Could I request some Sanji hcs or a scenario? - basically how he would react if someone cooks food just for him and probably also gifts him flowers.
Have a nice day!^^
Hello there! :)
Yes yes YES — Sanji would absolutely melt into a puddle over that kind of affection! Here’s both a few headcanons and a cute mini-scenario of how Sanji might react if someone cooked especially for him and gave him flowers. Hope it makes your day extra sweet!
***
Favours & Flowers
Sanji x Reader Headcanons
(When You Cook for Him + Give Him Flowers)
[P.S. - Trying out a new format - lmk what you think!]
1. He’s absolutely stunned.
Sanji’s used to being the one taking care of everyone — cooking, pampering, charming. So when someone flips the script and does something soft and thoughtful for him, he genuinely freezes up for a second.
2. He goes full “heart eyes”.
It doesn’t matter what you cooked. It could be a simple rice dish or some slightly burnt cookies — the fact you made it for him? He’s smitten. He holds the plate like it’s a treasure.
3. He’ll cry. Not even kidding.
He’ll try to hold it together, but a little teary sparkle forms in his eye. “Mon dieu… you made this? For me?” He’s overwhelmed. He probably tries to kiss your hand right there.
4. Flowers? He short-circuits.
If you hand him a little bouquet after the food, he practically passes out. “F-For me? You… You’re more beautiful than these petals—” He slips into poetry mode instantly.
5. He gets SO serious about returning the favor.
Expect a full-course meal, violin music, a candle-lit table the next day. He wants to make you feel just as loved as you made him feel — but times ten.
⸻
“Just for You, Sanji.”
You shyly step into the kitchen, holding a plate of food and a small bundle of wildflowers. Sanji’s at the counter, polishing a wine glass, humming a tune.
“Sanji?” you say softly.
He turns. “Hm? Oh—mon ange, what’s—” He pauses when he sees what you’re holding.
“I, um… I made this for you. I tried that recipe you talked about last week. And—” You hold out the flowers. “These reminded me of you.”
The kitchen goes silent.
Sanji’s eyes go wide, lips parting slightly, then curling into the softest smile you’ve ever seen. He sets the glass down with trembling fingers, wiping his hands on a towel before carefully, reverently taking the plate from you.
“You… you cooked for me?” he whispers, voice cracking with surprise and warmth. “And flowers? Mon dieu, you’re going to make me fall in love all over again…”
He stares at you like you just gave him the entire sea.
Then he takes your hand, kisses your knuckles, and says with a low voice:
“This is the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for me. You’ve just raised the bar for the rest of my life.”
HELLO! im your new follower, Can you make headcanons where Luffy's big sister,with Ace, Luffy and Saboy grow up together in the same place???? By the way, Ace is loving(romantically)us.
HELLO!! Absolutely, that sounds like a wonderful idea!
(To be honest, I’ve been working on a long-fic outside of tumblr with a similar premise. So needless to say, when I saw your request, I got *very* excited)
Hope you enjoy!
***
Family of Four
Portgas D Ace x F!Reader (ASL + 1)
Family Dynamic:
Luffy’s big sister Y/N was always the older, more responsible one in the group.
While Luffy was energetic and carefree, Y/N kept a careful eye on her little brother, making sure he didn’t get into too much trouble.
She was the one who bandaged his scraped knees after his wild adventures, and Luffy always admired her for it.
Ace’s Protective Nature:
Ace’s feelings for Y/N developed slowly but surely as they spent more time together.
At first, he was protective of her like he was with Luffy, but as they grew older, he realized he cared for her in a different way.
Ace often took every chance he could to be close to her, whether it was helping her out when she was overwhelmed or simply sharing quiet moments watching the sunset together.
He would sometimes catch himself getting flustered around her, especially when she smiled at him.
Luffy’s Bluntness:
Luffy, as usual, is oblivious to the feelings between Ace and Y/N.
He’s just happy that his sister is always there to look after him, and he loves seeing Ace around because it means more people to enjoy food and adventures with.
One of his favorite things to do was drag everyone into his latest schemes, even if it meant putting Ace and Y/N in awkward situations together.
He might even jokingly tease Ace about his “secret crush” on Y/N, though Ace would always deny it, blushing furiously.
Sabo’s Quiet Support:
Sabo, being the more observant and level-headed one, notices the growing closeness between Ace and Y/N.
He’s quietly supportive of their budding romance, but he also knows when to step in to give them space.
He’d always be the one to provide a listening ear when either of them had issues with the other, offering advice or just a distraction with some playful banter.
He always had Y/N’s back, whether it was against the rowdy boys or simply encouraging her to follow her heart.
Sibling Bonds:
Growing up in a rougher environment, the bond between the four of them was tight.
They were each other’s family, and even when things got tough, they stuck together.
Y/N was the glue that held everyone together.
When the group faced tough times, like being chased by bounty hunters or navigating dangerous situations, she was the one who kept everyone calm and made decisions.
Ace would sometimes sneak glances at her as she took charge, admiring her strength and leadership.
Ace’s Romantic Gestures:
Ace’s feelings for Y/N were subtle at first.
He would give her small gifts, like flowers or trinkets he found on his travels, and sometimes he would surprise her with her favorite food.
Despite his usual laid-back demeanor, when it came to Y/N, he was incredibly thoughtful.
He’d even try to get Luffy to distract her so he could prepare little surprises for her, though Luffy always spoiled the surprise by being too excited and blurting everything out.
Y/N’s Conflicted Heart:
Y/N, while caring deeply for Ace, was always unsure about her own feelings.
She was aware of Ace’s affection for her but didn’t want to jeopardize their close-knit family bond.
She was worried that if they pursued a romantic relationship, it might complicate everything.
But as time went on, she couldn’t ignore the flutter in her chest when Ace smiled at her or when he supported her in ways no one else did.
Still, she kept her feelings hidden, not wanting to be the one to change the dynamics of their group.
Luffy’s Unintentional Matchmaking:
As always, Luffy’s obliviousness to romance was a blessing and a curse.
He unintentionally became a matchmaker for Ace and Y/N, dragging the two of them into situations where they’d have to confront their feelings.
Whether it was setting up an impromptu “date” where the three boys went on a ridiculous adventure so Y/N and Ace could talk alone or teasing them about their closeness, Luffy’s carefree nature brought them together even if they weren’t ready.
Family Adventure Time:
The four of them would often go on spontaneous adventures, exploring islands and taking on challenges together.
Y/N would act as the navigator while Ace, Sabo, and Luffy would bring their strengths to the group.
These adventures would strengthen their bond, and it was during these trips that Ace’s romantic feelings for Y/N became more evident.
There were quiet moments, just the two of them under the stars, where Ace would finally open up to Y/N, asking her to join him in a life full of adventure and love.
Happy Ending:
Eventually, after many adventures, Y/N begins to reciprocate Ace’s feelings.
They finally have a heart-to-heart conversation, where Ace admits how much he loves her.
Y/N, though nervous, admits that she’s always had a special place in her heart for him, but she was afraid of changing things.
With a kiss under the moonlight, the two of them take the first step toward a deeper relationship, while Luffy and Sabo cheer them on in their own goofy, supportive way.
Summary: Reader has been a Revolutionary since birth. But her first mission went terribly wrong, leaving her friend Sabo terribly scarred. They've stuck together since the day he lost his memory--but she remembers everything. So when news hits the papers, and Sabo falls ill, Reader has to grapple with the outcomes and consequences of her first and longest-running mission. Has she succeeded or failed? What happens when her former-amnesiac Sabo finally remembers her?
Hi again. Requests on Sabo at your service 😂 I love it too much 😍 anyway. I'm still here because the first request was great! You write very well. I put you if you allow me in the favorite writers that I discovered on this site! ♥ and also if ever another idea comes to me, let me come back to let you know *bows*
Good ! we're going to go to my dear and adorable Sabo.... I don't know if you write nfsw? Let me know if it's yes or no (so I can see what kind of request I'll send you)
So, reader will be in the revolutionary army before Sabo, she meets him at her mission in fuschia. Then after his accident, she helps him to overcome this ordeal and years later, Sabo discovers that he loves her but how to tell her given how much he is not comfortable with himself and says to himself he doesn't deserve happiness
I don't know if it's angst or not, but it's too hard to be soft... Especially the last sentence. Sabo-chan, you deserve all the stars in the universe, don't think like that 🤧 a happy ending at the end where I (reader) comfort him. I trust you to bring sabo's insecurities to the fore and how reader comforts him
***
He didn’t remember screaming. Not really.
He remembered the darkness, though. The way it sank into his ribs and sucked all the air from his lungs. He remembered collapsing. Something sharp cracking beneath his knees. Someone—Koala, maybe—calling his name. The press of hands trying to steady him. The sting of bile in his throat. The burn in his chest that wasn’t fire but something worse.
And then, nothing.
When he opened his eyes again, he was somewhere quiet. Somewhere warm.
Dim candlelight flickered across the stone walls of the infirmary. Familiar. The kind of place he should’ve hated by now. The kind of place where pain got catalogued and patched up and sent back into battle. But this time, no one rushed him. No one poked or prodded or asked too many questions.
Only one person was there.
Y/N.
She sat beside his cot like a statue carved out of tension and salt. Her boots were scuffed from the knees up with dried mud. A half-healed gash on her cheek. Fingers knotted in her lap so tightly, the knuckles shone white. But her eyes—when they met his—he saw they’d been crying.
Sabo shifted, trying to sit up, only for a bolt of nausea to punch through his gut.
She was at his side in a flash. “Hey—hey, easy, you’re okay. Just breathe.”
Her hand pressed against his chest. Not to pin him down, just to ground him. Anchor him.
“I’m here,” she said softly. “You’re not alone.”
Something cracked in him then. A splintering deeper than bone. He didn’t even realize he’d grabbed her wrist until his fingers started to shake.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” His voice was hoarse. Strangled.
Y/N blinked, lashes fluttering like she’d been struck. “I wanted to. I tried.”
“Ace,” he rasped. “Luffy. I forgot them. I forgot everything—and I’m supposed to live with that? Like it’s okay?”
He felt like he was drowning again, but this time there was no ocean, no fire—just memory. Smoke and ash and screaming. A little boy with freckles. A kid with a straw hat and stars in his eyes. A girl with knives in her hands and the whole world balanced on her shoulders.
“I didn’t just forget them,” he whispered. “I left them. I let them die.”
“No,” she said firmly. Too fast.
“You don’t understand—”
“I do,” she snapped. Her voice broke on the edges like brittle glass. “You think I didn’t try to stop it? I begged Dragon. I fought. I disobeyed orders and risked everything and it still wasn’t enough.”
Her breath hitched. She stood suddenly, pacing the narrow room like a storm in boots and bloodstained sleeves.
“I saw the paper, Sabo. I saw Ace’s face in the headline. I heard your scream. And I knew—knew you remembered. And all I could think was… God, please don’t break. Not now. Not him.”
Sabo stared at her. At the tear tracks on her face, fresh and raw. At the way her hands clenched like she was trying to hold herself together by force alone.
He whispered, “I don’t deserve this.”
Y/N turned to him slowly.
“This,” she echoed. “What is this?”
“You. This life. Any of it.” He looked away. His hand twitched toward the left side of his face, stopped, hovered. “Ace is gone. Luffy could’ve died. And I’m still here. Scarred and stupid and—”
“Don’t,” she interrupted, fierce and quiet. “Don’t you dare talk about yourself like that.”
“I’m not—Y/N, I’m not the boy you used to know.”
“I know,” she said. “I watched you burn, Sabo. I dove into the sea to drag you back. I was there when you couldn’t remember your name. And I never left.”
She stepped closer, kneeling beside the cot again. Her hands reached out, this time not to anchor him, but to touch. Her fingers curled around his own, gentle but sure.
“You didn’t leave them,” she said. “You were taken. And Ace… He wouldn’t want you to waste what he died to protect.”
Sabo’s throat tightened.
Her hand rose, brushing his temple, just shy of the jagged web of scar tissue that glowed pale in the low light.
“I miss him too,” she whispered. “But I’m still here. So are you.”
The silence stretched long. Steady. Not empty, but full—of breath and heartbeat and everything unspoken.
He looked at her, truly looked, and thought: She’s always been there.
And suddenly the words were there, teetering on the edge of his tongue.
“I love you.”
It was small. Quiet. Almost lost in the hush of the room. But he meant it with every cracked rib and burned nerve and memory that still hurt to hold.
Y/N blinked.
Then she smiled. That smile. Dandelion-sunshine-supernova, all in one. And she leaned forward until her forehead pressed softly to his. Her voice was barely a breath.
“I love you too, Sabo.”
He closed his eyes. Let the warmth settle into his bones.
Later, they’d talk more. Share stories. Bury the guilt between them like seeds in the dirt—things to be grown from, not haunted by.
But for now, they sat in that quiet place. Hand in hand. Forehead to forehead. Hearts still aching, still healing.
And for the first time in a long time, Sabo let himself believe that maybe—just maybe—he was allowed to be happy.
That maybe, just maybe… he deserved it.
***
Ahhh! This got way out of hand. I am so sorry, my dear @sab0ace !—Please forgive my tardiness. I hope, after all this time you have found this story well worth the wait.
MARCOOO (say polo☺️🙏) I read your rules page and stuff and made sure what I’m requesting is okay, I HOPE. Sorry if I’m not very detailed with my request btw🙇♀️
I was wondering if you’d be able to do something for helmeppo, time skip or marineford just NOT romance dawn (I love him but I cannot handle him in romance dawn😭) preferably enemies to lovers with a fem!reader whos a marine too.. (THEIR LIKE A LITTLE TRIO WITH KOBY) maybe she has a devil fruit.. (personally I like the jara jara fruit, the chain one mad treasure has🤩) IM SO SORRY IF IM BEING TOO SPECIFIC IM JS TRYNA GIVE IDEAS SINCE HELMEPPO IS BARELY EVER WRITTEN FOR 🙏🙏
You don’t gotta do it right away or even at all I was js wondering if it would be okay, I GET HE MIGHT BE HARD TO WRITE FOR🫡 anywhooo drink water and eat food and shower and do all of that lovely stuff HAVE A GOOD DAY OR NIGHT 🥸
OMG STOP you’re being the opposite of too specific — this is actually perfect and HELLO YES?? More Helmeppo content in this house PLEASE. And don’t worry, I totally get avoiding Romance Dawn Helmeppo (he was a lil crusty back then), but Marineford+ Helmeppo? Kinda underrated smoke show with sass and scars? I’m IN.
Also THANK YOU for the love and the reminder to eat and hydrate — right back at you! You’re amazing for loving Helmeppo and giving him the attention he deserves.
⸻
Tangled Up
Helmeppo x Marine!Reader
(Enemies/Colleagues to Lovers)
(slight Marineford vibes — takes place at Marine HQ, maybe shortly after the timeskip)
You didn’t like Helmeppo.
Too pretty. Too smug. Too good at showing off with those dual swords and that sleek new haircut he kept flipping around like it was sentient.
Koby was your best friend. You’d both clawed your way up in the Marines through pain and grit and nearly dying like, ten times. You trusted him with your life.
Helmeppo? He was Koby’s other partner. The one you’d gotten stuck with on assignment after assignment — ever since you transferred in as Chain Devil of the 3rd Division, thanks to your Jara Jara no Mi.
“You didn’t need to go so hard on that pirate,” Helmeppo muttered under his breath after a mission, brushing dust off his uniform.
You turned sharply, chains slithering back around your arms like lazy snakes. “They had two kids hostage.”
“I’m just saying,” he said, smug grin sharp as ever. “Maybe try not to break every rib next time. You’re a Marine, not an executioner.”
You stared him down. “And you’re a walking haircut with daddy issues. Want to trade more insults or are we done here?”
He blinked. Then huffed a laugh. “You’re cute when you’re angry.”
You nearly threw a chain at him.
⸻
The thing is… it doesn’t stay like that.
Because on missions, he always circles back to check on you. Because in battle, he steps in when you overextend — and mutters “idiot” under his breath like it means ‘I was scared you’d get hurt.’
Because Koby sees it. Oh, he sees it.
“You guys bicker like you’re already married,” he says one day, while you’re cleaning blood off your chain.
You choke. Helmeppo goes scarlet. “WE DO NOT—”
“Shut it, Pretty Boy,” you growl.
But you start noticing things.
He brings you coffee before drills. Picks the chain shards out of your gloves when your hands shake after a hard mission. Tells you you’re terrifying in a way that sounds like a compliment.
One night, you’re patching up your shoulder, and he walks in — bloodied, furious, scared. You’d gotten knocked into the sea during a raid. He thought you drowned.
“You stupid Devil Fruit user,” he breathes out, kneeling beside you. “Don’t do that again. I didn’t— I thought I—”
You grab his collar. “You care?”
He doesn’t answer. Just kisses you like he’s been holding it back for years.
⸻
BONUS HEADCANONS!:
• Your chains wrap around him once when you’re unconscious. He refuses to cut them off. “She trusts me. I’ll wait till she wakes up.”
• You and Helmeppo tag-team in battle: blades and chains in perfect rhythm, like you were born to fight together.
• You accidentally call him “pretty boy” once in a soft tone. He combusts.
• He calls you “Chain Reaction” when you’re mad. You hate it. You also blush every time.
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Summary: Reader has been a Revolutionary since birth. But her first mission went terribly wrong, leaving her friend Sabo terribly scarred. They've stuck together since the day he lost his memory--but she remembers everything. So when news hits the papers, and Sabo falls ill, Reader has to grapple with the outcomes and consequences of her first and longest-running mission. Has she succeeded or failed? What happens when her former-amnesiac Sabo finally remembers her?
This is it. I failed. Two out of three thoughts circled in Y/N's head. Day in and day out. Sun up to sun down. The third, well, the third, was on a loop all its own. A sensation not unlike an iron brand or an ice pick to the chest every time she heard those words inside her head.
Guard him with your life.
That's what Dragon had told her. Her, her mother, her father - her parent's final mission when they set off all those years ago. 'I've hidden something precious on that island. Your mission is to Guard it with your life.' At first, she thought it was just Luffy she was meant to protect. They had docked at Fuschia Village and moved in right next to a little barkeep and one Monkey D. Luffy, and she assumed that was the end of that. Just keep that little twerp out of trouble as best she could, and her mission would be complete.
Then those blasted pirates came to town and threw a wrench in their plans. She should've known those pirates were a goddamned trouble magnet. Bringing mountain bandits down on their heads. Convincing Luffy to stab himself in the face...and that stupid straw hat. After that, things only ever got worse. Luffy was dragged into the mountains by his grandfather, so of course, Y/N chased after him. But then - for reasons unfathomable to her - Luffy started chasing after Ace. The idiot was constantly risking his life for the sake of some stranger who literally put the two of them through Hell.
Of course, that boy would turn out to be the son of a Demon.
Portgas D Ace, the lost son and only descendant of the legendary Gold Roger. A boy she hadn't put any stock in at first. A feral child she assumed to be some spawn that loud-mouthed bandit lady didn't want. At first, the truth sent Y/N reeling.
Wait, is this what Dragon really meant? She thought. Something Precious. Guard it with your Life.
Suddenly, not was she in the presence of the son of Dragon, but also the son of Roger -- two of the most wanted legacies in all the world. Two lives the World Government would love to snuff out for good. Guard it with your life. Guard it with your life. The words kept cycling, skipping, repeating in her head over and over again. So that's what she did.
Sworn to secrecy, Y/N dedicated herself to ensuring that Luffy and Ace survived to reach their majority. Saving Luffy's sorry butt from those blasted Blue Jam Pirates. Bailing that hot-tempered Ace out of fights he couldn't win. Teaching both boys how to sneak behind grownups undetected. To pick their pockets. To play to their sympathies and get what ya want from them. Garp and the bandits called them all reckless hoodlums. But the only hoodlum who had ever reached back and saved her skin - was Sabo.
He knew the lay of the land better than almost anyone. Could navigate both Grey Terminal and the Inner City even with his eyes closed. And if Ace wouldn't listen to her in a fight (which was often), he would listen to Sabo. And that was good enough for her. He was kinder to Luffy than either Ace or Y/N had the patience for, trying his best to train the boy in his devil fruit even with no powers of his own.
Powerless. She remembered that day. The day that golden boy in blue turned himself into - no, for us. Y/N bit her cheek. He left to save us.
She remembered the night when the fire started. Everything happened at once till all that came to mind was a rush of sensations. The smell of burning flesh. The ring of dying screams. The stampede of footsteps, desperate to escape.
'Luffy! Ace!'
Howling and screaming for her parents in the wreckage, when she couldn't see a thing.
'Mama! Papa!'
Lost in the maze of melting metal and tongues of flame. Guard them with your life. Guard them with your life. The words on repeat and repeat and repeat - and then he appeared. The source of that never-ending mantra.
Monkey D. Dragon himself.
Y/N reported the situation, just as she'd been trained. It didn't matter that she was straining for breath. The tears blurring her vision didn't matter. Coarse hands smeared the saltwater and grime from her cheeks.
'Head to the ship,' His deep voice instructed. 'I will take it from here.'
Y/N did as she was told. Upon Dragon's ship, her fellow Revolutionaries were awaiting her. All senior agents and officers. She spent all night in the crow's nest of that ship, watching the black plumes of smoke rise into the night. Eyes eagerly searched the dancing firelight for any silhouette she might recognize.
'Luffy, Ace, Mama, Papa - where are you?'
Surely Dragon would find them. Surely Dragon would take them home. Goa was no longer safe if it ever was. Surely Ace and Luffy could be better protected on Baltigo. Surely she and her family could take a break from active duty. Then finally, she could be honest with her friends.
Her parents never came home.
She never saw her friends again.
Upon the first light of morning, the only thing she saw was the smouldering wastes of Grey Terminal. -What was left of it, anyway. The Revolutionaries set to caring for those who escaped the wreckage. The refugees who now, more so than ever, had truly lost everything. All that day, Y/N's fellow agents looked after the wounded, offering them food and drink, even a place among their ranks. All the while, Y/N kept her eyes fixed on what remained of her family's hunting grounds. The jungle was thankfully untouched. The Upper City almost disgustingly so. But she saw no movement amidst the smoke and metal. No familiar silhouettes. No one.
The only things of note were the sounds of cheering and the blasting of a canon. Some sort of fanfare or festival must've been going on on the other side of the city. The sky scraping sprawl of the Nobles' estates kept Y/N from getting a clear view of its source. The Celestial Dragons must've been approaching the southerly port, she thought. She wouldn't have known that if Sabo hadn't drawn a map for her all those months ago.
Sabo... Her chest ached at the thought. She imagined the boy trapped behind a window in one of those pristine white buildings. His whole life was condemned to stay behind layers upon layers of cold stone walls. If Ace and Luffy died in that fire, their brother would never be free.
And what about me? The thought occurred to her as a chill down her spine. What force for good would she be if she knew he was trapped there and did nothing? What kind of friend would she be if she left them all behind? Yet again, Dragon's commission reverberated in her mind. Guard them with your life. Guard them with your life. --but how?!
Sunlight was already being swallowed by the sea by the time Dragon returned. Y/N could see the black of his cloak wandering between piles of smouldering rubble. But beyond her target's line of sight, something else caught her eye. Out there, floating in on the tide, was a familiar stove pipe hat. The glint of those oversized goggles at their brim was unmistakable.
Sabo!
Without a thought, Y/N leapt from the crows' nest and dove headfirst into that tepid water. The impact stole the breath from her lungs. But she didn't have time to stop. Arms and legs pressed her onwards, chest burning. Through the blur of the salt water, she could see the petite silhouette, those tailored blue clothes stained in smoke and blood.
Blood-?! Y/N paddled faster. The current pushed and pulled her side to side, tearing her off course, but she would not be deterred. Diving deeper, she perched herself on the nearest boulder on the ocean floor. She could feel the pressure of the ocean trying to pull her down. But the shadow cast by Sabo's limp body in the water spurred her on. She pushed off the rock and up towards the surface. Her arms crooked *just so* to catch Sabo under his arms and catapult them into the fresh air.
Foam and shards of wood sprayed around her. Y/N gasped for air. Every muscle burned and ached. Beyond her, a discordant choir of voices were hollering and calling out her name. She could see her leader's black cloak reach the shoreline. His strides paused upon hearing his crew's commotion.
'Dragon-sama!' she cried. 'Here! Right here!'
The Revolutionary turned. Every scrap of seafaring wind squealed in shock at what he saw.
'Help!' Y/N called out. 'He's hurt, please!'
The tides seemed rattled by the change in weather. A breaking wave shoved both Y/N and her unconscious friend forward. Out of her eye, she saw that stove pipe hat getting knocked about in the torrent. Wait-! Grabbing a nearby bar of flotsam wood, Y/N scrambled to hook the hat like a fish on a spear and fling it towards the shoreline. When the next wave hit, she transferred her limp friend's weight from her front to her back. When her feet finally touched the sand, she could race to Dragon's side and snatch Sabo's hat from him.
'We need to get a doctor, sir, right away.'
Dragon blinked. As he scanned the injured Sabo from head to toe, something shifted in his face.
'Y/N, do you know this boy?'
'Yessir,' No reason to lie to her leader. 'He and Luffy were bond brothers.' she glanced at her friend's face. Dripping in saltwater and blood. Everything within her ached. '...All he wanted was to be free.'
Her elder nodded. 'Very well. We can grant him that much.'
And that was the beginning. Or...maybe the end? Y/N never resumed her initial mission in Fuschia Village. When Dragon told her about her parent's fates in the fire, he formally dismissed her from active duty. She tried to press the issue, saying Luffy and Ace still needed her, but to that, he said:
'At least one of them has unlocked Conqueror's Haki. After this, neither should find much danger in the East Blue.'
Your job has been done for you. --He didn't say that last part, but she certainly heard it in his voice. Her mother always said, 'Spies are well versed in the art of subtext'.
Now, years later, come to find out, neither of her East Blue friends had ever been safe. From the moment Ace left Fuschia, he was dogged by an Ensign and then enslaved by a Yonko. Two Yonko, if Y/N's information network was to be believed. She found it hard once she got word that Ace was pursuing an exiled crewmate who'd turned around and murdered another in their ranks. That second Yonkou, Whitebeard - Ace wouldn't have done that if he didn't believe in the old geezer.
Then Luffy was chased to Paradise by an East Blue captain, where he proceeded to dethrone one of the Shichibukai! And several more after that! Hell, Luffy went all the way to Enies Lobby and fucking declared War on the World Government! The first time Y/N read that headline, she swore she nearly had an aneurysm. Meanwhile, Dragon was sitting at the head of the conference table fucking smirking about it. Little did she know things were only gonna get worse from there.
Ace was captured by the Marines.
Ace was sent to the deepest level of Impel Down.
Ace was revealed publicly to be the son of Gold Roger.
Ace was sentenced to be executed at Marineford.
A secret of the highest clearance has been exposed to the world - and Y/N wasn't there to keep him safe. Not like she promised. Not like she'd been tasked to do for as long as she could remember. Her orders were to 'guard them with your life'. ...And she hadn't done it.
The moment she heard the news of Ace's arrest, she raced to Dragon's office immediately. Requested reconnaissance, search and rescue, and any team fast enough to get him out of Impel Down before Luffy decided to pull a stupid and do it himself. Because he would. She knew he would. Because she still knew him, even after all these years.
Being a part of the Revolutionary Army, agents were forbidden from contacting anyone outside their trusted communications channels. Even passing on a message through her own communication network was considered a breach of conduct. Ace and Luffy probably didn't even know she was alive, or that Sabo was alive. But then again...Sabo didn't even know Ace and Luffy existed.
'Sir, if we don't act first, your son is gonna put himself in danger,' She remembered arguing with her leader. Something she never would've dared to do as a child. 'If he dies trying to break Roger's son out of Impel Down, then -'
'You are certain that will be his next course of action?'
'Of course, sir, Luffy and Ace are bond brothers. Same as he and Sabo. Luffy would drop everything to save his Naka-'
'Evidence serves to the contrary.'
'Are you kidding me?!' Dragon threw her a stern look. Y/N winced. 'A-all due respect, sir, but the whole reason Enies Lobby happened is because Luffy was looking to rescue a crewmate.'
'A crewmate who also happens to be a valuable asset,' Dragon noted. 'The last scholar of Ohara capable of reading the Poneglyphs.'
'That's not why he did it, and you know it.'
'Do I?'
You would, if you any spent time with your son. Y/N knew better than to say that retort out loud. Instead, she said: 'Sir, the first orders you ever gave me were to protect the secrets you'd hidden on Goa. Ace may no longer be a secret, but if we don't act, Luffy's cover will be blown, too.'
'Portgas D Ace has nothing to do with your orders.' Dragon said sternly. 'Your request is denied.'
'But Sir-!'
'Our mission is to free the people. Not one man,' The man's eyes were sharp as flint and harder than bedrock. 'Your request is denied, Y/N. Let. It. Go."
And he was right. Y/N hated to say it, or even to think it, if only to herself. But Dragon was right. The resources required to ensure success, either infiltrating Impel Down or foiling his transport to Marineford, would likely ruin their chances completely. If they were to fail, their forces would be wiped out. Their plans for the Reverie would be compromised. And the Revolution could not afford that...not even for the sake of her friend.
The Army's mission was to free the people. Not one man. Dragon was right. She knew. He told her to let it go, and she tried. Tried to fight other battles and go on other missions with Koala and Hack, and Sabo. -But she was off her game. Getting knocked by blades and bullets, she should've been able to dodge. Stealing more files from outposts than they'd actually need. Striking too hard and accidentally killing a few enemy soldiers. Something Hack most definitely disapproved of. Koala pinched her cheeks and tugged on her ears. Tying bandages too tight and making new bruises when Y/N scrambled for excuses. Hack even noted how he sensed her Chakras were out of balance or something.
But the worst part of it was Sabo. At team meetings, he would keep sneaking glances at her. Even when she stood on his left side, where he couldn't see, and his scar left no sign of any eyebrows furrowing in concern - she could still sense it from him. It was in the way he stood close enough to brush her shoulders in the hallway. Or the way he'd play with her fingers under the table. It had started out as a habit to help him sit still during class when they were little. But now, she knew it was a reassuring gesture. Something he did to reassure himself they were both okay. - Which meant he was picking up on the fact that she was not, in fact, okay. And that was a problem.
What she didn't expect what just how big of a problem it would grow to become.
It happened when she was going to Dragon's office, having just gussied up the courage to argue with him about this whole Ace debacle (again). She'd just bypassed Sabo and Koala in the officer's lobby, she caught hold of the whispers in the halls.
'Hey, check it out, the News Coo just arrived,'
'Eh, Hack-san, you better take a look at this,'
'Hm? New on the war, I presume.'
'Yea. It's finally over. The only reported casualties were Whitebeard, the Emporer, and -' Y/N's stomach twisted. '-Fire Fist Ace.'
Every drop of lifeblood in her body immediatley sank to the floor. Y/N's knees shook. The world spun around her. She couldn't think, could barely breathe. Y/N scrambled to clutch the nearest wall for support to keep her upright.
Ace, Ace, no- She gasped. Her eyes burned. Like she was drowning in salt water all over again. the corridor blurred around her. Only she wasn't in a hallway anymore. She was looking up from the bottom of the ocean as someone else's corpse floated above her. Corpses. Y/N clasped a hand over her mouth in an effort to contain her sobs. Ace, Luffy - oh, Luffy....
The headline staring her in the face was more than proof enough. That freckled face. That mane of tangled hair. That wicked smirk pressed ear to ear on the front page of the News Coo - that was him.
That's when she heard it.
A voice screamed - a howling cry of anguish and agony. Y/N's heart seized in her chest.
Sabo.
That's when it all went to shit.
***
Ahhh! This got way out of hand. I am so sorry, my dear but I'm afraid the epic conclusion to this swelling saga has become its own 3rd part. Please forgive my tardiness. I hope when this is all complete, you will find this story well worth the wait.
Hello, I just discovered your blog via one of your writings, I really love your style ♥
I confess that I never think of sabo with a blind eye. It seems to me that in the anime he has his two eyes.
I thought of an idea: how would Sabo react who, because of the flames, lost an eye to a blind reader. Poor thing, she can't see the beauty of Sabo 😢. The reader is female, with remance. Sabo would be insecure about his scar but would try to get over it so at least the reader can know what he looks like when she touches him.
Have a nice day ♥
Hello! I’m so glad to hear that you’ve enjoyed my writings! Though, I have to be honest, a lot of my headcanons about Sabo’s injuries come from binging @theprodigypenguin ‘s works on AO3 when I first joined the fandom. If you’re looking for deep diving fics about Sabo’s character, I’d highly recommend them!
That said, I absolutely adore this prompt and would love to give it a shot. —Hope You Enjoy!
Love is Blind
Sabo x F!Reader
Note: Reader has color vision & acuity to see shapes, so they are technically classified as having “low vision” as opposed to “total blindness” (aka no light perception)
"Alright, the mission is simple," Koala reminded him. "Infiltrate the engagement, gain entrance to the host nobleman's office, swipe the records and get out. We need to be outta sight by dawn, alright?"
"Ah~ good ole breaking and entering," Sabo grinned. “Just like old times.”
"No, no breaking-" the woman spy snagged his cheek before he could stop her. "Hack was clear about our orders. That means no making trouble for the boss, you understand?"
"Okay, okay, ow-ow!" Sabo swatted her hand away, even knowing that scarred flesh wouldn't bruise. "That was one time, alright? I know what I'm doing."
"Do you?"
She didn't need to be on his good side for Sabo to know the look she was giving him. That droll side-eye and incredulous brow she had, like he was a child who’d spilled food down his front. Making messes that she always had to clean up. Or so she said. Sabo shook his head with a hand on his chest. "Come now, don’t you trust your own partner in crime?"
"I don't know, should I?"
"...touché.”
***
The light of her father's chandeliers hung above them, casting the space into a twilight glow. Silhouettes like over-large dust mites blurred slowly in circles as the orchestra strung together one waltz after another. Perhaps it'd be a crime to say - but Y/N would rather be out in the pitch dark of the garden than be a withering wallflower in this ballroom.
She knows it's a ballroom because the piano echoes in her ears, low notes reverberating in her chest just as much as if she were leaning against the instrument herself. The cellos of the string section strike a similar chord into the vibrating floors beneath her slippers. A lifetime of thin-soled shoes helped distinguish warm wood panels from the cold, slippery marble her mother loved to decorate the entryway and balconies. All those outward-facing places where their wealth-sighted guests could gawk and admire their purported majesty.
Occasionally, a confection of colour would flash past, jerking her back from her reverie. Coarse crinoline would rub between her fingers. A passing maid would scold her with a tap on the shoulder. The universal whisper of 'stop fidgeting' or 'stop staring' always caught her ear.
Y/N ran a tongue over her teeth. As if the voices in this cavernous space weren't living for the pageantry of being seen and gawked at in one way or another. All this fuss over mounds of crinkly fabric and gnarly colognes. What did they care if her sightless gaze was -There are only so many times one can pretend to scan the room between one feels like they're adrift at sea in a dense fog. It was hard not to get seasick at the feeling.
A hand on her shoulder. A warm, nimble-fingered phantom that lingered only milliseconds before-
"Excuse me, miss?"
Y/N turned to the sound of the voice. Following a rail-thin line of bruising shadows until a shock of pale…everything halted her gaze. Is that the face? Gods, I hope that’s the face and not some obnoxious- “Yes? Can I help you?”
“Ah, pardon,” the -presumably male- voice said, retracting his hand as if he’d touched a hot iron. Something inside her wilted. “This’ll sound strange but,” cloth shuffled, somewhere around the joint between pale and dark. “Could you direct me to the nearest restroom?”
“The restroom?”
“Yea.”
“The men’s…restroom.”
“Yes.”
“Well you were right about sounding strange,” Y/N quipped. Resolute and unbothered, Y/N rose from her seat and offered an arm towards the figure. “It’ll be easier if we walk there.”
“If we…walk?”
“Yes, then I can guide you.”
“But can’t you just-"
“No, I’m afraid I’m quite terrible at giving directions,” at least in the way others understand them. Y/N jerked her elbow out for emphasis. “Well? Is your bladder about to burst, or what?”
If her mother was in earshot, she’d surely earned herself a smack upside the head. But in the midst of a public soirée, no one could do a thing. To her surprise, the stranger didn’t choke in shock or stammer in flustered offence.
Instead, the man…laughed. He bloody snorted. The sound was muffled, as if he too were hiding behind a cupped hand. But the sound was unmistakable. Laughter was so rare here….
“Pfft! You are certainly more brazen than I was expecting,” the man said.
“Oh? And does that trouble you, sir?”
Before Y/N could find another taunt on her lips, a velvet sleeve slid past her own. Hooking elbows to elbows like the links of fine jewellery. All words dried up. She could feel his breath lean close to her ear.
“-not in the slightest.”
Her stomach swooped. She quickly cleared her throat and set her chin towards the nearest black hole in the wall. “Very well then, this way.”
***
All things considered, Sabo was feeling rather proud of himself. He had successfully infiltrated the event undetected. He'd found a viable excuse to escape the main throng and was now on his way to objective number two: find Mister What's-His-Face's office.
Only one obstacle stood between him and his next steps: the stowaway accomplice. Witty, direct and beautifully dressed, the woman marched down the halls of this obnoxiously coloured palace as if she owned it. Even then, he wasn't sure what possessed him to approach a party guest for an excuse instead of just wandering off on his own, as was his usual. But then again, Koala had already chewed him out for his last solo fiasco, so maybe it was a subconscious abundance of caution. Her grip was almost worse than his.
However, what he found most perplexing about the new variable in his plans - was that she still wouldn't look him in the eyes. Even when they first met, she resolutely stared at the crown of his head as she spoke, unblinking. Their entire trek had been deathly silent, save for the tread of slippers and boots on hard wooden floors. Then again, given how he could only see one side of her face at any given time...maybe there was a reason she refused to meet his gaze directly.
"Tell me something, miss," he decided on a whim.
"Something important, I assume?"
"Oh no, a trivial curiosity, I assure you."
"Then why bother with it in the first place?"
"For the fun of it," he shrugged. "And because I'm curious."
A heavy sigh. The first time he's seen the noblewoman close her eyes for an extended period of time. "Very well then, ask away."
"-Is there a reason you won't look me in the eye?" Her strides stalled. Both of them came to a stop in the middle of the hall. In front of a glorious painting, Sabo couldn't bring himself to attend. She didn't say anything at first. He offered a sympathetic if self-deprecating laugh for her benefit. "I'm not that atrocious to look at, am I?"
She tilted her head slightly. Turning her e/c gaze to some spot over his shoulder. "No. I wouldn't know. I can't tell what you look like."
"You-" That's when it clicked. The unblinking gaze, the thousand-yard star, the way she tilted her head at certain sounds, how careful her steps were amongst the ballroom crowds. "You're, bli-" His laughter caught him by such surprise he nearly choked.
"Yes, I - I beg your pardon?!"
The irony wracked his body so hard he couldn't stop. Shoulders shaking, stomach seizing, he just couldn't stop laughing: "Oh my-!" His scarred face hurt from the pinch of smiling so much. He wiped a stinging tear from his eye. "I just - it really is the blind leading the blind, isn't it?"
Her offended furrow fell slack. "I...beg your pardon?"
"I'm guessing you still have light perception, then. Eh?"
"You are being awfully casual about this."
"Well, why not?" Sabo shrugged. "I'm completely blind in one eye, figure as long as we're talking here, we may as well speak plainly about it."
"Hmph," Something like a twitch of a smile tugged at her cheek. "Well, now who's the brazen one?"
Sabo chuckled. Hiding his smile behind one hand, he leaned into the warmth of her arm and whispered: "I don't see why we both can't be bold, do you?"
The lady's own smile turned coy. "You're not really a gentleman, are you?"
"Not exclusively," he admitted with a grin. "Why? Do I make a bad impression?"
"The absolute worst," she said with a breathy laugh. "Our chain of islands is too small for me not to know the voices of most noblemen - and yet I've never heard anyone quite like you."
"And I you, my lady."
"You weren't really aiming for the restroom, were you?"
"Not really," Sabo shrugged. "Just needed an excuse to escape the crowds."
The woman chuckled. "You and I both, good sir."
"Sabo."
"What?"
"Sabo. That's what my friends call me."
Her smile grew, the cutest blush streaking across her cheeks. "Then I suppose you can call me Y/N, so long as we're among good company."
"Oh, you're in great company," Sabo assured, squeezing her arm against his side. "Now that we're free, we can go anywhere we want."
"Free..." her echoing whisper was like a spring breeze to his ears. "There's nothing more I've ever wanted to be."
Sabo grinned. Unwinding their arms just enough to dare and weave his hand with hers. "Then today's your lucky day, Y/N. Follow me?"
Hi again. Requests on Sabo at your service 😂 I love it too much 😍 anyway. I'm still here because the first request was great! You write very well. I put you if you allow me in the favorite writers that I discovered on this site! ♥ and also if ever another idea comes to me, let me come back to let you know *bows*
Good ! we're going to go to my dear and adorable Sabo.... I don't know if you write nfsw? Let me know if it's yes or no (so I can see what kind of request I'll send you)
So, reader will be in the revolutionary army before Sabo, she meets him at her mission in fuschia. Then after his accident, she helps him to overcome this ordeal and years later, Sabo discovers that he loves her but how to tell her given how much he is not comfortable with himself and says to himself he doesn't deserve happiness
I don't know if it's angst or not, but it's too hard to be soft... Especially the last sentence. Sabo-chan, you deserve all the stars in the universe, don't think like that 🤧 a happy ending at the end where I (reader) comfort him. I trust you to bring sabo's insecurities to the fore and how reader comforts him
Hello friend! Thank you again for such a wonderful request! I appreciate the compliments and would be honoured to be included among your favourites. I love this idea, and I really hope I did it justice.
(P.S. - I'm okay with writing NSFW stuff. I haven't had the chance to update the rules section of my blog to say so because I am fairly new to the genre, so just a fair warning).
(P.P.S. - HOO-boy, this got out of hand. IDK what possessed me but ~ I'm afraid I'm gonna have to break this fic into two parts. I hope that's okay 😅).
This was the life - her life. Ever since birth, she'd been raised under the credo of the Revolution. It was as a favour to Dragon himself that Y/N and her parents left HQ to live under deep cover in the East Blue. A secret of the highest clearance was hiding there, he told them. The orders were to 'guard it with your life'.
She'd been born this way. The Army's youngest ever spy.
And that's precisely what she did. The moment she met a kid named Monkey D - she knew her mission had begun. Guard it with your life. Guard it with your life. Her leader's words rang in her ears for years after that. Keeping a razor-sharp eye on those blasted pirates that blew in and out of town with the wind. Biting the hands and feet of those blasted bandits whenever they invaded. Their leader, 'the Bear,' would never risk the humiliation of admitting half his wicked scars were from the end of her daggers.
When young Monkey D came away from those tumultuous times with merely a few stitches under his eye (self-inflicted, mind you), Y/N was half tempted to consider her mission a success. Little did she know -- the lion's share of her protective duties had only begun.
***
He wouldn't remember this for years. For years. And part of him was still ashamed to admit it to this day. He wouldn't remember the (h/c) girl with those fierce (e/c) eyes and that wicked pair of daggers at her sides. He wouldn't remember how she was his brother's first protector. Bandaging his rubber-skinned wounds and wiping his cry-baby tears with calloused hands. He wouldn't remember how the dappled sunlight of the jungle would play across her hair, sparking the flint in her eyes. How she could swing from the branches as limber as the wind and carve all their initials into the trunk of their tree house. Years went by, with him never knowing those golden days existed.
What he remembered, instead, was a hospital room. Bandages prickling his skin from head to toe. The smell of cotton was overpowered by night sweats and disinfectant. Not to mention the stench of Ivankov's various perfumes and powdered shoved in his face as soon as he awoke. Y/N would always laugh remembering that part, telling him he 'screamed like a monkey'. She'd be laughing so hard she'd be wiping tears. Mostly happy ones, he thought.
She was right there at his bedside when he woke up. Gripping the brim of his hat so tight, her knuckles were white. She handed it to him so he could see his name embroidered on a little tag on the inside. Sabo. Part of him feared he wouldn't remember that much if not for her.
When Dragon and the others discussed the idea of sending him home...remembering that jolt of fear of panic stills sends a shudder down his spine to this day. He cried out against it. Begged them to let him stay. He's not sure his please would've worked if Y/N hadn't protested alongside him. Telling them about the horrors she'd witnessed in Grey Terminal. The cruelty of the Goa Kingdom. When she spoke, there were tears in her eyes.
Years passed, and together they stayed.
She brought him books while on bedrest. Told him stories when his eyes got tired. Shared meals with him by candlelight in that lonely hospital den. Not all the stories were happy, but that was okay. Cause her voice captured each emotion expertly. Even when she wandered to his bandaged side, he learned to read her voice as clearly as any picture book. Learned what it sounded like when she smiled when she laughed.
She was right there beside him when he woke up from night terrors. Or when the headaches set his vision on fire. When shivers wracked his body, locking his bones together till he couldn't breathe. She was right there beside him. Her calloused hands pawed at hospital sheets when they finally removed the bandages. He saw his fingers for the first time. Her breath caught. She wouldn't think he heard her, but he did. How could he not?
The Doctors held up a mirror - and he saw it all. The molten skin coating half his left side gleamed in the dim light like a spider's webbing buried into the cracks of his flesh...absorbing his left eye. The blue of his eye had exploded like those supernovas he had read about in books. He tried to look, to see the doctor without turning his head, but all he saw was a blurry minty white. Like the sheets beneath his hands. Like the pallor on Y/N's face when she finally saw the damage done with her own two eyes. --And she cried.
He never thought it'd hurt so much to hear her cry.
She was on his left side the first time she told him about her family. How mercenaries had captured and tortured her best friend. How her parents had been lost trying to help others escape this huge fire that Nobles had set in the slums of her home. She told him spontaneous fires started there sometimes with discarded metals or glass catching the light in the summertime, but it had never been so bad as that day. From the pit that swallowed his gut, he knew instinctively that fire was no accident. All those people... razed to the ground on someone else's whims. Sabo felt sick to his stomach.
It was the first time he had tried to reach out to someone. What with his squeaking-taut skin, stiff muscles and aching bones. But he swore his heartbeat stopped when she wrapped her arms around his ribs. When she buried her salty tears into his collar, everything paused. Frozen in time. In the moment when her warmth was pressed against him. Where the drumbeat of her heart somehow eclipsed his own.
Looking back now, it seems almost silly how long it took him to figure it out. They knew how much trouble they'd get into sneaking into each other's barracks at night to read, study, or just talk until the candles burnt out - but they did it anyway. Sometimes they'd goof off in class just cause they knew they'd get detention together. He'd volunteer to peel apples and potatoes with her and Koala for kitchen duty. He'd drape his coat over her shoulders when she fell asleep in the library. He knew she'd always pick up his hat if he ever forgot. Or if some punk was dumb enough to try and swipe it off his head. Sabo swore she was even more protective of that hat than he was, sometimes.
She tried to brush him off when he teased her about it. But even though he could no longer see the blur of her hair on his left side - he could still hear how her callouses brushed that little tag stitched on the inside. The one with his name embroidered in small, crooked blue letters. He took that hat and shoved it atop her head.
She squawked and shoved at him, 'What the he-Sabo!'
Sabo laughed. 'Come on, why so serious, Y/N? The hat's just as much yours as it is mine. You can wear it whenever you like.'
Y/N stilled. It took him a few strides to realize he could no longer hear her boot strides beside his. He turned and looked at her. Really looked at her. There, rooted to the spot. Dust mites danced in the sunlight around her, glinting off her hair. Her face was cast in shadow beneath his hat. But her fingers clutched the brim, pale white and trembling. She knew that shiver in her grip. That warbled in her voice, even if it was just one word:
'R-really?'
The ground was swallowed beneath his feet in a matter of seconds. He clasped her shoulders, stilling her shivers. 'Really, really,' He ducked his head. Bowing down just enough so he could see the saltwater glint in her eyes. 'Besides,' he grinned. 'My stuff looks good on you.'
She snorted at that. 'I thought you were just saying this hat was ours?'
'I am,' he straightened. 'The fact that it was mine first just makes it better.'
Another indignant squawk. 'You jerk!' Sabo burst out laughing, dashing down the hall way before she could catch him. 'Hey! Get back here, you!'
Sitting around those crates of apples and potatoes, they'd poke and prod and nudge at each other. Just enough to screw with their carving job and *usually* not enough to result in injury. Then Hack would scold them or Koala would scoff at them something like 'grow up' or 'get a room, you two'. Sabo would duck his head from Hack, rubbing at the burn in his neck. Other times he'd stick his tongue out at Koala, even if he knew he was blushing. But for Y/N, the effect was immediately and vastly different.
She would sit stiff and ramrod straight. Her skin burned red from the crown of her head to the tips of her fingers. Then she'd jerk her head down. (H/c) hair falling and obscuring her face, chin tucked to her chest. Hands nimbly returning to their task with almost machine-like accuracy. Sabo's stomach always swooped at the sight, not in the good way he'd grown to like around her. This was like an icy chill washing down his spine, though he didn't know why.
When he'd turn his head to look at her, the growing darkness on his left side could nearly convince him that Koala and Hack weren't even there. That it was just the two of them. Whittling together to their heart's content. And at that moment, he knew exactly what to say to break Y/N's spell.
'Tell me about the brothers again.'
In an instant, the whole world would light up. As if by magic. Y/n would jolt to look at him. (E/c) blown wide and- and precious. He didn't know how else to describe it. Only when she searched his gaze, it was as if she were raking over his very heart. Searching every nook and cranny until - she smiled. Whether it was a dandelion, sunshine, or a supernova kind of smile, he could never help himself from smiling back. Nodding her along to make sure: go on, I'm listening.
And then off she'd go, launching into one of her infamous tales of 'The Pirate Brothers and me'. She told him about how they'd hunt together in the mountains. All their misadventures learning to beg, borrow and steal from the upper crust of Goa Kingdom. They and their little crew of wild kids saving up to sail into the great unknown. He loved how she gave each of her friends' little nicknames like 'Blondie' and 'Freckles' and 'Meathead' and laughed when she remembered their antics. Sometimes she cried for missing them. Sabo knew it was the good kind of crying, but that didn't make his chest ache any less.
It wasn't until news hit the papers that he knew exactly why.
ROGER'S SON, FIRE FIST ACE, DEAD AT MARINEFORD
The moment he read that headline and saw Fire Fist's, Portgas D, Roger D -- Ace's portrait on the front page news--the floodgates opened. Every nightmare. Every seizure. Prickling fiery pain over his skull. The aching squeak of taut skin. Stiff muscles. Fused bones. Nightsweats and feverish blurs of memory across the back of his eyes. His blind eye burned and ached. But never saw a thing any more.
The burn of water and smoke washed through his lungs. Flashes of sensation flared in his mind, behind his eyes, beneath his skin. The weight of an iron pipe, the breeze of the jungle, the light of the sun - he felt it all. Everything came crashing down at once. His knees cracked against the stone floor. His chest ached. He couldn't tell if he was set on fire or drowning. Everything was damp. He couldn't breathe. Everything within him, every fibre of his being rebelled, shocks along every nerve, pain from every thought. Ace is dead. Ace is dead. Ace is dea- Ace!
