Oh, Nothing Invasivedon't Worry!

　　　　　❝ oh, nothing invasiveーdon't worry! ❞

　not that rosinante was curious to know such things anyway, but law would probably, definitely, without a doubt try to stab him again if he ventured anywhere close to 'too personal' territory. it wasn't as if there was any moral dilemma stopping him now; he was a doctor. any wounds he inflicted he could just fix later. plus, the ex-marine wasn't exactly versed in all the different ways law had learned to use the devil fruit he gave him all those years agoーbut he had learned law had adapted it to be used during combat, which could guarantee danger in his future if he wasn't careful.

　❝ i'm just... surprised. law's still the same snappy little loner that i remember him being when he was a kid, y'know? getting him to talk about anything too personal is like pulling teeth. i literally had to almost bleed out in front of him to see him cry for the first time. i know he's a sweet kid inside, but... it takes a lot of pushing to get there. you're clearly someone really special to be able to do that. ❞

"Ah-" Little did the man before her know that while Nami appeared incredibly confident in her relationship when she was with Law, that she very much was the type to blush when it came to discussing their relationship. Perhaps the allied pirate captain's combined embarrassment and enjoyment at being one another's is what had Nami along his lap or throwing her arms around him. Little things like grasping his hand in public and stolen kisses while everyone was watching was just an added perk.

Of course his Cora-san would want to know more, but it didn't mean she was prepared in any way to talk about it. Pushing past the flush of her cheeks she nodded. "I don't usually kiss and tell, but I might be willing to make an exception depending on the question."

i've got some theories on how cora gained his brother's trust when first infiltrating the family

i love ya kid!✌🏼❤️‍🔥

thanks to @ladyxamalthea for sending me this.

　❝ law didn't tell me anything, actually, ❞ the man clarified, trying his best to recover from the unplanned shift in his demeanor by smoothing out the tightness in his voice and loosening his posture again. ❝ i didn't even know you were alive.❞ that alone was a logical enough reason for him to have looked so caught off-guard & uncomfortable just then, right? that saved him from looking guilty & suspicious, right? he prayed it did, anyway.

rosinante took the clothes offered to him without inspecting what they even looked like. whether they were his style, or size, or what it didn't matter. the ex-spy in him was eager to blend in to the new, alien environment as quickly as possible (especially if his safety hinged on it), and the newly burgeoning guilty conscience in him was eager to just do whatever ace asked. he would be compliant. he would be agreeable. law wanted him here for a reason and he'd be damned if he was going to screw things up for law just because of a few uncomfortable elephants in the room.

　❝ i guess that explains the secrecy. i thought the kid was just being difficult for the sake of being difficult again. but, i'm still not sure why law wants me here, meeting a patient of his. i'm not a doctor, i'm just... ❞ an-ex crew member? an old friend? a caretaker? an estranged hermit that spent thirteen years looking for law having only recently reconnected? the man who viewed him as a son years before he could even bring himself to say it aloud, or that law would even be okay with it? there were so many different ways to phrase it, but only one felt right. all-encompassing. ❝ family. ❞

A  MERE  HUM  vibrated  within  the  thick  throat.  as  if  ace  was  weighing  his  choices  with  a  name  to  call  the  blonde  by.  he  didn't  mind  either  way,  but  since  given  the  chance  to  freely  make  a  pick,  the  fire  fist  after  all  nodded.  ❝  cora  sounds  way  cooler.  ❞  the  words  carefree  slipped  past  chapped  lips  as  they  formed  a  welcoming,  small  smile.  maybe  a  little  bit  crooked,  as  he  felt  the  tension  coming  from  this  man's  suddenly  stressed  posture.  

as  soon  as  ace  revealed  his  own  name,  everything  seemed  to  take  a  direction  to  the  unknown.  air  filled  with  odd  weighting  emotions  that  the  fire  fist  had  no  trouble  sniffing  out.  he  was  used  to  reading  people  by  their  sight  alone,  body  language  and  trembling  lips  often  told  him  more  than  words  would.  ❝  since  law  sent  y'here  then  you  probably  know  the  deal,  right  ?  ❞  it  was  brave  to  assume,  as  ace  felt  like  the  surgeon  of  death  would  spent  some  time  to  explain  this  man  why  arriving  at  this  particular  island  was  off  limits  information. 

❝  there's  some  ...  inner  things  y'gotta  know,  pardner.  ❞  the  ravenette  swiftly  placed  his  leather  bag  down,  fishing  out  clothing  that  the  heart  pirate's  crew  prepared  before  ace  left.  he  got  up,  having  the  fabrics  resting  in  his  palms  and  offering  them  up  towards  rosinante.  ❝  you  gotta  change  to  these  clothes.  this  island  ...  it  ain't  likin'  outsiders.  it's  better  to  dress  like  the  locals  here.  ❞  he  could  only  hope  the  blonde  wouldn't  put  up  a  fight  over  fashion,  or  complain  at  all.  everything  weighted  over  the  team  work  and  mutual  understanding  that  he  hoped  to  receive.