"And really, what have you been thinking, leaving Luffy with me, when it was clear he liked you better and always came to you for help!"
Sabo smiled wistfully. "I'm not sure he will anymore. He's gonna be so angry. But I can't wait to see him awake again. I want to know how he changed. When I saw him I truly thought he was dead. And then that noise started and- Luffy is still our weakling little -brother. We have to protect him, with all the shit he gets himself into... if you will let me help at least."
Sabo would have liked to appear more confident, but Luffy had been Ace's responsibility. He had left them and vanished for seven years. He wondered if he still had any right to call himself their brother, especially after forgetting all about them.
(In this fic all the incidents happen when luffy was four and ace, sabo were 10 like the bluegem, sabo's death, fire in grey terminal and all except for shanks one, it happened when luffy was 5, I hope it clears the confusion)
"You idiot!" Ace scolded and hit his head. "You better make up the lost seven years! It's too good to have you back to worry about shitty things. For seven years both Luffy and I wanted you to be back, do you really think I'd not accept you now?"
"Sorry." Sabo furiously wiped the tears that made their way down his face now away.
"Ah! Stop crying!" Ace shouted and ignored Sabo's protests of "I'm not"
"It's bad enough Luffy always cries! You didn't have to change like that!" Sabo laughed, the older Ace was just as bad at dealing with tears as the younger one had been, especially so if he was emotional himself.
After some time when they both calmed down.
"So sabo why did you not come to us before " ace asked as they both sat on bed side by side watching luffy.
"Ace, I had amnesia, I'm really sorry but I forgot about everything it wasn't until I saw luffy laying here looking de.. de-dead." Sabo breathed out.
He would rather die than see luffy like this ever again.
"It's alright sabo, just...just don't leave us ever again." Ace said as he hugged sabo.
"Yess ace, i am never gonna leave you" few tears left ace and sabo's eye.
Ace can't explain how happy he is, the brother he thought was dead wasn't dead.
They both sat down looking at luffy.
"Btw ace why is luffy here like this ? What happened? He was supposed to be on dawn island not here. And you? What are you doing with whitebeard pirates?"
"Calm down I will tell you everything." Ace said as he started telling how marines were after him, how they come on this ship, how they become a part of this ship and all.
"What?? That red dog was after luffy to kill him, that mf. I'm going to kill him" sabo said menacingly.
"Don't worry sabo, oyaji already did that, now our little brother is safe." Ace said as he looked a luffy with a small smile.
Ace loves luffy more than his life, he can do anything for luffy, for his precious little brother.
Same goes for sabo, he might not be there with luffy from past seven years but he still loves him more than his own life.
Both of them were talking trying to catch up with each other.
"Umm..*cough* *cough* I guess you guys have already sort out things yoi" Marco said when he entered room to call ace for dinner.
"Yess Marco" ace said happily.
"Then let's go, thatch is calling you for dinner and you should come to sabo san yoi"
"But we can't leave luffy alone" sabo said.
"Don't worry sabo san crystal will be staying here till then you should eat dinner yoi"
Nodding they both went out with Marco towards dining room.
When they entered, the mess hall went silent. everybody was looking at ace and sabo.
Taking the hint sabo introduced himself.
"Hello everyone, my name is sabo from revolutionary army" sabo said and bowed to them.
"And he is my and luffy's brother" ace continued.
"I, thank all of you for taking care of ace and luffy" sabo said and bowed again.
"Don't mention it sabo san, ace and luffy are our family , so as a family it's our duty to protect them." Vista said.
"Yeah he is right"
"Yess"
"We will forever protect them"
"Yeah"
Everybody agreed with vista.
"Now sabo san come here and eat food, you too ace" thatch said and served sabo&ace food.
"Thankyou thatch san."
------------------
It's been 3 days since they are giving luffy medicine in past two days the color of his face returned according to tate he will wake up soon.
"The ventilation is gone."
"Yeah, don't worry . Tate said Luffy might wake up soon and doesn't need it anymore" crystal said.
"Thankyou so much crystal and all of the nurses for taking care of my brother" he bowed his head down.
"don't mention ace we are family"
He leant down over Luffy's face and sure enough, his little brother was breathing steadily. Without a word he sat back down and held his hand.
Ace pulled the sheets up to Luffy's neck, then kissed his forehead.
"What?!" Ace asked when he saw sabo looking at him like he grew another head.
"Ace! Since when are you this polite?" Sabo exclaimed shocked.
"Well, I had to learn how to thank people properly for taking care of him when you went missing!" Ace glared and yelled back defensively.
"... I never knew you'd be able to manage it." Ace just rolled his eyes at that.
There was a comfortable silence after that both the brothers sat there, waiting for their little brother to wake up.
Few minutes later.
"He is going to wake up soon ace, I think I should go" sabo nervously said.
"Like hell you can go from here bastard" ace said glaring at sabo.
"Then I will meet him when he is all good?" Sabo asked, he can't do this, he doesn't know how luffy will react, what if luffy doesn't want to see him or even talk with him.
Oh no, he would rather die.
"Sabo don't worry, you know him too, he will be bawling his eyes out and will be happy to see you" ace said reassuringly.
"But ace-"
"Shut up sabo"
------------------
Next day.
"Shabooooo" luffy wailed loudly.
He jolted at the name and hugged Luffy tighter. "Yeah..." he croaked, voice filled with emotion.
The rubber kid seemed dead bent on making sure his source of warmth couldn't get away from him again and decided to limit his movements by putting his legs around his waist, several times. He almost felt like a cocoon.
"Told ya" ace said as he laughed loudly, sabo looked like caterpillar.
When sabo and ace come back from lunch, luffy was awake. Tate was running some test.
"Lu you are finally awake" ace said happily and ran towards his brother and hugged him tightly.
After sometime.
"Luffy meet our brother sabo" ace said and sabo awkwardly waved his hand.
"Sabo? Our bro..brother sa...bo?" Luffy asked, with tears.
Sabo spent the duration of an hour trying to calm down his brother. Even when Luffy calmed down, he never left his brother's side. Sabo welcomed the affection, he actually missed the hugs Luffy gave. He mentally cried when he realized he was deprived of soft rubbery hugs for almost a decade. He also noted that he would punch Ace in the face for hogging Luffy to himself for the past years. It was not like Ace was at fault here but he gladly ignored the logical part of his brain. Semantics be damned.
"Sabo," Luffy smiled giddily at him. "You'll stay with me, right?"
Sabo nodded his head.
He smiled back at his baby brother, "I'll stay for few days till I get my new mission"
Luffy's smile dropped for a second causing Sabo to panic before he smiled brightly again. "It's okay! You have your own adventures." Luffy rubbed their cheeks together (garchu~) , "At least, I get to have Sabo for few days!"
Sabo's heart soared from the adorable human in front of him. He cooed at Luffy, muttering about a cute brother doing cute things, unlike a certain hotheaded bastard that punched him with fire fist . But then again, That's how he shows affection, after all.
"Hey, let me join too" ace said and all three of them did a group hug.
Luffy just laughed at his brothers, enjoying the love and warmth directed to him.
(This is where our chapter ends thankyou for reading and voting on my story)
(I have a really nice one shot, it's kinda cute and fluffy , and obviously it's about ace and luffy. So I just wanted to tell you guys that i published that too, and i really appreciate if you guys read that )
(The name is "far away but right here" and I'm sure you guys will love it)