The chapters get longer later. Probably.

Chapter 3

"Can I get that one?"

"No."

"That one?"

"No."

"What about -"

"No! Jeez, Ace, despite how my apartment makes it seem I've got a limited paycheck."

The freckled young man had the decency to give Sabo a sheepish smile. He was currently borrowing one of Sabo's plain white t-shirts, and Sabo was irritated to see that Ace's shoulders and biceps were just slightly too big. The blond boy made a mental note to check for body building or combat of any kind in the backgrounds of anyone that fit Ace's description.

"Sorry. Just...I'm not used to shopping?"

Sabo raised one eyebrow, smoothly sidestepping a group of chatting young women and offering one of them a dashing smile that had her blushing and waving with a returning smile. By turning his attention back to Ace, he made the amusement in his expression even clearer.

"Was that a statement or a question?"

Ace shrugged, his focus already back on a storefront. Sabo sighed, wondering whether it had been smart to bring Ace to the nicest shopping street in all of Low Town. Then again, the nearest other city with decent public shopping was hours and hours away, so he hadn't really had much choice. Plus, his usual supplier of fine clothing would probably be a little too sketchy for Ace. Sabo had secrets to keep, and he was willing to sacrifice some of his cash to do so. And he'd be dead and buried before he even considered going to High Town.

Three stores and eighty dollars later, Ace had all the clothing he would need to temporarily stay at Sabo's place. Sabo couldn't help feeling surprised, however, that Ace had gotten jewelry.

"What?" Ace asked defensively, seeing Sabo's strange look. He rubbed the red and white bracelet on his wrist.

"Nothing," Sabo said, putting his hands up. "I'm just surprised; you didn't seem like a jewelry kind of guy."

Ace made a noncommittal noise. "Felt weird," he muttered, "and there was something else, too." But he said the words too quietly for Sabo to hear.

The two were walking back to Sabo's apartment, which was fairly close to where the shops were. Ace had the bag carrying his clothes - he'd snorted when the shopkeepers had tried to give him more bags after the first one and instead crammed his new clothing into a single bag - and Sabo had two as well. He'd indulged and bought a navy blue scarf, remembering the times Koala had lectured him in the winter about his habit of underdressing.

Plus, he knew he looked quite dashing in blue. He'd also stopped at a grocery store to pick up some snacks to tide them over until he could actually go grocery shopping.

Sabo had taken Ace's bag despite the freckled man's protests, pointing out that he was still recovering his muscles and that he would be for at least another two weeks.

Ace, for his part, was enjoying himself. He'd gotten new clothes and the fresh air was rejuvenating after being cooped up in Sabo's (admittedly very nice) apartment for so long. He'd even gotten a new baseball cap and shades, which were a perfect fit on his face. Sure, his legs were sore and aching, and flashes of dull heat crept up his abdomen with every step, but he was on the way to recovery. The sunlight felt good on his face and he almost felt like whistling.

And then his good feeling died.

A man with impressive hair and impeccable makeup brushed past him, the sleeve of his exotic silk shirt just barely touching Ace's arm. Even so, a thrill shot up Ace's spine and the world seemed to slow as his head turned to follow the strange black-haired man. His pace lagged as he tried to keep an eye on the man through the crowds.

"Ace," Sabo said, tugging on his shirt, "let's go. I've still got groceries to put away."

And just like that, the odd feeling passed and time forged ahead. Blinking and shaking his head to clear it, Ace turned and followed Sabo back to his apartment. But no matter how many minutes passed, he couldn't get the strange encounter out of his head.

Sabo raised an eyebrow at Ace, who was putting the groceries away with a borderline lethargic attitude.

"Something wrong?" The blond inquired while deftly placing three boxes of cereal in the cupboard. Ace made an impartial grunting noise as he kneeled down in front of the open fridge, opening and closing drawers, trying to find a place for the sticks of butter. Sabo watched him for a few seconds and then decided to take pity on the other man.

"Bottom left."

"Thanks." Ace stood and reached for another item only to discover that there were no more remaining.

"Seriously, what's up with you?" Sabo asked, leaning against the counter. Ace glanced at him and then down at the floor.

"Nothing."

"Right, and I'm the King of Vint."

Ace sighed, realizing that Sabo wasn't going to let the matter go. "It's really nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew when we were walking home -"

"When you spaced out and I had to pull you along?"

"Yeah." Ace paused, thinking about his next words. Deep down, he knew he knew that guy, but it wasn't anything concrete. He couldn't say how he'd recognized the black-haired man, or what about him had made Ace's world slow to a crawl, but he was certain he'd known the man at some point, and known him well.

But Sabo didn't need to know that. The blond hadn't seen the man, and Ace couldn't remember his features well enough for a description to really do anything.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. But there was something within him, something he couldn't quite identify, that kept telling Ace not to say anything. He felt slightly guilty about even thinking of hiding information from Sabo, but at the same time -

He's got a hidden room full of weapons.

And Ace's minor omission didn't seem so bad in comparison to that.

"But, now that I think about it, I don't think I actually knew him," Ace finished. Sabo's expression, which had grown interested at Ace's confirmation, returned to neutrality.

"That sucks. Still, it's something; your memories aren't gone, just…"

"Lost?" Ace supplied.

"Sure. Lost." Sabo grinned. "You'll find them eventually, I'm sure of it."

Ace carefully placed the bowl of spaghetti noodles on the counter and shut off the low flame keeping the sauce heated on the stove. A quick stir reassured him that the meatballs hadn't somehow disappeared since he'd last checked on them. The timer on the oven went off and he reached in and pulled out the pan of garlic bread, setting it next to the sauce.

"Sabo!" He called. "Dinner's ready!"

There was no response. Ace waited for a few seconds, wondering whether Sabo was just finishing something else. When the silence continued, Ace undid his apron - Sabo insisted he wear the frilly pink thing for whatever reason, and Ace only did it because the blond laughed his ass off every time, and that brought a smile to Ace's face - and slung it over the back of a chair. Then he walked down the hallway, whistling absently.

He reached Sabo's closed door in short order and raised his hand to knock, only to pause. Why was Sabo's door closed? He never closed his door without telling Ace why beforehand. The blond seemed to worry that, if he closed his door, Ace would collapse and die without him realizing. Frowning now, Ace lowered his hand and put his ear to the door, trying to listen and figure out what Sabo was up to.

It wasn't like him to miss dinner, after all.

Silence greeted his ears and Ace stepped back, rubbing the back of his head while he pondered what to do.

Three seconds later he'd made up his mind and crouched down to inspect the door handle, quickly concluding that the lock wasn't engaged. He then twisted and eased open the door, remembering from his last expedition into Sabo's room that the door was relatively quiet.

The light was on, but Sabo was nowhere to be seen. Feeling uncharacteristically sneaky, Ace crept forward, eyes darting around the room until they landed on the mirror. Despite what it hid, it seemed innocent enough, but as Ace carefully stepped toward it, he began to hear Sabo's voice coming from behind it. The words were faint, indistinguishable, and Ace could barely hear them until he stood right next to the mirror. Sabo was whispering, and Ace had to concentrate in order to separate the words in his head.

He breathed as quietly as he was able and listened.

" - ou, Koala, now's not a good time for a long mission...Yes, I know this is important, but it can wait...Don't bring my position into this! Yes, I know...Look, remember that unknown I mentioned?"

He paused and Ace's heart skipped a beat as the black-haired man wondered whether Sabo had heard him. Logically, he knew that was impossible; he wasn't moving and his breathing wasn't loud enough to gain Sabo's attention, but his heartbeat certainly felt loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the apartment complex.

"...Yes, it's because of that." Ace let out a long, quiet breath of relief. "No, I can't...Really? You found something? Good. His amnesia is seriously strange...No, this isn't like the pot calling the kettle black. Yes, I know...No...No...Yes...Of course not! Fine, fine, I'll call you again. Thanks for covering for me. Yes, I know you're great...No, I won't say that again. Stop trying to blackmail me!"

Ace frowned as he mulled over what he'd just heard.

Who was Koala? One of Sabo's friends? That made sense, since Sabo was talking to her pretty casually and his usual distant-yet-polite-to-Ace attitude was nowhere to be heard. In fact, he sounded almost petulant, using a tone Ace only heard on rare occasions.

But what was that stuff about a mission and Sabo's position? Ace absently rubbed his tattoo while he thought, fingers tracing the crossed-out "s" over and over again. Was Sabo involved in some kind of super secret group? Ace brightened. Maybe his caretaker was some kind of spy!

But no, Sabo wasn't cool enough for that. Ace had been living with him for over a week now and hadn't seen a glimpse of anything spy-like about the man. He even dressed like a noble (albeit with a tougher, more functional style), which was ridiculous considering that he lived in the Low Town section of Goa. Ace simply couldn't picture his blond-haired roommate creeping around in that getup.

Ace chewed on his lip, going over what Sabo had said. His amnesia is seriously strange. It certainly was; Ace had gotten that impression immediately upon trying to say his name, and with every passing day his irritation with his own lack of knowledge grew.

Remember that unknown I mentioned?

What was the "unknown"? Ace thought that over for a second or two until he came to the conclusion that, given the rest of what Sabo had said, he was the unknown. That made sense, since Ace's past was a mystery to both of them.

At least he'd avoided being called John.

With a start, Ace realized that Sabo's conversation was coming to an end. He frantically cast his gaze around the room, wondering if he would be able to make it to the door before -

"What are you doing in here?"

Shit.

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