Hey there! Week two of fanfiction writing experience! So I just gotta say, this week has been so awesome for me! Every so often I would see a new review or a new follow or favorite, and... I can't describe how happy I felt. Thanks to everyone who's been reading! There's only one scene in this chapter, idk why, it just worked out really well like this. Review responses are at the bottom!

Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Oda, Repunzel belongs to cooljazz!


Law sat at his desk, reading by candlelight. The events of that morning still consumed Law's consciousness, and all day he had found it hard to concentrate on studying. Surely the boy hated him now. Law was certain that he would never return, and it hurt. He acknowledged, however, that it was his fault that the boy wouldn't show his face again, so Law could only scoff at his own pain.

Law immersed himself in his reading, not wanting to think of the red-haired boy more than he had to. He rested his cheek on his fist as he read, silently passing the evening hours by. He didn't want to stop reading. Stop reading, and he would have no distraction from thoughts of the boy.

Ta-ka. Cha-ka. Cha-ka. Cha-ka.

Law glanced around at the unfamiliar noise. It sounded like little machinery putting away, but Law didn't own anything mechanical. He turned his face to the window above him, the only possible place the sound could be coming from.

Cha-ka. Cha-ka. Vnn.

It was a little man. A toy man was walking across the ground outside of Law's window. Wearing a dark coat with a furry collar, his head adorned with a maroon tophat with a white cross near the brim.

As Law watched the little man move, it turned toward his window, and stopped walking. His face was made of wood, large black orbs painted on as eyes. His nose was another piece of painted wood protruding from the face, and his mouth was carved open. The little man's ears were mere bolts sticking out the sides of his head. Law could see that he had a hairline painted on him, framing his face and disappearing underneath his hat.

Vnn. Vnnn. It raised its arm. And waved.

Law sat, stunned, his now loose fist supporting nothing but air. Law blushed. He had never played with toys before, he had either been too poor or too busy studying to indulge in such childish things as toys. After a moment's hesitation, he reached out for the doll standing on his window sill.

He held it carefully, being careful as to prevent breaking the wondrous thing. Law lifted the toy's arm, pleasantly surprising himself at the mobility of its elbow joint. Where on Earth did you come from?

Tch. Tch-ka.

"How are you today?"

"Feeling okay?"

The toy had a little speaker inside of its carved out mouth. A scratchy, distorted voice spoke through the little toy. Was it a recording? But who put it outside my window?

"Cheer up!"

"Don't be angry."

"Are you unhappy?"

"How are you today?"

"Trafalgar."

"...!? You!" Law's eyes narrowed. There was, after all, only one person who called him by that name.

"Come out!" Law called with a tight voice.

The boy appeared from the left side of Law's window, poking his head in like a child coming home from school. His goggles were down on his neck, and he had another new cut on his cheek. His hands were loosely bandaged, seemingly dirty and untidy.

"You okay? I wanted to come and see you but I didn't know if now's a good time…"

Law rose and pulled himself onto his desk, scrutinizing the boy. "Right now, I'm kind of in a shock because of you."

"Eh? Why?"

"I thought you'd never come again."

"Yeah…" Kidd grimaced, remembering Killer's earlier lecture on his lack of manners. The older boy had reprimanded him for barging in without notice, making sure that Kidd acknowledged that it had been him in the wrong. Kidd related the story to Trafalgar as an explanation. The older boy had been right, honestly. Kidd had been so infuriated by Trafalgar's treatment of him that he had promised to himself to never return to that window again. However, if the incident had been his fault in the first place… Kidd should at least apologize.

"... And that was what my friend told me… so… I'm sorry, I owe you one."

Law leaned against the wall, still holding the toy. "How many debts are you planning to owe me?" He commented offhandedly.

Kidd's eyes widened, unsure how to respond to Trafalgar's statement. It was true, Kidd wasn't really able to do anything for him.

"Oh well, this will do." Trafalgar smiled, and Kidd wondered whether he had ever seen such genuine contentment on the boy's face.

"Thank you. I've never owned toys before."

Kidd stared at the older boy, half unwilling to believe him. What kid never owns toys? Trafalgar has so many books and yet he doesn't have any toys? How did that make any sense? As if in response to Kidd's thoughts, Trafalgar continued.

"Toys are nice. They're different from books. Just looking at it makes one feel better."

With that smile still on his face, Trafalgar moved off the desk. "Okay…" he seemingly said to no one in particular. Now standing on the floor, the little man still in his hand, Trafalgar turned toward Kidd and smiled gently again. From his other hand, still resting on the window sill, Trafalgar raised a thin finger and pointed at Kidd.

"Take a seat and show me your palms. I'll take a look at them."

Kidd looked at his hands. Truly, they did seem ragged, even to him. Offering his palms to Trafalgar, Kidd suppressed the smile that was climbing, unbidden, to his face. Trafalgar, that cold bastard, must care about Kidd enough to notice his injuries when they appear. If that wasn't progress, Kidd didn't know what was. He wondered whether he needed to do any extra work to get back into the older boy's good books, but he was relieved to conclude that Trafalgar had already forgiven him.

Kidd watched Trafalgar work, reveling in the older boy's skilled and precise movements. When he finished, Kidd raised his hands, looking at them in awe.

"Awesome… It's really different when a pro does it…" Letting one hand fall to his legs as they dangled in the window, Kidd admired the clean bandages on the other, turning the wrist, flexing his fingers, inwardly praising the sturdiness and surprising flexibility that the wrappings gave him.

"So, what's your name?"

Kidd looked at Trafalgar. The boy was leaning his face on his palm, smiling softly at him. Paired with his half-lidded, gray eyes, it seemed to Kidd that the teen was smirking at him. As a person often misunderstood for their facial features, however, Kidd didn't think anything of it. He did, however, scrunch his eyebrows incredulously at him, as if seeing him for the first time.

"You don't know it!? Just how much don't you care about me?"

"You never told me." Trafalgar responded dryly.

Kidd laughed. This guy really never ceased to surprise him. Smiling down at the teen, he answered, "Eustass Kidd."

Still resting his head on his palm, Trafalgar appraised Kidd. "Eustass… That's the name of the god who lives at the bottom of the ocean, right?"

"Really?" Kidd asked. He'd never heard of such a story behind his name.

"You didn't know? A god who prevents the sea from drying up, or from overflowing. He's the one who controls the tides, too."

"Ooh…" Kidd sighed, mulling over the description. He wasn't the kind of child to believe in every supernatural being described to him, so the only think he could respond with was, "Does he even really exist?"

Trafalgar smiled up at him, his eyes saying nothing to whether the boy himself believed in the story.

"Either way, it's a good name." He reached down and his hand reappeared, now holding another candy. Offering it to Kidd, Trafalgar continued, "And it sounds cool, too, so be proud of it."

Kidd looked at Trafalgar, his mouth slightly ajar. He didn't know why, but his time spent with the older boy always made him feel content. Remembering what Killer had reprimanded him for earlier, he thought for a moment about his next words.

"Hey… when can I come again?"

Law looked at the red-head, Eustass. Again? He wants to come again? He wasn't sure why, but for some reason that one question had made Law feel happy. He was relieved, not that he'd ever show it, that the boy didn't hate him after how Law had treated him. He didn't completely succeed in suppressing the smile that rose to his face, and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards.

"Let's make it this day of next week…"

TBC


Reviews are always welcome! Advice, criticism, anything you thought of the chapter/story! Thanks all!

So big shout out to KawaiiKaia this week! She actually found me the links to find the original doujinshi, by cooljazz on . She helped me a lot, and I've even decided to try writing a little differently because of her. Thanks so much for all your help!

I also need to give a lot of credit to LaraLuvKakashi, because you also gave me tips on where I could find cooljazz. YOU also told me about the translator, amaitsumi, so that was REALLY helpful. You're so much more resourceful than I am, it's scary!

10th Squad 3rd Seat- You're actually becoming one of my favorite people. Metaphor warning. You're like the warm light of a summer sunset, not blinding but comforting, always there and you make me feel so content! Thanks so much for your encouragement!

Traffy- well, I wouldn't go that far... *blush madly* I'll try to make the lemons even better next time!

.log- firstly, I have to say that I have been in the same boat, I have also tried, to no avail, to read dojins that haven't been translated. Thanks so much for your advice! And I think I'm going to start taking that liberty, maybe there's a little in this chapter? There's only one scene here, but it filled the word count really well, so... :D