The evening was cool and crisp down at the docks, causing Trafalgar Law to shiver every once in a while as he huddled beneath a blanket reading yet another medical journal. He was sitting in his cutter, a small boat for the beginner pirate captain, and waiting for his three crewmates to come back with something hot to eat. The town they had docked at was a bit out of the price range of a few pirates who had just set sail not even four days ago, meaning they couldn't exactly sit down at a restaurant and pay for food. Shachi, Penguin and Bepo were off stealing from vendors and such, ensuring that they didn't have to dash from some place and risk getting caught.

And so this marked the beginning of his life as a pirate.

Law turned another page of the journal, enjoying the moments of peace and quiet he had before his small yet rowdy crew came back. It had been almost a half an hour since they first left on the errand which was perfect for the captain to get through a few chapter of his book. He was just beginning to wonder why the three of them were taking so long when he suddenly heard footsteps quickly approaching the boat. The rookie pirate captain closed his book and was about to ask what the hell took them so long to go on a grocery run when something large came barreling into him from behind and sent the pirate crashing to the floor. Before he had a chance to get his head together and figure out what had hit him, Law was being forced from the ground into a crouching position over an unfamiliar figure.

"This way! Hurry, men!" Voices called out from a distance as more footsteps could be heard running across the wooden planks. Law blinked in surprise as he stared down at the stranger who had tackled him to the floor of his own boat, figuring he must be some sort of fugitive and the voices belonged to a handful of Marines. The young man beneath him held a finger to his lips just before fixing Law's blanket to completely cover him from sight, causing the pirate to raise an eyebrow.

"Hey! You there!"

Trafalgar Law sighed before standing up and hopping out of his boat, dusting off his clothes while waiting for the Marines to jog up to him.

"There was a man in shorts and an orange cowboy hat with a very large tattoo on his back who came running through here. Did you happen to see where he went?"

Law considered the stranger tucked beneath his blanket on the deck of his boat, thinking maybe since the guy was rude enough to jump him from behind and silently demand refuge that he should probably turn him in.

"Sorry, officers. I didn't get to see much when he ran by since he shoved me into this boat." Law replied with the shrug of his shoulders. The Marine who had spoken to him scowled before ordering his men to follow him as they continued their search along the docks. Law stood there and watched them leave before climbing back into his boat and noticing the man who had been concealed beneath the blanket was now missing.

Or least he was missing until Law was tackled, once again, to the floor with a pair of strong hands holding each of his wrists above his head.

"You know, most people thank those who help them out instead of throwing them to the ground every chance they get." Law commented as he looked up at the man with an unreadable expression.

"I guess so, but then again a person can never be too careful around a shady individual like yourself. Am I right?" The stranger retorted with a cocky grin. Law scoffed but made no move to reply.

"I thought so." The young man let go of Law's wrists but remained crouched over the pirate captain with a hand pressed to the ground on either side of his head while still straddling his waist. "The name's Portgas D. Ace, incase you were wondering. Maybe you've heard of me?"

Law smirked wryly and used this chance to turn the tables by flipping the newly acquainted Ace onto his back while clamping Portgas' wrists in his own hands. The look of surprise on the other's face was damn near priceless, but Law hadn't finished with his fun.

"No, your name doesn't ring any bells. Perhaps you must first become famous for that to happen." Law answered with a devious grin on his lips. Ace's frown deepened considerably at the reply, his pride obviously wounded. Of course Law was lying; what self respecting pirate hadn't heard of the second division commander of the Whitebeard pirates, Fire Fist Ace? It was just too much fun jabbing at the egos of hotshot big bounties.

"I suppose since you've told me your name you wish for me to return the favor?" Law asked as he held against Ace's feeble attempts to escape.

"Nah. I figured with the circles under your eyes and your feistiness I'd just call you Lemur." The man replied with a conniving smile. Now it was Law's turn to frown, but not before he was suddenly uprooted from where he was kneeling and flipped straight over Ace's head and onto his back. Portgas followed soon after with a backwards summersault to sit once again on top of Law. "Then again, your reflexes suck. Maybe the name Panda would suit you better?"

Law glared sharply at the other man before tucking his legs between him and Ace then planting his feet straight into the other's gut, successfully pushing the division commander away long enough to tackle him to the ground. Law lay on top of the other man while firmly holding Ace's hands above his head, grinning ear to ear with a scheming smile while the other pirate struggled beneath him.

"You seem to be stuck, Mr. Portgas. Can you not even handle one little lemur?"

That got Ace's attention. But instead of firing him up with agitation, the comment only seemed to calm him down. Law raised an eyebrow in confusion, but before he got a chance to ask what was going on in the other's mind, Ace spoke.

"I'm actually quite handy with pest control, but all of my techniques are secrets so I can't tell you." The division commander stated with a wink.

"Is that so? I highly doubt anything you throw at me now will be very surprising." Law replied with an uninterested expression. Ace's grin only widened across his face.

"Well then, if you lean in closer I'll let you in on something."

The pirate captain smirked wily but stayed right where he was.

"And why should I listen to you? So far all you've done is attempt to give me several concussions."

"Trust me; you'll want to hear this."

Law contemplated the offer for a moment, going over in his mind all of the possible tricks the other could be thinking of but he ultimately gave in. The pirate captain leaned in slowly, turning his head slightly so his ear would face the other man. He expected to hear some sort of lie in a desperate attempt to make him get up, but instead Ace quietly pressed his lips against Law's and held them there. The surprise caused the grip on the division commander's wrists let up momentarily; enough for Ace to pull his hands free and hold one to the back of Law's head, deepening the kiss, while his other arm wrapped around the pirate captain's waist.

It seemed Portgas had a very useful ace up his sleeve indeed; the shock of the situation making it easier for the division commander to role the both of them over so he was on top once again. But just as Law began regaining his senses, Ace was gone and bolting down the docks as the Marines from before were chasing his trail yet again. The pirate captain watched as the other man disappeared out of sight and stood up only when he could no longer hear the naval officers shouting after him. He went back to his spot from before, wrapping himself in the discarded blanket and returning to the place he'd left off in his book. But as he read a few sentences, Law found that he hadn't registered any of the words since his mind kept replaying the last few minutes over again and again.

~0~

AN: "Portgas had a very useful ace up his sleeve indeed"
Portgas had an ace...
Portgas D. Ace...
HUEHUEHUEHUE ;D

my life is a romantic comedy much like this story, except my only romance is between fictional characters while i laugh at my own jokes...

please give me every thought you have. whether it's "KAWAII! I WANT MORE" or "dude, go back to grade school and learn to write before you post" i dont care. in fact, i would prefer a critical review on everything i need to fix even if it's "meh, i've read better"
i hope you enjoyed ^_^