Through Time

Ace and Sabo Bake a Cake

"There are two great days in a person's life - the day we are born and the day we discover why."-William Barclay

Luffy had snuck a chunk of dried meat from Sanji's kitchen and knew he would probably pay for it later but right now it smelt so good he didn't really care. Sitting on top of the figure head he opened his mouth wide to take a bite only for someone else to bite first.

"You wanna go?" Luffy scowled because the first bite was sacred, no one touched the first bite.

"Next time you'll have to be faster, aren't you older than me?" Ace scoffed licking his lips as if taunting Luffy about what he had just done.

"Meat is scared and you just broke that code." Luffy scowled and Ace laughed sitting down beside Luffy as the older man pouted like the kid Ace remembered him to be.

"You said you're nineteen right?" Ace asked because Luffy even with his scar didn't look that old.

"Yeah I just turned 19 a month ago." He said thinking back to how he hadn't really thought much of his birthday.

"Did you guys throw a party?" He asked and Luffy frowned before shaking his head.

"I was alone on my birthday." He admitted and this time Ace frowned.

"But you hate being alone." That was common knowledge for Ace and Sabo. Luffy would rather be hurt than be alone so why did he choose to be that way, especially on a day he spent so much time trying to get Ace to celebrate.

"I didn't really have a choice. My crew and I were separated for two years so we could get stronger; their strength improving meant more than me having a birthday cake." Luffy said and laughed his laugh giving his wide grin.

"So you missed two birthdays with your friends." Ace said and don't get him wrong! He didn't care for birthdays much-just another day in his eyes- but their Luffy loved the idea of a birthday.

"It's not that big of a deal, I mean it's just another year older." Luffy said but Ace wasn't having any of it.

"Your birthday is important!" Ace shouted and smacked the man on the head causing him to grab it tenderly.

"You didn't have to hit me." Luffy pouted but Ace was up and gone leaving a flabbergasted Luffy behind him.

"I didn't know he cared about birthdays so much..." He said in wonder before shrugging his shoulders and looking for his piece of meat only to realize it was gone and only scraps were left.

"That little-." Luffy began to curse Ace's name knowing the bugger had eaten his meat at some point in their conversation.

Ace was moving fast through the ship not stopping to realize that he knew everything about this place now almost like it was his new home.

"We need to talk now." Ace said grabbing Sabo away from Franky who looked on curiously as Sabo disappeared suddenly.

"What in the world is wrong with you!?" Sabo shouted as he caught his breath not used to being dragged away by Ace, that was usually Luffy's job.

"Luffy hasn't celebrated a birthday in two years!" Ace said as if it was the end of the world. Sabo placed a hand on his hip and raised a brow at his brother.

"And you chose to drag me away from my fun to tell me this, why?" He asked not seeing why Ace was so worked up about Luffy missing a birthday, I mean Luffy didn't tell them his birthday for a while when they met him.

"Because he was alone for all those birthdays! He was away from this." Ace said reaching his arms out referencing the ship to Sabo "For two years he had no one to say they were glad he was born!" Ace was almost shouting at Sabo and Sabo frowned. Ace usually didn't care about birthdays, especially since it meant he was born in the first place so all of this was weird.