"I don't understand," He said dumbfounded for what felt like the hundredth time that hour.
"What's there to understand?" Luffy asked distractedly from his spot on the bed. He was leaning against the wall heavily, obviously tired. Thatch knew how sick he was. He really ought to let him rest but there were too many questions flying around his brain.
"Ace is your brother?"
Luffy nodded annoyed, "I keep telling you YES!"
"Why on earth didn't you tell me?"
"Because You Didn't ASK!"
"Well I would have asked if I knew that I should ask because it might be a possibility…" He trailed off with a sigh as his head started hurting. Luffy looked confused.
"What?"
"Didn't you know I was on a pirate crew with your brother?" He tried again from a different angle.
Luffy shook his head as he shifted on the end once again resting his back against the wall.
"You are?"
Thatch nodded. "Teach didn't tell you?"
Luffy shook his head again. "He didn't tell me anything other than I was here so he could blackmail Ace. I thought you were here so he could blackmail your captain dad?"
Thatch nodded. That was more or less correct. Only with the missing link that Thatch's captain was Ace's as well.
Luffy looked at him for a second before frowning. "I don't believe you."
"What? Why."
"You might be Ace's friend but he isn't on your crew."
"Why not?"
Luffy just shook his head, "Ace is bossy."
"Is he?"
He nodded. "He is, he wouldn't join someone else's crew. He doesn't like listening to people."
Thatch could see that. But Oyaji wasn't just a regular person. He was debatably the strongest and most powerful pirate on the sea. His powers were that of a god and beneath all that strength was an incredibly kind man who cared for his crew as if they were his own.
"Our captain is really special," He explained to Luffy. "He doesn't think of us like a crew but rather a family. He and Ace get along really well. We all do."
Luffy was staring at him with an unreadable expression. Thatch sighed as he probed a little further.
"Do you believe me?"
Luffy thought for a second before answering. "You wouldn't lie about something like this right?"
Thatch nodded. "I wouldn't lie to you."
"Then I believe you." Luffy said a smile breaking out on his face. As always his smile was infectious. Thatch couldn't help himself but to smile along.
"So Ace was happy then."
"Yea," Thatch agreed softly. He really was. He missed that idiot as well as the rest of his family. He felt a pang in his chest suddenly. It was accompanied by the overwhelming desire to be back home rather than here. He pushed those thoughts away annoyed with his weakness.
Instead he joined Luffy on the bed. More questions bubbled to his mind but Luffy beat him too it.
"So are you and Ace friends?"
"We are." He didn't tell Luffy that he had been one of the first ones to befriend the teen when he was first trapped on their boat. Nor about what came before that. He didn't think it was important. He gathered Luffy agreed. He didn't seem like someone who got caught up in the details.
"So the reason you don't live with your brother…is because he left to be a pirate."
Luffy nodded. He yawned widely reminding Thatch how exhausted the injured kid must be. But one question was still left unanswered.
"I thought you said your brother was some other name…Sam or something."
Luffy's eyes widened slightly as he sat up, suddenly more awake.
"Sabo," He said softly more to himself than anyone else.
"He's your brother."
"Me and Ace's yea." His tone was flat. Once again hard to read. Thatch didn't know if he should continue or not. He regretted asking a second later when Luffy continued.
"He died."
"I'm so sorry." Thatch said not knowing what else to say.
"What happened?"
Luffy shook his head sliding down the wall until his eyes were level with his knees. "When we were little he was taken away by bad people. We never saw him again."
Luffy's voice had become so quite Thatch had to lean forward to hear him. "When he tried to escape the island he was shot." The last part was barley a whisper as Luffy slid down further. His hand came up to grab the googles around his neck. Thatch realized with a heavy heart that they had been destroyed.
"Luffy…" Thatch began quietly. He didn't know what to say to make that all right. Any of this alright. Instead he reached over and put his hand on the fluffy black hair. Luffy looked up at him.
"They're going to kill Ace. We can't let that happen."
"We won't," Thatch told him seriously moving his hand to the small shoulder. Dark eyes held his gaze for a moment, evaluating Thatch's face, before he gave him a soft smile.
"Okay," He agreed rolling over to his side as he lay his head down on the mattress.
The single blanket had fallen to the floor and Thatch stooped down to pick it up. But by the time he sat back down on the bed Luffy was fast asleep. Thatch was unsure if he had simply fallen asleep from exhaustion or if he had fainted again. God knows what Teach did to him and the still healing internal wounds.
He rolled the kid back onto his back and lifted his shirt. What had started as an angry red color was now darkening into a deep purple. A sickly yellow was scattered throughout the bruising sites at irregular intervals from below the navel all the way to his collar bone. It was extensive across his whole body but Thatch identified the bruises on the right ribcage to be the worst. He prodded the area gently with his fingers unsure if he should be relieved or not when Luffy didn't respond.
The Doc had dressed the serious cuts and scrapes but left the bruises to heal in the open air. The doctor had looked at him only a few days ago. He had supposedly tried to fix him after he fell into the ocean, or at the very least try to keep him alive. But he hadn't been back since. Thatch didn't know if that meant Luffy was fine to heal on his own or just that he was too drunk to bother. Thatch strongly suspected the latter which did not bode well for them. His limited medical knowledge aside he had no supplies.
He fixed Luffy's shirt hoping the darkening color meant they were healing. Being careful he readjusted the kid against the wall in the corner of the bed and covered him with the blanket. Thatch was well aware of how little he could do to help.
He settled himself down on the other side, closer to the door. He may not be able to get them out of this mess but the least he could do was interceded should the pirates try anything further.
He leaned back against the headboard clenching his fist to test out his slowly returning strength. It wasn't where he needed it to be. Too little time had passed since his near death experience for his body to be normal again. Plus the constant beatings and near starvation wasn't helping either.
"He's smarter then we gave him credit for that's for sure." Thatch murmured to no one in particular as he bent his leg so he could rest his arm on it, all the while curling and uncurling his hand. He felt the ship rocking beneath them as it braved each wave. None too gently either. There must be a storm outside. Not like they would know. What he wouldn't give for the feeling of sun again, soft wind, or anything really. This sensory deprivation was starting to take its toll. Although it wasn't like he had never been in worse situations before in his extensive years of sailing. If he had gotten himself out of that he should be able to handle this as well right?
"Piece of cake right?" He told the darkened room.
XXX
"And where the hell have you been?"
Sabo held the phone away from his ear at the outburst.
"Things got kind of complicated," he said once he thought she calmed down.
"Well simplify it for me then."
"I don't know if I can," he admitted.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It's just kind of… complicated." The last thing he wanted to do was get into it over the phone. What he wanted was Koala to relay to their boss that he wouldn't be back for a while. Possibly forever if this went south and they all died. Fingers crossed for not that option.
Koala sighed, "Sabo I'm going to need better than that."
"We can't really afford any better," He told her honestly. Maybe he was tired, maybe it was the stress but he only realized his mistake too late.
"We?" She asked her tone part amusement and part disbelief. "Who is we?" She was just surprised he was working with someone. Traditionally Sabo did the heavy work by himself. He preferred it that way. He didn't want any of his friends or allies to get hurt and he figured he could take the danger off of them by directing it at himself.
"It's a really long story I can't risk it right now." He knew she would understand. At least enough not to push the issue.
"So you're really not going to tell me anything?"
"Sorry," He told her again too distracted to remember to sound sorry.
"So if you called me that means you want something."
"I need you to buy more time with Dragon."
Koala sighed deeply. "How much time?"
"I'm not sure yet." He had no clue how long this would go.
There was a long pause on the other end before she spoke up again. "You're coming back though right?"
"Of course." He told her smiling at the concern. "Just give me some time."
"I'll see what I can do." She said to his relief. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
That seemed to be the real question.
"Not yet," he told her. "But we are going to."
XXX
Ace looked up as the blonde boy climbed through the roof window. The two of them were staying in an abandoned building near the forest. Not many people came out of the way like this leaving the two of them free to come and go as they pleased. At least until now.
"You have a tail." He told him as Ace nodded, "I figured." He leaned against the window with a heavy sigh.
"The worst part about it is that I recruited him."
Sabo joined him in staring at the man outside, who thought he was being inconspicuous. "Seriously?"
Ace nodded, "I had too." Neither felt the need to clarify. Ace turned his attention to the blonde.
"How did it go? Is everything okay?" Sabo cold see the worry in his face even though he was trying to hide it.
He nodded putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Everything's alright." He promised him. "Get some sleep, you look like you need it."
Ace just shook his head turning his attention back out the window. "I Can't." He said distractedly.
"At least eat something," Sabo insisted going over to the watermelon bag. He opened it intent on finding food. But instead of supplies what spilt out was a straw hat, the color of gold. He paused for a moment, his fingers hovering inches above the material. He wanted to reach down and touch it. Feel how coarse the material was but deceptively strong. From the corner of his eyes he realized Ace was watching him.
"Sorry," he apologized feeling foolish as he pulled out an oat square from the bottom of the bag and tossed it to his friend. He stuffed the hat back into the bag.
"It's fine." Ace told him as he turned his attention to the food with disinterest. He took a bite out of the corner before putting it down.
"It's Luffy's," He reminded Sabo. "He doesn't go anywhere without it."
Sabo felt his cheeks grow hot in embarrassment as he shut the bag. He felt a bit like he had when he forgot the name of the first lieutenant at the board meeting last week, despite having known the man for years.
"S'not your fault," Ace said with a yawn as he took the bag from Sabo.
Sabo watched in concern as he stumbled as bit. He brought up his arms to steady the teen.
"I don't think it's my fault." He told him much more worried by how pale he was. Was Ace having another attack? God he hoped not.
"Good, because it's not." Ace told him putting his hand to his face like he was trying to rub the sleep away. "It's mine."
"You mean what happened to me? Or Luffy being kidnapped." Sabo let go of Ace as he regained his balance, seemingly having fought off the attack.
"Everything."
Letting go was a mistake. Sabo saw that a second too late as for the second time that week Ace tumbled to the ground. He would have landed hard on the floor if Sabo hadn't stepped in and caught him.
"That can't be true," Sabo reasoned as he swung the boy's arms around his shoulder.
"Don't do this now! Not again."
But he suspected it was a losing battle. Ace was as good as asleep. His words equated to little more than sleep talking. Sabo doubted he would be saying this if he was fully awake.
"There's a question I used to wonder about?" Ace said sleepily as Sabo tried to pull him over to the bedroll in the corner.
"What's that?" He asked distracted by the task of keeping them both upright. But Ace didn't answer he only let out a small laugh. It sounded lonely to Sabo's ears and he knew a thing or two about what loneliness felt like.
"d'snt matter now. I know the answer."
Sabo grunted as the other boy went completely limp, having lost the battle and passed out.
And when Ace leaned on him the weight was too much and Sabo felt him sliding out of his grasp.
XXX
This chapter is brought to you by snow days! Snow days, fun for the whole family. Go get yourself a freak blizzard and watch as school gets shut down.