A/N: Back again! I hope you all enjoyed the two-hundred review special. It seems most of you enjoyed the Saint Patrick's Day special the most, and I understand why! Anyway, since someone asked me about this, if you really want to prompt me (and get anything in return), your best bet is to head over to my tumblr (link on my profile) and leave me an ask. Now, on to the chapter…

When morning came and Luffy finally pulled up the energy to open his eyes, he found Ace already awake, sitting with his back against the headboard and his laptop open.

Luffy shifted over to rest his cheek against Ace's hip. "Whatcha doin'?"

Ace started, then shut the computer before Luffy could see anything more than the word 'adoption' on his screen. "Just research."

"Research for what?" Luffy asked, reaching towards the laptop. Ace moved it gently away from his hand before he could touch it. "Ace…"

"Hm?" Ace put his hand on the top of Luffy's head and rubbed the scalp with his thumb. "You want to play on the computer?"

"No," said Luffy. He wouldn't admit, later, that he leaned into the touch. He had missed Ace's casual affection recently. "What are you researching?"

"Just some things for my thesis," Ace answered. His thumb came to a sudden halt while a uncomfortable look crossed his face, which was gone quicker than it came, and soon Ace's hand dropped it rub the back of Luffy's neck. "I need to go talk to Law. Okay?"

"Okay."

Luffy watched Ace wrap a light blanket around his shoulders and stumble out of the room without bothering to change out of his pyjamas. Actually, Luffy couldn't recall Ace changing into them last night — it might have happened while he was sleeping. Did Luffy ever put on his pyjamas?

He looked down at himself. Apparently, he did, or maybe Ace had done it for him. His boxers had an awesome design of robots on them, and his T-shirt was designed to look like the costume the Sailor Senshi wore — specifically Sailor Mars, because Luffy loved red. Luffy loved his pyjamas, but Marco had always teased him about them — and now Ace and Law weren't averse to poking fun at them either.

The shirt had been a gift from Sabo, back when he finally got his friend to start watching the series. It had been way too big for him, and it still kind of was, but Luffy used to run around pretending to fight monsters with a toy sceptre he made out of Styrofoam. He had gotten a Sailor Mercury version for Sabo to thank him; Sanji had laughed at them for days, until they got a Sailor Venus shirt for him and forced him into it.

Sanji may have hated it, but at least they were a matching set when they played sailors (or 'pirates'). Luffy knew for a fact that Sanji still had his, too, and Sabo mentioned his in his letters sometimes.

Luffy blinked. He had a new letter from Sabo, didn't he? He still had to write a reply…

He turned to the bedside table, where Ace's laptop sat innocently next to Sabo's letter. Luffy's hand was halfway there before he realised; he could find out what Ace was researching. Ace had said it was for his thesis, but…

…But the first time Luffy had asked, Ace had avoided the question. He'd asked if Luffy wanted to play on the computer, yet kept the computer out of Luffy's hands. And, well, if he had been researching for his thesis, Luffy wouldn't understand a word he saw. No harm, no foul.

Luffy grabbed the laptop.

The first word he saw was, again, 'ADOPTION,' in big bolded letters. His eyes skimmed the screen to see that Ace had several tabs open, all to pages with that same word somewhere in their titles. Some mentioned foster care.

"He might as well just leave now."

Luffy gulped. Ace wasn't… He didn't want to… He wasn't going to give Luffy away, was he? He couldn't! Not after… all they had been through together…

…They hadn't actually been through much together, had they?

Luffy found himself wishing, suddenly, for a closer relationship with his brother. It was an absurd wish, because he and Ace were already rather close for the amount of time they had known each other, but he wanted to spend more time with Ace. He wanted to talk to him more, tell him every story he could think of…

"You fucking love that goddamn human parakeet!"

Law had said that. Law was smart. Therefore, it was true. Right? Ace loved him and he would never throw him away, no matter how little reason he had to care about Luffy — especially now that Ace had learned they weren't brothers like they had thought.

Right. Law was right. Ace loved him, and he loved Ace, and Ace was probably only researching adoption because he wanted to be a dad. Yes, Ace could adopt a kid or two and be a dad, and Luffy could be the uncle, and Law could be the — other uncle — or something. Ace just wanted a little child around the apartment.

To replace me?

Luffy shook that thought away.

"Haven't shaved, Law?"

Law raised an eyebrow, looking over Ace's state of dress. "Haven't changed, Ace?"

"Nope," Ace said, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders. Other than it, he wore nothing but a pair of flannel boxers. "I may look like a nudist who got cold, but you look like a woolly mammoth."

"It's not that bad," Law said as he rubbed his fuzzy cheek. His other hand held a cup of steaming tea, which was probably spiked with Jack Daniels, if Ace knew Law's habits at all. How Law could stand such a mix of flavours, Ace would never know.

"Er…" Ace scratched the back of his head. "About last night…"

"Have you realised that your 'epiphany,' brought on by the discovery of your lack of blood connection to Luffy, was actually a bought of temporary insanity and you should just get over it?" Law asked without missing a beat.

"Ah. Yes."

"Good." Law took a sip of his spiked tea. "Want some tea?"

"You'll spike it," Ace accused.

"True. But in your case, I'd at least use Molson Canadian."

"You're never letting it go, are you? For the last time, I was drunk—"

"—on Molson Canadian—"

"—which you gave me, thank you very much."

"Whatever you say, leprechaun."

"Yes, whatever I say," Ace grumbled, readjusting his blanket mantle as he headed towards the kitchen. "Whatever I say, thank you very much."

Law scratched the unshaven bristles on his face as he heard the whir of the fridge being opened. "Have you told Luffy?"

The whir clicked off again. "No."

"Do you plan to?"

"Not yet." Ace came back into the living area, a mini-milk carton in his hand. Law had bought them just for him, hoping it would combat his drinking-from-the-carton habit (in actuality, he was probably enabling him, but he honestly didn't care as long as Ace's lips did not touch the liquid he would have to drink). Before Law could round on him for his apparent decision not to tell Luffy, Ace went on, "I'm going to adopt him first."

Law almost choked on his tea. "You mean you haven't yet?!"

"That's what I was worried about yesterday, mostly," Ace admitted, taking a seat on the couch. "As far as I know, his parents are alive and somewhere out there… and now a friend of theirs knows where their son is. What if they want to come take him back? They have the authority — unless we adopt him."

"Do we—" Law paused to correct himself. He was not a part of this, not in the way Ace was implying. Law was not going to be adopting Luffy; Ace was. "Do you know what it takes to adopt? Are you even eligible?"

"Ah, maybe? We'll figure it out." There Ace went using we again. Law might have allowed himself to go along with it a few days ago, but with the reminder of Doflamingo hanging in the back of his mind…

They both looked up as the light fixture overhead flickered.

"Has it always done that?" Ace asked, although they both knew it didn't.

"We'll have to replace the bulb sometime soon," Law noted and quickly went back to his tea. The light flickered again. "Very soon."

"I'll write light bulbs on the—" The lights went out. "—grocery list…"

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" Luffy immediately yelled from the bedroom. "I TOUCHED NOTHING, I SWEAR!

"I bet you five bucks he's lying," Law muttered to Ace, who swatted him over the head.

The lights came back on—

—and went out again.

"Something's probably just wrong with the circuits," said Ace. "I doubt Luffy's causing any of it."

"I bet he thinks he did it," Law amended, while Luffy came out into the hall wearing — Law smirked at this — his sailor-whatchamacallit pyjamas.

"What's going on?" Luffy asked as he shambled over to Ace. "It's dark."

"How perceptive of you," said Law.

"Something's up with the power," Ace told Luffy, as the younger nuzzled the blanket covering Ace's arm. "It's probably not a big deal…"

"Everyone!" a voice boomed from the hallway. "Could everyone come out of their rooms please?"

The three of them exchanged glances. Law was the most dressed out of them, in a blue sweatshirt and polka-dotted pants, and Ace knew they had a number of neighbours who wouldn't be at all appreciative of his boxers (and some who would be all too appreciative).

"This is important," the voice went on. "Please stop what you're doing and come out."

After another second of hesitation, Ace shrugged and inched over to the door, which brought Luffy, who had chosen to hook his fingers into the blanket and cling, along with him. Law grumbled and shuffled after them, nursing his alcoholic tea with new vigour.

When the door opened they saw, in the dim light, Thatch the receptionist knocking on doors to bring out the occupants in their varying states of wakefulness. Ace noticed him skip two or three, and wondered if the man knew instinctively which ones were vacant.

Ace cringed when the man from room 179 came out likewise in his boxers and averted his eyes. Teach, to speak frankly, was stomach-turning — and judging from the queasy expression on Luffy and Law's faces, as well as that of some of their other neighbours', he wasn't alone in that opinion.

A few of the other neighbours were already gossiping quietly. Thatch waved his hand in the air for attention and said, "Excuse me, everyone!" The woman from 171 and her friend from 175 did not stop whispering, however, as they apparently didn't notice him. "Do I have to get all Navi over here? Hey, listen! Everyone includes you, too, you know."

Once everyone had stopped talking and started paying attention, Thatch announced, "The building is having some, uh, technical difficulties. In fact, the whole city is — I just got off the phone with my brother who works with the government; electricity has been shutting off all over the place since late last night, and it isn't coming back. Everything is closing down to wait this out, so you're all going to have to stay in the building. And could you turn off your lights?"

"They are off!" the husband of the woman from 171 pointed out.

"Yes, but–" The lights came back on, and a few people let out a premature whoop of celebration. They were immediately treated to darkness once again. "Look, I don't get it either, okay? But my brother says we need to keep all electrical appliances set to off until they've got this city up and running again. That means lights, televisions, radios — turn them all off. Even better, unplug them. And remember, no one leaves the building!"

With that, Thatch left, muttering something about having four more floors to get to. The other occupants of their floor headed back into their rooms, quite a few of them surly.

Luffy tugged on Ace's blanket. "Why can't we leave the building?"

"If the power's out city-wide, that means no traffic lights or street lamps," Law explained as they returned inside. He hit the light switch next to the door. "I don't know about other places, but around here blackouts tend to take out internet and phone connections, too, so you couldn't call for help if you got in trouble. And blackouts… sometimes bring out the worst in people, so keeping us inside is a good way to keep us from getting caught up in riots or robberies." He paused, looking as if a disturbing thought had just occurred to him. "Any hospitals effected must be in pandemonium…"

"Oh, shit, yeah," Ace said as the idea hit him too. "Goddamn, I hope they didn't have anyone on life support." He took a long sip from the mini-carton that was still clenched in his hand, as if to distract himself. Luffy shuddered and pressed closer to Ace, and Law could guess why; Sanji had told him already how many times Luffy had been put on life support when he was small.

"Were the lights on in your room?" Law asked Luffy in hopes of getting their minds off it. "We need to turn everything off, remember."

"Even Ace's computer?"

"Probably not that," Ace said, chuckling, and ruffled Luffy's hair. "Not that it would be much use with no connection, anyway. Just don't leave it plugged in."

"Aye aye!" Luffy said with a little salute. He turned and hopped back to the bedroom with a forced grin.

Law blinked. Did he just… But no, he was probably seeing things. Why on Earth would Luffy have to force a grin? Unless he was still stuck on the life support idea, but that didn't seem likely. He didn't think Luffy was the sort of person to linger on hypotheticals for long.

"That kid…" Ace said, interrupting Law's thoughts. "I'll feel so much better when he's really, legally ours." Law almost missed the use of our this time.

Almost.