His movements were those of a picture, as if going frame by frame. Clothes and face bloodstained with his disheveled black hair, he would be winning this fight. He received a blow in the gut and blood spluttered up his throat, but that's fine—he would be winning this fight. It was close to midnight. Sweat flew and dried on the pavement.

His opponent toppled over; Luffy, a shrimp, towered over someone so big who now looked so small.

Luffy caught his breath and wiped his forehead, the blood smeared across his skin that was darkened by the night. He donned his straw hat and sat on the ground, away from the unconscious body. Twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes until Ace came walking down the street; the location was one that both Luffy and Ace used interchangeably, for fighting purposes.

Luffy, the shrimp, now had someone towering over him; his older brother. Luffy smiled. He was smacked. No more smile. He exclaimed in pain. He was brought up to his feet, manhandled by his shirt collar.

"I told you not to fight without me, how many times?"

"But I...-" Smacked again. Luffy winced.

"If you want to fight, you're doing it with me," an angry voice.

With one eye scrunched shut, Luffy nodded quickly.

"This is the last time! Clear?"

Luffy nodded again.

This wouldn't be the last time; the scene had already repeated itself a few times.

Ace let him go. He wet his palms with saliva and started to rub Luffy's face clean.

"Who was the guy?"

Luffy scanned the abandoned lot. "I think he's gone now."

"So what? That's not what I'm asking. I said who's the guy. I'll fuck him up later."

Luffy told Ace his most recent opponent's name, finally getting it right after some failed attempts; anyone who Luffy would fight, Ace would fight.

They went home. Luffy's first stop was the shower. Luffy's second and last stop was Ace's bed; he was now covered in poorly applied bandages. Ace didn't say anything when his brother entered. Of course, this was because he was almost waiting for him.

They fell asleep holding hands.