Ace blinked, and tilted his head to peer around the tree. "Lu?" He called out quietly.

There was a moment of shuffling, before Luffy stepped out from behind the tree, hands folded over each other, head bowed. "You're leaving me?" He asked quietly, voice crackling in an attempt not to cry. "You... you're not going to stay with me?"

"No, Lu, that's not..." Ace's throat tightened, and he found his way to Luffy in a few short strides. "I'll never leave you, Lu, promise."

Luffy glanced at Ace's arms, his eyes flickering over each scar, and asked softly, "You sure?"

Ace couldn't shove back the feeling of guilt- you stupid idiot, you tried to shoot yourself, of course he would be scared- and though he had intended to laugh it off, he found himself pulling Luffy into his chest and muttering, "I promise. Even death couldn't keep us apart."

Luffy buried his face in Ace's shoulder, small arms wrapping around his neck for a moment, before he pulled back, and smiled brightly. "I found this super cool rock, Ace!" He beamed, pulling out a rough gray rock from his pockets.

Strangely enough, a laugh bubbled it's way from Ace's lips as Luffy babbled on as though their previous conversation hadn't been so serious, the tension dying away.

"It's all sparkly and whoosh! I found it in the water, and I almost got eated, but I didn't, because I hit it with another cool rock, but I wanted the rock, but then I didn't- but I wasn't scared, because Pirate Kings aren't scared!"

"Eaten." Ace could hear Sabo mutter under his breath, but Sabo said nothing out loud to Luffy (because Sabo had always thought that Luffy's way of butchering words was adorable "Unlike you, you're just stupid." he would add teasingly), and instead stooped down to help Luffy search for more 'awesome rocks'.

Ace crouched down as well, fingers fluttering over the rocks and brushing away moss idly, before his hands bumped into Sabo's. Frowning, he glanced up at Sabo. "What's up?" He asked quietly.

Sabo's features looked strangely old in that moment, eyes lowered, the corners of his mouth tight and twisted to the side, his nose crinkled like it always did when he was deep in thought. "You'll really never leave us?" He asked quietly.

"Of course not." Ace offered Sabo a crooked smile. "We'll always be together."

"You sure?" Sabo asked quietly, his voice cracking slightly. "What if I'm a liar? What if Luffy leaves, would you still be with me? What if it gets too much for you, what if..."

"We'll always be together." Ace repeated, voice firm as he wrapped his hands around Sabo's. "We're brothers."

Sabo stared at Ace's hand, his brow still furrowed, still biting his lower lip nervously, before he hesitantly squeezed Ace's hand, and agreed, "Always."

A/N: I know, I took a while. Sorry. Hope you enjoyed it, though. (Also, sorry for dabbling in random fandoms. I couldn't resist.)