Author Note: If only, if only…This is set in anime-verse (if you're interested in small details like that!) just because I happen to be more familiar with the anime than the manga.

Shout out to AuthenticAussie, my wonderful beta!

XXX

Chapter 1 - Dawn Island

XXX

Sabo had never felt attachment to any one place before. The family house had been closer to a mausoleum than a home; nothing was to be touched lest one damaged the family treasures. Baltigo was built much like a fortress, and indeed it needed to be in order to best protect the Revolutionaries laying their lives on the line to bring about change to the world.

But as the sixteen year old wandered through the tons of trash and caught sight of the start of the forest trail that lead into the mountain, Sabo finally understood what some of his colleagues meant when they said somewhere felt like coming home. He couldn't help the broad grin that spread across his face as the enormous trees welcomed him into their cool shade.

It had taken weeks of pleading and bargaining on Sabo's part to even begin to get his leader, Dragon, to consider taking him along on a routine inspection of East Blue. Sabo was not an overly emotional person, not like Luffy, but the thought of the Revolutionaries passing so close to Dawn Island had sent Sabo into an almost frenzy like state. He wanted to see his brothers. He needed to see his brothers. He couldn't bear the thought of letting them think he was dead any longer than necessary. And Sabo was certain they thought him dead. How could they not when the whole of Goa Kingdom had been witness to his rather spectacular departure from port? News travelled fast on the small island and he was under no illusion that Ace and Luffy would have found out eventually. He half suspected Dragon had only reluctantly agreed to his inclusion on the trip in order to calm him down.

"You have one week, Sabo, so make the most of it," Dragon had warned. "We cannot afford to be in the area for any longer or the marines may catch wind of us. And you must swear that you will not do anything to draw attention to yourself. The last thing we need right now is one of our senior officers shipped off to Impel Down."

Sabo had quickly agreed and after a three month voyage whereby they had stopped off at various outposts along the way - nearly driving the blond to distraction with the various delays - they had finally reached Dawn Island mere hours ago.

He had steered well clear of Goa City despite there being very little risk of anyone recognising him. There was nothing for him there. Gray Terminal had been easy enough to navigate despite the location of the trash heaps shifting like waves on the ocean. There were the usual gaunt faces peering out at him from beneath badly made shelters but no one had stopped him. No one had even attempted to approach him. The inhabitants all knew how to scent weakness, it was fundamental to their survival, but there had been none of that emanating from Sabo as he had confidently picked his way slowly but surely across the wasteland.

Sabo paused to brace himself against a gnarled tree trunk as he breathed in deeply, drinking in the fresh mountain air. He looked up through the canopy to gauge the position of the sun, suddenly considering the time. It was after midday, far too late for his brothers to still be sleeping at their old base, if indeed it had been able to stand the test of time given the shape it had been in shortly before he had been forced to leave. They certainly wouldn't be with the bandits any longer than necessary. Hoping his brothers hadn't changed their habits too much, Sabo concluded he was best heading for their old training ground as they were bound to wind up there at some point during the afternoon.

It was a great deal easier to reach than he remembered, with the large fallen trees and deep undergrowth no longer offering quite the same challenge to his sixteen year old self that they had to a ten year old child.

Sabo paused as a loud curse erupted from somewhere in front of him. A small smile broke across his face and he hurried forwards, stopping just short of the sun soaked clearing.

His breath hitched faintly as he finally spotted his little brother, barely twenty meters from him, dusting himself off. There was no sign of Ace but he couldn't be far away. They'd had an unspoken rule between them that Luffy was never to be left alone for too long. Not after he had eaten some wild mushrooms and been unable to stop laughing for three hours – that had been an interesting afternoon.

Sabo quietly observed the dark haired youth in front of him. He had gotten so big, Sabo noted, pride welling up in his chest. He looked like he was beginning to lose some of the plump baby fat from around his face but he was still very scrawny. His signature straw hat was hanging around his neck, wafting gently in the warm summer breeze.

Sabo watched with fond nostalgia as Luffy prepared himself, left hand reaching up to grasp his right shoulder as he drew back his arm into a familiar pose.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy cried, launching his fist towards a large rock and throwing his whole body into the attack. For a single moment, Sabo thought Luffy would actually strike it and so did Luffy judging by the wide grin that appeared, but at the last second his feet seemed to go from under him and the punch went wide. Sabo winced slightly as Luffy fell forwards, landing hard. His arm quickly snapped back to its normal length. "Damn it," Luffy whined.

Sabo sighed, shoulders slumping. Whilst it seemed Luffy's control over his Devil Fruit was certainly improving, his aim still left something to be desired. Sabo watched with admiration however, as Luffy pushed himself up and readied himself for another attempt.

Unable to stay still, Sabo stepped forward, absently leaning his pipe against a tree stump as he quickly judged what was wrong with Luffy's stance.

As Luffy drew back his arm, Sabo broke his silence.

"Spread your feet more," he called, just loud enough to be heard over Luffy's own cry. To Sabo's surprise, rather than losing concentration, Luffy immediately did as instructed and managed to land a solid hit onto the rock. A small cloud of dust erupted from the impact point but the rock itself remained intact.

Sabo started ever so slightly as Luffy spun around exuberantly, straw hat swinging wildly on its string.

Luffy cocked his head in consideration, his grin turning into a baffled frown as he spotted the blond. Sabo shifted self-consciously under Luffy's penetrating gaze, suddenly far more aware of the scar on his face than he had been in years and more than a little afraid he had been gone too long for Luffy to even remember him anymore. His fears were laid to rest however as Luffy finally broke the silence.

"Sabo?" Luffy whispered hesitantly, face scrunched up in confusion.

The blond nodded slowly. "It's been a while," he said softly, not too sure what to make of Luffy's bewildered expression. His brother managed to surprise him once again however when he simply broke into a wide grin and shook his head, straw hat flapping enthusiastically behind him.

"Uh-uh," Luffy laughed. "I see you all the time. You sound different though." Sabo froze, eyes widening.

"What?" he managed to choke out. Luffy took a couple of steps closer but never made to reach for him.

"Ace sees you too," Luffy continued without missing a beat. "But he never likes to admit he does. Makino said it's because he's embarrassed. Where did the scar come from? That's so cool looking!"

Luffy thought he was imagining him, Sabo realised with a jolt as his heart squeezed painfully tight in his chest. He was vaguely aware that Luffy was still speaking but he could barely hear a word as his vision tunneled and he swayed dangerously for several seconds until managed to take a deep gulp of air.

The sudden silence caught his attention. He refocused on his brother to see Luffy staring at him curiously, head tilted.

"Why is Sabo so sad?" Luffy asked, bemused at his brother's strange behaviour.

Sabo chuckled apologetically and smiled gently. "I'm not sad, Luffy," he assured his brother, causing a wide grin to break out on the other's face. Guilty would the better word, Sabo thought, chest aching.

"Oh good," Luffy said, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. "You're really tall now! You might even be taller than Ace. I wonder why? Ah, well, it's a mystery! Shishishi!"

Sabo slipped off his leather gloves, stashing them in his pockets as Luffy continued to ramble on, hands gesturing excitedly every which way and his whole body practically vibrating with energy. Sabo shook his head in amusement. Luffy really hadn't changed at all. He stepped forward cautiously to close the final distance between them.

"Luffy," Sabo said, pleased to hear his voice didn't betray his nerves as he raised his hand and reached up towards Luffy's face, the other's gaze following his every movement, suddenly much more alert. Sabo hesitated for half a second before firmly pinching Luffy's cheek, stretching the skin away from the bone as he had done so many times in the past. He allowed the skin to snap back sharply, causing Luffy to lurch sideways.

Luffy reached up to massage his cheek, glaring angrily up at the blond.

"Don't do that!" he cried.

Sabo smiled softly. "Luffy, I'm really here. I can touch you," he said, slowly removing his top hat. Luffy stared, his eyes going impossibly wide as realisation dawned on him. His hand fell limply away from his face as Sabo once again reached up to gently cup Luffy's cheek in his palm. His thumb gently skimmed the thin scar running underneath Luffy's eye. "See?"

Sabo waited patiently as Luffy's gaze drank him in, cataloguing all the changes, big and small, in his appearance.

"Sabo?" Luffy whispered. Sabo nodded, letting his hand fall away. But Luffy lunged for it frantically, grip tight as he focused on Sabo's face, eyes flickering to the scar. "How are you…You're…But you died," Luffy stammered, clearly confused and tears gathering.

Sabo shook his head quickly. "No, I didn't. Someone saved me, I've been with them," he said, almost stumbling over his words in his haste to explain. He had a sudden rush of self-loathing as Luffy's anguished face stared up at him in disbelief. He should have found a way to come back sooner.

There was a pregnant pause before Luffy released a pained cry and Sabo found himself abruptly snatched into a hard embrace. Luffy wailed loudly, desperately, hands fisted in the back of Sabo's coat. The blond felt his own eyes watering as he wrapped his arms tightly around Luffy in return, one hand coming to rest on the small of his back and the other gripping Luffy's dark hair, top hat falling forgotten to the ground.

"We thought you were dead!" Luffy moaned, quickly drenching the front of Sabo's blue shirt with his tears.

Sabo dropped his head onto Luffy's and ran a shaky hand up and down his back, attempting to soothe the distraught teen.

"Shh, it's okay," he murmured, as Luffy went about burying his face in Sabo's chest. "It's okay. I'm here now." His brother merely continued to sob loudly, his whole body trembling violently. Sabo swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. "I didn't mean to let you think I was gone," he whispered, voice cracking dangerously.

"Luffy!"

Sabo jumped as a surprisingly mature voice called out from just beyond the tree line. He raised his head as Luffy twisted in his arms but never slackened his hold.

"Ace," Luffy croaked, voice hoarse from crying. Sabo caught movement in the shade to his right before someone burst into the clearing, panting heavily.

"What the hell is wron-" the person froze abruptly.

"Ace, Sabo's back!" Luffy cried, a delighted smile finally breaking out across his face.

Sabo held his breath as the achingly familiar figure took a couple of halting steps towards them. The freckled teen didn't say anything for several anxious seconds, his dark gaze darting between the pipe and top hat before finally locking eyes with Sabo. Ace shook his head minutely.

"N-no, Luffy, that can't be Sabo," Ace ground out, jaw tense and fingers clenching into fists.

Luffy frowned, casting a questioning glance up at Sabo. "But it is," he insisted.

"Sabo is dead," said Ace flatly, expression blank. Sabo's stomach knotted painfully. That face reminded him so much of the Ace before Luffy had entered their lives. "Dogra saw his boat blow up, remember?"

Sabo blinked in surprise. He had no idea why the mountain bandit would have been in town but the poor man had obviously been the unfortunate bearer of bad news.

Unable to stand Ace's accusing glare, Sabo gently detached himself from Luffy, who whined in protest, and turned, allowing the other to see him in full profile. Ace visibly recoiled as he gaped at Sabo's scarred face.

Sabo smiled sadly at his reaction. "My boat was blown up," he told them, forcing away the memory of heat and flames licking his skin as Luffy and Ace both stared in him equal measures of horror. Sabo drew in a sharp breath. "Luckily for me, the Revolutionary Army's leader witnessed the whole thing and rescued me. He had a Devil Fruit user aboard his ship and they were able to save my life. I've been with them ever since. This is the first chance I've had to come back," Sabo explained, watching Ace cautiously.

Only the gentle rustling of the trees was heard for several endless moments as his two brothers absorbed the information. Sabo watched with mild trepidation as Ace shook his head and glowered at him even as he gestured for Luffy to move away from the blond.

"That's a good story," Ace hissed, stalking forward, open shirt flaring around him. Sabo's shoulders slummed in dismay even as his mind raced, trying to think of anything that would convince his brother it was really him. "But anyone could've come up with that. Now get the hell away from my brother before I-"

"My dream was to write a book," Sabo said softly. Ace froze barely three feet away, fist half raised. Luffy gasped behind him. "I wanted to write a book about my adventures as pirate. I might not be a pirate, but the dream is still the same," he declared, meeting his brother's bewildered stare.

Ace's arm dropped limply to his side. "You're really Sabo? Our Sabo?" he demanded, voice breaking ever so slightly.

"Did you miss me?" Sabo asked, unable to stop the grin creeping across his face despite the bitter taste of guilt on his tongue.

"You - You goddamn-"Ace roared as he swung wildly. Sabo ducked to side, easily catching Ace's fist in his palm. He could feel his brother shaking. "Who would miss a bastard like you," Ace choked, head low as he stepped forward, yanking his hand back roughly before throwing his arms around the blond's neck in a painful grasp.

Sabo couldn't help himself; he released a burst of hysterical laughter that had his eyes streaming and shook his entire frame, forcing the pair to the ground as their knees buckled. The tears came hard and fast, laughter quickly giving way to sobs as he buried his face in the crook of Ace's neck, the familiar scent overwhelming him. He squeezed his eyes shut as he was pulled even tighter against a firm body and a pair of hands clutched hard at his shoulders.

"Now who's the cry baby," Ace muttered thickly, hot puffs of breath tickling Sabo's throat.

"You," Sabo teased when he could finally breathe again, pulling back enough to lift a trembling hand to wipe Ace's freckled and suspiciously damp cheek. Ace knocked it away with a glare which was ruined immediately by the smile of pure joy that bloomed on his face. Sabo grinned back.

"Shishishi!"

Sabo and Ace both looked up to see Luffy beaming fondly at them, tears flowing down his face unchecked.

Sabo unlocked an arm from around Ace and offered it towards their younger brother. Luffy launched himself forward, flying into them and entwining his arms around the pair several times. Three heads knocked together painfully but it did nothing to stop the mirth bubbling up in each of them.

"We missed you," Luffy declared a short while later when the tears and laughter had finally stopped.

"I missed you guys, too," Sabo admitted. Never in his life had Sabo felt so many emotions at once as he stared at his brothers, hardly able to believe they were finally in front of him again. He wasn't sure what to do with himself. He felt like he should be up and moving but couldn't bring himself to dislodge Luffy. Ace had no such problem however as he extracted himself from the rubbery embrace and sat back on his hunches, wiping a hand roughly over his face.

"Sabo," said Luffy, somewhat tentatively. Sabo looked down at the teen where he was leaning heavily against his side. "Um, can I…" He trailed off uncertainly, but his aborted twitch towards the blond's face gave him away.

Sabo smiled in understanding, planting himself crossed legged in front of Luffy. "Course you can."

Luffy pushed up onto his knees quickly and very gently, as though he was afraid of hurting him, traced the edges of the scar which took up most of the left side of his face. People had touched it before, of course. He'd had it examined by several Revolutionary doctors in the year following the attack to check that it was healing and that his sight hadn't been affected. But none of the Revolutionaries knew what he looked like without it and Sabo couldn't fault Luffy for wanting to touch and familiarise himself; he was a tactile person after all.

"Is it okay now? Does it hurt?" asked Luffy, concern clearly audible, fingers feather light as they danced across the scarred skin.

"Not anymore," Sabo reassured him with a smile. He had been very lucky that it was the only injury that Ivankov hadn't been able to completely heal considering the state Dragon had found him in. It was truly a miracle he could still see at all.

"How close a call was it really?"

Sabo glanced over to Ace, who was nervously picking blades of grass. He sighed heavily. Ace really knew how to ask the tough questions.

"About as close to dead as you can get without actually being...well, dead," he admitted quietly. Ace swallowed hard and nodded briskly. Sabo felt a minute shudder go through Luffy before the younger resumed his exploration.

"Is that the only one?" Ace asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. Sabo opened his eyes, not quite sure when he closed them, and hummed.

"The only one from the explosion, yes," he said as Luffy's hands moved up to drag through feathery blond strands. "I have a scar on my hip now, too."

"What was that from?" Ace frowned.

Sabo coughed, suddenly embarrassed. "I, um, fell off a roof." Ace and Luffy burst into laughter. "Oh, shut up, it wasn't my fault! The stupid marine chasing us slipped and grabbed me as he went down," Sabo grumbled, blushing.

"It sounds like you have some interesting stories to share," said Ace, grinning. Luffy simply nestled closer to Sabo, humming when the blond threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Sabo insisted with a bright smile.

Ace snorted. He picked up Sabo's fallen top hat and dropped it onto Luffy's head, the brim sliding down to cover his eyes.

"Let's hear 'em."

xxx

Delighted laughter broke through the growing gloom. Sabo gasped for air as Luffy fell backwards, clutching his stomach and howling at Ace's impersonation of Garp from his last visit.

"He wasn't right pleased," Ace finished, grinning proudly.

"I can't believe he's still harping on at you guys to be marines," Sabo said, shaking his head and reaching for another piece of meat.

"He'll never quit. Even when we're famous pirates he'll be yelling we need to be stand up members of the navy," said Ace, before knocking aside Luffy's hands which had wandered too close to the final piece of meat hanging over the fire. "That's not yours! You've eaten over half the damn deer, leave the rest for us!"

Sabo watched with fond amusement as the usual argument and punches were thrown. Some things never changed and it seemed the two D's were still ruled primarily by their stomachs.

He had been concerned when Luffy had declared himself to be hungry that joining the pair on a hunt would throw off their now very obvious teamwork. But to Sabo's immense relief, rather than being awkward and stiff, he had meshed seamlessly into their rhythm. It was like he had never been away. It had warmed Sabo's chest and judging by the elated grins Ace and Luffy had been sporting as they stood victorious over their prey, he had not been the only one who felt like he had found a missing piece of himself.

Luffy whined, rubbing at his bruised head and watching forlornly as Ace devoured the final piece of meat. Sabo cleared his throat and waved the meat in his possession in Luffy's direction. He snorted as Luffy's eyes followed it hungrily. He threw the steak at his brother who caught it eagerly and set upon it like he hadn't eaten in days.

"You spoil him," said Ace, shaking his head.

"I have six years to make up for," Sabo shrugged, leaning back against the tree stump comfortably and closing his eyes, full and content. He only just caught Ace's next words.

"I'm sorry."

Sabo rolled his head towards Ace, not sure he had heard him right. "Sorry? For what?"

Ace shifted nervously next to him, shoulder bumping lightly against Sabo. He glanced over to Luffy who was still happily munching away and barely paying any attention to them, before turning to Sabo.

"We never went to get you," he said. Sabo frowned, confused. "When your father took you away, we didn't go after you. If we had, maybe you wouldn't have had to leave and you wouldn't have nearly died," Ace visibly shuddered. Sabo sighed but Ace continued in a rush. "We- no…I thought you'd be better off with them."

"It wouldn't have made any difference, Ace," Sabo said quietly. He'd had plenty of time during his initial recovery to think of how things could have been had one of them done just one thing differently. But he'd come to the same conclusion every time. "If by some chance you had managed to get me, or I'd escaped and that fire had never happened, my father would still have come after me. And he wouldn't have let you and Luffy go a second time. He would've killed you for humiliating him," Sabo said bluntly. Ace stared at him. He smiled softly, nudging the other's lightly with his elbow. "I wouldn't change what happened for anything. You and Luffy were safe, that's all that mattered to me."

Ace frowned, looking more than a little confused and upset, his dark eyes worried. "But-"

"No, Ace," Sabo cut him off firmly. "If anything, I should be apologising to you for not finding some way to contact you the last six years."

"No regrets," Luffy cut in suddenly. The two older brothers turned to grinning youth. "Ace, you said we had to live a life with no regrets. We're all together now. It worked out okay in the end. Shishishi!"

Sabo cast a glance at Ace who was staring at their younger brother in surprise. Sabo smiled. Luffy really did know how to break things down to their simplest form.

"Hey, we need to tell Sabo about that giant millipede!" Luffy exclaimed as Ace visibly pulled himself together. "Oh, and about the time that bear mauled me. And when-"

"Whoa, back up! Mauled by a bear? You were mauled by a bear?!" Sabo shouted, sitting up sharply. He couldn't help casting a worried glance over his brother despite the fact Luffy had shown no signs of injury at all. Luffy nodded, grinning proudly. "When was this?" he asked weakly.

"Not long after you left," said Luffy.

Sabo frowned and turned to Ace. "Where were you?" There was an awkward pause. Sabo's eyes narrowed as he observed Ace's hunched posture and downcast eyes. His whole body screamed 'guilty'.

"Ace was there, he-"

"You know what? I don't think I need to hear the rest," Sabo stated, holding up a hand to stop Luffy. Ace cast him a wary glance. He looked like he expected the blond to take a swing for him but Sabo merely heaved a sigh. He couldn't fault Ace's behaviour. He hadn't been exactly rational during the first few months he'd been separated from his brothers either. Albeit, he knew they were alive whereas they thought they had lost him for good, but he had still felt the loss just as keenly as they had. He smiled encouragingly as Ace slowly uncurled his stooped shoulders. "No regrets, yeah?"

A small, grateful smile spread across Ace's face and he bobbed his head in agreement.

"Hey Sabo, wanna hear about when Dogra fell into the ravine and Ace had to rescue him?"

Ace suddenly frowned and turned to Luffy. "That was you, Luffy," he said dryly.

Luffy paused before laughing. "Oh yeah!"

Sabo shook his head as Ace rolled his eyes.

"So," Ace drawled, "how long can you stay for?" he asked, picking up Sabo's nearby hat and casually inspecting the goggles. Sabo wasn't fooled however; he had been wondering when one of them would gather the nerve to ask.

"Dragon-san has finished his inspection of the East Blue outposts as of now, really. He only stopped off here because I, erm, may have badgered him. I have a week before I need to go," said Sabo, regretfully. Ace's shoulders slumped faintly.

"Go?" Luffy asked in alarm. He lurched up onto his knees, a hand reaching out to grasp Sabo's arm tightly. "You can't leave, we just got you back!"

"Luffy, you know I can't stay," Sabo reminded him, somewhat apologetically. He reached out to brush Luffy's unkempt black hair out of his eyes. "I have responsibilities with the Revolutionaries now. There are things I need to do. And want to do," Sabo added. As much as he had missed his brothers and relished being with them again, he had gone to them solely for the purpose of seeing them. He had never planned on staying. He couldn't and wouldn't abandon his post. He wanted to live in a world where no one ever had to hear that a loved one had died at the hands of a Celestial Dragon again and in order to that, he needed to be with the Revolutionaries. Already there were big changes happening in South Blue and Sabo wanted to see that same thing happening across the world.

"It's not forever, Luffy. You'll see me again," Sabo said confidently. Luffy remained silent, head down and eyes shrouded in shadows. Sabo shared a concerned look with Ace who shrugged helplessly.

"Do you have good nakama?" Luffy finally asked after what seemed like an eternity.

"The best," Sabo said fondly, as Koala and Hack came to mind. He wasn't sure what they were doing right now or when he would next see them but they were the best companions Sabo could have asked for. They kept him sane and...mostly in line.

"Are you happy?" Luffy looked up, eyes narrowing as he stared hard at the blond, who was a little taken aback by the seriousness his little brother was radiating.

"Yes," said Sabo, not breaking eye contact.

Luffy broke into a wide grin, relaxing instantly. "Then that's okay! Ace is right, we're brothers no matter where we are. We'll meet out there on the sea where we'll be freer than anyone else," he declared, finally releasing the death grip he had on Sabo's wrist.

Ace shook his head, smiling warmly as Sabo reached out to drag a willing Luffy into a one armed hug.

"We will," Sabo agreed, sharing a grin with Ace. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll both do."

"I'm gonna be Pirate King, of course," Luffy exclaimed, as he slouched happily against Sabo, head tucked under the blond's chin.

"The world isn't gonna know what hit it," Ace laughed.

xxx

Sabo jerked awake as a sharp hiss reached his ears. He stared groggily at Ace standing by the fire, emptying the final dregs of water from his canister onto the dying flames. He glanced down and noticed Luffy curled up next to him, snoring lightly.

"Sorry," Ace mumbled, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"'S okay," Sabo yawned. "Probably not a good idea to sleep out here anyway. Isn't it the boars' mating season?" They were notoriously fierce at the best of times and Sabo didn't feel up to running into one. Or having one run across them.

Ace nodded and nudged Luffy with his foot. "Come on, Lu, wake up. We need to head for Dadan's."

"But 'm comfy," Luffy moaned, not moving a muscle.

"You'll be comfier inside, let's go," Ace grumbled, kicking him again.

It didn't take them long to reach the bandit's hut which was shrouded in darkness, everyone obviously having already retired for the night. Sabo chuckled silently at the two 'countries' that had sprung up in his absence. Ace shrugged at his questioning look, completely unrepentant.

"Sabo can sleep in my country," Luffy announced, moving forward before being jerked back as Ace grabbed his shirt. He gave Luffy a small shove in the hut's direction.

"We'll sleep in Dadan's place tonight. There's no way all three of us are squeezing into one of those," Ace stated.

"I never said Ace could sleep in my country," said Luffy cheekily, ducking around Sabo to avoid Ace's glare.

"Don't be greedy, you can't have Sabo all to yourself," Ace argued. Sabo shook his head and took a step in the direction of the hut in a bid to disrupt the potential squabble.

"Wait!" Luffy shouted abruptly, causing both older brothers to hurriedly shush him. "Sorry, but we need to this properly," he said before bounding to the door of the hut and spinning around. He beamed at Sabo who raised an eyebrow in question. "Welcome home, Sabo!"

Sabo gaped for several seconds before Ace slung an arm around his shoulders, overbalancing him. "What do you say?" he asked with a grin, shaking Sabo a couple of times but fortunately ignoring the moisture Sabo could feel clouding his vision.

Sabo grinned weakly. "I'm back," he stuttered. Luffy giggled before flinging the door open, luckily remembering not to let it slam.

Sabo allowed Ace to guide him inside, thankful for the support as he felt his knees turn to jelly the moment he stepped over the threshold. A rush of nostalgia struck him as he gazed around the modest accommodation, noting that nothing seemed to have changed. He breathed in deeply, savouring the musty scent of wood and smoke. He could hear the bandits snoring heavily from the sleeping quarters and Sabo had to resist taking a quick peek. He had surprised himself during the first year at how much he missed their familiar presence but he could see them in the morning.

Sabo turned to see Ace and Luffy pulling a pile of blankets out of a trunk in the corner and moved to help, discarding his pipe and top hat to one side. Out the corner of his eye, he could see his brothers staring at him as they worked and he quirked a brow at them both.

Ace grinned a little sheepishly at his enquiring look. "Sorry, it's just, I never thought we'd see you here again. It's a little weird having you back." He paused, suddenly realising what he'd said and continued in a rush. "Not that we're not happy you're back! It's just…" he trailed off helplessly.

Sabo grinned, shrugging out of his coat easily before collapsing down onto his share of the blankets.

"I know what you mean," he offered as he cast another look around the large main room, slowly rolling up his shirt sleeves and loosening his cravat. "It feels weird being back after so long. And it seems smaller," he added as an afterthought.

"Not to me," Luffy said cheerfully, carefully placing his straw hat next to his pillow.

"That's 'cos you haven't been anywhere," Ace pointed out, settling down onto his own bedding one side of Sabo as Luffy flopped down on the other, effectively sandwiching the blond between them.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, the only noise being the odd grunt and snore from the sleeping quarters.

Sabo slowly became aware that he was being watched again. He rolled to face Luffy and gently slapped a hand over his little brother's eyes.

"Stop staring, Luffy, it's creepy," he chided. Ace chuckled behind him. "Go to sleep. I can guarantee you that it won't be quiet when the bandits see me in the morning."

Luffy pouted but made no attempt to remove the hand. "But I'm worried Sabo won't be here when I wake up," he explained.

"Luffy, you were sound asleep barely half an hour ago and he was still here then," Ace said, leaning up over Sabo's shoulder to peer at him.

"Yeah, but you were awake so Sabo couldn't leave without one of us knowing," Luffy muttered, suddenly sounding much younger than his thirteen years.

Sabo frowned. "Luffy, I promise I'm not going anywhere right now. I've been given a week, I'm taking a week. Now come here," Sabo shifted slightly and pulled Luffy close, allowing him to pillow his head on Sabo's left arm and throwing his right over Luffy's thin waist. "Now I can't move without you knowing, okay?"

Luffy nodded happily, immediately curling closer and nuzzling his face into Sabo's collar bone, causing the blond to smile fondly. He jumped a second later when a heavy weight landed against his back.

"Er, Ace?" Sabo whispered but he was unable to twist his head. Heavy breathing tickled the nap of his neck. "Did he just fall asleep on me?" Sabo asked in disbelief.

Luffy nodded sleepily. "Probably. He keeps doing that. He fell asleep eating last week. Makino thought he'd died!"

Sabo laughed silently, shoulders shaking. "I can see the headlines now! Pirate King's Son Drowns in Soup!" Luffy snickered, biting his lip to keep quiet.

Ace was going to have to find a very supportive crew when he left in a years' time if they were going to have to put up with their captain possibly falling asleep at impromptu moments, Sabo thought as he settled down, encased between his two brothers and more comfortable than he'd felt in years.

xxx

Consciousness came gradually to Sabo. At some point during the night, Ace had rolled away so they were now pressed back to back and Luffy had somehow managed take up over half the makeshift bed, limbs spread out every which way – but he had yet to relinquish his grip on the arm Sabo had slung about his waist.

Sabo felt the wooden floor vibrating as several heavy footsteps began moving past them, obviously heading outside to start the day. There was a soft clicking of nails on the floor as Pochi ran past.

"It must've been cold last night," a considerately quiet voice stated and from quite low down which lead Sabo to conclude it could only have been Dogra. "It looks like Ace, Sabo and Luffy slept inside."

A second pair of much heavier footsteps halted next to them.

"Right, well get them up, they can- wait. What did you just say?"

"I said, Ace, Sabo an…Sabo?"

A shrill cry ripped through the hut, seemingly shaking the wooden structure down to its foundations.

"Shut up. It's too early," Ace grumbled unhappily as he rolled over and flung an arm over both his brothers, burying his face in Sabo's shoulder blade. Luffy simply groaned and curled up into a ball against the blond, dragging a blanket up and over his head in defiance to the rude wake up call.

Sabo winced as his ear drums continued to ring and he unwillingly cracked open an eye to see Dadan and Dogra staring down at him. Dadan appeared to be frozen, her mouth hanging open and one beefy hand pointing at him accusingly. Dogra eyes were watering heavily and Sabo suddenly recalled that Ace had said Dogra had witnessed the Celestial Dragon's attack on his boat. Currently unable to move however, thanks to his brothers rather possessive embraces, he could only offer a compassionate smile.

He watched with mild amusement as Dadan's eyes flickered rapidly from one lump to the next, silently counting off the number of brats currently occupying her hut. Sabo realised it could take a while - she wasn't the quickest of the bunch - and so grasped the edge of the blanket and pulled it over his head, joining Luffy underneath.

Luffy stared blearily at him, eyes still heavy with sleep but a welcome smile spreading across his face nonetheless. Ace squeezed the blond in protest to the noise which had erupted around them as Sabo's presence registered with the rest of the bandits. "It's nice to see some things don't change," Sabo whispered with a contented smile.

XXX

To be continued…

I'm plan on going all the way up to the time skip with this one so I hope you're all in it for the long haul ;)

Please remember to favourite / review and let me know what you all thought. I'll admit I'm stupidly nervous as this is the first AU (not to mention multi-chaptered fic) I've attempted in a very long time so it'd be reassuring to hear some feedback!

Updates will be about every 3 weeks unless stated otherwise.