Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Ace! Dinner is ready!”

Sabo waited for Ace's usual excited call of “Be right there!” but... no answer.
Huh...

“Ace?”

Sabo left the kitchen, put on his slippers at the glass door and stepped outside into the still sunny backyard.
Last time he'd checked Ace had been busy cutting the hedge just next to their seating area so he should have been able to hear him.

But when he arrived there Ace was nowhere to be seen.
Surprised, Sabo kept wandering through the freshly cut grass until he eventually found Ace at the front of their property where he was busy ripping all the overgrown ivy vines from the side of the garage.

He was wearing Sabo's big headphones and Sabo now remembered that Ace had asked to borrow them earlier.
His old friend loved listening to podcasts while working and he usually used his old bluetooth box for that – but recently he'd gotten really into true crime and Luffy had heard some really disturbing details one time and it had upset him so much he'd insisted on sleeping in Ace's bed that night because he'd been so scared.

Since that incident Sabo had offered him to borrow his big headphones for when he wanted to listen to his (as he liked to call them) 'murder podcasts'.
Granted, Luffy wasn't even around to hear it this time but Sabo had the slight suspicion that Ace secretly liked the headphones.
No wonder, they were expensive and had excellent sound quality.
And they also had noise cancelling – which probably was the reason why Ace didn't hear Sabo call, even though he was just a few feet away now.

The raven was busy trying to rip off an especially strong vine and Sabo actually heard him growl because he had to use so much force. One harsh pull and the vine came loose – and Ace promptly stumbled backwards and tripped over his own feet.

Luckily Sabo was just in time to catch him before he could fall to the ground.
The headphones slipped down around Ace's neck upon impact and he looked up with eyes wide in surprise, then he grinned widely.

“Hey! Good catch!”, he said with a smile that could rival the early spring sun.

“You're welcome”, Sabo laughed and helped him stand upright again.
His eyes wandered over to the garage and he saw that Ace had freed it of nearly all the overgrown leaves and vines.
He'd even gotten rid of the big patch of burning nettle next to the fence.
(Luffy's football had landed in there one time and Ace had sacrificed himself to go and get it. His skin had looked bad afterwards.)

“Wow”, Sabo said, honestly impressed. “How did you manage to get all of that done in only a few hours?”

“Uh... I guess I was just in the flow?”, Ace shrugged, then he turned to look at his old friend. “Is there something you wanted?”

“Dinner is ready”, Sabo explained. “Just wanted to come get you.”

As if on command Ace's stomach growled and the two shared an amused laugh.
“Great, I'll be right there!”, Ace assured him. “I'm just gonna put all the tools back in the shed.”

“Okay!”

Sabo walked back around and then inside the house, left the glass door open and grabbed two glasses from the kitchen so he could place them on the dining table already.
He was just buys loading two plates with food when Ace came in.

“Whew! I'll be so sore tomorrow.”
Somehow he sounded happy when he said that though.
“What'd you make?”, he wanted to know and glanced over Sabo's shoulder.

“Uh so, this is pasta with a lemon, butter, herb and cheese mixture and we have these shrimps to make it look more fancy!”

“Looks great! Smells good too.”

“Please tell me if anything in it is too much, okay? Or if it's lacking something. You can be honest now that Luffy isn't here.”

Ace laughed.
“I will be, don't worry.”
Then he quickly washed his hands to get rid of all the dirt while Sabo took off his apron and grabbed the little notebook that had lain next to the stove.

“Oh, by the way I think we should replace that pan soon”, the blond said and pointed towards it. “The handle is a bit loose, I swear I thought it was gonna come off at one point.”

“No, no, we can't get rid of it!”, Ace protested immediately. “Thatch gave this to me when I adopted Luffy. It's professional cooking equipment, chef-approved even! I'll fix the handle, I promise.”

“Okay, but please do it soon.”

Then they both grabbed one plate each, Ace got the water pitcher from the fridge and together they went into the living room.

“It's so cute how much effort you put into this”, Ace grinned as they sat down and Sabo immediately went to scribble something in his notebook.

“Well, can't stay a disaster in the kitchen forever, can I?”

“Guess not. Heard anything from Zeff or Bellmere?”

It was Sanji's birthday today and the boy had invited all of his friends for some fun activities and a sleepover. Bellmere had offered Zeff to help look after all of them since the group of kids was quite big and Zeff had more and more trouble with his bad leg lately.

“Nah”, Sabo answered. “I'm pretty sure that means the kids are all fine though. Don't worry about Lu.”

“I don't worry about him. He just gets homesick so quickly when he's supposed to sleepover at someone else's house. Remember how I had to pick him up from Zoro's in the middle of the night last time?”

A fond smile tugged at the edges of Sabo's lips.
“Oh yeah, I remember.”

Sabo had heard them when they'd come back at 4 AM and confused he'd gone into the hallway to check what was going on – only to realize Ace must have walked the few blocks in his pyjamas to go and pick up their little brother.
Ace had looked sleep deprived, his hair a mess as he'd carried a pouting Luffy inside.
It had been quite adorable, honestly.

“Hopefully he'll be fine tonight”, Ace sighed.

“I'm sure they'll all sleep like babies after that trip to the aquarium”, Sabo chuckled. “And if they're allowed to eat as much as they want at the All Blue you don't need to worry at all. You know how Luffy is when he's eaten himself into a food coma.”

“Yeah, you're right.”

Ace finally took a first bite, chewed, swallowed and then moaned so obscenely that Sabo couldn't help but break out into a laugh.

“It can't be that good!”

“It is though”, Ace argued, already picking up his next forkful. “ You're getting better. Be careful that I don't eat myself into a food coma.”

“Are you joking? That'd be the biggest compliment!”

Sabo finally started eating too and had to agree that he didn't do a bad job this time around. He truly was getting better.
A giddy smile appeared on his lips.
After a few miserable and failed attempts he'd finally done it!

Ace actually ate a second plate and Sabo felt like he'd burst with pride.
He'd definitely text Koala to boast about his new accomplishment later.

Once he was done Ace leaned back and closed his eyes.
“That was so good, thank you.”

Sabo smiled brightly.
“Any suggestions on how to improve it?”, he asked eagerly.

“Uhh... the shrimps could have been a bit spicier? But I think that's just personal preference. The noodles were a tiny bit overcooked but it wasn't too bad. Maybe try a different type of pasta next time? I bet Luffy would love this but he's a disaster with spaghetti.”

Sabo chuckled.
“Alright, alright. Noted.”

He quickly scribbled Ace's suggestions down into his little notebook before closing it.

Ace stretched his arms over his head and groaned when he felt how his muscles protested. He rolled his neck but that hurt too and he winced.

Sabo noticed his discomfort immediately.
“You didn't have to cut down the hedges, mow the lawn and start ripping the ivy from the garage all in one day”, he berated him.

“But the weather was so good!”, Ace protested. “Besides, it was fun. Kinda meditative. Like when we built all the furniture in the beginning.”
He showed his old friend an honest smile.
“I just wanted to get some stuff done since we couldn't do much in the winter and before that there was too much to do around the house. If we have such a massive backyard we should be able to use it, don't you think?”

“Yeah, you're right”, Sabo acknowledged. “I'll help you with everything once all my exams are done.”

“Any idea on what to do with all the space yet?”

“Well, I thought maybe we could-”

Ace rolled his neck again and even let out a pained hiss this time, interrupting Sabo's sentence.

“If you're this sore why don't you just take a bath?”, he suggested. “I have some stuff for muscle relaxation. You'll sleep like a baby afterwards, I promise.”

“Can't”, Ace simply answered. “Would be nice though...”, he added with a deep sigh.

Sabo was confused as hell by this statement.

“And why exactly can't you?”, he wanted to know.

Ace looked back at him with a frown and furrowed brows.
“Well, what if my narcolepsy takes me out and I accidently drown?”

Sabo's blue eyes went huge, his jaw dropped and he tried to stutter out an apology or just something but nothing came out.
Holy shit...
Was that the reason Ace always used the shower and never the bathtub?
It must be, right??
Sabo had just never put two and two together and fuck, he felt horrible about it.

Of course Ace wouldn't take a bath if there was a chance he'd drown in there.
Sabo had seen multiple times just how quick both Ace's sleep attacks or his cataplexy could take him out, god beware it happened while he was alone and his head sank just below the surface...

 

But Ace just laughed at his expression in amusement.

“Yeah, exactly”, he just said. “It's just safer not to. Although I gotta say I do miss it...”

It was one of these things Ace usually didn't pay too much mind to. In his' and Luffy's old flat they'd only had a shower but now in this house he sometimes missed it.
Sabo and Luffy loved taking baths and whenever Ace watched over their little brother in the tub he got a tiny bit jealous.

“What if someone keeps an eye on you?”
The question had slipped out before Sabo had a chance to think about it but he didn't try to take it back or anything, just waited for an answer.

Ace raised his head and stared at his old friend across the table.
Genuinely surprised he asked: “You'd do that?”

“Sure”, Sabo agreed without hesitation though.
It was the least he could do, right?

Ace looked completely flabbergasted for several seconds.
Then he smiled gratefully.

“Okay! ... Then... could we go right now?”

“Yeah, sure. If you want to”, Sabo answered.

“Cool! Where do you keep your bath salts and stuff again?”

“I'll show you, come on.”

They quickly put their empty dishes in the dishwasher, then Ace couldn't stop himself from running up the stairs with an excited grin.
Sabo laughed and joined him in the bathroom a moment later where he was already trying to find the wooden box with the bathing stuff.

“I swear it was here last time...”
Ace's voice was muffled because he had his head stuck into the cabinet under the massive sink.

“I keep changing the place where I hide it”, Sabo explained. “I swear Luffy still looks like he wants to bite into the bath bombs.”

He opened the cabinet next to the door where they kept their towels and pulled out the box from under a huge stack.
“Here. Which one do you want? The green one is amazing for muscle relaxation.”

Ace studied the box closely and squinted at his options.
He was about to pick Sabo's recommendation when he pulled his hand back and then bit his lip.
Hesitantly, he glanced up at his old friend.

“... can I have two?”

“Uh... sure?”
Sabo wasn't sure if it was a good idea to mix them together but he wasn't about to choke Ace's (frankly adorable) excitement.

Ace then gleefully picked the bath salt and one bath bomb that was shaped like a goldfish before he skipped over to the massive bathtub and set the temperature for the water.

“It needs to be hotter”, Sabo immediately objected. “Otherwise the bath stuff won't dissolve properly. And you do want to relax your muscles, don't you?”

“But I don't like it when it's too hot!”

“You can add cooler water on top”, Sabo explained with a fond eye-roll. “Just do it.”

Ace obeyed, then suddenly remembered he still needed fresh clothes and raced to his room and back in record time.

The two of them chatted a bit while the tub filled up and once the water had reached the middle Ace shooed Sabo out so he could get in.

Sabo patiently waited behind the closed door but when about a minute had passed he called out to Ace and asked if everything was alright.
Oh god – had his narcolepsy struck already?!
Was he drowning?!

Before Sabo could burst through the door though he heard him call back: “Everything's okay! But there's still too little bubbles!”

Sabo cocked his head in confusion.
Even with all the fancy bath stuff it wouldn't have bubbles...

“Too little bubbles?”, he asked. “What are you- wait, are you adding some of Luffy's bubble bath too?? Don't overdo it!”

“But the water is still see-through and I don't want you to see my dick!”

Sabo abruptly broke out into a loud laugh.
“That's what you're worried about? I won't stare, you perv!”
He quickly managed to get himself back under control but still giggled a bit.
“Besides, oh no, a whole ass naked male body? In case you didn't notice: I have one of those too!”

“Yeah, but still!”

“You could have just put on swim shorts or stayed in your boxers if it bothers you this much!”

“... yeah, that would have been easier.”

Sabo laughed again but kept his mouth shut this time and waited until Ace called him back in.

His old friend looked really happy in his mountain of bubbles on top of the shimmering gold bath water and he beamed at him.

The blond smiled back and sat down on the floor so he could lean his cheek against the edge of the bathtub.
“How are you feeling?”

“Fantastic”, the other boy sighed. “Fuck, I missed this so much...”
His eyes fell shut and for a moment he enjoyed the feel of the hot water soothing his sore muscles.
He yawned, then forced his eyes back open and searched for Sabo's blue ones that were watching him like a hawk already.

“Thanks for having an eye on me.”

Sabo smiled right back.
“It's no problem”, he waved him off. “It's the least I could do after you've done so much work in the garden all on your own.”

“Hehe... no problem. As I said, I really enjoyed it actually. Any idea on what to do with all of the space yet?”

“Hmm... I've been thinking about a small vegetable garden”, Sabo admitted. “I heard Mihawk talk about his own one with Zeff last time I picked up Luffy. Maybe when semester break rolls around. Before that I won't have time. What about that pool Luffy wants so bad?”

Ace groaned.
This topic was coming up frequently but Luffy couldn't even swim yet and Ace had gotten into countless arguments with his little brother about it.

“I mean... maybe once he's had swimming lessons but... do you want one?”, Ace wanted to know.

Sabo chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, thinking about the question.
“I mean, we used to have one when I was younger and it was pretty cool. We have the space for it so why not?”

“Because it's expensive”, Ace pointed out while he avoided Sabo's eyes and poked at the bubbles instead.

“Oh, forget about the money for once”, Sabo answered, sounding impatient. “Luffy wants it, I want it and I'm sure you're not completely opposed to the idea either, am I right?”

Ace pouted for a moment, then mumbled a small “a pool would be really cool...”

Sabo nodded contently.
“Koala would love it too”, he added. “I bet summertime would be really fun if we got the pool. We already have the seating area with the new furniture. If we get a barbecue as well we could invite all of our friends around for dinners and parties!”

His eyes lit up as he was saying all that and Ace felt a fondness he hadn't expected coming over him.
“That sounds amazing”, he had to admit.

“Right?”

Sabo beamed and Ace knew he had already made the decision.

“Okay, then... Anything else aside from the pool and the vegetable garden?”

“Hmm... didn't Luffy say something about a tree house?”

“Oh yeah! He's wanted one ever since he discovered our old one in Dadan's garden. And I'd love to build one of those insect hotel things for him as well! He could always look for bugs and stuff then. Oh, and of course I have to cat-proof everything so Kotatsu can have fun in the garden too!”

“That sounds like a lot of work”, Sabo noted but Ace just smiled brighter.

“I don't care, it will be fun! Our backyard should be a place where we like to spend time and can do fun things, don't you think?”

“Yeah, you're right... by the way, do you know when the school will start with the swimming lessons?”

“Uhh... I think in second grade? I can ask Bellmere again, she should know because of Nojiko.”

“Hmm... do you think we could let Luffy take swimming lessons earlier?”

“Uh... why?”, Ace wanted to know.

“Well, if we want to get the pool in time for summer he'll need them.”

“But-”

“They can be his birthday present. Maybe we can ask Dadan and share the amount of money they'd cost.”

“His birthday is still a bit away though”, Ace argued. “Yours is up next and I still don't know what to...”

Sabo could easily guess the rest of the sentence without Ace finishing it and he couldn't help but smile softly.

“How about... something self-made?”

“Self-made?”

“Yeah. When it was your birthday I realized how cool this was. Everyone put so much thought into their gifts and you clearly loved every single one so... I think I wanna have that too.”

Ace's face lit up.
“Okay”, he agreed with a smile. “Something self-made then.”

“Great! I'm looking forward to it!”

 

They chatted for a little while longer.
.Ace eventually agreed to the swimming lessons but insisted they'd ask Dadan first.
“We should all take turns accompanying him”, he proposed.

“Good idea”, Sabo agreed. “I'm sure he'll learn quickly with how eager he is. And you'll feel much safer knowing he can swim when we go on that vacation Edward has invited us to.”

“Yeah, I guess so... Last time we took a ton of floaties and water wings for kids with us and one of us would always accompany Luffy if he wanted to get into the water. Well... actually, one of the others would also swim next to me when I got in...”, Ace admitted.

“Maybe we should get some water wings for you as well. For the bathtub you know.”

Ace broke out into a laugh.
“No way! I'd look so stupid!”

“It's not stupid if it keeps you from drowning!”, Sabo argued with a grin.

“I highly doubt my arms would even fit into them. Besides...”
Ace showed him a happy smile.
“... you'd keep an eye on me again if I asked, right?”

“Y-Yeah, of course.”

“See? No need for water wings if I have you watching over me.”

Sabo wasn't sure if it was from the warmth in the bathroom or not but he could feel his face heating up a bit.

“We- We'll be getting you something for the pool though!”, he quickly insisted. “A ring, a pool noodle, just something that'll keep you afloat just in case.”

Ace chuckled in amusement.
“Okay, fine”, he agreed though.

“Fine...”
Sabo hesitated with his next words for a long moment but he felt like he needed to say them.
“I'm sorry for... not realizing that your narcolepsy causes you this much trouble”, he mumbled. “I'd always assumed you just didn't like baths and that's it. I didn't even think about...”

He could feel Ace's eyes watching him for a moment before his old friend raised one hand out of the water and playfully flicked him in the middle of the forehead.

“Hey!”

“Don't feel guilty about that”, Ace told him. “You're a big help already. You can't think of every single scenario where my condition could affect me.”

“But I should!”

“No, you shouldn't”, Ace objected. “That's my job. You're already doing your best. I need to tell you when I need help with something. It's just... I still have a bit of that 'I have to do everything on my own'-mentality and it's hard to ignore it sometimes...”

He searched for Sabo's blue gaze and firmly held it once Sabo was looking back at him.

“But I'll try and let you know, okay? Like... like today. Thank you for offering again...”
Suddenly he felt like he had to look away and broke their eye contact.

Sabo watched him for a moment.
He knew that someone as proud as Ace had trouble asking for help a lot of the times.
Maybe he even thought it was embarrassing.
But today showed that he was making progress with that and so he simply answered with: “You can ask me if you want to take a bath anytime. I'll make sure you're safe.”

Ace smiled back at him warmly.
“Okay”, he agreed quietly. “I will.”

Sabo mirrored his smile but felt his face heat up again.
Damn it...
“How's the water?”, he asked to distract himself. “Still warm?”

“Getting cooler actually”, Ace answered and raised his hands out of the water, making the surface ripple softly.
“Shit, my fingers are all wrinkly!”, he laughed. “I look like a grandpa! Look!”

He shoved them into Sabo's face, making the blond laugh.

“Well, then I guess it's time to get out. You shouldn't stay too long in the water anyway with that muscle relaxation stuff.”

“Oh, okay...”

“Be careful when you get up”, Sabo warned him as he got to his own feet. “You might feel sort of weak for a bit.”

“Okay.”

“...are you sure you don't want help?”

“Nah, I can manage”, Ace waved him off.

“Okay. But if you need me just call, okay? I'll be in the library for a bit.”

Ace nodded in agreement and the two shared a last smile before Sabo left the bathroom.
He stayed standing outside the door until he heard the tub starting to drain and Ace stepping out safely before he made his way down the hall.

He had just picked out the book he'd needed from his stack of library books, looked for the correct chapter and sat down at his desk when he heard Ace call for him.

Sabo couldn't help but roll his eyes, got up again immediately though.
“Coming!”, he called before he quickly made his way back to the bathroom.

The tub wasn't even done draining yet when he opened the door and it seemed like Ace had just barely managed to dry himself off and put on some boxers before he'd sunken to the floor.
He was sitting with his back against the tub, eyelids heavy, his hands resting in his lap.

“Sorry”, Ace slurred. “Suddenly got tired an' that damn bath salt shit made my knees all wobbly and weak...”

“Oh, don't worry”, Sabo waved him off. “I told you I'm here to have an eye on you, right?”

“R-Right...”

“Okay, so, uh... think you can make it to your room if you lean on me?”

Ace blinked heavily but nodded.
“Yeah, think so... but hurry...”

“Okay. Come on then.”

Sabo helped him get to his feet, which wasn't as easy as Sabo had imagined it – Ace was quite heavy and Sabo hadn't exercised in forever.
But they managed somehow and Ace leaned heavily onto his old friends' shoulder as they made their way to Ace's bedroom.
Thankfully it was just next door.

Sabo had just sat Ace down on the edge of his mattress when his grey eyes fell shut and he slowly tipped backwards.

Sabo quickly grabbed his arms and managed to lower him down safely.
Once his head hit the mattress Ace started snoring.

The blond smiled fondly and shook his head, then carefully pulled Ace's upper body a bit to the right and then heaved his legs up onto the mattress one after the other.
He did his best to pull and shove him around with great care until it looked like Ace was laying in a comfortable position.

At last he picked up the thin blanket crumpled at the foot of the bed and spread it over his friend's sleeping body.
Once again Sabo wondered how Ace was able to sleep with just this light blanket.
Ever since Ace had gifted him his weighted blanket Sabo slept better than ever and had never looked back.

He still made sure Ace was properly tucked in before he straightened back up and regarded him with one last, fond look.
Ace looked so relaxed for once.
That bath must have truly worked wonders.

Sabo knew Ace was often more stressed than he let on and it was no surprise since he was trying to balance work, taking care of and spending time with Luffy and managing his narcolepsy all at once.
Maybe Sabo should treat him for all the work he'd done in their backyard. Take over his kitchen duty for a while or something like that. Or offer to watch over him in the bathtub again.

Sabo still felt a bit guilty that he hadn't even considered something like Ace not being able to take a bath alone because of his condition and he swore to himself that he'd be more attentive and ask more questions from now on even if Ace had insisted it wasn't his job.
Maybe there was more he could do to help ease Ace's burden a bit.

Ace had mentioned something about exercising more and that it could help with his daily routine. Coincidentally, Sabo had recently spotted an advertisement for a new membership deal at a gym not far away from their house.
He'd been meaning to start working out again too. They could go together, this way there was less risk that Ace got hurt when he trained, in case his narcolepsy acted up. Maybe Sabo could persuade him into letting him pay for the memberships somehow...

He'd ask him tomorrow though.
For now, he'd let him sleep.

Sabo tiptoed back towards the door, looked back over his shoulder again though.
But Ace was sleeping soundly and so Sabo just smiled and then closed the door behind him.
Somehow he felt their bond had strengthened even more after this evening and that left him feeling really happy.

Chapter Text

“Ace? Is Sabo okay?”

Luffy asked the question very carefully, almost as if he feared the answer.
It was endearing somehow and Ace found himself smiling at his little brother who had grabbed Merry and was holding her close to his chest.

“Are you still worried about him?”

The little boy nodded, showing his big brother a pout.

“He will be just fine”, Ace quickly assured him. “It's not uncommon that people feel... uh... I guess overwhelmed after their first therapy appointment.”

Overwhelmed was probably a bit of an understatement.
Sabo had looked beat after he'd returned home from the session earlier. Red-rimmed eyes, tense posture, he'd barely even spoken a word to either of them.
But Ace didn't want to remind Luffy of all that and so he reached for his blanket and waited until the boy had laid down comfortably before he tucked him in.

“Don't worry about him”, he repeated once more and made an effort to smile. “Therapy isn't a bad thing. I bet Sabo is just thinking about a lot of things right now.”

Luffy only hummed, his eyes slowly fluttering shut.
It was quite late already but the boy had wanted to stay up a bit longer so he could wait until Sabo came back from his room because he'd wanted to tell him good night.
It seemed like Sabo wanted to be on his own for a while though and Ace had eventually managed to convince Luffy to go to bed.

“And don't forget, we'll make a big breakfast tomorrow, okay?”, the older boy reminded his little brother. “I'm sure Sabo will appreciate that.”

“Okay”, Luffy mumbled with a smile. “You wake me up so we can make it together, right?”

“Of course.”
Ace leaned down and pressed a kiss to Luffy's cheek.
“And now it's time to sleep. Sweet dreams, Lu.”

“Sweet dreams, Ace...”

A fond smile played on Ace's lips and he stayed for a minute, let the calm and the sight of his sleeping little brother soothe him before he carefully climbed down the ladder of the loft bed and tip-toed out into the hallway.

His feet carried him towards Sabo's room and he stopped in front of the locked door.
He'd already raised a fist to knock when the sound of running water suddenly started up – Sabo must have just gotten into the shower.

Ace sighed and slowly trudged back into the living room where he let himself fall onto the couch.
One of the pillows fell to the floor but he didn't pay it any mind and instead stared at the ceiling.

Should he just leave Sabo alone and go to bed on time for once?
No, he couldn't do that.
He'd have to check on him at least.

Of course he hadn't expected his old friend to be all sunshine and rainbows after his first therapy appointment but Sabo had looked so...
It was hard to describe.
It had seemed like his mind was far away and he was looking at something only he could see.
He'd probably been lost in his memories and the things he'd told Dr. Kureha.

Ace could tell Sabo had tried his best to be present during dinner time, to listen even though he hadn't asked any questions or talked much like he usually would have.
It seemed like just being there had cost him a lot of energy though and he'd retreated into his bedroom afterwards.
His bedroom - not the library, like Ace had expected.
Ever since he'd heard the lock of Sabo's bedroom door click earlier there was a small but gnawing worry in his chest.

Ace took a deep breath and shook his head.
If Sabo really didn't want to leave his room again he would respect that.
But he would give a lot just to be able to give his oldest friend a comforting hug...

Ace decided to just wait.
Maybe Sabo would come to him on his own.
Ace hadn't told him how proud of him he was that he'd gone to his first therapy session yet. Somehow he had a feeling Sabo could benefit from hearing it...

He shook his head again and instead got up to turn on the Playstation.
He'd managed to snag an old but intact copy of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater from a nearby yard sale for only a few berries and he hadn't had much time to play it yet.
Maybe the game could distract him a bit.

The first level alone took him embarrassingly long because there was one level goal he just couldn't reach.

“I don't remember the controls being this wonky...”, he grumbled when he fell down from one of the high railings yet again.

“Or maybe you're just bad.”

Ace jumped at the quiet but unexpected voice and turned around, then heaved himself up a bit so he could look over the back of the couch.

Sabo stood in the middle of the living room, clad in a white bathrobe, hair damp from his shower.
His tone had been teasing but he still looked tense and kinda lost.

“How long have you been standing there?”, Ace wanted to know while he ignored the gnawing worry flaring up in his chest again.

“Long enough to see how bad you are.”
Again, the words were teasing but Sabo could barely bring himself to smile.

Usually Ace would have acted indignant, Sabo would have teased him some more and they would have laughed about it together.
But Ace didn't want to pretend like this was any other evening they spent together, so he didn't.

“How are you feeling?”, he dared to ask.
He kept his voice gentle and let a soft smile play on his lips.
A smile that hopefully said 'we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to'.

Sabo hummed softly, then shifted from one foot to the other.
His eyes wandered around the room for a few heartbeats before he finally answered with: “Not sure... it's just... a big mix of emotions, I guess...”

Ace nodded.
“I see...”
He mustered Sabo closely once more.
He was still standing there like a lost child so Ace decided it would be best if he'd hold out a helping hand to him.

“Wanna watch how bad I suck at this game?”

Sabo seemed to hesitate for a second but then he nodded and slowly padded closer. Ace showed him a happy smile and turned back to the TV.
“I swear I almost had that stupid tape once! Can you believe this is only the first level? That's ridiculous. Games used to actually be hard!”

Sabo settled at the edge of the couch and watched the screen for a minute while Ace did his best to get up on the elevated area of the foundry but fell down again.

Before he could start another try Sabo quietly called his name.
Ace stopped and slowly put down the controller.
“Yeah?”

Sabo didn't look at him but Ace noticed he was tense again – shaking even.
An 'are you okay?' was already on the tip of his tongue but he swallowed it down and forced himself to be patient.

“I actually... came here because I wanted to... t-to ask if you could...”

Ace saw him reach into the pocket of the bathrobe when he struggled to finish his sentence and pull out a small white, glass container.
He pushed it over to Ace who took it and lifted it up so he could read the label.
Scar Treatment.

“Can you h-help me put this on and... and maybe m-massage it in...?”, Sabo stuttered out his question. “I can't reach... some parts of my... my s-scars...”

“Yeah. Of course”, Ace agreed straight away.
He briefly wondered why Sabo hadn't asked him this earlier already but then remembered that he hadn't even seen the full extent of his burn scars yet.
Sabo had told him, yeah, but he'd not been comfortable with showing them to Ace or Luffy until now.

Ace suddenly understood that this was a huge step for Sabo.
They had been living together for more than half a year now and although their relationship was great it had taken Sabo months until he was now finally ready to ask Ace for help.
Ace just hoped Sabo hadn't suffered any pain because he'd been too insecure to request his support earlier.

He pressed the pause button on the controller.
The game music stopped and left them in silence.

Ace scooted over and went to sit cross legged behind Sabo's shivering form.
“Ready when you are”, he whispered.

Sabo nodded and Ace could hear him let out a long breath.
Ace forced himself to sit still, not open his mouth to say something, no matter how many encouraging words or reassuring nothings he wanted to say to his old friend.
It was hard though.

After what must have been several minutes Sabo finally managed to open the bathrobe and slid it down his shoulders with shaky fingers.

Ace held his breath as the old burn marks were revealed to him for the very first time.

The first thing Ace noticed was how red Sabo's skin looked, not just his scars – all of it below his neck.
He'd probably showered on a way too high temperature again.
Ace could swear Sabo's bathroom got turned into a sauna every time he showered.

Then he looked closer and studied the uneven scar tissue for a moment.
Most of it was pretty light but some parts were still tinged red and looked rough.
One scar ran from Sabo's neck down to his shoulder blade, another one was wrapped around the left side of his rib cage as far as Ace could see.
A few smaller ones were dotted across the otherwise pale skin and a last big one spanned around his hip bone and then disappeared under his sweatpants.
Sabo's left arm was dotted with a few smaller and middle sized scars, most of which Ace had seen already.

Still, he had to swallow when he saw the whole expanse of it and it unwillingly made him think of the accident Sabo had gotten them in.
It must have been so traumatic...

Ace forcefully pushed these thoughts away and picked up the cream.
He had a job to do.

“I'll start now, yeah? Tell me if it hurts in any way or you need a break.”

He couldn't see Sabo's face but his friend nodded and hummed briefly.
He was still shaking badly.
It wasn't a light shiver like the ones you had when you were a bit cold – no these were very noticeable tremors and Ace just knew it was because Sabo was trying to suppress his nerves or his fear, maybe even both.

Oh god, somehow Ace's throat felt really tight... was he about to start crying?

He quickly screwed off the lid and dipped his fingers into the cool ointment.
“Careful”, he mumbled as a warning and then spread the cream across a spot on Sabo's shoulder blade.
The first touch made the blond flinch unwillingly and he mumbled an apology right away.
Ace shook his head.
“Don't”, he just said. “I know this is hard for you... and I'm really proud you asked me for help.”

Sabo just bowed his head lower, Ace assumed it was out of embarrassment so he didn't say anything as he continued and missed the faint blush across Sabo's cheeks and nose.

Sabo's skin felt rough in a few places, it was uneven under Ace's fingertips but still warm until he spread the cool ointment over it and carefully massaged it in.
Sabo still shivered though and so Ace bit back a teasing comment about Sabo's habit of showering too hot.

After a tense few minutes Sabo let out a small sigh though and his shoulders sagged a bit.

“Feels good?”

The blond hummed in response.
“Yeah...”

Ace smiled.
Maybe now he could ease Sabo's anxiety further by distracting him a bit.

“By the way, Makino sent me a pic earlier of where she hung up the photograph of Luffy.”

The three of them had finally been able to give the couple that framed picture that was supposed to be their wedding gift: a beautiful photograph of Luffy in his little suit, smiling brightly while doing his flower boy duties. When Makino and Shanks had visited them recently after Luffy's little accident with the knife none of them had thought to give it to them.

“Did you see the tears in her eyes when she saw it for the first time?”

“Cut her some slack, she's pregnant”, Sabo chuckled quietly, still tense, but Ace counted it as a win. “Shanks said she cries super easily at the moment. Besides, I'm pretty sure he almost teared up as well.”

“Oh, I bet he did”, Ace grinned, then he giggled to himself. “Oh man, we're some to talk. We all cried at the wedding too and there's photo evidence of it thanks to Marco.”

“Oh my god, you're right!”
Sabo still shivered under Ace's touch but he didn't seem to be as rigid anymore now.
Ace's tactic did show effect.
Good.

“Oh, speaking of the wedding”, Ace quickly continued in an attempt to keep him distracted from his touch. “Shanks told me Mihawk got super drunk after we left.”

“Really?? But he's always so... I don't know. I just didn't think he'd be the type to get fucked up at a wedding.”

“Maybe he just waited until his parents were gone so they wouldn't see”, Ace laughed. “Also I'm pretty sure he had a little flask of wine hidden in his pocket during the last parent – teacher – gathering.”

“What?? You're joking!”

“No, I mean it!”, Ace reaffirmed. “According to Shanks he got so drunk at the wedding Benn had to drive him home. You remember him? Benn Beckman? Shanks' best man?”

“Oh yeah! That tall guy who held the speech, right?”

“Yeah, that one!”

“Damn... guess you weren't the only blackout drunk guy there after all...”

“Hey, I wasn't blackout drunk”, Ace pouted, feigning offence.

“Ace, you declared your love to all of your friends while nearly crying.”

“In my defence, I already do that when I'm just tipsy, so...”

Sabo chuckled but didn't say anything more.

“What kind of drunk are you?”, Ace asked, now curious.

“Oh, I'm the sad type. I get emotional too but not in a good way. Overdid it badly one time and since then I rarely touch any alcohol.”

“Oh... I see... Well, we're all different I guess”, Ace answered and immediately cringed at his choice of words. At the same time he accidently pressed down too hard on Sabo's shoulder.

“Ouch!”

“Fuck, sorry! Sorry!”, Ace immediately apologized and took his hands off of him completely.

“It's fine”, his old friend mumbled. “Are you done?”

“A-Almost”, Ace assured him.
He gathered some more of the cream and carefully continued massaging it in.
“I think you have a lot of tension here”, he added when he carefully stroked over Sabo's neck and shoulder muscles. Does it hurt when I do this?”

He slowly pressed down with more force and got his answer when Sabo winced softly.

“I noticed you've been favouring your right arm for a few days now”, Ace carefully added.

“You did?”
Sabo sounded truly surprised.

“Yeah, when you were cooking for example. And you carried your backpack only on that shoulder when you came home yesterday.”

“Heh... guess you're more observant than people give you credit for.”
Sabo's voice was still quiet and strained but there was a slight tease to it and Ace smiled.

“I learned to be when I adopted Luffy”, he explained. “Was forced to, really. Back then he was still in that phase where he'd tried to eat everything.”

Sabo giggled at the mental picture.
“Like a dog that eats shit it's not supposed to?”

“Yeah, kinda”, Ace agreed with an amused grin. “It was a disaster, I tell you. But now it's become second nature to look out for him. And for you too, by extension.”

Sabo hummed softly and Ace felt like he bowed his head a bit lower again but then he mumbled a quiet “Thanks...”

“You're welcome.”

Ace carefully took care of the remaining scars and was about to ask Sabo if he should try and massage out the tension in his sore shoulder when his friend quickly put the bathrobe back on and took a deep breath.

Ace swallowed down his question.
Maybe next time then.

For a moment there was silence and neither of them dared to break it.
A few heartbeats passed, then Ace's gaze fell down to the controller and he looked at the pause screen on their TV.

“Help me beat this level?”, he pleaded and offered Sabo the controller with a pout and big eyes. “Since I suck so bad?”

That made Sabo smile and he took the controller, then scooted back so he could lean against the backrest.
“Let the pro handle this”, he said confidently and pressed the continue option.

“I bet you'll need at least five tries.”

He didn't.
He needed only one.

Ace couldn't believe it.

“First try?! That's just luck!”

“It's skill”, Sabo retorted, sounding very smug. “Here, you promised I could watch how bad you are.”
With that he chucked the controller back at Ace who was determined to keep at least a bit of his dignity and started the next level.

For a while they joked around and Ace almost felt like this was any other evening.

When he was stuck at one of the level goals again he held the controller out to Sabo who immediately took it and started a new round.

“Hey”, he spoke up after a minute in which he'd been just laser focused on the game. “Did you think about the gym membership deal again?”

Ace hesitated.

“I did”, he answered slowly. “And I kind of really want to? But I'm not sure because I don't know when I'd have the time to go. It would probably be really sporadically or spontaneously and I don't want to spend the money if it's wasted half of the time... Maybe it'd be better to just invest in a bit of basic equipment so I can work out at home.”

Sabo glanced at him, then paused the game for a moment.
“Usually I would respect your choice”, he mumbled. “But... one of the reasons I asked you originally was because... I don't wanna go alone.”

“Oh...”, was the only thing Ace could answer.

“I... know I get distracted by my studies too much and that I need to just move more in general. If we would go together I think it could be fun and we could push each other, you know? Drag each other along when we're trying to look for excuses not to go.”

He looked at Ace to try and see how he was reacting.
For a moment he looked conflicted but then he seemed to think about it further.

“I mean, you're right... but what about Luffy?”

“The gym is right around the corner. Didn't you want to start leaving him on his own for short periods of time soon?”

“Yeah, that's true...”

“He's almost seven, I think he can manage an hour by himself. We need to start doing this sooner or later anyway.”

“Maybe we could ask Brook and Yorki if they'd be willing to look after him if we're gone for more than an hour? Luffy loves them, do you think they'll mind?”

Sabo smiled.
“Of course they won't. They barely want to let him go every time he's at their house to feed the fish and sing songs with them.”

“Maybe we could ask Ma too? Luffy could spend a while at her house after school and then she could drive him over once we're home.”

“Good idea. This way we could have dinner with her more often too!”

“Okay”, Ace agreed with a happy smile. “Right, then let's do it. It'll work out somehow.”

Sabo smiled back at him brightly.
“It will”, he said confidently. “Thank you, Ace.”

“Yeah, n-no problem”, the raven answered while carding through his hair. “Should we go there tomorrow after breakfast then to get the memberships?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Sabo then continued the game.
He was way too good at it regarding the fact that he'd last played it around fifteen years ago.
Ace was only a tiny bit jealous though.
… a lot actually.

He was about to complain but then noticed how relaxed Sabo now looked and he kept his mouth shut.

“You know...”, he said after a while. “I'm proud of you.”

Sabo threw him a surprised look.

“For going to your first therapy appointment. That truly takes some balls. I'm really proud that you did that. And that you asked me for help with your scars too.”

The blond smiled, almost as if he was embarrassed but he nodded softly.
“Thank you, that... means a lot.”

Ace then felt like he had to let Sabo in on something.
“You know... I thought about looking for a therapist myself”, he confessed quietly. “I know I should be in therapy for... quite a few things actually... but I'm not quite... there yet.”

For a few heartbeats there was silence and Ace wondered if he'd overshared or made the whole thing about himself somehow but then Sabo interrupted his spiralling thoughts with a gentle: “You will be.”

Ace shyly glanced over to him.
Sabo looked right back.
There was no sign that he was doubting his words and Ace felt grateful for them.
Yeah, hopefully he'd be as brave as Sabo soon...

“By the way, do you think Marco would accept an invitation for dinner at a restaurant?”, the blond then asked.

“Why? Do you wanna ask him out on a date?”, Ace joked.

“No, you idiot”, Sabo laughed. “I wanted to thank him because he pointed me to Dr. Kureha after I'd already written her off. And now I know that she's the right choice. I thought going out to dinner would be a good idea to show my gratitude.”

“He'd definitely accept”, Ace let him know. “He loves everything with chicken. Just a tip.”

“Okay, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.”

Sabo paused the game again.

“Oh, another thing. Dr. Kureha said it could be helpful if I build a small routine for the days where I have my appointments with her. They'll be on Thursdays and I already decided on going on a walk and getting something to drink maybe, just so I can calm down and think about the session a bit, you know... and I think I wanna make watching our game show part of that routine as well.”

Ace smiled brightly.

“Sure!”, he agreed.
The game show they always watched together had candidates from all across the Seas and there was a quiz part and a part with physical tasks. It was hilarious.

“Should I take over kitchen duty that evening?”

“If you don't mind?”

“I don't.”

“Cool, cool... thank you.”

Sabo smiled.
He managed to finish the level and handed the controller back to Ace once the next one started.

For a while he watched him struggle with a tricky part of the map.
He glanced at him but Ace's eyes were glued to the screen.

“Was Luffy worried about me?”, Sabo asked, almost in a whisper.
He knew he'd been awfully quiet at the dinner table and his little brother had stared at him with those big eyes every time he thought Sabo didn't notice.

“'Course he was”, Ace answered. “He wanted to wait and tell you good night but then it got late and I brought him to bed. But I'm sure he'll wake you up tomorrow morning.”

Luffy's worry was adorable and Sabo smiled to himself.

“You know, I was so nervous before the appointment”, he heard himself confess. “I thought I was gonna throw up at some point. But Dr. Kureha was... I don't know... I felt safe with her. She has these sharp eyes, you know? I felt like she could see right into me if she just wanted to. During the session I just... talked to her a lot. About my life, my past and... I don't know, when I spoke about it and laid it out for her like that... it just made me realize I've been through so much.”

Ace had pressed the pause button and just listened quietly.

“But right now... I'm just happy with the way my life is right now.”

He looked over to Ace and didn't even try to hide the tears shimmering in his eyes.

“You know, I wanted to go to therapy way earlier”, he told his old friend. “But back then I was still financially dependant on my mother and she probably would have disowned me completely if she'd found out I went to see a therapist.”

“You really think so?”, Ace asked, shocked.

But Sabo nodded grimly.
“My rich parents who could solve every problem with money? Yeah, I'm certain they never believed that something like therapy would be useful or even viable... It would have been bad if my mother had found out... I wanted to look for one again when I moved out and in with Koala. But then my mother got sick and I didn't have the time or energy to look for someone. Finally having that first session today was tough... but so worth it.”

Ace nodded slowly.
“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Did... did Dr. Kureha encourage you to... you know... let me help you with your scars? Marco said she works with lots of patients who have medical trauma, right?”

“Yeah, but that's not the reason”, Sabo answered. “She didn't encourage me to do this. I just... felt brave enough today. I actually wanted to come to you way earlier with this but... I somehow just... didn't dare to...”

“Why not?”
It wasn't that Ace was hurt by this confession.
It just confused him.

“... but don't get mad at me.”

...what the hell?

“Why would I get mad at you?”

Sabo pressed his body into the backrest some more and pulled his knees up to his chest before he answered.
“I... I needed to be sure that... that... you wouldn't... hurt me...”

“...hurt you?”

Sabo didn't dare to look at him, nodded though.

“Yeah... I know how that sounds. But after these years with my abusive family, the memories I'd lost and the years we spent apart... I know you would never harm me, I know! But... I always fear it with new people... deep down... I don't know why. It's like I expect it from them even though...”
He briefly shook his head and closed his eyes.
“I know this is probably some kind of trauma response and I feel horrible...”

He sniffled softly.

“With Koala it took months until I'd let her hug me or touch me casually, like on my hands or shoulders and I think it took over a year until I let her help me with my scars so... don't take this personally, yeah? It's just-”

“Can I hug you?”

Sabo tried to blink away the tears that had started blurring his vision so he could see Ace's expression clearly.
There was something desperate in his eyes, something like pity but for once Sabo didn't mind.
Instead he nodded and let Ace gather him in a warm embrace that felt like home.

His rapidly beating heart calmed down quickly but because he was focused on trying to take a deep breath, he didn't notice the quick kiss Ace pressed to his shoulder.

“I don't take it personally”, his oldest friend assured him. “And I don't mind if there's days where you're not brave enough to ask me for help. But as I said, I'm glad you asked tonight... You can ask me anytime, okay? Wake me up in the middle of the night if you must. I'll be there.”

Sabo swallowed and nodded into Ace's chest.

“Okay”, he choked out.

For a while he let Ace hold him, then his tight embrace got too much and he had to wriggle out of it.
Ace only reluctantly let go this time.

“Come on”, Sabo said with a strained voice and pushed the controller over to him. “You promised me I could watch you be a loser at this game.”

“Oh, you will!”, Ace promised with a loving smile. He started a new round and wasn't even trying to be bad on purpose but somehow he fucked up some easy flips and tricks anyway and it looked hilarious.

After just a few minutes Sabo was laughing out loud and Ace felt relieved hearing that after his old friend's brooding silence earlier.

They played together for another while, trading the controller back and forth to see who was better (it was Sabo by a landslide) and just forget about all the stress from today.

Ace just took a sip from his soda can, thinking back to pieces of their earlier conversations when suddenly a light bulb went on in his head and he nearly spit his drink out.
He didn't – but it ended in a coughing fit for him.

“You okay?”, Sabo chuckled and patted his back a few times while he was gasping for air.

“Oh my god, Sabo!”, Ace croaked out and looked at him with eyes wide as saucers. “Do you remember I told you about the hickey Mihawk had after the wedding?”

“...yeah? And?”
Sabo didn't get where this was coming from all of a sudden.
Or where this way going.

“And what did I tell you earlier?! Who drove him home?!”, Ace nearly yelled at him.

Sabo gasped and stared at him, jaw on the floor.
“Benn Beckman!”

“Exactly!!”

Ace laughed like a maniac while Sabo had a bit of a hard time believing that.
“You really think they hooked up? Isn't Mihawk like... one of Shanks' best friends as well? Would he go for the groom's best man on his wedding day??”

“Oh, it's even better! Hawks and Shanks used to be a couple for a while, back when they were our age!”

“WHAT?!”
Sabo couldn't believe it.
“What the... and why did you never tell me?!”

“Because it wasn't important up until now!”, Ace laughed. He'd gotten up and paced the space in front of the couch. “Oh man! I can't believe it... I bet they'll both be at Shanks' birthday party this weekend too. Maybe we can find out more then...”

“Find out more?”, Sabo giggled. “What, do you wanna play detective or what?”

“Maybe”, Ace grinned, his eyes sparkled. “Finally, I've solved the mystery!”

“It could still be someone else. Maybe the didn't even hook up. They could have just made out”, Sabo argued but Ace didn't listen. Instead, his grin got even brighter and he gasped when he suddenly got an idea.

“I'm gonna call Bellmere!”

“Ace, it's nearly eleven-”

“I don't care! She needs to know the truth!”

Ace had grabbed his phone and disappeared before Sabo could try to talk him out of it again and he was left alone in the living room.

For a moment there was only silence, then Sabo's quiet chuckles rang through the room and he got up as well.
Since Ace would be busy with that call for a few minutes Sabo could use this time to say good night to his favourite little brother.

His heart felt lighter than it had all day as he quietly tip-toed down the hallway.