Day 1: Memories and Moments

"How did you guys meet?"

The question was randomly blurted out by the youngest brother, during a meal one late night. The boy faced two older pre-teens who both froze as the straw hat wearing boy's voice rung out. The freckled one coughed loudly as his food got stuck in his throat, surprised by the blunt innocence of his younger charge. Sabo had spit out his water comically, as he tried to think of an answer which wouldn't be as bad out loud as he knew it would.

Ace and Sabo both blinked at him, faces turning a dark shade of red. Luffy merely stared back, not having to look down at his meat to eat, waiting for a story.

The question hung in the air for a while before the only blond one among the three cleared his throat.

"We…um we meet when we were five Lu." Sabo said embarrassingly, pointing staring at his hands. He tried not to peer at Ace, felling his heart beat faster in his chest. He hadn't thought too much of that day in recent years but suddenly it felt like it was only yesterday since he met the angry version of his brother among the trash piles. He felt his stomach flip when more memories of that day were brought to his attention.

Ace shift a bit to his right but said nothing otherwise. The blond never knew that silence can could be so loud.

The younger one crocked his head to the side, a pout forming on his lips in displeasure of the answer. Both pre-teens winced, knowing they could not resist the puppy dog's eyes that were sure to follow said pout. It seemed like trying to misdirect Luffy's attention would not work that night, the boy wanted answers and he was stubborn enough to get them. If the boy could follow Ace for three months with life endangering "accidents" then bugging his older siblings would not be a problem at all for him.

"But how did you meet. Like how you become friends?" The boy asked his eyes unnecessarily wide, face as open as book, looking like the answer to the universe's secret was on the line. Luffy wasn't aware of his power to make himself look undeniably cute so that was the only blessing that came with it but sometimes Ace wished his baby brother wasn't so darn honest and dense. Can't he see how they were reacting? Couldn't he see how Sabo had not even glanced at him since the question was sprung? Did he not see how much Ace was gripping his pipe?

Was he blind?!

"Oh. Um, you see it was in the Gray Terminal…." Sabo started but then trailed off. He stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth nervously as he tried to arrange his thoughts. He wanted to tell Luffy all about it, really he did, just when the boy was older and more experience in life. Especially with how the two boys ending up being friends, after all it wasn't the usual way most did. Not even Luffy's friendship with them was odd compare to this story.

How do you tell your ignorant little bother of "the incident" without scaring him?

"Yeah it was there…in that place… y-you know Gray Terminal" Ace oh so helpfully said as Sabo continued to chew. He swallowed thickly twirling his pipe a bit, not looking in anyone's eyes. His face was getting redder and he knew it.

"And? And?" Luffy asked nearly bouncing in place with enticement. "Was it during a mugging? Was it when Ace first went there? Was it Sabo who said Hi first?"

"Well…um….you see"

"Uh…um there was..."

Both ten year olds could not keep up with the rapid fired questions. Luffy didn't seemed to notice however and starting naming scenarios that were "cool" in how they could have met. It varied form casually bumping into each other on the street to being telepathically connected from day one and they just knew they were meant to be together. Sabo's head was starting to spin from the effort of following the words of the straw hat boy and, trying to find a way to tell the younger one that it wasn't possible for them to be telepathic without a devil fruit's aid. He momentarily forgot the original question until Ace, who was beyond frustrated ended up shouting the answer. He never really had enough patience with Luffy when the boy really got going.

"We accidentally kissed each other when we first met okay, so shut up already!"

Dead silence.

Sabo let out a small whimper as he pulled on his hat to hide his face. Dammit Ace, grow a filter!

The other per-teen most have realized what he said a moment after it was out of his mouth because his whole body turned red. He knew since his face was smashed against his hands in modification, and he quite frankly could feel the rest of the heat travel throughout his body. This wasn't how he wanted to start the story, but it was best this then "the incident" that came after the kiss. That Luffy never needed to know, after all, he was still pure while they were far more jaded then they acted. The boy didn't need to know about the darkness this world had. Ace wanted to keep him in his safe happy bubble for as long as he could.

"So? I kiss Makino all the time too!" Luffy exclaimed not seeing why his brothers were behaving that way. He had finally noticed the nervousness that surrounded Sabo and the hollow emptiness of Ace despite his embarrassment.

Sabo sighed but eventually peeked out of his hat; though his face was still burning he managed to calm his racing heart a bit. "Yes Lu, but your kiss and our kiss is different."

Ace nodded though he had yet to look at either of them.

"Why?"

Of course Luffy would ask that. The kid didn't know the difference he was seven after all. It still didn't make answering easier though but one of them had to say something, and frankly Ace was too busy hiding to satisfied the youngling.

"You see we k-kissed on the l-lips. And you only do that with someone you…um like." Sabo stumbled to say his voice losing volume with each word. Wasn't this a little too early for this kind of conversation anyway? Why was Luffy doing this to them?

"But I do like Makino!" the boy protested instantly offended at the idea of doubting his adoration for the bar maid. It was no secret that the boy thought of the woman as a mother-figure.

"Not like Lu, like like" Ace mumbled from his hands ears still an interesting shade of red.

Luffy relaxed at the explanation, then suddenly his jaw dropped in shock "Ace you like like Sabo!?"

Sabo eyes widen and his stomach started doing jumping jacks. He wasn't expecting Luffy to come to that conclusion. And neither was the other for the older raven haired lad nearly jumped in place at the question. Sabo tried not to show how much it hurt to see his brother react to that kind of question.

Ace let out a chocked gasp before raising his head a tiny bit to stare at the little one in shock "What?"

The strawhat upon the raven hair jerked back and forth as the little boy nodded eagerly pleases with his response "Cause Sabo said you kiss on the lips if you like someone but you said only if you like like someone, and you kissed Sabo on the lips so that means you like like him right?"

A heavy awkward silence fell upon the trio. It stretched long enough for Sabo to turn curious eyes on the other pre-teen, no hint of what the blond was truly thinking. He didn't seem disgusted with the thought but he was exactly hopeful looking either. He just seemed plain interested in the freckled lad's reaction. No more, no less. Ace swallowed as the pressure of the question was placed on him.

The silenced continued.

Then it was broken by the freckled boys voice. His eyes were hollow and he shook a bit but managed to get the words out his mouth regardless of Sabo's worried looks "Later that day Lu, a man tried to rape me when I got lost in the Gray Terminal. Sabo rescued me before he could do anything though, so I knew I could trust him with my life. That's why we are friends."

Sabo quickly added in before their younger brother could make a comment on the topic " We meet when Ace was first walking on the high trash piles by the east side, and he accidentally fell on me. The landing had him over me and I thought he stole my first kiss on purpose – they try to do that a lot in the Gray Terminal- and I followed him after he ran away. I wanted to beat him up for doing that to me but when I finally caught up to him, Ace was being pinned to the ground by some asshole. I know what he was planning on doing, I've seen it all my life there and I knew I couldn't let it happen to Ace. It wasn't right Lu, it not something a human does. So I jumped in pipe swinging blindly- it was the first time I used it in a fight- and managed to knock him out. I spend the rest of the day trying to keep Ace safe. For the first time in a long time I had a purpose of the day. Ace gave my life purpose…..so that why we are friends."

Luffy stared wide eye at them then nodded solemnly.

"I'm happy you found each other." Was all he said, aware that this was a serious topic and unknown to his siblings, knew perfectly well what the word "rape" meant. The meat in his mouth suddenly tasted like ash. The rubber boy didn't want to eat anymore.

"Me too." Sabo conformed.

All Ace did was nod, staying quite as he traced the pipe in his hands. His eyes far away from the diner in front of him, lost in his own mind.

The conversation was soon moved on to lighter topics and before long they were all settling down to sleep. Luffy and Sabo made sure to place Ace between them, to hold throughout the night and keep the nightmares away. The oldest felt warmth blossom in his chest, when they wrapped him in their arms, yet had not fallen asleep when the others did. It was at least a hour later that he whispered the answer he didn't want to say before instead choosing to tell Luffy about "the incident". He didn't have the courage to say it out loud yet but some day Ace hoped he would.

"Yes, I like like Sabo."

With that he closed his eyes and embraced the dreams of him and a blond man getting married some ten years later.

That night was another of the many memories that turned bittersweet for the flame user, later on in life, because Sabo had died before Ace had found his courage. His marriage dream stayed a dream; sometimes it even becoming a nightmare, because he knew when he reopened his eyes that the blond would still be dead . Nothing would change that.

Yet those memories were the only thing he had left of the other lad, and he would never give those up. Not even if it meant his life.

And maybe, just maybe, Sabo was waiting for him on the other side, eyes still curious for the answer.