【One Piece】Dawn in the Darkness

On the first night of becoming brothers, at Dadan's house, Sabo thought a lot. He didn't often use the word "brother", maybe never, and he certainly didn't expect that this word would be used on himself.

He repeated in his mind, a small smile playing on his lips as he thought. His eyes flicked to the other three boys, all of whom had fallen asleep shortly after their baths, all sprawled out on their mats in similar positions, arms spread and mouths open, Luffy's hands resting on Luffy's body, and Luffy's feet resting on Ace's legs. Sabo had to fight the urge to laugh, watching Luffy still maintain his infectious smile even as he snored, while Ace's usually guarded face seemed to relax for once, and Luffy's usually calm face seemed to have fallen asleep with a smile on his face.

Sabo shifted his gaze to his own mat, grateful to Dadan for providing him with one, despite the burden they put on her, she gave them what they couldn't get themselves, and honestly, he found it amusing to watch her get turned on by their antics, just like sometimes teasing Luffy turned him on, it was cute!

"Ace" Luffy muttered, his smile widening in his sleep "Sabo..."

Sabo was lying on the ground, looking at Luffy, his eyes bright, the boy's messy black hair looked fluffy because he had just washed it, one of his small hands, accidentally resting near Sabo's face because of the arrangement of the cushions, he couldn't help but stretch himself over and tentatively hold it. A family holds hands, right? Even if it's just for the sake of appearance, he has seen many nobles holding hands with their children or siblings before. He has never done it unless someone taught him, and the hands that held him since he was a child were always cold.

What surprised him was how warm Luffy's hand was in his, his skin wasn't much different than a normal person's, though Sabo knew that if he poked a little harder the rubbery texture would be more noticeable, he held him, wanting to see what it felt like to hold the hand of a family member, not just any family member, but his brother, "brother" Sabo heard himself mutter, a pleased smile appearing on his lips.

He is a big brother now, he has a little brother to take care of. His hands feel so small and fragile in his own, Luffy always lags behind them, desperately trying to catch up, and he insists that he is strong, but it is a more obvious choice for us to protect him, he and Ace and Lucci can stand side by side, with similar goals and methods, but Luffy is not strong enough, not to say he is weak. Sabo can see that he has power, but he needs time to get used to his power, his fruit.

No, this feeling is different. It's not because he is not as strong as him that he protects him, but because he is his older brother so he will protect Luffy, to protect his little brother, right?

Maybe he has no experience in this matter, not like Lucci who has been Luffy's eldest brother for a long time, but he still wants to be a brother who can protect and raise his younger brother. He hopes that Luffy can seek guidance, comfort, protection from him... everything he once wanted as a lonely child living in Gao Town, he hopes to be able to give Luffy.

The intensity of the emotion scared him a little, their brotherhood hadn't brought any physical changes to them, they had been together long enough, his relationships with Ace and Lucci had strengthened, he had also managed to establish a relationship with Luffy, had the brotherhood really changed anything?

Sabo had already realized the answer, and it didn't change anything. It just gave him an excuse not to back down, an excuse to better express his love.

Sabo rolled over and stared at the ceiling. He could hear Dadan snoring on the floor below and a group of bandits making all sorts of noises that meant they were asleep somewhere else in the extended family home.

Ace and Lucci snored quietly, while Luffy continued to mumble the name of the food he wanted between his own snores, usually meat. The sounds were far more comforting than the eerie silence of Tall Town or the constant noise of Waste Terminal. He could sleep among this unusual family and his unusual new home.

A sudden thought made him open his eyes. Luffy is their younger brother and they are his older brothers. Then what are he, Ace and Lucci to each other? Who is the older brother or younger brother to us?

It was a strange thought, he didn't feel like a younger brother, nor did he feel as protective of Ace and Lucci as he did of Luffy. Of course they protected each other, but protecting a younger brother was different, the younger brother should be given priority.

If Sabo or Lucci were also younger brothers, and if they were both in danger, and neither Sabo or Lucci could save themselves, what would Ace do, would he back down? I know Lucci would definitely choose to save his younger brother first, but what about Ace? Would he have to decide which brother needed to be saved, instead of immediately choosing Luffy when in danger? Ace and Lucci are definitely not the kind of people who want someone to protect and nurture them, they would think it's spoiling, Ace would be angry and insist that he is fine, and when he thinks of Ace and Lucci, he only thinks of brothers, not older or younger brothers.

But can a family have three older brothers and one younger brother? This might sound strange to others, but Sabo found that he didn't care. He would not talk about it with Ace and Lucci. He would let them bring it up first, so that he would make them admit that they were the same age.

This morning he was friends with Sabo, Ace and Luffy, Lucci had no family, this afternoon he was forced to admit that he had blood relatives that he wanted nothing to do with, he was afraid his friends would look at him differently or feel like he didn't belong because he didn't lose his parents like they did.

For him now, forever—he is the brother of Sabo, Ace, Luffy, and Lucci.

"Sabo" Luffy muttered again, Sabo turned his head to see Luffy's blanket halfway off, trying to find him in his sleep. A soft chuckle escaped from Sabo, and then Sabo reached for the blanket and wrapped it around Luffy again.

……

The next morning, he and Ace ran ahead with the tubes as usual, with Lucci running behind Luffy, who was waving his arms happily, excited about the food as usual, though they hadn't decided what their prey would be yet. Although Sabo was pretty sure they would end up going for fish, since it was the easiest thing they could do. This meant that Luffy wouldn't be much help with that, and Sabo had to make sure to keep an eye on him to prevent him from trying.

"Food! Food!" Luffy cheered, bursting into speed and catching up. In the past, Sabo, Ace, and Lucci had run side by side, and Luffy had tried to squeeze in between them, but since he couldn't keep up, he and Ace never bothered to make room. Now Sabo found himself moving a little bit, and he didn't notice that Ace was doing the same thing, and Luffy would quickly fit in there if needed.

Lucci watched Ace and Sabo slowly move to the side to allow Luffy to fit between them better. He chuckled. It seemed that Luffy really had two little brothers again. Lucci quickened his pace and ran side by side with the other three brothers.

"Be patient, Luffy!" Lucci chuckled.

"We have to hunt first." Sabo smiled happily at Luffy's enthusiasm.

"Yeah, but then we can eat!" Luffy explained, waving his hands excitedly and almost hitting his head with the pipe in his hand.

"Hey, be careful!" Ace complained, "I think we're going to have fish for breakfast anyway, and you can't help with that."