What? Two updates in one week? I dunno guys, I've just been in such a SaboAce mood lately, and then I heard the song Wake Me Up by Ed Sheeran, and I just had to write it. Trust me, my thumb was not happy with me for spending two and a half hours jotting it all down in my notebook. For clarification, the song lyrics are all italicized and centered. I hope you enjoy! (:

Beta'd by the super lovely amazing shishiswordsman as usual (seriously she's my savior, so go read some of her stuff! That's some quality ZoLu right there), cover drawn by Tsukiharu on tumblr ^^

Ace smiled softly as he looked at the quietly resting blond in his arms. He looked so relaxed, so utterly at peace that Ace's heart skipped a beat thinking about how this beautiful man was his.

I should ink my skin with your name

He knew that it was a bad idea, even worse than an office romance. There were far too many horror stories of people who'd gotten their lover's name tattooed onto their body, only for the relationship not to work out. They would be forever reminded of the mistake they'd made as a young, impulsive teenager or forced to cover it up with another tattoo somehow.

Only, Ace couldn't possibly see himself with anybody but Sabo. Maybe he'd get a small tattoo then, or one that wasn't just Sabo's name but a small tribute to him. He wanted to show the entire world how proud he was to be dating Sabo, the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

And take my passport out again

And just replace it

Ace hadn't told anybody yet, but his requested time off from work had finally been approved. He carded his fingers through Sabo's hair gently, trying to think of what to do with the free time. The possibilities were limitless and there was no shortage of things they could do together.

Sabo made a low noise in the back of his throat at the contact, shifting but not waking. Ace's heart fluttered at the small smile playing on the blond's lips, and he adjusted the blanket, making sure that Sabo was properly covered. It wouldn't do for him to get cold now, would it?

See, I could do without a tan

On my left hand,

Where my fourth finger meets my knuckle

That was something else Ace had been considering for a while. Friends since birth turned high school sweethearts and more, Ace had known for a long time that he was in love with Sabo. It was a thought that came as naturally as breathing, and never failed to fill his chest with pure happiness.

Once upon a time, Ace had been afraid of commitment, apprehensive of the idea of settling down and spending the rest of his life in one place. They'd talked about their future before, considered what kind of life they wanted together when they were old and wrinkly, but with Sabo, Ace had never really thought of it as commitment. It didn't feel like giving away his freedom and tying himself down, it felt like an opportunity to spend more time with his favorite person.

There was something liberating about knowing that no matter what, there would always be somebody by his side. Even after no less than twenty years, Ace was still learning new things about Sabo, and he believed that he would never grow tired of the blond's presence. It was small moments like this, when they fell asleep in each other's arms, so tangled up that it was hard to distinguish where one of them ended and the other began, that Ace felt safest.

Sabo made Ace a better person just by being in the same room with him. The thought of living without the blond made Ace's heart clench, so he tried not to think about it at all.

And I should run you a hot bath

And fill it up with bubbles

Instead, Ace thought of all the ways he'd learned how to make Sabo smile. After a long day at work, Ace knew that Sabo loved nothing more than a nice, long bath. He'd fallen asleep in the tub more than once, and though Ace would always tease him for it, there was nothing he loved quite as much as seeing Sabo as he slept. The small smile Ace would receive when he did something for the blond was always worth the trouble he'd gone through to earn it, without fail.

Cause maybe you're loveable

And maybe you're my snowflake

There were times, of course, when they would go out to a bar together and girls and guys alike would try to pick Sabo up, to take what was Ace's. It would always ignite all sorts of ugly feelings within him; jealousy, anger and fear being just the tip of the iceberg. Ace knew that he wasn't the easiest person to live with, and whenever somebody offered Sabo an escape from all of that, a small part of him was afraid that one of these days, Sabo would say yes.

It only ever took a single look from Sabo to quell those fears. He was always polite when declining and always stood up for Ace when the stranger insulted the raven. It wasn't often that Ace had doubts or second thoughts, but when Sabo laced his fingers with Ace's, giving him that sweet smile, it was the only reassurance Ace would ever need.

Sabo was unlike anybody else Ace had ever met, truly. He was kind and courteous with strangers, funny and helpful with friends, and generous and supportive with the ones he was closest to. Ace was honored to be included in his inner circle; his confidant and biggest supporter. When they'd first started dating, Ace had wondered why Sabo had chosen Ace of all people when he could have anybody he wanted. Sabo was everything anybody could ever want in a lover and a friend, and yet he'd chosen to stay with Ace.

Sabo mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath, hand wandering lazily across the blanket, and for a moment Ace thought that he'd woken Sabo up. But Sabo just sighed again and stilled once his hand found Ace's by his hip, settling back down into deeper sleep. Ace smiled and twined their fingers together, shifting slightly to get more comfortable.

And your eyes turn from green to gray in the winter

I'll hold you in a cold place

Ace's eyes flickered back to Sabo's face, mesmerized by the way his long eyelashes rested delicately against the fair skin. Beneath the lids, Ace knew, was a kaleidoscope of color. Sabo's eyes were something between blue, green, grey, and gold; it was an alluringly unique combination that Ace would never be able to describe perfectly, and one that he would never grow tired of seeing.

Those beautiful eyes would always roll back whenever Ace dared to make some spectacularly cheesy gesture, like bringing Sabo flowers or surprising him with dinner reservations to his favorite restaurant. He was especially keen on rolling those eyes whenever Ace insisted Sabo put on warmer clothing before they went out, because no, a light jacket is not enough when it's the middle of winter, now take my damn coat before you catch some horrifying disease, Sabo.

It was an argument they had often, but it never held any bite or scorn. They had more inside jokes and meaningless little arguments like that than there were numbers to count with, and it was just one more reason that Ace loved Sabo. They were both stupidly stubborn, which had its downfalls at time, but more often than not it ended up leading them into ridiculous situations where they would try to one-up each other and just laugh about it for hours on end later.

And you should never cut your hair,

Cause I love the way you flick it off your shoulder

Sabo's head was resting on Ace's bare chest, the strawberry-scented strands strewn around him like a golden halo. The sight was breathtaking, really. Ace'd had to dissuade the blond many times from chopping it all off back to the way he had it as a kid. It was a silly attachment, but there was just something about being able to comb his fingers through Sabo's hair that Ace loved.

And you will never know

Just how beautiful you are to me

Sabo struggled with his self image and how others perceived him, and it was something the raven had never truly been able to understand. How could somebody so inherently beautiful and good not realize their own incredible self-worth? It was a mystery to Ace, but he would never give up on Sabo for it. Sabo was far too precious to ever let go, let alone over something as trivial as that. Ace would never be able to find anybody like Sabo, nor did he ever plan to.

But maybe I'm just in love

When you wake me up

And would you ever feel guilty if you did the same to me?

"Sabo."

"Nngh."

"Sabo."

"What?"

"It's time to wake up," Ace said softly, shaking Sabo's shoulder in an attempt to rouse the blond.

Sabo groaned in response, burying his face further into the nice, warm pillow. The mattress dipped as Ace sat down at the edge of the bed, further disrupting Sabo's attempts to reclaim the dream he'd been having.

Could you make me a cup of tea to open my eyes in the right way?

"I made you some tea, Goldilocks, c'mon."

Sabo lifted his head at that, glaring at Ace halfheartedly. Sabo was notoriously grumpy in the mornings, especially when he had to get up early, so there better be a damn good reason for Ace to be waking him up now. Tea be damned.

Groaning once more to make his unhappiness completely clear, Sabo sat up. Eyes half lidded, the blond accepted the mug and took a cautious sip. Ace smiled, and Sabo decided that maybe it wasn't so bad being woken up like this.

"What time is it?"

"Seven thirty-eight." Ace stood from the bed and left the room, but not before pausing in the doorway. "I'll be back in five minutes, so don't even think about falling asleep again," he warned before disappearing down the hallway. Sabo rolled his eyes, but knew that there would be no further arguing on the matter.

He took another sip of the tea and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, stretching his arms out until he felt a satisfying pop. The tea was slowly doing its job waking him up, and Sabo sighed happily. Ace really was sweet, even if he had woken Sabo up at this god-forbidden hour on the weekend. Sabo smiled to himself, taking another sip of the tea.

And I know you love Shrek,

Cause we've watched it twelve times

"So… what do you want to watch?"

Sabo gave Ace an unimpressed look, and Ace raised his hands defensively.

"What! I'm just asking what you want to do," he sulked, and Sabo laughed.

"Just put on Shrek, you loser, we'll end up watching it anyways. I know it's your favorite."

"Well maybe I want to watch your favorite!" Ace rebutted, but he was already searching for the familiar DVD case.

"You hate all of my favorites," Sabo reminded the raven. "I'm fine with what you want to watch, really." Sabo leaned over to seal Ace's lips with a kiss, preventing any further protest.

"I love you," Ace murmured when they parted, his eyes gazing into Sabo's. Sabo simply smiled at him and winked, stealing some popcorn.

"I know."

And maybe you're hoping for a fairy tale tale too

Once the movie was on and they were settled into their usual couch potato position, Sabo found himself watching Ace more than the film itself. He knew the entire story front to back -hell, he'd probably had dreams about it- so what interested Sabo was how completely immersed Ace could still get in the universe. It was cute, watching all of Ace's little reactions to the plot twists even when he already knew they were coming.

And if your DVD breaks today,

You should've got a VCR

Because I've never owned a blu-ray, true say

Ace had always been a sucker for Disney flicks, fairy tales and the likes, often dragging Sabo along with him to the movies like a kid in a candy store. God forbid what would happen when Ace's shitty DVD player broke. It would total destruction, surely, seeing as Sabo only owned an old VCR. They always bickered over which of the two was a better movie medium. In truth, Ace had convinced Sabo long ago, but Sabo couldn't just concede defeat after years of debate, it would be shameful.

And now I always been shit at computer games

And your brother always beats me

"COME ON!" Sabo raged, jumping up as his character fell into the water for the umpteenth time.

"Sucks for you," Luffy stated matter-of-factly, sticking out his tongue at the blond as he passed Sabo's character yet again. "Told you Bowser sucks."

"Does not," Sabo grumbled, spamming buttons to get his character out of the water, knowing that his efforts would be in vain. Luffy cheered as he crossed the finish line, winning yet another Mario Kart Tournament.

And if I lost, I'd go across and chuck all the controllers at the TV

And then you'd laugh at me

"Oh, right. It's just you who sucks then," he taunted, and Sabo had enough.

He snatched the wiimote from the younger teen's hands and chucked it at him disgruntledly. "You cheated anyways, knocking me into the water like that when I was winning for once."

"Did not!"

"Did too!" Sabo rebutted childishly, and Ace laughed, distracting both of them from the brewing argument and the subsequently inevitable fourth rechallenging to prove who was the better player.

"What're you laughing at?" Sabo grumbled, sinking back into the couch with a pout.

"You," Ace said simply, and Luffy rolled his eyes.

"I'm getting out of here before you two start getting and lovey dovey and sentimental," he said, scooped up his jacket, and quickly fled the apartment. The door shut behind him, just in time to shield the teen from two flying wiimote controllers.

And be asking me

If I'm gonna be home next week

"Do you have anything planned for next week?" Ace asked conversationally and Sabo twisted his neck to see the freckled raven properly. They were on the couch once again, some crappy sitcom playing on the TV as background noise.

"Not really, why?"

"No reason," Ace smiled, and Sabo instantly grew suspicious.

"What're you planning?" he asked warily, his eyes wandering down to where Ace's fingers were absently playing with a lock of blond hair.

"You'll see," was Ace's only reply, and after several unsuccessful attempts to get Ace to spill, Sabo gave up, settling back down into Ace's arms.

And then you'd lie with me 'til I fall asleep

And flutter eyelash on my cheek between the sheets

"'m tired," Sabo yawned after the first season of the sitcom had ended. He blinked slowly and closed his eyes, only to open them with surprise when Ace shifted unexpectedly, scooping Sabo up into his arms, bridal style.

He carried Sabo to the bedroom, and Sabo clung to Ace's warmth as they travelled through the cold apartment. Ace set Sabo down on the bed delicately, and Sabo latched onto Ace's wrist as he attempted to leave. "Stay with me."

Ace didn't argue, and together they climbed under the blankets so that they were facing each other with Ace's head slightly tucked in the crook of Sabo's neck. Their legs seemed to gravitate towards each other, tangling once more into a net of limbs, but Sabo had long since stopped questioning why that was.

And you will never know

Just how beautiful you are to me

Acting on impulse, Sabo pressed a soft, affectionate kiss to Ace's nose. His heart skipped a beat when warm grey eyes opened to look at him questioningly, but Sabo simply repeated the gesture, cuddling closer to his sweetheart even when they were already all but glued together.

Ace smiled and took Sabo's hand in his own. Sabo loved the way their hands fit together perfectly, like matching puzzle pieces. "I love it when you do that," Ace hummed, and a light blush rose to Sabo's cheeks.

"I'll have to do it more often then," he replied, and Ace hummed once more in agreement.

But maybe I'm just in love

When you wake me up

And as Sabo drifted off into sleep, he found himself looking forward to the next morning, when he would be woken with soft words, a warm smile, and a cup of tea.

And I think you hate the smell of smoke

You always try to get me to stop

Ace cursed as thick smoke drifted out of the pot, all of his attempts to fan it out a nearby window proving fruitless. The smoke alarm screamed, shrill and demanding, and Ace reluctantly evacuated the apartment building along with the other residents, ears burning with embarrassment.

A text message notification buzzed in his pocket, and Ace pulled his phone out, already knowing who the text was from.

From: Saberry How many times do I have to tell you to stop trying to cook? You're going to burn down the entire building at this rate, idiot

But you drink as much as me

And I get drunk a lot

Ace smirked and shot back a quick reply.

To: Saberry Says the guy who once got so drunk that Thatch convinced you you were a superhero

Sabo's reply took a long time to come, and Ace cackled as he read it.

From: Saberry ...shut up

So I'll take you to the beach

And walk along the sand

"Is this what you've been planning?" Sabo asked curiously. He smiled widely as they climbed over the last hill, and the ocean came into view. It was glorious in its vast beauty. A gentle breeze drifted by, carrying with it the salty scent of the ocean that Ace loved.

"Yup," Ace grinned, taking Sabo's hand in his own and helping him descend the other side of the hill onto the sandy beach. "That time off I requested was approved, so I wanted to surprise you."

"You're sweet," Sabo smiled, standing up taller into order to give Ace a kiss.

And I'll make you a heart pendant

With a pebble held in my hand

And I'll carve it like a necklace

So the heart falls where your chest is

"I also made you a present," Ace said once Sabo pulled away, slipping the present from his pocket. He unclasped the necklace and slipped it around Sabo's neck, enjoying his successful attempt to impress Sabo.

And now a piece of me is a piece of the beach

And it falls just where it needs to be

"It's a rock from this beach," Ace explained, watching as Sabo studied the small pendant. "That way, you'll always have something from me and something from home wherever you go."

And rests peacefully

So you just need to breathe

To feel my heart against yours now, against yours now

"Ace -"

"I'm not done yet," Ace interrupted gently, licking his lips. "And it's a heart, because it's a piece of me, and you will always hold my heart, Sabo."

Cause maybe I'm just in love when you wake me up

"I've loved you for a long time, so long that I've forgotten what hating myself feels like. You've changed me for the better. You make me want to be a better person, for your sake."

Or maybe I'm just in love when you wake me up

Ace reached into his pocket once more, drawing a deep breath to calm himself, and pulled out a small black box. He knelt down on one knee, grinning when he saw shocked realization light up Sabo's face.

"Sabo, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, from the moment we wake up until the moment we fall asleep, and then start all over again the next day, and the next and the next."

Maybe I fell in love when you woke me up

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes!"