Your eyes follow the blonde's every move as you take a seat on the couch, watching as he settles in the armchair opposite you.

Apparently the furniture wasn't being handled very carefully by Doflamingo's employees, you've spotted several new rips and markings on the fabric but luckily for him, you're far too preoccupied to do anything about that right now.

"So...Mr. Ghost," You sarcastically begin as your defence sets in, he hasn't yet caused you any harm but you still just can't shake the paranoia as you shoot the blonde a subtle glare. "You got a name?"

"Sabo." He simply answers without hesitation, without even a flinch. "My name is Sabo, I'm 22, Pisces and my birthday is the 20th of March, not that it matters anymore."

The bold reply certainly shakes you for a moment, your eyes widening as you stare at the man stupefied while your brain struggles to absorb all the details at once, all you really end up taking in is his name.

 Sabo. It suits him.

"How did you die?" 

The question seems to knock him a little, much to your surprise, you had assumed that he would have been expecting it but judging by the slight frown on his face and the way he lowers his head, it would seem not. 

It takes a few seconds for him to straighten himself up again, a cheerful (yet clearly forced) smile spreading across his lips as he sweeps his blonde locks out of his face, revealing a large burn over his left eye. 

"Holy shit!" Your gasped response isn't what you'd usually blurt out in such a situation but you really hadn't even noticed the scar before, his hair does well to cover it and the fact that you were beyond distracted during your first encounter with the guy...you just never saw it until this moment. 

Crap!

Your heart feels like it's being squeezed when he lets out an airy chuckle at your reaction, dropping his hand and allowing his hair to fall back into it's rightful place, it's only now that you can tell the burn is there if you look closely enough.

He's still very handsome though... 

"This house once caught fire..." He starts to explain, his voice trembling ever so slightly and his eyes avoiding yours as he speaks, you can even make out the thin sheet of sweat beginning to dampen his features already - it's clear that this subject is very traumatising for him. "Faulty wiring from my understanding. I was watching the police investigate the ashes but none of them could hear me, I was so confused." Suddenly a tiny smile tugs on his lips, his eyes still more focused on the empty walls rather than your face though. "My room was directly above where the fire started so I didn't have a chance when it started to spread."

The thought of such a situation pangs at your heartstrings, you've always found fire beautiful but to be caught up in a blaze with nowhere to run and for your skin to begin burning off...it sounds like torture. 

"You're kinda lucky though!" Sabo continues with his adorable smile. "If my brother hadn't kicked down my door and tried to save me, I'd be a lot more burnt up than this. You'd be living with Freddy Krueger!" Despite the blonde's little chuckle at those words, it does little to make you smile, a slight frown etching itself into your features as you half-heartedly kick his foot to gain his full attention. 

"That's not funny."

You immediately see the discomfort enter his face as he mutters a low "No, it's not..." before he returns his gaze back to the wall, you can pick up a lot of emotions just by watching this young man though; sadness, loneliness and confusion mostly. 

"You said your brother tried to save you, right? Did he make it out of the fire?"

Once again, he smiles. 

"Ace...yeah, he made it. Him and Marco used to play with matches when they were kids so they often found themselves in slippery situations, they knew how to manoeuvre around flames." You can't help but wonder if the fire was truly an accident after that comment, naturally your face must speak plenty of words for you though since the blonde snorts, his eyes landing on your small frame as he begins to speak in a much more cheerful tone. "I know what you're thinking and no, he and Marco wouldn't have set light to the house!" He chuckles, nervously scratching the back of his head in the process. "They know Thatch would've kicked their asses if they so much as considered it~!"

"Thatch?"

"Oh, he's the oldest." Sabo effortlessly explains, his previous depression seemingly washing away as he explains his family tree to you. "There were five of us in total; Marco, Ace and I were the middle children and then there's Luffy, the youngest." 

"I see..." Big family. "So, if your brother managed to get you out before you got burnt more, how did you die?"

And just like that, you've caused the boy's expression to fall into a depressive state once again. 

"Smoke inhalation." He answers nonetheless, leaning back in the chair and resting his chin on his knuckles whilst a small pout engraves itself into his features. "I can only imagine how Ace felt. All that effort to get me out, wasted." 

"I bet...and they never sensed you here after your death?" You instantly regret asking such a thing when Sabo shakes his head, a faint tear rolling down his cheek and catching your attention before he swiftly wipes it away with the back of his hand. 

It would seem it's very easy to bum a ghost out...way to go, [F/n].

"They never came back, they just paid for the house to be rebuilt then sold it." 

"Oh...I'm so sorry." 

It must have been too painful for them to return after losing a sibling here...

You can't help but shift anxiously in your seat, your eyes flickering down to the wooden floor as you desperately try to think of something positive to say, it would seem that the tables have turned.

You notice Sabo tilt his head from the corner of your eye before he stretches his leg out, poking your foot with his and bringing your focus back to his face, shockingly he's actually smiling at you now.

"Don't look so guilty, I said I'd tell you everything you wanted to know! Is there anything else?" 

You have to give it to him, his smile is highly contagious. 

A small grin beginning to force itself across your lips as you hum in thought, leaning back comfortably into the couch as your curiosity kicks in. "Yes. Why can we touch? Shouldn't my hand go straight through you? And why do you look like a normal person? You're not faded or floating, why is that?"

"You watch a lot of horror movies, huh?" Immediately you fall silent at the blonde's words, your palms raising in defence to his accusation and a small blush even tingling your cheeks slightly.

"Maybe! And?!"

Honestly, [F/n], he's a ghost! Who cares what he thinks?!

As you probably should have expected though, your response only causes him to burst into fits of giggles, his hands clutching at his ribs as he throws his head back and a hearty laughter erupting throughout the room. 

"No need to get so defensive, I'm just playin'~!" 

This boy is a troll...

"Well quit playing, I have more questions!"

Shockingly the blonde ceases his amusement within that same second, a curious hum sounding from his throat as he straightens up in his seat with an energetic smile. "Okay, shoot!"

Why are you so goddamn cute?

"Were--uh..." Your question seems to melt on your tongue as you stare at the happy-go-lucky male, partly wanting to kick yourself when you notice him raise a curious brow, despite his smiley face, he's definitely confused by your blunder which thankfully only propels you into asking another question instead. "D-Did other people move up here?"

Well, I finally asked something eligible! Well done, me! 

"After my family left? Uh...for a short time, yeah." You notice his brows knitting together as he gazes down to the ground, seemingly trying to remember the events clearly. "I remember it was a doctor, because I thought it was Marco at first..."

Marco? As in his brother?

"What happened to him? The doctor who lived here?"

"He didn't stay long, I kept hiding his stuff to try and communicate with him but it never seemed to work." Sabo's slight frown is immediately replaced by a grin as he shoots up straight in his seat, his expression filled with joy as he seemingly recalls the last of the events. "He left after about a month, I think I annoyed him."

"Hm? Yeah, I imagine losing things all the time would annoy anyone." You mutter to yourself thoughtfully, earning a cheeky snicker from the cutie before you, though his slightly unsure response definitely piques more of your curiosity. "Is your memory always so patchy?"

He clearly struggled to remember the last person who lived here, it honestly makes you wonder just how long ago this guy's death was. 

"Hmph, kinda...it's faces, mainly." Sabo admits with his lips pursed in thought. "I can't even recall what my brothers looked like, I just...knew I had them."

"I see. Well, they left a big impact on your life, I guess it makes sense that you'd remember them above a doctor who didn't even know you existed."

"Heh, you raise a good point." The boy chimes with a sweet smile, his eyes seemingly void of any emotion as he stares at the floor, politely adding; "Anything else you wanna know?"

Your heart quenches at the question as you shake your head, humming a low "No, that's everything." under your breath. It's obvious that these inquiries hurt him and he's trying his best to be happy despite his grim situation, you don't really want to kick the guy when he's already down.

All that really matters here is that he's a harmless ghost.

Not bad on the eyes either. 

What the hell am I thinking?! He's dead!

"Ah...by the way, every time you think...I kinda hear it. It's actually really loud for me." 

"EH?!"