The three of them eventually managed to stagger to Whitebeard's pub, losing their way a couple of times but showing up at the door with wide grins, dirty knees, and – in Sabo's case – a bloody lip.

Izo took one look at them, winced, and gave a high-pitched half-whine.

"Shower," he ordered squeakily, grabbing Ace and Luffy by the upper arm and ignoring their sudden looks of horror, and though Sabo tried to quickly turn and escape out the door, Izo's silent threat made him gulp and stop. "All of you," Izo said slowly, racking his gaze up and down their dirty clothes, "haven't showered for a week, have you?"

Ace's gaze flicked to the side and he pursed his lips, and Luffy did the same, but not before mumbling, "Maybe two."

Izo's high-pitched noise returned, and Sabo winced.

"Shower," he ordered again, and frog-marched Ace and Luffy through the pub and out the back.

"Hey!" someone called from the bar, raising a drink, "di'you win, Sab?"

"He beat 'em to the dust!" Ace called back as he was dragged after Izo, and a chorus of cheers and laughter rose from the bar.

Ace was the first one shoved into the bathroom, and Izo refused to leave until Ace's hand had shoved out his clothes – belt and bright hat included. Then, Izo had made to grab Sabo's arm.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Sabo said, raising his hands in surrender, unwilling to have Izo's sharp nails anywhere near him.

Izo regarded him suspiciously for a second, but as Luffy chose that moment to make a break for it, he let Sabo get away with keeping his autonomy and instead marched Luffy to the next bathroom, this time repeating the process with the threat of, "You'd better shower well or I'm scrubbing your ears for you!"

Luffy's yelp and his clothes flying out of the bathroom was more than enough for Sabo to realise that Izo's threats were something to be taken very seriously.

When Izo stopped in front of the next bathroom and raised his eyebrow, Sabo quickly scampered in and locked the door, shedding his clothes as fast as he could.

The hot water felt blessedly nice against his dirty skin, but he still scrubbed quickly, knowing for certain that if he spent too long in the shower he'd start to enjoy the warmth too much and never get out. On top of that, he knew his old habits would kick in, and he'd likely end up to clean to pass as someone who'd almost never experienced showers. With a few quick swipes he'd gotten rid of most of the dirt coating him, and cleaned off the blood from his face.

When he was relatively clean and dressed he went outside, only to be confronted with Izo, who gave him a disapproving look.

"Ohhh no pretty boy," Izo said, taking hold of his ear even as Sabo began to protest, "Go have a proper wash!"

"But I did!" he said, and Izo tutted, half-throwing him back in the bathroom.

Ten minutes later and he was finally released from Izo's hawk-eyed watch and given an oversized pair of clothes from one of the other Whitebeards to wear.

Why they couldn't find anyone even close to his size was beyond him, but as Izo had whisked his other clothes away to be washed and Sabo didn't really want to wander around in nothing, he'd swallowed his pride and kept a firm hand around his slipping pants.

Ace and Luffy looked significantly cleaner too when he found them, but their expressions reminded Sabo of a pair of scolded puppies. When Izo peered at them all three quickly shied away, but with pursed lips Izo deemed them clean. Sabo refused to admit that he'd given a sigh of relief.

"Nitpicker," he mumbled under his breath, and saw Luffy giggle quietly, covering his mouth when Izo turned around again and looked at them suspiciously.

"At least he isn't trying to make us clothes again," Ace muttered back, and that sent Luffy over the edge, making him clasp his hands over his mouth to prevent any laughter from escaping him.

"Oh go celebrate," Izo grumbled, pushing Ace's head to the floor, but though his tone was grumpy a smile flickered on his lips.

"Thanks Izo!" Luffy cheered, darting past the well-made man without a backwards glance and calling for food.

"You coming?" Ace asked out a hand for Sabo to take, and he grabbed it, using Ace's help to pull himself to his feet.

Izo, who'd just been about to leave the room, turned suddenly, an expression of realisation on his face. "I remember now. Vista's been looking for you, Sabo."

"Who?"

"Mustached guy. He likes flowers. I think he went to your match to catch up with you, but I don't think he's back yet."

Sabo cast a quick look at Ace. "I think we're staying for a while, so if he gets back-"

"I'll tell him," Izo said with a nod, and breezed out of the room again.

Ace followed after Izo, but stopped and grinned when he saw Sabo hitch up his jeans again.

"What?" Sabo defended, trying to figure out if he could roll them up so they stopped slipping, "They're too big!"

"Poor baby," Ace teased, and Sabo stuck out his tongue, swatting Ace over the head as he pushed past him and out into the party.

Luffy had been swallowed by the crowd, but Sabo could see him standing next to some blue-haired girl hovering in the corner, and made a mental note to go over and introduce himself later on. He'd met a few of Luffy's friends at other Whitebeard celebrations (they seemed to have them every other week, celebrating something or another), and they'd all been rather friendly.

Although he still struggled remembering everybody's names, after having spent several months with Ace and Luffy he'd managed to pick up almost all of them, and could bluff his way through a conversation with almost anyone else.

Izo had been the easiest to remember, because he often spent a lot of time chasing after Luffy in an attempt to get him to behave, and Sabo was often roped in to help. (There had been one time a few weeks ago where Luffy had gotten himself kidnapped, and though still unsure about his fighting ability, Sabo had still charged in there with Ace and beaten Luffy's kidnapper to a bloody pulp. Considering that Luffy still had bandages wrapped around his arm and abdomen from thatparticular adventure, Sabo knew that his and Ace's attack hadn't been overkill.)

Thatch and Marco were the two second easiest to remember, Marco because his hair looked so strange and Thatch for much the same reason. As Thatch took great delight in convincing Ace to act like an idiot, however, Sabo often found himself dragging the both of them away from alcohol or the edges of rooves.

"Wanna dance?" Luffy asked, suddenly appearing in front of him, and he flinched back slightly, startled. He hesitated, biting his lip, but at the sight of Luffy's eager face he found himself nodding.

Luffy grinned, grabbing his hand and tugging him closer to one of the speakers. Sabo paused, unsure of what how they were meant to dance to the pounding pop song, but when Luffy started to flail in a semi-rhythmic way, forced himself to relax. Even if the only practice he had dancing was to a ballroom waltz, all he had to do was follow Luffy's example and let his limbs go wherever they wanted.

With Ace and Luffy, it was always about having fun – not about what looked best, or what other people would approve of.

As the next song came on, he let himself flop, laughing at the sight of Luffy pinching his nose and wriggling down to the floor, before popping back up and repeating the motion. He copied Luffy through his laughter, and then Luffy grabbed his wrists, swinging him around.

Sabo yelped in surprise, stumbling over his own feet before he caught his balance again, and Luffy turned slightly before yelling over the music and beckoning to Ace, "Come dance with us!" he called. Ace stubbornly shook his head, and Luffy broke from their whirling, tugging Sabo over to where Ace was situated by the bar. "Pleeeeease Ace?" Luffy begged, batting his eyelashes, and Sabo grinned.

"C'mon you big baby," he teased, and Ace wrinkled up his nose, sneering at him.

"I don't dance," Ace said, and Luffy looked absolutely delighted.

"I say you can." He said, grinning expectantly, and Ace groaned, resting his head in his hands. Luffy burst into laughter, and Sabo looked between the two of them in confusion.

"It's the baseball song from High School Musical," Haruta said, leaning over the bar to inform Sabo of what had made Ace look so disgruntled. Sabo covered his laugh with one hand, but was unable to stop his laughter when Ace grumbled angrily,

"Not a chance,"

"If I can do this-," Luffy said, jumping up and down

"Then you can do that," Sabo added.

Ace finally grinned, rolling his eyes but hopping off his bar stool and letting Sabo and Luffy pull him into the crowd, "But I don't dance."

A few hours later found Sabo, Luffy and Ace stumbling across the pavement, laughing like idiots again.

"Remember when Atmos' beard caught on fire at Haruta's birthday?" Ace said, stumbling into Sabo and slinging his arm over Sabo's shoulder. Startled, Sabo looked at him before grinning, feeling his skin warm from the comforting touch.

"Atmos you're on fire!" Luffy and Sabo crowed, and Ace burst into elated laughter. Ace leaned into Sabo even further, and Sabo caught Luffy looking between the two of them, a flash of seriousness on his face.

Then, it vanished, and he grabbed Sabo's hand, tugging him forwards as he yelled, "Run!"

"What?" Sabo said, listening to Luffy laugh as he got his feet under him, "Why?"

"We're gonna lock Ace out," he giggled, and Sabo had to hide a snort, his feet pounding the pavement.

"Go home!" Ace shouted from behind them, and Luffy laughed even louder.

"Yes Ace!"

They skidded round a corner, hands still clasped, and Sabo didn't bother holding off his elated laughter. His side hurt from both a stitch and his fight and his breath was harsh in his throat from the cold, but he felt gloriously, gloriously alive.

Luffy bounded through the alley, his grin wide and his own laughter filling the air, and then they were skidding into their ratty apartment, slamming the door shut. Sabo collapsed against it, panting but feeling his laughter bubble through his body.

Sharp knuckles rapped against the wood, and Sabo clapped his hand over his mouth before he could start sniggering. "Hey," Ace said, suddenly seeming to catch on. "Oy, guys, open the door!"

"Oh, sorry Ace!" Sabo teased, and Luffy started giggling even more. "Looks like you're locked out!"

"Let me in!" Ace yelled, banging on the wood, but Luffy laughed at his anger, pressing his back to the door. Ace's next growl was unintelligible, dissolving into a yell, and Sabo couldn't help grinning.

He could hear Ace begin to pace outside the door, and could practically envision him scowling – he'd seen the expression often enough when they'd first met. Ace's footsteps stopped, and Luffy cautiously leaned forwards to press his ear to the door and listen for noise. Sabo watched as Luffy frowned and then glanced at him, and so was privy to the look of horror he knew was mirrored on his face when they heard a thump from upstairs.

They were frozen for a moment, before they both turned to look at the stairs.

Ace stood at the top, his shirt and jacket in one hand. His face was twisted in a scowl, and for another second they were all still. Then, Luffy began to scramble for the lock, trying to get out of the apartment before Ace could come down the stairs and attack them.

Ace leapt down the half-built staircase and Luffy screamed, bolting for the nearest door. Sabo couldn't help but echo him, yelling as he sprinted away and tried to find someplace to hide. Thankfully Ace went after Luffy first, and Sabo could hear in the other room that Luffy was shrieking, obviously caught.

"I'll be back for you," he heard Ace threaten, close to the stairs again, and Sabo skidded through the lounge, trying to stifle his laughter. Luffy was laughing hysterically, gasping out warnings for Sabo whenever he could, and that sound did little to help Sabo keep quiet.

He pressed his back to the wall, chest heaving, and watched as Ace raced through the hall, missing him completely. Before Ace could turn and spot him, he'd slipped around the door again, heading back to the stairs where Luffy was tied.

Stumbling to a stop, Sabo quickly kneeled, trying to untangle Ace's shirt from Luffy's hands. Luffy stared at him in surprise for a moment before grinning. His giggles returned, and Sabo frantically tried to shush him, but his laughter was infectious and Sabo couldn't help his own laughter as he worked on untying Luffy's hands.

Ace tackled his legs from behind and Sabo was sent sprawling with a yelp. Ace's hands immediately tightened around Sabo's ankles, though he thrashed, and he wriggled, kicking out in his attempt to get Ace off him.

His foot impacted with something and Ace cried out, reeling backwards. "Shit!" Ace cursed, holding his cheek.

"Oh my god, Ace I'm so sorry-," worry and panic immediately surged in his chest, and Sabo craned his neck forwards, fingers peeling Ace's hand away as he tried to see what he'd done. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Ace glanced at him before sniffling, and a slow grin spread across his face. Sabo felt his stomach sink as Ace asked, "Kiss it better?"

He could feel his face begin to burn at Ace's innocent words, but from the look on Ace's face he knew that it'd been meant in all seriousness. A serious joke – now there was something he never thought he'd come across. Then again, he'd never thought he'd come across a joke he'd actually find funny, either.

Ace was still regarding him, face tilted, and Sabo forced his eyes not to drift down his neck and to his now bare collarbone. Sabo swallowed back his thumping heart, leaning forwards and pressing a kiss to the corner where Ace's nose and cheek met.

"Wait, wait, Sabo-!" he heard Luffy say, and then felt Ace's jacket tighten around his hands. Looking down, he saw that Ace had managed to tie it while he'd been distracted in worry and had pulled the knot tight when Sabo had kissed him.

Ace's grin grew even wider, and Sabo's mouth dropped open. "You shit."

"You really made me feel better though, Sabo," he teased and Sabo stared at him in astonishment.

"You're a cheat!" he exclaimed, but Ace only laughed.

"I'm a cheat that has you completely at my mercy." Ace said, and gave a firm tug on the end of the jacket wound around Sabo's wrists. Sabo jerked, surprised by the sudden pressure on his hands, and gave Ace a glare. "Now, what to do with you two…"

"Please don't take away my meat again, please don't take away my meat again," Sabo heard Luffy begin to mumble next to him, and had to stifle a laugh. However, when he tried to shoot Ace a challenging look, silently daring him to do his worst, Ace grinned and tugged his jacket again.

God damn. That was going to get annoying if he kept doing it!

Ace grabbed hold of Luffy's hands to prevent him from escaping, slipping off his belt from where it kept Luffy tied to the staircase banister and tying both Sabo and Luffy together. Luffy shot Sabo a flat-lipped look of regret, and Sabo smiled nervously back as Ace cracked his knuckles, grin widening.

"I suppose classic torture works," Ace said, and then lunged forwards. Luffy yelped, squirming like a worm on a hook, but then his laughter erupted into the air. The sound was contagious, and Sabo grinned as he watched…

Until Ace turned his attention away from Luffy and onto Sabo.

"H-hey, s-stop-!" Sabo cried out breathlessly, laughter hitching and uncontrollable. He now understood Luffy's desperate attempts to get away from Ace's fingers. Without the chance to escape, hands tied, it was ten times more difficult to suppress laughter and his body writhed frantically as he tried to get Ace's hands off him.

Ace leaned back, grinning as he took a break, and said, "You'll have to pay me if you want me to stop."

Luffy, still breathless, quickly cried out, "I'll give you my piggy bank!"

Sabo was ninety percent sure that Luffy's piggy bank hadn't had money in it since he'd arrived, but Ace seemed to contemplate Luffy's deal seriously and gave a short nod in agreement. Luffy was soon free, and Sabo gave an internal curse when he saw Ace's attention had turned to him.

"I've got ten bucks?" he offered, but Ace only scoffed.

"Nah, I've already got Luffy's money."

"Luffy doesn't have any money!"

"I do too!" Luffy defended, huffing and crossing his arms. "I won some off Sanji when Zoro tried to drink Nami under the table."

Luffy's proud smile made Sabo grin in reflex, but it faded once he realised that he didn't have anything to bargain with, if Ace had decided money was off the table.

"I shall stop," Ace repeated, silencing Luffy's next words, "for a token of favour." He pressed a hand to his chest, and Luffy gave a laugh, likely at how silly Ace looked posing.

What on earth was Ace be talking about?

"The heck's a token?" Sabo asked, frowning, "is it like a flower or something?"

Ace's pose fell, his forehead meeting his hand with a loud smack, and he groaned. "No, Sabo." He said, in a voice that belied how long suffering he was. Sabo only frowned further, trying to figure out what Ace wanted.

Unless he meant-

But no! Surely not. Ace had just been joking around when he'd asked Sabo to kiss his nonexistent wound better. He couldn't possibly be trying to ask for another-

Another kiss.

"Still not sure what you're talking about," Sabo said when met with Ace's expectant look, and Ace rolled his head back with a groan.

"It's a kiss," Luffy huffed, almost as though trying to communicate the concept it someone stupid, and Sabo felt his stomach twist. Ace really had meant a kiss? But why? "Why couldn't I pay with a kiss?" Luffy was mumbling, pouting unhappily, and Sabo quickly turned to him, latching onto his words to try and soothe the tumbling of his insides.

"Well why don't you then? We'll switch."

Luffy's expression immediately brightened, and he pressed his lips to Ace's cheek, laughing when Ace turned to him, betrayal on his face.

"Luffy!" Ace complained, crossing his arms, "You can't just switch!"

"Already did though," Luffy pointed out, grinning like the little shit he was, and Sabo laughed, unable to keep the sound contained. Ace turned on him then, pout on his face, and leaned forwards.

"Luffy already paid you!" Sabo quickly cried, and Ace blew out half a laugh.

"I know, I'm just untying you," he said, and Sabo felt embarrassment burn his cheeks. "I wasn't serious, Sabo."

He…wasn't?

Sabo's internal panic seemed stupid now, the ridiculous assumption making him feel mortified, and with that embarrassment can the crushing question;

Had Ace meant his earlier flirt as a joke, too?

When faced with the prospect that Ace had only been joking, his stomach dropped and for some reason his beating heart, earlier so frantic, now seemed like mush. It filled his throat, making him feel like he was choking, and he gave a weak smile back.

Why…why on earth was he upset by Ace claiming it had been a joke?

He didn't really-

Ace and he, that was something that Sabo hadn't even thought about, so why did the thought – the curiosity – of Ace nowfill him?

Ace's jacket slipped from his hands, Ace gently rubbing his wrists like he'd done to Luffy a few minutes earlier, and Sabo ignored how his thoughts encouraged him to lean forwards and press Ace's asked for 'token' against Ace's lips. He wouldn't ruin his friendship with them just because Ace's joking flirts had made him want to-

Sabo refused to finish the thought, banishing it from his head. It'd go away soon.

It had to.