Chapter Text
The first thing he notices is that he can’t breathe; oxygen doesn't seem to reach his lungs no matter how much air he takes in. Darkness envelops him, and the oppression in his chest and head grows stronger with every passing second. Did it sound like someone was talking to him? He doesn't know. His ears feel stuffed with cotton, and he can’t think straight through the pounding headache.
Could it be an attack? Sabo can't be sure; one moment he was in his bed in Baltigo, and the next, he was drowning in the vast darkness.
— abo... Sabo! — The voice finally breaks through the haze of his mind, startling him, unexpectedly drawing oxygen into his lungs and making him cough.
The person who had woken him up gives him a few clumsy pats on the back, as if not knowing what to do in the face of the sudden outburst. Sabo would thank them if he weren't choking and if his head didn't feel like mush.
Had it been a nightmare? Sabo was no stranger to them; after recovering his memory, the sensation of drowning or burning in his dreams was a recurring theme. But this one had felt different, almost real.
— You're not one to oversleep, Bo. Do you feel sick? — A voice belonging to someone he believed dead suddenly reaches his ears, though it feels distant through the noise in his head.
The person seems displeased by the lack of response because they click their tongue, and a small hand, far too small, touches his forehead.
— Uhm, yeah, looks like you have a bit of a fever — the ghost hums. — Rest up. I'll tell Luffy that just he and I will go out hunting this time. — The boy, because the voice can belong to no one but a child, too juvenile and squeaky, with a rough edge, yet undeniably familiar, walks away, and the panic inside Sabo explodes.
— Ace! — he squeaks, and his voice, oh, his voice; sounds small, undeniably youthful. Sabo can't think about the implications of that, not right now as his eyes finally snap open in panic and fear, staring at the man he thought dead, now in the body of a boy no older than ten.
Ace flinches at the shout and turns his gaze back to the feverish boy on the makeshift bed of stolen blankets and leaves, locking his hesitant stare with Sabo's terrified one.
— I'm here — he says, because he doesn't know what else to say. His body is completely tense; he looks at Sabo as if he were a predator about to devour him, and the blond would laugh if it weren't for the fact that every part of him seems to be in a trance, burning the image of his other half into his eyes.
He’s alive. Ace was alive, alive, alive, alive. He is right in front of him, his entire body turned toward the exit of their small home, the treehouse the two of them had built with the help of their younger brother's tiny hands. He looked ready to call Luffy to help him, because Ace had never been someone capable of dealing with feelings the way he and Luffy were, but he still tried.
— I... — The words taste harsh in his mouth, as if he hadn't spoken in a very long time. He tries to look away to gather his thoughts, to try to understand the situation, but he can’t, not when his entire body tells him that the person in front of him might disappear if he breaks eye contact.
— Stop looking at me like that — Ace sighs, approaching again and sitting down in front of him.— I'm here, but Luffy is alone in the forest, so I need to head out — he requests, and Sabo feels confused, because Ace sounded... kind. Of course, his words could often be kind, but they always carried that sullen undertone, like a cat that didn't particularly care for affection.
— Yeah... Uh, yeah, okay — he manages to say, because he can’t say anything else. Ace nods and scoffs a bit, roughly ruffling his hair.
— I'll be back — he affirms, as if deep down, Ace knew Sabo was afraid he wouldn't. He throws Sabo one last doubtful glance before finally leaving.
Sabo listens to the creaking of the wooden ladder until he hears nothing at all. His brain finally seems to receive oxygen as his previous panic morphs into disbelief. Did Ace just ruffle his hair? Sabo feels an overwhelming urge to fix it, but he resists the temptation, as if he could still feel the lingering touch on his head.
He lets out a shaky sigh as he gets up from the floor, looking around. Luffy's old, patched-up toys, along with a few apple cores, undoubtedly the kid's doing; the two wooden storage bins at the back where they kept fruit or the occasional pelt they hadn't sold that day; his books arranged by color on the small shelf they had found in the Gray Terminal and that Sabo had loved, right next to his top hat.
Sabo can’t help but let out a groan of disbelief, shaking his head. He was hallucinating. Yes, the month without sleep had finally taken its toll, and now he was hallucinating about what used to be his home. Furthermore, his hallucination had created a nice Ace, not a grumpy, emo one. Yeah, that was it. He was dreaming; he just had to go back to sleep and he would wake up in Baltigo again, in his bed.
He nodded to himself, comforted by the thought. He stumbled over to the makeshift bed, letting himself fall onto the hard wood, which felt far too real for his liking. He closed his eyes, but sleep didn't come, far too awake from the adrenaline and the memory of a very alive Ace. Sabo shook his head, curling up tighter, burying his face in the space between his knees, trying to make himself as small as possible.
His breathing quickly became erratic. — Go to sleep, it's a dream, go to sleep, — he muttered, as hot tears slid down his cheek. — This isn't real, it... it can't be. — His voice died out along with a sob, his chest tightening painfully against his ribs, and his nails dug into his knees. The pain finally signaled what he feared most.
This was real.
♥︎
Sabo stared at the wooden ceiling as if it held the answers he was looking for. His small panic attack had subsided, leaving him in a light haze of anxiety. His skin felt tight and damp with sweat and tears; his body felt overly sensitive to any movement, urging him to run or have another panic attack.
He was grateful that the boy (who wasn't Ace, couldn't be) hadn't returned yet, as he wouldn't know how to react. This little bit of time alone allowed him to calm down and assess his situation.
His body was tiny, he seemed to be ten years old again, though without a mirror in front of him, he couldn't confirm it. The treehouse looked relatively new, or as new as it could be, having been built by two ten-year-olds and a seven-year-old. So, he could guess they had moved in recently. He didn't seem to remember anything from this body; he only seemed to remember his name, his age, and that he clearly lived with Ace and Luffy.
His small hand covered his eyes, and a tired sigh escaped his lips. He didn't want to think about it, but... had he really gone back in time? Was he in some sort of alternate timeline? As far as he knew, the Toki Toki no Mi had vanished a long time ago, and the Revolutionaries didn't have it in their custody. Besides, that fruit only allowed you to travel to the future, not the past.
His head spun, and the nausea made him gasp. From what he knew (which was little), there was no devil fruit or technology capable of sending someone to the past. So how on earth was he in this situation? Why him?
Two faint presences alerted him, making his entire body shudder and go on high alert before relaxing again. So, he could use Haki, that would come in handy, but right now, he needed to take a deep breath and mentally prepare himself so he wouldn't suffer a breakdown in front of Ace, or worse, Luffy.
— Bo, we're back! — Speaking of the devil. Sabo felt his chest tighten again, but he schooled his expression. Another voice, smaller and squeakier, followed Ace's.
— Bo, we're home! — Sabo froze. Why did Luffy's voice sound so tiny?
The seven-year-old boy didn't appear; instead, a smaller, chubbier toddler of no more than three years old showed up, being carried by Ace.
He couldn't help but open his arms, perhaps out of the reflex of this body accustomed to baby Luffy. Sabo felt his entire being lurch forward in panic as he saw the child almost fall face-first to the floor, before freezing in place when Ace caught him in mid-air.
Holding Luffy up by his clothes in a gesture of annoyance, as if he were a cat, Ace scolded, — I told you he was sick, brat! — He approached the bed and carefully set Luffy down into the blond's arms. Sabo felt all the air vanish from his lungs.
There, in all his glory, was Ace. He hadn't fully appreciated it earlier in the panic of his mind, but it was undoubtedly Ace, his Ace. Very much alive and breathing.
— What? — the living hallucination of Ace asked sharply. — You're looking at me like that again.
Sabo frowned, a slight flush appearing on his cheeks.
— Like what? —he said, averting his gaze to Luffy, who seemed happily snuggled up in his arms.
— Like you're looking at a dead guy or something.
’I am,’ Sabo thought, biting his tongue before the response could slip out of his mouth. He just huffed, trying to act casual, burying his face in Luffy's hair like a shield.
— I'm sick — he mumbled, muffled against the younger boy's hair.
— Sure you are. — He could almost see Ace rolling his eyes as he stepped closer again, intending to take him away. — Let go of Luffy, you'll make him sick.
Sabo wouldn't. First, because he wasn't sick, and second, because he didn't want to. He squeezed the baby tighter in his lap, shaking his head. Luffy seemed to sense his chaotic state and simply snuggled closer against him without making a sound.
— You... Ugh, whatever — Ace muttered, annoyed, glancing at Luffy, who hadn't said a word since they walked in. — I'll go ask Makino-san for medicine. Don't go outside — he warned before heading to the ladder, hesitating once more. — Do you want to come with me, Lu? — he asked, a bit disturbed by the child's lack of reaction.
Luffy raised his head, turning to look at his older brother, and shook his head. — Want Sabo — he said, melting further into the blond.
Ace sighed and nodded. — Whatever you want.
The sound of wood creaking and leaves being stepped on disappeared after a few seconds, and Sabo felt like he could finally breathe. He knew he couldn't keep going on like this, but Ace's death still felt so recent in his mind that the image superimposed itself every time he looked at him.
Luffy finally shifted, and Sabo loosened his grip a bit so he could get comfortable.
— Sabo is sad— the child pointed out quietly, lisping through his choice of words.
Sabo hummed but didn't answer, stroking the boy's hair with one hand while the other held onto Luffy's waist, keeping him hugged tight against his body. It felt so comforting this way, holding his little brother whom he hadn't seen in so many years.
He felt he had taken Luffy's age difference much better than the clear image of a living Ace; but Sabo, just like Ace, had a deeply ingrained brother complex, and seeing Luffy turned into a baby... well, it could only be said that Sabo was overjoyed.
— I don't like it when Bo is sick, and I don't like it when you're sad either — Luffy continued, murmuring against his neck, melting under the caresses. — But I know Bo will be okay because he's strong. He just needs to sleep and eat lots of meat.
The little speech made him let out a breathless chuckle, parting the hair from Luffy's forehead to give him a kiss.
— You're right, Lu. I just need to rest and eat lots of meat, and I'll feel better in no time — he assured the child calmly, feeling the exhaustion of his emotions finally catching up to him.
With one hand hooked around the child's waist, he moved, lying down on the pile of blankets and sighing softly as he felt sleep finally overtake him. Luffy hummed, happily curling up with him.
It seemed that he would finally have a good dream, after months.