Reply to Anon(Guest): Um... thanks? Or sorry? I really don't know how to react to this, but I'm guessing that you liked it, so thank you very much.
"I can't protect Luffy."
It was a sudden revelation, one that instantly made Sabo demand, "Why?"
"Because I'm a bad inflem- influ-"
"Influence?" Sabo echoed, a scowl pulling down the corners of his lips. "That didn't stop you from being with him before. What changed?"
Ace lifted a shoulder in a half hearted shrug, and replied quietly, "I... I just can't. I can't be like this, can't be a good brother." His eyes lowered to his arms, and Sabo's eyes narrowed.
"Is this about your scars?" He demanded. "About this mess that you've put yourself in? Because you're not getting yourself out of it that easily."
Ace jerked slightly, his head just barely shaking to the side. "It's... it's not that. Not just that, I mean. You're good with Luffy, you're patient and nice and he likes you. I'm... I'm not a good brother." He pressed a hand against his chest. "We're like night and day. Luffy's always happy and forgiving and I'm... I'm messed up. I'm like this mush of... broken glass, and broken glass can't be fixed, but Luffy's going to keep trying and you're going to keep trying and... and..." He bit his lower lip. "It's never going to work, Sabo, you of all people should know that."
"No," Sabo snarled, "We're never going to give up with you. You're our brother, Ace, we can't just give up on you. You never gave up on me, so why should I give up on you?"
"Because with you, there was never anything to give up on!" Ace's voice was rising, desperation roughly lining the edges as he repeated, "There's nothing about you to give up on, you're perfect, you're amazing, you're..." His voice broke off suddenly, and he shook his head. "You're everything that I can't be." He mumbled.
Something thick rose in Sabo's throat, and he could feel his face heating up as he snapped, "So what if I'm everything that you can't be?" He snapped, hating how he was yelling at Ace again... (he had already yelled at Ace about a million times this week, he was sick of getting mad, sick of feeling so frustrated, just so sick with everything...) "Why can't you get it through your stupid, thick skull that you're worth so much more than you think? Yeah, maybe you're broken, and yeah, maybe you're screwed up, but so what? You're my brother, and obviously you're not me, but so what? You're perfect being who you are, broken mess and all, and if you can't understand that, then I..."
He trailed off awkwardly, feeling all the fury wound up inside him fade away like a ghost.
Sabo shook his head, his voice quiet as he continued, "...then I swear, I'll make you understand. We're brothers."
Ace bit his lower lip, and nodded, "Sorry, Sabo."
"I've told you this a million times before." Sabo muttered, his voice rough and filled with faux fury.
"I get it." Ace nodded.
"Besides," Sabo nodded at the small figure perched behind a nearby tree. "If you want to leave Luffy, you'll have to talk about it with him, first."