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Luffy liked that Sabo was back with them. For all that he had been assuming he was lost at sea, it was a nice surprise to find him suddenly standing there in the clearing close to their treehouse. He had showed up out of the blue, stepping into the clearing he and Ace were sparring in, which had never been a good idea. Feral forest children that they were, it was attacking first and asking questions later.
Ace had been on edge at the start, the frown on his face only deepening as Sabo started explaining that he had suffered from amnesia. That the blast hadn’t killed him, but had made him forget all about them. Where he had been, with the Revolutionary Army under the leadership of Luffy’s dad (which brought about a whole different set of questions both brothers asked him to wait with, this took priority). Only remembering when they came back to the East Blue and someone had asked Sabo where the other two brats were and all of the sudden it made sense .
“I was out cold for two days before I regained consciousness and came looking for the both of you”, Sabo explained with a soft smile on his face, “I am so sorry I wasn’t here the last six years but I didn’t know. I should have remembered, but I didn’t, but I’m here now!”
He could see that Ace was mad. For all that Ace had been an angry child, he had changed so much since growing up. Now at sixteen, he was everything Luffy could wish for in a brother. He was there when he was hurt, or when he needed a hug, Ace even went out of his way to make sure Luffy was safe at all times. They even talked about what would happen once Ace set out and how Luffy could make sure he’d be safe once that happened.
So for someone to arrive, looking like Sabo, wanting to integrate back into their lives was something Ace wouldn’t just let happen. Luffy knew that, he didn’t even protest when Ace shoved him behind himself as soon as Sabo (or the person looking like Sabo) arrived.
“How do I know it’s really you”, there was bite to that sentence. But as a way to make sure that this was Sabo and if it was, that it would take a while for Ace to forgive him.
But Sabo could share things that only he would know. Where his and Ace’s pirate fund was kept, both times. How they met Luffy and why they took care of him so much, the mention of Bluejam alone had all three of them on edge even if the man died in the fire of the Grey Terminal. But again, there were details no one else knew about. To the point that they couldn’t do anything but believe that this was Sabo. Ace was still skeptical, Luffy could see that, but he allowed Luffy to approach and hug Sabo which was more than they ever expected to be able to do.
Ace didn’t follow though, which was his first clue that something wasn’t quite the same as before. Luffy pondered on it for a while, but couldn’t really think of any reason as to why Ace kept his distance now, that sad look back in his eyes. It had been years since he looked like that, so why was he suddenly reverting back there?
—
Luffy liked that Sabo was back with them, but he didn’t like the way it was influencing Ace. His big brother who had been there there last six years who was pulling away again. Who was letting Luffy have his time with Sabo and willfully kept to the side.
It wasn’t just that, it was also Sabo apparently still learning how they were as teenagers. Ace especially, it seemed that Sabo had certain expectations on what Ace would or wouldn’t do. Ten year old Ace would do such things, for sure. But six years had passed and Luffy couldn’t think of anyone else who had shown such growth as Ace did.
“Why does Sabo keep doing that”, he asked once afternoon, looking at his blond brother after another strange encounter. Ace’s eyes had gone blank for a moment, before he was turning around and making his way to Dadan’s hut.
Sabo blinked, “Doing what?”
Tilting his head, Luffy huffed, “Looking at us like that, expecting one thing or another. Six years passed and I’m not seven anymore, nor is Ace still ten. Stop thinking that we’ll be exactly the same like we were before.”
It was getting on his nerves, Sabo used to watch out for him and seven year old Luffy definitely needed that. But thirteen year old Luffy did not. He had been living here for six years now, all of which he had Ace by his side who was protecting him and teaching him how to protect himself. Yet, Sabo still jumped in front of Luffy when they went to hunt.
He still looked at Ace as if he expected the older boy to blow up at him and start fighting. When Ace didn’t do that it was almost as if Sabo was disappointed. Something that was clear to read on his face and it was making Ace pull away from them. Which came back to the point which Luffy didn’t like at all.
“Luffy”, Sabo started, “I don’t… I didn’t even notice I was doing that…”
Huffing once more, Luffy turned away, “Well… You are and it’s hurting Ace. He… I…” Biting his lip, he looked away before stating that Sabo had been the nice brother before. Protecting him, making sure Ace didn’t treat him too roughly. But Sabo hadn’t been there in the last six years so he didn’t get to pretent everything was back like it had been before.
“You’re hurting Ace, Sabo. When he took on so much when you were gone, he’s the nice brother now and I won’t let him feel like he has to pull himself away from us just because you’re back”, Luffy said as he left Sabo standing in that clearing to go and look for Ace. Saying it out loud gave him the idea on what was really going on in Ace’s head.
Luffy could still hear a ten year old Ace saying that Luffy preferred Sabo over him. That he had wished Ace had died instead and that wasn’t even close to how Luffy felt (then or now). But he could imagine that Ace was feeling like that. Like he wasn’t enough now that Sabo was back in the picture and Luffy hated that he thought like that.
—
Luffy liked that Sabo was back with them, but he hated how it made Ace feel.
Finding his older brother wasn’t that hard. Ace had a few places he went to brood and one of those was the cliff they had been on when they heard Sabo had been killed. Settling down next to him, Luffy smiled as he reached out for Ace’s hand.
“I’m happy Sabo is back, but that doesn’t mean that he’s the nice brother now”, he whispered.
Ace looked up so fast that Luffy was worried he’d pull something in his neck, a shocked, “What”, leaving his lips.
Scooting in closer, Luffy smiled sadly, “Sabo wasn’t there for the last six years and even if he’s still Sabo he wasn’t there when I grew up. You were, you were there every step of the way, going from such a grumpy older brother to the best big brother I could imagine and I don’t want you to think anything less of yourself.”
He can see the way Ace is trying to process it, which is when Luffy scoots even closer so he’s leaning into Ace’s side. Leaning on Ace’s shoulder as he whispers, “Sabo doesn’t know me, Ace, he wasn’t there for it all and for all that he came back to us he needs to find out who we are still. I told him as much, just as I told him I didn’t like how he was making you feel bad about yourself.”
The hand he’s holding clenches around him, before a sob sounds and Luffy left Ace tug him into his lap and hug him. Not saying anything about the tears he can feel on his shirt, just sitting there and holding his older brother. Humming something he came up with in an effort to comfort the one who always comforted him.
Movement at the edge of his vision had him turning around, ready to fight whoever it was that came out. Stopping when Sabo was there and took a seat next to them, there was something raw in his eyes and the redness of them showed that he too had been crying.
Reaching out his hand, Luffy means when Sabo takes it, giggling before speaking, “Sabo isn’t the nice brother anymore, Ace is. But I’m sure we can all learn who we are now that we’re together again. Ace and Sabo are having their own adventures before I’m setting out anyway, so I’ll need to learn everything that will happen in those three years anyway.”
Ace and Sabo laugh at that, before Luffy as hugged from both sides. Feeling the shift in the world around him and happy that they managed to overcome that. He meant it when he said Ace had changed so much and he wouldn’t let anyone invalidate that. Sabo must have changed too, but neither of them were there to see it, just as Sabo hadn’t been there to see them grow. But that’s ok, that’s just something they can work on and see how it ends up bringing them closer once more.
For now though, he was enjoying the hug from his brothers. They’d deal with everything else later.