankle got messed up. We managed to defeat it but I had to carry you back to my hovel in Grey Terminal for the night and you stayed for three days. That's when I started pressuring you to just live with me full-time."

One more searching gaze before, "You son of a bitch!" Sabo braced himself for the clearly telegraphed punch but was readjusted into a jarring hug at the last moment. "Where the hell have you been you ungrateful ass?! And you just show up correcting my grammar?! Fuck you, Sabo. Fuck you."

His brother's broad shoulder dug into his throat but he didn't care – couldn't care. Large tremors shook them up and down and strong fists tried to crush Sabo into Ace's very being as if they could never be close enough – as if he wasn't real until Ace could feel his very soul. He brought his arms around his brother's waist and pulled him even closer.

"I'm real Ace. I'm really here. I'm so sorry- I'll tell you everything."

They spent a few minutes like that; Ace silently crying, occasionally throwing insults while Sabo apologized and tried to sooth him as they both tried to crush each other into one person so they would never be apart again.

All things come to an end though and once Ace calmed down, they both stepped back feeling slightly awkward at such an emotional display; they weren't Luffy after all.

One awkward throat clearing later, Ace asked, "Do you have somewhere we could talk? My skiff isn't exactly private." With a smile, Sabo led him back to his ship. If they happened to be holding hands to reassure themselves that the other was still there, well, it was no one's fucking business.

Bret sat out on deck, keeping a lookout and silently nodded Sabo through. That was nice of Bret. He'd buy him some powdered donuts before they left port. Entering the captain's cabin, Ace looked around the sparse room which had been decorated with Luffy and Ace's bounty posters, the drawing from the tree house, and their old ASL flag pinned proudly opposite the door. His brother walked over to the flag, nostalgically ran a hand over it, and then fiercely turned to Sabo. "How?"

Sabo sat on the bed and ran his left hand through his hair, baring his scar. "When I last saw you, I was taken back to my parents and told that I would be a model son 'or else'." Seeing Ace's annoyed 'I already know this' sneer he started rambling faster. "Desperate not to put you in danger, I dove into my studies only for Stelly – a lesser noble my parents had adopted in order to still have an heir – to tell me about the plan to burn down Grey Terminal. The nobles planned to burn up all the trash before the Tenryuubito arrived in order to make things 'perfect' and 'beautiful'. I asked everywhere, trying to find just a single person with a shred of decency but they all said I shouldn't bother, that it was going to be dealt with properly and there was no chance the fire would hurt me so I shouldn't worry.

"I was disgusted." He spits the phrase like a curse and it comes nowhere close to describing the feeling.

"I ran to the gates, screaming for you and Luffy to be safe, but was thrown to the side by the guards. I don't remember what happened clearly – from distress, not amnesia – but apparently I ran into Dragon the Revolutionary and told him that the nobles were the true trash and deserved to have been burned themselves." Ace absently snorted in agreement and Sabo's lips twitched into a momentary smile.

"Quite. I woke up a few hours later and made my way home. I was whipped for running off and causing trouble; especially because I had made a spectacle of myself running through High Town. As the days went by, I knew I couldn't stay." He looked pleadingly into his brother's eyes, begging him to understand. "I couldn't stay, Ace; I felt like I would lose myself trying to obey my parents – like I wouldn't even be me anymore – so I had to run. I was so sure, sure that you could look out for Luffy and I could make my way just fine and that everything would turn out right! I didn't know the Tenryuubito was arriving that day! I didn't know Dogra saw my ship blow up! I didn't know I even had brothers!"

His tone abruptly goes flat. "I woke up, in agonizing pain with only the thought that I desperately needed to get away from my parents. I couldn't remember anything- I just," he choked for a moment, forcing himself to tell his brother the ugly truth. "I didn't want to know. With how badly I didn't want to go back, I didn't want to know what I was running from. I considered it a blessing to not even remember my parents and any time it seemed like I would remember something, I just shoved it to the side because I didn't want to know."

He hung his head in shame, fisting his trousers. "I forgot about you. I forgot about you and Luffy and Dadan and everything. I spent years not knowing and happy that I didn't know of a life before the Revolutionary Army. I-" He glanced up too quickly to even take in Ace's expression before hanging his head lower and shutting his eyes. "I- When your letter showed up, I was shocked. Who would write me? All correspondences were supposed to go through 'Jessica' and here was this letter with my name written messily in broad strokes. When I started reading I- I actually wanted to put it down. But then I couldn't because somebody missed me. Somebody out there knew me and remembered me fondly and I didn't know how that fit into my life and I couldn't even imagine anyone caring because my life had been horrible, right? But here was this letter telling me that I was loved and missed and that I had brothers who just wanted to see me again and I was the worst piece of crap because for all those years, I didn't even want to know."

He was breathing heavily, feeling out of control as he tried to center himself. It was so hard, so hard to remember that he had gone on his journey and found his memories and wasn't sitting in his new, damp office struggling with the thought that he had left people behind. He forced in a deep breath, counted to ten, and released it. Now wasn't the time to lose it. Ace was here and he had to, had to explain himself, somehow. Had to make this better.

"And the other part? Why didn't you take us with you?" The unspoken 'we would have gone' made his heart clench.

Sabo looked up, meeting his brother's steady gaze. This was the part that had been hardest to come to terms with: leaving his brothers behind.

He looked to the right in shame, distracting himself with the patterns in the wood panels. "I thought I was keeping you safe. Luffy was too young to sail; I knew that you'd keep him safe on Dawn Island and thought we'd meet up again on the sea sharing our crazy adventures." He stayed quiet for a minute, not wanting to voice this next part but owing Ace the truth. His voice came out hushed and guilty. "With every day that passed, I thought you weren't coming. I waited, hoping every night, that you'd be knocking on my window, trying to keep Luffy quiet and ready to fight our way out of there. But you never came. So I decided that I had to get out. I had planned to come visit but..." he gestured absently.

Sabo felt so much shame for doubting his brothers. For thinking they weren't coming for him just because it took more time than he wanted. Ace had written about Bluejam and being in the fire and even Dadan being there and somehow getting injured. Of course they couldn't come right away – they were hurt. And then to hear that Sabo had died before they could even get their bearings- he was a piece of shit. The worst brother possible. He had doubted them.

Steady footsteps approached before the bed sunk down beside him. "You know… we weren't coming." Sabo snapped his head around in alarm. But the letter- it had sounded like they had a plan and everything! "After you left, I was so mad that you had walked away from us." Ace's hands were clasped between his knees, eyes fixated on them. "Bluejam started talking about how being born a noble was amazing and that you were just laughing at us; treating our friendship like a game. Luffy never believed it for a moment but I was so hurt that I- I told Luffy to forget about you.

"We ended up doing some work for Bluejam, just to earn a few coins. Luffy didn't want to but I made him. Anything was better than what we used to do. Hunting, rummaging through trash, going into the Outskirts – everything that reminded me of you pissed me off so working for Bluejam was better. Sabo…" his fists clasped tighter and Sabo absently wondered if he could break his own fingers that way. "We're the ones that placed the explosives."

And like that, Sabo's world is shattered. That, that couldn't be right. Ace and Luffy would never do such a thing! They'd never be part of a plan to burn down people's homes and livelyhoods!

"We didn't know what they were. Bluejam just wanted us to put a few crates around Grey Terminal and it was easy, mindless work so I didn't have to think about you. When we found out, we tried to fight him but the bastard just tied us up and set the ship on fire." Sabo feels his heart stop, restarting at double time and Ace's tone turns even more grave. "Luffy managed to grab some broken glass and we escaped but by then, everything was on fire. We searched everywhere before running into Bluejam again.

"He wasn't very clear but I think he was promised a spot in High Town if he did this but they double-crossed him so he decided killing us was the least he could do. He kept asking about our pirate fund, like we weren't all about to fucking die. Luffy- We tried to fight and Luffy got cut real bad on his face. He was down and this one guy just held his sword over Luffy ready to kill him and I just… I screamed and everything stopped. Everyone but Bluejam and Luffy fainted." Conqueror's haki? He'd ask later.

"The next thing I know, Dadan and the bandits were there. They took Luffy and ran but I wouldn't- couldn't run. Not when I could be the last line of defense between that maniac and Luffy. Dadan stayed with me and eventually, we threw Bluejam on a burning pyre. The smell was… fuck. There's just no describing the smell of burning flesh and trash and knowing that a whole town is being eradicated around you.

"Dadan carried me out of there, burning herself badly, and I spent the next few days sneaking her medicine and moving us to avoid the guards sweeping the area for survivors. Every time I was in High Town, nicking whatever I could, I would look for you, wonder where you were and how soon we could get you back. After all of that, after almost watching Luffy die… I wasn't going to leave you. I just had to make sure Luffy was ok first."

Ace looks him in the eye accusingly. "And when I finally get back, you know what happens? Not even a half hour later Dogra runs in there and has to tell us that you'd died. That you'd been blown up and weren't coming back.

"If you had just waited a couple more fucking days this wouldn't have happened! You wouldn't have gotten blown up and Luffy wouldn't have suffered and we wouldn't be having this goddamn conversation right now!"

His gaze was searing but Sabo noticed what he glaringly left out. "And you suffered. You admitted it, in your letter."

They looked into each others' eyes, establishing just what had happened and where each other was coming from. A silent understanding passed between them before Ace leaned his forehead on Sabo's shoulder. "If you die again, I'll fucking kill you."

"You know that's a really stupid thing to say, right?"

"Shut up. I'm trying to enjoy the moment." So Sabo shut up.

Morning came with a leg familiarly sprawled over his waist in the haphazard pile of blankets they had moved to the floor. Ah, just like home. They'd have to do this with Luffy too once they found him.

Joyously shoving Ace aside, Sabo got ready for the day eager to fight his black hole of a brother for food. Just like the good old days. The thought that Sabo was starting to sound like an old man was promptly stomped into oblivion because Sabo actually had something to reminisce about and he was thrilled with every moment.

Ace grumbled behind him, asking where the bathroom was.

"It's down by the crew's quarters. Downstairs, left turn, second door on the left." Sabo rattled off.

There was silence behind him and Sabo turned, wondering why his brother hadn't left only to be met with a solid right hook.

Right, he'd been expecting that.

He stumbled back a couple steps raising his right hand to his left cheek. Damn that hurt but considering he hadn't gone through a wall, Ace had seriously held back. "Where the fuck were you!?"

Sabo glared right back. "Where was I?! I was blown up and didn't know who the fuck I was!"

"Stop making excuses!" Ace swung again and Sabo seamlessly ducked under the arm and came up smoothly on his brother's right.

"It's not a fucking excuse, Moron!" Ace slams his elbow back into Sabo's right cheek and damn, he's gonna have the worst blush for the next few hours.

"You think that makes it better!? Years! Fucking years! We put flowers on your grave! I dug a hole and buried the rest of your clothes! You couldn't wait two more fucking days so that we could go with you!?" Ace punched and Sabo dodged with every accusation until it was time for him to launch his counter attack.

"No! I fucking couldn't because I didn't know! Yeah, maybe I should have, but the universe already punished me for that so get off your imaginary high horse and stop being an idiot!" He got Ace into a hold and shoved him up against a wall.

Ace head-butted him and decided to hit him where it hurts. "Did you even look for us!? You had time to clear out our fucking pirate fund but did you even look for us!?" He knocked out Sabo's knee and kicked him halfway across the room.

Sabo twisted with the kick and rolled himself into a crouch, snapping his head up to glare at his brother. "I thought it was better if I just left! Think about it! My parents were willing to kill you! You think it was safe for me to go back there?!" He blocked an ax kick with his forearms and swiped Ace's remaining leg out from under him. He climbed over Ace, gripped his shoulders, and slammed him into the ground. "The first thing they would have done is hunted you down and dragged me back!"

Ace growled, twisting his legs around Sabo's waist and reversed their position. "And you thought leaving was the answer!? What about when they came searching and we didn't have answers!? They'd fucking torture Luffy and it would be Porchemy all over again except it would be all your fault!" He slammed his fists one after the other into Sabo's face.

Grabbing Ace's overlong hair, Sabo head butted him then sunk his fingers deep into the scalp, forcing defiant silver to meet adamant sky. "Why do you think I raised a pirate flag in the middle of the day leaving from Goa Kingdom!? It was to raise fucking attention so that they'd know I was at sea!"

Ace tried to pull his head away and when he couldn't he settled for baring his teeth. "You think that makes things better? Do you even know what you did to Luffy!? He fucking starved himself! For weeks, I had to badger him into eating and he kept wasting food saying that he was putting it aside for Sabo! He kept losing weight and being pissy and I didn't fucking know what to do!"

Oh, that was just low. He released Ace only to hit him in the solar plexus, stunning him momentarily. He bodily shoved him off. "Oh? So it was fucking right for you to chase him off so he nearly got gutted by a bear!? You were supposed to look out for Luffy! I fucking trusted you to!" He tackled a scrambling Ace and managed to get himself slammed into the desk behind his brother. The wind momentarily flew out of him as the corner hit his spine just wrong.

"Me!?" Ace slammed his fist into Sabo's gut. "You should have known better! I didn't know how to fucking take care of Luffy! You knew that! I just knew how to beat things up and keep us safe! You were the one who knew what to do- the one with all the fucking answers!" He stood up, panting heavily and glaring down at Sabo. "You fucking abandoned us!"

Sabo sat up, adjusting himself more comfortably against the desk. He had after all.

"Is that it? Did you not think we were good enough!?" Ace glared down at him, fists clenched angrily at his sides, ready to go another round.

Sabo stared at his brother's boots, letting thick tension build between them.

Finally, Ace had enough and walked away to land heavily on the mattress. "Fuck, Sabo, I…" He huffed audibly in aggravation. "I just… I didn't mean to do all of that."

Sabo leaves his eyes where his brother was just standing and offers a wry chuckle tinged with bitterness. "No, you did. And I get it. I really get it. I fucked up. I fucked up big time and hurt the only people who mattered to me." He clenched his right fist, his left bracing his gut – that last hit had been harsh.

"No, you didn't." The rebuke was firm with a certain tint of self loathing. Sabo really thought that might have gone away after all that time with Luffy. "I… I was just angry. You tried your best and waited and we didn't come. I'm so sorry. If I had just thought of anything other than how mad I was none of this would have happened. We could have grown up together on Dawn and you never would have…"

"Died?" Sabo could feel Ace flinch and he wasn't sure if it was a shift in the air or just knowing his brother. "There's really no point thinking about it. What's done is done. I know I can't really make up for what happened but…" He looked up, almost shyly glancing through his bangs. "I'm here now. I can at least try."

"Fuck Sabo, is that why you didn't fight back?" Sabo winced. He hoped his brother wouldn't have noticed how he let every hit land and barely put any weight behind his blows. "You think you deserve to be beat up?"

Sabo maintains his silence. His brother knows – any denial would just piss him off and there isn't a defense. Sabo deserved everything his brother threw at him: he'd abandoned them after all.

"Fucking hell Sabo…" Ace is suddenly crouched in his face, his 'I'm not usually the voice of reason but right now you're being an idiot' glare out in full force. Sabo had missed that expression. "Sabo. This was not your fault. This was your parents, Bluejam, the Tenryuubito – hell, the whole goddamn world. But not you. It wasn't your fault, it wasn't mine, and you need to stop your over dramatic pity party before I make your right eye match your left."

He couldn't help it, Sabo started to laugh. It was cruel to threaten a matching scar but even in his kindest moments Ace always tried to solve his problems with violence. There was that whole 'trying to kill Whitebeard for two months' thing he needed to ask about. Apparently, that's just how Ace made friends. "You're a moron."

Ace blushes and Sabo wishes he had a camera. He's so much more expressive! "Yeah, well, you're worse."

Sabo nodded agreeably. "Probably." They exchanged small smiles and it felt like the air was finally clearing between them. There was still a lot to talk about – ten years worth – but for the moment, Ace had burned through his anger and Sabo felt partially forgiven.

(Not fully though. Never fully. He couldn't be as long as he knew that he had hurt his brothers this way. That he hurt Ace, his first and best friend; the strange jungle boy who had taught him how to live and that there was more to life than posturing and misery. That he hurt Luffy, the boy who didn't even know him and almost died for just the chance of having a friend; the sunshine that saved them. No, he couldn't be forgiven. But, if only a little, he'd selfishly take what was given.)

A knock came on the door startling the two. "Are you two done in there? Breakfast is ready and we've been waiting to meet Ace for over a month now."

The brothers glanced at each other before turning back to the door. "Sure thing Koala."

"Koala?" Ace straightened himself up and held out a hand for Sabo.

Taking the hand, Sabo felt warmth in his heart at the simple gesture. "Koala is one of my best friends. While I was freaking out over having brothers, she gathered up a crew and a ship so that I could search for you guys. And my lost memories."

"…and you have those, right?" His eyebrows furrowed, unsure.

Sabo grinned brightly in reassurance. "Yes, I do. That's why I went to Dawn first. You asked some big questions and I figured it would be pretty insulting if I hadn't even looked for answers when I saw you."

Ace thinks it over. "It's better that you have answers but no matter what, it matters that you're here."

The warmth in his heart grows and Sabo doesn't ever want this feeling to stop. Having his brother here is more than he ever dreamed of. His greatest treasure. He'd tease Ace mercilessly over being a sap later. The tattoo especially was prime material.

"So the bathroom was…"

"Downstairs, left, second door on the left."

Splashing water on his face, Ace contemplated what the fuck just happened.

The previous night felt like a dream. He'd been slightly drunk and a dream Sabo saying that he had only had amnesia and came back because of Luffy's damn sentimental letter was a two-faced fantasy that he was desperate to indulge in. It wasn't the only time he'd imagined a way for Sabo to come back to them; not even the first time he'd considered that Sabo might join the Revolutionary Army. It seemed like a cause his brother could get behind.

He often used these daydreams to sort out his mangled feelings because admitting he had weaknesses and regrets was almost as bad as admitting who his father was. But in his half drunk mind, he could talk to the hallucination of his lost brother however he wanted. Being corrected on how to write a fucking letter was stupid but, Sabo was like that sometimes; lauding his better education over Ace and Luffy not because it made him superior, but because it would frustrate Ace and make Luffy glow in wonder. And they all knew (although none of them would say) that Ace was impressed too.

When he'd woken up on the floor of an unfamiliar room, he hadn't thought much of it. His narcolepsy had him used to waking up random places and with the blond guy buttoning up his white dress shirt, he'd assumed he'd had a one night stand – it wouldn't be the first time he'd slept with a man. So, in usual fashion, he decided to use the restroom and be on his way.

Until the voice that came back was dream Sabo.

It had taken him a few seconds to reconcile that his dream was not a dream. It took a couple more seconds for his body to react and sucker punch the non-hallucination.

He hadn't meant all of that. Not really.

Yeah, he was upset that his brother had taken ten agonizing years to come back but 'amnesia from being blown up' was a pretty good excuse. Not that that stopped Ace from taking out his frustration over all the misery that could have been avoided if Sabo had just survived in the first place. Or remembered. Or searched for them. Or a lot of things.

Ace forced himself to take deep breaths. He shouldn't have tried to beat up Sabo. A miracle had just happened; Ace had his brother back. The first thing he should do was definitely not beat the bastard into a pulp.

He should have bet on Luffy's crazy luck years ago and tried something like this sooner.

And now he was supposed to meet some girl named Koala who was Sabo's best friend (was Ace no longer his best friend? His friend?) and a handful of Revolutionaries who had brought Sabo back to him.

By the blues, Sabo was alive.

Imagining was one thing but having Sabo here, tangible…

Ace wasn't sure how to feel.

Awed? Absolutely. Disbelief? Ace pinched himself. Yeah, still feeling that. Angry? A little, he'd burnt through most of that earlier. Annoyed? He recognized guilt when he saw it so yeah, a little annoyed.

The most important part was that Sabo was here.

So what next?

His growling stomach decided for him so he sucked in a deep breath, grasped the faux confidence that had carried him through countless social interactions, and followed his nose to the galley.

The amount of food laid out made it clear that Sabo had warned them of his monstrous appetite which had only grown since he'd eaten the mera mera no mi. It had actually explained a lot about Luffy's appetite as a kid, having a passive devil fruit ability meant that you burned a lot of calories. He mentally groaned at the inadvertent fire pun. Thatch had–

Thatch. Agony squeezed his heart but was swiftly brushed away by the joy of having Sabo back.

Maybe it was mean spirited but this was Sabo, his brother, not just ship brother and good friend, but his actual brother, back from the dead. He was more important than Thatch.

He took the empty seat next to his brother and dug in. He was halfway through his fourth plate when a hand stole the sausage he was reaching for. Did he just…?

On the Moby Dick, no one was brave enough to try and steal food from him. When he was Captain of the Spade pirates, he was too respected.

Without a second thought he retaliated, snatching a mango from Sabo's fingertips and they quickly descended into a frenzy of elbows and sticky fingers. Ace smiled through a mouthful of toast. This is how meals were supposed to be eaten. He'd gotten used to his portion being respected but it was much more satisfying to fight for it. He briefly wondered if he could goad the other commanders into doing this. Nah, probably not. Izou would shoot him for even suggesting it.

"It's like wild beasts…" One of the revolutionaries commented reminding Ace that he and his brother weren't alone. Oh yeah, manners. That thing he asked Makino to teach him. He felt his cheeks brighten but immediately disregarded it. Eating like this felt like home and he was a pirate – who cared?

As Ace finally cleared the last plate (out eating Sabo 2:1), he finally paid attention to the slender girl across from him. Eggplant hair held in a high ponytail, thin, delicate nose and mouth, intense navy eyes boring into him… She looked about Luffy's age. Was this Koala? Was this the girl that had replaced Ace as Sabo's best friend?

Drawing together his courage, he stretched out a hand to shake. "Hi, I'm Ace. You must be Koala, right?"

Laughter resounded up and down the table as the girl politely took his hand. "Not Koala, Irma. It's nice to meet you."

Ace finished shaking her hand, bright red and wishing he could erase the last thirty seconds. A busty brunette peered around Sabo to offer a cute smile. "I'm Koala. It's nice to meet you, Ace." She held out a hand and Sabo leaned back to accommodate the handshake.

"Yeah, nice to meet you." Ace (futilely) crushed his embarrassment.

The man with burgundy curls and an orange jacket sitting next to Irma held out his hand next. "Hi, I'm Patch. These are Gorigio and Bret." He shrugged to the last two members of the table; a man about Kingdew's build with coffee dreadlocks and an oval jaw and an older man in his thirties with bushy eyebrows and no hair.

Ace shook Patch's hand and nodded at the other two. "It's nice to meet you."

"Wow, you really are polite!" Patch exclaimed. "You know, there's all these rumors around but I didn't really believe them; especially after Sabo laughed himself sick at the thought."

Giving Sabo a mild glare, Ace was thankful for the tension breaker. Sabo shrugged without remorse. "What? You were a savage jungle brat the last time I saw you."

Feeling the rising annoyance in the back of his head, Ace retaliated. "At least I made improvements – you're still wearing a napkin around your neck."

"It's called a cravat and it's classy. Not like you would know Mr. No Shirt."

Ace smirked and twisted to show off his pride. "And cover this baby up? I'm a Whitebeard – the day I cover my back is the day I die. Which, since I promised Luffy, can't happen."

"You promised Luffy you wouldn't die?" Ace turned back to look at Sabo's questioning gaze. "Why would you do that? Luffy takes promises very seriously and you can't promise something impossible."

Resolved steel stares into swirling waters. "Sabo, when Luffy wasn't eating and wasn't getting better, I had to do something. With you… gone, Luffy needed to know I wouldn't go away too."

"But you can't keep that promise. You'll only hurt Luffy worse." Sabo insisted, eyes hardening in disapproval.

Ace bristled. "Well what did you want me to do? Just let Luffy keep hurting himself? Let him waste away in misery? You remember as well as I do! 'Being alone hurts worse than being hurt.' " Sabo did remember. No matter how long he lives, he couldn't imagine anything striking him the same way a mummified Luffy had when screaming that he was fine with torture as long as someone would be his friend.

"You made a promise you can't keep. The only way you could keep it would be to outlive Luffy and we both know: you have no reason to live if that happens." Sabo stared him down and hoped, in a useless corner of the bottom of his heart, that maybe Ace will contradict him; say that he found more to live for after all this time.

He didn't even try to deny it, attempting to glare Sabo into submission. Ace knew he was messed up, hanging his entire existence on someone he couldn't possibly keep safe but to the broken, angry child he'd been before meeting Luffy there was no question that a world without him was a world Ace wasn't willing to live in.

Fucking damnit! Sabo slammed a hand against the table, indenting it. "Ace! It's been ten fucking years! Seven of which you spent with Luffy! Two years that you've been with Whitebeard, a crew famous for calling each other family! Your life has worth you brainless idiot and you can't hang your entire existence on Luffy's love for you!"

"Like you know anything!?" Ace stood up just to put a bit of distance between them, fists balled. "You don't get to fucking come back and decide my priorities for me! You forgot! You built a new life and moved on but for me, all I've ever had is Luffy and –!" He wasn't going to say it. Ace has avoided talking about him even more than he avoided Shitty Gramps. The memorial on his arm burned even as he stared his long lost brother down.

Sabo stood, cold anger tensing his muscles. "You think that because I forgot I don't care anymore? You think that now that I found you, I could ever be ok if I lost you again?"

"You moved on once already." Ace knew his words would hurt but he wouldn't back down. Even though they hadn't said as much, it was clear that after they reunited with Luffy (and yes, they were going to see Luffy) Sabo was going to return to his life with the Revolutionary Army and Ace would go back to his hunt for Blackbeard.

Sabo glared to cover up his pain. "Do you think that it was easy?" Ace watched his brother, muscles tensing and relaxing as he forced slow, steady words that hurt them both through a clenched jaw. "I had no clue about anything except for a name, a hat, and a loathing for the people who gave birth to me. I didn't know if I knew how to read and write, if I knew how to patch up wounds or if I could defend myself in a fight. I spent a month confined to a bed as my body screamed in agony with every twitch. I spent three months worrying that my vision may not come back in my left eye and the five months after that struggling to retrain my body just to walk, run, and finally: fight."

Sabo's furious eyes burn into Ace. "And what do I find? I pick up a pipe and start swinging it around like I've been doing it for years. But how does a noble know how to fight, yet alone with such a low class weapon? The reading and writing weren't a surprise but the mandolin sure as hell was. Instinctually patching up a scraped knee and knowing that it would take only a good night's rest to be back to my best was unsettling. And the whole time there's nothing but a white void where my memories should be: a blank slate mocking me with everything that made me who I was but I could never know.

"What other choice do you think I had? I knew that nobles had done this to me and that I was ashamed of being born one. I didn't want to go anywhere near the kingdom that so easily disregarded human life and with no sign that anything good was waiting for me, why would I ever go near it? So I embraced the revolution. A cause that felt right. The people who saved me. Yeah, I moved on. Because anything was better than staring at the empty void of who I might have once been."

They stare each other down, neither willing to give ground and both stung by the awful truths that divide them.

Sabo gave ground first. Ace would never say it, never admit he was ashamed, especially when he was still hurt so Sabo decided to cement exactly where he stood. "Ace, I moved on because it was either make something of myself or wither away. And now that void is full. I have something I came running back to, abandoning my responsibilities, because I have spent the last ten years sure that whatever my life had been, it was something worth dying to get away from. But instead, it was you. It was you and Luffy and the best days of my entire life. I will stand by you, no matter what, and if I have to throw away everything I've built to hold onto you for one day more, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Don't ever say I could move on from you and don't you ever act like you haven't built a life for yourself too."

With that, Sabo stalked out on deck giving them both room to think.

He'd just declared that if it's in the interest of his brothers, he'd become a traitor to the revolution. The people that took him in and that he'd dedicated his life to. The organization that had just made him a general in their army. Dragon would hear about this and Sabo would surely face consequences but, he wouldn't take it back. He'd meant it, from the bottom of his heart. He'd done wrong by his brothers for years, the first people to truly love him and show him what life was supposed to be and how he could have a place in it. Even if he had to abandon everything he'd become, there were no lengths he wouldn't go to to save the two boys who had saved him from himself.

Ace on the other hand was losing the battle against his self esteem. He stood rigidly in the galley, unable to process the world around him.

He was such a fool. As soon as Sabo found out he had something worth coming back to, he'd run to find his memories and find Ace. He imagined, just for a moment, what it would have been like to lose his memories and just as quickly shuddered away from the idea. Not knowing Luffy and Sabo, not knowing Shitty Gramps and Dadan, not knowing anything but his name and that he hates his father–

No. He couldn't blame Sabo and saying that Sabo didn't care, when he so clearly did, was just another one of Ace's monumental fuck-ups because he never considered that other people could hurt too.

Ace was a mess. He was a useless pile of crap who couldn't deal with his emotions and constantly hurt the people around him. But people still loved him and forgave him. People a thousand times better than him who accepted him for everything he was. Luffy. Precious, unwavering, completely undeserved Luffy. And Sabo, who had come as soon as he could and was right about everything; the first person who hadn't cared in the least about his heritage and saved his worthless ass more times than Luffy had punched himself in the face.

Pops. Ace had found and embraced a father figure, devoting his life to the cause he believed in. How could he fault Sabo for doing the same? After the reunion with Luffy, Sabo would go back to the revolution and Ace would go back to hunting down Teach. Was there ever really a question about what would happen? He would always put his brothers first, even over Pops' life, but there was no denying that he had moved on and found a new home.

Heaving a deep sigh, Ace squared his shoulders and went to make things right. Sabo had apologized for being gone, it was Ace's turn to apologize for being a useless ass.

Turning towards the door, he noticed that the revolutionaries had made their way into the kitchen, quietly doing dishes. Shit. They had heard everything. Why did Ace have to mess up everything he touched? Except Luffy. Somehow, by a series of pure miracles, Luffy had come out ok. Or maybe it was just Luffy's resilience canceling Ace's curse.

He wouldn't even be capable of living if he had fucked up Luffy.

He found Sabo on the stern gazing out at the ocean.

"I'm sorry." He stepped up to lean on the railing next to his brother.

"For being a self serving cunt who's so hung up on your own angst that you can't consider another person's feelings or for being a blind hypocrite and, again, not being able to consider anyone else's feelings?" His voice was crisp and polite, dancing on the edge of patronizing noble and closed off best friend.

Ace internally flinched. Yeah, he'd messed up big time. "For all of it. I'm sorry. I'm an emotionally constipated child who never figured out how to do anything outside of fight and push others away."

"For the love of…" Sabo pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed and chin slightly tucked. "Ace, you're always like this." He took a deep breath and lowered his hand, continuing to gaze at the ocean. "Ace, you need to understand that me, Luffy, Whitebeard… we all see something in you. We don't see your father or someone who constantly needs to prove himself; we just see Ace and that's enough. The problem is that you don't let others in. How did you spend seven years with Luffy and not figure out that just being 'Ace' is good enough?"

"…because Luffy is an idiot who doesn't know any better?" This is not territory he wanted to get into. Luffy was an exception to the world at large and Ace thanked every deity he never believed in for giving him such an undeserved miracle.

Sabo heaved a sigh and finally turned his head to look at Ace. "Just because Luffy is an idiot doesn't mean he isn't right."

Ace didn't answer, letting the idea turn in his head. Sabo, Luffy, Pops, Marco, Thatch… they were all people who knew how Ace was, stubborn and angry and impulsive. But they stuck by him anyway, welcomed him and called him family. Although…

"If it takes an idiot like Luffy to love me, does that mean you're an idiot too?" There was a slight taunt to his words in an attempt to sound teasing but Sabo could hear the truth: he was looking for reassurance and a lighter line of conversation.

Sabo granted it. "I must be since I call you brother."

They stood in companionable silence, taking in the early blue-grey swells. There was a lot to talk about and a lot of issues that need to be dealt with but for right now…

"You realize you just called Whitebeard an idiot, right?"

"Huh, I guess I did. Don't tell Pops I said that."

"Tell one of the four emperors that his son considers him a moron? I wouldn't dream of it."

Ace side-eyed him. "Why do I feel like that's a promise to tell him?"

Sabo simply smirked and left his brother to wonder.

Huffing, Ace took a seat on the banister with his legs over the ocean. "Sooo… the suit?"

Oh? A game was it? Sabo copied his brother on the rail, enjoying the sea breeze. "It always felt like a good way to mock the nobility. I made sure to wear blue just so you could recognize me." Ace elbowed his arm in a silent 'I'm not that bad.' "Sooo… the tattoo?"

Ace lit up brighter than Sabo had ever seen, small licks of flame dancing across his cheeks. Adorable. Sabo should really get a camera. "Sh- shut up! Luffy had his own way of dealing with things and I had mine, ok? When it came time for me to get my tattoo, I knew I wanted my name so that everyone would know who I was, who had defeated them. At the last minute, I decided to put in your pirate flag. Luffy wanted to write things down for you but I… I decided to carry you in writing." Oh that was just tooth rottingly sweet. Sabo wouldn't make fun of it himself but, if he let it slip to certain people and they decided to tease him, well, Sabo clearly couldn't be held responsible. "Sooo… the pipe?"

He smiled. "Like I said, it just felt right and with a low class weapon in the hands of a former noble, it seemed like a good taunt."

"You really like giving them the middle finger, don't you?" Ace surmised.

Sabo's smile grew in relish. "Unbelievably. Sooo…" Sabo turned more serious, needing answers to what had been plaguing him almost constantly since he'd received the letter. "The bear?"

His shoulders hunched and Sabo could feel his brother's need to run away. But he didn't. "I… after I made my promise to Luffy, he got better. He started eating, taking care of himself… but he was so clingy. More than ever before – I couldn't even take a shit by myself! So I chased him off." Ace gripped the rail hard enough to make it groan then backed off. "I just wanted some space. When Luffy hadn't come back by dinner… I beat up the bear and Luffy is fine."

Sabo wanted to hit Ace, to call him an idiot. But Ace already understood exactly how monumentally he'd fucked up so Sabo let it go. "Sooo…" It wasn't his turn but Sabo knew a great way to lighten the mood. "You buried my clothes?"

Ace ducked his head. "Yeah, well, we didn't really have a body and it was supposed to bring closure or some shit…" It was as funny as it was heartbreaking. The image of Ace gathering a pile of Sabo's old clothes, burying them as a placeholder… Sabo considered for a moment how he would have handled the situation and settled on being touched. It was a nice (if strange) gesture. "Sooo… Koala?"

"Koala?" Out of all the things Sabo expected him to ask, that was at the bottom of the list. He peered at his brother's face. Was that…? Was he…? Sabo burst into laughter. "You're jealous!"

"N- No I'm not! I'm just curious!"

"Ahahaha! Oh, this is brilliant. I never noticed when we were kids because it was only the three of us, but you're the jealous sort, aren't you?" He nudged Ace until his elbow was knocked away. "In any case, Koala is my best friend and my partner on missions. She calls it babysitting but she's just being over dramatic. I can take care of myself. There's no need to be jealous. You'll always be my second favorite person in the world, behind Luffy of course." He'd amended his statement as Ace looked ready to protest but, hearing their little brother's name, he stopped, considered, and nodded agreeably. "Sooo… how'd you go from trying to kill Whitebeard to being one of his sons?"

"I honestly don't know. I kept trying to kill him and in return I was treated with kindness and respect. It was infuriating – like I wasn't even a threat! Eventually I just… wore down." He shrugged absently. He wasn't willing to say that he'd been looking for a home and Sabo wasn't about to drag any more deep emotional trauma to the surface, especially over something he already understood.

"So it's just like Luffy?"

"What?! No it's not! Luffy needed me and never even considered me a bad guy!"

"But you kept trying to kill him and he insisted on being your friend anyway. I'm starting to feel like I'm the odd one out – if you make all your friends by trying to kill them, does that mean you like me more?"

Ace glared. "It means I hadn't realized what an annoying bastard you were yet. But if you want me to try…" He held up a flaming fist and Sabo laughed.

"No thanks. I'm just glad you hadn't worked out your patented 'make friends procedure' yet." Ace would've really killed him and even if he didn't, Sabo sure as hell wouldn't have chased after a wild monster boy who'd beat him up no matter how desperate he was for friends.

Pink tinted the dreaded pirate's face yet again. Sabo needed that camera. Now. "Shut up Sabo. It's not my fault the world is full of idiots."

"Like you?"

"Like me." He responded without thinking. When realization came, he relit his fist. "You son of a bitch!"

Sabo jumped back onto the deck and danced away. "Yes, but I've been disowned so I'm not sure it matters." This fight was better. More playful and less hurt – just a pair of brothers goading each other into a childish tussle.

The reunion hadn't gone quite as Sabo wanted and there would probably be more arguments on the way but there was no doubt in Sabo's mind that it was all worth it.

Shameless plug: I wrote an au in which 11 year old Sabo runs into a survivor of Grey Terminal and learns he has brothers. It's called 'From the Trash Heap' and I'd love for people to check it out. I'm really proud of how it came out.

Fun fact: every chapter of this has been longer than the last. I don't think I can keep it up.

This chapter… was a mixed bag. I actually got the first five thousand words (the end of their little fist fight) written the day after I posted chapter 5 but the rest…

Ace was stuck in emotional turmoil and didn't want to continue the scene and when I finally did get things rolling again they had another fight. T^T

I think there's a lot that needs to be talked about but this whole chapter feels very exposition-y. I'm not really satisfied with it but I made a promise to myself to finish this already.

*dogeza* I humbly beg forgiveness and promise to deliver better content in the future.

Please review. I need to know how to improve for future chapters and stories and would love to hear your opinions on the stupid brothers' reunion.