AN: Hey guys! My Beta Dave is allowing me to update because it's Christmas, so I hope you all enjoy what's to come~

Thank you to all of those that have followed, favorited and reviewed! It really means a lot to me!

4

"Sabo… I miss the sun… and the moon…"

"I know." There was a hand stroking his hair through the bars, the touch gentle, soothing.

It lulled Ace into a warm daze, his dull, gray eyes staring listlessly through the barred window. The clouded over sky hadn't changed at all since They had come. It had been months now, since they put him in the cage, and Ace hadn't seen the sun or moon then.

He hadn't felt the light on his skin in so long. It made him feel weak, listless.

"When will they come back?" The fae whined. "I… I want them back…"

"I know." Sabo repeated. When Ace looked at him, the blond's face was blank, eyes cast in the shadow of his hood.

The vampire was scary when he was like that. Blank. He'd been like it more often as the days passed, and Ace had always been hesitant to ask what was wrong.

He sighed, and shifted his gaze back through the window, relaxing as Sabo's hand continued the petting.

"Hey… Ace."

The fae blinked. "What is it, Sabo?"

"... You wanna get out of this cage?"

"I'm putting you down now." Sabo's voice penetrated the dazed fog that had crawled over Ace's mind, and he blinked up at the blond, somewhat startled. It took a moment for him to register that there were no longer any tall buildings around - instead there were… trees?

He could hear the faint sound of rushing water too.

When had they escaped the city?

The fae knew he'd dozed off a little, but he should have noticed the change of location… He should have felt the change in the energies in the atmosphere. He was supposed to be in tune with the natural world…

Gods he must be very out of it.

"Hey, it's alright." The world tilted, and Ace's booted feet hit the ground. Sabo's hands on his shoulders kept him steady, and Ace peered into Sabo's concerned face.

They were of even height now. Ace could remember a time when he had been taller than the blond. He wondered when that had changed.

"We need to keep moving." The blond said softly. "Once we reach the river we need to walk through it for a bit before crossing, to make sure our scent is gone. Are you alright to walk?"

The fae yawned, leaning heavily into the the vampire. "Yeah. Y-yeah, I can. 'M fine."

At Sabo's concerned stare, Ace gave a small smile. "Really. 'M just tired."

The vampire stared for a moment longer, before he gave a short nod. "Alright. Then let's go. I promised you some meat, didn't I? You can have it when we reach the other shore."

"'Kay." Ace gave a slow nod. "Let's… do that…"

Despite the grogginess Ace felt, they made quick time. Sabo had procured a long metal pipe from the scrap-heap surrounding the city before they'd entered the forest, and he used it to determine how shallow the water was once they'd entered the river. The water was very cold, working its way into his boots and seeping into his pants and cloak, causing Ace to shiver - but luckily, the current wasn't very strong, and seemed to be working with them. Throughout the entire time they moved, Ace clutched tightly at Sabo's arm, using him as both a crutch and a source of comfort. If only he still wasn't drained...

Over the time he'd been unconscious, it was like something had… settled within him. Like it had properly taken root, and now it could… only grow. Flourish. He could feel Sabo. Not just - like he was standing beside Ace, but like he could feel his presence within him. Could almost feel his heart, like it was beating alongside his own.

It was the strangest sensation the fae had ever experienced.

But it was also the nicest. Like this, he… knew that he wasn't alone.

The fae found himself smiling as they waded through the water.

Sabo hummed. "It's good, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Ace blinked, not quite sure what the vampire was referring to.

"... The feeling." He said softly, eyes darting back to gaze at him. "The bond. It feels good, doesn't it?"

The fae's eyes widened a little and he nodded his head, cheeks warming. "A-aah. Yeah… yeah, it does."

Sabo grinned and turned back to face the front. He began changing direction, leading Ace towards the opposite shore.

A howl rent the air then, causing all of Ace's hair to stand on end and he stiffened. Sabo tensed, a soft curse escaping him, and he began ushering Ace faster.

The fae could sense that Sabo wanted to get beyond the tree-line as soon as possible. Ace didn't blame him - erasing their scent trail only really worked if they weren't spotted along the way. That Blood Sleuth… It must have caught onto their scent. The beasts moved fast - so very, very fast, and they needed to get moving, now.

They reached the shore line. There was another howl, seeming just a little closer than before, and Sabo took off to the tree-line, clutching Ace's arm tightly. The fae stumbled and almost tripped, his wet tail getting tangled around one of his legs, and he heard Sabo curse, hauling him along behind him.

As soon as there were several rows of trees between them and the river, Ace yanked his arm back with a hiss and leaned against a tree, beginning to work on untangling himself. His limbs still felt weak damn it, the cold water had numbed his tail and he could barely feel it - he couldn't exactly move very fast if he couldn't get it from around his leg.

"Ace, we need to go." Sabo was bouncing on his heels nervously, eyes fixated on the way they had come. His hood had fallen back to reveal a pale and grim face.

"I know, I know." Ace groaned and finally managed, the prehensile limb hanging like a miserable wet rag. The fur was matted and tangled, and at that moment Ace would have given anything for a hot bath and a god-damn comb.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been able to groom himself properly. And by the way things were going… they probably wouldn't be able to have a proper break for a while yet. At least not until they had Luffy.

With a stressed grumble, Ace finally righted himself and moved back over to Sabo, who reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly before pulling him along.

"You promised me meat." Ace said with a pout, and Sabo threw him a pained smile.

"I know, I know… just a little further, alright?"

Heaving a sigh, Ace nodded.

'Just a little further' turned out to be 'keep moving until dawn broke'. Ace didn't complain however, because he could… feel how all of this was making Sabo feel - the stress, the anxiety, the fear…

No, Ace didn't blame Sabo at all. Rather, he was amazed that the vampire was able to keep a level head throughout it all. He'd always been able to do so, more than Ace. The fae's temper had a bad habit of exploding at the most inopportune times, and sometimes… the anger was fuelled by fear.

Ace supposed… it helped that he was pretty much burned out. Otherwise he would have been raging and setting things on fire, and then Sabo would have even more to stress about.

"Sorry." The word escaped him before Ace could really think about it, and Sabo frowned, blinking at him in confusion.

"What for?"

"Ah… Everything."

Sabo stopped, his pipe tapping against the trunk of a tree, and he turned to face Ace fully. "Everything…?"

The fae swallowed and stopped as well, using this as an opportunity to lean his weight against a tree. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared into the canopy above, not quite able to look at the blond. Sabo kept staring at him, and it just made Ace all the more nervous, and after a moment he said in a rush. "Yes for everything! If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be in this mess, if it wasn't my - my selfishness we wouldn't be here right now. If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be on the run, being hunted."

He sucked in a deep breath, and continued before Sabo could say anything. "If it wasn't for me, you'd still have your position in the royal guard. If I hadn't asked for help then you wouldn't have given everything up for me, we'd both be safe and warm and not stuck in some dark forest with a fucking Blood Sleuth after us!"

Ace clenched his hands into fists, out of breath, staring at Sabo and just - trying to see some kind of reaction on Sabo's face. The blond was just looking at him, eyes shadowed and lips pressed into a thin line.

There was no visual indication as to what Sabo was thinking. And normally, that would have pissed Ace off to know end. But now there was another way to gain insight into the inner workings of Sabo's mind and emotions.

The newly created bond.

Ace focused his attention inwards, seeking out the connection, and what he felt had him staring at Sabo in surprise.

He felt… anger. Pure, burning hot anger.

"Ace…" The vampire hissed and stalked towards him. The fae held back a flinch when Sabo slammed the tip of his pipe into the tree he was leaning on. "If it wasn't for you…? No." He shook his head. "No, if it wasn't for the Celestials then we wouldn't be in this mess. If it wasn't for them tearing a hole in the fabric of the universe and crawling into our world from whatever fucked up Hell they came from, then NONE OF THIS WOULD BE HAPPENING."

Staring with wide eyes, Ace chewed his lip, his heart starting to pound in his chest, harder and faster the closer Sabo leaned into him. The vampire's eyes were blazing with what remained of Ace's fire the blond held within him, and his lips pulled back in a snarl.

"There, you were not safe, Ace. You would NEVER have been safe there. You would have been packed up and taken away just like Luffy, to be the pet of one of those disgusting creatures - and they were going to! The plan was already set in motion! And ((only?)) because of Cora I was able to get you out! My position in the Royal Guards meant absolutely NOTHING if I can't protect you - and I wouldn't have been able to, do you understand? Ace?"

Sabo was on his face now, the anger radiating off of him was almost palpable. And mixed in it, much more clearly than before, Ace could sense the fear - the terror.

Strangely, that… eased Ace a little.

"The… the reason I joined the Royal Guard in the first place…" Sabo visibly calmed, the fire leaving him, and he leaned into Ace, pressing his face to the fae's neck. He shivered when Sabo's lips moved against the sensitive skin - right where the vampire had bitten him before. It caused a strange warmth to curl inside of him, and his lips moved again as he spoke, voice vibrating the mark. "It was because of you and Luffy. So I could… be closer to the both of you, and so I could stop feeling worthless…"

Ace shuddered when he felt Sabo's tongue - wet and warm - lick at the mark. Oh gods… it took a lot of Ace's willpower to focus on Sabo's next words. "You two are everything to me. I will do anything to keep you safe. You yourself may not think it, but… to me, you're worth it. I would sacrifice everything."

A soft moan escaped Ace, and he wrapped his arms around Sabo's waist. "N… That- shouldn't… for me…"

He felt Sabo shake his head. "No, Ace. I should. And I am. I will see you and Luffy safe. No matter the cost."

AN: Hey guys… you know you want to review… because reviews are a very very great encouragement… even a simple 'I like' counts…

I hope you enjoy your holidays!