Hey everybody,

hope you're haveing a great weekend and this little chapter will make it just a tiny little bit better ;-)

Have fun and see you next week^^

Chapter 2 - Grownup

Rosinante jumped up when the door opened, but it was only the old lady – Paipai, if he remembered correctly – who came in, carrying a small tray.

"Hello, my dear," she greeted him, placing the tray on a pile of books on the desk, "I made you some tea. The doctor asked me to tell you that he will be here in a minute. He's in the examination room with our last patient right now."

"Thank you," he replied, bowing slightly. He had no idea how many hours he had waited, it could have been only minutes or whole days, but only now did he realize that he was really thirsty. "Can you tell me what time it is, Mrs... Paipai?"

"Of course, my dear, it's almost five o'clock. We are closing a little bit earlier today, but the doctor made you wait, didn't he? But no one could have guessed that you would wake up today."

He dropped on the chair in front of the desk – which was far too small for him, making him fall far too low – and looked at the old lady, who smiled back kindly.

"And... and you happen to know how long... I slept?"

She shook her head. "No, no. Doctor Trafalgar only brought you here yesterday, but according to him you were in a coma for a long time. That's why you shouldn't strain yourself too much. Oh, sorry, I really have to go now."

Rosinante nodded only as he took a sip.

"Of course, Mrs. Paipai, thank you for the tea," he muttered, "but it's almost cold..."

She smiled broadly as she was about to close the door. "Yes, exactly, these were the doctor's instructions. He said you like it the most this way."

So Rosinante stayed behind with his barely lukewarm tea; as if anyone liked such a thing.

For the last few hours, he had tried not to think too much and not to build up too many theories. There were a thousand plausible explanations, why he hadn't suffered wounds from the shots and survived, why Law was suddenly a grown man – a real doctor! – and certainly why he had kissed Rosinante, and none of the nonsense swirling around in Rosinante's head. Surely a plausible explanation existed, so he tried to ignore these conspiracies and waited for Law – grownup doctor Trafalgar Law – to give him a reasonable explanation.

So he sat on this way too small chair and drank his cold tea and waited for Law. Once again, his gaze slid over all the medical books, over the notepad - half its content scattered throughout the room - to the large bed he had occupied until a few minutes ago, to the open door, which led into a small kitchen and a living room just as small.

Maybe he should cook something for Law – not that he really knew how to cook, just enough to survive – if he thought about it that way, that was perhaps the reason why Ms. Paipai had just served him a cold tea.

The longer he thought about it, the more he wondered if his little, now grownup, Law really thought Rosinante couldn't even be trusted with a lukewarm tea. Did he really doubt his capability?

Oh, no, that was ridiculous.

I'd like to avoid losing yours right away because you accidentally light yourself up or fall down some hill.

Yes, he actually did. Little, now grownup, Law really thought he was that incompetent, although he had been the one to obtain the Op-Op fruit and... Rosinante wondered again what Law had been through. How long had he been unconscious and how long had Law waited for him to wake up?

He frantically scanned the room, looking for something that could serve as a mirror, placed down the empty cup, barely noticing it rattled down at the table from the edge of a book. Then he saw the open window and he stumbled over the bed, grabbed the frame, and tried to keep it steady to see his blurry, transparent reflection.

For a moment his face looked at him, just as he had it in mind, only without make-up, then suddenly the frame gave way and he lost his balance, first banged his temple against the edge of the window and then slipped down the wall until he came to lie on the bed.

"Ouch," he grumbled, before hearing a quiet crack, and suddenly the corner of the window frame dashed down on his head before the window fell on the bed next to him. "OUCH!"

Perhaps Law was right.

As he sat up and rubbed his head, he heard approaching voices and finally the door opened again.

"... last time, go home. If anyone comes, I will be here, and we can do the paperwork tomorrow morning."

Little, grownup, Law came in, pulled the doctor's coat off while closing the door, threw it carelessly on the chair Rociante had sat on barely a minute ago, and pulled his shirt back into position. He was obviously tense, but as his gaze fell on Rosinante, his eyes widened a bit and the shadow of a smile soothed his strict jawline.

"What happened to you?" He asked, his voice rather toneless. "Did you try to escape and failed?"

"I wanted to see my reflection in the glass to see how much I've aged," he replied, slightly insulted.

"You know what mirrors are for?" Now the other one actually showed a little grin. "Wait, I'm just washing my hands, then I'll bring you one."

With these words he hurried into the small kitchen and turned the water on.

"Do you want to eat something?" Law called to overcome the water. "I still have some rice balls from yesterday."

Rosinante muttered something approving. The other behaved much calmer than he had expected, much calmer than he was. However, he suspected that Law did have little more time to prepare for the upcoming conversation.

From the bed, he watched the other. Law wore simple black jeans underneath his equally simple grey shirt, showing the lines of the tattoos at the sleeves.

Then the other disappeared behind the door of a refrigerator, before returning with a small plate and a hand mirror, wherever he had gotten that from. He only briefly looked at Rosinante, then quickly turned his gaze away, showing that he was nervous after all. Law hurriedly placed the plate on the bed and handed Rosinante the mirror.

"I'll make us some tea," Law muttered, disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Could I have at least a lukewarm one this time?" Rosinante tried to joke, but the other replied nothing.

As he had already suspected, the mirror showed him nothing new. He looked exactly as he expected, seemed to have not aged a day. He reluctantly put the mirror away, intentionally with the front down.

Now that the other was present again, Rosinante found it difficult to ignore all his speculations and theories. So he took one of the Onigiris and began to eat. After the first bite, he paused. He had not been aware of how hungry he had been and how delicious the rice tasted. He felt as if he hadn't eaten anything for years.

So he ignored his confused thoughts and ate the little delicacies. He was about to reach for the third or fourth when Law came in with two mugs. One he placed in front of the bed on a stack of books, the other he took with him to the office chair and seemed to balance it easily on his crossed legs.

"So," Law said then, and finally looked at Rosinante, "you certainly have a lot of questions."

Rosinante rubbed a grain of rice off his fingers, then folded his hands and leaned forward. For a moment he tried to tame the confusion in his head but knew that he tried in vain.

"What year is it?" He then asked, not sure if he really wanted to hear the answer.

"1528," replied the other monotonously.

"What? Fifteen-hundred… Fifteen-hundred-twenty-eight?"

Law just nodded and took a deep sip of his tea without burning his tongue; either the tea was just lukewarm again or the other had a freaking superpower.

"That can't be. Yesterday it was 1511," Rosinante muttered, bent for his tea and also took a sip; it had to be a superpower.

"Actually, yesterday it was already 1528," remarked the other tonelessly, "but yesterday you were still unconscious."

Rosinante stared at the hot cup in his hands at which's content he had just burned his tongue without even realizing the pain.

"You want to tell me that I... was in a coma for 17 years?"

"Not that long, but yes."

"And you... are now...?"

"Well, if I haven't miscounted, I'll be 30 in four months."

He stared at the other in dismay.

"But yesterday you were still 13!"

Now the other showed another half, but obviously fake, grin and stroked over his bearded chin. He had a beard!

"No, I was 29 yesterday, too."

"But not for me!" He put the mug down and rubbed his face. "What the hell happened? Yesterday you were a little boy, fatally ill, and now... and now..."

Helplessly, he gesticulated in the direction of the other.

"What happened?"

The other bit his lower lip, put his tea behind him on the table and leaned forward as well.

"What's the last thing you remember, Cora-san," he asked, looking directly at him. His voice was calm, as it was all the time, but his jaw quivered with tension.

Rosinante, on the other hand, had great difficulty pulling himself together, especially when he was thinking of his recent past, which seemed to have happened 13 years ago.

"We were on Minion," he finally said, meeting Law's gaze, "I got you the Op-Op fruit and then... my brother shot me."

For a moment, he thought of all the things he had said before that moment, all the lies he had revealed to Law, but then he decided that those things could wait until he had at least a rough overview of the situation.

Law, meanwhile, had risen and began pacing up and down with his arms crossed. For a few seconds there was nothing more to hear than the rustling of the leaves behind Rosinante's back and the clanking of Law's shoes.

"He shot at you," Law finally declared, without looking at Rosinante, interrupting his broodings, "but he didn't shoot you, even if the whole world thinks so."

"Excuse me?" He wanted to get up, but his legs trembled dangerously again so he had no choice but to stare at the back of the other, who finally stopped pacing.

"Yes, they all think you're dead... your wounds were pretty bad after all. But... but you know... I have eaten the devil fruit and with its power..." Law took a deep breath, for a moment his voice had trembled, but as he continued to speak, he sounded as calm as before. "I was able to save you. You and me, but you were pretty badly injured and I hadn't been able to control this power and made mistakes, so... that's why I was able to heal you, but at the same time I accidentally put you in a coma, a timeless room, and only a few days ago I finally managed to dissolve it. That's why you've finally woken up."

"Without having aged a day," Rosinante muttered, looking at his hands.

"Mhm," the other nodded only approvingly.

"And you are now almost thirty years old, a grown man?"

"Looks like that." Slowly, Law walked over to his chair and sat down.

"And the whole world thinks I'm dead? Even Sengoku?"

Again Law nodded and looked to the ground.

"I didn't know if I could save you at all, let alone if you would ever wake up again, so I didn't tell anyone and let them believe you're dead. After a few years, I almost believed it myself, instead of still hoping for the impossible."

Shadows darkened the other's face as he lowered his head and drove his hands through his hair. It almost frightened Rosinante to see how dark and empty those deep eyes became, and he wondered what his little, grownup Law must have gone through over the past 17 years.

Law folded his hands over his mouth and chin, still facing the ground.

"I'm sorry. All of this is my fault, I should have..."

"Oh no, no, Law." He slipped off the bed and took the other's hands while kneeling in front of him. "Don't apologize. You saved my life. You've watched over me all these years."

The young man, who yesterday had still been his little ward but was technically already older than him now, flinched under his touch, his jaw trembling, probably not able to look at Rosinante. It hurt, it hurt to see him like this, so full of sorrow and torment; things he should never have experienced, things Rosinante had wanted to protect him from.

"Look at me, Law," he whispered, putting a hand on this bearded chin. "Let me look at you. Let me see the man you have become."

He could hardly prevent his own voice from shaking and he felt the tears burning in the corners of his eyes, but at least Law looked up and faced him.

Rosinante swallowed under the intense gaze of these deep eyes, which now at least reflected some light again. Law seemed to hold his breath while Rosinante inspected his facial features, the straight nose, the strict eyebrows, the narrow lips, the bearded chin, the distinctive cheekbones, the golden earrings, the tousled, black hair. He could recognize him in that face, his little Law.

"You've really grown a lot," he said with a faint smile, feeling a tear making its way, "I just wish I'd been there and seen you grow up."

Now Law bit his lower lip and shook his head, again close to tears.

"You're here now," he said, snuffling, apparently fighting for composure, "that's more than I ever dared to hope. You're finally back."

By now, Law clutched Rosinante's hand and leaned so far forward that they were separated by only a few inches.

"I missed you so much, Cora-san. I was so alone in this world."

It hurt, so many years he had left him alone. It seemed to him that yesterday he had held the little, sick Law in his arms, but slowly he realized that Law had waited more than half his life for him to wake up again, to hear his voice again, see his smile again...

Taking deep breaths Rosinante tilted his head slightly.

"But I'm back now, Law, and I'll never leave you alone again." At last he was able to smile honestly, finally he could show Law the smile, which he had only been able to force before, and then he saw Laws' tears running unhindered. "I love you, little one."

"Me too," Law whispered, now bitterly crying, but at least with a broken smile, "I love you, too."

It was a moment like the first rays of sunshine that broke through the cloud-covered sky after a heavy storm; a small piece of happiness, a small piece of joy that supplanted grief and sorrow while he kneeled in front of his little, grownup Law, whose hands he still held while resting his other hand at Law's neck, where he could feel the other's rapid pulse.

But suddenly Law leaned forward, crossing those few inches that were still between their faces, and again he tried to kiss Rosinante. This time, however, he dodged away.

"But Law, what...?" He interrupted himself when Law jumped up as if struck by lightning and pulled his hands out of Rosinante's.

"I... I'm sorry," Law said, bringing several feet of distance between them. "I shouldn't have done that. Of course, you didn't mean it like that, of course you just meant..."

"Law."

It hurt. The shadows that had just been expelled from this strangely familiar face now seemed to fall even darker upon him as he dodged Rosinante's gaze. He tried to understand what was going through Law's head, but even though he had known the boy almost as good as if he had been his own son, the man Rosinante was facing now was like a stranger to him.

"No, no, Cora-san. I'm sorry," the other apologized again, rubbing his hands hastily. "You know, I know that I am still the little boy from back then - from yesterday – for you, but... but you have to understand..."

Law interrupted himself and took a deep breath.

"But you have to understand that after what happened, after that I had to grow up very quickly." He sounded calmer, more composed. The tears had already dried up and his dark face showed hardly any feeling, the mouth a strict line.

Of course, Rosinante could well imagine it. Little Law, who was still struggling with his illness, somehow had to try to bring the badly wounded Rosinante to safety, chased by his very brother, and at the same time trying to keep him alive. The time after that had certainly not been an easier one. On the run, fighting for his own life and that of Rosinante. The years after that, which he didn't even know more about than that he had left Law alone. Rosinante could only imagine what Law had to go through on his own.

Yes, all he had wanted for Law had been a few years in which he could have been a child and this man in front of him was the sad testimony that Law had been forced to grow up at the time when Rosinante had not been able to protect him any longer.

"I'm not a child anymore, Cora-san, haven't been for a long time," the other continued with an almost frighteningly matter-of-fact voice, "and I know it's not fair to you because I was still a child for you just yesterday. But I've grown up, I've been a grown man for years, and my feelings aren't that of a child anymore either."

He finally understood why Law had kissed him.

"I'm sorry, Cora-san, but I can't just love you with the love of a child anymore, I haven't been able to for a long time." Law sounded melancholy but otherwise very composed, quite different from himself.

It hurt, every word hurt him, showed him that he had let the other down, left alone. If he had been there, if Rosinante would have fired the first shot, then Law would not have had to grow up so quickly, then he could have stayed a child a little longer.

"But of course, I know you can't return my feelings, because for you I'm still a child. I'm sorry, I let myself be overwhelmed by my emotions."

"Stop apologizing." Unwieldly, Rosinante rose, unable to fight the tears as he approached the other. "Don't apologize for me not being there for you, for not protecting you."

He bent down and embraced him, embraced his little, grownup Law firmly.

"Don't apologize for growing up because I failed. I will always love you, little one. Give me some time to catch up, give me some time to get to know you again, but don't apologize, not to me, not for what you had to go through because of my failure."

"But Cora-san, I..."

"No, Law," he interrupted the other, "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you, that I didn't protect you. I'm sorry you had to grow up even though you were just a child and I'm sorry you think you have to apologize for your own feelings just because I wasn't there for you to teach you that you never need to be ashamed of your own feelings."

Carefully he stroked his former ward's hair.

"I'm sorry, my little Law. You were all alone in this world and had to grow up without me. I'm so sorry."