Chapter 1: From the First Sight

Rating: T

Genre: Family/Comfort/Hurt/Romance

Warnings: Angst, characters death, MAJOR OOC-ness, AU, and grammar

Summary: For Law, his life is like a thorny rose. The thorns represent the hardship of being a single father of his children, Ace and Luffy. But as the grief of losing his wife is too great, the man fails to notice the delicate red petals that hug around him—his children, friends and his new redhead neighbor who wants nothing more but to love, care and protect Law and his family. Now it is up to his new neighbor to teach him the fun and beauty of life.

A/N: *Fuh*Fuh* I don't know what wrong with me lately, but I'm in the mood for family theme. Arrkk! Don't get me wrong, I'm still going updating my other projects. And for early reminder, there would be major OOC-ness for this story especially Trafalgar Law. So please people, don't say I didn't warn you and later complain this and that. It really pains me to reply your snarky review with another of my much more snarkier mouth. .

So, enjoys!

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx Xx

Ring! Ring!

Killer jerked in surprise, causing the soda to slip from his grasp and fall onto the floor with a clatter. Dark liquid spilled from the can's opening and the blond sighed at the puddle collecting on the floor of the office.

Another set of ringing and the man stared at the communication device perched on the table. The office phone was ringing five thirty in the evening? It certainly wasn't the first, but it's been a while for someone to call the shop at this time around. Usually he would close the workshop at six and stopped taking requests from customers at around five, but…

In dilemma, Killer switched his gaze from the clock on the wall to the ringing phone. Clock. Phone. Clock. Phone. After making a tentative thinking, the blond quickly strode over and picked up the receiver. This would be the last car. Promise!

"Hello."

"Is this Newgate Workshop?" A deep, baritone voice asked.

"Yes." Killer replied as he leaned against the wall, his ankles crossed over.

"I received this number from my acquaintance. I assume that you are still operating at this hour?" The man on the other line questioned.

"We are." Correction, I AM. Since the blonde is the only one left in the garage.

For a moment, Killer heard a relieve sigh from the man. "My car wouldn't start and I'm not really familiar with car parts. So uh… Can you come and take a look?"

"Sure. I'll come right away." The blond muttered, his right hand went to grab the edge of small note book from the desk and brought it closer.

"That would be preferable."

Quickly, Killer scribbled down the man's location and hung up the phone. The piece of paper then tore from the book before the blond made his way to the door. Just when his hand was about to reach for the doorknob, the blond took a last look at the puddle of soda on the floor. Well, that would just have to wait after he returns back.

His working boots made a small squeaking noise as he jogged across the garage while tying his hair into pony tail with a rubber band. But before he could reach for the tow truck, a familiar red haired figure walked into the garage.

"What are you doing?" The redhead asked, eyeing Killer's attire. "You're still not ready?"

Killer halted on his track, swiveling his head to the newcomer. "Yeah, just got a phone call. This won't take long, Kidd."

The man called Kidd stared at the blonde incredulously and peeked at his watch. "It's already five thirty and you're still taking customer! And OF COURSE it'll take long. You're going to fix a car, not taking a bath!"

"I know. This is last—"

"Kill, its Friday. We're supposed to go out and have a drink or sumthin'." Still clad in his working attire, the redhead grumbled with deep frown.

At times like this, Killer felt like rolling his eyes at the man childish behavior. Kidd just had to choose to be petulant at wrong place and wrong time. The more he argued with him, the longer the damsel in stress waiting for him.

"This is the last one. I promise. You can just wait here and do… anything."

"Maybe I could come with you?" Kidd raised his eyebrow in suggestive manner. "I mean, you want me to stay here by myself? With all these—these cars and tools? There's not even a parrot to talk to!"

"What?" It was the blond turn to exclaim incredulously, climbing into his truck. "What's the different? It's not like you can do anything there. Stop sprouting nonsense."

Kidd shrugged. "Well… I can poke things…"

"Poke things." Killer repeated with a flat tone. "No you're not coming with me and you WILL stay here and behave. Just… do whatever!"

The command made the redhead to snarl indignantly. Killer was speaking as though he was a child and he felt like throwing the nearby wrench straight to his blond friend. But before he could give any smartass retort, the mechanic had already started the engine of the truck and proceeded to pull it out to the road.

At five forty in the evening, Eustass Kidd was left alone inside the car repair shop with nothing to do.

Huffing irritably, Kidd dragged a metal chair to the far end of the garage and sat on it, left leg crossed over the right one. Pale, nibble fingers went to loosen his black, satin tie before he rolled the sleeves of his sharp colored burgundy shirts up to his elbow. A heavy sigh escaped his thin lips while the redhead tilted his head back and leaned it against the wall, his amber eyes wondered around the garage.

The place called Newgate Workshop definitely wasn't the largest in the town but it was well known. The original owner, Edward Newgate, was Killer's distance relative and he had left the lucrative business to his blond friend, also known as his best apprentice. Don't get him wrong. It's not like the man had kicked the bucket or anything, but lately his health didn't agree with him so the old man decided to step down and opted to become a mentor to the greenhorns in the shops.

To Kidd, the Old Man (so they called him) was more like a father figure. Of course, after his parent's tragic when he was ten, the Old Man immediately took him in to be his adoptive son, along with his other friend, Marco. His parent and Marco's have always been good friends till one night they decided to have dinner at a local restaurant together while he and Marco were left under the care of a baby sitter.

That was the night he and Marco lost their parents and became orphans. Sometimes later, he learned that a drunken truck driver had run into their parents' car from the side. And they died on the scene.

Somehow, Kidd was glad of that. At least they didn't suffer.

For days, people mourned for their lost, including his best friend since first grade, Killer. That time, the blond didn't say anything comforting at all, or perhaps he wasn't familiar with any comforting words that he should use. But Killer was there for him. Sitting close to him, holding his hand firmly as though to say that everything would be alright. For Kidd, that was more than enough.

Just when they thought that either orphanage or foster house would be their new home, Newgate stepped into the scene, all of sudden declaring that he and Marco would be his new sons, together with Killer.

And that was it. Kidd, Killer and Marco became adoptive brothers ever since.

As for Killer's case, he had always been with the Old Man since he was a baby. Until now, nobody knows the story behind the blonds' family. Even the Old Man never spoke about them or maybe he knew, but didn't want to tell the tale.

In the end, they never did ask. Not even Killer.

For the umpteenth time, Kidd yawned and stretched his muscles. His watch showed five-forty-five and the redhead cursed loudly. All that brooding and only five minutes had passed?

Five fucking minutes?

The redhead crossed his arms over his chests as he slumped deeper into the chair, grumbling.

He should have dragged Marco with him after all.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx Xx

After passing the third traffic light, Killer made a turn and drove straight towards his destination. Another five minutes of driving, his electric blue eyes finally spotted the damsel in stress who was seen sitting on curb, staring nothing in particular. He was lucky enough the sun was starting to set or else he would be burn to crisp by now.

The white, Audi A5 Sportback on the side of the road in which Killer presumed was his, had its hood opened and from he was seeing, there's no smoke coming from under it. That's a good sign. At least, nothing was blown up.

The sound of heavy tires on the road caused the man to look up and his face contorted into what Killer would take as a relieve expression. As the tow-truck was maneuvered behind the car, the damsel slowly pulled himself to his feet, dusting the dirt off his pants. The blond turned off the ignition and stepped outside from the truck before heading towards the awaiting man.

Out of formality, Killer stretched out his hand. "Name's Killer. You're the one who called for a mechanic?"

"Yes." The man shook his hand. Smokey grey met electric blue ones. "I can't be thankful enough that you could make it. I'm Trafalgar by the way."

Killer then slowly walked over to the front of the car. "So, this is it?"

In respond, Trafalgar made a humming sound as a confirmation. "I don't know what seems to be the problem. One moment I was driving, the next second the engine suddenly stopped running."

Bending down into the depth of the car, Killer made quick glance over the vehicle's internal parts. "Well, at least you managed to pull the car to the road side."

This time, the man didn't make any comeback, only silently observing the mechanic. He stayed closed to Killer, but not close enough that could cause discomfort for the blond. His gloved hands tweaked around with the bits of the engine that only confused Trafalgar even more.

"Are the headlights working?" Killer murmured, his face stuffed deeper into the engine.

"I'm not sure." Trafalgar answered hesitantly. "Let me try first."

The sound of low heels boots scrapping against the pavement echoed throughout the street before Trafalgar dived into the driver side and turned on the headlights. At least that what he intended to, but to Killer's expectation, the lights were dim before they were out.

"Your alternator is shot." Killer said once the man walked back to his previous position. "There's a build up corrosion, see?"

Trafalgar leaned down and looked over the area the mechanic was pointing at. "Oh…"

"That means the battery is not properly charged." The blond paused before he continued. "It's not complicated and I can fix it right away. But I need to take it back to my shop since the alternator need to be replaced."

"It's fine with me. How long will it take?" Trafalgar tilted his head slightly, his twin loop earrings made a soft clicking noise.

"Probably not more than a few hours." Replied the mechanic while he closed the hood of the car. His removed gloves were now perched on his shoulder. "You can wait in the garage while I work on it or you can call someone to pick you up and later you can collect your car when it's done."

"Or I can send you home if you want." Quickly, he added.

In front of him, the man called Trafalgar ran his fingers through his short ebony hair, looking rather torn.

"Actually I'm not from around here. And I don't think driving through the night is a good idea." He finally confessed.

Killer's mouth made an 'o' shape of understanding. "How about getting a hotel room for tonight? There's plenty around and I can drive you there."

The man nodded in agreement. After all, that was probably the only option left for him.

"Yes, I think I will do that. Thank you."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Killer went over to the wheel lifter but before he could attach the car to the truck, the man's voice stopped him.

"Could you… Wait for a moment?" Trafalgar requested before the man quick stepped to the back seats.

Maybe he forgot something, Killer mused as he saw the man opened the passenger door and dived halfway into the car. After a moment or two, Trafalgar immerged back. But that wasn't all.

Gathered in his arms, was a small child, probably not more than five. It was hard to tell since the child's body was wrapped with a blue blanket and judging by the unmoved bundle, it was safe to assume the child was sleeping. Or too tired to move.

As if the sleeping child in Trafalgar's arms wasn't a surprise, following him from the passenger seat was another child, older this time. Around eight or nine year old and clad in a bright orange sleeveless, the boy with the unruly, jet black hair was rubbing his bleary eyes, murmuring something inaudible to Killer's ears. The half-lidded eyes and the fly away strands on his heads indicated that he had just waked up, probably from a nap.

Trafalgar then bent down and said something to the boy, assuming that the man was trying to explain the current situation to him. From the look of it, Killer could tell the boy wasn't pleased with the news, if the deepening frown was any indication.

To say Killer was surprised was clearly understatement. He was shocked. Trafalgar looked… Well, let's be honest. The man didn't look like a married man and not to mention a father, especially with all those tribal tattoos decorating his arms and fingers, added with a pair of earrings on both ears.

After stroking the boy's head gently and murmuring reassuring words, Trafalgar strode back to where the mechanic was, the boy followed two steps behind him.

"Sorry. Please continue." The man re-adjusted the living bundle in his arms while the raven haired boy quickly gripped the hem of Trafalgar's shirt, eyeing the blond in front of him with his half lidded eyes.

Gods, it really tensed him whenever kids do that. It was like they were calculating whether you're a good guy or a big bad wolf.

To avoid the boy calculative stare, Killer quickly went back to work, attaching the car to the truck. Done that, Trafalgar mimicked the mechanic opening the cab's door but had to wait for a moment for Killer to clear the seat off and dumped everything in the back. The man ushered the boy to climb first so he was seated in between the two adults before taking a seat himself.

As they were pulling out, Killer suddenly spoke. "I'm going to drop your car at the shop first, then I'll drive you to the hotel."

"Of course." Trafalgar simply replied, hugging the small body close to his chest after shifting the child's weight ever so softly as his arm was starting to grow numb due to the same holding position. His long fingers went to pull the top of the blanket down slightly so the child wouldn't suffocate. From Killer's vintage point, he could tell the child was a boy based on how short his hair was. Similar to his brother and Trafalgar himself, the small child possessed the same jet black hair, slightly longer than his father but at the same time, shorter than his brother.

Oblivious to his surrounding, the child slept soundly, breathing in Trafalgar's familiar scent. The sound of his father's heartbeat was like a natural lullaby to him. Strong and calm. It made him feels safe and warm.

A small smile tugged the corner of his lips as Trafalgar watched the sleeping form of his son, glad that the child didn't as much stir from all those movements. Everytime he showed the sign of discomfort, the man would rubbed the small back and rocked the child gently back to sleep.

Of course, his other child finally decided to break the tranquility in the truck. Somehow, Trafalgar wasn't all surprise.

"I'm tired." The boy muttered, aiming the statement to his father. The freckles on his cheeks danced as he grumbled more.

"I know." The man answered softly enough not to wake the sleeping bundle. "Once we get to the hotel, you can have a rest and sleep."

Without giving any comeback, the boy rummaged through his sling bag and fished out a water bottle. Two large gulps later, he screwed the cap back and let it rest on his laps, rolling it back and forth. His black cargo shorts with printed graphic on the left crinkled under the ministration.

"I don't like this place." The boy complained more while keeping his gaze down.

A soft sigh. "Hush, Ace. Luffy is not feeling well but he doesn't complain like you do. Shame on you." As he scolded his son, Trafalgar shot a disproving look to the freckled boy.

For a minute or two, the boy didn't say anything, his fingers fiddled with the cap. Clearly, the boy was tired and needed to aim his frustration towards anyone. In some way, Killer didn't blame him. Then slowly, the boy named Ace leaned closer to his father and reached out his hand only to place his palm over his brother's forehead.

"Luffy's still hot, dad." He muttered out and quickly removed his hand when he saw the small child started to stir.

"Warm, Ace." Trafalgar corrected the boy as his fingers combed through the untamed hair gently. "Luffy is still warm."

As he watched his little brother, Luffy nuzzled his face into the fold of his father's shirt, Ace sank back to the seat, his legs dangling over the edge.

"What's wrong with your kid?" Killer finally piped in after a long stretched of silence, keeping his eyes close on the road.

"He has a slight fever. I have already given him ibuprofen and he's been sleeping ever since." The father of two replied while looking over to Ace who seemed to be more interested with the scenery in front of him.

"Must be hard." The blond glance over the man next to him, his hand went to release the gear as they stopped at the traffic light. "With all this travelling and him being unwell."

Trafalgar paused for a moment before replying. "I don't have much choice. There is a business I need to settle in this town and it has to be done by today. So I don't have any other option but to bring them along."

"Wife too busy?" Killer almost regretted his action when he noticed the man went rigid, his face twisted to what the mechanic could indentify as a pained look. It seemed like he had touched the raw nerve this time.

"My wife… She's—"

"She's dead." All of sudden, Ace carried on his father's sentence.

"Ace!" Trafalgar hissed at his son.

"What?" Frowning, the boy looked up to his father. "It's the truth."

"I already told you not to put it that way. Use—"

"Passed away." Once again, the boy interrupted. "I know. You told me a million times. It's still the same, dad. She's NOT here."

As he utter the last sentence, Ace's voice was barely a whisper. Underneath the grouchy voice, Killer could detect the cracking sound within as though the boy himself, was in the verge of tears.

Lost for words, Trafalgar leaned his head back and closed his eyes, leaving Killer to curse for his bluntness.

Damnit! How stupid can you be, Killer! His brain to mouth filter really needs to get tuned up one of these days.

Minutes passed by, the gloominess inside the cab was starting to make Killer all jittery. Trafalgar was still holding his sleeping child close while Ace poked around the fish shaped strap that dangled helplessly on the zipper of his bag. Each poke made would produce a clink, clink noise and the simple sound seemed to entertain the boy even for the slightest.

For the rest of the journey, the mechanic decided to keep his mouth sealed because he couldn't trust his mouth from uttering anything that might add salt to the wound.

Being as tense as it was, the image of the workshop building that finally came into his view was like an image of Heaven on the seventh layer. Except that, his redhead nemesis inside waiting for him was more like a devil from the seventh layer of Hell.

Deep inside, he just hoped Kidd hasn't really… 'poke' things inside the garage.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx XxXxXx

The sound of vehicle approaching made Kidd to divert his attention from the poster on the wall. He gazed at the stopping truck, his irritation grew by seconds and the feeling went sky rocket when he saw the towed car attached behind.

Great, Killer probably going to work on the car first before anything else. The blond was never good in denying people's request. But the odd thing was, when with him, Killer seemed to argue a lot.

Damn.

The second the mechanic was out of the truck and made eye contact with him, Kidd sent the most irritated glare he could muster to the blond in which Killer returned the glare with a warning look. The type of look clearly pronounced 'don't say anything'.

Like hell he won't say anything! Fine, he won't say anything in front of the client but later he would definitely bitch at the blond. For now, he would settle by giving perhaps an itsy, bitsy scowl to the customer who dared to ruin their night out and—and—

Less than one second, Kidd earlier idea was immediately rubbed away by the tiny fairies the moment his amber eyes landed on the unknown man that had came out from the truck. Clad in dark wash jeans, the slim denim fitted his long legs quite nicely through the hips and thighs. His navy tartan button up shirts hugged his torso oh-so-perfect, making the man appeared taller than he should be. In contrast with his paleness, the mysterious male possessed a rather dark skin that seemed to glow under the florescent lights of the garage.

The person who Kidd was supposed to be scowling at turned out to be a dark haired beauty.

Though, other features that caught his eyes were the living bundled cradled in his arms together with a small boy sticking close to him. Oh… a straight guy and already married to top that.

Rats.

Still, no harm admiring his beauty, right?

For a few seconds after stepping into the garage, Trafalgar did nothing but to absorb the interior of the workshop. It was simply big for his standard. Lucky enough, Ace didn't show any sign of wanting to explore the place and his son chose to stay close to him instead of running around and poked everything within his reach.

Obviously, the first born was too tired and irritated to do anything. More reason for him to find a hotel so his children could rest.

Grey orbs wandered around to search for the blond mechanic, but when his ears picked up an approaching footstep made by leather shoes, Trafalgar swiveled his head only to meet an open stare of an unfamiliar man. Judging from his formal and sophisticated office workwear, the dark skinned man knew that this man was certainly not a worker here. The man's amber eyes met his for a second before the pale man averted his eyes towards the upcoming mechanic behind him.

"What's up?" He asked as he followed the blond to the office, leaving Trafalgar with his own devices. There was a usual form that needed to be filled in by the customer and Killer just needed to locate the bloody papers. And his job wasn't getting any easier when Kidd sticking close to him and he ended up elbowing the redhead a couple of times.

"Need to fix his car, but before that I need to drive him to a hotel." The mechanic murmured while his hand snatched the log book from the top shelf.

Frowning, Kidd leaned his back against the single working table inside the office. He saw the black puddle on the floor but decided not to comment on it. "Hotel? Why?"

From the log book, Killer now started rummaging the drawer for a pen. "He's not from around here. So it's better for him to find a hotel rather than driving through the night."

"Look, Kidd." Once he located the pen, the blond finally focus his attention on the redhead. "This might take a while. Why don't head out to the bar first or bring Marco with you? I'll join you when I'm done."

"I'll drive him to the hotel." The suddenness of the speech made it hard for Killer to perceive whatever Kidd had just said.

"What?"

"I said I'll drive the guy to the hotel. It'll save your time, right?" Kidd shrugged and looked at the gaping blond. For some reason, the expression was kind of pissing him off as though courtesy wasn't listed in his dictionary.

In front of him, Killer was still swimming through his shock before his eyes slowly narrowed down into a dangerous slit.

"He's straight."

Kidd scowled at the blonds' statement. "I know that."

"He has kids."

"I said I fucking know that! I'm not blind, Killer." The redhead snapped. "What? You think I'm going to jump on him?"

The heated glare shot towards him was enough to melt steel and the blond ignored the look, glancing over the ebony haired man outside. Oblivious that he was being the subject of their conversation, Trafalgar didn't even spare a glimpse towards their direction.

"Well, considering your history and preference, I do." Replied the blond, half expecting for another snarl to be thrown at him.

A snorted came instead. "You made it sound like I'm a potential rapist. Oh please… I'm not that desperate to jump on a straight guy in front of his own kids."

Not in the mood to hear another of Killer's comeback, Kidd stormed out from the office and headed straight towards the oblivious man. He wasn't aware of the redhead's presence until the boy tugged the hem of his shirts to gain his attention. There was a mild puzzlement on his face when Kidd stopped his track right before him, only two meters apart.

"Hey." Kidd started. "Killer's going to start working on your car, so I'll help you find a hotel."

It wasn't much of a surprise when the man didn't respond, aside from staring blankly at him. After a while, he finally spoke, "You are not a worker here." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Nope. I'm just a friend of the blondie, but he calls me his nemesis though."

"I don't want to trouble you." The dark skinned man looked hesitant. His eyes caught the sight of the boy's fingers tugging the loose thread on the hem of his button up shirt, but he chose to ignore his child's newfound entertainment.

"It's not a big deal. I'm waiting for Killer to finish up actually, so might as well kill the time. At least it's better than being copped up inside here." Kidd watched the boy who appeared edgy. An edgy kid inside a car workshop is definitely a big no-no.

"But—"

"Calm down." The redhead quickly interrupted. "The nearest hotel isn't far from here. It's not like I'm going to drive you to another country. See? No trouble at all."

Few seconds passed while Trafalgar threw a calculative stare that made Kidd weak on his knees. Not good. This man was simply too gorgeous for his own good.

"Very well then." The answer caused Kidd to smirk inwardly. "Thank you."

As it happens, Trafalgar really had no intention of giving the man any hassle but seeing how restless Ace became by the passing minutes, he took the offer after weighing all his options. Not that he had much to begin with.

So when the man didn't seem to make any move from his spot after Kidd had signaled to follow him, the redhead shot a quizzical look. "Something…?"

"Well…"

"He's waiting for the paperwork, you brute." The familiar, annoyed voice boomed just behind him. With a slight spun on his heels, the redhead brute now facing an overly annoyed Killer whose flapping a thin book in front of his face.

Killer the sidestepped him and walked straight to the dark skinned man. "Here, fill these first."

"Um, my hands are kind of full here…" Trafalgar shifted the child in his arms to emphasize his point. "So can you…?"

"Sure." Killer simply answered. Using the nearby chair as makeshift horizontal surface for him to write, the blond filled in the form by jotting down the related particular like name, phone number, etc.

Satisfied with the information needed, the mechanic click shut his pen and stood up. "I'll call you tomorrow and drive the car over to your place. Just to make sure everything's working fine."

"Alright." The dark skinned man nodded in understanding. "I will see you tomorrow then."

His low heels boots made a click clack noise against the garage floor as he followed the redhead to his car that was parked just outside the workshop. Before he climbed into the dark maroon Saturn Outlook XR, Kidd had quickly grabbed his matching black-wool jacket from the front passenger seat at dumped it at far end of the back seat so the boy would have more space to sit and move around. Once seated, the ebony haired man had to juggle the living bundle in his hand for him to be able to wear the seatbelt. After shifting here and there, he finally managed to slip the belt in between his body and the sleeping figure and secured the buckle in place.

Kidd waited patiently for the man to make himself comfortable before starting the engine. As they were pulling out, the man took a quick glance on the review mirror.

"Ace, seatbelt." He reminded the boy and gave a satisfied nod after he heard the familiar clicking noise.

The sun has already set by the time they were out on the road and the dark street were illuminated by the street light with a purpose of revealing signs and hazards outside of the headlights' beam.

"Dad." The boy suddenly called.

"Hnn…?"

"Do we really have to move?" he inquired more, dissatisfaction was laced in his voice.

"Yes, Ace. We've talked about this."

The boy frowned and fisted his pants. "I don't like it here. All my friends are there."

Heaving a sigh, the ebony haired man rocked the child in his arms, silently hoping their conversation wasn't heard. "We will visit them every weekend. I promised, remember?"

"How?" The boy's raised his voice slightly, all challenging. "You even work on weekend. How are we going to visit them if you're working?"

"I will arrange my work schedule, alright?"

"Whatever." He muttered and sank deeper into leather seat, watching the scenery passed by through the side window.

Inhaling a deep breath, the man bit his lips as he mentally willed himself to be patient. His children were tired and it was expected for them to throw tantrum. Of course, he would much prefer if his son doesn't do it in a presence of other people.

Next to him, Kidd was in mute mode. For him, it was wiser not to meddle with other people family affair, especially when he had no idea what the issue exactly was. Besides, like old people always says, if you don't have anything better to say, shut up. Full stop.

There was a short stretch of silence before the man turned to look at the driving redhead.

"Uh," He said softly so the redhead wouldn't get startled. "I still haven't got your name."

Chuckling, the redhead glanced at the awkward man next to him through the corner of his eye. "Yeah, you're right. Kidd. Eustass Kidd."

"Oh… Mister Eustass then. I'm Trafalgar Law."

"So, Trafalgar huh…" Lord, even his name sounded so nice when rolled in his tongue. "Killer told me you're not from here."

"Please, just Law. Trafalgar is a bit mouthful. And yes. I'm from Logue Town actually. How about you Mister Eustass? Is this… your hometown?" Law asked softly, hugging the small form close to him but not in a suffocating way.

"Hm-hm." Kidd just hummed in confirmation. "Born and grew up here. I tried working in another town but it wasn't long before I ran back here." The redhead then chuckled and tapped his fingers on the wheels when red light was taking too long to switch.

The ebony haired man continued the ice breaking activity. He was glad the redhead was an easy man to talk with. "I know you're not a mechanic like Mister Killer. What do you do? Your work, that is…"

"Oh. I'm an engineer."

Law felt his eyebrows rose in mild surprise. "That's too vague. There're many types of engineer, Mister Eustass."

His pearly white tooth gradually exposed as Kidd grinned slightly. "Civil engineer. My team is currently working on the new seventeen storey condominium and yeah… gives me a headache sometimes."

Unsure on what to comment, Law only gave small nods. But after a while, the redhead turned to him, eyes questioning.

"Well…?"

"What?" Law questioned back, not grasping the man's inquiry.

"I told you about my job. Tell me yours. Aah, wait, wait! Let me guess!" Kidd quickly held up his hand before the ebony haired man could open his mouth. "A businessman? Or a bank manager? A detective? Am I even close?"

A small chuckle reverberated inside the confinement of the car and that was when Kidd decided that he enjoyed hearing the man's voice, more so when he laughed.

When the chuckles finally died, Law was still seen smiling. "I'm a surgeon. A Thoracic surgeon to be exact. If there's something wrong with you heart, lungs and other organs in your chests, then I'm your man."

Oh indeed be my man.

"Wow, a surgeon. That's one hell of a serious job." Kidd heard himself in contrast with his inner monolog.

"Don't be so certain, Mister Eustass." Law corrected the man with a smile. His tattooed fingers re-adjusted the air-conditioner so the cool air wouldn't hit straight to his sleeping child.

"My job can be amusing sometimes."

Kidd looked skeptical. "You mean funny stuff happens during surgery?"

Bobbing his head in affirmation, Law had to bit his inner cheek to prevent himself from laughing. "Indeed. I remember this one time where we had to perform a surgery on this man who had a stiletto heel stuck in his chest. It was quiet deep, around three inches if I'm not mistaken and only few centimeters from his heart. I was informed that the heel actually belongs to his girlfriend who caught him cheating with another woman."

Silence reigned throughout the car as the redhead tried to digest the information. As soon as the spoken words got assembled in his head, Kidd let out the richest laugh of the day. But he quickly stifled them using the back of his hand for the sake of the sleeping bundle. After a minute or two, the man finally managed to calm down with a single tear escaping the corner of his eyes.

"You can't be—I mean, really?"

"I wouldn't lie to you. During that time, it took every ounce of my will not to laugh while holding the scalpel or else it would have jeopardized the surgery."

"Okay, okay. I take it back. That was pretty funny." Kidd couldn't help himself from producing another set of chuckle, but the quite laugh stopped when the child was stirring in Law's arms, slowly blinking up at his father's face.

"Hey…" Law whispered softly, locking his eyes with the hazy nut brown. "How are you…?"

The child didn't answer right away while he tried to focus his eyes on Law. But when he did, his child-like voice sounded so innocent enough to melt anyone's heart.

"Sleepy…" He finally answered.

"Want to get back to sleep?" His tanned fingers stroked over the child's chubby cheek.

Shaking his head left to right, his nut brown eyes roamed all over the car's interior. "Where are we? Are we home yet, daddy?"

"Not yet, Luffy." Law's voice was all gentle. "We can't go home tonight. The car broke down so we have to stay a night in a hotel. We'll go home tomorrow."

"Our car broke?" His voice suddenly raised an octave. "Do we have to mend it with glue?"

The ebony haired man laughed at his son's idea. "No, Luffy. We can't use glue. There's someone who is very good at car going to fix it."

Still confused, the child named Luffy only responded with a single 'oh' before he squirmed in Law's arms, struggling to sit up. Although he finally managed to sit on his father's laps, he leaned the side of his body against Law's torso, his small head rest on the doctor's chest. The blanket still wrapped around his body though it was already loosened.

"Ace, water." Law muttered, stretching out his hand to the back. After some rummaging, the said boy passed the half empty bottle to the awaiting and the man quickly unscrewed the cap before bringing it up to Luffy's lips.

Three small sips later, Luffy shook his head to indicate he had enough and the doctor passed the bottle back to the first born.

"Hungry." Luffy murmured into the fold of his blanket.

"We'll get something to eat once we get to the hotel." Cooed the father. He regretted for not bringing at least some snacks for his children. They left the house in a rush that morning, the only things Law managed to pack were some medicines for Luffy and water. Even Ace's handheld game console was left behind, much to his son's frustration.

"He's ok?" Kidd gave a sideway glance at the quiet child perched on Law's laps.

"His fever already broke down." The man answered, palming Luffy's forehead. "The side effect from the ibuprofen still making him lethargic though."

"I'm not trying to be nosy or anything… but wouldn't be easier if you just leave them with your wife or maybe a baby sitter?" Kidd eyed the man carefully for any sign of discomfort. There was none, except for a weak smile marring his handsome face.

"Today's trip was too sudden so I couldn't find any baby sitter available this morning. The family that I always leave my kids with too, is currently out of town. And my wife… " The man paused, smoothing down the fly away strands on Luffy's head with his fingers. "She's not around…"

Not around…? Must be one hard working woman, Kidd deduced, unaware of the pained look on the doctor's face.

Slowly, Law twisted his body to look over his first born son. "Ace, do you bring Luffy's toys?"

"Yeah." The boy simply answered before pulling out a plush toy from his multipurpose bag and handed it to his father— a handmade, blue whale plush made with crotchet style and stuffed with hobby fill.

"Laboon!" Luffy squealed excitedly, squeezing the super soft plushy in his hands.

"Sorry I couldn't bring Puffing Tom along." The man said apologetically as he referred to his child's train toy.

"It's okay, daddy." Luffy reassured his father, his small fingers flicking the buttons that were used for the whale's eyes. "I like this better. Mommy made it!"

For a second, Law felt a sharp pang in his chests. Indeed, the simple plush whale was handmade by his late wife and she made it with infinite love and care for her child. At first, Luffy had wanted the displayed, expensive whale plushy he saw at the town's toy shop but the manager regretfully informed them the displayed whale wasn't for sale. To make the matter worse, the shop was out of stock for that particular plushy and the new stock wouldn't arrive for another month. Feeling dejected, they have to return home with Luffy sniffling all the way.

To ease the child sadness, his wife spent his entire sleepless night to knit the whale shaped plushy with the help of cups of coffee and a crotchet book. The result wasn't perfect to say since sewing and knitting weren't her area of expertise after all. But it was more than enough to make Luffy bounced in happiness.

In the end, Luffy had forgotten all about the expensive whale plushy from the toy shop. He was too content with the one his mother made.

His late wife, Tashigi, was a police captain of the local police department and had a very strong sense justice. Her line of duty is without doubt, dangerous and Law had always feared for his wife safety. But at the same time, he was proud of her. If measured, her sense of justice was beyond the chart, but so is her love for her family. In front of criminals, she could be as brutal and strict as she could be, but before her children, Tashigi was the gentlest mother one could wish for with unlimited amount of love and tender radiated from her.

But eventually, it was her line of work that took her life away.

It was during a bank robbery and Tashigi's unit was dispatched to the scene. Before long, gunshots were exchanged between the fleeing robbers and the police. Being a person of justice herself, her wife chased for the fleeing robbers and all of sudden, a car was pulled over and the driver shot her from point blank. It turned out that the robbers had accomplices and were waiting to assist them to escape.

When the news of his wife being shot reached him, Law felt the earth underneath him just collapsed.

Tashigi was admitted to the very same hospital he was working at and the surgery was handled by none other than his trusted colleague, Dr. Tony Chopper. For every agonizing minutes passed, it took every millimeter of his will not to burst into the surgery room and demanded an update. But with Ace and Luffy on his side, Law managed to hold himself together while waiting outside the operation room.

Finally, after eight hours of waiting, the result was more than Law could handle. Out of three gunshot wounds, one of the bullets had directly damage her intrathoracic organs and Tony had clearly stated that Tashigi's chance of survival was only 40/60.

For days, her consciousness was on and off and she was barely aware of her surroundings. The image of tubes and devices attached to his wife was like a sight from hell and Law felt like breaking. Throughout the times, he had the difficulty to make Luffy to understand the situation and his mother's condition. It pained him even more when the child kept on questioning when his mother could return home and read bedtime stories for him.

Law had never felt so helpless.

Unlike his little brother, Ace comprehended the situation perfectly the moment he stepped into Tashigi's room. The first born has always been a bright boy for his age. Not even once the boy had cried as he feared if he starts crying, then Luffy too, would follow suit. Ace refused to eat during that time, only choose to stay close to his mother and hold her hand firmly.

On the third day, both Tashigi's lungs collapsed and before the doctors and nurses could do much, a long beeping sound echoed throughout the room. For a moment, no one spoke, not even a gasp.

Law was the first to cry.

A soft bump to his nose snapped the doctor back to the present time. He blinked a couple of times and looked down at his smiling son. Apparently Luffy had used the whale plushy to bump on his nose and chin playfully and he giggled at his father's startled look.

In need to calm his mind, Law hugged the child closer and buried his face into the raven lock. He ignored the ticklish feeling caused by the soft strands, relishing the sensation of having his children close to him. Unaware with his father's sorrow, Luffy let himself being held close, making a whooshing sound as though the plushy whale in his hand was swimming in the middle of the ocean.

Amber eyes made a cautious glance at the doctor as the redhead continued with his driving, puzzled at the man's sudden change of behavior. One second he was chatty, and the next second Law went taciturn like something was bothering him. It was hard to make out his expression since the father had his face buried into the raven hair of his child. And for a split second, Kidd thought he heard a sniffling sound, but when he did a double take, the small child was still squealing happily.

Must be his imagination.

Behind the two adults, Ace stared the back of his father, eyes knowing. He knew the man still missed his mother because he would see him crying while watching their family video when his father thought he and Luffy had sleep upstairs. Or sometimes, he would stare the family picture hung on wall for more than ten minutes, unmoving.

"Dad." Ace decided to steal his father attention.

Slowly, Law straightened his pose. "Yes, Ace?"

"What are we going to wear tonight? We didn't bring pajama with us."

Law mentally slapped himself. He had never thought about it. They have been wearing the clothes they had on since morning and the doctor could imagine how uncomfortable it would be if they are worn again for the entire night and even for tomorrow.

"We'll buy some after we settle ourselves at the hotel. There should be some shops nearby that we can go." Law voiced out while holding on Luffy's legs from kicking the gear. His socked feet squirmed when his father squeeze the limbs gently.

"Or we can stop by the shop now." Kidd slipped in, gesturing at the insight street shops.

"You don't mind…?" The doctor asked carefully.

"Of course not. You worry too much." Before Law could give any comeback, Kidd already pulled the car over and let it parked at the roadside parking line.

"I'll stay here and wait." The redhead said as pulled the break.

"Then, I'm staying too." Ace spoke abruptly.

Looking concern, Law twisted his head to see his son. "Are you sure you don't want to pick on your own?"

A small headshake was all the answer the doctor received.

"Can you stay here with Ace, Luffy?"

The child perked up at the word 'stay', eyes widened in alarm. "No! I want to go with you!"

"But Luffy—"

"Luffy!" Ace hissed at his little brother stubbornness. His father was already tired from nursing him all day and him being childish wasn't making their situation any better. If Luffy go to the shops, he would just keep on pointing this and that, demanding to be bought things that's not even necessary.

"Come here." The first born continued, his stern eyes cut whatever whines Luffy wanted to throw. Sticking out his lower lip, the small child slowly crawled to the back, squeezing his small body in between the front seat.

After making sure his children had settled down, Law left the car and didn't waste any time heading for one of the many street shops. As for now, he was just going to pick whatever comfortable for the boys' nightwear and for tomorrow as well.

Amber orbs followed the doctor's silhouette until he disappeared behind the shop's door. The inside of the car was filled with the child-made splashing sound and some humming. Kidd looked over the review mirror and saw the previous sulking Luffy was now lying on the back seat, his head on Ace's laps. The first born son then was seen rummaging his multipurpose bag before pulling out cartoon printed, soft gel sheets for immediate fever relief.

Although Ace had heard that Luffy's fever has already broken down, he just needed to make sure. He tore opened one of the sheets and removed the transparent film before sticking it on Luffy's forehead. The sudden coolness caused the child to squeak and kicked the door repeatedly.

This was probably the first time in Kidd's life being left with small children and honestly, he didn't have the slightest idea on how to communicate with them. Now that his eyes closed, the fatigue from the day finally started to kick in and the redhead suddenly felt rather drowsy and—

"Hey you."

Startled at the voice suddenly booming next to his ears, Kidd almost jumped out of skin, his knees bumped painfully against the steering wheels.

"Holy shit!" The man muttered under his breath and almost slapped himself afterword when he remembered there were children in the car. Of course, one of the children was actually perched next to him.

As he rubbed his chests, Kidd slowly turned and gave a quizzical look at the boy who had his head poked through the gap of the front seats.

"Why are you looking at my dad like that?" Ace inquired, still eyeing the startled man intently.

"What?"

"You're looking at him like all those salesgirls always do when he took us to shopping."

For the next ten seconds, the eight year old gazed closely at the red-haired man who did nothing intelligent except for making spluttering noises. Just when his mouth was about to let out another piece of his mind, the upcoming silhouette of his father forced Ace to move back to his previous position. And the boy went back to his previous activity. Staring into nothingness.

"Here." Said Law once he was seated inside, passing two carrier bags to his sons.

Out of pure curiosity, the children slowly looked through the content of the bags.

"Whales!" Luffy chorused excitedly, holding out the baby blue, whales printed pajama.

"I picked it up because it looks like Laboon." The man answered the bouncy child, glad that his choice of nightwear delighted Luffy. Due to his fever, the small child has been too lethargic to do anything other than snoozing like a lion cub in midday. It brightened him just to see his youngest son was back to his old self although Luffy's boundless energy could be a little bit tiring sometimes.

"Look Ace! Yours a dragon!" The small child continued and thrust the newly bought nightwear to his brother's hands. Years of living with Ace, Luffy was well aware of his brother's fondness towards the color orange and anything that has fiery image.

"Yeah." Ace responded, his hand touching the printed chibi-like dragon on the front of his pajama top.

Relieved that Ace too, seemed to be satisfied with his pick, Law was about to inform the redhead that he was done with his shopping and ready to get moving but the anxious look on Kidd halted him.

"Mister Eustass?" He called for him, earning himself another startled look from Kidd.

"W—what?" Kidd cursed for his inability to get his mouth to work properly, all thanks to Ace. The impact from the boy's words was greater than he could ever imagine. At some point, the redhead wanted to wish for a hole to suddenly appear and swallow him whole, just for him to escape the awkward feeling.

"…Are you alright? Are you not feeling well?" The ebony haired man felt slightly alarmed now that his doctor instinct kicked in.

"Y-yea—I mean, no! I'm—I'm ok. Just…" Pausing, Kidd stole a glance at the eight year old who blatantly ignored his classic deer in the headlights look. "Just remembered something. So uh, you're done right?"

Still not convinced with Kidd exclamation, Law's frown went deeper but he chose not to meddle with the man's dilemma. "Yes I am."

If word can describe the feeling Kidd was having at the moment, then it would be H.E.L.L.I.S.H. As their journey in finding a hotel continued, Kidd felt something or rather someone was drilling hole from behind of his head. Never in his life would have thought that a child's stare was so powerful it probably could carve diamond with ease. He was lucky that Luffy's squealing fit was able to tone down the nerve-racking mood even though it seemed to have served as a difficulty for Law since the doctor now had to calm his youngest son from jumping on the backseat.

With another turn made, a mid-priced hotel finally came into sight. Half of Kidd wanted to breathe in relieve as he could finally escape the tense atmosphere, but half of him felt disappointed since this was the cue that he would be parting with the gorgeous doctor.

Unaware of the redhead's inner turmoil, Law was feeling rather satisfied with the hotel he was seeing. This was obviously the type of hotel designed for business travelers but also accommodates family. What pleased him more was this sort of hotel usually provides room service and even has a restaurant and a mini mart, so it would be easy to get food for his children.

"Thank you for everything, Mister Eustass." The doctor thanked the redhead after he was out of the car. Now that his fever was almost gone, Luffy was no longer carried and sticking close to his brother. But when Ace was still emitting an irritated aura and scowled at anyone who as much looked at them, the smaller boy quickly ran back to his father and hugged him from behind, causing Law to stumble slightly forward.

"Don't mention it." Kidd said through the rolled down window, smiling slightly. "And um, have a good time with your kids. G'night."

While Law made his way to the hotel entrance with his children in tow, the doctor suddenly turned around and waved at Kidd, making the redhead's heart melted. Even after he entered the building, Kidd was still looking at the exact spot where the doctor was last seen.

Something inside Kidd stirred.

-To Be Continued-

A/N: I know this is waaayyy too long for a first chapter, but heck. The first impression is always important, right!