Archive of Our Own

This is what Sabo repeated in his mind over and over, as he cuddled against both of his brothers, the steady sound of their heartbeats soothing the emotions swirling in his head. He couldn't quite believe his luck. It had been such a close call. He had been just a few seconds away from losing them both forever, after losing them already for ten years because of his amnesia. If he hadn't gotten his memories back when he saw Ace's picture in the newspaper that announced he had been captured by the World Government and was about to get executed... and if he hadn't made it in time to stop Akainu's attack when he was about to end both of his brothers' lives... well, dwelling on what would have happened then was counterproductive. He had remembered in time, and had managed to save them. Ace and Luffy were both alive. That was what mattered.

Sabo pressed himself closer to Luffy, who was sleeping soundly between him and Ace, on a large bed aboard the Moby Dick. They had retreated to the safety of Whitebeard's giant ship after managing to get away from Akainu. Luffy had been badly injured but Whitebeard's nurses had taken care of his wounds and said they were not worried for his life, though he would probably be out for a while and needed a lot of rest to recover. Ace wasn't in great shape himself, having suffered from weeks of imprisonment, bad treatment and malnutrition, but it was nothing that a few days of rest — and great amounts of food — wouldn't fix. He was asleep now too, his limbs tangled with Luffy's and Sabo's.

The Moby Dick was now sailing away from MarineFord, Ace freed from the Marines thanks the combined efforts of the Whitebeard pirates, Luffy and the hundreds of allies he had brought from Impel Down, and Sabo himself who had arrived at a crucial moment near the end of the battle.

The reunion between the three brothers had been chaotic, to say the least. There had been no time to explain properly everything that had happened to him since that horrible day in the Goa Kingdom when they had last seen each other. Luffy and Ace hadn't even recognised him, at first. And then they had been too busy fleeing from Akainu to have a conversation. Once aboard the Moby Dick, Sabo had told them who he was; Luffy had cried and Ace had punched him, and they had all hugged and cried their hearts out until Luffy just collapsed from exhaustion. 

He and Ace had exchanged few words while the nurses were treating Luffy's wounds, too worried about their little brother's well-being to have a real conversation. Many Whitebeard pirates had come to the infirmary to hug Ace and tell him how happy and relieved they were to have him back, leaving them little privacy. Sabo himself had had the surprise to see his old friend and mentor Ivankov, finally freed from Impel Down. Most of the escapees from Impel Down had been welcomed aboard the Moby Dick as they were fleeing from the battlefield. Many of them were Revolutionaries, and Sabo had felt so very proud of Luffy when Iva explained that his little brother had been the one responsible for their break-out.

Whitebeard himself was in the infirmary too, covered in grave wounds everywhere on his front. He hadn't let the nurses start to treat him before sharing a long, deep hug with Ace first. It had made Sabo's heart flutter with joy to see that Ace had found such a loving father and family. Ace so deserved to be happy.

After the nurses had finished bandaging Luffy, they had reluctantly allowed both Ace and Sabo to sleep in Luffy's bed, as long as they were careful with his wounds. And so the brothers had cuddled against their youngest, and Ace had quickly fallen asleep despite his obvious desire to ask hundreds of questions to Sabo. For now, they were just content to be together, for the first time in ten years. 

Sabo himself couldn't sleep, too absorbed in the contemplation of the two people he loved more than anything in the world. Ace and Luffy had both grown up so much. In the memories that had come back to him just a few days ago, they had still been little kids with cute, rounded faces. They were young adults now. Sabo let his eyes wander over Luffy's familiar scar under his left eye, his rounded cheeks, his brow covered in bandages and his soft black hair; Ace's face was partly buried in Luffy's hair but he could still see the familiar freckles covering his cheeks. Somehow the sight comforted him. He felt safe, and happy. It was the feeling of finally being home, where he belonged, after so many years not knowing what he was missing. 

The door of the infirmary opened quietly, and Sabo saw a blonde man enter the room. The man looked exhausted, but as soon as his eyes found Ace's sleeping form, a soft smile illuminated his face. Sabo remembered seeing the man on the battlefield, facing Akainu while Ace, Luffy and himself were running towards the Moby Dick. At the time, the man had had flaming blue wings instead of arms. He guessed that this must be the Commander of the First Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Marco the Phoenix. The man was probably in charge of the ship while their Captain was in the infirmary.

Marco's eyes wandered across the room, assessing the state of all the injured pirates who were sleeping there. Sabo saw him flinch as his eyes landed of Whitebeard's huge form; Edward Newgate was sleeping deeply, covered in bandages, and his arms were attached to many IV tubes. A nurse came to Marco and started to give him a report on the state of all the injured men. Sabo observed as the pirate listened and nodded to the nurse, while he approached the bed where Sabo was lying cuddled to his brothers. He sat in a chair close to Ace, and stroked the young freckled man's hair in a tender gesture. It was clear that he cared deeply for Ace. 

- You're Sabo right, yoi? Ace's brother?, Marco asked in a quiet voice, not wanting to wake up anyone.

- Yeah.

It felt so good to be called that. To hear other people acknowledge this connection between Ace, Luffy and him. It made it more real, somehow. It was hard to trust his own brain after his amnesia had robbed him from every memory of his brothers, and he couldn't help but wonder if this right now was all a dream, another trick of his mind. He feared waking up the next day alone, having forgotten about his brothers again. Hearing Marco say the words out loud appeased him a bit. 

- Thanks for helping out today, Marco continued. At that moment, when Akainu attacked Ace and Luffy, and I was too far away to step in, I thought... I thought... well... 

Sabo saw Marco close his eyes for a moment, his entire body very tense.

- ... but thankfully you got Ace out of there in time. He's alive thanks to you. 

Marco opened his eyes and looked straight at Sabo.

- Thank you. 

- There is no need to thank me. They're my brothers. I'd do anything for them.

Sabo let his hand run across Ace's arm. He could see the crossed S tattooed there, and it made his heart clench. His brothers had believed he was dead all this time. 

- I should be the one thanking you. You were there for Ace when I wasn't. You gave him a home, a family. He looks happy here, with you. And we wouldn't have escaped Marineford alive if you hadn't shielded us from Akainu while we ran. 

- It was a close call, yoi. I'm just grateful we got everyone out alive. 

And Sabo fully agreed with him.

They were silent for a while, just quietly looking at Luffy and Ace's sleeping features.

- Ace told us about you. He thought that... you were dead. May I ask...?

Sabo sighed.

- It's a long story. 

Marco looked at him curiously, clearly interested in knowing a bit more.

- My ship was attacked by Celestial Dragons when I was a kid, Sabo explained. I got badly hurt in the explosion. 

He felt Marco's eyes glancing at the scars on his face. 

- I was saved by the Revolutionaries, but I had amnesia. Couldn't remember anything from my past. Not even... not even them.  

And it really hurt to acknowledge that. To admit that his mind was so weak that he would so easily forget his sworn brothers. 

- I only got my memories back a few days ago, when I saw Ace's picture on the newspaper. It said they were going to publicly execute him. Some part of my brain must have recognized him and panicked, I guess, and all the memories came flooding back... And then I came as fast as I could. I was so afraid to lose him again before we even got reunited...

Sabo's voice caught in his throat. It was rare for him to show so much raw emotion. As the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, he usually acted confident and brash, always sure of himself. He had to be a rock others could lean on. But he didn't mind showing vulnerability now, in the semi-privacy of this infirmary, while he was cuddled against Luffy and Ace. Marco didn't seem to mind either. He simply nodded at Sabo's explanation, understanding. In fact, the older man himself wasn't trying to hide how much he cared about Ace, and how relieved he was to have him back. His eyes were so soft and caring when he looked at Ace's sleeping form, Sabo wondered how deep their relationship was. 

- You should rest, yoi, said Marco. Our cooks will have a ton of food ready when you wake up. 

- Thank you. I'm truly grateful that you let me, and all the Revolutionaries who escaped from Impel Down, come aboard your ship. I think the small ship I took to come to Marineford was destroyed during the battle. 

Marco waved away his thanks with a shake of his head.

- You all helped us in this war. It's the least we can do. 

Marco gently caressed Ace's hair once more, before he got up to check on the other patients.

Sabo observed him for a while, though his eyes regularly came back to his sleeping brothers. Ace was drooling a bit in Luffy's hair, and his hand was clutching Sabo's arm over Luffy's abdomen, not letting him go even as he slept. Not that Sabo had any intention of going anywhere, now that he had found his brothers again.

He couldn't quite bring himself to sleep, despite how tired he felt. After he had regained he memories, he had sailed to Marineford as fast as he could, never taking a rest. He had pushed himself to his limits, but it was so, so worth it, just to have Ace and Luffy alive and in his arms. 

He didn't know how much time had passed until Marco came back to the seat close to them.

- Can't sleep?, asked the Phoenix.

Sabo shook his head.

- You're not hurt, are you? The nurses can check on you...

- Thank you, but no, I'm fine. It's just... 

Sabo hesitated. It wasn't like him to be open his feelings, but Marco was so kind and open with him, it somehow made him comfortable sharing even his worst fears with the man, despite barely knowing him.

- I'm afraid if I fall asleep I will forget them again, he admitted in a whisper. 

Understanding and compassion filled the older man's eyes. 

- I see. I guess it makes sense that amnesia would make you doubt your own mind.

Not only doubt it, but hate it, thought Sabo. It wasn't a great feeling to not be able to trust his own head. 

- I'll be honest, said Marco. Loss of memory is tricky and often beyond the abilities of medicine. As a doctor, I cannot fully guarantee that your mind won't ever fail you again after the trauma you suffered.

Sabo had known that, but hearing it said out loud hurt quite a bit, and he couldn't help but flinch and clutch at his brothers.

- However, continued Marco, the probability that you lose your memories again spontaneously is rather low, I believe. The first incident of amnesia was caused by a severe injury, and there is no reason to believe it would happen again unless you significantly hurt your head again. And even if you did lose your memories again, well... Knowing Ace as I do, he will stop at nothing to remind you, again and again if necessary. He would never allow to you forget him again. Same could be said about Luffy, I'm sure. 

Sabo looked at the man with hopeful eyes. He knew this was true, he trusted his brothers in this, but it comforted him to hear Marco say it out loud. 

- And if it's any comfort... know that I also would make sure to help your mind remember, if you ever forgot again. 

The Phoenix's eyes lingered on Ace's hand, still clutched around Sabo's arm.

- Ace clearly loves you, yoi, and he wants you in his life. I won't let him lose you again. 

Sabo's eyes widened in surprise at this, and he felt his throat tighten with emotion. He and Marco barely knew each other, and here the other man was appeasing his worst fears, pledging that he would personally make sure Sabo never forgot again. 

Sabo couldn't stop the few tears that ran down his cheeks and fell on the bandages that covered Luffy's brow, soaking them slightly

- Thank you, he managed to say with a broken voice.

He fell asleep not long after that, comfortably snuggled against both his brothers.