Starring: Law, Luffy, mention of Straw Hat Pirates

Time: After Punk Hazard

Rating: T

Summary: Luffy wants to know about Ace's and Law's relationship. Law indulges.

A/N: Ah, I need some more funny muses. All my current ones are rather depressing for some reason. Well, this one's not too bad though it's a little dull in my opinion.

"It wasn't love."

That is what Law tells Luffy when the other asks what his relationship was like with his brother. Sitting with his late partner's brother in the crow's nest while the straw hats squabble and bicker below after finishing the chaotic ordeal at Punk Hazard, he knows that isn't the response Luffy was expecting. That's not surprising- what idiot risks their life to save someone else's sibling from the throes of an all-out clash against strongest marine force just because they are asked to unless they really cared about the person who made the request?

The smaller captain's questioning stare asks as much so with a barely audible sigh, Law elaborates. "Your brother and I… neither of us really knew what we were doing. Half the time was spent trying to be intimate at every opportunity, the other half was spent trying to keep ourselves distanced away from each other."

Luffy frowns a little but Law continues anyway. "I know you don't think that sounds like what Ace would do but… the Ace I knew is- was a bit different from what most people saw." His small slip-up goes unmentioned; they both have made the same mistake many times before and this one is no exception. Even now it's hard to remember that that burning flame has been snuffed out and will never reappear in their lives again.

The sounds below have quieted somewhat into lulling murmurs. The two captains cast mildly concerned glances down to make sure no one is accidentally dead before relaxing once more above. Law thinks carefully about how to describe something that never needed to be put into words until now before he murmurs softly, "I suppose… it would be wrong to say Ace didn't love me in a romantic sense. It was more like he wanted to but ultimately couldn't."

Luffy doesn't comment on how sadness is breaking the calm facade the other's smile normally brings. He has a bit more tact than that. Instead, he nestles his back against the taller man's and it's as much of a comforting gesture as he knows Law will permit.

Law keeps talking and it's like seeing an Ace no one else has ever really seen.

"Ace and I were a bit too similar to be able to have a working stable relationship. Since our earliest memories, neither of us understood much less received the form of love we were trying to have. Ace was told time and again that his life was unwanted and a curse, that he should have never been born to begin with. And I… I was just a trophy to be coveted, first for my family in North Blue and then for Doflamingo when he took me under his wing. Of course, some things changed once we obtained crews of our own. But the fact remained that we still didn't place much value on our lives."

"We were just two broken fools trying to piece each other back together again because it was easier to touch someone as flawed as yourself than it was to even look at someone who has only known a happy life. But because we liked each other a lot, we played the role of lovers that we wanted to fill."

His hands unconsciously stray to his ear where one of his old gold earrings has been replaced with one that is very similar save for the small name engraved onto it that is barely noticeable. It is the last gift Ace gave him before he left to battle Blackbeard.

"It was initially a little awkward because Ace didn't think he deserved to love and be loved in the way he wanted. And I couldn't see the difference between love and claiming ownership over property. But Ace tried earnestly and I must have started responding because my crew began noticing minor positive changes in my behavior and everything began working itself out smoothly. But then he found Blackbeard."

The name makes both of them go rigid with internal fury. The rest of the story is more or less self-explanatory since they both know how it ends. They sit in a contemplative silence, Law drowning in memories he wanted to keep locked away and Luffy thinking and imagining an Ace before the one he knew who had declared to the world his gratitude for his life until death stole him away.

Finally, after an uncharacteristically long period of not speaking, Luffy asks in a clear, even voice, "Ne Traffy… you've been talking about your relationship in general and then about how Ace probably felt. But what about you?"

Big innocent dark eyes look at him as the straw hats' captain cranes his neck in his direction.

"Did you love Ace?"

Law closes his eyes and doesn't reply immediately. For a moment, Luffy doesn't think he'll get an answer. But then, he hears a soft reply and it's enough for him to understand.

"He's a cruel man. He took my heart without killing me."

Luffy's lips stretch into a smile.

"That's not cruelty Traffy, that's just the way Ace rolled. Touching fire hurts a crap-ton lot. But it felt good to be warmed up every now and then yeah?"

The straw hat captain is, as usual, using his own strange logic to make sense of something complex.

For once, Law doesn't disagree.