fratri meo cum amore

"to my brother, with love."

[code01746]

Visit Original Link

　　an indie portrayal of one piece's favorite international super spy, cringefail dad, clumsy horse, & stressed little brother trying his hardest to keep his murderous sibling from plunging off a metaphorical cliff of no return, donquixote 'corazon' rosinante. 　

　　　　written by wilder（29/they/est）

　rules ・ verses ・portrayal notes

a study in:

　nature vs. nurture, childhood abuse, cain & abel, selective mutism, survivor’s guilt, espionage, toxicity & trauma bonding, found family, chronic pain & physical disabilities, combat ptsd, sacrifices, mental health & substance abuse, & a clumsiness that defies logic.

blogroll: donquixote doflamingo. x drake.

[code01746]

people trying to dissuade cora from nurturing their child and teen muses because they're too emotionally damaged or too much to handle like he wasn't basically lilo walking into the pound and picking out the most feral dog there okay there is NOTHING you can do to dissuade this man from caring about children & teens in need. his heart is TOO BIG.

his guilt over "not doing enough" to be there for his brother and literally just kind of abandoning him to be raised by an incredibly toxic group of gangsters that fed all of his worst impulses is TOO STRONG.

[code01746]

rubs my little hands together evilly as i gather up more of cora's gremlins from across the rpc spaces

[raesource]

questions only sentence starters

if you are sending to a multi-muse, remember to specify the muse that the sentence starters are being sent for .

who . . .

“ Who are you? ”

“ Who do you serve? ”

“ Who taught you that? ”

“ Who’s really in control here? ”

“ Who are you running from? ”

“ Who did this to you? ”

“ Who’s coming for us? ”

“ Who do you think I am? ”

“ Who else knows about this? ”

“ Who are you trying to protect? ”

what . . .

“ What are you? ”

“ What do you want from me? ”

“ What are you hiding? ”

“ What were you planning to do? ”

“ What just happened? ”

“ What did you see back there? ”

“ What did you promise them? ”

“ What happens if I don’t let you go? ”

“ What are the rules I’m not supposed to break? ”

“ What happens after the portal closes? ”

where . . .

“ Where did you come from? ”

“ Where are we? ”

“ Where are you going? ”

“ Where were you when it happened? ”

“ Where does this path lead? ”

“ Where did you get that scar? ”

“ Where is everyone else? ”

“ Where should I stand? ”

“ Where did you put the body? ”

“ Where were you hiding all this time? ”

when . . .

“ When did this start? ”

“ When were you going to tell me? ”

“ When was the last time you felt safe? ”

“ When do we leave? ”

“ When did you stop trusting me? ”

“ When does this end? ”

“ When did you realise the truth? ”

“ When do things go wrong? ”

“ When did you choose this path? ”

“ When will you look at me and be honest? ”

how . . .

“ How long have you been watching me? ”

“ How did you survive? ”

“ How much do you remember? ”

“ How are you this calm right now? ”

“ How bad is it? ”

“ How did you know my name? ”

“ How far are you willing to go? ”

“ How many lies have you told me? ”

“ How do you live with this? ”

“ How are we supposed to fix this? ”

are . . .

“ Are you human? ”

“ Are you okay? ”

“ Are you lying to me right now? ”

“ Are you scared? ”

“ Are you tired? ”

“ Are you hiding something? ”

“ Are you bound by oath or by magic? ”

“ Are you trying to start a fight? ”

“ Are you always this dramatic? ”

“ Are you going to explain or just stare? ”

do . . .

“ Do you trust me? ”

“ Do you remember your name? ”

“ Do you remember me? ”

“ Do you miss them? ”

“ Do you always talk this much? ”

“ Do you have any idea what you just did? ”

“ Do you ever sleep? ”

“ Do you want me to stay? ”

“ Do you think I’m stupid? ”

“ Do you believe in fate? ”

have . . .

“ Have you eaten yet? ”

“ Have we met before? ”

“ Have you been here long? ”

“ Have you done this before? ”

“ Have you ever killed someone? ”

“ Have you been lying to me? ”

“ Have you lost anyone? ”

“ Have you forgiven yourself? ”

“ Have you always been like this? ”

“ Have you already chosen a side? ”

is . . .

“ Is this place real? ”

“ Is something bothering you? ”

“ Is that weapon even legal here? ”

“ Is this your idea of a joke? ”

“ Is this your way of flirting? ”

“ Is someone watching us? ”

“ Is it supposed to hurt like this? ”

“ Is there a way out? ”

“ Is this what you wanted? ”

“ Is it too late to turn back? ”

can . . .

“ Can I ask you a weird question? ”

“ Can you hear that? ”

“ Can I trust you? ”

“ Can you keep a secret? ”

“ Can we slow down? ”

“ Can you help me bury a body? ”

“ Can you look at me? ”

“ Can we talk about what happened? ”

“ Can you stop pretending? ”

“ Can you promise me something? ”

will . . .

“ Will you stay with me? ”

“ Will you tell me the truth? ”

“ Will this ever end? ”

“ Will you protect me? ”

“ Will they come back for us? ”

“ Will you remember me? ”

“ Will you choose a side? ”

“ Will you regret this? ”

“ Will you still look at me the same way? ”

“ Will you stop me if I’m wrong? ”

should . . .

“ Should I be worried? ”

“ Should we be running? ”

“ Should I follow you? ”

“ Should I be afraid of you? ”

“ Should we pretend this never happened? ”

“ Should I stay or go? ”

“ Should I believe you? ”

“ Should I be honest with you? ”

“ Should we trust them? ”

“ Should I have come here? ”

would . . .

“ Would you do it again? ”

“ Would you lie to protect me? ”

“ Would this have been different if I had stayed? ”

“ Would you really let me die? ”

“ Would you have saved them instead? ”

“ Would you still care if you knew the truth? ”

“ Would you leave if I asked? ”

“ Would this hurt less if I understood? ”

“ Would you forgive me? ”

“ Would you choose me this time? ”

could . . .

“ Could you survive without me? ”

“ Could this world exist without you? ”

“ Could this get any worse? ”

“ Could you teach me how to do that? ”

“ Could you be wrong? ”

“ Could you be lying to yourself? ”

“ Could you forgive them? ”

“ Could this be a trap? ”

“ Could you handle the truth if I told you? ”

“ Could you live with the consequences? ”

[videog4mes]

TOMODACHI LIFE: SHENANIGANS EDITION. a collection of action based concepts inspired by the silly things those silly miis do. change verbiage and pronouns as needed. (send + reverse if desired.)

follow. sender is following receiver for some reason.

breakdance. receiver walks in on sender breakdancing and joins them.

ballet. receiver is trying to learn ballet with sender.

stare. receiver is watching sender closely.

hearteyes. while sender is excitedly talking about something, receiver suddenly has hearteyes for sender.

ready to risk it all. sender officially confesses how they feel about receiver.

street light. receiver discovers sender switching the street light on and off for some reason.

ants go marching. mid-chatting, receiver gets distracted by a trail of ants passing by them and sender.

unrequited. receiver responds to their feelings not being reciprocated by sender.

foam sword. receiver pulls a toy sword out on sender only to be met with the same response.

water sprinkler. sender and receiver spend time together splashing and running around under the water sprinkler.

show off. sender and receiver are preparing to show off their prized possessions and debate who has the best item.

gloomy days. someone put sender in a rather foul mood and receiver attempts to make things better.

shake it, shake. sender and receiver draw in a crowd playing maracas and putting on a show.

chase. receiver chases sender around the gardens.

date. sender and receiver are on a special date.

shooting star. sender and receiver are lying in a bed of grass watching the stars together.

renovate. receiver asks sender to help them decorating and/or renovating around their home.

jump scare. receiver reacts to sender's attempt to spook them.

blushing mess. sender and receiver clearly have a thing for one another but are being bashful.

new style. receiver models their new hairstyle/clothing style for sender.

roomies. receiver asks sender to move in with them.

[goodnightmemes]

PROJECT HAIL MARY (2026) SENTENCE STARTERS

❛ Yeah, where, um, are the living people? ❜

❛ Well, joke’s on them because I don’t even care. ❜

❛ You’re running away because you’re scared. ❜

❛ I ride a bike to work, and it’s not for exercise. ❜

❛ The sun’s really dying, isn’t it? ❜

❛ Am I expendable? ❜

❛ It’s almost like you don’t care if I die. ❜

❛ The consensus here is that it would be preferable if you did not die. ❜

❛ You’re not gonna believe this. Nothing happened. ❜

❛ Just, uh, realizing I was wrong about the only original idea I ever had. ❜

❛ Thank you for your help. I’m glad you didn’t die. ❜

❛ I need people who think they’re right when everyone else thinks they’re wrong. ❜

❛ The world is counting on you. ❜

❛ Been a long time since I’ve taken a pill from a stranger without knowing what it was. ❜

❛ So you wanna build a near-light speed spaceship, have it travel further than any human-made object has ever traveled, and visit a star just to “see what’s up”? ❜

❛ And the astronauts die in space? ❜

❛ There are infinite possibilities for this to go wrong. It almost certainly won’t work. ❜

❛ The alternative is to just do nothing and to starve and to kill each other and watch everything on this planet go extinct, including us. ❜

❛ That’s a long time to be in space. ❜

❛ Nothing about this is safe. ❜

❛ I must have known you, but I just don’t remember. ❜

❛ First, I owe you three bags of vodka. ❜

❛ You deserve much more than this. ❜

❛ I’ll do my best. ❜

❛ It could be a message. It could be a bomb. ❜

❛ Well, I guess there’s egg on both our faces, huh? ❜

❛ I’m wrong about everything and everything’s wrong. ❜

❛ You’re a long way from home. I’m a long way from home too. ❜

❛ I like what you’ve done with the gravity. ❜

❛ Thank you for what I hope is not handcuffs. ❜

❛ We’re here for the same reason. ❜

❛ If we’re gonna save our planets, we have to learn how to communicate. ❜

❛ You know, they say math is the universal language. ❜

❛ Jazz hands means “good”? ❜

❛ I’m sorry I’m talking so much. It’s just, I haven’t been around anyone in a long time. ❜

❛ So, I met an alien. ❜

❛ I like to keep a wall up in my relationships anyways. ❜

❛ He’s kinda growing on me. At least he’s not growing in me, you know? Which was a concern for a little while. ❜

❛ So maybe we can help each other. ❜

❛ Fist my bump. ❜

❛ “Fist my bump”? No. It’s fist bump. ❜

❛ Hey, look, I’m seeing so many sides of you lately, and it’s great. Right now I’m seeing the underside of you. ❜

❛ So, we watch each other sleep. ❜

❛ Someone has to keep you safe. ❜

❛ I don’t have the bravery gene that you all have. ❜

❛ You just need to find someone to be brave for. ❜

❛ Dirty, dirty, dirty. Why room so messy, question? ❜

❛ Well, I wasn’t expecting company, was I? ❜

❛ That is the disco ball. That makes me happy. ❜

❛ We can’t just show up in a space ball unannounced and move into someone else’s spaceship. Right? ❜

❛ There has to be boundaries. ❜

❛ So I have a new roommate now. ❜

❛ He tells me what to do, he tells me why to do it, he tells me how to do it, he tells me when to do it. And then when I do it, he’s like, “What are you doing?” ❜

❛ Grumpy, angry, stupid. How long since last sleep, question? ❜

❛ Personal space is at a premium. ❜

❛ There’s no way you can hear me right now. ❜

❛ Too fast. Do puppet show. ❜

❛ There’s no harm in pretending for a little while. ❜

❛ What do you miss most about home? ❜

❛ You’re very mysterious. ❜

❛ Camaraderie helps them do their job, you know. Not so much me. ❜

❛ You think you’re gonna pull it off? ❜

❛ Life is reason! ❜

❛ If ship not at precise angle and speed, we die! ❜

❛ This is a one-way ticket for me, pal. ❜

❛ Yeah, once we’re done, I’m … I’m gonna die. ❜

❛ I’ve made peace with it. ❜

❛ I didn’t mean any of that. That’s just something you say. ❜

❛ How do you know when the hug is done? ❜

❛ They have a great teacher. ❜

❛ Can you take a compliment please? ❜

❛ Oh, humor. Confusing. ❜

❛ Words of encouragement. ❜

❛ I don’t think there is gonna be a later. ❜

❛ I have an idea. First, no crash. Then, not explode. Deal? ❜

❛ I’m not an astronaut! I put the “not” in astronaut. ❜

❛ I’m not heroic in any way. ❜

❛ You’re smart. You’ll figure it out. ❜

❛ This might be very hard for you to understand, but some people are failures. Some people don’t rise to the challenge. ❜

❛ You’re missing out on an important part of the mission, which is the suicide part. ❜

❛ So, just so I’m clear, you’re asking me right now to give up my life. ❜

❛ I’ll watch you sleep, pal. But, uh you gotta wake up. ❜

❛ No pressure, but we did make a deal. ❜

❛ We can go home. ❜

❛ Is special clothing for celebration. ❜

❛ I understand that you think I’m the right person for this mission. But I can’t do it. ❜

❛ I’m sorry, but you just can’t talk me into it. ❜

❛ I’m not trying to talk you into anything. I am trying to make you understand what I’m about to do next. ❜

❛ You will be remembered as a hero. ❜

❛ This may seem like me betraying you, but it’s actually me believing in you. ❜

❛ Sure feels like you’re betraying me. ❜

❛ You know who you are. You’re gonna do great. ❜

❛ You are very brave. ❜

❛ At least I never have to hear you say, “I told you so.” Even though you were right. ❜

[code01746]

Ignoring the fact that he spent, like, 3 straight years beating the absolute shit out of law and a bunch of other children while undercover (even if it was in-attempt to "scare them off" with their overall safety in mind), rosinante being a nurturing force to children & teens, and especially at-risk children & teens because he recognizes the impact sengoku (and the warm, supportive, stable environment he was granted) had on him growing up, and how he VERY easily could have just gone down the same path doffy did, (and he also may or may not blame himself for the way doffy turned out - even if he clearly was already heading in that direction) is very important to me.

[code01746]

waiter! cora adopting twelve more children, please.

[raesource]

questions only sentence starters

if you are sending to a multi-muse, remember to specify the muse that the sentence starters are being sent for .

who . . .

“ Who are you? ”

“ Who do you serve? ”

“ Who taught you that? ”

“ Who’s really in control here? ”

“ Who are you running from? ”

“ Who did this to you? ”

“ Who’s coming for us? ”

“ Who do you think I am? ”

“ Who else knows about this? ”

“ Who are you trying to protect? ”

what . . .

“ What are you? ”

“ What do you want from me? ”

“ What are you hiding? ”

“ What were you planning to do? ”

“ What just happened? ”

“ What did you see back there? ”

“ What did you promise them? ”

“ What happens if I don’t let you go? ”

“ What are the rules I’m not supposed to break? ”

“ What happens after the portal closes? ”

where . . .

“ Where did you come from? ”

“ Where are we? ”

“ Where are you going? ”

“ Where were you when it happened? ”

“ Where does this path lead? ”

“ Where did you get that scar? ”

“ Where is everyone else? ”

“ Where should I stand? ”

“ Where did you put the body? ”

“ Where were you hiding all this time? ”

when . . .

“ When did this start? ”

“ When were you going to tell me? ”

“ When was the last time you felt safe? ”

“ When do we leave? ”

“ When did you stop trusting me? ”

“ When does this end? ”

“ When did you realise the truth? ”

“ When do things go wrong? ”

“ When did you choose this path? ”

“ When will you look at me and be honest? ”

how . . .

“ How long have you been watching me? ”

“ How did you survive? ”

“ How much do you remember? ”

“ How are you this calm right now? ”

“ How bad is it? ”

“ How did you know my name? ”

“ How far are you willing to go? ”

“ How many lies have you told me? ”

“ How do you live with this? ”

“ How are we supposed to fix this? ”

are . . .

“ Are you human? ”

“ Are you okay? ”

“ Are you lying to me right now? ”

“ Are you scared? ”

“ Are you tired? ”

“ Are you hiding something? ”

“ Are you bound by oath or by magic? ”

“ Are you trying to start a fight? ”

“ Are you always this dramatic? ”

“ Are you going to explain or just stare? ”

do . . .

“ Do you trust me? ”

“ Do you remember your name? ”

“ Do you remember me? ”

“ Do you miss them? ”

“ Do you always talk this much? ”

“ Do you have any idea what you just did? ”

“ Do you ever sleep? ”

“ Do you want me to stay? ”

“ Do you think I’m stupid? ”

“ Do you believe in fate? ”

have . . .

“ Have you eaten yet? ”

“ Have we met before? ”

“ Have you been here long? ”

“ Have you done this before? ”

“ Have you ever killed someone? ”

“ Have you been lying to me? ”

“ Have you lost anyone? ”

“ Have you forgiven yourself? ”

“ Have you always been like this? ”

“ Have you already chosen a side? ”

is . . .

“ Is this place real? ”

“ Is something bothering you? ”

“ Is that weapon even legal here? ”

“ Is this your idea of a joke? ”

“ Is this your way of flirting? ”

“ Is someone watching us? ”

“ Is it supposed to hurt like this? ”

“ Is there a way out? ”

“ Is this what you wanted? ”

“ Is it too late to turn back? ”

can . . .

“ Can I ask you a weird question? ”

“ Can you hear that? ”

“ Can I trust you? ”

“ Can you keep a secret? ”

“ Can we slow down? ”

“ Can you help me bury a body? ”

“ Can you look at me? ”

“ Can we talk about what happened? ”

“ Can you stop pretending? ”

“ Can you promise me something? ”

will . . .

“ Will you stay with me? ”

“ Will you tell me the truth? ”

“ Will this ever end? ”

“ Will you protect me? ”

“ Will they come back for us? ”

“ Will you remember me? ”

“ Will you choose a side? ”

“ Will you regret this? ”

“ Will you still look at me the same way? ”

“ Will you stop me if I’m wrong? ”

should . . .

“ Should I be worried? ”

“ Should we be running? ”

“ Should I follow you? ”

“ Should I be afraid of you? ”

“ Should we pretend this never happened? ”

“ Should I stay or go? ”

“ Should I believe you? ”

“ Should I be honest with you? ”

“ Should we trust them? ”

“ Should I have come here? ”

would . . .

“ Would you do it again? ”

“ Would you lie to protect me? ”

“ Would this have been different if I had stayed? ”

“ Would you really let me die? ”

“ Would you have saved them instead? ”

“ Would you still care if you knew the truth? ”

“ Would you leave if I asked? ”

“ Would this hurt less if I understood? ”

“ Would you forgive me? ”

“ Would you choose me this time? ”

could . . .

“ Could you survive without me? ”

“ Could this world exist without you? ”

“ Could this get any worse? ”

“ Could you teach me how to do that? ”

“ Could you be wrong? ”

“ Could you be lying to yourself? ”

“ Could you forgive them? ”

“ Could this be a trap? ”

“ Could you handle the truth if I told you? ”

“ Could you live with the consequences? ”

[hollowprompts]

` * 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 : 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴. 𝘯𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩. 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 (+ 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦) 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦.

𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 -

01. avoids eye contact or looking at the floor. 02. wringing hands together in silence. 03. fidgeting with the hem of their shirt, unable to stay still. 04. looking at receiver in long silence before looking away. 05. silently leaves a folded note on the table in front of the other. 06. touches the others arm but pulls back out of guilt.

𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 -

01. slams fist onto a table without saying a word. 02. exhaling sharply through their nose and clenching their jaw. 03. throws an object across the room. 04. crossing their arms tightly, digging fingers into their own skin. 05. pacing the room with heavy steps. 06. glares at the other with a clenched fist.

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 -

01. gently pushing stray hair behind the others ear. 02. resting their forehead against the others. 03. cups the others face with both hands. 04. pressing a kiss to the others forehead in silence. 05. lingering touches against the others face. 06. wraps their arms around the other from behind and rests their head on the others shoulder.

𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 -

01. wiping their eyes before someone can notice. 02. pressing their face into a pillow to muffle sobs. 03. pulls the other into a desperate hug and wont let go. 04. silently reaching for the others hand, needing comfort. 05. walks into the room with red-rimmed eyes and no words.

𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 -

01. spins the other around without warning in a hug. 02. links arms with the other and tugs them along happily. 03. provides the other with a handmade gift. 04. tackles the other in a sudden and joyful hug. 05. kisses the others cheek unexpectedly and grins.

𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 -

01. backing away slowly and looking for exits. 02. hiding behind the other and peeking around. 03. flinches at sudden movement from the other. 04. presses their back against the wall with eyes darting around the room. 05. jumps at a noise and instinctively grabs the others hand.

𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠

01. tucks a blanket gently around the other person's shoulders. 02. applies a bandage with slow and deliberate care. 03. brings them food and water and watches to ensure they eat. 04. runs fingers through their hair in efforts to soothe. 05. rubs soothing circles on the others back while they cry. 06. stays silently by the others side in support without saying a word.

𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠

01. raises a hand but hesitates. 02. grips the others arm a bit too tightly. 03. pushes the other away with more force than necessary. 04. turns their back on the other to begin walking away without a word. 05. rips a shared photo in half without a word. 06. steps in closely with cold and narrowed eyes.

[mingos]

Not sure in what capacity yet I can come back to this account but I’d like to try eventually. Miss the murder bird.

[enruiinas]

‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ It was one of the meager few means the boy had found of busying himself on their travels, taking stock of what was left to them once any such evacuation lay behind them. Not that he had many belongings of his own to look after, that was; he'd had precious little to his name when setting out from his desolated hometown in the first place, and had acquired little more in the years since with the Family. Those few he had attained included books and various weapons - neither of which were among the few items a scheming Corazon had shoved into the small bag he'd packed for Law the night he had abducted him. Much to the irritable child's displeasure.

‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ But more infuriating than being snatched from his bed without even a weapon to defend himself with had been that Corazon had dragged him from the Numancia without the chance to grab the few personal belongings that did mean anything to him. For that alone, his murderous rage had persisted until the giant of a man, unimpressed with his fury and likely at wit's end with Law's ceaseless thrashing and screaming, had presented the small pack and - seeing as Law's hands had been securely bound at his sides to prevent further thrashing - fished from inside it the only lasting artifacts from his family and Flevance. These included journal that had never reached completion, a tiny hair bow of his sister's, and a stethoscope of his father's. Treasured possessions he'd kept in his bedside drawer in his time among the family and which now stayed in his backpack, which stayed where he could reach it in a moment's notice at all times and often served as his pillow in the evenings.

‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ The loss of his family's belongings would be far more devastating than the loss of their food supply. Anything else he could assess rather calmly - so yes, he had already accounted for the lack of a fishing pole.

‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ From the look he cast the Donquixote executive, it was clear the boy was gauging how the giant might complicate the matter of crafting a fishing pole - they'd lost a bottle of antiseptic and a roll of gauze he'd yet to repack in the latest evacuation as well. But after several moments of scrutiny and careful consideration of the man and his suggestion (what did he mean by getting to, anyway? how the older man had a way of always trying to make these situations out as though they were golden opportunities to spend time together, despite Law's constant efforts to rebuff his attempts, he couldn't fathom), Law's hunger won out.

‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ❝Whatever,❞ he said, frowning. ❝Let's get to it, already - I'm starving.❞

[code01746]

　　❝ sounds like a plan! step one is to get a branch to make the rod. ❞

　rosinante never thought he would be so excited to lose a fishing pole. but if losing a fishing pole was what it took for him to have another excuse to finally try forming some kind of bond with this kid, he'd take the chance. he had never considered himself a "find the silver lining" kind of guy before this side mission of theirs began - but he had to be. law was in desperate need one positive influence to offset the vitriol, the negativity, the death threats, and rosinante wasn't going to wait around for someone else to pick up that role. ❝ shouldn't be an issue, we've got plenty of trees around. but the key here is it needs to fit some requirements - so, i'll list 'em off and you point out a good one for me, got it? ❞

the pair had hauled it straight for the boat and drifted a ways to an island on the opposite side of the bay where they had moored. as long as no one had seen which direction they had gone (in which he was fairly confident that was the case) they were good to rest & catch their breath here at the edge of the woods. ❝ first: a live branch is leagues better than a dead one. ❞

rosinante picked a half-rotted branch roughly the size of his forearm off the ground, wiggling in in demonstration. ❝ can't be too flimsy otherwise you'll never be able to pull in anything, but it also needs to bend a little for... i don't know - something to do with physics. live branches have that bend because the tree roots keep it hydrated. dead branches obviously aren't getting any water, so they get stiff & brittle as they dry out. not to say they can't be used in a pinch - but they can snap in two when trying to land a catch if you're not careful. ❞

with his newfound teacher's baton, rosinante left the tree line and walked further inward, pointing up at the canopy overhead.

　❝ last, you gotta think about the length. depends on where you're fishing and how much water you wanna cover - but the rule is smaller rods are good for accuracy & smaller bodies of water, and longer rods are good for distance & large bodies of water. depends on the size of the fish, too - a small rod might have a hard time getting the leverage it needs for a big fish.❞

through the course of his info dumping, rosinante had already been scanning the trees suitable branches. he didn't even have to worry about the risk of someone as clumsy as him climbing up the trunk, as tall as he was. it would be so easy for him to reach up, take the knife from his pocket, and begin cutting away without any input from law. but where would the fun in that be? well, at least he thought learning was fun.

　　　　❝ so, kiddo - which one are we thinking? ❞

[celestiialnotes-aa]

Law had wondered if Rocinante would be modest about it. He gave him a reason to keep living. Offering kindling to the dying spark in his heart to set it ablaze once more. As time passed, he had come across people he's come to think so dearly of. A group of friends feeding into the flames of ambition && life that he could never be ungrateful for. Though heart often appearing encased in ice to outsiders ( perhaps no visible, metaphorical heart at all ), people who know him best know that this is not always true.

Even in his affectionate gesture, he's begrudgingly accepting it, as small and simple as it was. Leaning against the other as a lenient way of giving into what Rocinante wanted in this moment, quiet most of all. He'd spare him of his typical means to express the slight discomfort when it came to this sort of affection. Perhaps, this was something he wanted to ( but feels a little too old to show that at this point ). As the other speaks his mind of their future, Law remains quiet, listening along to it. To think he still searched for him after all this time... && he was none the wiser.

His eyes briefly look up towards Rocinante, a glint of uncertainty of what to say next. Something about the comfort of knowing where exactly he is versus knowing that the rest of his journey would be far from easy. " You don't seem like an 'early retirement' guy, Cora-san. " A half-hearted attempt at a joke. " ... We still have the New World to still get through, you know. " && he would keep going until all his questions were answered about the world. About the 'D.' and what it entails. " You'd just have to deal with the rest of them. && try not to set yourself on fire again with your smokes. "

[code01746]

　　❝ i'll have you know i stopped smoking ages ago, thanks very much. ❞

　rosinante knocked his temple against the top of law's head, forceful enough to make a point (almost as if he was calling him 'brat' through body language in that affectionate way he used to do) but gentle enough to not ruin the moment. however, he sounded a bit too smug & teasing for what was ostensibly something he was forced to do, no hard work & willpower on his part at all.

　❝ not that it was really a choice; kind of had to quit cold turkey because punctured lungs & broken ribs don't make the act of inhaling all that fun - but, eh... probably for the best. you did always bug me about it back when you were little. ❞

in the last decade, he had truthfully gotten dozens of leads on law's whereabouts. sightings of submarines. stories of a grouchy teen pirate captain. . but rosinante could never make it in time before law had moved on.

he was in disbelief even made it here on time - well, not in time to stop him from doing the extremely dangerous & frankly idiotic thing he was planning, but... in time to find him. days ago, he had put two-and-two together the moment he read the news of doflamingo's abdication and that law had conveniently formed at alliance with another pirate (strawhat luffy, at this point infamous for bulldozing his way through corrupt political figures). he knew his brother enough to know he would have never willingly gave up the position he had been fighting his entire life to attain - which meant law had to be involved. law had to be heading for dressrosa.

and he was right. the fact they were sitting here together felt like a miracle. as hesitant as he was - rosinante never wanted to let law out of his sight again.

❝ oh yeah? we're not planning on going up against anymore tyrannical governments, are we? ❞ rosinante was, frankly, dreading what law was planning to do next if this is the sort of thing he got up to on a regular day. ❝ y'know.... when i thought of us traveling the world together, i was thinking more of a low stakes & chill vacation. have you even let yourself relax once in the last thirteen years? ❞

[code01746]

「 h.c. - finger injury 」

　because i think it would be really funny if rosinante spent every waking hour of his time undercover regretting his life choices, i'm hereby canonizing that the main reason the dq pirates think rosinante hates children was actually the result of a "happy" accident:

giolla brings home a teeny little baby delinger and, the one time rosinante held him, he bit him so hard that he partially severed an index finger which was only really saved because doflamngo was there to stitch it with his devil fruit.

[climatact]

“Just the once?” Umber eyes momentarily slipped from the younger Cora, to the older and back again. Taking her eyes off her was something she struggled to do still when sleep didn't grip her ever being. A newborn was exhausting, but a part of her still couldn't fathom she was real and if she looked away she might miss something precious she may never get a chance to witness again.

”Poor thing, I wonder if it was teething.“ Children of all kind always had a special place in her heart. Had a child landed in her lap she would have done the same thing, continuing the cycle of taking in children in desperate need of a parent. And yet, she couldn't fault Cora. She imagined being bitten by a fishchild was startling, and considering she had heard of his treatment of Law prior to taking him in, she had an understanding that he meant no actual ill will to the child.

Eyebrows knit together at the mention of the former warlord. Family resemblance aside, it was hard to imagine any form of brotherly love between the two men. Hearing his name used in such a way made Nami uncomfortable, but the encounters she had with the men had chilled her to the bone. Donquixote Doflaming was a monster and a man she wanted no association with. Anyone else she may have even smacked for uttering his name in front of her baby, afraid that it would summon him to take away their little heart in revenge. But because it was his brother, she would not hit or scold the man.

Instead, Nami chose to imagine what it would be like if her sister were such a monster. They were not even blood related and yet there was not a world in which she would still love her to some degree. Instead, she chose to return the subject back to his earlier point. “I guess it's a good thing Cora-chan has a little while before she starts teething. Ah- I should warn you, when she does I heard stories that I was a biter until Nojiko bit me back once, so maybe once she starts teething you should steer clear.“

[code01746]

　　❝ oh, i'm sure i'll be fine, ❞

　rosinante found himself waving off the concern the more he fully focused his attention on the baby. there was a growing impulse to grab her little cheeks and wiggle them around, or pinch her wrists in between his giant hands and flap them around while babbling nonsense at an increasingly high volume. composure, rosinante. composure.

　❝ maybe it's because i had no paternal instincts to speak of back then, but now that i'm thinking about it: if she wants to partially tear a finger off, i mean - look at this face - i guess i can make an exception. i did for her dad, after all. ❞

it would definitely be less convenient the second time around not having doflamingo there to instantly stitch the wound and keep him in one piece, but, the more he put thought into the idea, would it really? he did have law with him now. or, more to the point, law's devil fruit; from what rosinante had gathered, he could do virtually anything from the confines of that blue sphere - so stitches probably weren't too out of the realm of possibility.

listen, all he's saying is that if the trafalgars wanted to turn "causing rosinante grievous bodily harm" into a family tradition - who is he to try & prevent that kind of bonding time? he's just thrilled to be included.

[sleeplesswork]

ੈ✩ ｡˚  ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎it’s hard to fend off sniffling tears when his eyes seemed to be an e n d l e s s well of them. the initial idea had been to walk back to the boat, he didn’t want to see or be near this stupid hospital, but law couldn’t even get far enough for the distress his presence had brought to be out of earshot. small golden hues were rimmed with red by the time the older man calmed down enough to come and find him. every new rejection from another doctor felt like a jab to the heart, like picking at an old and infected wound over and over — only making the injury worse. it would heal lumpy and jagged, a jarring sight to anyone who sees, at least the boy will die before it has the chance to scar, it will still be gaping when his life is finally over.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎the man’s voice leads law to squeeze his eyes shut, keeping his face hidden against his knees. he doesn’t want to front corazón, doesn’t want to see the way the blonde’s expression twists when he notices the child’s feeble cries. it’s stupid how upset he let himself get. he doesn’t care about getting wet — or the unpleasantly painful numb feeling the freezing snow causes, it’s no worse than the pain each wheezing breath causes.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ❛❛ i hate you ❜❜ the boy huffs, still shielding his face. he'd love to sound more convincing, for his words to be sharp enough to cut the man before him, but it never seems to work. while, they had started to get along somewhat better ( at least law hadn’t been hurling insults every other sentence ) every new medical encounter pushed whatever sense of camaraderie out the window. he just wanted to be left alone, no matter what they did now law was going to die, why couldn’t corazón just give up while he was ahead ?

[code01746]

　　　❝ yeah, yeah - i know, kid. ❞

　deciding a possible elbow to the stomach was worth the risk - and with the way he overreacted, maybe it was even a little deserved - rosinante crouched behind law. even at a kneel, he still managed to clock in at more than twice law's height. gods, this kid was small; alarmingly, the man isn't sure if he's seen law grow a single inch in the nearly three years they've known each other.

　❝ you hate me, i'm annoying - i get it. but you're gonna hate me a lot more when i gotta be the one to treat any ice burns you get on your ass from sitting out here like this. ❞

as much as he wanted to pluck law from the ground and firmly tell him what's what - he was taking him back to the inn and that was final - the more & more these incidents happened, the more he realized that brute force wasn't the way to deal with this kid. that would only escalate things right now. the trust he built up with him - to protect him, to feed him, to shelter him, to be someone he could confide anything to - was two degrees shy of collapsing again, and he needed to think things through.

under normal circumstances, a single insult in a sea of compliments could be enough to sow doubt in a person if their mental state was fragile enough - but what about the reverse? rosinante's kindness towards was a single drop of rain in a river, irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. law was still being overwhelmed with negativity. law was still drowning.

but it took rosinante far too many of these catastrophic afternoons to understand that, what he saw as tough love & well-meaning kindness - that wasn't kindness to law. like that drop in the river, there was no way for him to distinguish those actions as any different from the people who called him names out of malice, or forcing him to keep moving out of fear, or treating him as anything other than the child he was. he had to be patient. he had to be careful, and violating his bodily autonomy this quickly after traumatizing him (yet again) with another hospital visit gone wrong was not the move.

the older man shuffled off his coat, the garment swallowing law in layers of plush black feathers as he draped it over him. he bunched the coat tails around him like some sort of nesting bird, gentle taps on law's backside to encourage him at least sit on the coat rather than continue to let his pants soak through with snow.

　❝ how about this: as long as i don't hear anybody coming, we can sit here long as you want, okay? please just keep yourself warm at least. you're at an energy deficit as-is, and you giving yourself a cold right about now wouldn't be a good idea. ❞

[code01746]

@aquatravectio // continued from [ here ]

　tension churned in rosinante's stomach upon his brother's reaction to his note. as much as doflamingo tried to keep himself aloof & composed, he could hear the underlying bristle in those words. doflamingo never hid hurt feelings well ー or maybe, despite all this time apart, rosinante was just as versed as reading him as he always had been.

　【 i appreciate you protecting me, doffy. 】 immediately, the younger donquixote tried to soften his critique with a compliment. not backtracking, but placating - making sure his ego never got too bruised. however, he didn't want to leave the matter at that. 【 i just think it was overkill this time. 】

　　　　　　　　　　　　　and the time before that.

　　　　　　　and the time before that.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 and the time before that.

　rosinante carefully eased himself back against the stack of pillows his brother had arranged for him so he could sit up comfortably while he wrote. the younger donquixote was on strict bedrest for the time being - a consequence of the punctured lung that new brat law left him with.

doflamingo seemed satisfied enough with the lie at first, but after rosinante collapsed shortly after - who could have guessed an emergency patch-up job with gauze wasn't enough to close a stab wound, or stop internal bleeding? - he demanded more information.

　and so, rosinante lied a second time - naming the would-be assassin as having belonged to one of the rival gangs in the area and one they had been feuding with over territory a lot recently. doflamingo had turned heel & left their base before rosinante could even finish writing out his new story.

part of him felt guilty. sure, they were criminals - but no one deserved to be on the recieving end of doflamingo's wrath.

　　【 i'm not a little kid anymore. i had it taken care of. you didn't need to tear through their whole base like that. i'm safe. i'll be fine after a little rest. 】