Authors Note: Why yes I did take even more inspiration from the Anastasia animated movie for the chapter title too xD Sorry if they're now stuck in your head!
Thanks to everyone to reviewed the last chapter.
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Chapter 7 – In the Dark of the Night
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"Whoa! Sabo lives here?!"
Ace hurriedly slapped a hand over Luffy's mouth, glancing nervously up and down the street and hoping his somewhat shrill voice hadn't caught anyone's attention. Thankfully there was no one in sight, which also meant there was no one around to question why two rather raggedy children were stood in front of one of the most influential businesses in town.
Ace sighed with relief and dropped his hand, but not before bopping Luffy around the head, although not hard enough to provoke Luffy's usual cry of outrage. Luffy scrunched up his face in displeasure and rubbed at the small bruise.
"Idiot," said Ace, keeping his voice low. "I've already told you, this is where Sabo's father works. They don't actually live here," he said, somewhat impatiently. He'd tried explaining his plan to Luffy half a dozen times over the course of the afternoon, wanting Luffy to understand the importance of what they were doing, but obviously it hadn't all sunk in. Ace hadn't really expected otherwise if he was honest with himself. As soon as he'd mentioned they were going to get Sabo, Luffy had been overflowing with eagerness to get moving. It had been a nightmare trying to keep him distracted in the alley until nightfall and Ace had been beyond pleased when he'd finally been able to answer Luffy's question of "Can we leave yet?" with a relieved "Yes."
Luffy frowned, puzzled. "Why are we here if Sabo's not?"
Ace rolled his eyes. "Because we need to find Sabo's address. Hopefully it'll be written down somewhere inside," he said, nodding towards the four-story townhouse in front of them.
Luffy's gaze ran all the way up the building, his head tilting so far back his straw hat was in danger of falling off. "We have to go in there?" he asked.
Ace detected a small quaver of nervousness in Luffy's voice, and Ace couldn't blame him. He turned to stare at the building as well, and he wasn't above admitting he was more than a little impressed by the sheer size of the place. The offices Ace and Luffy normally passed on their jaunts through Edge Town were nowhere near as big. But they were a little ways out of town so he supposed it made sense that they took advantage of the extra space.
The fact it was so big and so well-known had played into Ace's hands though. He'd only needed to ask one stall owner, and despite the fact that he'd been obviously suspicious as to why someone like Ace wanted to find such a place, his directions had been extremely accurate.
"Sabo's house must be huge!" Luffy said, wide eyes turning to stare up at Ace, who shrugged weakly. He couldn't even begin to picture how big Sabo's house was if this was the size of the office. The logistics of trying to find Sabo in a building even bigger than this when they found the address was enough to give him a headache.
Ace's head whipped around and Luffy jumped as loud yowl echoed from down the street, the sound cutting through the still silence. Both brothers frowned at the cat that walked towards them, looking almost smug that it had caught their attention.
"Come on, let's go," Ace whispered. Luffy nodded firmly once, a resolute expression on his face and his hands balled into tiny fists. He took a couple of steps forward before Ace caught the back of his t-shirt and pulled him back. "We're not using the front door, you idiot!" Ace scolded.
Luffy giggled sheepishly before slipping down the side alley running the length of the building, quickly disappearing into the inky darkness. Ace was about to follow, but paused when a flash of light caught his eye. He frowned, staring hard at the second floor window where it had originated from, half wondering if he had imaged it as the window was once again pitch black. He looked over his shoulder, casting a quick glance at the street behind them, but there was nothing around that could've caused the room to appear lit up.
"Ace?" Luffy's soft call broke his reverie and Ace turned slowly, only to jump in alarm when Luffy's face appeared right in front of him, his neck stretching back into the alley and giving the impression of a floating head.
"I told you not to that," Ace growled. "If you don't control your recoil, you're going to make noise!"
Luffy pouted but Ace was pleased to see he didn't rush retracting his neck, and Ace was able to jog to the length of the alley to Luffy's body and help him brace himself before he could bounce backwards into anything.
As Luffy steadied himself, Ace looked up at the back of the office, calculating which window would be best and easiest to sneak through without causing too much damage. As much fun as it would probably be to wreck some havoc, they were there for a reason and needed to deploy stealth as much as possible.
"Ace?" Luffy asked, watching curiously as Ace slipped the small metal wire he had swiped from a workshop on the outskirts of Edge Town from his pocket.
"You stay down here for a minute," Ace commanded, slinging his pipe across his shoulder with a rope he spotted curled in the courtyard corner and making sure it was secure. He wasn't taking the risk of entering the building unarmed since he'd seen that glimmer of light. Outlook could well employ security guards that would need subduing and whilst he was confident in his own abilities in a fist fight, Luffy would need something, and he had helpfully left his own pipe back at the treehouse. "I'll shout to you once I make sure the coast is clear, and then you can come up," Ace clarified when it looked like Luffy was about to protest about being left behind.
Luffy cocked his head. "And once we've found what we need, we're going to go get Sabo back?" he asked softly.
Ace tried to smile reassuringly. "Yeah, then we'll go get Sabo," he promised. He didn't mention the fact that he had no idea of what they were going to do if they found Sabo and he really was as sick as everyone was saying. If he was too unwell to move, then they were going to have to come up with a plan and be a bit more patient. Not something Ace expected Luffy was going to be eager to do, but if they were going to be successful, they needed to be careful.
"Ok, now remember, Luffy, you need to stay really quiet until I call for you," Ace ordered. Luffy nodded so briskly his straw hat was in danger of falling off his head. "I'll see you in a minute," he added, clamping the thin wire between his teeth so he wouldn't risk dropping it by trying to pull it out of his pocket mid-climb.
Ace gave the drain pipe running up the length of the building a quick shake to confirm it wasn't in danger of coming away from the brickwork whilst he was climbing. Satisfied with its strength, Ace began to scale the wall, bypassing the ground and first floor windows, which upon closer inspection were nailed shut. The smooth surface of the drain was very different from the trees Ace was used to climbing, which offered natural footholds within the bark, and by the time he'd passed the first floor, his arms were beginning to burn with the strain.
There was no way Luffy was getting up without assistance. His rubbery limbs wouldn't be able to find any purchase on the slippery plastic. Ace was definitely going to have to haul him up by his arms. Which meant he could only go so far up or Luffy wouldn't be able to safely reach him at all, and his little brother would most definitely not be willing to wait patiently outside for however long it took Ace to search the building.
Ace's concerns proved unwarranted though, for when he finally reached the second floor, he found that the window had been left open a crack by whoever had last used the office. Ace couldn't believe their luck; he didn't even need to use the wire to jimmy the lock. With some careful maneuvering, he was able to reach over and slip his fingers underneath the sash and slowly slide it up.
As quickly as possible, Ace pulled himself through the window, taking care not to smash the end of his pipe into one of the panes of glass as he shimmied through. His feet finally hit the floor and he froze momentarily as the wooden floorboards creaked loudly. Cringing as the unwelcome noise continued with every step he took further in, the worn rug under his feet doing absolutely nothing to soften his footsteps, Ace looked around warily, keeping an ear out for any noises coming from deeper within the building. He slipped the wire back into his pocket in case he needed it later.
The small room he found himself in looked to be a pretty generic from what Ace knew about offices. There was a desk off to the right, behind which stood a wooden desk chair, and the opposite wall was lined with bookshelves.
Ace wrinkled his nose as the musty smell of the room finally caught up to him. From the thin layer of dust covering everything, he didn't think the office had been used in weeks.
He turned back to the window to call down to Luffy, when the meagre moonlight streaming through the window illuminated a small patch of polished floor just underneath the window sill. Ace had stepped right over it when he had entered and missed it, but as he knelt down, there was no denying it was a boot print. And it was pointing into the office. Ace frowned, trying to see if there were any more, but the ragged carpet swallowed up any further marks. Hoping it was a just a clerk who had leant back against the window rather than evidence of someone else entering the building before them, Ace stood up.
The squeak of a floorboard just outside the closed office door had Ace whirling around in alarm. He had no time to remove his pipe from his back before the door handle was turning, the door slowly swinging open. He raised his fists and prepared to launch himself straight at the other person before they could raise the alarm, but instead he felt the adrenaline coursing through his system leave as quickly as it came as the figure froze in the doorway.
His jaw dropped in shock as he met the startled blue gaze of his brother, his blond curls and pale skin standing out sharply in the dimly lit room.
For a second, Ace thought he must have been experiencing an hallucination caused by the musty smell of old books and parchments, because surely there was no possible way Sabo could be stood in front of him, staring back at him as unmoving as a statue.
"Ace?"
Sabo finally called his name, probably louder than was strictly safe considering the window was still wide open, but the familiar voice was enough to jolt Ace out of his own daze.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Ace asked, voice sharper than he'd intended if the flash of indignance that appeared in Sabo's eyes was anything to go by. Everything Ace had rehearsed and intended to say to his brother as soon as he saw him again flew straight out of his head as he watched Sabo's surprised face dip into a small frown.
"What am I doing here?" Sabo asked, voice bordering on incredulous and he took another step into the room. "I think that should be my line! What are you doing here?"
Ace could only watch him approach, words completely failing him as Sabo obviously waited for an answer, a puzzled frown on his face as they stared at each other. Ace's gaze quickly took in the familiar figure he hadn't seen in weeks. Despite what the rumours had said, Sabo definitely didn't look like someone who had just left his deathbed, and the rush of relief that flooded through Ace nearly crippled him. He'd pushed aside his worry and fears in favour of trying to keep Luffy calm, but he couldn't deny - not when faced with a near perfectly healthy Sabo - that he'd been scared to death he was going to lose his brother for a second time.
"Ace?" Sabo called again, brow knitted with concern as the dark-haired boy only continued to stare at him. "Are you -"
Ace didn't let him finish. Instead, in a manner very reminiscent of Luffy, Ace launched himself across the few feet separating them and threw his arms around Sabo, trapping the other in a tight hug. Sabo staggered under the sudden weight but just managed to catch his balance before they toppled into the desk.
Hidden under the black coat and blue shirt, Ace could feel Sabo had definitely lost some weight, but the fact that he had managed to catch them both rather than crumpling under their combined mass reassured Ace that his brother was in fact stronger than he appeared.
"Ace? Are you okay?" Sabo asked, the concern clearly audible in his voice.
Ace nodded weakly, trying not to laugh hysterically at the fact that that was probably the question he should have been asking, considering Sabo was the one who had been sick.
Feeling more than a little overwhelmed, Ace desperately tried not to choke on the relief bubbling up inside of him. "I'm sorry," he suddenly blurted out in a rush, tightening his grip on the blond. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sabo staring at him, completely baffled. "I didn't mean it! What I said back then, I didn't mean any of it."
Ace felt Sabo tense up for a fraction of a second, and he honestly thought the other was going to push him away, before a warm smile that was usually reserved for Luffy spread across the blond's face and a pair of arms moved to squeeze him tightly in return.
"Idiot," Sabo said softly. "I know better than to take you seriously when you're in that kind of mood. You don't need to apologise."
"Doesn't mean it didn't need saying," Ace muttered, finally pulling himself away from Sabo, who let him go. Slightly embarrassed at his outburst of emotion, Ace tried to will away the blush he could feel heating up his freckled cheeks. Sabo knew better than to call him on it however, and just smiled reassuringly, waiting patiently for Ace to pull himself together.
"You going to tell me what you're doing here now?" Sabo asked after a few moments of comfortable silence had passed between them.
"Looking for you," Ace said bluntly.
Sabo furrowed his brow, amusement warring with confusion on his face. "You expected to find me here, in my father's office, in the middle of the night?" he queried.
Ace stifled his laughter as best he could. There hadn't been many reasons to laugh in the past month, and the feeling felt almost foreign, but it did wonders to release the last bit of tension in his body. Ace could see Sabo looked rather pleased in having managed to provoke such a response. Ace returned his grin and shook his head.
"No," Ace smirked. "We were looking for your address so we could come and get you," he explained.
Sabo nodded once before Ace's words registered and alarm flickered across his face. "Wait, 'we'? You brought Luffy with you?"
"Shit," Ace muttered, suddenly remembering Luffy was still – hopefully – waiting in the small courtyard below. He dashed to the window, Sabo hot on his heels, and quickly stuck his head out, eyes searching for his little brother in the dim light.
Miraculously, Luffy was still stood in the courtyard, although he looked distinctly annoyed with his skinny arms crossed over his chest, and he was pouting miserably. Ace thought he saw a brief flash of relief cross Luffy's face as he caught sight of him, and he felt a little guilty for leaving Luffy alone for so long. But in his defence, he had been distracted and he was sure Luffy would forgive him when he saw the reason why, Ace thought as Sabo shoved him aside so that he could join his brother in leaning precariously out of the window.
Luffy's gawked wordlessly at the pair of them for half a second before his face lit up as he registered the sight of Sabo grinning down at him alongside Ace. He threw his arms up in the air excitedly.
"SA-"
"Shhh!" Ace and Sabo hissed in unison, gesturing wildly at Luffy to keep his voice down.
"-bo," Luffy finished in a whisper, hunching in on himself as the noise echoed around him.
Ace rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Stretch your arms up and we'll pull you in," he called down as softly as he could. Luffy nodded eagerly, keen on getting out of the cold, dark courtyard and into the warm, safe presence of his big brothers. He stretched his arms up as quickly as possible and grinned when Ace and Sabo each caught a hand.
Ace was glad Sabo was able to help haul Luffy in because even with Luffy using his legs to scramble up the wall, he was still rather heavy. And no matter how much Luffy whined about being able to rocket up, Ace refused to risk breaking anything.
"Sabo!" Luffy cried, launching himself at his brother as soon as he was safely through the window. Much more prepared for Luffy's hug than he had been for Ace's, Sabo was able to catch their little brother with ease. Ace couldn't help but smile as two infectious grins appeared on his brothers' faces in response to finally seeing each other again. "It's Sabo!" Luffy half-whimpered, burying his face in Sabo's shoulder and no doubt shedding a few salty tears.
Sabo tried to pull back from the hug after a minute but Luffy steadfastly refused to let go, wrapping his arms a couple more times around Sabo's midriff. Sabo frowned, casting a questioning glance to Ace.
"Not that I'm not happy to see you too, but what's brought this on?" he asked curiously, wrapping his arm back around Luffy's shoulders when it became apparent the other wasn't planning on letting go anytime soon.
"You're not dying!" Luffy exclaimed, his words almost becoming lost in Sabo's coat where his face was still pressed tightly against his brother.
"What?" Sabo asked flatly.
"We heard some nobles talking and they said you were dying!" Luffy hiccupped, finally pulling away and roughly scrubbing a hand across his eyes.
"Oh, you heard about that, did you?" Sabo grimaced, shooting Ace an apologetic look.
Ace realised that while Sabo may not have been up and about, he had obviously been aware of the rumours surrounding his illness. Ace could see him mentally connecting the dots and realising Ace's own earlier outburst might not just have been because he was upset about hurting Sabo during their argument weeks ago.
"Well as you can see, rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated," Sabo joked. "I'm sorry. I would've sent you guys a note but since Stelly knows we've been meeting up, I didn't trust him not to intercept anything."
Ace didn't miss the glare Sabo sent his way, and he smiled back, somewhat sheepishly. "Don't look at me like that," he half-pleaded. "I only wanted to talk to the brat. And it wasn't like we did anything to him," he added, although even to his own ears, his excuse sounded weak. Ace was well aware that if Stelly had decided to, the law enforcement would have been on his and Luffy's trail for potentially assaulting a noble.
"Yeah, we didn't mean to get you in trouble!" Luffy added.
"Oh, I'm not in trouble. Yet anyway. Stelly hasn't told anyone anything," Sabo assured them both. But before Ace could breathe a sigh of relief that his reckless idea hadn't caused any permanent damage, Sabo continued, "But you do realise if you'd have kept your mouths shut, I'd have been able to send you a letter telling you what was going on days ago? And you wouldn't have needed to take the risk of breaking into my father's office?"
Ace and Luffy both paused at the suggestion before they shrugged nonchalantly.
"We only wanted to find you," Luffy explained, staring remorsefully up at his big brother. Ace could see Sabo struggling not to give in to Luffy's pleading eyes. It was a battle Ace knew Sabo wasn't going to win.
"I know you did, Luffy, but it was still reckless of you," Sabo replied, with a somewhat defeated sigh. Luffy grinned as he realised Sabo's reprimand held little bite.
"Are we going to find Sabo's address now?" Luffy asked, bouncing on the spot lightly, looking around the small office they were in with barely disguised excitement.
Ace frowned and pointed at the blond. "We found Sabo, Luffy, we don't need his address anymore."
Luffy nodded. "Oh right. Aw, does that mean we can't look around anymore?" he wondered, eyeing the open door. Ace took a step sideways so that he was prepared to catch Luffy if he decided playing in the office was too appealing an opportunity to pass up on. He really didn't fancy chasing his little brother through the building in the middle of the night.
"Actually, I could do with some help looking for something," Sabo said casually, leaning back against the dusty desk.
Luffy cocked his head, interest piqued while Ace frowned. Sabo simply smirked playfully in reply to their unspoken queries, although Ace easily detected an undercurrent of anger in the set of the blond's shoulders.
"What are you looking for?" Ace finally asked, and he suddenly realised Sabo hadn't actually answered his original question of what the hell he was doing in Outlook's office in the dead of night.
Sabo grinned. "Leverage."
xxx
Sabo considered himself lucky that he had a rather good memory, otherwise the job of searching the office would surely have taken the three brothers more than the one night they had to hunt down the file Sabo had in mind.
Recalling what he'd seen during his only visit months ago, Sabo had already gone through a couple offices before Ace and Luffy's arrival had distracted him. He knew there was no way the clerks would be foolish enough to have left the file out in the open, not with an investigator hanging around. Sabo was counting on the clerks having an office or storage room they used specifically for hiding files that needed to be kept out of the public eye, which narrowed down the number of rooms they needed to search to the lesser used ones.
Of which there were many. More than Sabo had realised and he was trying very hard not to worry at the sheer amount of offices they still had to check.
A soft giggle had Sabo looking over his shoulder to see Luffy squatting on the floor and gently chasing a small spider with his finger. Despite their current predicament and the need for speed - Sabo wasn't entirely certain what time the first clerk would be in to open up - the blond felt his growing panic melt away in the presence of Luffy's cheeriness.
Luffy laughed softly again when his new spider friend starting to climb his arm, and Sabo chanced a look at Ace, half expecting him to reprimand Luffy for failing to keep a look out for them liked they'd ordered. Unsurprisingly, they had quickly come to the conclusion that Luffy was not cut out for searching after he'd dropped his fourth stack of folders and nearly knocked over a bookcase.
To Sabo's slight astonishment, Ace was grinning softly, quietly listening to Luffy's one-sided conversation with the little critter. Guiltily, Sabo wondered how long it had been since Luffy had appeared so happy, if his usual nonsensical chatter failed to annoy Ace like it usually did.
As if sensing Sabo's gaze, Ace turned to him questioningly. Not wanting to break the contentment that surrounded them, Sabo decided not to draw attention to Ace's unusually good mood and instead he softly closed the filing cabinet he'd been searching.
"You find anything?" he asked quietly.
Ace shook his head. "Nothing," he said, closing his own cabinet with a weary sigh. "How many more offices do you think we need to search?"
"No idea," Sabo muttered, slumping back against the wall, scrubbing a tired hand over his face. He was beginning to feel the effects of the physical exertion after doing nothing but rest for the better part of a month.
"You okay?" Ace asked, stepping closer and peering at him intently. "And don't you dare think about lying!" he added.
Sabo smiled. "I'm fine, I promise. Just tired. I'd forgotten how many rooms this place had."
"Are you sure this file you're looking for really hasn't been destroyed?" Ace asked quietly after a short pause.
"No," Sabo admitted. "But it's the best chance I have, I'm not giving up yet," he said firmly, refusing to allow any self-doubt to seep into this thoughts. He pushed away from the wall and walked towards the door. "Come on, it might be worth checking the attic. If there's nothing there, then we might have to consider looking…" he trailed off slowly and stopped in the middle of the doorway.
"Something wrong?" Ace asked frowning.
"It's quiet," Sabo said, looking up and down the empty corridor.
"So?"
"So where's Luffy?" he wondered.
Ace cursed. "Why the hell can't he just stay put?" he grumbled agitatedly and the pair darted down the corridor, opening doors as they went in a desperate bid to find their little brother.
"Luffy?" Sabo called, as loudly as he dared when they reached the staircase and leaning over the railing, hoping to catch a glimpse of Luffy's red t-shirt, which was easily the brightest thing in the building. "Luffy!"
"Yeah?"
Luffy's muffled voice drifted up to them from below. Ace and Sabo's gazes dropped down and they breathed a sigh of relief as Luffy came into view. He peered up at them both, innocently munching on a cookie he must've found in one of the rooms.
"We told you not to wander off! What if someone comes in early?" Ace growled, gripping the banister so hard Sabo was worried he was going to splinter the wood.
"Sorry, Ace. But I was hungry and it looked like you guys were going to take ages. But look! I found a bunch of cookies in the kitchen!" he smiled gleefully, waving around what Sabo could only assume was the last cookie.
"Just tell us where you're going next time. We don't have time to go chasing after you. We're here to help Sabo, remember? Now stop messing around," Ace scolded.
"I am helping!" Luffy cried, upset at the thought that his brothers believed him to be a hindrance. He quickly stuffed the remainder of the cookie into his mouth and scurried for the staircase. Only in his haste, he caught his sandal on the edge of the plush rug running the length of the hall and went sprawling.
Ace and Sabo both grimaced at the loud crash Luffy managed to produce and they hurried down the stairs to Luffy's side to check if he was alright. It had looked to be a very heavy fall.
"Ouch," Luffy grumbled, rolling over and staring down at his knees which were bleeding lightly.
"Serves you right for wandering off," Ace said, but his gruff words were softened as he gently caught Luffy under his armpits and pulled him to his feet. "You okay?"
"My knees sting," Luffy pouted. Sabo slapped his hand away before he could start poking at them inquisitively. The blond knelt down and quickly dabbed at the fresh blood with a handkerchief from his pocket.
"It's only a carpet burn, you'll be fine," he concluded after a moment and he turned to straighten out the rug Luffy had pulled away from the floor. There was no sense leaving evidence of their being there any more than necessary.
Ace pulled Luffy out of way and Sabo frowned at the sound their footsteps made. Even on the soft, downy rug, it sounded almost like there was a hollow echo beneath them.
"Ace," Sabo called, catching his brother's attention. "Walk back across this way," he ordered, leaning down so his ear was almost pressed to the floor. He could feel Ace and Luffy's bemused stares on his back but after a moment Ace did as asked and walked back across the rug.
There was definitely a void, Sabo thought, excitement beginning to course through him. He sat up abruptly and began pulling up the rug, nearly sending Ace, who was still stood on it, flying.
"What the hell, Sabo?" Ace half-snarled, just barely catching his balance before he could fall flat on his back. Sabo ignored him. He was far too interested in what could be beneath their feet.
"Hey, look!" Luffy suddenly shouted, pointing to the floor after eagerly jumping in to help Sabo rip up the rug. Sabo felt a large grin spread across his face when he caught sight of the trap door nestled innocently in the middle of the corridor's floor.
Ace and Sabo swiftly pulled away the rest of the rug and tossed it to one side before all three knelt down to examine the lock cut into the wood.
"I don't suppose either of you have seen any keys, have you?" Sabo asked, running his hand over the cold metal.
"Nope," said Luffy. "Can't we break it open?" he asked, knocking on the wood experimentally. "I could use my Gum Gum Pistol!" he suggested eagerly, and to Sabo's alarm he drew his hand back in preparation.
Ace shot out his own hand and quickly snagged Luffy's arm out of the air before he could make contact. "We don't need to break it," he said, digging around in his pocket with his free hand. Sabo furrowed his brow in confusion only for a delighted smile to emerge a second later when Ace produced a thin wire. "We can just jimmy the lock," Ace said triumphantly. "Lu, move your feet, you're in the way."
After what felt like an age, but couldn't have been more than ten minutes, Sabo finally found himself stood in the basement. He had gone down first, despite Ace's protests that they couldn't see anything and did he really want to fall and hurt himself. Sabo had argued that one of them might need to catch Luffy if he slipped on the rotting staircase and as Ace believed himself to be in better shape, then he was the perfect candidate to keep ahold of Luffy. Ignoring both his brothers' cries - one of concern, another of indignance – Sabo had descended.
There was no light and the darkness seemed to seep into Sabo's very clothes, causing goosebumps to break out across his skin despite the layers he wore. But even unable to see more than a couple of feet in front of him, Sabo realised the cramped space was packed to the brim. He had to make a conscious effort not to tremble at the very thought of what secrets of Outlook's the clerks had hidden away down in the depths of the office.
Sabo almost jumped when a sudden burst of light illuminated the space and he glanced over his shoulder to see Ace had found the light switch.
"Whoa!" Luffy gasped, one hand grasping the back of Ace's t-shirt as if afraid if he let go he'd lose him. Which, Sabo thought in dismay, was a valid concern. The basement was enormous. It looked like it ran the entire length of the building and the shelves were stacked from floor to ceiling in two neat rows abutted against either wall. Further boxes were piled high in the middle of the room, leaving just enough room to maneuver between the rows. "How much stuff do you think is down here?" Luffy asked in awe.
"No idea," Sabo replied quietly, slightly dismayed to hear a soft tremble in his voice. He couldn't comprehend the sheer amount of things before him. From the physical state of some of the boxes, they had been in the damp basement for years, if not decades. Possibly even from the time Outlook's own father had run the business. It was horrifying to think of the number of things Sabo's family had tried to bury. Sabo had thought he'd felt ashamed of being born a noble numerous times before, but never as much as he did right then. Only one thought managed to stop Sabo from letting the disgust overwhelm him, and that was that there was no way Outlook knew about everything that was hidden away. They wouldn't still exist if he did.
"Where do you want to start looking?" Ace asked, dragging Sabo's attention back to the task at hand. He swallowed thickly, ignoring Ace's eyes boring into his back, and examined the closest shelves, forcing himself to focus.
"Let's ignore the stuff towards the back," Sabo said, taking a deep breath before pulling a box that looked relatively new off a shelf. "Convenience would dictate that the newest stuff would be towards this end by the door," he muttered, ripping the lid off and diving in with gusto.
Ace and Luffy were beside him in seconds, lending their assistance. Their warmth on either side of him was a welcome shield against the darker thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him as he picked through the files, each one revealing even more depravity than the last.
xxx
Considering how badly Outlook obviously wanted to keep information regarding The Anchor out of the hands of the investigator snooping around, it was surprisingly easy to find. Sabo discovered it resting in the top of the fifth box they ripped through, all of its contents completely intact.
The blond was currently sat cross-legged, staring at the open file whilst Ace carelessly restacked the boxes they'd pulled from the shelves. Luffy was a little further away, still messing around in another box despite the fact that they'd told him they had what they needed.
"What's wrong?" Ace asked, dropping down next to him. "I thought you'd be a bit happier considering the trouble we went through to get this," he added, gently tapping the paper.
Sabo sighed heavily. "I am happy." Ace snorted in disbelief, causing Sabo to elbow him sharply. "I am! I could defiantly use this to blackmail my father into letting me go. If I threaten to release this he'll have no choice but to leave us alone. He wouldn't want this to get out. It would damage his precious reputation and we all know how important that is," he sighed again.
"I'm sensing a 'but' here," Ace prompted gently, staring at his brother quizzically.
A small bang followed by a soft, "Whoops," from Luffy was the only sound that broke the stifling silence for several moments.
"I've always thought I was better than them," Sabo whispered, knowing he wouldn't need to clarify exactly who he meant. "I've always tried to be selfless and make sure I didn't start acting like them and walking all over other people for my own gain. Yet here I am, with this," he slammed the file in his lap shut with a loud slap. "And I'm going to use it all for myself! What about everyone else this affects?" he asked, his hands clenching tightly into fists.
Sabo knew the families of The Anchor victims must've used all their earnings, all their life's savings, in order to hire that investigator. They were pinning all their hopes on one man to find the closure they so desperately wanted. And deserved.
Sabo wasn't sure he could use the information and have his conscience remain guilt free. He had the means to help so many people resting in the palms of his hands. To Sabo, no one was more equal or deserving than another, not matter what their birthright suggested.
"If I use this for me, I'm no better than any other noble who walks over everyone for their own profit," Sabo admitted, hunching in on himself as he silently weighed his dilemma.
Beside him, Ace huffed, slowly slipping the file from Sabo's grip before he could tear anything and gently shaking Sabo's shoulder until the other had no choice but to look him in the eye.
"Sabo, you have to be the least selfish person I know," Ace said. "Don't think that just because you're using this for yourself now means you're going to sink to their level, because you're not," he stated firmly. "You've got to be least noble-born noble ever!"
Sabo couldn't help but snort at the somewhat humorous declaration.
"Look, it's your decision Sabo," Ace alleged quietly. "As much as me and Luffy want you back and away from this place, we also don't want you to regret how you do it," he confessed.
Sabo felt a rush of gratitude towards his brother. Voicing his concerns had made him worried Ace would think he was stupid for not standing up for himself. But he should've known to have faith in Ace; that he'd understand his refusal to trample over other people on his way to freedom.
"But you have to tell Luffy if you can't come back with us tonight," Ace ordered sharply.
Sabo rolled his eyes. "Coward," he teased, and Ace shoved him lightly in retaliation.
"Promise you'll think about it carefully," Ace suddenly whispered. "Just because you might not be able to help these people now, doesn't mean you can't help other people in the future. Don't let yourself waste away for no reason," he pleaded.
Sabo nodded briefly. "Promise," he replied with a smile, although it didn't look like it did anything to reassure Ace. Silence fell around them, the only noise in the basement coming from an oblivious Luffy. The blond could feel his brother's gaze resting heavily on him, and he glanced discreetly at Ace out the corner of his eye. The dark-haired boy was biting his lip and fidgeting nervously. There was a deep look of remorse on his face and Sabo wondered whether he was regretting his moment of surprising maturity by persuading Sabo to think his decision over, especially when he could tell Ace wanted nothing more than to drag him back to the forest with them, but after their last heated discussion on the topic, Ace didn't look like he was willing to push the matter.
"Hey," Luffy's call had them glancing over their shoulders. Their little brother was covered in dust and grime from where he'd been digging through one of the older boxes with such ardent enthusiasm that his black hair was now practically grey. He was peering intently at some papers. "This is a funny word! What's a Looftus?" he asked, turning to them, curious.
Ace and Sabo shared a confused look. "What the hell are you talking about?" Ace asked wearily.
"What's a Loo-f-tus?" he repeated, pronouncing the word carefully as he waved some paper and causing a small dust cloud to rise from his hair as he bobbed his head eagerly. "It says Looftus."
"Oh," Sabo said, turning away. "I think you mean Loftus. You say it like 'law-f-uhs' though," he explained absently before the name registered and he abruptly swung around, nearly catching Ace in the jaw with his elbow. "Wait! Where'd you get that name?" he asked, stumbling to his feet urgently and rushing to Luffy's side, leaving Ace scrambling to catch up.
Luffy frowned and held out the paper for Sabo. "It's on here, and the box," he patted the said box in question.
Sabo snatched the paper from Luffy's hand and swiftly read its contents, his eyes gradually widening in disbelief. He very nearly forgot to breathe as excitement and adrenaline coursed through him.
"Luffy," he said slowly, catching his attention from where he was trying to squirm out of Ace's grip, the elder having made an attempt to clean the other's hair. Sabo finally raised his eyes from the precious paper in his hand, a gleeful smile on his face. "You are going to be one amazing pirate!" he exclaimed.
Ace and Luffy stared at him.
"He is?"
"I am?" Luffy cocked his head before a confident grin broke out across his face. "I mean, of course I am! I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"
Sabo laughed. "I don't doubt it. You have an amazing knack for finding treasure!" he boasted happily.
"He does? What the hell did he find?" Ace queried, looking completely stumped as to why Sabo suddenly appeared so energised and upbeat.
Sabo nodded. "This is exactly what I need to confront my father," he explained cheerfully, kneeling down to examine Luffy's box a little more carefully. He didn't want to miss anything after all.
Ace frowned and held up the file on The Anchor he still had a hold of. "What about this then?"
"That too!" Sabo acknowledged, pulling a couple more sheets of paper from a file to take away with him. "Okay, this should be enough," he deemed a few minutes later, quickly shoving the box back into its place on the shelf and turning to his brothers.
"Are you going to explain what it is Luffy found?" Ace asked.
Sabo shook his head, cutting Ace off before he could start an angry tirade. "I'll explain everything later, I promise. But it's nearly morning and we need to leave," he added, nerves dancing with both excitement at Luffy's discovery and concern about how it must be approaching dawn soon. They had wasted a lot more time searching pointlessly upstairs than Sabo was comfortable with.
Ace nodded, although Sabo could tell by the unspoken questions flashing across his brother's face, he was going to be thoroughly interrogated as soon as possible.
The three brothers quickly abandoned the basement, each one eager to warm their chilled limbs. They had no way of locking the trap door so they simply threw the rug back over it, straightening everything up as best as they could to avoid suspicion for as long as possible. They didn't want the first clerk in that morning to suspect anything and contact Outlook before Sabo had had a chance to speak to him. If that happened, Outlook would no doubt be otherwise engaged for hours and Sabo didn't have time to waste. Outlook wasn't the only person he needed to speak to that morning.
The first dawn light was just beginning to streak across the sky and the early morning bustle of the fishermen at the harbour could just be heard over the bird's morning chorus when they finally reached the relative sanctuary of the courtyard behind the office.
Luffy stifled a wide yawn and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Even Ace looked exhausted but he still knelt down and let Luffy clamber onto his back without argument.
"You guys better hurry through the gate before it gets too busy," said Sabo, taking the lead and checking that the coast was clear before ushering his brothers down the street.
"When do reckon you'll be able to catch up with us?" Ace asked, voice nothing more than hushed whisper.
"Hopefully this won't take too long but don't wait for me. I'll meet you at the treehouse as soon as I can," Sabo replied. Ace nodded.
"Wait!" Luffy cried, thankfully remembering to keep his voice low. Sabo caught his worried gaze and noted the rubber arms tightening around Ace's shoulders. "I thought Sabo was coming home with us? Why're you going back to that place?"
Sabo smiled. "I need to speak to my father, Luffy. There's no point me leaving if I don't make him understand the consequences of him coming after me first." Luffy frowned, clearly not satisfied with the answer at all.
"You want Sabo to be able to stay with us, right?" Ace asked, peering over his shoulder at Luffy who nodded swiftly, almost toppling off of Ace's back with the force. "Well then, he needs to sort out a few things. But he'll be along in a little while," Ace added, gaze boring straight into Sabo's, the unspoken promise of what would happen if he wasn't easily readable in his steel grey eyes.
"But Sabo can definitely come home with us?" Luffy asked, body practically vibrating with excitement and his earlier exhaustion falling away at the thought of Sabo returning home.
"Yes, Luffy, I can come home with you," he clarified, delighted and relieved that for the first time he could respond to Luffy's familiar question with the answer they all wanted to hear.
"Yay! Come on, Ace, hurry up! We need to clean the treehouse so we can welcome Sabo home properly! And breakfast! We need some meat!"
"Ow! Quit pulling my hair!"
XXX
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