Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mt. Corvo

Ace: 10 Sabo: 10
Luffy: 07
⸻

Luffy sat by the lake at Mt. Corvo on the edge of the forest, watching the sparkling water and the setting sun with a happy smile, Ace and Sabo at his side, enjoying the scenery, when a thought came to his mind. ‘I’m the youngest…’ He thought, looking over at his brothers, Ace was yawning as he watched the sun and Sabo was whispering to him softly, laughing softly when the other rolled his eyes. “Hey, Ace, Sabo.” The two looked over.

“Yeah?” “Wassup?”

“Which one of you is older?” Luffy tilted his head, straw hat sliding back slightly and his hand came to hold it down, His confusion became more when they gave him two different reactions.

“Oh my fucking god,” Ace groaned loudly, head falling back as his eyes rolled skywards and his chin length black hair fell back to reveal the full on annoyance pasted on his face. “You just had to start him up.”

“I’m so glad you asked, I’ve been waiting for this!” chuckled Sabo, pulling the brim of his top hat lower as he grinned widely, sitting up with gray-blue eyes full of excitement.

Ace covered his face with his hands, muttering under his breath the entire time. “You just had to get him started, didn’t you…” The freckled brother continued to groan as his hands covered his face.

Sabo changed his position so he was more turned to Luffy, who watched on eagerly and Ace’s shoulders slumped in resignation, a sigh escaping him, “ I was brought into this world first and foremost! Then Ace came later, but that doesn’t really matter.” The blond had placed his hand over his chest, looking all too eager to claim the title as eldest of the trio, before Ace cut him off.

“If I had came out when I was meant to, I would’ve been older!” Ace snapped, looking at Luffy imploringly, even as Sabo cackled behind him, hands thrown into the air.

“But she didn’t and that’s okay…little brother!” The top hat wearing brother cheered, hands thrown into the air. “Let your big brother think about the could haves!”

“You’re not even that much older than me, damn it!” The dark haired ten year old turned with a glare.

“I’m still older, get over it!” Sabo grinned widely, hands coming in front of himself diplomatically. “I’ve been in this world longer than both of you, so that’s that.”

“My mom had sex before you were even thought of!” Ace shouted, getting into the other’s space.

“And I was brought into the world before they even thought to let you out of the womb!” The other retaliated.

Luffy tilted his head as the duo began to brawl, throwing punches and kicks at one another, insults and curses flying with each hit that landed solidly. “What’s sex?”

It was after that day, whenever Sabo and Ace got into an argument or Ace got into one of his moods, Luffy and the blond would start chanting a silly little thing that got them beat into the next dimension.

Middle child syndrome.

Chapter Text

After the fall of Doflamingo and Sabo officially remembered his brothers, memories full in his head, they decided to renew their brotherhood over sake, which still tasted horrible to the trio.

Until the stupid question made a horrible reappearance.

“So, if Luffy is the youngest, which one of you is the oldest?” Zoro was the one who brought it up and if Ace didn’t know that Luffy would be pissed, he'd kill the swordsman where he stood.

Luffy, the little shit snickered, falling onto his ass as Sabo grinned at Ace menacingly. “I’m so glad you asked, Zoro.” He stood, his half an inch over Ace being more obvious without their hats. The fire logia growled warningly at the blond, who cooed like he wasn’t trying to threaten him. “Our dear brother here was conceived long before his time, but sadly, he wasn’t allowed out of the womb to taste freedom like the rest of us poor sods.”

“Not by choice, you jackass-!” Ace’s angry retort was cut off by Luffy chiming in, unhelpfully.

“Ace’s middle child syndrome is acting up again!” The rubber teen all, but squealed as he rolled on the floor, fist pounding on the floor in his amusement.

“Shut the fuck up, Luffy!” Ace yelled, the familiar feeling of anger rushing through his body, fist clenched at the ready to slam against the top of his brother’s skull, before he turned and whirled around on Sabo. “And you! For the last time, my parents fucked before you were thought of!”

“Not true!” The blond glared back, brandishing his pipe in lieu of pointing with his finger. “My parents had been thinking about having me since before you were fucked into existence.”

“Don’t say it like that!” The second division commander screeched, looking scandalized at the notion. “Who the fuck even says that?!”

“Fucked into existence—!” wheezed Luffy, face red as tears dripped down his face from the force of his laughter.

“I say it and because I’m the eldest, I can speak about your incubation anyway I want to.” Sabo snickered, hand coming up to hide his grin. “It’s not my fault that you incubated longer than it took to make you.”

“You fucking shithead!” Ace couldn’t hold himself back and, just like that day twenty years ago, he leapt onto the taller brother, the duo crashing onto the floor and beginning to scuffle around. “Stay the fuck still so I can kill you!”

“Never!”

Luffy’s crew could only watch as the two, extremely strong, brothers of their captain began to brawl on the floor, looking anything, but like the terrifying people they were known as to the public.

Of course, watching his two brothers go at it in front of him, made Luffy want to join the fray as well, so he did.

Soon it was a free for all between all three of them, petty insults flying from them as they tried to win whatever fight they were going on with. Eventually, the fight came to an end, Ace standing victorious above the other two, who laid there panting and bruised, his face twisted into an angry scowl.

“There you fucking go, I technically may be the middle child, but I’m still the fucking strongest,” He snipped, sitting on the floor as his brothers glared at him.

“Stupid middle child syndrome.” The two remaining brothers grumbled half-heartedly.

Chapter Text

Ace thought that after the events of Dressrosa and finding out that his beloved brother was alive, that he wouldn’t have to worry about anything for a long time. Pops may have been looking for retirement in a couple of years, but at the moment, they were still enjoying themselves to the fullest, sailing with no direction and the occasional marine or bounty hunter coming for the Prince of the Pirates head, but nothing they couldn’t handle.

(He distantly shoved the thought of it being his fault into the deepest part of his head and forced himself to forget about it. Marco and Thatch wouldn’t shut up about it if they found out about it.)

Until the damned day Sabo decided he wanted to show up like he owned the damn place, bright shit eating grin in place and no fucks given. “Ace! I got some time off and have come to visit my brother who isn’t trying to kill himself!”

Oh, yeah. Since he was grounded (again), he was the one that wasn’t actively looking for trouble (yet), Luffy on the other hand went to go pick a fight with two Yonko and Ace was actually kind of jealous of him. He had wanted to be the one to fight Kaido, but Pops said no. Spoilsport.

“What are you doing here, ‘bo?” He groaned good naturedly as he walked over to greet his blond brother as his crew looked at the other with suspicion in their eyes and Ace had to hold back a louder, more sincere groan.

He knew why they were being protective, but still, it was a bit much.

“Oh, I never introduced you to my crew, did I?” Ace blinked as Sabo facepalmed. “Guys, don’t worry. This is my other brother, Sabo. A lot went on and we found out that he didn’t die, but had amnesia instead.”

He heard his brother grumble about airheads and how did he and Luffy survive without him, which rude, but ignored him,

“Huh,” Marco came over, eyes looking over Sabo critically, before he shrugged, always unbothered by the weirdest of things. “Nice to meet you, yoi.”

“Oh! It’s nice to meet you too.” Sabo reached out and his hand shook Marco’s. “I always wanted to meet both of my younger brothers’ boyfriends.”

That had Ace’s hackles rising. “Shut the fuck up!”

“Ace is younger?” Thatch had wandered over, eyebrow raised and an easy grin on his friendly face. “Huh, he always calls himself the eldest.”

“Well, yes, when he and Lu were the only ones around, he was the oldest.” Sabo jumped off the railing he’d been standing precariously on, hand still gripping Marco’s own. “But-!”

“Shut up and don’t you start your bullshit!” snapped Ace, slapping a hand over his grinning brother's face, he refused to acknowledge him as older, no matter how old they turned. He was created first and that was the end of the discussion.

“No, no. I’m very interested in this story,” Thatch pulled Ace back, easily holding him back from trying to stop Sabo from continuing. “Please continue.”

Sabo’s wide grin somehow turned wider. “Well, you see, Ace’s mother and father created this little spitfire egg one month before my own amazing existence was created and then, instead of having him at the correct cooking time, Ace’s mother overcooked him eleven months and my mother brought me in at perfect temperature, making me come into the world before Ace and therefore, being older than him!”

“And I keep saying that if I was created before you, I am older!” Ace threw his hands into the air, a firm scowl on his face. “But you poisoned Luffy into thinking I have stupid middle child syndrome!”

Thatch snorted next to him as Marco chuckled, clearly amused by this. “So, you’re the middle child in your brotherhood and then the youngest here, isn’t that amazing, yoi.” The Phoenix hugged Ace around the waist. “Come on, love, it’s not that bad.”

“It’s terrible cause he never shuts up about it!” Ace sighed, head falling onto his lover’s shoulder.

“Well, people want to know what the pecking order is and who am I to deny them?” Sabo chuckled once more, looking around before his eyes landed on Marco once more. “That aside, I came to ask to borrow my beloved little brother.”

Marco raised his eyebrow, arms still wrapped around Ace’s waist. “And for what purpose would you need to borrow him, yoi?”

“Well, we have a youngest that is running amok and it would be quite bad if he was all by himself during this amazingly destructive battle, no?” Ace’s face brightened as his brother spoke and he could basically hear his crew getting worried. “Don’t worry, I’ll return him for his punishment as soon as we finish with Luffy and his Yonko battles.”

“Please, Pops!” Ace turned and looked at his father, who sighed half-heartedly.

“Going right over Marco’s head, huh?” When Ace and Sabo shot him matching cheeky grins, Whitebeard grinned widely. “Gurararara! Make sure you kick little Kaido’s ass for me, my youngest and brattiest son!”

“Woohoo!” Ace’s arms flew into the air, only for his wrists to be lightly grabbed by Marco.

“I’m coming with, you’re still grounded,” There was a teasing lilt in his voice as Ace beamed at him, knowing he wouldn’t be denied by the two who spoiled him the most.

“Oh, great!” snickered Sabo, hand coming to smother his laughter. “Now Ace is going to have Middle child syndrome and spoiled youngest syndrome.”

Ace turned around and tackled him, the duo playfully fighting on the deck, while the rest of the Whitebeard’s watched, amusement in the air. It had been awhile since they’d seen the youngest of their crew so genuinely happy and carefree, so it was a nice change of pace to them.

“My son, if you continue playing around, Marco might retract his earlier statement of letting you run wild.” Whitebeard called out unhelpfully and Ace released Sabo from the chokehold he had him in.

“Shit! We’ll finish this later, Sabo!” With that last threat in the air, he took off to go pack and be ready to go.

Wano never knew what hit it as soon as all of the ASL trio arrived, significant others at their side.

Chapter Text

Luffy never asked Sabo and Ace how they found out who was older, he never cared, but Dadan will never forget the day that her world never knew peace again.

It wasn’t when she first met Garp, nor was it when he first decided to start dropping brats off whenever he felt like it, it surprisingly wasn’t when Sabo decided to come back into their lives like a whirlwind and oddly enough it wasn’t when Ace and Luffy almost died at Marineford.

It was when Ace and Sabo first asked her who was older.

⸻

“Who’s older?” Dadan stared down at the two brats who’d come into her home and marched their tiny bodies up to her, both sets of eyes holding different levels of annoyance. “How the hell should I know?”

“Well, you’ve had Ace since he was a baby, you should know when he was born and everything, right?” Sabo asked, arms crossed over his little chest, trying to look as imposing as possible as the boy next to him nodded seriously.

“You don’t know your own damn birthday?!” screeched Dadan, looking at the dark haired son of the devil (she doesn’t believe it now, but the point stands).

“Nope! The old man never told me,” Ace shrugged as if it didn’t concern him in the slightest. “But you should know, right?”

“Haaaah,” Dadan lit another cigarette, taking a long inhale, before looking back down at the children. “Garp brought me Ace a couple of months after he was born, considering he’s not from the East Blue.”

“You’re a foreigner?” Sabo questioned, before humming right after. “Although that might explain why you speak so funny.”

“I guess I am? Maybe you’re right about me not speaking right after all,” The freckled little boy didn’t seem too worried about his speech patterned and Dadan knew that enough time here and that little southern twang that he’d always had would be gone soon enough. “So, when’s my birthday, old hag?”

The orange haired woman bristled, before huffing and glaring at the duo. “January first.” She growled, watching them turn to do some kind of kid math, before turning back to her. “Now what?”

“But that doesn’t answer our question! Who’s older?”

She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Garp had explained to her the details of Ace’s strange and tragic birth. “Ace was born late. He was conceived back in May, Sabo with your birthday, we know you were only conceived a month later.” When the duo nodded, she continued, feeling more stress than the time they asked for the sex talk. “A child takes nine months to be fully created, Ace was held in for eleven more months than he was supposed to be. Sabo was cooked at the right time and came out on his birthday in March. Ace didn’t happen until January, when he was supposed to come out in February.” The bandit leader checked to make sure they were still following and thankfully (or not), she still had their full focus. “Meaning, if Ace had been born February like he was supposed to be, he’d be older, as it is, he wasn’t and thus he isn't. Sabo is older by eleven months.”

The little blond gremlin cheered, arms going into the air, turning and pointing at Ace. “Hah! Take that!”

Ace grit his teeth, before promptly punching Sabo in the face and smacking Dadan in the knees with his pipe, the brat . “Shut up!”

The woman sat there, rubbing her knees and watching as they began to fight in her hut, ruining it once more after she’d just finished cleaning it.

Fucking perfect.