i just let my thoughts go with this one.
they huddle together, gripping each other tight, luffy gasping for air and ace gritting his teeth. because for the second time, they've lost sabo.
rain sweeps past the sheets of the windows, soaking the wood and chilling their bones. wind pounds at their treehouse, matching the beating of their hearts.
the day sabo had died was not like this. the sky was clear. they had found refuge on that cliff, creating vows in honor of their fallen brother. they had laid there for hours, tangled in each others limbs desperate to not lose the other.
it was nothing like this.
dragon trudges up the slope, boots slipping on the muddy surface, his grip on his cargo never faltering. he needs to get back to his brothers. dragon has taken him for one life time, his brothers deserve to have him for another, a full one.
maybe he wont develop an obsession with dragons, the man muses, dragons were all he ever wanted to talk about.
'dragon-san...'
sabo groans, hand gripping his past mentor's coat, he struggles to open his eyes; the scorching burns still tender.
'you'll be with your brothers soon.'
sabo lets out a keen whine, his throat scratched with smoke.
'the revolution.. kuma..'
dragon blows air through his nose, face turning soft as a sad smile graces his solemn features.
'you've done enough. luffy and ace need you. i've already sent word about kuma, he'll live this time'
'but if you want to join us again, you know where we'll be. until then, you'll be here.'
sabo's breathe evens, his hands still tangled in the coat.
dragon adjusts his grip, holding him closer to his chest, urging the wind to weave around the pair.
he saw this boy grow into a revolutionary, sat by his bed when the news crippled him, raised him selfishly as if he were the son he had abandoned. his father had always called him selfish, as they say, the apple never falls far from the tree.
wind whistles in his ears, guiding him through the jungle, catching him when his feet trip on roots. almost there.
luffy coughs out bloody phlegm, his skin cold to the touch, his lungs burning for air. ace curls further into himself, death grip on his remaining brother, snot and tears drying.
he shivers, cold to the bone, his brother no better but he cant bring himself to move. he's failed. again. he lost another brother. always losing. it was supposed to be different. he knew, it should've been different.
dragon grunts, weighed down by three children, his coat soaked completely through. the wind still guides him, past the tree line and over a river into a clearing. a house sat in the middle, warm light emiting from the windows.
as the wind makes to knock on the door, its owner wheezing from the long trek, a large man opens the door ducking out coat in hand.
dragon steps back not falling only thanks to the wind at his back, his patience is running thin and his skin is becoming feverish. they need to get out of this storm and the one thing standing between him and a warm fire is a giant.
he finds himself huddled around a fire, children at his side covered in blankets, before his power can even activate. his eye twitches at the bandits who leer at him and he feels no remorse when they scramble out of the way of their boss.
she is large, red beads adorn her chest complimented by her equally auburn hair and the scowl that a cigarette sits upon permanently is judging him. observing like he is a beast in a cage with no purpose.
'you're garp's boy,' her rough voice states as she hunkers down across from him, ladling herself a healthy portion of stew. she takes a small sip of her dinner, never taking her eyes off the man, fierceness and lack of fear staring him down. challenging him to prove her wrong.
dragon avoids her gaze, shame rising from the pits of his stomach and coloring his cheeks.
'have you come to take him. ready to face the life you never had.'
dadan slams her empty bowl onto the creaky floors, the noise doing nothing to disturb the boys' slumber. she turns her body, eyes scanning the gaggle of bandits that line the walls.
'dogra! make sure the boys haven't caught anything, if they do garp will catch us!'
a small man pushes through the crowd followed by a taller man, their steps in unison as they approach dragon. magra spares him a glance, bundling sabo into his arms and waits for his counterpart to join him.
dragon's stomach swoops as the shorter man lifts both boys into his arms, his body no longer visible.
they hurry off to the back room before his brain can catch up to his mouth and the words he want to say stay locked up.
dadan does not return her gaze to the man, instead she brings her attention to corazon who has been glued to his spot in the door way. his face is blank, his knuckles white from how hard he is gripping his sides but he is still careful of the bundle strapped to his chest who's soft snores keep his heart beating and his lungs inflating.
'come sit before your babe gets cold.'
corazon shuffles over to the pit, sitting down closer to the boss of the house than the revolutionary, his eyes never wandering from the tattoo that covers the entirety of dragon's face.
his arms shift to cradle law, alleviating the pressure on his back and to keep himself steady. he can feel the question that dadan is asking, knows he recognizes the markings.
'you have the symbol of a celestial dragon. who gave it to you,' it comes out cold, detached from his being.
'who else would mark a man like this,' dragon bites back, his posture straightens, his eyes sharpen.
'does he know,' dadan asks, tending to the fire.
'it wouldn't have changed anything if he did. my father cares more for his work than his family,' dragon scoffs, 'a sentiment we both share. unfortunately.'
magra carries ace and sabo back into the room, their faces squished into his neck and their hands connected. he sets them into dadan's side, arranging the blankets to keep the cold out. they bury themselves into her thighs, content sighs echoing when they get comfortable. dadan's features remain stern.
dogra settles luffy into dragon's lap, watching the mans reaction. his boss nods her approval so he steps back to join magra and the audience of bandits.
he unconsciously cradles the boy to his chest, more focused on the conversation, he rocks slowly when the boy whines quickly settling him down, soft breaths joining the background chatter.
the storm still rages, the window shudders rattle at the intense pressure pushing on them. the house is crowded but the fire is warm and he'd rather company than to be out in the pouring rain skin frozen stiff with only his thoughts. he holds luffy closer as dadan spoons herself another bowl.
'it was for my father i was given this mark. if they cannot scourge their ranks of a disgrace, then they will disgrace the family.'