Ace sat against a wall, his legs extended casually in front of him while he waited for the occupants on the other side of the door he was seated beside to finish up what they were doing. He was by no means in a rush for the men in the other room to complete their tasks as quickly as possible and was perfectly fine waiting where he was until they were done. He stared at his feet, flexing his toes every now and again since there was nothing else to do in the empty hallway to fill his time.
A light snore came from his side but Ace didn't look up, knowing full well that it was Luffy happily asleep at the other end of the door while he also waited patiently to see their brother. The younger had practically been vibrating with anticipation where he sat from a combination of boredom and worry, easily annoying the other with little repetitive noises and his constant pacing. When he had finally fallen asleep however, the emptiness around was overwhelming since the division commander was left alone to his thoughts while he waited to see Sabo again.
Stellard also sat among the other two but not so close to the door; instead he was seated in a chair just a few paces away while he idly twiddled his thumbs. He tried to make as little noise as possible, remembering the scornful look Fire Fist Ace had given him back in front of the northern gate every time he shifted in his seat or cleared his throat. The nobility understood completely that the other man hated him quite significantly more than before and was rather terrified of the fact that the pirate would completely destroy him with the next chance he was given. Then again, the silence of the past hour without Straw Hat making unnecessary noise had been so horribly uncomfortable that he felt something needed to be said in order to break the tension. And so, despite the fact that every fiber in his body was yelling out about how terrible this decision was, Stellard spoke.
"He's going to make it, I'm sure of it." The nobility quietly said but still loud enough for the pirate to hear. Ace made no move to acknowledge him though, instead he just continued to sit silently against the wall. Stellard sat a bit longer, waiting to see if the other would give some sort of comment before he built up some more courage and continued.
"After all, he's really strong. Stronger than I thought he could be. I didn't think he could take on even one of those guys out there but when he beat down, like, a dozen of them without even using a single weapon it was incredible!"
Stellard quit rambling when he heard a heavy exhale, glancing over at the pirate and noticing that Ace's expression was more focused than before and that his fists were also clenched. The nobility panicked for a moment, quickly thinking of something to say in order to lighten the mood.
"All I could do was sit there like a lump, too afraid to move but Sabo was amazing! Sure he was beaten but he's definitely going to get better. I mean, he's been through a lot worse, right..." Stellard was barely able to finish his sentence when he realized he was being lifted by the front of his shirt and forcefully dragged to the other side of the hall. Ace slammed Stellard into the wall, lifting him slightly off the ground in order to lessen their height differences and look the other directly in the eye. Stellard yelped from the abuse, trembling out of fear when he finally looked into Ace's furious expression.
"Stop talking like your words can make any difference." Ace stated low and menacingly.
"Alright, alright!" Stellard quickly announced, hoping to be let go of before he was beaten senseless. But the pirate didn't drop him, instead the pressure on the nobility's chest increased when Ace slammed the other into the wall once more.
"Why the hell were you on the wrong side of the line? ! It was the easiest damn direction to follow and yet you still managed to screw it up!" Ace stopped himself before he could yell anymore, remembering that Law and the other doctors needed to focus in the other room without any distractions. He dropped the nobility, watching as Stellard cowered defensively against the wall like he thought making himself a few inches shorter was going to protect him in any way.
"He stood up for you, I hope you realize. It was his idea to put you in charge of starting the fire because he thought he could rely on you." Ace continued, staring at the other like he was the most disappointing thing in this world. Despite his best effort to control himself though, the division commander gathered the front of the nobility's shirt in one of his hands again, forcing the other to stand up straight.
"He's in that room right now because of your uselessness and since I was stupid enough to trust his faith in you!"
Ace suddenly let go of the other, fixing him with one last look of contempt before the door to the surgical room was suddenly opened. The pirate immediately dropped his glare, surprising Stellard at how quick to change his mood was.
Law stood in the doorway with a calm look on his face, completely dismissing the fact that Ace was on the brink of mutilating Stellard. He wore an apron that was stained with a few smears of blood and a bandanna tied loosely around his neck. Luffy was awake and on his feet in no time with Ace heading over to enter the room as well. He let them pass easily, ignoring the excited calls Luffy shouted when he found his brother awake and smiling at the two when they entered.
The pirate doctor stood in the doorway a moment longer, staring at the nobility with a disapproving look of his own. When the message was conveyed that two of the three pirates were completely against his entry into the room, Stellard accepted it and watched as Law turned back through the door, shutting it without a word.
Stellard collapsed to the ground, his eyes filling with tears as every apology he could ever think of sat uselessly at the tip of his tongue.
~0~
Ace and Luffy's bright expressions were the first thing the revolutionary noticed and definitely a welcoming sight. He sat reclined against a mound of pillows, doped up on just about everything Trafalgar Law could find on the shelves that made the stab wound in his gut feel no more painful than a dull ache.
"Sabo! You're okay!" Luffy called out happily, noticeably restraining himself from attacking his brother with a hug as he came to stand by the cot. The other doctors who had been in the room aiding with the surgery slowly left, heading though a different door to probably check up on other patients. The four were eventually the only ones left in the room with Ace and Luffy kneeling on either side of the cot while Law busied himself with cleaning up the medicine and tools.
"It's good to see you guys." Sabo said with a smile, only marginally less groggy than when he was first admitted. Ace grinned.
"I dragged your ass from the front lines and that's all you have to say?" The division commander chuckled, causing Sabo to frown lightly until he had a remark of his own.
"That reminds me." He began with a crafty smirk. "You still owe me a few stories about the time we've been apart."
Ace's smile dropped for a moment before he began laughing.
"You remember that conversation?" The division commander asked incredulously. Sabo nodded.
"You too, Luffy. I want to know what I've been missing out on for twelve years." Sabo glanced up at the good doctor as well, catching his eye just as he was removing his apron.
"Law too." Sabo continued, earning an amused grin from the eldest.
"We can't be the only ones giving up embarrassing stories, you know." Ace retorted. "You have to tell us what you've been up to in the revolutionary army."
"Yeah!" Luffy agreed. "First you have to tell us what me and Torao's dad is like." He finished with an excited look in his eye. That seemed to pique everybody's interest and Sabo realized that he was the one to go first with his stories. He took a moment to think of where to begin but ultimately decided on a good starting point.
"Well, he was the one who saved me from drowning when the Tenryuubito shot down the fishing boat I was using to escape Goa Kingdom with."
He glanced around the three intrigued faces until his sight landed on Law.
"He's actually a lot like you." Sabo thoughtfully remarked. The doctor raised an eyebrow just as he threw a piece of cloth over his shoulder. He nudged Ace with his foot, motioning for him to get up and tie the fabric as a sling for his arm that had been ruthlessly relocated not too long ago.
"Is that so? The doctor mused, lightly tipping his head in thanks as the division commander knelt down again.
"Mm-hmm. Did you ever know him?" Sabo asked before yawning heavily. Law approached the cot and placed his good hand on the revolutionary's forehead, keeping it there until he was satisfied that the other didn't have a burning fever
"No, I have only seen the man from his wanted posters." Law replied as he then turned and headed for a mirror. He examined his nose from a few angles, unhappy with its crooked posture from when Roger broke it.
"He's very smart and tactful and always takes the dangerous jobs so his men are less likely to get hurt." The revolutionary continued, raising an arm in order to rub at his eyes. He felt extremely tired all of a sudden when trying to speak to his brothers and he vaguely wondered why that was. Law had already noticed the fatigue but did nothing to combat it; the guy needed his sleep after all. The fact that this time period hadn't invented IV drips, syringes or even rubber tubing yet was extremely inconvenient so Law had to get rather creative with his tools and drugs. He'd managed to fashion a syringe out of glass tubing, leather and a very sharp pen quill in order to administer Sabo's medication directly meaning the good stuff was working quickly and efficiently in his bloodstream as it should.
"But I do have to say that Dragon was a terrible father for kids. He never once treated me like I was a child, which I was glad for, but his tolerance for mistakes was quite low."
Ace was beginning to notice Sabo's drooping eyes and relaxing features as well, deciding to let them take their course and share stories with one another at some other time.
Law still stood in front of the mirror, bracing his thumbs on either side of his nose before nudging them sharply in the opposite direction his nose had been recovering in. He winced at the pain and grabbed a towel, catching the drips of blood that were running over his mouth.
Sabo looked as if he were about to say something else but was stopped when his eyes fluttered shut and he let out a large exhale, falling asleep just before he could continue.
Luffy glanced at the blonde and then over at Ace to see his elder brother motioning for them to leave the room. He nodded and quietly left with the other pirate while Law stayed behind a little while longer.
~0~
Ace and Luffy sat beside each other near the front of the grand dining table with an enormous feast covering every inch of the table cloth in front of them. The pirate captain happily scarfed down everything in sight, getting up and down from his seat in order to have a taste of everything while the division commander wasn't quite so enthusiastic. Ace pushed a few things on his plate around with a fork, staring blankly at it as he continued to lose himself to his thoughts. Roger soon noticed the pirate's lethargic attitude since it wasn't so hard to pinpoint it in this jovial atmosphere. He sat at the head of the table with Rouge to his left and the two brothers to his right, enjoying the feeling of being back home. When he spoke, both the queen and Ace perked up.
"What seems to be troubling you, Ace of South Blue?" The king asked. The three who weren't occupied in the surgical room had had a chance to introduce themselves to the king when Roger decided to stop by the medical ward for a few minutes. Of course, Ace wasn't quite ready to give out his surname yet so his formal title included his birthplace instead. But the three were only given a few minutes with Roger though before he was found by his subordinates so he could resume his duties as king and make a public appearance in front of his people.
They'd also managed to inform him of his role in their world and Roger quite liked his title 'The King of all Pirates'.
Ace glanced up at the man with mixed feelings, not entirely sure what to make of the fact that the only thing separating himself from his old man was Luffy who could only focus on the food in front of his face. Of course, the man wasn't exactly his father, per say, but then again he was sitting here in a body that very accurately resembled his own back home and if he knew anything about family lineage then this topic just opened up a whole new line of questions. Ace set his fork down and spoke.
"I was just wondering about a few things." He began, glancing up at Roger but quickly averting his attention to a place on the wall above the man's head. "How did all of this start? The battle between Trafalgar Law and you, that is." He was also curious to find out why Roger didn't seem to recognize him as his son, but that conversation would have to wait for now. The king also set down the leg of lamb in his hand, grabbing his napkin from his lap in order to wipe away the grease as he spoke.
"Trafalgar is the prosperous son of another king in southern Spain, if I do recall correctly. He asked for an audience with me some eight months ago only to usurp my power and drive me out of my kingdom." Roger answered, each word he said causing his expression to grow slightly darker than before. Ace figured this conversation was easily turning into a slippery slope leading to Roger getting irrationally angry but decided to continue speaking to the king anyways.
"I couldn't help but also notice some of your men are missing from this table." Ace commented, glancing down the long expanse at all of Roger's newly reclaimed subordinates. Right now he couldn't help but wonder where one was hiding; "Where's Marco?"
Roger gave him a confused look then turned to Rouge who could only reciprocate the expression.
"Are you referring to Marco the Phoenix?" The queen asked. Ace nodded and she suddenly knew what he was asking.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Marco is not one of our guards." Rouge stated, earning a confused look from the pirate. "There are several men even now at this table who only just pledged their allegiance to Roger. In fact, your counterpart from this world was working for Trafalgar."
Now Ace was really confused.
"Wait, if I was working for evil Law then why," he motioned to his current state of dress, "why the hell am I some sort of circus clown?"
Rouge sighed regrettably before speaking.
"After nearly four months, Trafalgar started losing his composure. He was overwhelmed with the power he was given and began branding those around him as heretics. Your counterpart seemed to me like he was opposed to this whole operation from the very beginning, so in order to silence him Trafalgar made him a court jester."
Ace frowned bitterly, liking the Law from this world even less now. But he couldn't exactly do anything about it at the moment and he still wanted a few more details about this whole ordeal before he left.
"Where is Marco right now?" Ace asked, hoping to find the other and get the rest of the story from him.
"He attempted to take my life while I was having Trafalgar's previous subordinates swear their loyalty to me. He's in the dungeon awaiting his fate." Roger replied. "Zoro can show you the way there." The king continued, catching his subordinate's eye and receiving a nod in return. He momentarily fished through his pockets until he found a ring of keys, holding them up as the swordsman and division commander stood. Zoro took the offered ring and left with Ace following after, heading away from the feast and to the dungeon.
~0~
Bravery came as naturally to him as flying did for a koala. It took about fifteen minutes after Ace and Luffy left for the nobility to attempt opening the door knowing, and fearing, that Law was still inside and probably as angry with him as Fire Fist. Stellard peeked around the small crack he made, scanning the area and hoping the surgeon wouldn't threaten to toss him on an examining table and dissect him for barging in. But as he glanced around, all he could find was Sabo peacefully asleep on a bed against a wall. He took a single step in and waited for the repercussions to follow only to receive none. Stellard suddenly took notice to a door on the opposite wall Sabo's cot was against and figured the doctor must have left that way for some odd reason.
Of course, his theory was dashed when he suddenly heard a heavy breath that obviously didn't come from the revolutionary. Stellard panicked and was about the scramble out of the room when he realized the sound was that of someone sleeping. The nobility paused a moment longer, praying the other person in the room hadn't awoken and the next deep breath to follow satisfied his wish. He walked the rest of the way in and quietly shut the door, finally finding Law who was lying down on a chaise lounge near the door he just came in from fast asleep. It was definitely strange seeing the cool and collected pirate captain sleeping soundly like any normal person, but that wasn't why he was here right now.
Stellard softly approached his adoptive brother, walking up to the side of the bed with his hands clasped tightly in front of his chest while he wrung them nervously. He looked down at the revolutionary and suddenly he was asking himself the same question he was asked before; how could you screw up such an easy task?
Nobody ever expected much from him. Sure, it was always thought that he was going to grow up and continue the family name with a well-paying job, a gorgeous house, a wife and a couple of kids but not a single person in his life had ever requested for him to do something like this. He had been asked to perform a task that would aid in Trafalgar Law's rescue as well as keep Sabo out of harm's way and it seemed like he could hardly even accomplish that much.
Because of him Sabo was lying here patched up like a broken toy and he could do nothing about it. He couldn't manage to be on the right side of the fire, he couldn't hold his own against a wall of large and angry men, he couldn't block the attack that nearly killed his brother and he couldn't do anything to save him from his possible death.
Stellard finally felt the brunt of his uselessness and how worthless he really was in this family of able-bodied siblings, the reality of how unrewarding his presence was making the tears which fell from his eyes that much more painful.
He held back his sobs, not wishing to awaken either Law or Sabo for them to witness how pathetic he was being.
~0~
AN: can i ask you all a question...? are you all even real? i occasionally glance through my reviews now and again and i just continue to wonder how i managed to congregate the nicest most wonderful people on the internet! like, seriously, are all of you just fake accounts my parents designed in order to make me feel like i've accomplished something in my life?
i honestly wouldn't put that past them...
thank you so much for reading/reviewing/favoriting/following/all of the love you given me! it means the world :)
and let me be even more honest right now... this isn't even half of what chapter 10 was supposed to be. the other half would make 10 well on to being 8k+ words x_x so look forward to more soon!