ngl i had so much fun writing this.

ace is alive but dead and there's only one person sabo trusts to tell.

he was going crazy. that was the first thought that entered sabo's mind when he heard his very much dead brother's voice. he had seen the grave. saw the scar that marred his younger brother's chest. there was no possible way that ace was alive. but the voice that kept getting louder was telling him otherwise. and it was telling him a lot.

"YOU DIED YOU SON A BITCH! I READ THE LETTER! DOGRA SAW YOU!! WHY DIDN'T YOU COME HOME!!!"

quite frankly, sabo wished it would calm down. there were only so much noise he could take before he went deaf and the look koala was giving him didn't help. it was the look she gave before berating him. he didn't want to be here.

there had to be a way to get out of this mess, but how... sabo zoned in on the head of the revolutionary army. the man who had saved him as a child and the man who was about to save him again.

'sorry koala, im being called. I'll be right there, dragon-san!,' he began jogging away before she could protest.

dragon turned when he heard his name and gave a curious look seeing his second in command dashing his way. it was sabo's day off, as much of a day off as he could get, and last he had checked, he didn't need the boy for anything.

sabo gave the man a pointed look when he opened his mouth. he was almost out of there, there was no way he was going to let dragon ruin it.

he reached dragon and subtly moved (read: dragged) the man along.

'i feel like im missing something,' the man rumbled, eyeing the creases that were forming in his coat. he had just finished ironing it to perfection.

'i'll tell you in your office.'

'since when do i have an office-'

'starting today you have an office.'

'my office is very.. dusty,' dragon said kicking the sand that made up the floor.

sabo waved him off and pulled two chairs out of thin air. he gestured for his boss to sit in one.

dragon sat and looked behind the blond, wondering where he had gotten the chairs. he wasn't aware that his second was a magician or that the revolutionary army even had such chairs, they were certainly more sturdy than the ones that littered their base. actually he might take these back with him.

'so what was it you were saying?'

sabo leaned back into his chair out of breath, he may have just told dragon every little detail of his life but its not his fault the conversation got away from him. at least thats what he'll tell himself.

"all these years and you still have that habit," ace muttered.

sabo mentally shushed him and returned his attention to dragon. who was currently rummaging inside his surprisingly well kept suit.

maybe the man was on to something with his constant maintenance. certainly looked better than his coats that were held together by lopsided stitches, he considered it a win when his clothes weren't torn every which way.

he was going to take that suit.

dragon pulled out a worn poster, carefully unfolding it and smoothing the creases.

'so you're dead brother is in your head and you think its because you ate the mera mera no mi. correct me if im wrong.'

sabo didn't say a word, eyeing the paper that dragon held in his hands.

'okay. and what will you do.'

'huh?'

dragon looked at the picture and sabo before continuing, 'you know whats happening, so what will you do?'

'i-'

"kick his ass!"

'absolutely not!,' sabo's face shifted into anger.

dragon brought the poster closer to his face and muttered a low prayer.

sabo sighed and bowed his head, all the explaining and having another voice in his head was giving him a headache. he just wanted to sleep. for the next three days. that'd be nice.

the darkness and warmth enveloping his body was refreshing. he could just fall asleep. that sounded like a plan.

dragon startled out of his praying when he heard a loud thump. he looked over and saw sabo laying on the floor. asleep and snoring like it was no one's business.

'ah the curse of a D,' dragon shook his head and stood up.

he turned the boy onto his back and wiped the sand off his face.

dragon settled beside him and went back to praying to the poster.

'did you really just leave me laying here,' sabo slurred, groggy from his sudden nap.

'i turned you over.'

sabo rolled onto his side, his vision spinning at the sudden motion. okay, so he couldn't move fast, good to know. writing that down in the 'need to know' column.

'don't think that changes much.'

dragon hummed.

'what s'at?'

'hmm?,' dragon nodded towards him, not lifting his eyes from the paper.

'you've been looking at it for awhile,' sabo rubbed at his eye, the scar tissue stinging at being disturbed so suddenly.

"stop that."

sabo pouted.

'its my son, one of the few pictures i have of him. he's a tiny thing,' dragon turned it to face sabo, revealing a wide grinned five year old. no precious strawhat in sight and his face free of that curved scar.

'he looks weird without his scar. but in a cute way,' sabo commented, slowly pulling himself up.

'yeah. though i wonder where he got it from.'

'he got it cause he wanted to prove he was brave,' sabo laughed fondly, rubbing his chest in pain. so laughing hurt too. what didn't hurt.

'so he was a healthy D. thats good.'

sabo leaned on dragon, sweat trailing down his face. why did it take so much effort to get up. napping had never done this to him before.

'what does it mean? to be a D, i mean.'

'to be reckless and to stay true. but also being cursed with sudden sleep and illness. there are many types of Ds. it depends from which branch you hail from.'

sabo nodded, eyes slipping shut. his body was warm again.

'and you come from the monkey branch. at least now you do.'

sabo drifted, not processing the words. he was too warm and dragon's shoulder seemed impossibly soft. so he was from the monkey branch, that was nice.