When your brain does not cooperate with your sense of duty. This is a break from my other story, and I know people have done things like this before, but I felt a sudden urge to do it too, so here it is. If people like it enough, maybe this will turn into a multichapter. This is kind of like a teaser. Anyways, thanks for reading! No pairings. Yet. You are welcome to ask for one, but I make no promises. Why did I write this, anyways?
Luffy didn't know why he was here. And that was always a bad thing, in his experience. Last time he didn't know where he was, a national monument had gotten blown up and he had gotten arrested. But Ace had just returned from a particularly bad day, and seeking release, had gone towards a…questionable part of town, to say the least. And Luffy was here, because he did not want Ace to collapse in some seedy bar at the edge of town, completely out of it.
Ace was known to do things while drunk that he would not normally do in everyday life, and considering the scope of the things he (and Luffy) did do in everyday life, that was bad. Very bad. Which was why he was currently scouring a club he had never been to before in the entertainment district of the city he had also never been to for his brother. He supposed it was fair, considering the amount of looking after he required.
"Ace!" The shout was drowned out by peals of laughter and the scuff of shoes on well worn floor, and he checked that his straw hat was still tucked safely under his arm for the tenth time in a minute.
Luffy moved through the press of bodies, the flashing red and blue lights staining everything the color of blood in water, dancing across flushed faces. "Ace!" It was suffocating him, the sweet strains of a violin concerto coming from the next restaurant over completely overridden by upbeat, chasing pop music. The air smelled like sweat and rum. Luffy tried not to feel claustrophobic.
It wasn't like he wanted to be here, Luffy thought as he did his best to look away from a passionately kissing couple in the corner, off of the dance floor.
He'd been following Ace through the city, but his older brother knew the streets like the back of his hand and he was fast. After momentarily losing Ace, he had rounded a corner only to see an orange cowboy hat and unruly black hair disappearing behind a revolving glass door. Naturally, he had followed, pushing the door open.
Mentally, Luffy had cursed his life. It wasn't their fault that Ace's father was had been one of the most hated men in the city. It wasn't their fault their home had burnt down, taking their friend with them. It wasn't their fault they were treated like freaks everywhere they went, and nobody would hire them, and they had to turn to other methods of earning a living.
It had never been their fault. Luffy knew that better than anyone.
Unfortunately, Ace didn't have quite the same view of things as he did.
With a last look at the rapidly receding doorway that led into open air and night sky, the crowd swallowed him. "Ace!" It was also not his fault that Luffy was naturally born shorter than average. He stood on his tiptoes, straining to see above the constantly moving heads, looking frantically for a mess of raven black.
"What could you be doing here?" A low, clearly amused voice startled him, and he turned around abruptly to see a tall man, dressed in spotted jeans and a t shirt with a smile design on it, all teeth and two black pits for eyes. He scowled. The man smirked. He had to look up to meet the man's eyes, and he absently noted the four earrings and the tattoos printed across his knuckles and arms. It reminded him of Zoro.
"Why do you ask?" he questioned, folding his arms across his chest.
The man wordlessly gestured at him, and he looked down. Luffy was wearing a bright red vest and scruffy shorts, complete with sandals, but that wasn't too abnormal- oh. He looked back around at the swirling dresses and immaculately combed back hair. He had street clothes on. Luffy saw no harm in telling this man, and maybe he could even help him.
"Looking for my brother."
"Perhaps I can help."
Before he could say yes or no, the man turned and began weaving through the mess of people. The stranger led him through the bodies, and Luffy struggled to catch up, catch a glimpse of blue and yellow that would prevent him from getting lost. They burst through the crowd out of the dance floor, onto even wooden planks. Luffy stared.
Lining the wall, on thin decorative cupboards, were rows and rows of glass jars, sealed up tight with polished metal caps. In the jars were hearts. Dark red, human hearts, pumping and pulsing in beat with the music. The spotless glass that encased them seemed to expand and contract with every beat, like balloons being filled and emptied with helium.
Judging from the lined up bottles of alcohol right underneath the display, this was where the drinks were served. The fluorescent white lights that illuminated the marble topped counter bleached their faces into pasty paleness, and the dark green translucent glass of the wine bottles gleamed dully beside bottles of beer and rum.
The man vaulted over the counter, swinging his long legs gracefully over the veined stone. Luffy pointed, and Law turned.
"Are those real?" he asked. He knew the answer already, having seen his fair share.
"Of course." Law smiled, a tilt of mouth that spoke volumes. "Don't tell the customers, though. They firmly believe they're fake."
"Cool," he said, studying them. He wasn't lying.
"I'm Law, by the way," and Luffy blinked.
"Luffy." It was only appropriate, after all, and hopefully this stranger wouldn't connect the given name with his surname. "Also, are you sure you want to do that?"
He pointed at the man, who was now casually leaning against the counter. Luffy could see the tattooed letters on his knuckles properly- they spelled DEATH in large, bold letters.
"I own this place."
Well, that was unexpected. Luffy slid onto a bar stool, propping his elbows on the counter.
"Oh."
"Is that your brother?" Law pointed at a sleeping figure with his head resting on the counter, sitting only a couple of bar stools away from Luffy. Ace was gripping his hat so tightly he could see the veins in his hand, head resting on folded arms encased in white sleeves. His eyes were closed, but there was a troubled frown twitching at the corners of his lips.
"Yeah," Luffy said, not taking his eyes off Ace. "How did you know?"
"Only one here not dressed for the occasion. Besides you."
It was true. Ace looked like he had picked the closest building, stumbled in, and passed out in exhaustion. Which was probably what had happened, now that Luffy thought of it.
"Besides, you guys kind of act similar, so I thought I'd give it a shot."
That wasn't particularly surprising- he'd heard it before. He studied the dark rings that cradled Ace's eyes, and decided that he couldn't- wouldn't wake his brother up just yet.
"Anyways. Want anything?" It was Law's voice. Luffy turned away from Ace and blinked at Law.
"I'm seventeen," he answered. Ace had told him what the legal drinking age was, and he was still a year away.
"You're here," Law said. Luffy nodded, and contemplated for a moment.
"Do you have juice?" he asked, and Law loosed a short bark of laughter.
"You're a weird one, aren't you?"
"I've been told."
"And, no, we don't have juice."
"Okay, then," he shrugged, and checked his watch. (This one had managed to last for a full three weeks, so far. Gramps provided them watches, even if he did provide practically nothing else except Fists of Love.) It was already two in the morning. He hopped off the stool and walked over to Ace. Poke. Poke. Ace refused to stir. He gave a particularly hard jab at Ace's side, and by the answering twitch of eyelid, Luffy was sure his brother was awake.
A grin spread across his face, and he flexed his fingers. Ace shifted a bit, keeping his face buried in his arms.
"Law, not right now." Luffy gave Law an accusatory glare- Ace obviously knew him and he Ace. The man only shrugged, not a hint of apology in his features.
"Not him," he said quietly.
Ace jerked upright at that, and the look on his face at that moment could only be horror as he stared into Luffy's brown eyes. His expression smoothed over in an instant, and he hauled himself upright.
"What're you doing here?"
"Looking for you."
"Don't, okay? I can find my way home myself."
"I was worried!"
Ace only sighed. "Let's go," he mumbled, and pushed himself off the stool. "Thanks, Law," he muttered as he grabbed Luffy's hand.
"No problem," Law returned, sharp eyes focused on them. The two brothers maneuvered their way out of the club, and just before they disappeared into the crowd, Luffy twisted around in his brother's grip, turning his torso almost all the way around.
"Bye, torao!" Luffy waved, a ridiculous grin plastered on his face. Law paused for a moment. Torao? He shrugged, watching a straw hat and a cowboy hat bob out the door. He'd been called by worse names. He looked at the tattoos on his hand, remembering. Surgeon of Death. His daytime name.
He was sure that the brothers who had just exited the building had some weighty names of their own. And he wasn't just talking about their respective monikers, although those definitely weren't to be trifled with, either. Fire Fist. Straw Hat.
"Your disguises need work," he commented to himself, to people who weren't there. "You're all together too noticeable."
He would have to keep an eye on those two. Purely for business reasons, of course.
Ace dragged Luffy around the corner, and Luffy dug his heels into a groove in the concrete, forcing Ace to stop. The night air brushed his skin, and as the wind caught the edge of Ace's shirt and lifted it, he could see new bandages on his side.
"Ace, what is it?"
"Luffy, I've told you before. Don't follow me. I don't need you to-"
"But I do!" he cried, turning to face Ace, who looked away.
"Let's just go, Luffy," Ace said, gray eyes staring past the road into the shadows beyond it. The warm yellow glow of the streetlamps seemed to turn his eyes into shimmering mercury, and for a moment, his brother seemed impossibly old. Luffy didn't protest. He never did, when Ace got like this. They walked home in silence.
Ace pushed open the door to their flat, the hinges squeaking from years of misuse. They were greeted with swallowing darkness and a figure sprawled on their couch. Ace sighed- he recognized that presence.
"Luffy, get your friend out of our house."
Luffy squinted at the figure, took a running leap, and pounced. Ace switched on the lights. The figure pushed Luffy off sleepily with a grunt.
"Zoro," Luffy whined. "You took my spot!"
"…Luffy." Zoro acknowledged. "What time is it?"
"Time for you to get out of our house," Ace deadpanned. "How did you get in, anyways?"
Luffy shuffled his feet and looked around guiltily.
"Luffy, what did I tell you about giving people house keys?"
"Don't."
"Exactly."
"But Ace!"
"Nope."
Zoro pushed himself off the couch and waved.
"I was just waiting until Luffy got back," he said. "I'll get going now."
"Bye!" Luffy shouted after him. The door closed, and the brothers were left in silence. Ace slumped.