#jealous sabo

[hannahbarberra162]

Under the Microscope, Part 10

18+ MDNI on Ao3

All the other chapters

One small invention has big consequences...

Ace’s knock sounded on the door - two short raps followed by a longer tap. From your spot on the floor, you lifted your head to peer at the door with puffy eyes and drew in a shaky breath. Your eyelids felt like sandpaper as you blinked away your tears before using your palms to swipe away the ones trickling down your cheeks. You could feel the heat of the red splotches that always took over your face when you cried and you wondered how long you had even been here.. The headache blooming across your temples and the stiffness in your neck told you that it had been a while since you’d started bawling when Sabo had left. You felt hollow without your devil fruit power and the seastone left you feeling as weak as you did on the Revolutionary Army’s ship. Your body had been robbed of all strength and you had been left a powerless husk on the floor. Your arms tightened around your legs as you did your best to ignore Ace’s knock in the vain hope that he would leave. The door was still locked anyway, it wasn’t like you could let him in even if you wanted to.

“Hey, you in there? Wanted to come see you,” Ace asked softly through the thick wood. You remained silent, sniffling again as your nose continued running. Where else would you be? You heard the turning of the lock and looked up as Ace’s familiar freckled face appeared in the doorway.

“How ya doing Sunflower?” Ace said, using his even stupider nickname than the one Sabo had given you. You silently raised your arm to show him the cuff on your wrist. Your forearm and hand were scratched red and bleeding from where you’d tried to take off the bangle. At first, you’d thought it was made of silver but the metal was much stronger than you anticipated as you banged it against the wall and floor trying to get it to open. 

“Ah. Not good then,” Ace said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Do you want me to patch it up for you?” You shook your head, your current predicament put the scratches at the bottom of your list of worries. The idea of being touched in this state made your skin crawl and his offer only soured your mood further.  Ace frowned at your lack of concern.

“Yeah, I mean, I did warn you that Sabo liked you. And he warned you not to run, so…” Ace trailed off as he sat next to you on the cool wooden floor, so close that your shoulders touched.  You didn’t have the energy to resist when he picked up your wrist and you let him move your arm freely while he inspected it. His frown deepened when he saw the blood dripping from the shallow cuts after he turned your arm over.

“Stay here, I’m gonna get the first aid kit. You scratched yourself kind of bad in a few places,” Ace said, getting back up and heading to the door. You didn’t bother trying to get out of the room - where would you go? Sabo was still around, you were still stuck on the island, and you didn’t have your devil fruit powers. Ace returned a few moments later and settled in next to you again. Opening the box, he took your arm and placed it on his lap before he began applying astringent to your cuts while he talked.

“You can’t - you’re just… not strong. I mean physically. You can’t protect yourself, you need someone like me or Sabo. I’m not saying it to be mean, it’s true. Not everyone can fight, and that’s ok. You’ve gotta stay with someone who can keep you safe, especially now that you’ve awakened your fruit. Who knows what would happen if the World Government got a hold of you? But don’t worry, Sabo’s gonna help you, get you in with the Army. You’re not doing that great on your -” You rallied your remaining scraps of energy at his words and snatched your arm away from him, intent on wrapping your wounds yourself. You weren’t going to sit there and get lectured about how weak you were by someone who had likely never felt that way themselves.

“Sabo’s not helping me, Ace. I was doing fine on my own until Sabo kidnapped me. Do you remember that part? I don’t want to join the Revolutionary Army,” you hissed at Ace. You knew your anger was misplaced but Ace was the only one you felt comfortable enough to bare your feelings to. You began rolling the bandage around your own wrist as Ace scoffed at you.

“Ok, yeah, Sabo took you from your base. But you know it was for your own good -”

“No, it wasn’t! Sabo took me on a whim! I get it, you both think I’m some stupid idiot who can’t do anything and needs others to take care of me!” you yelled back at Ace. It was infantilizing to hear repeatedly how you couldn’t take care of yourself, how inept and fragile you were in their eyes. You put your head back on your knees, tired of listening to Ace’s cosigning of Sabo’s behavior. 

“Go away, Ace. Unless you’re going to take this cuff off of me….just… leave me alone,” you said quietly. Ace lingered a moment but you soon felt the warmth of his body leaving from near your own. His footsteps led back towards the door but you didn’t hear the door shut again. Picking your head up, you saw him passing Sabo in the doorway, who was holding something wrapped in a blanket. You gave Sabo your best blank look, unwilling to show him any of the emotions you were feeling. In your mind, you remembered your Marine training and how to hide your emotions in the face of the enemy. Sabo wasn’t going to get anything from you anymore.

“I don’t think you’re stupid. Or an idiot,” Sabo said calmly, crossing into the room closer to you. He set his wrapped item on the bed and sat near you on the floor. Your back stiffened as you sat up straighter against the bed frame hard enough to feel the edges digging into your back.

“You told me that I was,” you said, trying for nonchalance but failing when your voice cracked halfway through your statement. 

“No, what I said was that you weren’t thinking and I stand by my statement. You let Ace convince you to undertake some hare-brained scheme he cooked up to get what you wanted. That doesn’t make you stupid, just desperate. And I can understand why you might feel that way,” Sabo said as he switched to sitting on the bed, his knees by your head as he looked down at you from his new vantage point. His hands were gripping the wooden bedframe near where your shoulder was. You stared straight ahead while Sabo continued undeterred as he always did.

“You’re worried about your family, isn’t that right?” Sabo’s voice was quiet as he put his hand on your shoulder. Your heart started pounding at his question - you couldn’t remember talking to Sabo about your family apart from the instance with his shoulder. And that was just that you had a sister, right? How much did he know about them? Still, you weren’t going to waste this opportunity to curry favor with Sabo. Maybe if he thought you were worried about your family he’d be more inclined to take off the cuff. It would be better than saying you were trying to get away from him.

“Um, yeah. I mean, I was sending most of my paychecks back home -” you started before being interrupted.

“Yes, to Hen and Chick Island. To your ailing sister, two young brothers, and working single mother. Deceased father. The Marines won’t grant pensions if you aren’t confirmed to be dead. That was your worry, was it not?” You glanced up at Sabo, who had you locked into his unnatural stare. You began biting your lower lip in place of your nails as he continued, your stomach turning at his words. You turned to face him, still sitting on the floor.

“I know about all of them. But you don’t have to worry, I had you listed as a working member of the Revolutionary Army and increased your salary. Your family has been getting more money than before though they don’t know the exact source,” Sabo continued with a smile that was as comforting as the shackle on your wrist. You thought your heart was going to explode from how fast it was racing. Did they know you were alive?

“How did - how do you know all that? About my family?” you asked, unable to hear much over the pounding of your blood in your ears.

“I know much more than that,” Sabo said, patting the bed next to him. You obeyed the implicit command and sat next to him on the bed. “I know every project you’ve ever worked on, every article you’ve ever published, every base you were assigned to, everything. Even your real name,” Sabo carried on, putting his hand over yours while staring into your eyes. “But now you can relax a little more, right? Now that you know your family is being provided for? I wish you would have let me explain everything before you did all that with Ace,” Sabo finished, patting your hand. 

“I’m always thinking about you and looking out for your best interests. Look, I even brought you your pressed flowers,” Sabo said, lifting the blanket off the parcel on the bed. Peering over, you saw the worn brown leather cover of your pressed flower album.

“How did you -” you said, reaching for the album as Sabo handed it to you. You ran your fingers over the familiar embossed cover as the memory of why you got it swept over you. It had been a matching gift with your sister when you joined the Marines. You wanted some piece of her with you and bought two identical albums with your signing bonus. You told her that the two of you could continue the hobby together from afar, as long as you each kept at it. Your hands started shaking again while holding it, something you sincerely hoped Sabo didn’t notice.

“I…I don’t know what to say,” you said in a small voice, looking down at the album lying on your lap. Your worrying about their financial state had been weighing on you heavily and knowing they were taken care of brought a small measure of relief. Your income being sent home meant your mother wouldn’t have to juggle three jobs to try and scrape together enough money for your sister’s medical care and the boy’s schooling. However, you couldn’t quell the unease that continued to twist in your gut at the staggering amount of information Sabo had on you. You thought you’d played your cards close to your chest but Sabo was two steps ahead of you the entire time. Plus if you were receiving money as a revolutionary, didn’t that make you one? You would need to do whatever you had to for them if you wanted to continue sending money to your family.

“You should thank me,” Sabo said, tilting his head with his eyes still boring into you.

“Thank you, Sabo,” you replied while fiddling with the fraying edge of the binder. “Thank you for bringing me my flowers and um, taking care of my family,” you said meekly while you did your best to avoid his stare.

“A proper thank you should include a kiss on the cheek, don’t you think?” Sabo said, his smile growing impossibly wider.

Sabo POV

Sabo wasn’t stupid, he knew that you had been trying to escape from him. But he needed you to see that there was nowhere to go, that there was nothing out there in the world for you without him. He wanted the best for you and your best choice was obviously him. How could you handle the Grand Line alone when your hands would start shaking at the slightest bit of adversity?  The thought was truly laughable; you needed him, even if you were slow to realize it.

He hadn’t wanted to put the cuff on you, especially not by tricking you into it. But what was he supposed to do? You’d disobeyed the few rules that Sabo had set in place, and Sabo loved you enough to hold you to his promises. You needed to see that if you disobeyed him there would be consequences, for the sake of keeping you safe. He knew it had set him back romantically, but keeping his word was more important. You were lucky he loved you so much he’d put aside his own needs and desires to care for you properly. He wasn’t going to keep the cuff on forever anyway. You’d be free eventually, once you came around to his point of view. He decided that when you’d been intrigued enough by the scientific experiments at the RA to want to work for them, he’d give you back your power for that too. 

He’d requested one chaste kiss simply to see what you would do. Sabo had thought you were a rule follower, someone who liked to stay within their limits, but your misadventures with his brother during his absence had shown that maybe you were a little more mischievous than he’d anticipated. You kept fiddling with the album he’d brought back for you while you mulled over his request. He had gone out of his way to retrieve it before burning your old base to the ground, killing anyone who had slighted you. Sabo didn’t think you would appreciate his act of chivalry, so he kept that news to himself. 

“It’s just a kiss on the cheek, it’s not like I asked to marry you,” Sabo said, rolling his eyes with a smirk. You looked like a wild animal caught in a trap with no way out - he could practically hear your heart beating from where he sat. Sabo almost felt bad but he deserved a little sweetness after what you’d done with Ace. Sabo tapped his gloved finger against his cheek in a silent invitation. Leaning over slowly, you brought your face close to his and quickly pecked his cheek as if it was burning hot.

“See? Not so bad, hm?” Sabo laughed lightly while running his knuckles over your cheekbones in return.

“Oh, and I have one more present for you,” he said, watching your eyes widen. Such a suspicious little thing, he thought, keeping his smile from showing on his face. The more time you spent together the less you’d have to worry about him, it would take time. Similar to how you’d grown accustomed to Ace, you’d enjoy Sabo’s company just as much - if not more. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a curled up leather belt. Extending his arm, he handed you the belt buckle first.

“It has an ‘S’ for Sunny. You know, since Ace took his belt back,” he explained as you turned it over in your hand. 

“Thank you, Sabo,” you said meekly before laying it gently on the bed. You leaned forward to give him another kiss on the cheek. This time Sabo turned his face at the last moment so your lips landed on his. He did it quick enough that it could be justified as a mistake, though it most certainly was not. He pushed back the urge to hold you in place and kiss you as deeply as he wanted, just so he could get a taste of the sounds you would make against him. Instead he let you back away quickly, a rosy red already spreading from your ears to your chest.

“You’re welcome, Dove,” Sabo said, outwardly ignoring the flush on your face while his chest was near bursting with the evidence of the effect he had on you. He was a little concerned about the blood supply in your body since it all seemed to be pooling in your face. He hummed a little tune as he promptly left the room, reminding you to gather your things on his way out. 

Your POV

As Sabo left you alone in the room with your face flaming hot, you heard Ace’s knock again. You looked at him, hoping that he wouldn’t tease you for your current state of disarray.

“Hey, can I come in?” Ace asked from the doorway, not entering without your permission.

“Yeah,” you said weakly, looking down at the belt buckle on the bed. It looked exactly like Ace’s except it was blue and had an “S” emblazoned on it.

“Sabo got that for you?” Ace grunted, nodding his head at the belt.

“Yeah, he said the S is for -”

“It’s for Sabo. He probably got jealous when he saw you wearing my belt and had to make his own for you to wear,” Ace said with a grin like Sabo’s possessiveness was all one big joke to him.

“Ace, it’s not funny. Sabo’s kind of…scaring me. I don’t know if -”

“Aw, relax. Sabo’s not gonna hurt you, he loves you. He just gets a little jealous sometimes. I mean, I understand. Everyone would, with a brother as attractive and famous as me,” he said with a grin and a wink. Despite your serious feelings about Sabo’s escalation, a soft laugh came from you. Ace could always make you laugh, no matter the situation, something you appreciated about him. You had a feeling Ace was not going to be receptive to your criticisms of Sabo anyway. Standing up, you walked over to Ace before stopping right in front of him. You were shorter, so you looked up and tried your best to apologize.

“ ‘M sorry I yelled at you,” you said to Ace while shuffling your feet like a child. Ace didn’t respond immediately and pulled you into a bear hug, your face close to his smelly armpit. Even so, you didn’t pull away. You were going to miss Ace a lot, he’d become a close friend. Well, one of your only friends.

“S’ok, I realized I said the wrong thing. I usually do. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Ace replied, still holding you in a hug.

“I know. I’m gonna miss you,” you said forlornly before breaking away from his hug. You weren’t looking forward to the sea voyage and especially not without Ace there as a buffer between you and Sabo. 

“It’s not gonna be right away, we’re sailing in the same direction for a few weeks, and we’ll see each other on the RA ship. Sabo told me Luf is on his way to Wano and there’s trouble brewing. I’m gonna go help out, see if I can’t find some of my old crew. I owe a….friend a visit there anyway,” Ace said with a slight flush coating his cheeks. 

“Friends hmm? Like we’re friends?” you asked teasingly. Ace blushed harder, giving you the answer you were looking for. 

“Uh, no. Not like our friendship. He’s uh..special friend. Really more like a boyfriend,” Ace muttered, moving the strings of his hat around nervously.

“I hope to meet him one day, I’m sure he’s wonderful,” you said brightly.

“He is. He’s Kaido’s son but he’s incredible!” Ace said with a smile so wide it closed his eyes. Somehow you weren’t surprised Ace would know someone like that, much less date them.

“I can’t believe Sabo gave you the key to my room,” you said, changing the subject.

“Oh, he didn’t. I stole it from him. ‘S easy, I’m a better pickpocket than he is,” Ace said proudly. 

“Are not. I let you take it,” Sabo balked, leaning on the doorframe with a crate in his arms. “C’mon, the ship’s nearly here. We need to pack up your things, whatever you want to take. I’m not sure if or when we’ll be back here. Kinda sad, I’m gonna miss Ace’s depression island,” Sabo teased, placing the crate on the floor.

“Hey, it was our depression island,” he said, gesturing to you. Sabo rolled his good eye at Ace’s dumb joke but watched your expression.

“Sunny, please get moving. I can’t imagine you have all that much here but please go through my things and bring what you want,” Sabo encouraged you. You nodded and started going through the closet, folding up the clothes you’d been wearing over the past few weeks. Going to the chest with the warmer clothes, you opened the trunk to grab some of the thicker sweaters. Sabo’s expression soured but he didn’t say anything as you packed sweaters and long sleeved shirts, familiar with the changing seasons on the Grand Line. It didn’t take you long to pack up the meager belongings you’d been using. You placed the album gently in the middle of your clothes, making sure it was protected by the soft fabrics. Sabo’s eyes flashed as you pushed the belt through the loops of his pants that you were wearing, tightening the buckle so it sat snugly on your abdomen. It was a perfect fit. 

Sabo looked over the room to ensure you hadn’t left anything you would want in the future as Ace grabbed his pillow and the quilt off the bed. 

“I thought you don’t get cold?” you asked, confused. Since Ace had been sharing a bed with you, the thin quilt had been more than enough to keep you warm since being near Ace was like laying on a hot rock in the middle of summer.

“I don’t, but Bepo made this for me. It has sentimental value,” Ace said, stuffing the blanket in the box. You took it out and folded it nicely, placing it on top of your album.

“I guess I forgot you’d know Bepo too. He made this? He’s such a multi-talented mink, I’d love to pick his brain one day. Did you also get to meet Penguin and Shachi?” you asked excitedly. 

“Yeah, they were super helpful during my recovery. Nice guys, if they weren’t Law’s crew I would invite them to Whi - I mean, my own,” Ace said, running his fingers over the quilt.

“How do you know Law and his crew? Did you meet them at Warlord meetings?” Sabo asked a bit too quickly, holding his metal pipe in both hands.

“No, I’ve never met him. Law often dedicates his scientific articles to his brothers. And everyone knows about Bepo. He’s the cutest pirate on the seas,” you mused aloud.

“Not me?!” Ace said with a pout. You booped his nose and smiled at him.

“No, not you. Bepo,” you said to tease him a little further. You heard the ruffle of Sabo’s coat whipping around as he left the room in a rush, his unusually loud footsteps echoing down the stairs as a whiff of acrid smoke hit your nose. Ace gave you a knowing look and took off after his brother, laughing as he bounded down the stairs.

Sabo’s POV

Sabo was gripping the wood railing of the porch so tight it was cracking under his palms. Sabo was annoyed with himself; he needed to get his emotions under control. He knew your interactions with Ace were purely platonic and they didn’t mean anything. But he’d realized now you and Ace had been sharing a bed and had grown closer than he’d previously thought. The man in question came sauntering out onto the porch before sitting on the already abused railing. 

“Don’t say it,” Sabo said preemptively, cutting off Ace from whatever bullshit he was about to spout.

“You’re pouting,” Ace said cheerfully. 

“Am not,” Sabo said, defending himself immediately.

“Yes, you are. You’re gonna scare her away if you don’t control your jealousy,” Ace said in a singsong voice, dangling his feet from his perch. Sabo knew Ace was right but he didn’t want to hear it right now. 

“I’m not taking advice from you, you never even told Yamato how you feel about him,” Sabo snapped at Ace. Ace pouted and looked away, making Sabo feel guilty. Being mean to Ace was like kicking a puppy, a dumb puppy. 

“You’ve got a second chance at life, you can tell him now. Go to Wano, meet up with Lu, Marco, Izo, whoever you want to. Help Luffy, he’s already an Emperor -” 

“I know, I know. I just wish…I wish Pops was here. He’d know what to do, he’d -” Ace said wistfully. Sabo moved closer to his brother and put his hand on Ace’s shoulder. 

“Ace, you know what to do. Don’t let his death be in vain. Go and -,” Sabo started softly, patting Ace’s back. The tender moment was interrupted by a timid knock on the open door. 

“Don’t blow it this time. Just be calm,” Ace leaned over to whisper into Sabo’s good ear. Sabo pushed Ace away. By the face. 

“I, um, finished packing. I put all the amoebas into a bottle if that’s OK,” you said in a meek voice while holding a glass bottle filled with water. Ace gasped aloud at your proclamation.

“All of them? In one bottle? Is that safe? What if something happens to them? Will they fight each other? Eat each other?” Ace said with complete sincerity. You raised your hand and shook your wrist, the bangle moving up and down.

“I can’t really tell right now,” you replied forlornly before handing the bottle to Ace for his inspection.

“I’m sure they’re going to be OK. Ace is going to go grab the crate and we’ll head out,” Sabo stated, pushing Ace back towards the house. Hopefully, he got the hint that Sabo wanted to talk to you, but with Ace it was hard to tell. 

“I have something to ask you,” Sabo began. You shifted on your feet and started rubbing your fingers against each other in an effort to self soothe. Sabo had noticed your hands had started shaking again during your earlier conversation though he hadn’t said anything.

“Would you like to take medicine to make you sleep through the first three days of the journey? This trip is longer than the last and we’re going to be sailing through notoriously rough waters. We’re equipped this time with more medical supplies for you, but I thought I would offer you the choice. The medicine will make you sleep but not unrousable in case of an emergency,” Sabo explained while you chewed your lip. You hadn’t agreed yet and were eyeing him suspiciously, but this was truly for your benefit. 

“You can think about it, but we’re sailing within the hour. I’d like to give it to you before we leave, that way you can just sleep through the worst of the sailing. I’ll have to keep giving it to you every 12 hours and you can decide to use it or not at each juncture,” Sabo said, reaching for your hands and holding them within his own. He had been correct, they were shaking. Running his fingers over the tops of your hands, he continued to try to assuage your fears.

“Nothing’s going to happen to you. Ace will be with us for meals, of course, I’ll be there, and we’ll check on you. I don’t want you to have to go through sea sickness like you did before, on Striker and the first time we sailed together,” Sabo said before bringing your hand to his mouth to press a gentle kiss to your knuckles.

Your POV

Studying Sabo’s face gave you none of the answers you were looking for. His idea had appeal, you really didn’t want to be seasick again especially since you had just recovered from being on Striker. Being conscious or not didn’t change your situation since you were just as vulnerable awake as you were asleep. You’d been unconscious around Sabo many times and he’d never done anything untoward to you - that you could remember. Even with Sabo pushing your boundaries, all he’d asked for was a kiss on the cheek. Taking a gamble, you made up your mind to just sleep through the first few days on the ship.

“Alright, I’ll take the medicine,” you said, not pulling away when Sabo continued stroking your hands.

“Excellent,” Sabo replied, his genuine smile showing on his face once more. Of course he was happy, you thought, you were agreeable to one of his plans. Reaching into his inner coat pocket, Sabo pulled out a capped syringe as Ace passed through the door, carrying the crate down the path to the waiting ship. The syringe was clearly from a Marine base, the familiar symbol emblazoned on the side. You idly wondered how Sabo came into possession of Marine narcotics but decided it wasn’t a question worth asking. You weren’t sure you wanted to know anyway.

“Why don’t you sit down on the couch inside? It takes a few minutes to work but not that long,” Sabo suggested, not waiting for your answer while herding you inside. Perching on the couch, Sabo flicked off the cap of the syringe with a practiced movement. “Ready? Small pinch,” Sabo said, grabbing your right arm. You felt a prick as the needle went into the muscle of your tricep and a small rush of cold liquid entered your arm. Sitting there for a moment, you didn’t feel any different than before as Sabo went to throw away the syringe.

“ ‘M not sure it’s working….” you said, already closing your eyes. Sabo chuckled as you lay down and curled up on the couch, ready for the journey to be over already.

~

You came to consciousness in bursts, confusion overtaking your mind as you tried to sort through the haze of the past three days. You found yourself back in Sabo’s bed, wrapped up in his blankets as the ship sliced through the waters. Bile was rising in your throat, though not as quickly as you’d experienced before, you probably had about ten minutes before you’d be throwing up. Thinking back, you tried to remember anything from the previous few days and could come up with only hazy memories. 

You remembered being woken to drink water and juice, throwing up a few times as Sabo held back your hair, Ace coming into the bed with you for a nap. You remembered violent dreams of being rocked back and forth, probably as the ship teetered through the rough seas. You remembered Sabo asking you if you wanted more medicine, already feeling the prick of the needle in your arm before you could fully verbalize that you did. You remembered dozing off while sitting on Sabo’s lap, your face nestled in his neck, his arms around you as he wrote letters. You recalled Sabo curled around your body in the bed, warming you as you fell deeper into sleep beside him. You remembered Sabo kissing your cheek and forehead, running his hands up and down your back to soothe you. 

Carding through your memories, you sat up for what felt like the first time in ages, stretching your sore muscles. Sabo’s idea really had been a good one. 

“Hi,” you said, your voice rough after not using it for so long.

“Hi yourself. Feeling better?” Sabo replied, coming to sit next to you on the bed. You nodded while peering out the window at the night sky. You didn’t know what time it was or even what day it was.

“Are you hungry? Dinner’s just being served. I can get you some and bring it here. I’m not going to give you any more injections but the last one isn’t completely worn off yet. You’ll probably fall back asleep soon.” Sabo offered while fluffing your pillows. 

“Can I get something to drink -” you started asking as Sabo handed you a cup off the nightstand. You drank greedily, gulping down the water until there was none left. Nothing had ever tasted as good as the clear cool water you were enjoying now. 

“Where’s Ace? I thought he joined the ship for meals?”

“He took a detour, he’ll catch up with us in a few days. There’s a small island nearby that he wanted to stop at for supplies. Probably for more food, too,” Sabo replied, rolling his eyes. 

Sabo POV

All good things come to an end, he supposed. Sabo had loved having you as a docile little pet for a few days. All of your hesitation, fear, and worry was gone under the medication, leaving you relaxed and calm. He loved taking care of you and helping you in your time of need as you fought through your seasickness. Sabo had been able to move you about as he pleased like a doll, your chest rising and falling evenly as you slept through the turbulent waters. He did miss your conversation and personality but having you so close was delightful in its own way. He didn’t do anything too devious, he’d kept his word to you. Only a few forehead and cheek kisses. And one kiss on your neck, but that was basically an accident as he’d been spooning with you and you’d turned in your sleep. He’d spent so long daydreaming about you when he was away, it was only fair to hold you close now that you were reunited. The trip was about a week longer - he had plenty of time to break down your walls before introducing you to the rest of the RA.

Sakazuki POV

Admiral Sakazuki was on his fifth cigar of the morning. He couldn’t stop himself, it was the only thing keeping him from burying his desk in a field of lava. His rage was so potent, so strong, that he feared he would irreparably harm his beloved bonsai plant if he stopped smoking. Sitting at his desk, he held the fourth copy of the photo he’d received from Shadow Island. The first three he’d burned, much like the man they depicted. Fire Fist Ace had been spotted buying meat kebabs from a street vendor, the scar Sakazuki had given him prominently displayed on his chest like a shield. His source had also revealed Ace had his Logia powers since he was able to fire up that damnable little boat and sail away from the island.

First your kidnapping, then Bayonette being burned to the ground, then Fire Fist Ace being alive and well. Sakazuki knew they were all connected, everything tying back to the ASL Brothers. If he could have killed all three of them at Marineford, he would have. He certainly tried and thought he succeeded with at least one. But just like his father, luck always seemed to be on the side of Portgas D. Ace. Burning quickly through the cigar, Sakazuki flicked the ash onto the smiling man in the photo, decimating the image once again. 

He wasn’t sure how Flame Emperor Sabo and Fire Fist Ace both had the Flame Flame fruit, but his intuition told him it had something to do with you. Your disappearance was no mistake, the RA must have found out about your research and seized you at the right opportunity. He needed you back, especially if you were able to replicate Logia fruit, something not even Vegapunk had been able to do thus far. Maybe he could have a Seraph of his own, another lava fruit able to be commanded at his word. Either way, you needed to be brought back to the Marines and away from the Revolutionary Army. 

Rising from his chair, Sakazuki picked up his snail and barked an order.

“Prepare my ship for immediate departure.”

Taglist: @mfreedomstuffm @epochal-oracle

[sabo-torao]

dumb thing i made while trying to fight artblock

[buff-muffin]

Modern AU ASL thought

Growing up all three of the ASL brothers struggled making friends as kids. Ace was hot headed and violent scaring kids his age off because he was known for playing too rough or straight up fighting kids far older then himself. Sabo was a bully and a snob. He never tried getting along with other kids and would frankly look you in the eye and tell you to die. He would make you’re life miserable if he wanted and never respected anyone. But Luffy. Luffy was just the off putting. Kids found him strange. Too loud, too clingy, too pushy, too brash, too annoying.

And while, as Ace and Sabo got older and mellowed out learned to get along with their peers at least on surface level. Luffy… couldn’t. People liked him sure but besides from his brothers he was alone. And they felt awful when they had to graduate and leave him alone. They would call every night they could would talk and play online with luffy for hours but it didn’t help much.

So when Ace came down to visit just for a little while. Sabo being too swamped by the multiple classes he was taking. Ace couldn’t help the swell of pride he felt seeing the FRIENDS luffy had made. All of them, no matter how tired or annoyed they would look sometimes would always talk about how luffy was really no bother. And Ace could relax knowing his little brother had found his PEOPLE that he also somehow FAILED TO MENTION ON ALL THEIR CALLS FOR MONTHS.

Sabo was not please and demanded to hear about them when they finally called again. Luffy just insisted he had to meet them instead.

[pippin-pippout]

Bruh Ace’s questions before deciding whether to accept Luffy were not…

“Is it easy for you when I’m around?”

“Is it hard when I’m not?”

“Do you want me to live?”

Of course they immediately screamed at each other after, but I love it.

[xamaxenta]

Another unhinged thought

Marco and Sabo are roommates and Sabo keeps bringing home guys when Marco’s in and fucks them stupid

Also the walls are thin so Marco hears everything

He has asked Sabo if he could fuck his flings when he’s out bc hes only really home to sleep and its really really distracting

Sabo says he will but never adheres to the promise which is getting vaguely annoying so Marco goes out and picks up his own fling for the night

His names Ace and he’s a real cutie, super sweet with the prettiest eyes and the nicest tits—

They smash and when Ace emerges to go shower they bump into Sabo whos like whoa, i thought I recognised that voice goddamn Marco rocked your world huh

And Marco looks between them all like wait a moment what and Ace grins like i thought you were gonna ask how i was so familiar with your place dude

Marcos at a loss for words like im sorry what

Sabo kisses Ace like great to see you again you up for round two after you clean up orrrrr cuz yknow im not against sloppy seconds winkwink, who’s bigger?

Ace licks Sabo’s nose like you dipshit but before you get full of yourself Marco has the better technique

Marco shoots Sabo a smug sort of smile and Sabo rolls his eyes

Anyway they all have round two in the shower together its a little squashed but they make it work yeehaw

[allthatmay]

I think that Sabo will try to steal Ace from Shanks but somehow Shanks will offer to share him 😅 I love so much your fic!! Hope you are doing great!

Hahaha, as much as I love Sabo/Ace, that kind of scenario will unfortunately have to be left to another fic! TCoH is basically my way of establishing my own Shanks/Ace canon so I can go off and write ridiculous little fics of them.

And thanks so much for your consideration! 😊 I have a (few) health conditions that sometimes stall or slow down everything in my life, and writing is unfortunately the first thing to take a hit. (And it's my favourite hobby so ASDFGHJKL the universe is cruel!)

Much love! I hope you're doing well too! ♡

[hauntingblue]

I loved this movie about nami and her ex situationship reconciling and also anti capitalism

[innerfare]

You’re Jealous

 Summary: You get jealous of someone else in his life.

Characters: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Ace, Sabo, Law, and Kid

Genre: Slight Angst // Fluff

CW: None // SFW

——— 

Luffy:

He never told you Boa Hancock was in love with him, and when you find out, you have to remove yourself from the situation before you have an emotional outburst and start something with the Pirate Empress. The problem is, you don’t even know which emotion will spill out of you. Finding out the world’s most beautiful woman, and a powerful Warlord, no less, is desperate to marry Luffy is a whirlwind, to say the least. Luffy can seem clueless at times, but his emotional intelligence is through the roof, and he picks up on what has you upset almost straight away. He knows to give you some space, and when he senses you’re ready, he approaches you with a handful of wildflowers he picked. He doesn’t really say much, just pulls you into a hug, presses a few kisses into your cheek and temple, and says in your ear, “you’re my girl.” 

Zoro:

He didn’t mention Perona was also at Mihawk’s castle for those two years until a few months after the crew gets together. He tells a story that features her, and you realize there was a woman keeping him company. Your heart drops into your stomach. Zoro insists he didn’t mention her because he didn’t think she was relevant; the only thing Perona did those two years was annoy him. He’s actually the one who won’t let it go, not you (even though you are pretty jealous). Whereas you’d prefer not to talk about it, Zoro is wracked with guilt because he’d never considered the whole thing in a relationship context. Him fretting constantly over it actually heals your jealousy because you realize you’ve never seen him panic over the prospect of hurting anyone else’s feelings. 

Sanji:

Even with a third eye, Pudding is stunning. And Sanji almost married her. It was before you two were together, but listening to the stories from Whole Cake, hearing how close he came to marrying another woman, knowing she really did fall in love with his kind heart and wonderful cooking, turns you into a little green monster. You know you shouldn’t feel jealous of a woman you’ve never met before, a woman Sanji chose not to marry, but you can’t help it. Sanji is completely shocked that you would feel jealous over his relationship (if it could even be called that) with Pudding, though after thinking about it some more, he does realize why you might be jealous that he had a fiancé. His solution is to bring you a bouquet of roses and walk you through the dark details of his life, telling you things he’s never outright told anyone, so you understand the special place you have in his life. 

Ace:

He collects people without trying, and often times, without realizing, either. Ace thinks he’s just making friends, but you see the way the women he laughs and shares drinks with are drawn to him like plants to the sun. He promises them freedom and adventure (and he has a very nice laugh), and you can see how it excites them. You don’t really mind it, knowing Ace well enough to see the way he holds those women at arm’s length, even if he seems close with them (such is the magic of Fire First Ace). But Yamato makes you jealous. It’s not hearing the way they laughed together but hearing the way they fought that gets to you. You know how Ace lives to fight and even just roughhouse, you know how he’s a rough and tumble guy, and you worry you’re not tough enough. Should you be punching his arm when he makes a joke? Should you be trying to trip him out on deck? What should you be doing? When you finally come clean with Ace about what’s been bothering you, he actually laughs. “If I wanted to be with someone who gives me hell, I’d be sleeping in Marco’s cabin every night. Besides,” he says, scooping you up in his arms, “I like being able to manhandle you.” 

Sabo:

Sabo is a flirt, and you knew that going into your relationship. It actually doesn’t bother you when he flashes that charming smile of his at someone else or swoops in to save a damsel in distress (a speciality of his) and even serves to entertain, especially on the rare occasions his flirtations are rebuked. What does bother you, though, is his tight relationship with Koala. You know it’s ridiculous to be envious, you know Koala would sooner saw off her arm than kiss the man she considers her irksome big brother, but they’ve known each other since they were little kids, and Koala has been through so much with Sabo that the pair have such a close bond. It’s not the angry kind of jealousy that bubbles up in you when Koala mentions something about Sabo’s past that she assumes you know but you don’t, just the sad kind that you try to keep to yourself. Surprisingly, Sabo notices, though you don’t realize until he hugs you from behind and mumbles in your ear that he’s glad you’re the only one who knows he has a skincare routine, his silly words diffusing your mood and acting as the exact affirmation you needed. If it’s not enough, though, he’ll happily prove his loyalty to you by challenging Koala to a karate match, though.  

Law:

Dr. Law and Dr. Robin sure do get along well- so well, in fact, you can’t help but wonder if they are better suited to each other than you and him. Even if they didn’t have such good chemistry, it would be impossible not to feel a touch of jealousy toward the archeologist. She’s intelligent, beautiful, fiercely loyal, a member of the Straw Hats, and has an impressive bounty that she earned even before she became a pirate. Needless to say, you find yourself brooding when the Robin brings him a beer and sits down beside him to discuss the immune systems of fishmen, a topic both are rather interested in. Of course, you’re interested in that, too, thus the reason Law realizes something is wrong when you don’t participate in the conversation. He ends up excusing the two of you and taking you to bed, worrying you had too much to drink, the thought you may be jealous never once occurring to him. You end up not saying anything (many thing in your relationship with Law being unspoken) and just sleeping it off, the fact that he excused the two of you proof enough of his loyalty. 

Kid:

He doesn’t ever talk about his first love, Victoria. In fact, you didn’t even know she existed until Killer got drunk one night and began speaking of his dearly departed. What he didn’t mention was that Kid, too, had been in love with her. It only comes up the next night when you mention it to Wire, who mentions it was the death of his first love, Victoria, that put Kid on the war path and united the first four members of the Kid Pirates. Realizing Wire messed up, Heat chimes in to say, “he’d do the same for you.” But you’re not convinced, mainly because Kid never told you any of this. It tears you apart, leaves you tossing and turning for nights on end, until you finally burst into Kid’s workshop one night ranting about how he doesn’t trust you and holds you at arm’s length. “Heat says you’d do the same for me, but-” Kid cuts you off and says, “I wouldn’t do the same, I’d do worse. Much, much worse.” And from the wicked gleam in his eye, you’re inclined to believe him. 

———

Hope you enjoyed it! If you want more, you can check out my masterlist here!

[hi-jk-lmfao]

Especially since she’s from Foolshout Island which is in Paradise, so I like to head canon she’s grew up in a tropical/warm climate and isn’t used to the cold so she’s always clinging onto Sabo whenever they go to winter islands

I like to think that Koala’s body runs a bit on the cooler side, since she is associated with water thanks to her Fish Man Karate, and that she doesn’t always handle the cold too well. So whenever it is cold, she is just. Attached to Sabo’s body. Straight up hanging onto him like an actual Koala.

This is especially true after he eats the Mera-Mera, and his body heat is increased significantly.

[clare-875]

Hi, I was wondering if you could do a One Piece Boys (Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Ace, Sabo, Law, Kid, and Katakuri) x female reader, where it's them being jealous like it could either be Reader gushing about a fictional character from a book, movie, etc. or they fangirl over a person they idol/admire or they see Reader talking to someone or Someone's flirting with Reader, etc.?

Emerald Eyes (Luffy, Sanji, Zoro, Ace)

Pairings: Luffy x Reader; Sanji x Reader; Zoro x Reader; Ace x Reader Summary: How he acts when he is jealous Warnings: Some Angst, Fluff A/N: I've split this into two parts :) [One Piece Masterlist] [Part 2: Sabo, Law, Kid, Katakuri] _____

- Luffy -

Luffy doesn't know why all of a sudden a funny feeling has invaded his senses, but he knows that the cause is you. Specifically, you talking to one Trafalgar D Water Law.

Luffy knows that you are interested in devil fruits and once you had learnt of Law's unique powers, you had jumped at the opportunity for him to show you. Luffy adored that about you; your eagerness and curiosity often matched his own. However, it had been about an hour now and you were still talking to him.

He can hear your rapid words and can see the enthusiasm in your grin, and though usually oblivious to such things, he would be a fool not to see Law's gentle gaze as he looked at you; so uncharacteristic of him. You were often considered the scientist of the crew providing insight and often helping Chopper with his remedies, so Law found it easy to talk to someone like you.

Intelligent, honest and purposeful.

"You know [y/n]-ya, if you were ever considering joining another crew-"

You barely have any time to register Law's words when an arm wraps itself around you and suddenly you're flying through the air. "Wait, Luffy-" But you are flung into his arms before you can even take a breath. You find yourself in Luffy's warm chest a small distance away from Law and turn to see your boyfriend glaring at him.

"Hey Tra-guy, I'm her Captain, stop trying to steal her away!"

You watch as Law's eyebrows twitch in annoyance, but before he can retaliate, he is dragged away by his own crew members who have been waiting for him to finish his conversation with you. Luffy grins and sticks a tongue out to him, satisfied that your attention is on him once more.

His arms loosen and you roll your eyes in mock annoyance, barely containing a grin as you look at your Captain. "We were just talking you know? I would never leave you for him."

Your Captain seems to find some satisfaction in your words as his eyes go gentle as he looks at you, and a warm smile erupts on his face. "I know, but you were taking too long. Come on, let's ask Sanji for some food!"

He drags you with him and keeps you close to him for the rest of the day. Unsure of what his feelings earlier may have meant, but sure in knowing he wanted you by his side and not Law's.

- Sanji -

You were wandering down the streets of an island holding Sanji's arm as he looked fondly at you. You were talking to him about something, eyes shining as they did when you spoke of the things you liked. He can see your lips move but he hears nothing because he is just lost in your gaze.

'God, you were just so perfect and beautiful and smart and powerful and you were just looking at him with the uttermost care and love and devotion and-'

Sanji's thoughts are all on you, all on you and your flawless image pretty eyes and unspeakable love. He barely even notices the abundance of women who pass him now, not when he could be looking at you instead. But suddenly, he is wretched free of his thoughts when he registers you calling him name.

"-Sanji, Sanji!"

You let out a sigh when you finally see him shake out of his thoughts and he feels a flush reach his face as he had been caught in his absentmindedness. "Y-Yes, love?" He asks, stammering out his words, but they only cause a warm grin to enlighten on your face. You let out a light laugh that has his heart hammering.

"I was just asking if you wanted some too?"

He turns and realises you are at a food stall in the markets the two of you had wandered into. "I'm okay love, but don't worry about the payment, it's-"

"It's on me."

Sanji looks up as he registers the words of the man in the stall he had not noticed before. He holds out the dish you had ordered, smiling widely to you. You, on the other hand, look up surprised as you take the dish from him and look unsurely between your boyfriend and him. "Oh, thank you!"

"Can't have a pretty lady like yourself paying can we?"

The man smiles once more, pearly white teeth beneath his well-kept hair. He was young and handsome and seemed to know it as he looked at you suggestively. You force yourself from grimacing, but Sanji has little patience.

He was already a jealous person to begin with, especially when it came to you. And though he tries to be better, he has to hold himself back from kicking the man from his stall and giving him a piece of his mind.

"If you want, I could show you around love, you might be better off with a local instead of-"

You cut the man off as you see the fire ignite in Sanji's eyes, hands clenching and unclenching in a failed attempt to keep his emotions at bay. "Why you-" "I'm okay thanks. I'm having a lovely time with my boyfriend and would rather keep things that way."

You glare at the man in front of you and take Sanji's hand in yours, they instantly lose their tension when he feels your gentle touch. When you are finally a short distance away, Sanji finds himself at ease once more. "You okay, love?" You ask him, lightly squeezing his hand in yours.

Sanji can't begin to explain the amount of pride he has in calling you his. "More than okay, love." He whispers placing a kiss on your intertwined hands. He tries his best to stay more alert the rest of the day, but ultimately fails once more as he gets lost in your gaze and the presence of you.

- Zoro-

"What's that?"

You were lying on your bed carefree when Zoro’s sharp words invade your ears and you startle, not having heard him approach. You put a hand to your heart exaggeratively.

"God Zoro, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"You didn't answer my question."

His words are sharp as they are blunt, as he looks down to you and the manga in your hands. He had watched as you giggled and smiled and kicked your feet at the pages in your hands, clearly pleased. But imagine the swordsman’s displeasure when he learns that your happiness had come from a particular man engrained on the paper.

“It’s the latest Jujutsu Kaisen manga?”

“I know that, but who’s the white haired grandpa you keep giggling at woman?”

You gasp as though you had heard the most offensive thing in your life, looking up and glaring at your boyfriend with mock hurt.

“How dare you Roronoa Zoro, that is the Gojo Satoru and you will show some damn respect.”

Zoro would have adored the pout on your lips had you not been defending the man in your hands at that moment. More specifically, it made him feel weirdly horrible having competition with a man who wasn’t even real. A man he can’t even fight for you.

“He can’t be all that. Look you can’t even see his damn eyes.”

“Yes Zoro, but you see it’s for good reason because underneath is the most breathtakingly beautiful blue eyes, and omg Zoro look at him fighting in this scene it’s no wonder he’s the strongest, oh and-“

You are about to continue your gushing but unfortunately for you, your boyfriend watching you blush and ramble about another (nonexistent) man has him moving before he helps himself. One hand goes to his sword and all of a sudden instead of the manga you just had in your hands, pieces of paper scatter under Zoro’s careful slices.

“Zoro! I wasn’t finished reading that!”

Your pout adorns your features deeper and you find yourself genuinely frustrated by your boyfriend’s actions. Zoro feels bad for just a moment before realising that finally, your eyes were on him and not another man on paper.

He moves, gently prying your reluctant form into his embrace as he pulls you next to him on the bed. His lips latch onto your neck as he mumbles words into your skin.

"You don’t need the strongest when you’ve got the world's strongest swordsman right here next to you.”

You roll your eyes but a smile soon adorned your face at your unusually petty boyfriend.

“He’s not even real you know?”

You mutter rolling your eyes but your boyfriend merely hums before letting his slumber take over.

“Shut up about him now woman, I want to sleep.”

- Ace -

When Ace finds you, you are asleep on a bed, with a serene look on your face. The sight of you at peace, has Ace adorning a loving smile on his face as he gently slides in next to you. His warm arms pry you from your side so you are now facing him, but just before he pulls you into his body, he finds something buried in your arms.

Ace freezes for a moment, confused, but then you stir just in time for you to answer some of his questions. "Baby?" You mumble, looking up and surprised to see that your boyfriend has now joined you in bed. He must have returned from the mission he had set off for early this morning.

"Love?" Ace mutters as you slowly start to wake and you happily look up at him. "What's that?"

You look down into your arms, forgetting that in Ace's absence, you had decided to sleep with one of the plushies you usually had by your bedside table.

"Oh," you flush lightly, but smile nonetheless showing Ace what had been bundled in your arms in his place. "It's a plush?" Ace nods hesitantly but as he looks closer he notices just who that plush is supposed to resemble.

"Is that the fire guy from that show you're always watching? What was it, Demon Slayer?" You let out a light laugh but nod. "Yeah, it reminds me of you, you basically have the same powers."

Ace now looks to the plush of Rengoku Kyojuro in your embrace and suddenly feels the urge to light him aflame so it is reduced to ashes. "Why do you have that anyway?" He asks tentatively, trying to play off his jealousy of such a stupid situation, but of course, you notice.

"Because I like him?" You say with a teasing smile on your face. "More than me?" Ace pouts and you laugh once more lightly caressing his raven locks and putting the plush to your bedside with the others once more. He fights a smile when he sees its absence in your arms. "Of course not baby. Are you seriously jealous of a plush?"

Ace flushes a deep red as he avoids your gaze and to fight off the embarrassment, suddenly pulls you into his embrace. You squeal lightly as he tugs you in so suddenly and he buries his face into the skin of your neck. "No..." He mumbles. You grin at his words but suddenly tiredness is pulling you back in and you relish the warmth that he emits in the cool afternoon.

"I love you Portgas D. Ace, you're better than him anyways." You can feel his smile grow on your skin as he finally looks up and places a gentle kiss on your lips. "You mean that?" You roll your eyes as he looks at you, showing a mock look of desperation but secretly knowing he just wants the confirmation.

"Of course I do. Now shush, m'tired."

[grandline-fics]

Terms of Endearment

DESCRIPTION:  You call them by a term of endearment without realising 

WARNINGS: just fluff, mentions of alcohol in Luffy's

CHARACTERS: Ace, Sabo, Luffy | Law, Kid, Shanks, Marco, Zoro

WORDS: 1,933

A/N: The next part in this in honour of reaching 500 followers. Hope you all enjoy

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

MASTERLIST | PROMPT LIST

———————

ACE

You knew nothing would ever happen between you and the Division Commander. You knew he was just a likeable guy who was friendly and warm with everyone. Countless times you told yourself that he was just nice with everyone and yet still you couldn’t help but feel your heart beat just a little faster when he smiled at you and you couldn’t stop yourself from liking him a little more each time he spoke with you and spent time with you outside of chores and tasks being done onboard the ship. It didn’t matter though, even with the knowledge nothing romantic would happen you were happy to be considered a close friend of Ace’s.

One morning you were perched on the edge of the ship’s railing and keeping a critical eye on the thick wall of cloud draped over the entirety of the sky above the next island you were approaching. It made a stark difference to the clear blue you and the rest of the crew were currently under. You were no stranger to the absurdity of the ever changing weather and separate climates certain islands had but seeing what you were going to be greeted with was starting to sour your mood. It wasn’t as fun stopping at an island if there was a storm to endure.

“Glaring at the clouds won’t make them change you know.” You looked over your shoulder to see Ace hop up onto the railing and sit down beside you. Glancing out of the corner of your eye you were jealous of how relaxed he was and let out a long sigh as you returned your stare to the clouds you could now see were darker than you had originally thought. 

“Who knows, stranger things have happened on these seas.” You mused, scowling harder now that the idea was in your head. “Maybe I have the ability to control weather and neither of us knew it? Don’t know unless I try.”

From beside you Ace laughed, reclining back to support his body on his elbows and grinned up at you. 

“If that were possible, that’d be a pretty dumb gift. Glaring at clouds to make them obey you? You’d get a headache all day.” You rolled your eyes and laughed, getting more comfortable too, lying down and tucking your arms behind your head. 

“Look we can’t all be super amazing and control fire like some people, Ace.” You teased, a small yawn breaking from your lips as your eyes closed. You were still a ways away from the stormy island so you may as well make the most of the sunshine and warmth until then. “Some of us are just boring.”

“I definitely wouldn’t call you boring.” Ace told you. Safely in the knowledge that you couldn’t see him, he could observe you carefully with softened gaze. “You’re one of my favourite people to hang out with.” 

“Aw thank you love, you always know just what to say.” Your relaxed smile brightened considerably but you were too drowsy to open your eyes again to look at the man beside you. It was also why you hadn’t realised your slip of the tongue. Ace however tensed and sat up a little straighter from his once relaxed position. His eyes were widened and a soft pink was dusting his freckled skin. All this time he’d thought his feelings were one-sided and now he was hit with the reality that it might not be the case. Overcome with a burst of excitement and hope he quickly lay back down and used his hat to hide his giddy expression and began to think about how to subtly broach the subject when you were awake.

SABO

“You’re not going to improve if you don’t keep your focus.” Hack lectured, swiftly knocking Sabo back with ease. Sabo managed to recover from the attack and retaliated with one of his own that was completely dodged to the point it made the attack look so pitiful. Hack paused in the sparring match to frown at the younger Revolutionary. “Seriously, what’s with you today? Do you need to take a break?” Quickly Sabo shook his head and forced himself to keep his attention on Hack but even then he couldn’t help but feel your presence silently calling to him. 

You were oblivious to the power you had over the Chief of Staff, even from the very first day you joined the Revolutionary Army you’d somehow managed to make Sabo immediately endeared to you. Given Sabo’s personality he was able to pass off his momentary slips and lack of concentration when you were around and for the most part others hadn’t made the connection. Most being the word. People like Hack, Koala, and Dragon however knew. Normally Hack wouldn’t mind and ignore it but this was the third time in the short amount of time of the sparring match that he’d seen Sabo zone out and look your way as you were speaking with Dragon about a recent mission you’d been on. Enough was enough. After knocking Sabo onto his back, Hack turned and called you over. You finished your conversation with Dragon and approached the sparring pair with a soft, expectant smile while Sabo got to his feet. “I want you to spar Sabo with me. Perhaps having two opponents will help sharpen his dulled senses.” 

You became concerned to hear Hack’s less than complimentary tone at the blond and you looked to Sabo with a light frown, scrutinising his features carefully. Could it be he was sick? Was something else be bothering him? It wasn't like the Chief of Staff to be so distracted especially when it came to his training. At the suggestion of you fighting along with Hack, Sabo’s expression became a mix of uncertainty and irritation. He didn’t want to spar against you but he couldn’t outright deny Hack requesting you join them given he had no real reason to oppose it. Sabo could only take a breath and adjust his stance while praying he didn’t make an embarrassment of himself.

At first having you as part of the fight helped Sabo when it came to focusing on the fight, by having two skilled fighters attacking he didn’t have the ability to pay attention to his personal feelings. However when he kept his sight on Hack as the priority he’d slipped up and forgotten you. You took the window of opportunity and ducked under Sabo’s arm, your face less than inch from his. Quickly you hooked her arm around his and tucked your foot around his ankle, twisting and knocking him to the ground. You kept a firm hold on Sabo’s wrist and pressed your knee into his back. “Give up sweetie?” you asked innocently, unable to see Sabo’s eyes widen. Before he could respond you were abruptly called for by another Revolutionary to go out on a mission. Pouting you released Sabo and left him and Hack. 

“Please tell me I didn’t imagine that…” Sabo uttered, almost begging Hack. He looked up to see the Fishman grin at him and help him to his feet. 

“No I heard it too. Funny thing is I don’t think they noticed they did it.” Sabo watched your retreating form and brightly smiled. 

“Interesting.”

LUFFY

For the most part Luffy can be considered fairly clueless about a lot of things if they don’t involve his ambition to be King of the Pirates and obtaining the One Piece, doing whatever he wanted and eating all he wished. That included his own deeper feelings at times. However no matter how complex Luffy’s emotions were about certain things he found it easier to break them down into more simplistic views and gain a better understanding about them. He found he had to do that with you and the longer you were part of his crew the more he had to take an inward look at his feelings. So far he was able to discern that he liked you, he liked being around you and it was mutual because you’d been all too eager to join his crew. For the longest time it was simple as that. 

Things however became complicated one night after he and the rest of the crew helped free another town from a corrupt ruler. As always the celebration was a large affair with plenty of food, music and drink. While Luffy wasn’t a drinker and happily indulged in all the food he could get his hands on, you were pulled into a drinking contest with some of the locals along with Nami, Zoro, Franky, and Usopp. You’d managed to hold your own for a respectable amount but when you felt the world being to tilt and your mind grow hazy you knew you wouldn’t be able to handle anymore. 

Staggering from the table you somehow managed to wander to the only spot you knew you’d feel completely safe and content with. You didn’t know how you managed it, call it instinct or sheer will but you stopped beside your Captain and slid down to sit on the soft grass beside him, leaning against his back for support. Luffy looked over his shoulder to grin at you before continuing to eat. “You lost huh?” he laughed before taking a large bite of a meat skewer.

“It’s cheating when Zoro plays.” You grumbled, shifting to get more comfortable against your Captain. “He’s so smug too. Didn’t even wanna win anyway.” You fell into soft laughter with Luffy and then drifted into content silence. Subconsciously Luffy moved while he ate, seamlessly turning so you were leaning against his side and neither of you seemed to even notice the new position.

When morning came and you woke with a hangover and lack of memory you let out a worried groan, hoping that whatever you’d done wasn’t too embarrassing or at the very least you hoped that everyone else was also too drunk to remember too. Wincing you pushed yourself up to see that you were in your own bed. Hazily you tried to force your brain to work and managed to pull out the image of Luffy which made sense, he was your go-to for anything. Knowing he didn’t drink, you knew you could also rely on him for the truth on what you failed to remember. You found Luffy sitting on Sunny’s head just as you knew he’d be but you became worried to see him frowning, deep in thought. “Everything okay Luffy?” you asked, flinching when Luffy’s head swiftly snapped around to look at you intently. 

“No! You’re not allowed to call me that.” Immediately worry and guilt took hold. What had you done? Would he ever forgive you? Oh no, what if it was so bad he’d kick you off of the ship for good. 

“Wh-what do you mean?“ You asked panicked and feeling sick which was not from the hangover. “Whatever I’ve done I’m sorry but I don’t remember. Please tell me what I did wrong. I can fix it.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Luffy’s expression became confused. “I’ve just decided that you can’t call me Luffy anymore I like what you called me last night after I helped you to bed better.” 

“Oh…” you couldn’t tell what you were feeling in that moment exactly. Desperately you tried to think what you called him, silently thankful that whatever it was hadn’t offended him. “Well if you want me to call you that instead you have to remind me.”

“You called me dear.” Luffy grinned while your face reddened.

[hannahbarberra162]

Under the Microscope, Part 9

18+ MDNI on Ao3

All the other chapters

Sabo's back :)

Ty to @gouraminnow for beta-ing and letting me borrow their braincell.

Your POV

You were happy for Ace, you truly were, but now that the experiment was a success you needed to get moving. You weren’t able to find out exactly when Sabo would be returning but Ace had told you his ship had already set sail for the island. In order for Ace to uphold his end of the bargain, you’d have to leave very soon otherwise you’d risk leaving while Sabo was returning. Instead of preparing for a sea voyage, Ace wanted to show you every single one of his old techniques and a few new ones as well. You also wanted to leave the island because you were worried Ace was going to burn it to the ground - and you along with it - in his zeal to show off his regained powers.

“I had so much time to think about new moves in Impel Down, whaddya think about this one?” Ace yelled, burning a blaze in an outward stretching spiral, nearly reaching where you stood on the porch. He’d been demonstrating all his moves to you, asking what you thought of each one and expecting you to tell him what you liked about each. 

“Very, um, interesting. Different from the last one that was also a spiral but with a cannon in the middle. But, Ace, can we pack up?” you asked, wringing your hands. You didn’t think Sabo’s ship was on the horizon but you itched to check with your magnification. Ace tilted his head quizzically.

“Pack?... oh, right. You wanna head out before Sabo comes, yeah. Sure, we gotta check on Striker first. Sabo’s been running it every so often but with how much he’s been gone lately it might need some minor maintenance. It’s on the far beach, we can look at it now,” Ace said, already brushing off his yukata from the dirt and soot he’d accumulated burning the plants. Ace waited for you as you ran up to where he was in the smoking field in front of the house. The smell of charred vegetation permeated the area as you walked side by side down the rocky path towards the far beach. Ace had a bounce in his step and was humming to some unknown tune while you walked together. 

“Thank you,” Ace said, facing forward while he walked next to you.

“Ah, you’re welcome. I’m glad it all worked out,” you replied happily, patting his back affectionately. You hoped your paths crossed again once you were free, you’d come to enjoy Ace’s company a lot during your stay on the island.

“I won’t tell anyone how I got my powers back. I’ll leave it as another unsolved mystery on the Grand Line. Because, you know, if anyone found out, well…your life would be even more over than it already is,” Ace said with a smile while your own dropped.

“W-what? What do you mean?” you asked, kicking a pebble down the path.

“Well, what do you think would happen if the Marines found out you’d made a Logia devil fruit? Or Kaido? Or Big Mom? I think even Shanks would be interested. Now that you’ve made one fruit, the possibilities are endless, right? You could make any kind of fruit, or anything else, really. You’re a powerful resource to have control over,” Ace said, pushing his hair back from his forehead. You felt sweat trickling down your back as your heart rate increased. In your haste to get away from the island, you’d been short sighted in your thinking. Ace was right, if anyone - if the World Government found out - you shuddered thinking of the possibilities. Your vision narrowed as you thought about the implications of your completed work. What had you been thinking, bringing another devil fruit into the world? You’d already caused so much destruction and devastation and now you’d provided the means for even more. 

“But you s-said you wouldn’t -” you whispered, grabbing Ace’s bicep and stopping him mid step along the path. 

“And I won’t, I promise. I can keep a secret, trust me. Almost nobody knew I was Gol D. Roger’s son until I was executed for it.” Ace said, his hand on the back of your neck as he looked you in the eyes. You had grown to trust Ace, you wanted to believe his promise but you weren’t sure how far he’d go against his own brother. He pushed your neck so your head leaned forward, placing his forehead gently against your own.

“I’m gonna help you, you don’t have to worry. Me ‘n Sabo are gonna keep you safe, no matter what,” Ace said, his hand keeping your foreheads touching. Ace’s words felt like a solemn vow more than a promise. Your anxiety churned as he mentioned Sabo, his brother’s return souring your mood even further. Ace’s casual acceptance of your desire to get off the island had you worried - either he wasn’t really going to help you or he truly didn’t think you’d get far from the island. You pulled back with your neck and Ace released you, giving you another smile as you grimaced.

“ ‘Course I’m gonna help ya, you’ve given me my life back. ‘N I’m stronger than I was before I died, I’ve been working on my haki. So with that, my power, and Sabo, no one’s ever gonna hurt you again. And just wait till you meet Luffy, he’s gonna love you too,” Ace said, his smile widening across his freckled cheeks. You bit your bottom lip as you heard the conviction in his voice. It felt like the net around you had tightened even as Ace was bringing you to his boat.

Approaching the shore, your heart sank as you saw the small craft bobbing gently on the waves. It was a fine boat but it was tiny . You only saw a single seat, directly over a charred metal pit caked in soot. The pit was likely the means of propulsion for the craft, powered by the Mera Mera user. Which left…not much room for you to sit. Not only that but prior experience told you that the smaller the craft was, the worse your sea sickness would be. You’d been so ill on the larger ship with Sabo, you couldn’t imagine what a multi-day journey on Striker would be like for you. But if you wanted your freedom, you were going to have to try. Ace had waded into the water where Striker was anchored and was admiring his boat, running his hands over the hull.

“Isn’t it awesome? Survived Marineford, too. Deuce ‘n me made it together, I’ve told you about him. I can’t wait to introduce you two, I know he’d like you. Sabo won’t admit it, but I’m the better sailor of the two of us. Like yeah, he stole that ship when we were 10 -”

“What?” you tried to interject. Stole a ship? As a child? You knew your question wouldn’t be answered anytime soon since Ace was already fixated on a subject and yammering. You’d have to clarify what he meant later, after Ace’s thought had run its course. 

“But that barely counts, I was the Commander of the navigation division for Whitebeard, that’s gotta count for something. Had like 200 crew working under me, navigating the main ship and all the smaller craft too. And I took Striker to Wano and back, sailed all over the world, Alabasta, everywhere,” Ace continued talking as you chewed on a fingernail. You’d never really put thought into what it meant to be a Yonko Commander but it made sense Ace would be in charge of others. He’d also mentioned being the Captain of his own crew during some of the stories he’d told you about his life. You could see why people were drawn to him - to his charisma, his charm, his easy but firm leadership style. You’d grown attached to him yourself but that didn’t mean you wanted to spend the rest of your life together.

“Yeah, she’s gonna need a touch of work, not too bad though. We gotta go back to the house anyway, gotta pack things for the trip. Gonna need food, water, clothes, things like that. Don’t need any blankets anymore though, you got me to keep you warm,” Ace said, beaming at you. You were now chewing through another nail as you thought of the long journey ahead of you. 

“Where’re we going, anyway?” Ace asked, walking through the water back to shore. Your mouth twisted in thought as you realized your plan had more holes than a sieve. You couldn’t go to your home island as you didn’t want anything to happen to your family when Sabo came looking for you. You might be able to go to an island with a  Marine base, but it’s not like Ace could drop you off at their front door given his background. You could get dropped at a random island but you didn’t have any money to get back to a Marine base and you weren’t sure Ace had any either. While scrambling to think of alternatives, Ace ruffled your hair.

“Eh, we can go find Law, he’ll know what to do. You might be able to hitch a ride with him for a while until Sabo finds you,” Ace suggested. You perked up at the idea of staying with Law on his submarine. Maybe he’d discuss the applications of his fruit with you…or maybe the two of you could work on combining your powers and doing something really interesting…maybe you could publish your findings…your name next to Law’s on an article would really boost your career…

“You might want to get those hearts out of your eyes. He’s dating Luffy now,” Ace teased, shaking off his wet feet on the beach.

“I wasn’t thinking about kissing him!” you scoffed as your face heated at Ace’s suggestion.

“Nah, you were probably thinking about asking to write an article together,” Ace correctly guessed, making you flush even harder. “Actually, maybe we should find Luff first, I’m not sure what Law told him or didn’t tell him, he likes to maintain an air of mystery,” Ace said, rolling his eyes. “But no matter where we’re going, we have to hit the house first, I gotta get my clothes, my hat, my Log Pose, lotsa stuff,” Ace said. 

“Hey Ace, um, you should know, I get seasick when I’m on boats,” you said, hugging your arms across your chest.

“Ah, that’s no big deal, lotsa people do. Half an hour after we set sail you won’t feel it anymore. I’m a great sailor, you’ll see,” Ace declared. You hummed - you had plenty of confidence in Ace’s ability to pilot his boat but not so much in your own ability to remain conscious during the duration of the voyage. It was a calculated risk you had to take to get off the island. Heading back to the house on the worn path, Ace started walking faster and faster until he was practically running back to the house. 

“C’mon! Let’s go!” Ace cheered happily, urging you to also go quicker. Even though this was all part of your plan, your feet felt like lead as you plodded back to the house.

Sabo’s POV

Things were different than Sabo had expected upon his return to the island. Sabo knew you weren’t going to run up and kiss him (though he’d imagined it many times) but he didn’t think he would be greeted by…no one. Walking up to the house, he saw charred vegetation along the path, reminding him of what his room at the RA had looked like before he’d gained full control of his powers. The porch was likewise scorched, though Sabo didn’t remember leaving it in such a state. Setting the crate he was carrying on the wooden slats, Sabo was about to push in the door to the house when he saw…Ace…on Striker…zooming by on the far side of the shore. Sabo blinked. He was dreaming, he must still be back on the ship and in his bed.

Ace kept sailing by, passing the RA boat Sabo had sailed on during the voyage. He pulled Striker to a stop, hailing the ship. Shortly thereafter, he turned the boat towards the shore and turned his legs to fire to start the engine. Even from afar, Sabo could tell he was shirtless and wearing his iconic orange cowboy hat, his hand keeping the hat from flying away in the wind as his smile shined so bright it rivaled the sun itself. Sabo laughed, this was a great dream. He didn’t think Ace would want to hear about it but he’d write it down when he woke up so he could reflect on it later. 

Except.

Dream Ace stopped Striker close to the shore and waded to the rocky beach, grinning so wide it almost looked maniacal. Ace’s chest bore the scar of his near-demise but he seemed to be bearing it proudly with his red beaded necklace accentuating the mark. 

“Saaaaaaaabooooooooooo,” Ace called in a sing-song voice, putting his hand by his mouth to accentuate the noise. Sabo started walking towards him, nearly tripping off the porch, flailing slightly. Maybe…he wasn’t hallucinating. Which meant… well, Sabo wasn’t sure what exactly. Sabo thought it was his brother but grabbed his pipe just in case. 

“Saaaaaaaabooooooooooo,” Ace repeated, now jogging towards his sworn brother. 

“Ace, you’re kind of freaking me out, what’s going on? How were you piloting Striker? Where’s Sunny?” Sabo asked, meeting Ace halfway down the path to the beach. Ace gave Sabo a shit eating grin and Sabo knew that he had been up to something big. 

“Nice to see you too, Sa D. Bo,” Ace replied, not answering any of Sabo’s queries. Sabo narrowed his eyes but gave his brother a back breaking hug anyway, laughing when Ace spun him in a circle. The truth would come out eventually and Sabo was happy to see Ace feeling better, smiling, laughing and even wearing his old clothes. Something had shifted for the better during his absence.

“Alright, put me down, shrimp,” Sabo demanded, pushing Ace backwards. 

“You’re only 2 cm taller, baby boy,” Ace replied. He was shifting from foot to foot in his old leather boots, excited about something. Sabo had a feeling he wasn’t going to be as excited when he whatever Ace had cooked up.

“So how were you on Striker? Used a heat dial or something?” Sabo asked, trying to get information out of Ace.

“Or something is right,” Ace said, turning his first two fingers into fire and pushing his cowboy hat further up his head.

“I - Ace - what are - Ace -” Sabo searched Ace’s face to try and understand what was happening. 

“Sunny fixed me! She made me another Mera Mera! Now we can really find out who’s stronger,” Ace said flexing his muscles. Without warning, Sabo’s eyes filled with tears as the enormity of the moment settled on his shoulders. Sabo grabbed Ace and pulled him back into a full body hug, openly crying on his shoulder while Ace patted his back. “ ‘S alright Babo. She really did it, I’m fine. Didn’t blow up or anything. I’m back,” Ace said quietly, comforting his brother. Sabo was still crying as he pushed Ace away and wiped his runny nose on his sleeve. He felt an overwhelming sense of relief, now that Ace had finally turned a corner in his life. They’d made it, they’d suffered for so long together and now Ace could finally move on, they could be together like they used to, just three brothers, nothing standing between them, no amnesia, no dying, no wars, no fruits, nothing but them and Luffy, ready to take on the world.

“A-ace! What the fuck are you talking about?! She made you another fruit? How - why - Ace - that’s so…INCREDIBLY STUPID!” Sabo finished with a yell. His own hands were shaking as he felt anger wash over him despite the sense of felicity he’d felt just moments before. Ace was laughing, his hand scratching the back of his head.

“It’s not funny you shithead! What if you had died -” Sabo pulled his hand back to punch Ace in his stupid face.

“But I didn’t!” Ace giggled, easily dodging the hit.

“What if you’d gotten injured? Or suffered other effects?” Sabo now had his pipe in his hands, approaching his brother in a battle stance.

“But I didn’t!” Ace said, still smiling despite crouching down, happily readying himself for a fight.

“And what about Sunny? How on earth did you get her to agree to this? I know she wouldn’t have done this on her own without you telling her to,” Sabo pushed, wanting to hear the whole story. Ace’s smile faltered and his eyes flicked to the house for a moment. Sabo stood up, anger forgotten for the moment as he started worrying about Sunny again. “Ace, what did you do?” Sabo asked imploringly, now leaning on his pipe.

“ I didn’t do anything, she was the one who came up with the deal,” Ace said, already crossing his arms defensively. Sabo sighed, they were in for a long discussion.

“Ace, please. I need to know what’s going on, don’t leave me in the dark,” Sabo pleaded. “Besides, I brought more coffee for the house, I know the two of you drank through what we had,” Sabo said, trying to bribe Ace into sitting down. They weren’t far from the building but Sabo needed Ace to focus on what was happening, not on his apparent recovery of his power, though that needed quite a bit of discussion as well.

“Fine, but you’ll have to be quiet, she’s sleeping,” Ace replied, linking his arm in Sabo’s as they ambled the short distance back to the house. Sabo turned his head to Ace, eyebrows drawn.

“Why’s she sleeping? It’s the evening, she never naps now,” Sabo asked as he picked up the crate and brought it inside, putting it by the stairs. 

“Well, uh, I had to um…drug her,” Ace said sheepishly, stomping up the steps to the house and throwing himself on the couch after forgetting his own directive for quiet.

“Drug her? Why? I thought you’ve been keeping her from working too much?” Sabo asked, wondering why he thought Ace was up to the task of preventing someone’s self destructive habits.

“Um, well, see…the thing is…she wouldn’t stop throwing up,” Ace replied uneasily, trying to hide his face from Sabo by pretending to inspect the couch.

“Ace! Why didn’t you ugh that’s serious! Is she sick -” Sabo’s mind was racing with potential viruses and illnesses that Sunny could have contracted on the island.

“Yeah, she got seasick. She told me before I took her on Striker but I didn’t realize how severe it was. I wanted to bring her back earlier but she kept wanting to stay on the boat longer and longer until I put my foot down and brought her back. Even after she was on land, she kept vomiting and vomiting. Had to carry her into the house she was so weak. So I panicked and…drugged her,” Ace said in a hurry, looking upstairs as he spoke.

“That’s not gonna help her you fucking idiot! She needed medicine! And I thought we were done drugging her!” Sabo was frustrated at both of them - Ace for his lack of medical knowledge and Sunny for her stubborn attitude staying out on the boat when she clearly couldn’t handle it.

“I know, I panicked. I didn’t know what all the stuff in the medicine cabinet was for and Sunny was too sick to help me. She’s fine, by the way, I was checking on her,” Ace mumbled, crossing his arms again. Sabo didn’t want Ace to feel worse than he already did, he probably did the best he could under the tense circumstances.

“It’ll be OK, Ace. Thank you for checking on her, I’m sure she’s fine. But we can’t just drug her to sleep to solve all our problems,” Sabo said evenly as Ace snorted.

“How did you get her nails for the vivre card then?” Sabo’s face turned bright red as Ace quirked a brow.

“How do you know I had a vivre card made?”

“Please, Sabo. I’m stupid but I’m not an idiot. You did, didn’t you?” Ace said, tipping his hat back off his head and stretching his feet to rest on the coffee table in front of him.

“I mean yeah, I did,” Sabo huffed, pulling the paper out of his pocket.

“Gimme some of it too, she’s grown on me. She’s like the opposite of me - she’s really smart but she’s also an idiot. Self destructive, can’t fight or defend herself, makes bad choices. Needs watching,” Ace declared. It warmed Sabo’s heart that Ace had taken you under his wing as well, just as he suspected would happen. Sabo ripped the paper in half and handed one to Ace, who folded it and put it in his shorts pocket. Sabo’s attention wandered over to the bar, where there seemed to be some kind of experiment set up with a multitude of cups and bowls filled with liquid.

“What’s she doing over there?” Sabo asked while walking to inspect it himself, curious about the contents of the containers.

“Those are her pets, don’t touch ‘em,” Ace said flatly. Sabo saw that there were several notes scrawled with the words “ ACE DON’T TOUCH >:(“ near the containers. Sabo chuckled as he read the increasingly angry notes from Sunny.

“Let me guess, you touched ‘em,” Sabo said, putting down a note detailing the violence Sunny would inflict upon Ace if he bothered ‘Mita’ and ‘Condra’. 

“How was I supposta know they’re not just water?! I drank a few, so what? She got mad at me, apparently she was messing with them, changing their genes or something,” Ace said, pouting on the couch. Sabo started opening the cupboards, looking to see what needed to be restocked. To his surprise, most staples were still there except for rice and potatoes, which were completely gone.

“Sabo, can you make me something? I’m hungry,” Ace complained. 

“What have you guys been eating? It doesn’t look like much has been touched here -”

“I make potato salad for lunch and Sunny makes jambalaya for dinner,” Ace answered, already salivating at the thought of food. He had come to the island and was leaning on his arms, watching Sabo take ingredients out of the cupboards.

“Those sound good. What else did you guys eat?”

“No, that’s it. Potato salad for lunch, jambalaya for dinner,” Ace stated. Sabo blinked several times, trying to understand.

“You ate…the same thing…every day…for nearly a month? Just potato salad and jambalaya? That’s why there’s no more rice or potatoes?” Sabo inquired, barely able to process the information.

“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Ace said, rolling his eyes. “We didn’t know how to make anything else, so that’s what we ate. ‘S pretty good though. Could actually go for some jambalaya right now, do you know how to make it?” Ace asked, rubbing his chin. Sabo closed his eyes, willing himself to drop the issue. He didn’t have it in him to discuss why the two of them ate….he’d teach them how to cook a third dish another time. Sabo opened his eyes and looked at his happy, healthy, hungry brother. They were quiet for a moment, staring at one another.

“So. It worked? The fruit - it’s - it’s the same? You’re back?” Sabo asked hesitatingly, watching the joy rise in Ace’s face as the tension melted away.

“Wanna find out? I know I can kick your ass, I’ve seen you using my moves. Lemme show you how they’re really supposed to be done,” Ace taunted his brother, rising off the couch and stretching as a cocky grin plastered itself on his features.

“Pff. Please, I’ve been doing things you’ve never even dreamed of, Portgas. I’m this close to awakening it before you can,” Sabo said, pinching his forefinger and thumb together. He wasn’t, but he knew it would annoy Ace.

“Is that so? Come outside and say that to my face,” Ace said, spreading his arms wide as he walked towards the exit. Sabo gave Ace a wicked smile and promptly tackled his brother out the door, the two of them on equal footing at last.

Your POV

You dreamed of immense fire, a blaze big enough to swallow the island whole. But no matter how hot the fire became, you were never burned completely. You were so drowsy but at one point you woke to the sounds of Ace and Sabo yelling and fighting. Peeking out the window, you saw the two of them in a completely scorched circle, yelling and ranting at one another.

“Are you kidding?! That’s your hiken? They don’t call me Fire Fart Ace, put muscle into it -” Ace said as he exploded a column of fire towards his brother.

“- shut the fuck up! Unless you want to be thrown by my talons again, get over here you wet rat looking ass!” Sabo yelled at his brother as he ran into Ace, headbutting him in his chest. Ace kicked his brother in the stomach, causing both of them to turn to fire and separate once more.

“Pfff please. Talons or not, you’re never gonna -”

“Otebisha!” Sabo cut off his brother with another hiken followed by a stream of fire that traveled upwards towards the house. Ace watched with his mouth agape, then he grinned. You didn’t like that grin.

“Yeah? Going high up? C’mon Sabo - hikyaku!” Ace’s legs turned to fire as he blasted into the air to continue fighting his brother. You yawned, you still felt woozy from earlier in the day. Maybe they’d kill each other - or not - but you wanted to go back to sleep. You just hoped Ace remembered you were in the house if they burned it down. Laying back down, you closed your eyes and were fast asleep before Sabo’s next counter attack.

At some point, you felt a touch on your forehead, testing your temperature.

“ ‘G’way Ace, don’ wan’ potato salad,” you grumbled. You wanted to go back to sleep, even though you’d been sleeping for hours. 

“I don’t have any to offer you,” a voice replied. Your eyes popped open as you realized it wasn’t Ace with you in the room.

“Hi, Sabo,” you said quietly, moving to sit up in bed. Your voice was scratchy from all the vomiting you’d done that morning.

“Hi, Sunny,” Sabo replied, staring at you as he sat on the bed, arms crossed. You shivered under his gaze, it was colder than you’d remembered. You’d seen this intensity before but it had never been directed at you. He’d never been at a loss for words either, his sudden silence a departure from the chattiness you were used to. “Ace informed me you’ve been quite busy in my absence,” he said, facial expression icy as he spoke.

“Um, yeah, I mean, I think - I guess so. He, um, told you? That I, um, made the, um, Mera Mera?” you stammered out your sentence, bringing a nail to your mouth to chew on. Sabo intercepted your hand and pinned it down to your thigh, preventing you from engaging in your bad habit.

“Mmm. Quite a decision. And his end of the deal was that he was supposed to take you where?” Sabo asked, tilting his head. You bit your lip, your eyes bouncing around Sabo’s face to try to find a shred of mercy in him. 

“Um, I didn’t, um. I didn’t get that far, he - I - um, I didn’t, um, I was on Striker -” Sabo frowned at you and your blood ran cold.

“Stop. I warned you not to try to leave the island, did I not? I warned you not to work too hard, did I not?” Sabo asked, gripping your chin between his gloved fingers. He was forcing you to look into his face as he eviscerated you with his words. You felt tears pricking the corners of your eyes but you willed them not to fall.

“Y-yes, you did,” you replied as Sabo held you in his gaze for a few moments longer. You desperately wanted to jerk yourself away but you knew better than to play when Sabo was like this. Finally, he let go and sighed, holding his head in his hands. 

“Sunny, what were you thinking?” Sabo asked, exasperated. He picked his head up from his hands and gave you a tired look. You guessed he’d already heard what had happened from Ace but all you felt was relief that the Sabo you knew was present again, not the Flame Emperor that had scared you nearly to tears. “No, really Sunny, what were you thinking? I mean, of course I’m grateful that Ace has his Mera Mera and that he’s got his powers back, but how stupid can you be ?” You winced as Sabo’s words struck your core. 

“I didn’t think -”

“Yeah, I know you didn’t think, that’s the problem. You’ve changed the foundations of the world! If anyone knew what you can do, what you’ve already done - the potential is limitless -”

“-but Ace said he wouldn’t tell anyone,” you said quietly. Sabo rolled his eyes and stood up to pace the room.

“Ace won’t tell anyone, I’m not worried about him. But that doesn’t keep you safe, someone’s going to put everything together. So, unfortunately for you, we’re going to have to go back to the RA headquarters sooner than I anticipated. Ace is planning on leaving the island and you’ve shown me that I can’t leave you here alone,” he said, giving you a pointed look. You looked down at your shaking hands, feeling your anxiety climbing higher the longer Sabo spoke. 

“I already called the ship, they’re waiting for us to get our things together to leave. I brought you more clothes so you don’t have to pack as many as you’d normally need. And, ah, Koala explained to me that bras don’t just come in small, medium, and large, so I hope everything fits,” Sabo explained, a faint blush tinting his cheeks towards the end of his statement. You gave Sabo a small smile, hopeful he was done reprimanding you. He looked at you, almost pityingly, and cupped your cheek with his gloved hand.

“I just…I really am thankful for what you’ve done for Ace. And your accomplishments are…beyond my wildest imagination. I knew you were a genius, but what you’ve created is…astounding Sunny. I just wish you’d done things differently. That you trusted me more, told me what was going on,” he said, rubbing your cheek with his thumb. You felt small and stupid, how could you have thought your plan was going to work? That you’d out maneuver the second in command of the Revolutionary Army? 

Sabo let go of your face and reached into the interior pocket of his suit, revealing a small wooden box. “I had this made for you, I hope you like it,” he said, putting it in your palm. You opened the container gingerly, gasping when you saw what was inside. It was a silver bangle bracelet and the shanks looked like intertwining vines. Adorning the vines were a few stylized flame flowers, like the ones found on the island. Your fingers shook as you picked it up out of the box. You didn’t think you’d ever seen jewelry so fine, much less been given any.

“Oh, Sabo. It’s lovely,” you said, turning the bracelet over in your fingers. “Are you sure it’s for me?” you asked, unsure that you deserved such finery. Sabo’s face softened as he watched your reaction to his present. 

“I’m sure, Love. Here, let me put it on you,” he said as he held his hand out. You delicately placed the band in his palm and held out your wrist. Opening the bracelet, Sabo put your wrist in the middle and closed it, a small snick the indication that the lock had caught. Turning the bracelet over on your wrist you admired its beauty but were struck by a sudden feeling of wrongness. You felt weak, like you were waterlogged and unable to move your limbs. You pulled on the bracelet to open it and take it off. It didn’t budge. 

“Sabo, please take this off,” you said, tugging on the bracelet. It no longer felt like a bracelet, but a shackle. You were getting increasingly frantic, trying to pry open the bracelet where it had locked. Sabo’s frown had returned as you clawed at the bracelet.

“No. I already warned you what would happen if you tried to escape. The bracelet is imbued with seastone and it won’t open without the key. Stop trying to take it off, you’ll only hurt yourself,” Sabo said firmly, unmoved by your distress.

“Sabo, please, I’m sorry - next time I won’t - I won’t try again, please, I’m sorry!” you wailed, now trying to pull the bracelet over your hand, impeded by your thumb joint. Sabo stilled your movements by putting his hand over your wrist.

“I’m glad you’re sorry, but that’s not enough. I told you that if you tried to escape it would make us both unhappy, that I would have to restrict your freedom. Show me you can be good and I’ll consider taking it off. Until then it stays on,” Sabo said, standing up from the bed and crossing the room. 

“I wish you trusted me more. But until you do, this is how things will be,” Sabo said, exiting the room and shutting the door. The sound of a key in the lock was the last thing you heard before you broke down in heavy sobs.

Taglist: @mfreedomstuff @epochal-oracle

[povcastiel]

Being Ace’s Lover — A Glimpse

Warnings | None really, slightly suggestive content at the end. ;)

Handsy

Ace is a pirate, an infamous one at that, which means his life is unpredictable. So it’s no wonder he wants you close every chance he gets. That means keeping you on his lap, even in front of the crew. Or holding you tight in bed.

This man couldn’t keep his hands off of you, even if he tried. He’d probably ask you to do him a favor, and shoot him - If he ever was insane enough to reject your affection.

Instant Respect

Aside from Ace’s gentlemanly demeanor toward you—The moment you became recognized as Ace’s girl, the rest was history.

His crew wouldn’t dare overstep, nor would they ever dream to be rude to you. As a result, you’ve won them over with your charm (thoroughly impressing Ace). But are we surprised? You’re a keeper.

This means any outside trouble you encounter is going to be resolved, not only by your boyfriend, but by the rest of his men as well.

Over Protective

Absolutely—no one will convince me otherwise. You’re lumped in with Luffy and Sabo, family, and that means Ace will do whatever he must, without hesitation, to keep you safe.

This goes hand in hand with Ace’s recklessness. Not the least bit afraid to stand up against anyone who verbally or physically dares to attack you.

And he'll drop everything, I mean everything, at a moments notice to help you or to simply be there for you.

Jealousy

Personally, I don't take Ace as a toxic jealous type. But that doesn't mean he'd let anyone get too close to you. If anyone even thinks about making a move on you, rest assured Ace is right there to put them in their place.

But don't try and flirt with someone else to rile him up, you'll hurt him more than anything else. :(

Nicknames

Ohhhhhhh hell yeah-

"Easy, spitfire."

"I missed ya, doll."

"Pretty girl, where ya been all my life?"

“I think they’re right, you’ve got me wrapped right around your finger, princess.”

Must I go on? He adores you.

Perks of Devil Fruit Powers

Definitely uses his powers outside of fighting.

I'm talking about using using a finger to light the candles on your birthday cake, just to show off. (You know he's got the biggest, sleaziest grin when you look up too.)

And he without a doubt uses his warmth to keep you comfortable, when the nights on the ship are colder than usual. (Doesn't mean you aren't occasionally sweating to death at night, because this man does NOT let you sleep even an inch from him.)

Don't say I didn't warn you if it crosses over into the bedroom. In fact, Ace will turn it into a game to keep you on your toes. Besides, he loves to watch you squirm.

[I'm reeeeaaalllyy sorry this is so short, I haven't written something like this before, but ILY all. <3]

[beyondkailani]

A whole wall of Sabo! So jealous! I want!

I did say I was gonna show off my Sabo Wall, and I finally got my new prints and rearranged everything, so viola~

I'll show off my other wall too if anyone is curious.

[penkura]

A Baby Sister

Note: I didn't realize it until I was writing this, but I legit gave all these men a daughter for their second child (or first or third for two of them on this). I can't believe I didn't notice, lol, I would've moved things around a little but, this is fine honestly. I tried to make it really cute and fluff, but the bonus turned a little angsty. :') The bonus is also what led to me wanting to write this. Enjoy!

Rogue is three when you and Ace have your second child, another little girl you name Ann. She’s just as tiny as her big sister was, and while Rogue has your hair, Ann looks exactly like Ace, all the way down her freckles. Ace definitely cried again when he got to hold her, hell he was crying as soon as she was born, you totally expected it though.

Rogue hated the two days she wasn’t with you, both you and Ace deciding to give her some time before you introduced her to her newborn sister, she stayed with Luffy and Sabo during the time you were in the hospital. After you’ve gone home, Ace picked her up and she refused to let him go until he got her home, when she sees you she hurries over to the couch and hugs you so tightly that you really do feel bad for having not seen her the last two days.

“Mama, I missed you!”

“I missed you too, Rogue! We’ve got a surprise for you, sweetheart.”

She brightens up hearing that, excitedly trying to ask what the surprise was while Ace brings Ann over, handing her to you before he picks up Rogue and sets her in his lap so she can see better.

“Rogue, this is your little sister, Ann.”

Rogue is beyond excited, she wants nothing more the rest of the day than to hold her sister, to the point she starts crying and Ace has to calm her down when you have to take your newborn to feed and change her. Once she has her back, Ace starts to feel a little jealous simply because he also wants to hold Ann for a while. The whole thing just makes you laugh and appreciate that you have others who want to hold her.

“At least she’s not mad about having a sister.”

Ace just pouts a bit in return. “I want to hold her too…”

~~

Law brings your son, six-year-old Rosinante, to see and meet his baby sister the day she was born. He takes him by your hospital room first, so your son can get some time with you before seeing his new little sister, even though he’s excited to meet her. He starts getting antsy and almost begging to meet her, before you finally laugh and look at Law.

“Why don’t you take him by the nursery? I’ll be fine for a bit.”

Agreeing with your suggestion, Law gives you a quick kiss on the forehead before taking Rosi’s hand and leading him down the hall to the nursery, stopping at the window and trying to find where your daughter was in the room. Once he finds her, he picks up Rosi and points where your newborn’s nursery bed is.

“See right there? That’s your sister, she’s got the bear you picked out for her.”

Rosi’s eyes light up once he sees where she is, seeing Law is correct, the little polar bear plush he’d picked out months ago was in the corner of the bed. She’s so small! He didn’t think she’d ever be so little, even after he met some of your friends babies, they were all a few months old.

“What’s her name, dad?”

“Cora. She’s got a hat on, but she has the same hair color you and I do.”

Rosi nods while Law watches him for a minute, smiling just a bit. He had been a little concerned about how your son would react when you decided to have another child, but you were able to convince him that Rosi would be a wonderful big brother, he had Law as an example, after all. Watching Rosi over the last several months, from when he grinned and hugged you when you told him you were pregnant, to when he was happy to hear he was getting a sister, you were proven right over and over again.

After watching him for a few moments, Law presses a kiss to the top of your son’s head and looks back to your daughter.

“Cora’s going to be depending on you, all right? My sister relied on me for somethings while she was little, so do your best, and your mom and I will help you both.”

“Okay, dad,” Rosi nods, before looking back to Law, “Can I hold her?”

“Yeah, of course. We’ll go back to mom’s room and get them to bring her in.”

~~

Having been an only child, Penguin wasn’t sure how your four-year-old daughter Wren was going to react to meeting her little sister, Ivy. Wren had seemed a bit concerned at the beginning of your pregnancy when you were sick, and didn’t have much of a reaction when you told her the baby was a girl. She barely had any interest in meeting Law’s newborn daughter a few weeks prior, running off to play with Rosi instead.

Once your second child was born, Penguin brought Wren to meet her, but after finally seeing her new sister, she refused to hold her, instead holding onto Penguin and hiding her face in his shoulder. After you bring Ivy home, Wren still isn’t interested in seeing her much, attaching herself to whichever one of you isn’t holding the new baby at the time.

Eventually, when Ivy is sleeping in her bassinet one day, Wren stands up on her tiptoes to watch her baby sister sleep. She’s still not sure about this, having a little sibling so suddenly, but she’s starting to think it’s okay, after watching you and Penguin with her the last few weeks. Wren reaches out and barely touches Ivy’s tiny hand, almost beaming when her baby sister grabs onto her finger.

You and Penguin had been watching Wren while she stared at Ivy, just making sure everything was all right, and it makes him smile at the same time when she starts to accept her new baby sister. When you lean into him, Penguin hugs you close and kisses your temple.

“I told you everything would be fine. She just needed some time.”

“Yeah, I know…you’re always right in the end.”

~~

Having twins was a trip already, you still don’t know how Sanji convinced you to have another child. Sora and Angel were a handful at times, but now that they were five-years-old, they could do more on their own, and Sanji used that as a reason for you to go ahead and have your next baby, which ended up happening immediately. You figured it would be a few months of trying before you got a positive test but nope, first try out the gate and here comes baby number three.

You don’t mind so much once your second daughter is born, a blonde little girl you choose to name Grace, she seems so much smaller than either of the twins were despite being born full term. She’s a perfect addition to your family though, and your twins think the same when they get to meet her.

Both are pushing the other away from the nursery bed, standing on the side facing out from your hospital bed, trying to get a good look at their sister. Angel is beyond thrilled at having a baby sister, while Sora just wants to see what she looks like.

Sanji eventually goes over and lifts up Angel, telling the two to be quiet because you were sleeping, and so was baby Grace. Angel quiets when she’s able to see her little sister better, Sora following suit as he can actually see her now. The two just watch her sleep, Sanji wonders if they’re actually happy or worried about having a new baby sibling until Angel looks at him.

“Can I hold her?”

“I wanna hold her!”

“I asked first!”

“I’m older!!”

Sighing, Sanji smiles in relief, glad your twins are excited about the new baby, until she starts to cry because they’ve disturbed her with their argument about who gets to hold her first.

~~

Keitaro has just barely turned two when you have your daughter. You never expected to have two in two, but it happened and truthfully, you weren’t upset about it when you found out you had a little girl. She’s so tiny when Zoro holds her, he's completely in love the moment he sees her. Your children were both unplanned, but you don’t think you’d change anything about how your life is going, and Zoro is the same, he's told you that multiple times.

When Keitaro properly meets her, it’s a few days after she’s born, some rule the midwives in Shimotsuki Village still follow, they wouldn’t even let Zoro be with you when you gave birth, you really had wished you were still on the Sunny this time. It’s not really a formal meeting for the two, but you think it works just fine.

Keitaro sits up on the floor by your daughter laying on a pink baby blanket that Robin had given you for her, she just somehow knew you were having a girl. Your son just stares at her for a long time, a pacifier in his mouth that doesn’t let you see what he’s really thinking. He reaches over to touch her cheek after a few minutes, a small giggle leaving his mouth when she scrunches her face and pouts in her sleep. Zoro stops him before he does it too much, placing his hand in front of your toddler’s to keep him from making her cry.

“That’s enough, you don’t want her to cry.”

Keitaro whines before pouting himself, until he squeals when Zoro lifts him up and sets him in his lap.

“Her name’s Kuina. What do you think, buddy?”

He tries to sound it out, but he’s still too little to say it correctly, the name mostly coming out as ‘Koo-na’, which makes you smile even as he starts to get frustrated and nearly cries before you gently shush him.

“Shh, it’s okay. You can just call her baby until you’re ready.”

Rubbing at his eyes, Keitaro yawns and snuggles against Zoro, part of his frustration being from needing a nap. You both watch as your children sleep quietly, glad their first meeting went well, anxious to see how the two grow up now.

~~

Your and Corazon’s first child, a baby girl, comes along just two months after you’ve taken in and formally adopted ten-year-old Trafalgar Law, when you’re both just twenty-three yourselves. Almost overnight you have two children to take care of, though Law isn’t that interested in your daughter at first. You get it, he’s still working through the sudden loss of his parents and little sister, he calls you and your husband by nicknames, not viewing you as his parents yet but that’s fine, you don’t want to rush anything with him.

It’s why you tell Corazon not to force Law to see your daughter right away, when the boy refuses to have anything to do with her and leaves your hospital room. You’re not upset at all, you know this must be hard for him. To lose and regain a family in a matter of weeks, then have a new sister so quickly as well, it’s a lot to take in at such a young age. You know he hasn’t gone too far, probably just sitting by your door, he’s just overwhelmed, you reason to Corazon, who nearly dragged Law back when he turned to leave before running out.

“He needs time, we need to give him that.”

It’s later that day, when Corazon has left to get something for him and Law to eat, that he leaves the three of you alone, finally convincing Law to at least sit in your room instead of outside the door. You have been holding your daughter for a while, noticing that Law is quietly looking over every now and then, and it makes you smile.

“You wanna come see her? It’s okay if you don’t. I won’t force you, Law.”

He doesn’t say anything, but eventually comes over, sitting beside you to get a look at your newborn while you adjust her blanket so he can see her face better. It’s hard for you to get a read on Law sometimes, he’s already good at masking his emotions, so you give him a few minutes of watching her before you say anything.

“Her name is Evangeline. What do you think?”

“…she’s small.”

“She is! She’s got her daddy’s hair too!”

“I was hoping she’d look like you.”

That makes you laugh lightly, nodding. It probably has to do with his sister having looked like his mother, you’ve seen the few pictures he has of his family. They were both lovely, Law looks just like his father. After another moment or so, you’re surprised but happy to see him reach over and let Evangeline hold his hand, the slightest smile on his face.

“Can you do me a favor, Law? Evie is my first baby, and I know you’ve had a bit of experience with your sister…can you help me and Rosinante take care of her? She’s going to need a great big brother to watch over her.”

There’s no response for a bit, but when he nods, you’re happily relieved. You were worried that he wasn’t going to accept another change so quickly, even though you knew it would likely take a long time for him to get used to this.

When Corazon comes back, he can’t fight the smile on his face to see the three of you sleeping, Evangeline still in your arms while Law is attached to your side, holding onto your arm.

Everything is going to be fine.

[xamaxenta]

Koby: IM A MARINE! FUCKING HIS BOYFRIEND!!! AND HES NOT EVEN MAD!! HE JUST LAUGHS AND HUMILIATES ME BY DISMISSING ME AND JOKES WITH SABO ABOUT MY ‘marine stamina’ WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM?!

Poor helmeppo, reluctantly invested in this mess: he’s a pirate lots is probably wrong with him, real question is why are you hard rn talking about this? Actually better yet why are you still sleeping with the revolutionary after being caught by his yonko commander boyfriend? Is it really that worth it?

It is, sabos pussy could turn coal into diamonds fr fr

Oh good god fucking rest in pieces Helmeppo

Pray for helmeppo dudes gonna need it 😂😂😂😂

Ace just likes sloppy seconds, he doesnt really interact with anyone else but Sabo, Koby was a one time thing bc the leftovers he brings back were so insane Ace had to know who it was that was that pent up

He also likes proving Sabo hes better than all his flings (truth, no competition)

Sabo just fucks and leaves bc hes a slut and unapologetic about how others feel about him and his magnum pussy