A twitch of a finger and a flutter of eyelids was all the warning he got before coal black eyes suddenly opened, clashing with steel grey. Trafalgar Law smirked.

"Welcome back from the land of the dead, Firefist-ya."

"Hey."

Law looked up from the medical report at his patient's voice, turning his gaze to Portgas D. Ace who was lying on the infirmary's sickbed. "Hm?"

"Why did you save us?" There was only genuine curiosity in Ace's voice as he asked the question that had been weighing on his mind for some time now.

Law was silent for a while, as if the question had never really occurred to him before. Just when Ace thought he wouldn't deign to answer, the man spoke, his tone indifferent, "I did it on a whim."

"…I see." Law felt a bit annoyed at the sparkle of amusement in Firefist's eyes, as if the other didn't really believe him at all. (It wasn't a lie, damnit!)

Law cocked his head to the side in curiosity as he watched the Knight of the Sea approach, obviously having something to say. He was only slightly surprised when Jinbe bowed low, thanking him(again). "I must extend my gratitude to you properly, Trafalgar Law. You saved Luffy-kun and Ace-kun, even though you didn't need to."

Law was about to retort, when the Pirate Empress herself came up to them, strutting like a peacock. She glanced at Law haughtily, as if waiting for him to throw himself to the ground and start prostrating her for her all-encompassing beauty. Law remained unimpressed.

Hancock sniffed. "Thank you, I suppose," she said, surprising Law. "After all, you did save Luffy and his brother. And you will accept my gratitude," she arched her back and pointed a finger at Law, head turned upwards. "For I am beautiful!"

Law wondered if it would be too rude to just leave the vicinity right there and then.

The creaking of his sub's metal door made Law turn his head to see one Portgas D. Ace come wobbling out, still weak from his injuries. His face was a pasty pale, and he was clutching at an IV stand(which he had apparently dragged all the way from the infirmary)for support. Law was about to reprimand him for ignoring doctor's orders, when Ace suddenly looked straight at him, a cheerful grin adorning his tired features.

"Torao!" Law's eye twitched at the offending nickname. Damn Straw Hat. "Thank you!" Ace bowed down as much as his injuries would let him, arms clasped to his sides. "Thank you for saving me!"

Law was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable. The pirate liked having others in his debt, but he could gladly do without accepting the gratitude, thank you very much.

"Toraaooo!" Law could feel a headache building as he turned to face Monkey D. Luffy, who bounded up to him with the widest shit-eating grin. Please don't turn this into Trafalgar Law Appreciation Day.

"Thanks a lot for helping me and Ace!" Luffy beamed. "And…" the straw hat resting atop his head shadowed his eyes as his voice abruptly grew serious, not unlike the one he had used while confronting the Tenryuubito at Sabaody. Law fell into a tense silence, waiting stiffly.

"And…I guess you can have this too," Luffy thrust a large chunk of meat towards Law's direction, forcing the startled surgeon to hastily take a step back lest he come into contact with the saliva dripping off the food. "But you have to share it with me first, okay?"

Firefist-ya could fall asleep anywhere anytime; during baths, in his food, while urinating(the sight of his head stuck in the toilet bowl was something no one was going to forget anytime soon). The danger of him falling overboard sleeping was the least of Law's worries though. The fire user had been inspecting Law's collection of organs-a normal if only slightly morbid hobby, in the surgeon's opinion-when his narcolepsy had kicked in. Courtesy of his monstrous strength, Firefist had managed to knock over close to 200 jars before slumping to the floor, snoring.

Narcolepsy had never really piqued Law's interest, but now he was starting to wonder if he should research a cure for it, if only so his sub never ran the risk of stinking so badly of formaldehyde again.

On some nights (though these were few and far between), Ace had nightmares. Lying on the infirmary's bed, he would toss and turn, sweating profusely, grasping the tangled sheets so tightly his knuckles turned white. All the while, he would be mumbling incoherently: "Luffy." "Thatch." "Pops."

Law would bonk him on the head none too lightly with Kikoku, startling him awake. The conversation the surgeon would then initiate could be about anything, though more often than not the topic usually revolved around Ace's childhood and all the adventures he had had with his brothers.

Law told himself it was only because he was curious about Firefist's past. It didn't mean anything that he always felt more relieved when Ace fell back into an undisturbed sleep, the small happy smile on the other's face mirroring the doctor's own.

If Firefist decided one day-for whatever inexplicable reason-to quit being a pirate, Law felt that the other could probably make a living being a chef. Didn't the Baratie's head chef in East Blue use to be a pirate too?

"Wow, Ace! Your grilled meat is even better than Sanji's!"

The man didn't make half-bad yakizakana either.

Law watched as Ace took off the loose patient shirt, preparing for a bath. The bandages just had been removed earlier, letting the surgeon have a clear view on the mark Akainu had left behind.

"Hey." Ace turned, one curious eyebrow raised. "Yeah?"

Law merely made a waving motion towards the other's back. Understanding dawned on Ace as he twisted his neck back to where Law was pointing. "Ah, my tattoo?"

The jolly roger tattoo was completely destroyed, marred over by a large X-shaped scar that covered almost all of Ace's back. Law wasn't familiar with the Whitebeard Pirates, but he did know that the relationship shared between the crew with their captain was something akin to family, and each member took fierce pride in bearing the mark of their 'pops'.

"I tried to save it during the operation, but the burn was too severe," Law shrugged, attempting to sound callous, though inside his heart was thumping in anticipation to Firefist's response. "Akainu got you good there."

Ace was silent, his expression unreadable. Law waited for him to flare up and blow a gasket, or possibly have a minor breakdown, but it seemed like 'D' carriers always had a knack of doing the most unexpected things.

"I see. Well, it's okay!" A bright smile formed on Ace's previously neutral expression, surprising Law.

"If you say 'It's just a tattoo', I won't believe you," Law deadpanned. "It was your pride, was it not?"

"Mmm," Ace hummed in agreement. "It's really a pity, and I'd be lying if I said it doesn't matter. But, there's nothing I can do about it now, right?" There was only simple acceptance in his voice, though an intense light had suddenly entered his eyes. "Even without it, I can still carry the old man's name. My tattoo may be gone, but my pride will never be erased."

Law blinked at the fierce grin adorning the other's features, his own lips slowly curving into an understanding smirk. "I see."

Firefist's devil fruit was powerful, no doubt, made even more dangerous by Ace's firm control over it. There were rumors that his arrival alone had been enough to cause Drum Island to actually stop snowing for an entire day.

So Law was surprised to find Ace reclined against Bepo one sunny day, both of them lightly dozing on the deck, basking in the warm rays of the afternoon sun.

"Luffy! You don't just jump into the sea like that!"

"But Acceee! There was a really cool fish-"

"I don't care!"

Law opened one lazy eye when he heard Ace approach, a huff of irritation escaping the fire user as he plopped down under the tree beside Law. "Having such an idiot little brother really makes an older brother worry," he grumbled under his breath.

Law remained silent for a few moments, before voicing out, "You…really care about Straw Hat-ya."

A look of surprise crossed Ace's face as he stared at Law, as if puzzled that the surgeon would feel the need to state the obvious. "Of course! He's my brother after all. An older brother should take care of a younger brother, right? Luffy, damnit, get off that cliff!"

Law looked on as Ace practically tackled Luffy to the ground, the younger of the two laughing as both brothers rolled around in the grass. It was not in his nature to envy another, but thinking of his own 'older brother', Law couldn't help but feel that Luffy was very very lucky indeed.

It was a fact that Trafalgar Law was definitely not a good guy. The Surgeon of Death was notorious for his cruel and merciless ways. His exploits-often talked about in pubs-were downright ruthless, bordering on sadistic even. Ace rarely bought the whole Marine propaganda thing, but it never hurt to be careful, just in case.

No one could blame Ace for being cautious at first when he found that that same pirate had saved him and would be overseeing his health progress. (He had, to the best of his abilities, thoroughly checked his body multiple times for telltale signs that spoke of missing limbs or organs.)

His caution was unnecessary, in the end. Admittedly, Torao wasn't the most amiable person around, and the scathing remarks he threw on a daily basis were harsh enough to offend a lesser person away. There was also something ominous hiding in those shadowed eyes of his, as if he was constantly harboring some sort of dark secret. His morbid personality didn't help make him more approachable one bit. (Seriously, who collected organs as a hobby?)

But Torao was a good guy. Ace didn't know the man's hidden motives for saving Luffy and himself, but he was confident it sure as hell wasn't done out of malicious intent. Torao's powers were deadly, but he wasn't unnecessarily cruel. If Ace looked past the walls the other had erected for himself, he could hear the worry behind the reprimands, the concern in his biting words. Also, one would have to be pathetically blind to miss the way the man genuinely cared for his nakama.

By the time his wounds had healed, Ace had already decided that Trafalgar Law was, for all of his flaws, definitely a good guy. (Even if he did cut Ace up sometimes for butchering his name).

Law leaned back against the railing on the deck of his sub, gazing at Firefist as the other adjusted the small sword hanging around his hip. His body had finally made a full recovery, though the healing process had taken longer than expected what with the accidents Firefist seemed so prone to getting into.

"Your wounds may be healed, but it is advisable that you do not move around too much for the next couple of days," Law reminded. "Okay!" Ace grinned. "Thanks again for everything, Torao! I really appreciate it."

Silence passed between them, only broken when Law spoke up, keeping the curiosity he felt from his voice, "Where will you go after this, Firefist-ya?"

"Hmm…" Ace stared out towards the vast blue sea, eyes contemplating. "I'll go look for the others first, of course. Marco and Vista and Jozu and everyone… I'll go see if I can find Pops' body. Maybe pay the old man some respect, you know?"

Law sensed the other was not finished yet. "And then?"

"Then…I'll keep moving forward," Law was struck by the sudden fire that burned in the man's eyes, a blaze more intense than the flames his powers could conjure. "I'll find One Piece, and become the Pirate King!"

A moment passed, in which Law pulled his hat low to conceal the excited smirk lifting his lips. "I suppose that would make us rivals then… Good luck to you, Firefist-ya."

Ace merely grinned back in response, determination and confidence flashing in those coal black eyes. Law's smirk widened.

This is going to be fun.

Author's Notes:

I know, I know, Ace didn't really do much in the third drabble. Luffy, you attention hogger. XD

This fic was inspired by a fan-made manga from pixiv.