theafflicted | 05 - week five

05 - week five

WEEK FIVE

Come Sunday morning, the portals around Estelline fade away, but not all of the oddities hanging around disappear so quickly. The recreations of your dreams and memories are still around, ever changing and shifting. Whatever it is that brought these things here hasn’t ended, not yet.

You don’t have time to worry about all of that, though, even if you know you should exercise caution once two of you found yourselves on the bad end of a monster’s claws. The course still isn’t over, though, even if the portals changed lesson plans. Everything continues on, with new places to explore as the fog pushes back once again. This week still feels a little more like what you’re familiar with, though, after Saturday’s lack of lessons.

...For now.

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...about what happened?

[ oh.

well can't say this hasn't been a long time coming but at the same time, probably a little bit long time coming? suppose it's then more about the context of the "what". after all there's...a lot that has happened. where do you even begin with some of this? ]

Sure. [ a small nod. ] Should we go somewhere and sit down or at least more out of the way?

Probably for the best. We can look at the new places after.

[ something fun to do after would be nice. since this is going to be a heavy enough topic. ]

Of course. We're not going anywhere faster anytime soon.

[ according to the map, the residential area is near the lower campus so i guess back to the campus/courtyard they go. but while they're walking: ]

Did you want to start?

I'd actually like to hear what you thought.

[ but, well, he should be a bit more specific. ]

...Did it help with your regrets?

[ since he knows how determined sabo looked there. but he can't be too sure what kind of influence the entire thing had on him. ]

[ you know, at least when ace gets to talking about something, he doesn't talk around it. it's one of the nicer things about this. makes things easy and there's no need to worry about doing any kind of dance but on the same coin...

at least he's fully aware of what ace is about when it comes to conversing, and most importantly, what he wants to talk about. ]

It gave me an answer.

[ one good part about it. he might want to avoid talking, but when he doesn't, he dives right in.

but he has to think about how to respond to that. since it didn't exactly answer his question. but that answer... ]

Yeah? What was that?

[ sorry but also not sorry for not answering the question the first time around because, well, did it really help? no. it didn't change what happened (probably). it was just for him. nevertheless, he gives ace a better answer this time. ]

If I had been there that day—would I have been able to do anything.

[ the things that keep him up at night even now, honestly. ]

I know there were others with me but, I know that it wouldn't have been completely pointless.

[ ...not that it actually makes him feel better yet also does. it's a weird thing. ]

[ he thinks about that and nods. ]

I know you regret it, but...

[ he pauses long enough to hook his pinky finger with sabo's as they walk. he doesn't acknowledge what he did there and just keeps walking. ]

We both have that regret of not saving one another. Sure, you didn't die... but for me, you had.

[ he looks around where they're walking, feeling very exposed right now. so many emotions. he knows he was asking sabo about how he felt, but it bridges into this just right. ]

We can change all of that now. We're both alive. You're not taking off on an adventure without me again.

[ sabo won't counter what ace says because it boils down to the same kind of argument. ace was a child—how in any world could he have done anything about the situation that sabo was in? he might not have known what dadan said, but it was the world itself that "killed" him.

much like how it was the world that truly killed ace. he really just says nothing for a bit and just quietly notices the way ace hooks his pinky. ]

Not right now I'm not. [ because who knows what will happen once this is all over. plenty of promises and words are being thrown around right now. ] There's the matter of what's going on right here that I want to help out with. I'm not going to ignore people who are trapped and have their freedoms restricted.

[ this much is very much true. sabo can't speak to a future—not under these circumstances. he'll only speak to the present. ]

[ there's a slow nod at that. he's not surprised that sabo can't look away from something like that. not with his family situation and the obvious want for freedom as he tried to escape. ]

Suppose you're right. We should focus on that part.

[ it does make him question if he should continue on this talk about the memories being conflicting now or not. he did get an important answer from sabo... so that's what matters, right? ]

[ unfortunately for ace, it's not just pain that's being shared but their emotions. and while it has been sabo to have been almost embarrassingly open with what he's feeling at any time, it doesn't mean ace is immune to it. he'll casually just kick at ace's ankles while they walk. ]

Say what it is that you really want to say, Ace.

[ might have been a "nicer" way to go about but it was more them this way. ]

There are no secrets between us, remember?

[ he frowns at that. no secrets, huh... ]

If there aren't secrets, why didn't you tell me about my devil fruit?

[ it might be weird with his memories, but he sure does remember seeing sabo turning himself into flames and sharing his own as sort of a heal or a boon to him.

it's annoying to think that sabo wouldn't tell him something that important. ]

[ ah.

well. hmm. he didn't see that one coming. ]

It's not like I hid it from you.

[ he just never brought it up in conversation. or made it a point of conversation. he's not about to say something as stupid as say that ace never asked so he never told but the sentiment is still there. ]

Then why didn't you tell me?

[ it seems like something he'd want to tell sabo right away, if their situations were reversed. but maybe that's just the way they operate. ]

It didn't seem to be as important compared to everything else at the time.

[ not to imply that it wasn't important but among all of the things that were happening around when they arrived and were adjusting to things... the devil fruit seemed to be at the low end of things. ]

[ he doesn't remove his hooked pinky from sabo, but does lift his other hand to lightly punch sabo's shoulder and sighs. he can't really argue that. it is a heavy topic, too. ]

I guess that's one hell of a way to reveal you've got it. [ a sigh. ] But you know, there's no one else I'd want to have my fruit.

[ luffy had his own tricks. somehow it feels right that sabo would take this mantle since he was alive. ]

Hope it's been treating you well.

[ he'll flinch but not because it actually hurts but more on reflex before smiling softly to himself. ]

That's what I figured as well. [ softly. ] I made sure to ask Luffy if it was okay for me to have it.

[ he'll bring up his free hand and look at it as though he had become accustomed to. of course, there is no flame that awaits him and it's just his gloved hand that he sees but he can still imagine it being there. ]

I had to spend a lot of time training myself with it, but it's been comforting to have. It's like you haven't left me.

There's no doubt he'd want you to have it. You're our brother, after all.

[ he almost finds it a little silly that sabo bothered to ask luffy about it. of course it would be sabo's and no one else's. but, it is the right thing to do. ]

I'm glad to hear that it's comforting. Being by your side... Like it was always meant to be.

I know, but I had been gone for so long and he also thought that I was dead. I didn't feel like I could have taken it without asking him first.

[ for all of sabo's bravado, he was still very anxious about it all. it's silly now to think about luffy ever being angry with sabo for waltzing into his life after over a decade asking to have ace's fruit... but he wouldn't have been surprised if luffy had been angry with him.

sometimes he wondered what kind of person he'd be without the kindness from luffy and ace. ]

You really did expect me to be your navigator, didn't you? Without even bother to ask me.

Always so polite.

[ it's not a dig at sabo. far from it. it's just how the other man had always been when they were young. well, not always polite, but certainly a lot more polite than him or luffy. it was where it counts.

and at that last part, he can't help but laugh a bit. ]

It's because I know you wouldn't have said no to me.

Says the person who needed someone to teach them manners.

[ which isn't really a dig at ace because, well, given his situation the fact that he wanted to learn how to be polite or better at speaking with people at all is important. sabo learned in part of being born as a noble. ]

But I could have! Maybe. I wanted to be captain too, you know.

[ just to be a brat. ]

Edited 2022-06-22 08:28 (UTC)

That was different!

[ he mainly wanted it to properly greet shanks anyway. all luffy's fault. his aim was to be a pirate, he didn't really care about manners before. but it does work for him, having some politeness. ]

I know, but...

[ he takes a couple quick steps in front of sabo, stopping him in his tracks and letting go of the pinky, for now. he stares at him with a determined expression. ]

Sabo, would you have been my navigator? Would you sail the seas by my side?

[ he knows that sabo can't think about that future and has his own things he needs to tackle. he didn't forget what they just talked about. but he wants him to suspend that just for a moment. just to answer this in a hypothetical moment.

he wants to know if sabo did want to stay by his side just as bad as he wanted sabo there. ]

[ why does this sound like a marriage proposal more than anything else? happy meme wedding?? happy pride??? shame that sabo doesn't quite see it as such but he does stop in his tracks and just kind of stare at ace for a moment to let it process. it's stupid to ask this of him now but.

with the way that ace is looking at him and how he says it. it's...cute. yeah, he'll let himself think of it like that and smile to himself just before he shakes his head. he no longer feels like an adult with so much on his shoulders as a burden he happily carries but almost back to being that carefree child on dawn island. ]

Asking me this now...

[ honestly. ]

No. [ firmly, but before ace can get a word in, he'll walk up to ace and place a hand on his hip while giving him a cheeky smile. ] I wouldn't just sail with you just as your navigator, stupid. I'd come along because I would have wanted to.

And if you would have let me also be captain. [ it honestly feels pretty painful to be saying this, but he'll allow it. it's fun to have the dream while he can. ] There's no rules saying there can't be two.

[ at the initial "no," he feels his heart sink. more than he expected.

but as sabo continues, he can't help but have a dumb grin across his face. it's true, pirates could make up rules of their own. they could form a crew however they wanted.

being sole captain wouldn't have been the most important thing to him, not when he could have sabo around to help him on his voyage. though, that does make him wonder... ]

How would we decide on things if we didn't agree? The usual way?

[ and by that he means, would they end up throwing fists and seeing who one that time, fair and square. whoever could get the best of the other that day won out. ]

But if it meant having you with me, yeah. We could do that.

[ it sure does sound like some kind of marriage proposal if they realized it. he reaches out to brush back some of sabo's hair from his forehead to get a clear look at his face. staring at him like this, he feels he should open up part of why he wanted to talk. ]

The me in that memory... I planned to never let you go after reuniting again. I was so confused why you knew I was questioning things about myself, but I didn't care. You and Luffy both have helped me realize something I should have a long time ago.

Demon blood, noble blood. None of that matters when I've got you at my back.

[ maybe somewhere in the back of sabo's mind he realizes that this is a bit more than what two "brothers" would be saying to one another. ace's gestures being a bit more intimate than familial. the words hurting him not because of the future that they didn't have and couldn't have but because of something else. nevertheless, he can't help but chuckle. ]

Maybe you should let me be right; I normally am.

[ not to sound like a wife, but you know. the (male)wife is always correct in an argument. (or so the saying goes, anyway.) subconsciously, he'll turn his face just so to obscure the left side of his face—it's entirely unintentional and something he isn't aware that he does. at the same time, he makes sure to not look away from ace's face either. ]

But good; I'm glad that something I said finally stuck with you. [ if he's a bit smug here then it's because he's totally a bit smug here. ] And I'm more than fine to say it as many times as you need as a reminder.

[ and even if ace doesn't need one presently, he does want to say it to this ace before him right now. ]

One of the reasons why I'm able to stand here today is because of you and our bond. If you weren't born then I would probably still be trapped in that cage suffocating and rotting away.

[ or having already died when he tried to escape. ]

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i spent too long trying to find an img to icon only to give up...

oh no, icon distress.. i know that pain

looks tiredly at my free time to come