Chapter 11: A Sea of Snow
Ace was given a bit more time off from 'work', at the insistence of his friends, and he spent the majority of it at home with Luffy. A part of him was still uneasy… still half expecting CPS to show up at any second to try and take Luffy away. Luffy seemed to be thinking along the same thing and became anxious whenever he left Luffy's sight.
Thankfully, after a couple weeks went by and they were in the very heart of winter, with the holidays approaching, Luffy realized that CPS wasn't going to show up in the middle of the night and take him away and he relaxed to the point where he wasn't practically glued to his hip at all hours of the day.
This was a welcomed relief for them both, and Ace decided to reward Luffy by finding a video game for them to do together to continue helping take Luffy's mind off the CPS visit. He downloaded a simple racing game for them to play, which successfully distracted Luffy. The only problem here was that Luffy had terrible coordination and as soon as the controllers were in his hands, he instantly starting driving his virtual car off track or running into things like buildings… trees… NPC's…?
So every time that Ace ended up crushing him in a race—which was every time—Luffy would pout and demand, "Again!" Despite the fact that he kept losing though, Luffy was determined to keep going until he won at least once. Ace could only shake his head at the sight of it and promised himself that he wasn't going to let Luffy behind the wheel of a real vehicle any time soon.
After about an hour of him crushing Luffy in racing, Ace knew he had to take care of some chores around the house so he set his brother up against racing against NPC's and left him at it. He was honestly surprised by how easy it was to keep Luffy occupied for hours, and was wondering how long he could keep this up. But he couldn't help but smirk to himself as he was doing the dishes and heard Luffy's loud, indigent cries from the living room as he ended up coming in last place again.
At one point, Ace glanced out the window and let out a long whistle when he saw the thick flurry of snow falling beyond the glass. He frowned a little, silently glad that he decided to pick up groceries on his way home from picking Luffy up from school the other day. Miss Robin warned him as they were leaving that because of the upcoming storm, the Kindergarten would be closed for a few days, which meant that Ace had to work extra hard to keep Luffy entertained since the kid loved the snow and wanted to go out to play in it and build snowmen. Ace was in no mood to try and battle the elements today though and made the mental note to thank Marco for suggesting the game.
He just finished putting the last dish away and was planning to return to the living room to watch Luffy continue to lose spectacularly—maybe even cheer him up with some hot chocolate later—when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Surprised, Ace pulled it out, saw that it was Izo, and answered in a cheerful voice at the same time he heard Luffy started up another game while declaring that he was sure to win this time.
'Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, kid,' he thought fondly before Izo's voice cut in sharp and panicky.
"Ace?! Listen, this is important!" Izo said hurriedly, "Is Thatch there with you?"
"Thatch?" Ace repeated in surprise at the random question, "No, he isn't. Why? Did Thatch do something and is running from you guys?"
Izo didn't answer him but Ace did hear him telling someone on the other end that Thatch wasn't with him and Luffy, which was followed by someone cursing up a storm. Realizing that something was terribly wrong, Ace ducked into his bedroom as to not alert Luffy and asked in a hushed voice, "Izo? What's going on there? What happened?"
"Ace, when was the last time you spoke with Thatch?" Izo asked urgently, not answering his questions.
"When? I don't know…" Ace stuttered as he tried to think back, "I haven't seen him since… wow, since last week. Yeah, I'm sure… he stopped by to check on me and Luffy real quick the day before CPS came over. I did talk to him on the phone the day after that to let him know how well it went but nothing since then. Why? Is something wrong?"
There were more voices talking and he had trouble trying to make out who was there before asking again, "Izo, what's happening? What's with Thatch?"
Izo hesitated before sighing and admitted, "Thatch's been missing since yesterday. We've tried contacting him but no one's been able to reach him."
"He's missing?" Ace demanded, his eyes wide with shock, "What happened?"
"We don't know for sure, but we think he may have been abducted," Izo growled out in frustration. "He went out last night for some supplies because he wanted to be prepared when the snowstorm hit but he still hasn't come back. We've been trying since last night to reach him but, so far, nothing. All our calls just keep going to voicemail and he isn't answering any texts."
"I can go and check on him," Ace reasoned, his heart hammering fast, "Thatch doesn't live that far from us. I can go out and check on his place real quick…?"
"No point. Marco went over earlier to try and see if he was there, but he said that the place was trashed when he arrived," Izo said, "I mean, Thatch isn't exactly the neatest person but our favorite pineapple-head said it looked like someone tore the place apart."
Ace cursed and was already mentally preparing himself for the worse when he said, "I'll be over there soon to help."
"You? But you're with Luffy and…?"
Ace almost forgot about that and he gritted his teeth, feeling anger and helplessness burning inside him as he asked, "Can I drop him off with Kiku…?"
"Kiku's here with us," Izo answered back, "I didn't want to leave her alone with a snowstorm about to hit…?"
Ace cured again as he tried to think of someone he could reach out for as Izo was asking anyone around him if someone else could watch Luffy. Ace glanced to the window again and saw that while it was still snowing heavily, it wasn't like it was completely white-out yet, meaning that he still had time to find someone or take Luffy somewhere where it was safe so that he joined the others on the search. But who? If Kiku couldn't watch him…? Makino was out of town again and he didn't think he could take Luffy back to Law's again—he was aware that Law was going to be stationed at the hospital tonight thanks to his most recent update—but he didn't think Marco or any of the others could be able to help out here this time since they were all with the search.
He gritted his teeth as he sat on the bed, running one hand through his hair as he doubled over, just staring at the floor as he tried to remain calm.
He couldn't risk it! Leaving Luffy alone was out of the question! He only just got CPS off his back! He couldn't do anything to risk his safety… and he was unable to think of anyone near him right now who could look after him for a few hours?
"I want to help look for Thatch but I can't leave Luffy alone here!" he told Izo desperately, "Is there anyone nearby that I can leave him with? Or can one of the others come here?"
"Most of us are already out and looking," Izo told him reassuringly, "You stay there and see about calling anyone you can think of. If you find him then just text me, I know that this is a bad time for you. Its okay, we understand and none of us blame you for any of this. You got enough on your plate. We got this. And I'll be sure to give Thatch a good punch to the face for this when we find him."
Ace gritted his teeth, unable to stand the thought of standing back and not doing anything to help Thatch. The guy was nuts but he owed that nutjob a lot for all the help he's given him. He wanted so desperately rush out and start searching but…?
"I'll see what I can do," Ace told Izo and hung up, letting his phone drop to the floor as he gripped his hair tightly.
Ace, however, was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't immediately register Luffy's voice as he sat on the bed, his head in his hands, his mind racing with all kind of thoughts. Ace's head jerked up upon feeling a small hand touching his arm and stared at Luffy's concerned eyes.
"Oh, Luffy…?" he said, trying to force a smile but Luffy wasn't having it.
"What's wrong?" he asked slowly, "Ace, what is it? What's wrong with Thatch?"
*Two Days Later…?*
The snow hadn't stopped falling for days and Sabo was forced to fight his way through the freezing cold and blistering winds, wrapping his coat tighter around him as he trudged on through knee-deep snow.
Of all times to have to be called into work for a stupid meeting?
After he managed to gain the papers he needed from his family's house, Sabo had been successful in finding a small, part-time job where he could work mostly from home, but every couple weeks he was called to the office for a meeting. His manager had the idea that they do the meeting now before the weather got even worse, but the storm swept in faster than they expected, which was how Sabo found himself forced to walk home through a blizzard.
While he couldn't say he was fond of the work he was doing, it did give him a half-decent paycheck which paid the bills so it would do for now. He had still been living at a cheap motel until recently, having only found better lodgings when he met a new friend named Koala. He accidently bumped into her on the street when she was getting coffee, and he almost ran her over when he turned the corner—knocking her drink to the ground and offering to pay for another.
The two started talking after that and he liked to visit her while she was working at the aquarium, where she would get him in for free. She even introduced him to a bunch of her friends, whom welcomed him in with open arms, who were a colorful bunch of characters themselves. When she came to hear more of his background, as well as his current living situation, she offered him the spare bedroom at her place where she, and a couple of said friends, were all living together.
While it was a bit awkward for him at first, he quickly fell into a routine with them. Everyone worked to do the chores and pay bills while sharing meals together—though it was usually with Koala or Hack reminding everyone to pull their weight—which was something that Sabo couldn't ever remember sharing with his own family. It was almost like he was in another world as they would gather around a too-small dining table with mismatch chairs, with everyone talking and laughing—sometimes even fighting over food—while they shared stories about their day.
The meals back at his family's manor were always quiet and formal, the kind of environment where it was impossible to feel comfortable. So this was a bit of a culture shock for him for the first few days before he became open enough to join in the chaos.
Despite the cold, Sabo felt himself smiling at the thought and wished he was with them right now.
Since none of them had much in terms of families, every year they gathered their money together to pay for a vacation for the holidays. Sabo had supposed to join them before the worst of the storm hit them but due to his own crazy work schedule he ended up getting the dates mixed up for when they were supposed to be taking time off, which was how he found himself in this freezing hell rather than warmer climate down south like where the others were heading to right now.
Sabo was still kicking himself for that, but hated the idea of making them pay the price for his terrible time-management when they offered to wait for him to get back.
"I'm fine! You guys go in the van ahead of me. I'll take the bus there as soon as I get out and meet up with you there. I should be able to catch up by tomorrow and then we can pretend nothing happened."
Sabo frowned up at the blizzard, feeling a strong sense of hatred for it ruining his first real holiday that he'd been looking forward to all month! Though he managed to get out of the meeting before it got this bad, the bus he was supposed to take had been cancelled so he had no choice but to go home. He could only hope that the weather would clear up enough for him to catch up before the end of the week so he'd have a fighting chance of making it there before Christmas…?
But it seemed the weather was determined to kill those hopes as a sudden gust of wind nearly blew him over and he staggered to try and keep himself upright.
Sabo squinted through the storm, knowing that it was getting dangerous. The snow was so thick that he couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him. He had no idea if he was even on the right street or not anymore.
He fumbled for his phone, trying to figure out his location, but his fingers were shaking so badly from cold that he couldn't even hold onto it.
"Damn it," he hissed to himself as he looked around, completely lost, and hoping he could find some kind of cover to try and warm up his fingers long enough to be able to work his phone since he didn't think that speaking would work over the roar of the wind.
As he looked about, already getting a headache from constantly squinting through the haze, he managed to make out a square of light off to the far left and he made his way towards it, knowing that it was all he had right now. He knew it had to come from a window and he hoped that he could take shelter on the side of the house to try and recover…? Maybe even get directions from the owners?
As he crunched his way through the snow, still struggling to remain upright, he held up his arm to shield his face as he drew closer to the window. He was finally close enough to get a look at it and saw how it was connected to what appeared to be a small house as a warm glow of light hit his face.
He looked to the window where—to his surprise—was a little boy sitting huddled against the wall, hugging a stuffed toy to his chest. A bright yellow straw hat with a red band was low over his head so Sabo couldn't see his face, but he was dressed in bright red pajamas as he hugged his plush toy tight against him.
Sabo looked on sadly, remembering how he used to do something like that when he was little… how he would huddle in his room, wishing for his parents love or attention just once? He shook his head, trying to dispel those unpleasant memories, and wondered if he should just try to move on? But before he could decide, the boy raised his head and he was able to get a look at the kid's sad-looking face. Saw the messy, black hair that tuck out from under his hat to the watery brown eyes and…?
He blinked, staring at the scar underneath his left eye as his own eyes widened in shock. He knew that face! He even stepped closer, his eyes scanning over the boy's face, realizing that it had to be him… that same little kid he saw before at the Grey Terminal! Yes, he remembered seeing that same straw hat before…?
He couldn't believe it… this was his house? What were the odds?
As his mind raced, Luffy—as if sensing someone watching him—raised his head to the window and their eyes met. Luffy blinked, staring at him as Sabo stared back for a few awkward minutes before Luffy tried to jump up but ended up accidently falling off his chair and tumbled to the floor. Sabo winced at that before taking a step closer to try and see if he was alright.
A second later Luffy's face popped up so close to the window that his nose was pressed about it, making it flat and Sabo couldn't stop the snigger as Luffy observed him. Sabo wanted to talk to him, but he doubted Luffy could even hear him over this wind. Luffy seemed to think this over before pointing off to the side and Sabo understood. He trudged through the snow to around the building until he was able to find the front door.
As he approached, he saw the little slot for the mail open up and Luffy's eyes could be seen looking back as he crouched down low to talk to him through the gap.
"Hey, Luffy," Sabo said, smiling gently as Luffy tilted his head.
"Do I know you?" Luffy asked softly, "Are you one of Ace's friends?"
"Ah, no. But… it's me, Sabo. Remember? Back in the Grey Terminal? Trash Mountain? You were looking for a bracelet or something…?" Sabo asked him, trying to keep the chattering of his teeth to a minimum.
"Oh? OH! Y-yes! I do!" Luffy said and through the slot, he could see the fragile smile on his face, "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I kinda got lost," Sabo said with a nervous laugh, unable to believe that he was talking to Luffy again, "I was just trying to figure out where I was when I saw you in the window. Are you ok? You looked so sad?"
"Ah… yeah… I was waiting for Ace to come home," Luffy answered, hugging his toy a bit closer to him. "He's really late this time."
"Ace? You mean…?" Sabo began slowly, wringing his hands together to try and keep them warm.
"My big brother," Luffy confirmed.
"Ah, alright, well, where's your brother now?" Sabo asked in concern and Luffy hesitated for a moment.
"Thatch went missing," Luffy told him, his smile fading. "Ace got a call and heard that Thatch wasn't here so he was really worried. He went off to try and find him."
Thatch? Sabo knew he heard that name before but struggled to remember it. He could vaguely recall the group of people who came looking for Luffy after he rescued him and tried to remember if any of them were this 'Thatch' guy.
"He's out in this weather? He's either brave or just reckless. And who's there now?" Sabo asked, trying to keep the conversation going despite feeling as if frozen knives were being driven into his skin before seeing the sadness in Luffy's face and he figured it out.
"He left you here all alone?!" Sabo demanded, half startled and half outraged.
"He didn't want to leave me. He tried calling around but no one else could get here cause of the snow," Luffy told him. "I told him to go and look for Thatch. I'm sure he'll be fine! He always is!"
But despite the force in his voice, Sabo could hear the slight tremble in his tone, and how he hugged that toy a little tighter against his chest.
"Luffy, how long… has Ace been gone?" Sabo asked carefully, almost afraid to hear the answer.
Luffy thought it over before answering back, "Day before yesterday."
*Day before yesterday: Luffy's POV*
Luffy was determined to do better at this game and beat the other drivers! He sat in front of the TV as he stuck his tongue out in determination while trying to get the controls to listen to which way he wanted to go.
After what felt like a million tries to him, he finally succeeded in coming in third place! Not as good as first, but better than dead last! He cheered, looking around to see what Ace had to say, only to realize his big brother wasn't there. Luffy looked about in confusion, a little disappointed that Ace didn't see him getting better—he didn't even noticed when he left?
He then heard Ace talking from his room and Luffy immediately got up to tell him the good news. But upon entering, his happiness faded the instant when he saw Ace doubled over on the bed and looking upset.
"Ace…?" Luffy asked quietly, but Ace was still speaking into his phone without looking at him.
"I can go and check on him," Ace said, not looking up to see Luffy there, "Thatch doesn't live that far from us. I can go out and check on his place real quick…?"
Thatch? Why would Ace need to go check on Thatch? Luffy watched as Ace stayed quiet for a minute before he cursed some bad words under his breath that Luffy knew he would never be allowed to say before Ace continued, "I'll be over there soon to help."
There was more silence before Ace growled out at whoever he was talking to before asking, "Can I drop him off with Kiku…?"
Was it work again? Was Luffy going to be staying with Kiku? Not that he had a problem with that since he really liked Kiku. But Ace was grinding this teeth together as he gripped his hair—something he only did whenever something was really wrong…?
"I want to help look for Thatch but I can't leave Luffy alone here! Is there anyone nearby that I can leave him with? Or can one of the others come here?" Ace asked and Luffy stared.
Thatch was missing? Why? What happened? He felt himself growing cold at the thought and he wanted to ask what was going on before Ace just nodded his head and muttered, "I'll see what I can do."
He hung up and let his phone drop to the carpeted floor as he gripped his hair like he wanted to tear it all out. Luffy could see that Ace was upset… and sad… and angry…? Luffy could just feel it all coming off Ace like it was about to explode. He gulped as he slowly approached, trying to speak, but Ace still didn't notice him there until Luffy touched him softly, causing his head to jerk up with a startled grunt.
"Oh, Luffy…?" he said, trying to force a smile but Luffy wasn't having it.
"What's wrong?" he asked slowly, "Ace, what is it? What's wrong with Thatch?"
Ace turned pale and asked, "How much did you hear?"
"You… said that Kiku was coming over? And that Thatch was missing?" Luffy answered before Ace sighed, running a hand over his face.
"Yeah, sorry buddy, but… it's pretty serious cause we can't find Thatch," he told him with a sad look, "That was Izo on the phone. He told me that Thatch went out last night and hasn't come back yet. We think he's lost somewhere."
"Lost?" Luffy repeated slowly, "Why? Where'd he go?"
"I don't know," Ace confessed, taking Luffy's hand in his own and Luffy could see how much bigger his brother was than him—he suddenly felt very small next to him as Ace went on, "But Marco went over to his place to try and check if he was there but he hasn't found him yet. They're doing a search but so far… they haven't found anything."
"He's lost outside?" Luffy repeated with a gasp, thinking about how cold it must've been right now, "We need to go out and look for him!"
He was already racing out of the room to get his coat and mittens before Ace could think to call out to him.
"Luffy!" Ace called after him as the little boy was now trying to get his coat on but was struggling with the zipper, "Luffy! You can't go out in this weather! It's not safe."
"But Thatch needs help!" Luffy reminded Ace, "We have to go and save him!"
"I completely agree, but I can't take you with me and no one we know can get here right now," Ace explained, "And there's no way I can leave you alone. I'll be making some calls and see if I can reach him, but you're gonna stay put."
"Why can't I come?" Luffy demanded, feeling angry tears in his eyes, "I want to help."
"You can help us by staying out of harm's way," Ace said firmly, taking Luffy's coat and throwing it over one of the kitchen chairs before he crouched down and pulled Luffy close so he could look him in the eye. "Listen Luffy, we'll see what we can do about Thatch. You need to leave this to the grown up for now, you understand? You know he'd never want you to put yourself in harm's way for him? That would make him sad."
"But I want to help! Are you going to go out and look for him?" Luffy demanded, furious that his brother wasn't taking this seriously.
"I'm going to be calling around and seeing if…?"
"No, that's not good enough! We need to go out and find him!"
"Damnit, Luffy, I want to go look for him too but I can't take you with me in this weather!" Ace snapped back, getting Luffy to shut up. Ace hardly ever snapped at him like that unless it was something really serious. Luffy instantly shut up and Ace blinked, like he was surprised that he upset him, and just leaned back onto the floor, his face in his hands as Luffy stared at him.
"But… I don't get it. Ace wants to go out and find him?" Luffy pointed and Ace looked away, not able to look him in the face anymore. "So…?"
"I… I do," he confessed sadly, "Luffy, I really do want to go out and help him cause he's one of our buddies. But I can't leave you here alone…?"
"You can take me to Traffy's place again," Luffy offered but Ace shook his head.
"That's not possible this time since he's not home tonight," Ace informed him. "And anyone else I can trust to look after you isn't available right now. Damn, just when things were starting to get better…? This happens! How is it whenever I need a babysitter, there's no one around?"
Luffy watched as Ace gripped his hair, his eyes screwed up tight like he was trying to figure out what he could do. Luffy gulped a little and offered nervously, "What if… you go after I go to bed?"
"Luffy, no…" Ace scolded firmly.
"But I'll be asleep!"
"That doesn't matter!"
"I'll be asleep and you can go out to look for Thatch! What's the problem?!"
"Because what if something happens to you and I'm not here?" Ace demanded, his voice rising as Luffy could hear the anger breaking through, "What if a fire starts…? Or… the power goes out and it gets really cold? What if someone breaks in? There're so many things that could happen to you and that's why a little kid shouldn't be left alone."
"I'm not a baby! I'm a man! If you're that upset then just make sure to come back fast!" Luffy demanded, glaring at him. "I know that Ace could find him!"
"Luffy, we just got CPS off our backs and if word gets back to them that I left you alone, even for one night, they could be back!" Ace countered, growing frustrated with his suggestions, "And then they'll really will take you away!"
Upon hearing that, Luffy lost his anger and looked down, feeling tears forming in his eyes at the thought of being taken away. He didn't want to leave! But he also didn't want Ace to regret sitting around here if something happened to his friend?
Ace was breathing hard as he stared at him but Luffy didn't want to look at him anymore. So he ran away and back to his room before Ace could say anything else. He fought the tears as he dove under his blankets, just upset over all this.
Ace shouldn't have to keep putting him first like that! Luffy can handle being left alone for a little while! It wasn't fair to Thatch! And it wasn't fair to Ace cause he knew that his brother wanted to go! He screwed up his eyes and he punched his pillow before hiding his head underneath the cushion. He hated all of this so much! Why couldn't he be bigger so that he could help his brother out? Why did Ace always have to put him first?
But the answers didn't come to him as he laid there, torn between wanting to cry and being too angry to cry. Over the next hour he didn't move from that spot—listening to Ace calling everyone he knew if they saw Thatch—before he became very quiet for a long time.
Luffy sniffled to himself as he felt like he was starting to fall asleep…? At least, until he heard the door open. Hearing that, he screwed up his eyes and stayed still as he tried to snore, wanting Ace to just leave him alone. But Ace just stepped inside and Luffy heard him cross the room until he sat at the end of the bed.
"Luffy? I know you're not sleeping," he said in a tired voice and Luffy gave up trying to snore at those words. How did Ace always know?
"Luffy? Please, we need to talk," Ace said and Luffy finally stuck his face out to look at his big brother's sad face.
"What?" Luffy asked in a quiet voice.
"Luffy… would you… would you really be okay for one night?" he asked slowly and Luffy immediately sat up, his eyes wide as Ace seemed to have a hard time trying to keep talking, "I mean…? I don't what I mean anymore?"
"Yes," Luffy said firmly, "I promise, Ace! I won't leave the house! I'll be good till you get back!"
"If we do this, then I want you to really promise me, Luffy," Ace said sternly, "I don't want to leave if I think that you'll do something that could get you hurt or in trouble, you hear?"
Luffy nodded, ready to show Ace that he can take care of himself! Ace rubbed his face again and Luffy saw how tired he looked here.
"I'm so sorry about this," Ace said with a bitter tone, lowering his head to stare down at his hands that were curled up into fists on the bed, "Having to work all the time now. I-I know it's not easy. And I feel terrible that I have to leave you for long periods of time…?"
"Ace…" Luffy said sadly, not liking how hard this was for him. "It's ok… I can look after myself till you get back."
"It's just for tonight," Ace promised, "I'll be back as soon as I can. We'll do bedtime and then I'll go. Just for… a little while."
Luffy nodded, happy that Ace was doing what he wanted and immediately jumped up to get his favorite pajamas—not noticing how pale Ace was as he could only watch. They settled back into their regular routine, though Ace didn't read Luffy a story before tucking him in—not that Luffy was sure he wanted a story tonight.
"Ace… will you be alright out there?" Luffy asked him seriously as Ace smoothed out his blanket for him, making sure that he would be warm tonight.
"Yeah, you know me, bro, I got too much to live for now to let something like a little snow stop me," he said.
"I want you to go and find Thatch," Luffy informed him, "But I want you to be careful too. So Ace… don't die out there."
At those words, some of the Ace's worries melted away as he looked on with a fondness as he ruffled his hair and promised, "I won't die. I gotta kick Thatch's ass for making us all worry. And remember how I promised you that I'd take you for a ride?"
At that, Luffy's eyes brightened up as he gasped, "Really? You mean you're gonna get the motorcycle?!"
"Yeah, I think I saved up enough for it. But I'll wait until spring comes before getting it. And I remember saying you'd be the first person to ride it with me," he promised, "I'll tell you what. You be good for me and behave while I'm gone… and once I get that motorcycle… we'll take a trip to the ocean. Just you and me. You okay with that?"
"You promise?!" Luffy asked, holding up his hand and extended his pinky. Ace actually smiled as he gripped his pinky with his own and promised him. Luffy felt a lot better after that, knowing that Ace had no choice but to keep his promise now.
He watched as Ace then reached for Jimbei, who was at the foot of the bed, and he looked at the toy with a serious expression before telling him, "Alright, Jimbei… I'm sorry to ask you this… but do you think you can take care of my brother for me?"
He paused there, as if waiting for the toy to answer, while Luffy watched on. After a minute, Ace nodded and said, "Ok, good. Thanks for that. He'll probably keep your hands full but… take good care of him for me."
Luffy smiled when Ace handed Jimbei back to him and added, "Alright, so Jimbei will be here to protect and look after you for me. He gave me his word, so you behave around him like you would if I was around, deal?"
"Okay, I promise," Luffy vowed as he hugged the toy.
Ace nodded before he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Marco by telling him he was on his way and that he was leaving his phone with Luffy for now. He set his phone on the bedside table and told Luffy to keep it close and not to lose it.
"I'll make sure to tell my friends that you have it and to call you to check in, just in case," he told him. "I'll be sure to get you your own phone after this too so we can talk whenever. Remember how I showed you how to use it?"
Luffy nodded back as Ace put his hands on his brother's shoulders before saying in a very serious voice, "Alright. So I turned the heater up so you should be warm. Don't leave the house, no matter how tempted you are to play in the snow. And don't let anyone you don't know inside, alright? You got some snacks in the cupboard, but don't eat it all in one go. I rather not come home to find out that we got nothing to eat and we'll be snowed in with no food. I'll do my best to be back either tonight or early tomorrow, but in case I'm late, you can play with your toys and watch TV in the morning. If I'm running late, I'll make sure to send Marco, Vista, or someone to look after you. So keep the phone close by, alright? They'll call you to let you know when they'll be on their way."
Luffy nodded and told him, "Just promise me you'll find Thatch and be careful."
"I promise," Ace vowed, bumping his knuckles against Luffy's forehead, making him smile again, "I'll make sure to drag him back home no matter what. And I'll give him a good telling off when I find him. You just focus on staying safe here."
Ace gave him a quick kiss on the head before he bent down to plug in the nightlight, making Luffy feel better about being alone in the dark. Luffy leaned back against his pillow as he watched Ace cross to the door and looked back.
Luffy could tell that Ace was sad about this, but it would be alright. It was only for one night… right? Ace gave him another brave smile and turned off the light before shutting the door behind him. Luffy laid there in bed for a time as he could hear his brother getting ready. He tried to be brave and avoid how his fingers were trembling… knowing that this was the only way. Still, he couldn't help but get out of bed when he heard the front door open and close. He quickly moved across the room to the window in time to see Ace's dark coat swirling about the snow as he crossed underneath one of the street lights before disappearing into the dark.
Luffy stood there and watched even long after Ace was out of his sights, hugging Jimbei tightly as he eventually went back to bed and drifted off to an uneasy sleep… looking forward to seeing someone show up tomorrow morning…?
But no one arrived the next day.
Or the day after that.
*Present: Sabo's POV*
"Two days?!" Sabo gaped, unable to believe what he just heard, "He left two days ago and you've been by yourself all this time?!"
Sabo regretted his words the moment he cried out, seeing how miserable Luffy looked and how tears were already welling up in his eyes at the reminder that he was on his own. He needed a minute to take several deep breaths, despite how they were still chattering together, to calm himself before speaking again.
"I see. It sounds like it was a real emergency. Still, you shouldn't be here by yourself," Sabo told him and Luffy looked down sadly, as if worried he was going to be in trouble. Sabo frowned as he tried to think of something he could do. He didn't think it was his place to judge someone else since he didn't know the entire circumstances but he couldn't imagine ever leaving a little kid like Luffy home by himself…? Especially not for this long! He glanced around, wondering what he should do without getting either of them in trouble.
"If you like… I can stay here with you till he gets back?" he offered slowly. "I know… it's a lot. I'm basically a stranger to you. But I can stay up with you till he or one of your friends gets here?"
Luffy blinked in surprise at that and asked, "You mean… you'll stay with me?"
"Yes, for now, anyway," he offered, "I mean… just until someone gets here. Do you have a phone? Someone I can call for you?"
"Ace left his phone for me, saying he'd have someone call me but… no one has," Luffy told him with worry.
Luffy hesitated for a moment despite Sabo internally begging to be let in out of the snow—he didn't want to push things. He wasn't sure what he was going to do if Luffy said no, but he didn't feel right just up and leaving him like this, stewing in worry over what might've happened to his big brother.
But finally, Luffy closed the little mailbox slot and Sabo heard the lock turn and he opened the door. The moment he pulled it back, a strong gust of wind almost blew him to the ground until Sabo grabbed the doorknob and held it so that Luffy could find his balance.
"You ok?" he asked as he stepped inside, his face burning so badly from cold that it was like he had been slapped, pulling off his scarf and hat to speak properly.
"Y-Yes," Luffy said, still holding onto his stuffed toy.
Sabo closed the door, blocking out the wind and he sighed in relief as his body was flooded with warmth and he kicked off the snow from his boots.
He looked around the small house, finding it looked warm and inviting, before turning back to Luffy. The kid still looked nervous, as if wondering he made the right choice—but the idea of being alone seemed to scare him more than risking letting a literal stranger inside.
Sabo just looked back kindly and crouched down low to speak to him at eye level—unknowingly doing the same thing that Ace always did to help Luffy feel calm and safe.
"I won't hurt you, Luffy," he promised gently, "I just wanted to make sure you're alright. I'll leave whenever you tell me too. If you aren't comfortable with me here, just tell me and I'll go. Deal?"
Luffy's worried expression faded slightly as he nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he took Sabo by his hand and pulled him towards the kitchen. After kicking off the snow, Sabo couldn't help but sigh in relief to be somewhere warm and immediately took off his gloves to blow on his numb fingers to get some feeling back in his digits. As he did, he heard a loud rumbling noise and he paused there to wonder what the heck it was. He looked down to see Luffy's hands over his stomach as he moaned out, "I'm hungry."
"Oh? Well, maybe we should find something for you to eat while we look for someone to call," Sabo offered, feeling hungry himself, and began roaming through the fridge and cupboards to find something he could give the kid. He could see the wrappers of snacks and junk food having been cleared out and he was glad to see that Luffy hadn't been starving over the last few days at least.
"Whatcha making?" Luffy asked him curiously, following him around the kitchen like a curious cat trying to figure out what was going on.
Truthfully, Sabo didn't know and was just making things up as he went before he opened another cupboard to find some familiar-looking packets sitting up on the top shelf.
"How about ramen? You in the mood for that?" Sabo offered as he grabbed the packets and went looking around for a pot.
"Really? Ramen?!" Luffy asked in excitement, his mouth already drooling.
"Why not? You can have ramen at any time of the day," Sabo reasoned as he looked through the fridge and pantry to make sure they had everything they would need. "And lucky for us, looks like we'll be able to add a few things to it other than just noodles. Just give me a few minutes…?"
Though it was embarrassing to admit, ramen was one of the only few things Sabo could make on his own without fear of burning down the kitchen. Having grown up in a mansion with chiefs and maids to do everything for him—it took a while for him to get used to doing even the most minor of tasks. It wasn't until Koala saw him burning toast in the toaster did she set aside some time to teach him a few basic recipes so that she didn't have to worry about him starving. Ramen was a personal favorite of his, and he couldn't help but beam with pride at the thought of him being the one to prepare it with his own two hands.
When he found a good sized pot, he filled it with water and set it to boil as Luffy watched—looking a lot happier than he did before. While waiting for the stove to heat up, Sabo took the chance to get a better look around the small place—everything from the blankets covering the furniture, to pillows scattered about the floor with toys, and the living room table that was covered with paper and crayons…? It looked very much lived in and loved… nothing like the strict and cold mansion where he grew up in. He even spotted a few scratches made into the doorway off the side of the kitchen that had Luffy's name and his age against each scratch…?
Someone was using it to keep track of Luffy's height.
"This looks like a nice place to live in," Sabo told him as Luffy smiled proudly.
"Thanks! I love it here! I can show you around!"
Luffy was happy to play tour guide as he showed him around the entire house; showing him some of his favorite spots, his toys, and even offered to play a few rounds of a racing game with him.
Sabo promised they would play after they ate, and went back to the kitchen to fish out a few vegetables and cut them up to add to the broth. He even lifted Luffy up to 'help' add the veggies to the pot as his eyes were sparkling with joy.
"It'll be ready in a few minutes," he informed as Luffy cheered, practically bouncing in his seat.
The eagerness in the kid's face reminded him of Koala and how she often did the same thing whenever she got excited and…?
He all but choked at the realization that he was definitely going to be late and pulled out his phone to send her a text. He left Luffy to sit at the table as he paced around the living room and informed her what happened. After explaining that the buses weren't going to be up and running today, he promised her that he was safe and that she and the others should just enjoy their time for now while he tried to get to them as soon as possible.
Upon seeing the barrage of semi-angry texts being sent back in rapid fire, snapping at him for making all of them worry and for taking so long to message her, he knew that they were all safe and he just turned off his phone before returning to the kitchen as his stomach began to rumble now.
After splitting the food between them, they set upon their food happily as their bellies were quickly satisfied. Sabo was so hungry that he swallowed everything in just a few gulps, all but burning his mouth and his throat in the process but he didn't care. He was just so happy that he got some food and he could feel his energy returning before he set his empty bowl down.
Luffy looked to be trying to swallow as much as he could at once too—though he was smaller and had a harder time as he all but put his face into food to make sure that nothing got away. Sabo sniggered at the sight as he looked around again, this time glancing to a few pictures up on the wall that he hadn't notice before.
Inside almost all of them were Luffy, but there was another figure that appeared almost as often, and he could only assume that this must be the infamous big brother Luffy kept talking about. As Sabo's eyes came upon one picture that was on the wall next to him, the man was grinning wildly at the camera while having a laughing Luffy in a headlock. He looked closer to realize that this guy to be around Sabo's age—maybe a little older—and had freckles scattered across his cheeks, Luffy's messy black hair, and a bright orange cowboy hat that he recognized at once.
"I knew it," he whispered, thinking back to the night of the festival and how that stranger stepped out of nowhere and helped him out. He had been certain that he saw Luffy that night as well!
"Huh? Knew what?" Luffy asked in a muffled tone as noodles hung from his mouth.
"Luffy… did you and your brother go to the festival a little while back?" Sabo asked, wanting to confirm it.
"Yep!" Luffy declared, still having food stuffed in his mouth, and giggling at the memory as he finished with, "We had a lot of fun! We went with Marco, Izo, and… Thatch."
Luffy's smile faded a little as he clearly looked worried again so Sabo decided to steer it away from his missing friend and instead pointed to the man in the picture, asking, "So this… is your brother?"
After a great swallow, Luffy declared proudly, "Yup! Ace is the best! I want to introduce you to him when he gets back! I think he'll really like you!"
"Actually, I think I met your big brother," Sabo informed him, shaking his head at the irony of the whole situation.
"Really? You mean you and Ace are friends?" Luffy asked excitedly.
"Ah, no… not really, we only met once. But he helped me out, big time, so… I guess… I'm just returning the favor," Sabo countered. Luffy tilted his head in confusion as Sabo laughed and ruffled Luffy's hair before the kid went back to his food. Though Sabo was used to eating with his new friends now, he couldn't deny that it was always a nice feeling no matter who it was.
This kid was beyond sweet.
Sabo just smiled as he listened to him going on and on about even the most minor or random things. Now that Luffy wasn't alone anymore, he was more than happy to talk his ear off as he kept dripping food down his front—which was both gross and endearing at the same time.
Still, Sabo was growing concerned as he glanced at the clock and saw that it had already been about an hour since he arrived. Where was this guy? What was he going to do? If Ace was missing then he should call the police, right? But then what would happen to Luffy?
The last thing he wanted to do was upset him, or scare him, he wasn't sure how a little kid would react if police showed up asking questions? Not only that, Sabo would have to explain himself as well and he was sure his parents had noticed that the papers were gone by now so who knows if they went to the police about him…?
Just as he was contemplating his choices, or lack thereof, he heard the buzzing of a phone nearby. Surprised, he looked up and gazed around until he spotted the phone on the living room table, surrounded by crayons and childish drawings.
"Whose phone is that?" Sabo asked as he got up to get it.
"Oh, Ace left it behind," Luffy reminded him, "Said that he wanted me to have it in case I needed it. Oh, is he calling?"
"Not sure," Sabo said, staring at the vibrating phone before deciding that there was only one way to find out. He slide his finger over it, making sure to put the phone on speaker, before asking slowly, "Ahhh, hello?"
There was silence on the other end and then…?
"THIS ISN'T LUFFY!" yelled a voice on the other end, causing Sabo to jump and hold the phone at arm's length as the voice continued to yell, "WHO IS THIS?! YOU'RE A KIDNAPPER, AREN'T YOU?! I SWEAR IF YOU HURT THAT KID I'M GONNA…?!"
"Oh, Marco?!" Luffy called when he recognized the voice.
"Luffy?!" the voice asked back, "Are you ok?! Who's there with you?! What's going on?!"
Luffy chirped up happily, "I'm okay, Marco! Sabo's here!"
"Sabo? Who the hell…?" but Sabo took the phone off speaker and held it up to his ear.
"Hey, Marco? This is Sabo. I think we met once before?" Sabo reassured him as Luffy jumped up from his chair and went back to get everything set up another race since they finished eating.
"What…?" Marco spluttered, clearly taken aback by all this before Sabo pressed on.
"Listen, do you remember when Luffy wandered off and went to the Grey Terminal?" he asked before walking around the living room, wondering what this Marco guy was gonna do to him.
There was more silence as if Marco was thinking back.
"Hey, you're that Sabo?" Marco said, his voice calming down slowly, "Well, this is a surprise since I wasn't expecting you there… wait, why are you there?"
"It's kinda a long story," Sabo said before quickly explaining the series of events that led him to this house. Upon explaining his frozen adventure, he was met with stunned silence on the other end as Marco seemed to process everything he heard.
"He shouldn't have let you in," Marco sighed. "No offense and it's not that we don't appreciate you sitting there with him, but that kid's too trusting for his own good."
"I agree with you there, but don't be mad at him," Sabo said soothingly, "He said he's been left alone for almost two days. He was lonely and scared. I don't blame him. Anyway, what's going on? Is his brother there with you? If so, I have a few choice words for him…?"
"No, he's not," Marco said in a tense voice. "We saw him a few days ago, but he's…? Anyway, that's not important now. A couple of us were trying to head out to get to Luffy for the last few hours, but this storm is making it impossible to even walk, let alone drive there. The streets aren't safe and the snow's so bad that we can't even get our cars moving. Is he alright?"
"Yes, he's fine," Sabo promised as he glanced to the window and winced at how bad it looked out there, "He's got a belly full of ramen right now. But yeah, I can see how bad that storm is. I could barely move forward without falling over. But what do we do? When are you guys coming?"
Marco seemed to think this over before he heaved a sigh that sounded like he was admitting defeat. He spoke as if he hated himself for asking this but, "Alright, I know I have no right to ask you… but we're desperate here. Can you stay with him until one of us gets there? I promise we'll check in often and I'll make sure to pay you for your time…?"
"No, it's alright," Sabo reassured him as he sat down on the couch as Luffy was getting the two controllers out, "I didn't think I was gonna be able to get much further in this weather anyway. I'll stay with Luffy until you guys get here. I'll make sure he's safe till then."
A part of him wanted to add that when they saw that brother of his then to pass on the message that he was an idiot… but the way that Marco talked about this Ace guy made him feel slightly anxious so he decided to let it go.
"Thank you," Marco told him, and he sounded truly grateful for this. "I'll keep in touch and let you know how things are. Just make sure that Luffy stays safe. If anything happens to him…?"
"That won't happen," Sabo reassured as he looked to the happy boy as he turned the game on, "He's a good kid. I'll take care of him."
Marco hung up after that as Sabo set the phone down.
"So, I had a chat with Marco and I have his blessing to stay here with you until one of them or your brother gets back," Sabo reassured him and Luffy's eyes lit up that he can continue with playtime. Sabo only smiled back kindly and stated, "So till your brother gets back, I guess you're hanging out with me. What do you want to do next?"
Luffy only held out the controller, asking if he was ready to lose… which was quickly shut down when Sabo turned out to be just as good at games as Ace was.
(So, probably didn't see that coming? I know it may sound strange that Ace would've left Luffy in any circumstance and it wasn't an easy decision for him to make. He, of course, cares about Luffy more than anyone else in the world but he was terrified that something bad may have happened to his friend. I think only by hearing Luffy telling him to go would've been the only way to get him to leave at this point. As to where he is now and what happened to him? We'll find out by the next chapter… probably… maybe. :) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I promise Sabo's gonna be appearing a lot more. So look forward to that!)