Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Corazon didn't like Law.

When he had first landed eyes on him in Doflamingo's hideout seven years ago he didn't like him. This random ten year old kid had shown up out of nowhere, bombs strapped to his chest, demanding to be let into the gang.

He looked at the kid in front of him as he lit up a cigarette, quickly patting out the flames on his shoulder leaving behind a few singed feathers. He felt an uneasy knot twist in his stomach. It unsettled him how this child bared a striking resemblance to his brother in their younger years. He had the same look in his eyes, the same hatred for the world.

Before Law could react Corazon had swiftly lifted him by his shirt and tossed him out the window onto the piles of junk. Maybe he would leave like the other children. Doffy was a cruel man, and if Cora had any say in it Baby 5, Buffalo, Dellinger, and now Law would be long gone, far out of his reach.

When Law revealed he had escaped his hometown in a pile of corpses Cora barely managed to keep a neutral look on his face. He knew of Fleavance and what had happened there, both because of being in the Donquixote gang and being an undercover marine. That night he went through so many cigarettes he was surprised his lungs didn't collapse as he lifted a shaky hand to light another.

He watched the boy carefully as he realized he hadn't ratted him out for stabbing him. Saw the faint look of surprise as he stole glances at him before turning away. Corazon inwardly cringed as his brother welcomed Law into the gang.

He didn't pick on him nearly as much as he mostly watched over him. As the months passed the white patches on his skin grew and Law's health slowly declined. Doffy promised to look for a cure for the Amber Lead Disease but to Cora it looked like he was more interested in Law's skill as a surgeon. For the first year of his stay Law was the family's doctor, operating on bullet wounds or patching up Baby 5 when she scraped up her knees after a nasty fall. Even begrudgingly caring for Corazon's arm after it had gotten sliced open after he fell and cut it on a sharp piece of metal that was sticking out of the side of a building. Needless to say the building was reduced to ashes by the end of the night.

However Law's extensive knowledge of the human body would eventually no longer be used just for saving lives.

Cora wasn't there the first time Doffy, in his own words, made 'good use' of Law's skills, only arriving right after the fact. He called him a prodigy and proudly bragged about him to Cora as he roughly rubbed his hand through the kid's hair in mock affection—his hat nowhere to be seen. Cora only heard snippets about how his brother had gotten the information he wanted as he looked at the kid in front of him. The white patches on his skin contrasted with the dark red that stained his hands and arms.

He knew the reason Law had joined was because he was angry. Angry at the world and the government for massacring his family and burning down everything he had loved. He wanted revenge on the people who stole his very life away from him. But this... This was too much. It was way more than what he bargained for and Cora chided himself for not doing something more. To try harder to get him to leave before it got to this point.

Baby 5, Buffalo, and Dellinger had been 'saved' by Doflamingo and were undeniably loyal to him, but Law seemed to harbor no such feelings towards him having joined of his own will. Because of this, Corazon suspected, he was more afraid of him than anything. Having nowhere to run after the massacre in Flevance and being looked at in fear because of his disease he must have thought this was his best bet at living. At least here he would have a roof over his head and food on the table.

However nothing comes without a price. With the expanding influence of the Donquixote Family Law knew he couldn't run. He was already in too deep. Doflamingo had full control over him like he was a puppet on strings, forced to bend to his will and made to do his bidding. And Law had never felt so powerless in his life. It brought him back to the worst night of his life, as he watched his friends and his entire family die and his once beautiful city be engulfed in flames.

For probably the first time since Cora first saw him Law looked scared, as if he just realized what he had gotten himself into. He trembled under the weight of Doffy's hand on his head, not even daring to look up at the taller man. If Cora looked closely he could see a streak of blood on the boy's cheek.

Doflamingo must have noticed his lack of interest, something only he himself could get away with as his brother, and suddenly announced he would be retiring to his room for the night. Cora nodded, taking care to stay quiet lest he blow his cover. Doffy's heavy footsteps echoed through the hall and after a minute or two the sound disappeared though neither Law nor Corazon made any move to leave.

Cora had an image to keep up. An image that he was a man of violence, that he hated kids, and that he didn't act on his emotions. It was almost painful holding himself back from wrapping Law in his arms and hiding him from the world, from everyone and everything that tried to hurt him. But Corazon had a mission. No matter how he felt, if he showed any amount of affection for the boy and it got back around to Doffy everything he had been working for for years could go down the drain and he couldn't take that risk.

He took a quick glance around and figured everyone must have been in bed at this point. Even if he couldn't care for him he would have to settle for this. He reached him in two quick steps, bringing his arm and settling his hand on the top of his head. He carefully rubbed his hand through his hair a few times, hoping the touch was comforting instead of the harsh petting from his brother.

Law flinched at his touch, breaking out of his stupor and looking up at him confusedly. "...Corazon..?" Keeping a neutral face, the taller man looked down at him.

The touch was gone as quickly as it came. Cora retracted his hand as he made his way past him, intending to return to his own room and get his emotions in check before he did something stupid. Before he could however, he felt a tug on the leg of his pants and quickly turned to see Law. He had such a hopeful look in his eyes before he froze, pulled his hand back, and looked down. Like he had grabbed Corazon without meaning to, and the older man thought he actually looked his age for the first time since he's met him.

And god he looked so sad, so small and vulnerable that Cora's already crumbling resolve came crashing down in mere seconds. The mission and Sengoku be damned—he couldn't leave Law like this. Without thinking he swiftly picked Law up in his arms and made his way to his room. The family had recently moved to an estate giving everyone their own rooms, Cora's thankfully being on the opposite side of the building from his brother and mostly everyone else.

Most of the others had wanted rooms as close to Doffy as they could be, weirdly enough. Though there were two people who shared that side of the house with him. Pica had taken the room at the other end of the hall from him but he kept to himself and didn't bother Cora. The other one was Law who occupied the room right across the hall, a decision which was made by Doffy. Corazon wasn't sure if he just thought he was being funny or if he had suspected something, since he didn't give a reason for his actions.

Law stiffened as soon as Cora picked him up and started struggling in his arms. "What are you doing Corazon!? Let me go you bastard!" He quickly put a large hand over the boy's mouth and noting the way his eyes became wet with unshed tears.

He noticeably calmed down as Cora put his finger on his lips to signal him to be quiet, begrudgingly obeying but still annoyed nonetheless. Despite Cora's large frame and the strength he gained from being a marine and gang member, Law felt small in his arms. Almost too small.

He knew part of it had to be the Amber Lead stunting his growth and slowly eroding his body from the inside making him way smaller than an twelve year old boy should be. His body was light, devoid of any healthy weight. Cora figured most of his energy went to simply trying to stay alive and the fact that Law barely ate at mealtime certainly wasn't helping.

Cora locked the door behind him as soon as he walked into his room, not that anyone would bother him this late at night but it gave him slight peace of mind. Without any warning he dropped the younger boy on the bed before walking to his small private bathroom, a privilege given only to Doffy and his executives. He expected to hear protests from being put down so roughly, expected the angry, bitter tone that usually came with whatever left the boy's mouth but instead he didn't hear anything.

As he looked back at him he couldn't help but flinch at the clouded look in his eyes. Corazon could tell that his mind was no longer in the present and he imagined the images of what had happened in the recent hours plagued his thoughts. It was a feeling he knew all too well.

It wasn't until Cora had stepped out of the bathroom and made his way towards him that he suddenly snapped back into reality, turning to look at him with cautious eyes and a scowl on his face. He curled into himself like he thought the older man would hurt him, throw him outside like he had in the past. But Corazon had no such intentions, at least not anymore.

The closer he got the more Law tensed. He looked as if he was a scared and wounded animal and Cora had to wonder if Law was actually seeing him or not. What had Doffy done to this boy when he wasn't around? It was times like these that he wished he didn't look so much like his older brother.

When he finally reached the younger boy he crouched down in front of him, a warm washcloth in one hand as he held out his other, gesturing for his arm. The blood on his arms had started to crust and flake off by this point. Law just stared at him, looking between his outstretched hand and his face. Cora supposed he couldn't blame him for looking so confused after he had hurt him so many times in the past, even if he had his reasons.

Though Corazon was a patient man. He would wait as long as he needed to. He's been a spy in his brother's gang for years as a mute in an attempt to stop his madness, this was nothing compared to that. As the minutes passed Law's breathing slowed and he simply frowned at the man in front of him. Finally, albeit hesitantly, he let Cora take him arm and as gently as he could started wiping him clean of the blood. The washcloth had now gone cold but Law didn't seem to mind, even as it was quickly dyed red.

Once his arms and hands were clean he lifted his free hand to Law's face, feeling a pang in his heart when the boy flinched away from his touch but ultimately allowing it. One hand held him steady while the other wiped the blood off the side of his face. It took everything in him not to coo at how his face scrunched up in annoyance.

Once he was done Cora simply dropped the rag in a basket in the corner of the room and held out a hand motioning for Law to stay put. He didn't respond in any way but Corazon figured he had gotten his message across and walked out of the room and across the hall. Since he was so graciously letting the boy stay with him for the night he figured he get him some clean clothes, preferably not stained with blood.

Law's room wasn't that big, as were all the kid's rooms, but it was neat. He didn't have much save for a few medical books Doffy had bought (stole) for him, a closet that was about half full, and a small plush polar bear that Baby 5 had insisted he have. Cora figured the girl felt bad for him after knowing what he's been through but he was surprised to find that he hadn't thrown it out.

Corazon quickly grabbed what he was looking for but before he could leave something on the desk caught his eye. He didn't mean to snoop but really, it was Law's fault for having it opened for anyone to see, even if this was his personal room. On the desk was a sketchbook opened to what Cora assumed to be the most recent drawing. It wasn't a full picture, just different sketches throughout the page. They were good, really good. The type of good that came with a lot of practice.

It had to be the influence of his extensive medical knowledge and the time he spent bent over medical books for the detailed drawings of hearts, skulls and skeletons, and anything relating to the human anatomy, occasionally animal. He figured most people would be creeped out by the drawings but Cora thought they were fascinating. It wasn't anything gory, and if Cora didn't know any better he would think they were pictures straight from medical textbooks.

He stole a quick glance to the door before turning back to the sketchbook and started flipping through the pages. Most of the pages were scattered sketches and he ended up landing on a full page picture of a heart with little notes surrounding it, naming the different parts it.

There were multiple pages like that, some being repeats of the same thing and it left Cora to wonder if this is how the boy relieved his stress. Drawing and then labeling like he would forget if he didn't, grounding himself in what he knew. Like even if everything around him changed the knowledge he had wouldn't.

It didn't take him more than a few seconds to come to a decision before he quickly closed and picked the sketchbook up in his hands as well as the pencil sitting beside it as he left the room. If this was his way of relieving his stress than Cora figured he would want it now more than anything. He was sure Law would forgive him for looking through it. Maybe.

When Corazon walked back into the room he found Law standing in front of his bookshelf, unmoving. He must have gone over to find something to read but had spaced out in the middle of doing so. As soon as the door clicked in place he jumped, startled by the noise and turned around. His eyes lit up at the sight of the sketchbook in Cora's hand before looking up at the man and scowling.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long." He took the book and clothes from Cora's hands. "Did you look through it?"

He blinked, knowing he had been caught and held his hands up in surrender. Law clicked his tongue in annoyance but didn't say anything else. Cora made his way past him and onto the small balcony attached to his room that overlooked the town in the distance.

After the third try his lighter flickered to life as he lit the end of his cigarette, taking a deep drag. What was he doing? This was the worst plan he's had in a long time—not to mention he was also putting Law in danger in doing so.

He stole a glance back into the room where Law now sat at the foot of his bed with his back against the wall, sketchbook in his lap. As if he had sensed that he was being watched he looked up at Corazon and his face settled into a small glare.

He turned back around, putting out the end of his cig and promptly lit another. He didn't necessarily regret it, just knew he would have hell to pay if he was found out because of it.

After finishing his third cigarette he finally headed back inside. Law cautiously followed his movements as he made his way around his room—plucking a book from his shelf and settling in against his headboard.

Over the next hour or so the only things that could be heard was the sound of pencil scratching on paper and the quiet noise of pages turning. Eventually Cora noticed Law had started to doze off while sitting up. It wasn't that surprising considering what his brother had forced him to do. The boy must have been exhausted.

Cora shifted slightly, startling the boy back into reality. At this he pulled back the covers beside him, gesturing for the boy to lie down.

He shook his head. "I'm fine."

Why did this kid have to be so stubborn? The older man sighed and put his book to the side before standing up and walking to where Law was. He made quick work of picking him up—ignoring the way he struggled in his arms, plopping him down where the covers were pulled back, and returning to his previous spot on the bed.

Law shot up. "I said I was fine!"

Cora looked at him with a blank stare before pushing him to lie down and pulling the covers over him. Once again tuning out the boy's protests he simply picked his book back up and continued reading.

Law simply huffed and turned over on his side but he didn't relax whatsoever. Before he could stop himself Cora reached out a hand, running it through the boy's hair. His body flinched in surprise but as he continued he finally started to relax.

It wasn't even ten minutes later that his breaths had evened out and he had finally fallen asleep. When Cora removed his hand Law grumbled under his breath and turned to his other side. He looked so young, so vulnerable. Without the scowl on his face he actually looked like a child.

This was such a bad idea. He could already feel himself getting attached to the boy beside him as he brought his hand back to the top of his head. What was he going to do?

After that night Cora made a promise to himself not to leave Law alone. The next time Doffy wanted to use Law's skills he stayed with him through it under the guise that he wanted to see his skills in action—lest his brother become suspicious of his growing affection for the boy. After it was over and Doffy had returned to his own work Cora did the same thing as before, though Law was a lot more willing this time around. He cleaned him up, brought him his sketchbook, and then put him to bed after he had enough of drawing.

He did this every time after as well. They didn't talk about it—didn't have to.

Two months after the first time it had been a regular day, nothing too crazy had happened. Corazon had just gotten ready to finally somewhat relax for the night and was making a grab for his box of cigarettes when he heard a knock on his door, falling to the ground in surprise. Confused as to who could be bothering him this late he cautiously opened the door but was surprised to see Law, sketchbook in hand. His eyes were red and glossy, dried tear tracks stained his cheeks and Corazon figured it must've been the result of a nightmare.

Corazon let him in without a word and Law took up his usual space at the foot of the bed and got to work on his sketchbook. Cora returned to grabbing a cigarette and heading out to the balcony. Not long after he felt a presence at his side and looked down to see the young boy standing beside him, Law looked back up at him.

"You know those are bad for you right?"

They never really talked when they were together, he himself not being able to for obvious reasons. But even then, Law didn't seem like the conversation type in the first place.

He nodded, taking another drag of his cigarette.

The boy also nodded, seemingly lost in thought as he looked over the balcony before speaking again. "Don't expect me to take care of you when your lungs eventually collapse."

Cora paused, looking down at the other in surprise. It seemed as if this was Law's roundabout way of telling him to quit smoking, and the older man couldn't find it any funnier. His body shook in silent mirth. He reached down and rubbed a hand through the smaller boys hair before taking one last drag of the already half gone cigarette, putting it out on the ashtray.

If Law told him to quit smoking then who was he to deny him?

As the months passed Law found it easier every time Doflamingo took advantage of his skills. At one point he thought he was losing his mind. Why was it easier now? Why was he getting used to the feeling of a bloody scalpel in his hands and the screams of pain in his ears? He didn't want to do this. Sure, he wanted revenge on the people who had stolen everything from him but this and that were two separate things.

That was people who only cared about the green in their pockets. That was politicians who didn't give a damn about other people. That was a tragedy that could've easily been prevented but they were too selfish to try and help.

But this... This was innocent people. Granted some of them weren't that great but some just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their crimes, as Doflamingo would tell him, was getting in his way. Whether that be from ripping him off on a deal or simply bumping into him on the street. Law was made to 'punish' the majority of them.

It was around this time that Law found himself sleeping in Corazon's room more often than not. He still hated him, still thought he was a dumbass but something about the man's presence calmed him. Even if it was in the middle of the night when Law knocked on his door he would still let him in with a soft smile and held him until he stopped thinking about all of the bad things he's done against his will. Until the guilt lessened and he could sleep without the memories plaguing his dreams.

However one night was different. Corazon had been awake for a while, reading one of his books as he waited for the soft knocks on his door. It had become a nightly routine now. They acted distant and cold during the day as to not tip off Doffy but when nighttime hit Law would knock on his door and Cora would let him in as they both tried to escape the memories from the past, finding comfort in the other's presence.

Sometimes Law would sit in his spot at the end of the bed and study or draw in his sketchbook, begrudgingly showing Cora after he looked at him with pleading eyes. Other times he would allow Cora to wrap an arm around his small frame as they read together.

Cora didn't even try to deny to himself anymore that he had come to love the boy as if he was his son. He wanted to take Law away, far away from this place and out of reach from his brother. He just didn't know how.

But he also had a mission to complete. If he didn't then a lot more people would end up getting hurt and he couldn't have that. Doffy had to be taken down and it felt like Cora's responsibility to be the one to do it as his younger brother.

He tore his gaze away from the book he was no longer reading and looked down at his phone. It was already past one in the morning and Law still hadn't come. Corazon felt a pit drop in his stomach. By all accounts Law probably had just fallen asleep in his own room but the older man had a bad feeling. His fingers twitched, feeling the need to grab one of his cigarettes if only to ease the heavy feeling in his chest.

By the time the clock had hit one thirty Cora couldn't take it anymore. He threw the blankets off of his legs and hastily made his way towards the door. He had to be overreacting, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to check on him.

He took a glance down the hallway, making sure no one else was around and as quietly as he could, opened the door the Law's room. As he flipped on the dim light he didn't even need to move to see why the boy hadn't come.

"Law!"

In the middle of the room lay Law as if he had suddenly collapsed. In the the low light Cora could make out his flushed face, his breath coming in harsh pants. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked like he was in pain. Cora quickly made his way to the boy, wrapping him in his arms.

"Law! You-" His voice was scratchy as he hadn't spoken in who knows how long.

Law was dying. He had been for the past two years and Cora felt like an idiot. He wanted to help Law? Yeah right. He could've helped him by taking him and leaving two years ago. Could've helped him by standing up to his brother and pushed him to find a cure. He could've helped by never allowing him to join the gang in the first place.

Law suddenly stirred as Cora fussed over him. "...Cora...zon..?" Just speaking had sent the boy into a violent coughing fit.

Corazon had a choice to make. Continue his undercover mission to take down his brother's gang or throw away everything he's been working towards for years in an attempt to save this boy who had almost a ghost of a chance of surviving until they found a cure. He knew what the logical decision would be, but when Law was suddenly coughing up blood—staining his shirt red he knew what he had to do.

Two bags and one note later they were gone. Doflamingo had been away for business and wouldn't be back until the morning so leaving was easier than anticipated. Cora laid Law in the backseat of his car and they left—not before triple checking for trackers. Doffy may trust Corazon but he was nothing if not cautious about everyone and everything.

As he drove Law's sudden fit had calmed as he slept somewhat peacefully. He knew what he had to do now, no matter how much he was dreading it as he picked up his phone and dialed the number he's had memorized for years. He wasn't surprised that the other man was awake this late into the night—probably elbow deep into paperwork.

"Crackers."

"Cookies. It's me."

"Ah, Rosinante. It's been a while, is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Listen, I need to leave my duty for a while."

"Running into trouble?"

He glanced in the rearview mirror at the sleeping boy. "Just a personal matter..."

They talked for a few minutes more as the other man asked about the other children and any minor updates before the line went dead. Moments later there was shuffling from the backseat.

"Corazon?"

He quickly glanced back at him. "Law, are you-"

"Since when could you talk?" He snapped at him.

"Since always."

"So you've been lying to Doflamingo this whole time?"

"I never indicated to anyone that I couldn't speak. That's just how they interpretated it."

"That's no better than lying to everyone about it." As annoyed as he was he still climbed into the front seat beside Cora and watched as the scenery flew by. "Where are we going?"

"To find a cure for you. We'll go to every hospital."

Corazon was surprised at the speed that Law whipped his head around to him—looking almost panicked. "What?! No! I told you, I can't be cured!"

He looked at the boy beside him. "You don't know that."

"I do know. That why the government killed everyone right?"

Cora's grip on the wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white as a sense of guilt settled in his chest. He may have not had anything to do with the massacre of Flevance but he was still apart of the organization that was responsible.

"We won't know until we try."

At that Law seemed to drop the subject. "And after? Are you gonna take me back to Doflamingo?"

"No." Cora quickly said. "You're not going back to that man. Not if I have any say in it." He mumbled the last part but Law still heard it.

"...Why?"

He knew the question was coming but was still unprepared when faced with it. Though, he figured Law deserved to know so he told him. He told him about the cruel man his brother was and how he had always been that way—ever since they were children. Told him about how he had lost his own mother to sickness but left out the part about Doffy killing their father in cold blood.

At the end of it Law turned to him with a small glare. "And? You said something about your duty earlier. You're not a marine, are you?"

He looked over at the boy beside him before turning his gaze back to the road ahead. "Heard that did you? No, I'm not a military man."

Law looked unconvinced but didn't say anymore about it, eventually falling asleep again and leaving Cora to his thoughts. Before morning hit he turned his phone off suspecting Doffy would soon be blowing it up and he wasn't really keen on speaking with the man anytime soon.

By early afternoon they arrived at the first hospital. Law was refusing to even get out of the car but Corazon had no problem picking him up by his shirt and carrying him that way. He was spitting curses at him the whole time but was ultimately ignored as they made their way inside.

When they eventually made it into the room with the doctor he already had a bad feeling as the doctor roamed his eyes suspiciously over Law's skin. Cora pushed the feeling aside and took the initiative to talk to him.

"Wh-White Lead Disease?!"

"It's been long enough hasn't it? Haven't they come up with a medicine for it?"

The doctor ignored his question, no longer looking at him. "M-Might I ask where you're from?"

The boy in question looked away. "The White Town, Flevance."

Both the doctor and the nurse suddenly yelled out in terror. "I'm gonna get infected!" The nurse shrieked.

The doctor turned and very non-discreetly started barking orders at the nurse. "Hurry! G-Get some disinfectant and gloves... And gas masks!! Also call security and the government!! Hurry!!"

"FORGET IT!"

"Wha- Law!" The boy had jumped from his chair and ran towards the exit.

"See?! I'm not even human anymore!!" His voice broke.

Cora couldn't form words. What the fuck. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. Even in his worst case scenario it hadn't turned out like this. The only words he could hear over the sound of his own ears ringing was 'monster' and 'creature'. What was wrong with these people? His anger finally reached a boiling point and he swiftly punched the bastard in the face.

He quickly ran after Law and picked the boy up in his arms as he made his way back to the car. "Screw that hospital!" He looked down at Law who had been trying to stifle his cries. "Sorry... Did that bring up too many memories?"

"I told you I didn't wanna go to a hospital!" He sobbed.

"But the next doctor's gonna be better!"

"Nooo!!"

Two days later they were at another hospital. This one hadn't been much better than the first.

"White Lead Disease?!! Someone come quick! It's a survivor of White Town!! He has white patches on his skin!!" Cora set the room on fire.

"Next!! The next one will help you!"

"Enough already! I don't wanna go!!"

And so they went to another hospital.

"Why didn't the marines finish exterminating the survivors of Flevance?!!"

And another.

"Ewww we'll catch it!! Go away, you filthy thing!"

Another.

"White Lead Disease?! Bar the doors before they get inside!!"

Two months later Cora was walking away from another burning hospital as he carried Law on his back. They had been rejected so many times that he had started to lose count.

"Corazon..." His voice broke as he cried. "I'm not getting any better... I'm getting worse..."

Law was right. He had started to get sick more often and took longer to return to normal. His chest constricted painfully but quickly pushed those feelings away.

"Don't give up yet! The next time's the charm!"

The next time was not the charm—nor was any time after that. It had now been six months since they left and Law had already fallen to in their dingy little motel room that he had gotten.

"What am I doing?" He knew he was talking to no one but himself but couldn't bring himself to care as he drowned his thoughts in alcohol. "The kid was born into a town of tragedy... Instead of helping him all I've done is make him relive the horror over and over again."

He stood on the tiny balcony attached to the room, appreciating the wind blowing through his hair—though it did nothing to sober him up after he finished the bottle. "All I'm doing is feeling sympathy for a dumb kid who's known nothing but pain..." He turned to look back at Law before making his way over to him.

"When I heard the little brat say he was going to die I just couldn't take it..." He pulled the thin blankets up to his shoulders and couldn't help but get choked up. "Even though you stabbed me back then you brat... It didn't hurt at all! I know you were the one in pain... I'm sorry Law..."

Cora moved to return to the balcony so he could calm down—not before tripping over his own feet and falling to the floor. In his drunken haze he failed to realize that Law had been awake and heard every word.

"Hey, Cora! Cora wake up!!" He shot up from his bed in surprise. "What's with that face?!"

"You... You called me Cora."

"Don't be weird about it! Just answer your damn phone!" He scowled.

Cora's giddy feeling immediately vanished as he picked up the phone, instantly recognizing the number as belonging to his brother. He signaled to Law to stay quiet before setting the phone on the bedside table and answering it.

"It's me... Is that you Corazon?" Law felt a chill up his spine as Cora tapped on the table three times, loud enough for Doflamingo to hear. "It's been six months since the two of you left. Is Law there with you?" Three taps. "I see! Well, I'm glad to hear you're both alright! You find any good doctors yet?" Two taps. "Didn't think so."

He continued. "Well I may have just found the solution to our little problem." Law could hear the sneer in his voice. "That bastard Roger had been sick for years before his execution. His condition was incurable but he would've died years earlier if it wasn't for his doctor." He let out a short laugh. "I mean the bastard did what no other doctor had been able to do for decades! I wish I had known about him before." Law was almost offended.

Cora tapped the table three times, signaling for him to continue. "His name is Crocus. Been hiding out in Twin Capes ever since Roger died. If anyone has a chance of saving the brat it's him. Bring him with you when you come back, I'll put his old ass out of retirement."

"Oh, and one more thing." Cora had went to end the call but stopped. Though looking back he wished he did. "Tell Law I have plenty of 'patients' waiting for him when he gets back." The line went dead.

Law visibly wilted at his words but Cora quickly picked him up in his arms. "Don't listen to him. You aren't going back to that man as long as I can help it." He spun him around. "Be happy Law! If we get you to Crocus he can cure you! This is great news!"

He looked to the side, unconvinced. "I bet he'll be just like the rest."

Cora smiled wide. "It's worth a shot."

Chapter Text

Cora suddenly remembered hearing the name Crocus years ago in his commander days and made for his phone, setting Law down and stepping out on the small balcony. "Crackers."

"Cookies. It's me"

"Rosinante it's been so long!" He heard someone else in the background. "Garp! Get outta here for a bit!" His adopted father and Hero of the Marines, Monkey D. Garp, argued back and forth for a minute.

Cora had met him a few times before and had always been slightly intimidated by him, despite being taller than the man. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a door slam. "Is the coast clear?"

"My apologies, go ahead."

There was still yelling, though muffled this time. "What do you know about the man named Crocus."

Sengoku choked. "How.. How do you know about him?"

"Doflamingo knows about him. He's planning on making him join the Donquixote Gang. I need to get to him first." He kept it short, not wanting to tell him everything just yet.

He heard a sigh from the other end. "I knew Crocus before he joined Roger. He had saved mine and some of my fellow Marine's lives years ago. When we were looking for the rest of Roger's crew after his execution Crocus wasn't as well known like the others so he was able to slip through the cracks, hiding out until people forgot all about them. Only me and a handful of others know of his whereabouts. He hasn't caused any trouble since so I've just let him be."

Cora thought for a moment. "Doffy told me to bring him back with me but knowing him it won't be that simple. He's probably planning to go there himself and take all three of us back at the same time."

"Three?"

He ignored him. "It'll take Doflamingo at least three weeks to arrive. Hopefully it'll be long enough."

"...Understood. We'll lie in wait and round up the entire Donquixote Family all at once! By that time you need to be away from that place. I don't know what you need from him but don't be reckless."

"Yeah... I won't." He hung up the call and turned to go back inside but what he saw brought tears to his eyes. "LAW!" The young boy had collapsed again and Cora instantly knew this time was different than the previous ones. "Hey! Snap out of it! Dammit we're so close!" He hurriedly picked him up and headed to his car. "Just a little bit longer. Stay alive just a little longer."

Two days later and they had arrived in Twin Capes. Law had only waken up a handful of times, just long enough for Cora to make him eat—barely being able to keep it down, before he passed out again into a fitful sleep. Despite trying to quit he went through almost an entire pack of cigarettes on the way there. He felt a bit of shame but it was the only thing keeping him from breaking down entirely.

He approached a run down shack on the edge of the water. Before he could even get close to the door it suddenly swung open revealing an older man in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt that definitely did not match. He merely looked at Cora before making his way to the edge of the water, sitting in a beach chair, and opening his newspaper.

"...What does the government want with me?"

Cora flinched back. "How did you..."

"...Oh please, I know who you are Marine Commander Rosinante... Your father does nothing but talk about you on his occasional visits." He looked up from his newspaper. "So?" 

He took a deep breath. "You're a doctor right? Can you help him?" He gestured to the boy in his arms who was sleeping.

Crocus looked at him before turning back to the newspaper in his hand. "...Not anymore. Haven't been one since Roger died... There's a hospital a few hours away, you should try going there."

He felt a flicker of anger but pushed it down. "Doflamingo is after you. He knows where you are and if my gut is right he'll be here in less than three weeks. I can stop him but I need you to save Law. No hospital will help him. Trust me I've tried." He hoped that would be enough but the older man turned to him with a calculating gaze. "He wants you to join him but you don't seem like the type. He'll kill you."

"...You're right. Even I've heard the rumors about that man." It took a while for him to continue, as if he was thinking about what to do. "...What's wrong with the brat?"

"White Lead Disease." He said simply.

This seemed to startle the man a bit, his eyes widening in surprise. "...Bring him inside." 

Cora quickly followed the man inside and laid Law on the bed like Crocus told him to. 

"...I thought everyone who had it was wiped out." Crocus started as he was going through his cabinets and pulling out all kinds of different things.

Cora sat down on the bed beside Law. "He was the only one who survived." He looked up as the man started to mix up different things, crushing it into a powder. "You know how to cure him?"

He let out a short laugh. "...Of course I do. If those government bastards got their minds out of those stupid fantasies and took a closer look it's simple. Amber Lead is a poison—not a sickness. Similar to cadmium and arsenic in the way it operates." He looked almost amused. "...Though it's different in it's own ways, it's shouldn't be too difficult to cure—if you know what you're doing."

As Cora listened to the man he let out a shaky breath. If it was this easy to cure then all of Law's suffering has been for nothing. Law should be living freely with his parents and little sister. It was all the government's fault. This could've been prevented and so easily. All of those people killed and for what? Cora swore to himself that whenever Law got better he would do everything in his power to make him happy, he at least deserved that much.

Over the next few days Law was already improving. His fever had gone down and was now able to eat his meals without throwing it all back up. The white patches never left his skin however and Cora suspected they wouldn't—serving as a painful reminder of his past for the rest of his life.

More than once Cora had wrapped his arms around Law as he sobbed and told him how grateful and happy he was about him returning to health. The young boy acted annoyed and distant but ultimately allowed the man to do what he wanted—not really having the energy to resist anyways.

Over the next couple weeks Law slowly but surely improved. As he slept Cora and Crocus talked about the plans regarding Doflamingo. There was still another four days until he should be arriving and made plans to leave at night the day after tomorrow. It would give them enough time to get everything they needed and for Cora to contact Sengoku and inform him. They thought they were being cautious.

But unfortunately one could never be cautious enough when it came to Doflamingo.

The next day as the sun begin to set Cora suddenly came bursting into the shack where Law and Crocus had been talking. The former marine had been out buying food for the three of them but had returned empty handed with a look of sheer panic on his face. 

"You have to hide now. I was stupid, I thought we had more time. He'll be here any minute. You have to hide." His voice cracked.

Crocus seemed to immediately understand the gravity of the situation. "Damn it. I had hoped we wouldn't have to use this but it seems we don't have a choice." He made his way to the middle of the kitchen and started feeling around along the floor. He seemed to find what he was looking for as he pulled up a few of the floorboards, revealing a ladder that in Cora's opinion, looked like it would give out with the first step. 

"Convenient." He muttered and turned to Law, crouching down to his level. "I have a request of you." He pulled out a small container with a lock on it and handed it to Law. "I know you don't like them but if you see a marine give them this. Any marine will know what this is right away. This little tube can save a kingdom called Dressrosa."

Law took the container but looked back up at the man with a worried look. "What about you?"

Cora smiled. "Don't be silly. Doffy wants you and Crocus. I'm his brother—his blood. He'll surely be furious with me... But he won't kill me. Whatever you do, don't make a sound. I can't risk him taking you back with him. When he's gone, slip away and we'll meet up later."

Law nodded and went to follow Crocus who helped him down the ladder. It wasn't so much as a room as it was just a hole in the ground that was as big as the kitchen. "Hey Law." The boy in question looked up to where Cora was crouching above the ladder. He looked at Law with a big, goofy smile. "I love you." Without even giving him a chance to reply he replaced the floorboards which Law found a bit funny.

There were small cracks in the floor that Law could vaguely see through. Now all they had to do was wait.

No more than five minutes later the door was suddenly kicked in and to Law's horror two gunshots rang through the air. The smell of gunpowder stung his nose as he heard a thud and the pained grunts coming from the man who had saved his life.

"Corazon! Why did you fool us into thinking you couldn't speak?!" Law recognized the voice as Gladius. 

Cora let out a short laugh. "Because I have nothing to say to someone like you."

This resulted in what Law could only assume as them beating the man. "How dare you make a fool of the young master!!"

There was suddenly another voice. "Don't overdo it Gladius or else you'll kill him before the young master arrives." There was a pause. "Here he comes."

Law almost yelled when a hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed. He looked over to Crocus who merely nodded at him and pulled him into his side. There was the sound of a lighter flickering to life and the faint smell of smoke. 

'This asshole is smoking at the worst time.' Law thought to himself as Cora let out a wheeze.

Clack, clack, clack...

He felt a shiver up his spine when the third voice came in and it was one he could never forget. "It's been half a year, Corazon." He caught a glimpse of the man through the floorboard and heard the click of a gun, but it wasn't Doflamingo's.

"Marine code 01746... Marine HQ Commander Rosinante. Doflamingo, head of the Donquixote Family. I infiltrated your group.." He gasped in pain. "..In order to prevent the atrocities you've planned." There was a sudden banging where Cora had hit the floor twice, garnering Law's attention. "I'm sorry for lying! I just didn't want you to hate me..."

What? Why was he bringing that up now? Law already knew that ages ago. He wasn't exactly subtle about it.

"Enough with your jokes." Doffy hissed. "I knew something was up when suddenly we weren't being constantly found by the marines after you left. Looks like my suspicion was correct. I have two questions. Where is that old bastard Crocus? And where is Law?"

"Crocus has already cured Law. By now they'll both be under the protection of the marines. You can't have them." 

There was a pause as Doflamingo turned to the others in the room. "We have to make sure, prepare to return. If that's true we'll kill every last one of them and take him back." Everyone except Doffy left leaving the two brothers.

"Don't bother. Why would you go after him?" Law knew they were no longer talking about Crocus.

He let out a short laugh. "What am I going to do with Law? Well, if he's already cured then I need my little surgeon of death back. The brat has talent and I'll make him into the new Corazon. Besides, he'll never be able to live a normal life. His hands are stained, death follows him wherever he goes." He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You just had to go and screw everything up!! Why did you come back just to mess with me Rosinante!! Why must I be forced to kill my family not once, but twice?!!"

The breath caught in Law's throat. Kill? But Cora said he wouldn't do that. This isn't what he said would happen. He said he wouldn't kill him. Law's eyes became wet with tears.

"Oh please, you can't shoot me. You took too much after our father."

"Law's not going to go back with you Doffy. His overcame his fate—that he would die in three years! He's not the same kid he was when he joined the gang years ago." Cora looked up at him defiantly. "He has nothing to gain from you. Just let him go! He's free from you!"

Hot tears rolled down his cheeks freely now and-

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

There was a sudden hand around his mouth, pulling him back. As he whipped his head around he found Crocus with a pained look. He tried to hold it back. He really did but he couldn't help the quiet sniffles as he sobbed, the hand never leaving his mouth. 

He struggled and struggled against the hold on his body as he tried to get to Cora. He had to save him. If he couldn't then he could never call himself a doctor again. If he couldn't save his one person then how could he never live with himself.

Before he could do anything else there was suddenly yells from outside. Doflamingo cursed and left but the noises didn't stop.

"Not yet." Crocus whispered to him but Law didn't care as he suddenly broke away from his grasp and made his way up the ladder. "Hey! Kid!"

Law ignored him as he crawled out of the hole and made his way over to Cora. There was a wound in one leg, one in his left arm, and the other five in his chest. He was bleeding out and fast. They didn't have a lot of time. He blacked out as he instinctively went into doctor mode, barking orders at the other man who had came out after him. He knew the other man was a skilled doctor as well but didn't care. He was going to save Cora.

Even though Doflamingo had shot him five times none of the them were exactly fatal wounds—missing his vitals by mere millimeters. A fact that Law would've been wracking his brain over if he wasn't so busy trying to save his life at the moment.

The two of them worked together to quickly patch him up. "He's going into shock." Crocus suddenly said.

What was he supposed to do? He wasn't sure if his blood type was compatible with him. His thoughts were interrupted when an unfamiliar voice burst into the room.

"Rosinante!" The tall man had an afro with a braided goatee and was wearing a marine uniform. "Oh god. Is he going to be okay?" 

Crocus was the one who responded. "Not unless he gets blood and soon. He's lost too much."

Without hesitation the mystery man rolled up his sleeve. "Take mine. We're compatible."

At that Crocus immediately got moving, pulling stuff out of drawers at lightning speed. Law was mostly surprised at the amount of medical supplies despite him supposedly not being a doctor anymore. Though, he quickly pushed the thoughts away to assist him. 

Before he knew it they had moved Cora to the bed, Crocus grumbling about the blood everywhere, but to Law's relief he was stable. The two older men walked out for a while, leaving Law with Cora. 

As he watched his sleeping face he scowled. The man would have hell to pay when he woke up. If he thought he could lie to him and try to sacrifice himself then he had another thing coming. Law wasn't gonna allow him to do that even if he had to fight the grim reaper itself.

The two men eventually came back but Law paid no attention to them. "Thank you Crocus."

"...Don't mention it. Besides I couldn't let him die considering he's your son." He grumbled. 

At that, Law looked up only to find the other man already looking at him. "And thank you, young man. Might I ask for your name?"

Law glared at him and looked at the military decorations on his shoulder. This man was clearly one of the top dogs and the bitter feeling only grew. "...No." There was a momentary look of shock on his face before Crocus turned and said something to him that Law couldn't hear.

Though the man did call Cora his son. If this was someone Cora called family then surely he could be trusted, at least a little bit. He stood from where he was sitting beside the bed and made his way over to them. Wordlessly, he took the small container from his pocket and handed it to him before returning to his previous spot. 

A few moments later the man suddenly said he needed to make a call and headed outside. Over the next three days the man, who's name he now knew as Sengoku, stuck around. Though he tried multiple times to make conversation Law ignored him, causing him to whine to Crocus stating that kids usually liked him. However Law didn't care about him, couldn't. He sat in that chair the whole time and never left Cora's side, occasionally helping change his bandages. Sleep evaded him, the heavy feeling in his chest kept him awake and his appetite was almost nonexistent.

On the third day Crocus finally had enough of his moping and dragged him along with him to go shopping for food and more supplies stating that he needed to "get out" and "get some vitamin D", leaving Sengoku to watch over Cora. The whole trip took most of the day much to Law's distress and by the time they were walking back it was late into the afternoon. 

When Law finally pushed the door open he was exhausted, the pain in his legs reminding him of his nonexistent stamina. He instinctively drew his eyes to the bed where Cora was laying—or not? The bag he was holding slipped from his hands, landing on the floor with a loud thump and startling the two men who looked like they were deep in conversation.

"Law!" 

Cora was awake and sitting up in the bed and looking at him. He had thought about what he would say to him over these past three days but suddenly all the harsh words and bitter remarks died in his throat and he couldn't breathe. His vision had started to become blurry and all the hurt and worry that built up was suddenly spilling over. 

Cora held out his arms. "Come here you brat." 

Law's body reacted on its own as he ran to him and jumped in his arms. He heard a grunt of pain from the older man but couldn't bring himself to care as he was wrapped tightly in his embrace. Care was warm, and alive. 

But even as he was thankful that the man was okay that bitter, angry feeling started making itself known again. He was hurt, betrayed, or whatever you wanted to call it. 

"You!.. You asshole!" He pushed himself away to look at the older man, who looked surprised at Law's sudden outburst. "You lied to me! You said he wouldn't kill you!" He hit his fist against his chest causing Cora to flinch in pain. "You expected me to sit there and watch you die?! You were gonna make me watch another person I care about die?!!"

Sengoku suddenly held his hands out. "Oi, don't you think-"

Law cut him off. "Shut up!" He returned his glare to the man in front of him. Cora just sat there in stunned silence which made Law even more pissed. Why wasn't he saying anything? "Did you even think about how I would feel? Is all of this just a game to you?! Huh?! If you were gonna make me go through all of this—saving me and finding a cure, making me care about you, just to force me to watch you sacrifice yourself for me in the end... THEN I WOULD'VE RATHER DIED IN THAT PLACE!" 

Without giving him a chance to say anything he turned and fled the house, slamming the door on his way out. He knew he didn't mean it. But he just felt so angry. He refused to go through it again, the pain of watching your loved ones die, helpless to do anything. Cora was the only one he had left and he be damned if he lost him too.

Cora couldn't do anything but stare at the door where Law had just slammed it. He fucked up. He had that same look in his eyes from when they first met three years ago, so angry and hurt but this time Cora had been the one to make him look like that.

Crocus was the one who broke the silence first, standing in the kitchen as he was making something. "...The kid was really worried about you, you know? Didn't eat or sleep the entire time you were out. He never left your side." 

He hung his head in his hands. This kid was going to be the death of him, literally. He should've expected this. He knew the little brat was going to be angry, but didn't realize how bad it was going to hurt to have that anger directed at him. 

Cora suddenly threw the blankets off of himself and and attempted to stand when his legs immediately gave out. Sengoku thankfully caught him before he fell, the wound in his thigh making itself known. 

"Rosinante! You don't need to be moving around!" Sengoku yelled at his son. 

Cora merely shook his head, once again getting to his feet. If he grit his teeth it wasn't as bad, he could bear it. Cora didn't get far before Crocus loudly huffed in annoyance and made his way to a small closet before pulling out what look to be crutches and handed them to him.

He let out a short laugh but gratefully accepted them. "So much for not being a doctor anymore." The crutches were admittedly short but he could work with this. It was definitely better than nothing. 

The older man had simply ignored him and returned to the kitchen, grumbling under his breath. Slowly but surely Cora made his way outside. When he didn't immediately see Law he suddenly feared that the boy had run away. Though that fear quickly melted away when he heard the sound of quiet sniffles. He breathed a sigh of relief and followed the sound, leading him around to the other side of the small house where it overlooked the water.

That was where he found Law sitting with his arms wrapped tightly around his legs and his head buried into his knees. Cora didn't say anything as he sat down beside him, hanging his legs over the edge. 

"Law-"

"I'm sorry..."

He looked over to him in surprise. "...What?" For as long as Cora had known Law he had never heard him apologize to anyone, much less him.

"I'm sorry.." He looked up at the man and Cora was suddenly rethinking everything he had ever done to make Law look like this. "I didn't mean it... What I said... I just-" His voice broke with a sob. Cora immediately grabbed him, wrapping him up in his arms and ignoring the pain in his body as he did so. "Just... Don't leave me..." 

Law sobbed into his chest with unrestrained sorrow. He held him tight, rocking him back and forth in his arms as he cried. It was times like these that Cora was harshly reminded of how young he was. He was only a child, and yet it was as if he was cursed to live a life of misfortune.

"I'm sorry Law. I'm so sorry." All he could do was apologize. He didn't regret his decision, knowing if the situation arose again he would give his life for Law's in a heartbeat. Though he couldn't stop his own sobs as he held the boy. 

It wasn't until the sky was colored in deep purples and blues that Sengoku and Crocus came looking for the two of them. Law had fallen asleep in his lap—thankfully on the leg he hadn't been shot in, with his head resting on his chest. They were able to get inside without waking him up and after Cora ate a small dinner he laid beside him and soon went to sleep.

The next morning as they were having breakfast Sengoku had informed them that they had captured some of the members of the Donquixote gang but Doflamingo had been able to get away. They did have an advantage over them as they thought that Cora was dead. 

They had decided that when Crocus finished with their treatments Cora and Law would head for Swallow Island as he had an old friend living there that they could stay with for a while. Crocus had decided to stay here in Twin Capes saying that he doubted that Doflamingo would come back and brushing off Sengoku's warnings that it wasn't safe.

His, self appointed, grandfather had suggested that Cora officially adopt Law, stating that it would be difficult to much of anything since he wasn't his legal guardian. The boy in question was a little apprehensive since half of the time Flevance seemed like it was just yesterday.  He loved Cora but wasn't sure he was ready for something like that. He especially didn't think he could start calling him dad—even if that's how he had come to think of him.

Though, the man assured him that nothing had to change and that he would only be his father in the eyes of the government. He could treat him the same way he always has and at that Law finally agreed. Sengoku was quick with the paperwork and in a week Law was now Cora's legal son.

Three years later Law stood silently next Cora in their new kitchen as he helped unpack the dishes, almost being able to tune out his incessant rambling about the new school Law was starting at tomorrow. Corazon had saved Law and he owed him his life. But this was too much.

"Isn't it too risky?" Law finally turned to Cora, interrupting the man's sentence. "He's still looking for me, isn't he?" 

Even though about half of them had been caught the gang was very much still active and no doubt still looking for him. His grandfather had tried to reassure him but he couldn't just forget what they had done to him. There was no way they had given up on finding him that easily.

Sengoku was the former Fleet Admiral, having retired and was now the principal of Grand Line High. How those two connected he wasn't sure, but he had learned not to question things. He used his connections in both departments to get Law enrolled into school a week late and to get them a place in a safe neighborhood. Law figured he would now be seeing him a lot more regularly, whether that be at the school or at the unavoidable family dinners that would surely be happening. 

The house that Cora and Law were now staying at was one that technically Sengoku owned. Cora had planned to find them a place when they moved here but his grandfather had insisted. The house was way too big for just the two of them but who was Cora to say no to his father.

Cora looked at his son, a frown etched on his face. "You don't need to worry about Doflamingo. We're safe here." He wrapped an arm around him pulling him closer, the angle slightly awkward with Cora's monstrous height. "Besides this will be good for you. It'll get you out of the house and you'll be able to meet new people."

Law rolled his eyes and turned to lean into his side, his face buried into the taller man's shirt. "I still think online classes would be better Cora-ya."

Cora lifted his hand and ruffled his son's hair, effectively messing it up. "C'mon Law, it'll be fun! You'll be able to make friends and be a normal teenager for once."

"My life has been anything but normal since I was ten. I won't exactly fit in. And I have friends thank you very much." He grumbled that last part and Cora looked at him with almost pity.

"Law listen to me." He stopped and turned to look at the man noticing the look in his eyes. "You have been through so much more than any one person should go through in life, especially at your age. So, right now all you need to worry about is keeping your grades up and living your life as a normal teenager. Let me worry about my brother and everything else." He started to unpack the rest of the kitchen stuff.

That was easier said than done. The only thing Law could worry about was how he wasn't normal. A part of him hoped that maybe he could just keep to himself and no one would bother him but figured it probably wouldn't be that easy.

His thoughts were interrupted when Cora pulled out some pans while also knocking a few of the boxes to the floor. By the sound Law figures those must have been the plates. With a sigh and a rub to his temples he walked off to find the broom as Cora yells at him to stay away, lest he step on glass.

Later that night Law laid in his bed, dreading the next day. The sleep evaded him. The longer he laid there the more his anxieties rose. Law was very much the type of person who didn't care what other people thought of him. Well, he did care, but even so that wasn't going to stop him from doing what he wanted. Grand Line High was a big school with a lot of people, too many, in Law's humble opinion. And he was not looking forward to being stuck in the same building with a bunch of hormonal teenagers, just like himself. 

He was awkward and didn't have a lot of experience talking to other kids his age—none that were normal at least. There was Baby 5 but she didn't count, not really, considering they both grew up in the same gang, devoid of normal childhoods. On the other hand there were his friends Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo who he had met a few years ago. They were only together for about two years before Law and Cora had to leave, attempting to get as far away from Doflamingo as possible. He lay there scrolling through his old pictures as he thought of the time he spent with his friends.

While Law was doing online classes at the time the three of them weren't in school. Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo being orphaned and homeless, the latter two being labeled delinquents, had left them no way to enroll or even really take care of themselves for that matter. One day Law had found Bepo beaten and confronted Shachi and Penguin before patching up the albino boy. Two weeks later the two of them saw an explosion from the forest and found the other two badly hurt and quickly took them back to the small house Cora and Law were staying at.

They were staying with an old friend of Cora's named Wolf. He had let them stay with him on the condition that they worked for him.

As soon as Corazon had saw them he instantly panicked, falling on his face in surprise. Though he and Wolf quickly helped get them settled and assisted Law in operating on them, telling the men they likely wouldn't make it to the hospital. Cora didn't comment on the way the younger boy's eyes darkened at the mention of the hospital.

Shachi wasn't too hard to save with his expertise but if they had been any slower Penguin would've lost his arm, the both of them being left with nasty scars. Shachi's took up the left side of his stomach and part of his side while Penguin's reached up his arm and part of his shoulder, which still gave him a bit of trouble to this day.

After they had woken up they told Law the story of how they had lost their parents and had sent to live with Shachi's cruel aunt and uncle. Eventually they ran away and now lived in the forest. After a few days of talking and a proper apology to Bepo the four of them were inseparable—Cora silently lamenting over the fact that he had suddenly become a father of four, even though the three of them were technically under Wolf's care.

When Sengoku had come to visit about two months later he was surprised to find three extra bodies in the apartment. Cora quickly explained the situation which left his makeshift grandfather flabbergasted. Though, the man had come to talk business and sent the four boys out to go shopping to keep them occupied. 

See, the perks of having a grandfather who was, at the time a fleet admiral, meant that he was loaded. Ever since he had met the man he constantly doted on Law whenever he saw him—causing him to hand the boy way more money than four fourteen year old boys would ever need and told them to buy what they wanted. He knew he was trying to spare him from talking about his tormentor for the better part of three years but found he didn't mind, opting to spend the day with his friends.

Cora was pretty humble when it came to money. Sengoku pulled some strings and by continuing to report that he was active it allowed him to earn a salary which made it possible to take care of the boys, with Wolf and his adopted father's help of course. He insisted on helping with whatever Cora and Law had needed, even when he tried to refuse not wanting to burden him.

Law had no such reservations however as he took the money without hesitation, intending to spend it mostly on his friends.

The four of them left and headed to the local mall and the first thing they did was buy some clothes, all them not having much in the first place. He had also picked out a few things for Cora, knowing the man wouldn't spend any money on himself—instead spending it taking care of them. The next thing they bought was phones for each of them. They weren't super expensive like some of the newest models but they would do what they needed. This earned them quite a few looks from some of the older people around them but no one said anything.

Law looked around the bookstore they had walked into, attempting to find a book for him and Cora to read together. Ever since they've been on the run they haven't much of a chance to do that anymore, especially now with the addition of Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo who couldn't stay still for long. Once he had finally found one as well as a new sketchbook he went to look for his friends finding them by the comic book section.

"Oh, Captain! Come look!" Penguin called out and waved him over. 

The three of them had taken to calling him captain after he had saved their lives, much to Law's dismay. He thought it was stupid and made him feel like he was above them but quickly pushed the thought away as he walked over, crouching down next to Shachi who held a comic in his hand. 

"Didn't know you two could read. Not you Bepo."

The albino boy laughed a bit as the other two looked at him offended.

"Wow, that almost hurt coming from the person who can literally do everything." Penguin said sarcastically.

"I can't do everything." Law offered and they looked at him unamused. "What?"

"ANYWAYS," Shachi started, changing the subject down to the book in his hands, "Have you heard of Sora? Penguin and I used to read these all the time before they banned us from the library."

Law looked at him in shock, partly at the idea of the two of them willingly going to the library. "Banned? What did you do?" 

"We didn't do anything!" Penguin said bitterly. "We were hiding out from the cold but those assholes didn't like the idea of two homeless kids hanging around. Said we were 'hindering business' and kicked us out."

Law paused. That was the last thing he was expecting the other to say. Before he had even fully processed it there was already an ugly feeling growing in his gut. He realized this must have been how Cora felt when he was refused care at every hospital they went to. If he had it his way he would march in and beat every single person who treated his friends that way. Though he unfortunately had to keep himself out of trouble lest it makes it way back around to his uncle's gang somehow. 

Law looked at his friends as they talked about the comic book, unaware of the inner turmoil going through Law's head. We wondered how life could be so cruel, so unforgiving to children who didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve them. They didn't flinch when he told them the story of the white patches on his skin, didn't look disgusted like so many others before. They cared about him like Cora did—obnoxiously and loud. Like Law was nothing but deserving of their love. 

He quickly came to a decision. If they wanted to call him captain he would try his hardest to live up to the name.

"Do you want them?" The others looked at him confused for a moment and he nodded his head towards the book in Shachi's hand.

Bepo frowned a bit. "You've already bought us a lot. You don't need to spend all of your money on us. Sorry.." 

Law looked at them. "I don't care about that. Do you want them or not?" They still looked unsure so Law took it upon himself to grab the first few volumes and stood back up. "We'll get the first ones and slowly collect the rest, to make it more fun. Let's go." 

As he turned to walk away he was almost knocked over by three bodies crashing into him from behind. He quickly shook them off, feigning annoyance as they headed to the counter. After a few more stores and lunch they headed back to the house. 

When they walked in they found Cora, Sengoku, and Wolf sitting at the table talking. When the three men noticed the sheer amount of bags they were carrying Cora's mouth fell open while the latter two let out a loud laugh.

Cora looked at his father. "You spoil him too much." 

When Law had turned fifteen they learned that somehow Doflamingo was quickly narrowing down Law's whereabouts. Of course he was. As soon as Law finally had a chance at living normally it was torn away from him. 

Cora decided that the best thing to do was leave. Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo insisted on coming with them but it just wasn't safe. On the off chance that the Doffy caught up with them the three of them would likely be killed and Law wasn't going to take that chance. They were his family now and he would protect them.

"Maybe one day. But for now you three need to stay here." Cora said. "If they come after us I can't guarantee your safety. Stay with Wolf. As long as we aren't here they can't find you."

So with a promise to see each other again and a tearful goodbye the two of them left. For the next year they were on the run—never staying in one place for too long. When they had gotten the news that Doflamingo had supposedly given up on finding them Law was automatically suspicious. Shortly after was when Sengoku had stepped down as Fleet Admiral so they no longer had any way to know the gang's movements. 

The only information they would get came from Sengoku's marine friend Garp but he was kind of unreliable when it came to stuff like that. Sengoku assured him that they would be safe in Grand Line so that's where they had ended up, leading into the present day.

He still kept in touch with his friends, the three of them wishing him luck on his first day mere hours ago. While they lived a few hours away they were his best friends. The last time they saw each other was about a year ago and they made sure to video call at least once a week and texted almost everyday. But for now he was alone, only his thoughts to keep him company. 

Chapter Text

He didn't know when he fell asleep—just knew that it wasn't for long enough. Groaning as his alarm went off, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and pulling himself up. He scrolled through his phone for a few minutes, looking at the texts from his friends. 'Good luck captain!' from Bepo, 'Don't be awkward' from Shachi, 'Let us know if there's any cute girls there' from Penguin and ‘I second that ’ from Ikkaku along with a few more texts between the latter three about the supposed cute girls at his new school. He sent a quick 'Thank you Bepo' in the group chat before promptly ignoring the protests of favoritism and finally pulling himself out of bed.

Once Law had left Swallow Island Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin had started going to public school. There they had met a girl named Ikkaku and she had quickly made her way into their small group. Obviously Law had never met her in person but he was just as close with her as he was with the other three as she was estranged from her family and had ended up staying with Wolf along with the others.

They had met when Shachi and Penguin had been flirting with some girl at their school and she had bet them that she could get a date with her before they could. When she succeeded they thought she was the messiah of getting girls and immediately added her to their group. She and the girl had dated for a few months before breaking up when the girl had cheated on her—Law inevitably having to comfort her over the phone.

Law looked at himself in the mirror, polaroid's of him and his friends stuck to the edges. The after effects of the White Lead Disease had left white patches all over his tanned skin. They weren't as prominent as they used to be five years ago but they were definitely still there. He had hoped the tattoos over his chest, shoulders, and back took away some of the interest from other parts of his skin, but it didn't do much when he had a shirt on. 

He had gotten his tattoos for his family and for Cora—for the man who had saved his life and now calls him his son. He had run off with Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin one day and had gotten them behind Cora's back. The other three had gotten the same heart designs on their shoulders. Shachi also had some around both of his wrists. When the older man saw them he sobbed, sparing the four of them from being in too much trouble.

He had put in effort to build his body back up after being cured—it wasn’t where he wanted it to be but it was a start. The disease had left him weak with almost no stamina and he had basically trained his body, seeing the faint traces of abs. He may have hated his body and the patches of white littering his skin but for once he thought he looked okay as he threw on a pair of baggy jeans and a t-shirt.

He grabbed his bag and walked downstairs finding Cora in the kitchen making breakfast, a small flame dancing on his shoulder which Law quickly patted out, startling the man. "If you're gonna make breakfast at least be aware when you set yourself on fire." He shot him a look. "Are you gonna be okay while I'm gone Cora-ya?" Law asked and he had the audacity to look offended.

"Of course I am Law! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of the house while you're at school!" He distractedly reached for the pan and completely missed the handle, burning the side of his hand on the stovetop. Law immediately grabbed his hand and turned the sink on before shoving his hand under the cool water to ease the burn, like he had done it a million times.

He leveled him with a deadpan look. "Are you SURE you'll be okay?"

Cora scowled, slightly annoyed. "I'll be fine you brat." He grumbled.

As he ran his hand under the water Law walked around him and turned off the stove, finding the burnt remains of what he assumed to be eggs and his lunch bag on the counter. He went to grab it but felt it to be a lot heavier than it should've been. He turned to Cora. "Did you pack my lunch?" He opened it to find a couple of rice balls, apple slices, and some other snacks.

He huffed. "Is it so wrong for me to want to cook breakfast for my son and pack his lunch on the first day of school?" His hand twitched in pain as he removed it from the water to flail his arms around.

Law poorly suppressed a small smile before letting out a quiet 'thank you', making the older man's previous bad mood disappear completely. He quickly examined his hand before leading him into the bathroom and pulling out their extensive first aid kit. Law liked to keep it stocked with a little bit of everything figuring you couldn't be too careful, what with Cora's clumsiness.

After applying ointment and wrapping it in a bandage they quickly left the house. Not before having to calm down a crying Cora going on about how he had such a thoughtful son, much to Law's dismay. Cora had insisted on taking Law to school and picking him back up in the afternoon for his first day and Law realized maybe he wasn't the only one paranoid about his uncle.

They arrived extra early since Law had to go see his grandfather before school started and get his schedule. As they pulled up he could see a few other kids hanging around and he suddenly wasn't okay. His anxiety sent slight pains into his chest as his heart pounded but he refused to show it lest he had to deal with his overbearing father.

He opened the door to make his way out when suddenly he felt a warm hand grab his. He looked back to see Cora looking at him with a thoughtful look on his face. "You're gonna be okay, Law. If it gets to be too much you can call me and I'll come get you."

"I'll be fine Cora-ya." He said, feigning annoyance and he pulled his hand back. "Stay away from the kitchen while I'm gone." He closed the door before he could hear the older man's protests. His words had made Law feel a little bit better though he would never admit it to his face.

The building was big, too big. And Law thought for sure that he was going to get lost trying to find his classes. It was painted a dull grey with pops of red, white, and gold, which he assumed to be the school colors.

As he made his way for the doors he was nearly knocked over by two people. One was a long orange haired girl clad in a black jean skirt and a white crop top with orange writing that law couldn't make out. She was chasing after a guy with black hair in jean shorts and a baggy red t-shirt. He, strangely enough, was wearing a straw hat on his back and had a peculiar scar under his left eye.

The girl suddenly paused in her chase, a clear look of annoyance on her face before turning to face Law who tensed under her gaze. She took a deep breath and her face softened, now looking tired. "It's too early for this." She looked up at him. "Sorry about that, he's an idiot and doesn't watch where he's going."

"It's fine.." He was slightly annoyed but he couldn't hold it against her when it wasn't her fault. She gave him a weird look. "What?"

"I've never seen you before, are you new?" He nodded but otherwise kept quiet. "Do you need any-" Her eyes locked on something behind him. "LUFFY!" He flinched back, not expecting her to yell and turned to look behind him. She stormed past him to the black haired boy who was currently eating what looked like tangerines out of a pink lunch box.

Before Law could do anything she whacked him on the head, swiping the lunch box from his grasp and swiftly putting it in her bag, scolding him as she did so. Vaguely he could hear the other man whine.

"But Bellemere's tangerines are the best!"

"Then go buy some from her yourself! You're not getting them for free from me!" She scolded.

"I already used my allowance on snacks!"

"That's not my problem!" They went back and forth for another minute or so before she whacked him on the head again, grabbing him by his collar and dragging him behind her back over to where Law was standing.

She smiled sweetly, like she hadn't just knocked someone out with her bare hands. Law gulped. "Like I was saying before we were rudely interrupted," She emphasized, pointedly looking down at the other. "Do you need any help finding your way around?"

He glanced down at the boy in her grasp, who was now awake and pouting, and looked back at her, deciding not to even question it. "Um yeah.. Could you show me where the principal's office is?"

She nodded and they started walking. "The first time is free, but It'll cost you if you need any more help."

Law looked at her confused and taken aback before hearing a voice and looking down. "Nami's obsessed with money. She won't even let me have any tangerines!" He muttered the last part.

She looked back annoyed and dropped his collar, letting him fall back onto the floor. "Bellemere works hard to grow those tangerines! If you want them so bad then you're gonna pay for them! She's worked too hard to just give them away to anyone no matter how much she insists!"

As she said that Law found he had a little bit of respect for the girl. The boy, Luffy, was pouting, even looking a little bit embarrassed before looking up at Law from the floor.

"...Who are you?"

Before Law could reply Nami pinched the bridge of her nose and looked down at the other. "He's new. We're taking him to the office."

His face suddenly burst into a big smile. "Shishishi, why didn't you say that before?" He jumped up from his place on the floor and was suddenly all up in Law's personal space. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy! And this is Nami!"

He nodded, slightly embarrassed by how close the other man was. "Trafalgar Law.."

"Tra.. tr.. to... Torao!"

"That's not-"

"Woah you look weird!" His eyes lit up like he had only just noticed Law's unusual appearance.

Law took a step back, suddenly insecure. Without any shame whatsoever Luffy roamed his eyes over Law's arms and face taking in the patches of white that covered him all over. He knew he should've worn a hoodie.

The boy was swiftly knocked on the head by Nami. "Luffy, it's rude to stare. Leave the poor guy alone."

"That hurt..." He rubbed his head in pain before looking up at Law again. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I think you look super cool!"

His cheeks burned, embarrassment flooding his entire body.

Without any warning he wrapped an arm around Law's and the other around Nami's and took off running down the hallway. "Let's go!"

"What the hell?" He yelled out.

Nami yelled as well. "Luffy, slow down!"

Luffy in fact did not slow down. Law wasn't weak by any means whatsoever, but even he couldn't pull away from Luffy's grasp. It was only a minute later that they reached the office and Law was finally able to pull away from him, stopping to catch his breath. "Was that really necessary?"

The boy in question looked at him and laughed. "Shishishi sorry! You okay?"

"A warning would've been nice." He huffed, annoyed.

The shorter boy was suddenly grabbed by his shoulders by Nami. "How many times have I told you not to do that! I almost fell!"

Law was still a bit annoyed but found the situation a bit amusing and let out a quiet snort. It unfortunately did not go unnoticed as Luffy beamed and Nami clicked her tongue.

Luffy opened his mouth to say something before the door to the office opened and Sengoku walked out. "Law my boy! I was wondering when you'd arrive." He looked over to the other two. "I see you've already met some of your classmates. That's good, even if they are more troublesome than most." He gave a pointed look to Luffy who stared right back at him.

His arm shot up and pointed at him. "Even if you are gramps friend I still don't like you!"

Sengoku clicked his tongue in annoyance before pointing at Luffy, matching his stance. "Yeah, well even if you are my friend's grandson I still don't like you! You're a terrible influence and I don't want you hanging around my grandson!"

"Grandson?" Nami and Luffy both looked at Law.

He brought his hand to his face, embarrassed. "Not by blood."

"That doesn't matter!" Sengoku looked at him. "You've grown so much since the last time I saw you. Are you eating enough? Rosinante has always been a bit hopeless in the kitchen. I can-"

Law groaned. "Sengoku-ya!" He heard a giggle and looked to the side to see Nami covering her mouth with her hand. He looked back at his legal grandfather. "Can I please just have my schedule?"

Sengoku looked a bit disappointed but begrudgingly handed over his schedule which also had his locker number and code on it. Nami and Luffy, being nosy, looked over his shoulder on each side of him to read his schedule. His first period was English followed by Art, Gym, Lunch, Math, Science, and then History was his last period.

"Oooo Torao we have most of our classes together!" Luffy practically yelled into his ear.

Law covered his ear in annoyance. "Luffy-ya you don't need to yell, I'm right here. And that's not my name."

He laughed. "I know." Law sighed, figuring there was no point in arguing.

Nami turned to look at him. "We have science, and lunch together."

He nodded at her before looking back up to see Sengoku watching them as he turned to look at the girl beside him. "Well there's about forty-five minutes until class starts so Nami dear, if you would be so kind, would you show Law around so he doesn't get lost?" He had a strained smile.

"Eh? What about me?" Luffy whined from his side but was promptly ignored.

Nami looked up at him with feigned innocence. "I'm so sorry Sengoku," Law was a little taken aback at them being on a first name basis. "Luffy and I had plans to meet up with the others and eat breakfast together or else I would be happy to show your adorable grandson around."

Law whipped his head around. "Adorable?"

"However," Her lips twitched up in a smile, "I could be.. Persuaded. You know, since I would be missing out on precious time with my friends." She smugly held her open palm in front of her.

They were the only ones around since it was still early and he had already shown his disdain for the boy currently clinging to Law's side. Sengoku clicked his tongue in annoyance before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. He pulled out a ten dollar bill and placed it into her palm. She raised her eyebrow at him and he begrudgingly pulled out another five and she took the money with a smug smirk.

"Pleasure doing business with ya." She folded and stuffed the money into her skirt pocket.

He groaned in annoyance. "You're just as bad as your mother when she was younger."

"I'll tell her you said hi." She laughed and wrapped an arm around Law's as they started to walk away. "Let's go!"

Law had quickly become uncomfortable with the way they both were now clinging on to his arms from their respective sides. He did realize that Nami did it just for show and she soon let go but Luffy hadn't let go of him since they were looking at his schedule. Was everyone always so touchy-feely? He was used to Cora and his hugs but this was different. He had barely known Luffy for twenty minutes.

As the touch suddenly became too much too quickly he pulled his arm away—tucking his hands into his pockets. Luffy made a noise of protest but ultimately kept his hands to himself as they walked around.

Nami, most likely influenced by money, gave a thorough tour of the school and made a point to show him where all of his classes and locker were located, which Law was immensely grateful for. He unsurprisingly took special interest in the art classroom and the library. They didn't go inside but Law had art later but he would have to make time to go to the library at some point. If it was as big as it looked it was bound to have some medical textbooks that even he hasn't read yet.

Throughout the time they spent walking Luffy wouldn't stop talking. He talked about everything from his brothers and grandpa to his other friends and whatever came to his mind. Law tried to listen—he really did but Luffy talked so fast the majority of it sounded like garbled nonsense. Though Nami seemed to have no problem understanding him as she sometimes jumped in to put her own thoughts into the conversation.

Luffy would ask him questions but Law only gave short replies or just a nod or shake of his head. At one point the boy beside him laughed following it with, "You don't talk much do you? Shishishi."

Suddenly feeling insecure he stuttered a bit. "No, I-" He didn't really like talking about himself but now the both of them were looking at him in curiosity and he sighed. "I haven't been to public school since I was a kid, so..." He trailed off.

Though Luffy looked confused Nami seemed to understand what he was trying to say as she sent him a small smile. "So you're just shy."

He scowled. "That makes me sound like a child. I just think of myself as an introvert."

She gave him an unimpressed look. "You're also a smartass."

"That too."

Luffy just laughed at the exchange between them before speaking up. "So you were homeschooled? That sounds super fun!"

Images of Doflamingo and his days of being on the run flashed through his mind before he looked away from him, his gaze suddenly heavy. "Yeah, something like that."

Once they were done walking around there was still a few minutes until it was time for class to start so Luffy insisted that he come and meet his friends. Before Law could refuse there was a strong arm wrapping around his and pulling him into the direction of the cafeteria. He cast a glance over to Nami and realized he shouldn't expect any form of help from her as she giggled into her hand at his reluctance.

"Come on Torao! They're all great!"

Luffy kept a firm grip on his arm, much to Law's annoyance. "Luffy-ya I don't need to meet them. I think I'm fine."

The shorter boy suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to face Law with such a sad look. "But aren't we friends?"

He couldn't believe this guy. He hadn't even known him for a full day, much less an hour and he was already saying they were friends? Law may not have a lot of experience socializing with others but he was pretty sure that wasn't how it worked. And now here he was trying to fucking guilt trip him—whether intentional or not, into meeting his other friends. If the rest of them were anything like these two he sure as hell didn't feel like meeting them now, needing at least another few hours to prepare himself mentally.

"You barely know me."

Luffy suddenly looked confused, tilting his head slightly. "What's that got to do with anything?"

He really couldn't believe this guy.

Before he could say anything else Luffy dragged him into the nearly full cafeteria, Nami not far behind them. Heads turned as they walked in as Luffy wasn't really one to be low-key and it was just before eight in the morning. He could hear the conversations as they walked through and knew he had immediately been clocked as the new kid, figuring his appearance was too different for people not to notice.

His fingers twitched as he looked around. There were mostly stares of curiosity. He looked into the direction of a group of girls that immediately turned and started giggling and whispering amongst themselves. It was almost suffocating with the amount of looks he was getting. Why couldn't people just mind their own business? This is exactly why he didn't want to come in here.

Finally they reached a table near the back where there were five people sitting and laughing. The girl with black hair looked up at them as they approached. "Ah, Luffy, Nami, we were getting worried about you guys." She looked at Law. "And who is this?"

Nami opened her mouth like she was gonna say something but was quickly cut off by Luffy. "This is my new friend Torao!"

Law quickly butt in, pulling his arm away from the shorter boy. "That's not my name Luffy-ya." He looked at the others. "It's Law actually. Trafalgar Law."

"Well it's nice to meet you Law." The black haired girl smiled at him. "I'm Robin. This is Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, and Usopp." She pointed at each of them as she said their names. Zoro just nodded at him, Sanji sent him an unimpressed look but held up a hand in greeting, Usopp kind of just looked scared of him, while Chopper, who arguably looked younger than the rest, smiled at him and waved.    

Thankfully he was spared from making small talk as the bell rang a few minutes later signaling that class was about to start. Before he even had a chance to say anything Luffy was pulling him in the opposite direction, shouting bye to his friends over his shoulder. As Law glanced back he could see them laughing as he was dragged against his will.

“Luffy-ya! Slow down!” 

Thankfully he slowed his pace but he still didn’t let go. “Shishishi you’re just too slow!”

“Whatever.” He looked down to where the boy’s arm was around him. “Why do you keep hanging onto me?”

“Hm? Because you’re my friend.”

Law looked at him incredulously. “That’s not- You know what? Nevermind, I’m not even going to ask.” He sighed.

Luffy tilted his head in confusion but continued walking. Once they made it to the classroom Law was met with his worst nightmare—two person desks. Would he have to be paired with Luffy? He sincerely hoped not but all of his dreams were crushed in an instant when the teacher, a short middle aged woman, informed him that the only available seat was beside the shorter boy. He wondered why for a second but immediately stopped. If he thought about it for too long he knew he would start spiraling and he was going to at least try to like going here. If not for himself then for Cora.

His one solace in all of this was that their desk was towards the back of the classroom in the corner. Surprisingly, Luffy had let him go when they sat down, though as the class went on Law found he would’ve preferred that over this.

Luffy couldn’t seem to sit still. Restless in the way he tapped his fingers, bounced his leg up and down, or fiddled with the pencil in his hand. Law really did try to pay attention but there was no way he could focus with Luffy sitting beside him.

Finally once Law had realized he already knew everything that was being taught he gave up trying to listen. Instead he turned his attention to his notebook and started drawing. He had improved over the years and had tried to expand his skills into things other than anatomy. 

When he was younger he enjoyed the intricacies of the skeletons and hearts he would draw—finding that the more detail he put into it the more it calmed his mind. That was probably why when he started branching out into other things he had found that he enjoyed drawing flowers. 

It provided him another escape since all flowers had a meaning and he quite liked learning about them. Obviously he wasn’t anywhere near fluent in flower language but if you asked him he could tell you the meanings of most well known flowers. 

Though as he learned more about them the one that stuck with him the most was the Queen of the Night. Blooming only at night and once a year, wilting before the morning sun rises. He had a particular interest in that one—finding beauty in the white petals and mystery in the nocturnal nature of the flowers.

It was those very flowers that he had been sketching when over halfway into the class he noticed the tapping beside him had stopped. He glanced over to the boy beside him, his breath catching in his throat. 

Luffy was laying with his head on his arms, his eyes following the movements of the pencil in his hand. Once he noticed the pause in movement he looked up at him, finding Law’s gaze already on him and smiled. 

“It’s really pretty.” He had lowered his voice into a whisper.

It was embarrassing really at how quickly his face had warmed. Seriously, what was it with him today? Before he started to think he was losing his mind he simply chalked it up to not being around anyone else his age in over a year. He was stressed out, that’s all it was.

As he turned back to the page he nodded, letting out a low noise in the back of his throat—acknowledging his words but not responding. 

Maybe he should start drawing some sunflowers.

Thankfully Art was much less stress inducing than English was. He had this class with Luffy and Usopp and already knew that this would more than likely be his favorite class. From what the others had mentioned in the morning it was pretty chill. They didn’t have projects so much as they just had prompts to choose from—at least for now.

They were allowed to sit wherever they wanted but Luffy had still chosen the seat right beside him with Usopp, who was currently red in the face as he talked to a blonde girl, was on Luffy’s other side.

“The flowers you were drawing earlier were so good! Do you draw a lot? I’m not that good at it. My brother Sabo is pretty good, though Ace is just as bad as me. Usopp is really good at art! He wants to go into something called giraffe decline.”

“...Do you mean graphic design?” Law interrupted him before he could continue his rambles. 

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”

“That is not what you said.”

“Yes it is.”

The only response he gave to that was a sigh and rub to his temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache. If he had most of his classes with Luffy maybe he should start carrying around painkillers. The strongest ones he could find.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Law looked up at him, raising his eyebrows. Had he asked him a question? He thought back to the boy's ramblings from a minute ago. He was talking so fast that Law could barely keep up.

Luffy must’ve noticed his confusion as he giggled. “You’re funny Torao. I asked if you draw a lot.” Law sent him a slow nod. The shorter boy instantly perked up. “Can I see?”

“No.”

In an instant his wide smile dropped into a pout. “Awww why not?”

“That’s private.” Law would admit that he was proud of his own art. Even hanging a few pieces in his room and Cora constantly praised it, as he was the only one allowed near his sketchbook other than himself. However, showing other people just felt like too much. 

His art was very personal. A vulnerable part of himself that he just wasn’t ready to share with other people. Showing someone else meant baring a part of his soul for the other to see. The only other people who had seen it were Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin. Law had relented one and one time only and let them go through his art—which they had then proceeded to gush over for hours much to Law’s annoyance.

By the time the bell rang Law had only made it about a third of the way finished with his drawing since Luffy just wouldn’t stop talking to him and going on about how good his art was. He was used to Cora’s incessant rambling and his loud friends so he couldn’t say he was too annoyed about it, more like mildly displeased.

Luffy was currently laughing with Usopp and Law figured he could slip by without being noticed. He did have gym next with Luffy but he wasn’t too keen on waiting around for him as he talked. Before he could get too far he was suddenly pulled back by his arm into Luffy who was pouting.

“Where are you going?”

“To the gym, Luffy-ya. Seeing as that is our next period.” He said and pulled his arm away.

“But we have to go together!”

“You know I can find my own way to the gym right?”

Luffy merely smiled, wrapping his arm around Law’s and started walking. “But that’s no fun! I also have to introduce you to my other friends!”

“There’s more?”

“Yep!”

Law internally groaned as they made their way to the gym. He had already interacted with way too many people today and it wasn’t even lunch time yet. A part of him hoped they would leave him alone so he could eat in peace but he seriously doubted they would.

As they walked into the locker room Law was pulled to the far side where there was a free locker next to Luffy’s. Before he could even start changing his thoughts were interrupted.

“Ready to get your ass kicked again today, strawhat?” Law turned to see a boy with spiky red hair and another following closely behind him with long blond hair, both of who were taller than him. The redhead had a mean face and piercings that lined both of his ears and face, most of which were silver with some gold mixed in. He turned his gaze onto Law. “Never seen you before. Who’s your friend, monkey boy?”

Luffy popped out from behind with a smile stretched across his face. “Shishishi. This is Torao-”

Law pushed his face away. “Not my name. It’s Trafalgar Law.” He was getting seriously annoyed at having to correct Luffy when he introduced him by that stupid nickname. “I assume you’re his other friends?”

He looked momentarily stunned for a second, the blond behind him snorting into his hand, before sending a glare to the shorter boy beside him. “As if. We are not friends.” 

“Yes we are! You’re my friend Jaggy!” Luffy yelled at him. 

“No we’re not, you little shit!”

As the two of them stood there and argued, the other one who had been quiet this whole time walked over to Law and introduced himself as Killer and the other one was Kid. Law immediately preferred him over his friend as he seemed more chill.

Law went to remove his shirt to change into his gym clothes when the arguing behind instantly stopped. He should’ve expected this as he coolly looked over his shoulder at the other three who were now all looking at him. 

“I know it’s not normal for highschoolers to have tattoos but I’m not a damn exhibit.” 

Luffy let out a short laugh. “They look really cool! How long have you had them?”

He sighed. “Since I was fifteen.” 

Kid smirked as he looked at his tattoos. “Full of surprises aren’t you? But even I have to admit those are pretty badass. Who’s your artist?” 

“I am. Designed them myself.” He shivered when cold fingers traced over his shoulders. When he looked over he was met with Luffy who was admiring the hearts and quickly brushed his hand away, finally pulling his shirt over his head and ignoring the lingering goosebumps.

“Hmm. Well you may have some cool tattoos but you look like you couldn’t beat me in anything.” 

“Here we go again…” Killer sighed.

Though Law paid no attention to him as he leveled a glare on Kid. “Excuse me?”

This seemed to be the reaction he was hoping for as he smirked and got all up in his space. “You look like a twig. Like a gentle breeze could knock you over.” 

He sneered at him. “Oh really? Hope you’re not starting a fight you can’t win.” 

“I’d like to see you try.”

Luffy suddenly popped up in between them. “Shishishi I’m gonna be the one that wins! Neither of you stand a chance.”

“As if!”

“You wish!” 

When they had finally made it out to the gym the teacher informed them that they’d be running the mile today and moved outside to the track. This was perfect. Law had had his fair share of running from exploding buildings or from the marines back when he was in the gang. This would be a piece of cake.

They lined up at the start and when the coach blew his whistle the three of them took off running. Even though Luffy was much shorter than them he had to admit that he was pretty fast. Kid on the other hand was taller but he had a much bigger body, packed with muscles so he was equally surprised that he was also able to keep up with him.

Though very early on Law finally seemed to realize that his body couldn’t hold up like it used to… Or that he wasn’t under the looming threat of death anymore…

It wasn’t just him though. Luffy and Kid were both breathing heavily beside him. About halfway through his legs started to ache from the strain but he refused to stop. He had the gall to talk big so he at least had to follow through. 

Though he tried, his body forced him to slow down. Sweat dripped down his temples and he could feel it running down his back. The other two didn’t look any better. When they were finally approaching the finish line Law caught sight of blond passing by them and finishing first. 

“That damn traitor…” He heard Kid mumble to his left.

They made the last push to the finishing line, the three of them crossing at the same time and all but collapsed to the side. How could he have been so stupid? He’s a doctor for god’s sake. He knows that the body can’t handle that strain for long but he gave in to Kid’s taunts—Luffy only adding fuel to the fire.

“You should’ve paced yourselves.” Killer walked over and handed each of them a cold bottle of water. Law took it with a nod as he tried to catch his breath.

“If this idiot,” He pointed his finger at Kid, “hadn’t pissed me off I would have won.”

“Piss off.” 

Law looked over at Luffy beside him who had already chugged half of his bottle. Without thinking twice he reached out and gently moved the bottle away from his lips. 

“Don’t do that. You’ll make yourself sick if you drink it too fast.” He didn’t catch the look that Killer and Kid shared but still felt his face flush a bit when he realized he had grabbed onto his hand and quickly pulled away. 

Luffy merely nodded and listened to him. The rest of the class was spent however they wanted and this time he refused to give into Kid’s taunts—instead resting to the side. He still had quite a ways to go until his body was back to normal and he preferred not to overwork himself when it was only halfway through the day.

Luffy however had bounced back pretty quickly as him, Kid, and Killer engaged in a game of basketball. When the bell rang the game hadn’t finished but Luffy’s team was in the lead which he boasted about until they split up as they left the locker room.

When lunch finally came Law would be lying if he said he wasn’t hungry. He had used up most of his energy and now he really just needed some food and maybe a nap. Luffy had dragged him over to the lunch table with the rest of his friends and he took a seat beside him with Nami on his other side. 

Thankfully other the occasional questions they mostly left him to his own thoughts which he was grateful for. It was about halfway through the lunch period when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled his phone out and saw messages from the groupchat with his friends.

[Shachi sent a video]

S: I hope your day is going better than his captain

He made sure his volume was turned down before clicking on the video to play it. It started off with Shachi in what looked to be the school gym and was holding the camera though he couldn’t hear what he was saying. Ikkaku appears beside him, waves, and says something as well. Seconds later Penguin appears beside her and then Bepo as well. If he were to guess they were probably wishing a good day with some sarcastic remarks about his ability to talk to other people. 

Before he could react Penguin was hit in the face with what looked to be a dodgeball and fell out of frame. The camera suddenly switched angles to only Shachi’s face before the video cut off on his laughing face. 

Law couldn’t help the quiet snort that he let out—unfortunately catching the attention of the two on either side of him. 

“Torao?” Luffy asked curiously.

Nami glanced down at his phone where Shachi’s face was still displayed. “Who’s that?”

“One of my friends.” 

“You have friends?”

Law looked at her with a small glare. “Yes I have friends. Why is that so surprising?”

“You don’t seem like the type. You’ve got this whole ‘I don’t like anyone and no one likes me’ thing going on.”

“Thank you, for that explanation.” He said, voice laced with sarcasm.

He rolled his eyes and looked to his other side where Luffy was still looking at his phone and pointed to it. “Can we see Torao?” He looked up at him and Law knew immediately that he couldn’t say no. He had the same look as Bepo did when he tried to make Law get some sleep or to eat more. Needless to say Bepo had never not gotten his way when it came to Law.

He only nodded and turned back to his phone, turning up the volume enough for them to hear. Though he immediately regretted that decision when the video started. 

“Hope you’re having a good day captain! Try not to be too awkward around other people.”

Ikkaku made herself known beside him with a laugh. “He’s right. Try to make some friends at least, we know how lonely you get without us.”

Penguin and Bepo appeared. “Not too many though. We’re still your best friends, don’t forget that.” Penguin added.

“We wish you were here captain!” Bepo said. “Maybe we can visit soon!”

That was when the ball hit Penguin and he fell back. He heard Shachi and Ikkaku bust out laughing as well as the worried voice of Bepo asking if he was okay before the video cut off. 

Nami and Luffy were both laughing beside him. “Shishishi, your friends are funny Torao.”

He scowled. “They’re annoying is what they are.” They weren’t even here and yet they still found ways to embarrass him. 

Nami bumped her shoulder into his. “Oh come on. They’re just worried about you.” She looked at him as if she just realized something. “They call you captain?”

He hoped she hadn’t noticed that. “It’s a long story but they’ve been calling me that since we became friends.” 

He looked down to his phone to see that Shachi had sent a picture as well. The four of them were in the nurse’s office with Penguin sitting on the chair getting treated for a bloody nose and Law noticed the bruise forming on his cheek. Shachi, Ikkaku, and Bepo were all somewhere in the frame, the latter two smiling and giving the camera a thumbs up. 

L: You guys are idiots

L: Tell Penguin to keep ice on his face until the swelling goes down

“Aww you do care about other people.” Nami teased as Luffy laughed beside him. 

Suddenly his phone was snatched out of his hand. “Hey! What are you-”

The boy laughed and held it out of his reach. “They said they were worried about you making friends, so show them that they have nothing to worry about!” 

He swiftly pulled up the camera and held it up. Law relented and held up a small peace sign. “Hey let me in!” Nami said and Luffy adjusted so that all three of them were in the frame and he snapped the picture—quickly sending it before Law could protest.

Not even ten seconds later and his phone was blowing up like crazy though he just turned it off and slid it back into his pocket. That was a hurricane he could deal with later. 

And if he went back and saved the picture of the three of them later then that was no one’s business but his own.

Chapter Text

Once Lunch had ended Law started heading to his math class. He didn’t have this class with any of the others but had thankfully made it there with no problems. His hopes of a peaceful class was immediately squashed into pieces when he saw a flash of red when he walked in. 

“Oh god, not you.” He groaned.

“Trust me, I don’t want to be here either.”

“You two are so dramatic.”

Kid and Killer were sitting together at one of the tables in the room and looking at him. Wait, tables? Law looked around. What was worse than double desks you may ask? Quadruple desks, or tables that sat four, whatever you wanted to call them. 

As he glanced around he noticed all of the other seats were taken, much to his rapidly declining patience. “You’ve got to be kidding me…” He guessed he couldn’t really blame everyone else seeing as he didn’t really wanna sit next to him either. 

With a great deal of annoyance he took a seat across from Kid. The teacher had handed out packets that had to be completed by the end of the class and you were allowed to work with others. Killer had asked if he wanted any help but he declined knowing he would get it done quicker by himself. 

“Good, I wasn’t going to help you anyways.” Kid remarked, earning a small smack to his arm from the blond.

Law sent a glare towards him. “I don’t need your help, asshole.” 

While he was in the gang Doflamingo had brought in tutors for the kids saying that they would need the math and English skills if they were to be core members of the family. Though when he realized the extent of Law’s skills they paid special attention to him, drilling equations and literature into his head almost daily. If he wasn’t assisting Doffy with ‘patients’ or training he was bent over at his desk studying, a habit he had never really broken out of. 

That being said Law easily finished the packet in a mere twenty minutes—surprising the other two when he closed it and leaned back in his seat. 

“There’s no fucking way you’re done already.” Kid scowled. 

Law wordlessly flipped through the pages for him to see causing his scowl to deepen. “It was easy.” He shrugged his shoulders. 

“Dude, that’s insane.”

“Not my fault you’re dumb.”

“Oh god…” Killer sighed but Law paid no attention to him. Instead he was intent on getting back at Kid for riling him up earlier.

The boy in question narrowed his eyes dangerously. “The fuck did you just say to me?” 

Law smirked. “You going deaf now too? Might want to get that checked.”

This seemed to anger him even more and as Law took a quick glance around he noticed some of the other kids looking at them—a green haired girl and some of the other boys at different tables. Whether it be in fear or in surprise he wasn’t sure, but Law figured no one had ever talked back to Kid in this way—except maybe Luffy.

Suddenly a wicked smile made its way to Kid’s face. “You better put your money where your mouth is. I expect to see you after school.” 

His smirk only grew. “Why? Ya need a tutor? With the way half of those questions are wrong you seem like you desperately need one.” He gestured to the packet with his head.

There was a slight look of surprise before he looked down to paper as if he was searching for his mistakes. He could vaguely see Killer rubbing his temples as he turned his attention back to the red head. 

Kid looked up at him, a scowl making its way back to his face. “You’re a real asshole, you know that?” 

“I try.”

He had no response to that and merely glared at Law for the remainder of the class. Though Law paid him no attention as he simply read his book and quickly left the room once the bell rang.

His next class was Science which he had with Nami and Chopper. It wasn’t nearly as bad as some of his other ones were. Nami, even with all of her teasing, was pretty cool. Chopper—who Law had come to figure out was fifteen, had skipped a grade and was also aspiring to be a doctor. He had found that it was nice to talk to someone else who knew what they were talking about.

Nami on the other hand couldn’t really keep up with their medical terms and extensive knowledge about the body. However Law found her passion for weather patterns and the atmosphere interesting. It was a nice change from the way he always had his nose buried in medical textbooks.

The majority of this class was just a lecture which Law was very much grateful for since he was starting to get a headache from straining his eyes for so long. He had forgotten to put his contacts in when he was getting ready in the morning and he was seriously starting to regret it. His vision wasn’t the worst by any means but it was bad enough to need glasses—which he refused to wear out of the house no matter how many times Cora said he looked cute in them. 

He only really started having problems with it not long before he left Swallow Island—vaguely remembering that his dad had worn glasses when he was alive. Though he wouldn’t be surprised if it was also a lingering effect from the White Lead Disease. 

After the bell had rung, Law walked out of the classroom to find Luffy and Robin standing outside and waiting for him. “Torao!” The shorter boy ran up to him, grabbing his arm. “We have our last class together. Come on!”

Law wasn’t even able to prepare himself before he was being pulled down the hallway. Robin followed behind them as she giggled into her hand. 

This class went pretty similar to the others as in that it was pretty boring and he couldn’t really focus even if he wanted to with Luffy sitting beside him. Zoro and Sanji also had this class but sat on the opposite side of the room which Law was secretly thankful for. He didn’t think he could survive being surrounded by all of them. 

Law had tuned out most of what the teacher was saying as he kept an eye on the clock, waiting for the day to end. He hadn’t felt this drained in a long time. Maybe this really was a bad idea—especially if this was how he was going to feel everyday. 

No, he couldn’t think like that. He just has to get used to it—had to do this for Cora. The man has done so much for him over the years, even almost sacrificing his life for him. He could do this one thing.

While he was lost in his thoughts the bell rang signaling the end of the day, which he didn’t even notice until Luffy tapped on his shoulder with a concerned look. “You okay? It’s time to leave.”

Law glanced around noticing that half of the class was already gone and quickly grabbed his bag and stood. “Yeah. Just tired.” It wasn’t necessarily a lie as he had barely slept the night before. Though even with his insomnia he felt like he could fall asleep right now.

To his relief Luffy didn’t grab him this time but instead waited for him by the door and when he walked out he noticed Robin, Sanji, and Zoro in the hallway, presumably waiting on Luffy. Somewhere along the way they met up with the others as they made their way out. 

As soon as they walked out of the school he immediately noticed Cora’s car waiting on him and he mentally thanked every god he could think of. He turned to look at the boy at his side, who was mid conversation with Zoro and Sanji, and wondered if he should say anything. Who was he kidding? Even if he didn't, Luffy would surely notice and chase after him.

So with a touch of annoyance he leaned over to him. “My ride’s here Luffy-ya. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Before he could even take a step Luffy quickly wrapped his arms around his middle and smiled up at him. “Okay! I’ll see you tomorrow Torao!”

His face warmed in an instant as he put his hand on Luffy’s face and pushed him away. “There’s no need for that.” 

Luffy only laughed as he walked away and out of the corner of his eye he noticed a certain redhead coming out of the building and scanning the crowd—time to start walking faster. He had certainly acted cocky earlier but did he actually think he could stand a chance in a fight against Kid? Maybe. But the kid looked like he worked out seven days a week and that compared to Law not having actually worked out since Swallow Island? Yeah, no. He wasn’t taking his chances.

“Oi, Trafalgar!” He heard Kid calling his name from behind him as he approached the car. “Where do you think you’re going?!”

Law plastered that cocky smile on his face and turned. “You lost your chance, Eustass-ya! Be a little quicker next time yeah? I was getting bored waiting on you!” He flipped him off and quickly got in the car, ignoring the angry shouts.

“I don’t know if I should be happy you made a friend or disappointed in you for starting fights on your first day.”

Law shrugged his shoulders. “He started it.” 

“And you didn’t make it worse?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. And it’s not like Luffy-ya made it any better.” He mumbled that last part but Cora still caught it.

The older man perked up a little at that. “Who’s Luffy? Is he the one who was hugging you?”

Law whipped his head around to see a small smirk on Cora’s face. “You saw that? Yes, that’s Luffy-ya.”

There were sudden tears in his eyes. “I’m so proud of you! I can’t believe you made a friend so quickly.” 

“Cora-ya!” Law groaned, his headache getting worse by the second. “He’s not my friend. He’s annoying is what he is.”

He hummed, unconvinced. “Didn’t look that way to me. He seemed to really like you.”

“I’m not talking about this.”

Cora chuckled at that but thankfully dropped the subject, giving Law some reprieve as he proceeded to tell Law about his day. 

Finally once they made it home he slid his glasses on to at least attempt to get some relief from his headache. Only after that did he sit down on his bed and check his messages from his friends. He had ignored them ever since Luffy had sent that picture at lunch. 

S: WAIT WHO ARE THEY????

I: U MADE FRIENDS??

I: I’M SO PROUD OF U

B: I’m so happy for you captain!!

P: IS IT MY BDAY?? 

P: I CANT BELIEVE U MADE FRIENDS ON UR OWN

S: CAPTAIN 

S: ANSWER US

P: whos the girl beside u?

I: U should totally introduce us ;)

That’s where the messages had stopped, the most recent being from about an hour ago. He thought back to the conversation that he, Luffy, and Nami had that morning as they walked around before finally responding.

L: That’s Nami

L: Pretty sure she’s a lesbian

The responses were almost instant.

I: YES YES YES

I: SUCK IT LOSERS >:D

L: She has a girlfriend 

I: DAMMIT >:(

P: HAHAHAHA

S: WHO’S THE LOSER NOW

They continued going back and forth as they made fun of each other before he was suddenly getting a video call from Bepo. As he answered it he made his way to his desk and set it up as his friend filled up the screen. He could vaguely hear arguing in the background and recognized the voices as Shachi, Penguin, and Ikkaku. 

“Captain! How was school?” Bepo asked.

The arguing got louder. “It was fine. Pretty boring actually-”

Suddenly the phone was snatched away from Bepo as Ikkaku appeared. “Captain, they're being mean to me!” She sounded upset but she was giggling. 

“We’re being mean?” He heard Shachi yelling. “You stole our food! ”

“You’re the one being mean to us!” Penguin added.

“I did no such thing! You have no evidence!” She turned to look at Law. “You see how they’re accusing me?” This went on for a few minutes more before Ikkaku finally admitted to it. “Okay fine what if I did? It didn’t have your names on them and they had already been in there for two days!”

“It was our leftovers! I was so excited about it too…” Shachi cried.

“Whoops.” 

Law finally chimed in. “Guys come on, this is ridiculous. Ikkaku don’t take their food, they're sensitive about it.” He had a vague sense of deja vu and swore they had had this exact conversation a few months but chose not to comment on it. 

After the arguing finally died down they pestered Law about his first day of school and his new ‘friends’ that he had made. They didn’t stop until they had squeezed every detail out of him which he gave very begrudgingly. 

Eventually the conversation switched to their day and particularly the incident in the gym. Penguin showed him the bruise which wasn’t as bad as Law thought it would be. 

“It was worth it for all the girls worrying about me.” He smiled smugly.

Ikkaku looked at him with a blank stare. “You know they were making fun of you right?”

Shachi snorted as Penguin looked bewildered. “What? No they weren’t.”

“Penguin, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but not really, they were laughing about it in our last period.” At that Law did feel a little bad for his friend. He looked slightly dejected and a little sad but Ikkaku continued. “If it makes you feel any better they should all be having flat tires right about now.” She held up the small multi tool Law had sent her last year for christmas. 

They all looked at her wide-eyed. “When… When did you even have time to do that?” Bepo asked.

She shrugged. “A woman never reveals her secrets.”

“Remind me to never piss you off.” Law said and they all laughed.

They talked for a little while longer as Law also worked on his homework until Cora came in and told him that he had dinner ready. As soon as the others noticed he was there though they started talking to him. He guessed it was only natural as they also thought of Cora like a father figure as well. 

He realized he had tuned out of the conversation when Cora turned to look at him. “See, adding a girl to your little group was a good idea. She’s a good influence on you boys.” Law couldn’t help but let out a snort as Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo busted out laughing on the other end and Ikkaku looked to the side. “What? What’s so funny?”

Law thought he must’ve been referring to the way Ikkaku helps the others study—her and Law being the only reason Shachi and Penguin’s grades are decent. But that didn’t stop the laughs.

“Cora-ya, she slashed some girls' tires today for making fun of Penguin.”

“Captain! Don’t tell him that!”

The older man’s eyes widened and looked as if he was thinking for a second before turning back to the phone. “Did anyone see you?” She shook her head. “Good. Then no harm done.” He smiled and stood from where he had been kneeling. “Next time put water in their gas tanks, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

Law noticed the way Ikkaku’s eyes lit up in mischief and Penguin seemed like he was feeling better. Before he could say anything else he heard an alarm going off and Cora turned pale.

“Shit! I forgot to turn off the stove!” 

Ah, so it was the fire alarm.

Cora rushed out of the room and Law said his goodbyes to the others and quickly made his way downstairs to prevent any further damage that may have been done. By the time he had made it to the kitchen Cora had patted out the flames and luckily nothing other than the food had been burned. 

“How about we just order out tonight?” Law asked as he looked into the pot that was currently sitting in the sink. He couldn’t even tell what it was supposed to be. In the end they ended up ordering from a chinese restaurant that was nearby. 

The next morning as Law was walking up to the school he noticed Luffy and all of his friends standing around. He was going to try to walk past them but as he approached Luffy called out to him. “Torao!” He paused, suddenly crossing his arms and turning away. “Wait, no. I’m mad at you.” 

He was upset at him? Law hadn’t done anything to make him feel that way, at least he didn’t think so. He looked up at Nami for an explanation but was met with a shrug. “And what exactly did I do to make you mad?” 

Luffy looked up at him. “You didn’t give me your number yesterday! How am I supposed to talk to you outside of school? I thought we were friends.” 

Law sighed, feeling the early signs of a headache coming on—at least he remembered his contacts this time. “You didn’t ask, Luffy-ya.”

The boy looked a bit surprised at that before letting out a laugh. “Shishishi, I didn't think of that. Can I have your number then?”

“...Can I say no?”

“Nope!” He held out his hand and gestured for his phone. 

Law looked at his outstretched hand, then his face, and back to his hand again. After a few seconds he finally relented with a sigh and handed him his phone. “Fine. Just don’t be texting me weird shit. I already get enough of that from the others.” He muttered the last part to himself. 

Luffy laughed and went to hand him his phone back before Nami snatched it out of his hand and proceeded to add her number as well. She held it up to take a picture of herself. “What are you doing?”

“I can’t have an ugly profile picture on your phone!” She sounded mildly offended that he would even suggest otherwise as she held the phone up at different angles. “Law, your camera sucks.” 

He scoffed. “Well excuse me for having an older phone.”

“Hm, this will have to do for now.” When she finally finished instead of handing it back to Law she passed it over to Robin beside her.

“Oh, come on, you all don’t need to put your number’s in.” 

Zoro suddenly appeared beside him and put his elbow on his shoulder. “And why not?” He smirked.

Sanji was on his other side and matched Zoro’s stance. “Yeah Torao. Aren’t we friends?”

“I’m gonna report both of you for harassment.” He shrugged them off, causing all of them to laugh. “And don’t call me that.”

When he finally got his phone back he looked at all of his new contacts and went to slide his phone into his pocket and-

“There you are, you piece of shit!” 

Law whipped his head around to see Kid and Killer walking over to them. Well if it wasn’t the consequences of his actions. Why couldn’t he have just kept his mouth shut?

“Oh, Jaggy!” Luffy laughed. “You need something?”

Law almost laughed at the way Luffy thought he was talking to him. Though when he saw the look on Kid’s face he kept quiet. Zoro must have noticed who he was really talking to as he raised an eyebrow in Law’s direction.

Robin also picked up on it. “Luffy, I don't think he’s talking to you.”

He didn’t look at them but could feel their stares and finally he sighed. “He tried to pick a fight with me yesterday in Gym so I just returned the favor.” 

Usopp made a strangled sound from his place behind Zoro. “Are you stupid?! He’s insane!”

He shrugged his shoulders and when they finally approached Kid immediately made his way to Law and got in his face. “You coward. Thought you could get away did you?”

Law looked at him coolly before responding. “Anyone would try to if they saw your face coming towards them.” 

Kid’s scowl deepened. “You’re one to talk about looks.”

“Excuse me?”

“Am I wrong? You talk like you’re hot shit but you go around looking like that.” 

Law definitely did not flinch at that. He didn’t but something on Kid’s face changed into something he couldn’t decipher. There were voices around them trying to defuse the rapidly escalating tension but Law couldn’t hear them.

A pit formed in his stomach. “You know what? I think I know why nobody likes you. You’re a fucking asshole.” 

The glare returned in an instant. “You’re no better you prick.”

Law wasn’t sure when it had happened. They continued going back and forth spitting insults at each other until the anger that had slowly been rising up until that point eventually boiled over and raised his fist—Kid matching his stance immediately. 

Before his fist could make impact he was swiftly pulled back by his arms by Nami and Usopp. Once the red finally cleared from his vision he saw Kid being held back by Killer and a reluctant Zoro.

“Law calm down!” Nami yelled. 

“That was too far, Kid.” Killer said and glared at his friend. 

He heard Usopp, who was trembling, beside him. “You have to be crazy to try to fight him!”

He pulled his arms away from them but didn’t move from where he was standing. He had an ugly feeling in his chest. Something dark and twisted that he hadn’t felt in years. But he pushed it down as he wordlessly grabbed his bag from the ground and walked away with a clenched fist and a tight jaw.

He could hear voices calling after him but couldn’t make out what they were saying over all the noise in his head. It was that same feeling he had back when he had first joined the gang. All that pain and hurt and the need to take it out on others around him. He knew better than anyone that he looked different—that he was a freak.

He wanted to hurt Kid. It would be easy, and he certainly knew his way around the body. Just give him a scalpel and-

No.

What the hell was he thinking? All this over some asshole who couldn’t watch his mouth? This was nothing compared to what he had been through before—to what other people have said to him before. Though he certainly didn’t help the situation as his pride wouldn’t allow it.  

He was about to make a grab for his phone to text Cora when Luffy showed up beside him out of breath. “What do you want, Luffy-ya?” He mumbled.

“I’ve been calling out to you but you didn’t answer! Are you okay?”

“Fine.”

“Jaggy really is an ass, he never thinks before he says anything!” Law thought that was ironic coming from him but didn’t point it out as he continued. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Luffy looked at him with a concerned face but Law turned away.

“I’m fine, Luffy-ya. You don’t need to worry about me.” He looked unconvinced though and grabbed his wrist. Law didn’t even have the energy to resist as Luffy led him towards the sports field around the school and sat down against the building. “What are we doing?” He asked.

“My friends always do this for me when I’m upset.” He pulled the wrist he was still holding into his lap and started tracing his fingers over the palms of Law’s hand.

“I’m not upset.”

“Shishishi, sure you’re not. You’re not very good at hiding it, you know?”

“Whatever.” 

Luffy ran his fingers over his knuckles, squeezing his fingers, and pressed them into his palm and Law would be lying if he said he didn’t like it. It was surprisingly comforting—grounding him as he felt the tension leaving his body. 

Luffy, as always, talked his ear off about anything and everything. At the moment he was telling Law about a new restaurant he and his brothers had recently tried that was supposedly delicious. 

“We should go there together!” Luffy exclaimed and looked up at him. In his excitement he had intertwined his fingers with Law’s. It was definitely less intimate than what he was doing before but it still made his cheeks burn. “It would be super fun!”

Law pulled his hand away ignoring the lingering tingles. “I’ll think about it.”

Luffy just laughed and continued to talk to him before the bell finally rang and they headed to class. He was definitely calmer now but his chest still felt tight. Why did this bother him so much? Was it because they were the same age this time? Because it hurt more coming from someone that had already complimented him on part of his appearance? 

The day went by in a blur and the class he was dreading finally arrived. He thought if he changed into his gym clothes quick enough he could avoid Kid for at least a little longer but as fate would have it he was not that lucky. 

In the corner of his eye he saw Kid and Killer walk into the locker room—both scowling. While Killer’s seemed to be directed towards his friend as he greeted Law and Luffy nicely, Kid just looked pissed off in general. 

They didn’t speak to each other. The only acknowledgement they gave were glares. Law was the first to walk out of the locker room and sat on the bleachers as he waited for the class to start, going through the messages from his friends and quickly sending a reply before pocketing his phone once more.

Once class finally started they learned that the gym teacher was absent so it was basically a free period, which was great for Law. About a third of the others had the same idea as him and took to the bleachers in small groups to just hang around while the rest raided the supply closet for basketballs, volleyballs, or whatever else they could find. 

“Torao come on!” He turned to look at Luffy who had a dodgeball in his hand and was waving him over. 

Behind him the others were setting up the dodgeballs in the middle of the court. “I’m okay. Maybe later.” Before he could leave he was grabbed by the arm and pulled further into the floor. “Luffy-ya!”

He looked at the shorter boy who had a small pout. “At least one round! Please!”

He had that look on his face that Law was weak to and he sighed. “Only one.”

When the game started he realized Kid and Killer were on the opposite team. Well, he guessed it wasn’t all bad.

Unsurprisingly once Kid had realized he was playing he started aiming for him and Law did the same in return. They must’ve been too focused on the other since even though they were both aiming for each other they were hit around the same time by other people. He was still pissed off from the morning but he would admit that it did help get some of his frustrations out.

Luffy on the other hand was still going strong. Dodging balls left and right and returning them with full force. At one point he had even gotten Law back into the game and this time he actually tried.

Though in the end it finished with only Luffy and Kid standing. They went back and forth for a good five minutes before Luffy landed the finishing blow. He had just barely hit Kid on the arm when he tried to dodge but failed.

“Come on Torao, one more!” Luffy tried to convince him.

The look wouldn’t work a second time. “I already played one Luffy-ya.”

He was exhausted. His insomnia had been particularly bad this past week and by god did it make itself known in the heaviness of his body and the bags under his eyes. He just hoped he’d be able to sleep tonight.

For the rest of the class he sat to the side on the bleachers and popped in an earbud. He was going to just play on his phone but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Luffy. He had to admit that even though he was kind of annoying, he was also pretty cute. 

What the hell was he thinking? He had known him for a day and a half. These were not the thoughts he should be having. But that didn’t stop him from watching him for the rest of the class.

Once it was over Law tried to quickly change back into his regular clothes and leave—attempting to avoid any more tension between him and Kid. When he tried to, Luffy quickly pulled him back and told him he couldn’t leave. Law didn’t even try to argue and leaned against the wall and messed with his phone as he waited for the other.

By the time he finished however, everyone except for the four of them had already left for lunch which Law thought was strange. Luffy definitely wasn’t one to take this long, especially when food is involved.

He was even more surprised when Kid came up to him. “Oi Trafalgar. I need to talk to you.”

As he said this he saw Luffy and Killer walk away and out of the locker room, not before giving him a thumbs up. These bastards planned this. He guessed it made sense though since Law especially had been on edge ever since the almost-fight this morning so this must be their way of trying to make things better. However, Law was not having any of it.

He sighed, pocketing his phone and leveled a glare at Kid. ”If you’ve come to apologize I don’t wanna hear it. You obviously don't mean it.”

“I'm not apologizing for shit! I meant what I said.” 

“Case in point.”

His face softened just a bit. “But you didn’t understand what I said.” 

He wasn’t making any sense. “Huh? What else was there to understand?!”

His scowl returned. “Will you shut the fuck up for one second?” He snapped and Law had to bite back another retort. Kid let out a heavy sigh. “I didn’t… I wasn’t…” 

“Having trouble there?”

“Shut your mouth.”

Even if Law had no idea what he was trying to say he would admit that this was pretty amusing. He may have not known Kid long but he didn’t really seem like the type to struggle with his words like this.

“When I insulted your looks I wasn’t talking about the way your skin looks.”

Law was taken aback. “I don’t understand.”

“Jesus Trafalgar. And you call me stupid.” Law bristled at that but Kid continued before he could say anything else. “I meant the way you dress.”

“What’s wrong with the way I dress?” He looked down at his simple shirt and jeans. 

Sure the shirt had some holes here and there and his pants were so worn out he could rip a hole in them himself with his hands if he wanted to. He just didn’t like to buy clothes for himself. It involved looking in a mirror a lot longer than he cared to.

“...The fact that you don’t think there’s anything wrong with it makes me lose all hope in you.” He looked him up and down. “You dress like you're homeless.”

He almost told him that he actually had been homeless quite a few times but held back. The last time he had actually bought clothes for himself was a couple months after he met Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin and that was only because they forced him to get some. The rest of his clothes Cora had bought and hoped they would fit him when he started growing. 

“So…” Law pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to wrap his head around what he was hearing. “All of that was because you don’t like the way I dress?” 

“It’s quite offensive to even have to look at you, yes.” 

He paused as he looked at him for a second. “You understand how anyone would’ve taken it the same way I did right?” 

Kid looked away as he scowled. “Not my fault you didn’t catch my meaning.” 

It was Law’s turn to be annoyed. “It is your fault actually. You should’ve worded it better dumbass.”

“I don’t have to do shit.” 

“Then why did you feel the need to come tell me this?”

He looked almost embarrassed. “KIll would never let me live it down. He’s been on my ass about it since this morning.”

“Yeah, well, if you wanted to tell me my choice of clothing was bad I feel like there were better ways than trying to start a fight first thing in the morning.”

Kid whipped his head around. “Excuse me I didn’t start shit. You started it yesterday, I was just continuing that.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He pushed off of the wall and started walking towards the door.

“You little-”

“Though I guess your face isn’t that ugly Eustass-ya. Though maybe tone it down with the scowling and it might even be decent.” Law smirked over his shoulder. “Come on, I’m sure they’re waiting on us.”

Kid sent him a glare. “This isn’t over.”

“Yeah, sure.”

While he did say they were probably waiting on them he was still surprised to see Luffy waiting outside the door. However he immediately grabbed his arm and took off down the hallway. “Come on Torao! I’m hungry!”

“You know you didn’t have to wait on me right?” 

Luffy looked back at him and smiled. “I know. I wanted to.”

He felt heat rush to his cheeks and looked away. “Right.”

Now that the whole thing with Kid was cleared up his chest did feel a little lighter. He was still a little bit pissed about him insulting the way he dressed but whatever. He never necessarily had time to find a style that he liked, just picking out clothes that seemed practical but apparently that wasn’t enough. 

“So you’re friends now?” Nami asked when he explained why they had been late to lunch. 

He scoffed. “We are not friends. He’s just a dumbass who doesn’t know how to speak properly.” 

“I heard that!” Kid said from the table behind them.

“You were supposed to.” 

“You know,” Law turned back to Nami, “Never thought I’d agree with Kid but he has a point. Your sense of fashion is terrible.” 

He groaned. “Oh god, not you too.”

“I’m serious. He was right when he said you dress like you’re homeless.”

He scowled. “Probably because I was homeless for a while…” 

Oh shit. He didn’t mean to say that and now everyone was looking at him. Even Kid and Killer, who was apparently in on the conversation now, had turned to look at him.

“You were?” Luffy asked him with a touch of concern as he scarfed down his lunch. “How come?”

Damn him and his big fucking mouth. “...It’s complicated.” 

“But you’re okay now right?” Robin asked him.

He nodded. “You don’t need to worry. Trust me, Sengoku-ya makes sure we have everything we need.” He wasn’t too keen on airing out his entire life story so he hoped they would get the message that he didn’t want to talk about it. “Actually he gives us more than what we need.” He mumbled with a touch of annoyance.

Over the past year while he and Cora had been on the run they had stayed in shitty motels and slept in his car more times than he could count—even camping in the mountains occasionally. He guessed at least he wasn’t sleeping on the side of the road or anything but it wasn’t like that was the first time he had been homeless. 

They seemed to get the message and didn’t press any further, which he was thankful for. 

Nami looked over at him with a smile. “Well, with that being said I think that means we have to take you shopping for new clothes.” 

“I’m fine, I don’t need anything new.”

“That’s what you think.” There was a sudden dark look in her eyes. “Besides, if it’s for you I’m sure Sengoku will pay for everything. Even if I add in a few things for myself.” Luffy laughed beside him.

“Yeah, no. I’m okay with what I have. I don’t even like shopping for clothes.”

She looked pretty dejected when he said that. “Just think about it okay?”

“...Fine. But my answer is still gonna be no.”

Kid finally chimed in. “Your loss. If you’re fine with dressing like shit everyday then be my guest.”

“Will you shut the hell up?” He scowled at the boy behind him but he just continued.

“You know, you probably wouldn’t be so damn insecure if you dressed better.”

“Can we please stop talking about this?” 

They in fact did not stop talking about it and for the rest of the day it was all Law heard about, much to his annoyance. Honestly he shouldn’t have expected anything different when Cora told him that he should do it once he told the older man what the others said. Even encouraging him to bring some of his friends over which Law outright refused saying they weren’t his friends.

Cora had sent him a knowing look and at this point he shouldn’t even be denying it anymore—but if he was anything he was stubborn. 

When he went through his closet later that night he came to the horrific conclusion that the others were right. He didn’t have a lot but what he did have was mostly worn out or didn’t fit him quite right. He wasn’t going to give up this easily though—if he did his pride would be ruined. 

So for the time being he just stuck to what he had and he’d be damned if they tried to force him to go shopping with them against his will.

Chapter Text

It was a few weeks after he had started school when Luffy came to him with a look in his eyes nearing desperation as he grabbed his arm and held it close.

“Torao you’re super smart. Please help me study! Gramps threatened to cut my allowance if I don’t pass the upcoming tests!” There was still a bit of time until any big tests so he was a little confused at the sense of urgency. “How am I supposed to buy my snacks?! This is the worst!” Ah. That made a lot more sense.

Law sighed. The confidence he had in his own abilities was evident but that didn’t mean he wasn’t already planning to do some studying on his own. “Why me? Can’t you ask the others?”

The shorter boy matched his gaze with a pout. “Most of them are busy. Nami said I have to pay her but I’m out of money. And Zoro is almost as dumb as me!” 

“Hey!”

Luffy ignored his friend as he continued. “Sanji’s already helping him, and Usopp, Robin, and Chopper are already studying together!”

“But can’t you..” He looked up to the others and saw them smiling and giving him a thumbs up. So that’s what it was. “I guess so.” He ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. 

Before Law could even get another word out Luffy had already taken off towards the lunchline, barely thinking twice to yell a ‘thank you’ at him. Without missing a beat Law made his way over to the table with the others—not taking a seat but merely standing over them, arms crossed over his chest. 

“So?” He started. “Spill it. Why are you pushing him on to me?”

Usopp noticeably flinched at his words as Nami looked at him with a nervous smile. Chopper just looked downright guilty but he had to commend the other three for keeping a passive look on their faces. Law might be socially awkward and riddled with anxiety most of the time but growing up in the gang for almost three years taught you a few things about how to get the answers you wanted out of people—even without violence.

To his surprise Robin is the one who spoke first, a small smile gracing her lips as she sipped on her drink. “It’s nothing personal Law. We just figure someone new might be able to help.”

He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “Meaning?”

“What Robin means to say,” Nami cut in with a noticeable edge to her voice. “Luffy is a bit of a special case. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve tried for years to help him with his grades but so far nothing’s worked.” She looked down, fiddling with her hands in her lap. “I hate to say it but I’ve lost my patience for it and I have my own tests to study for.”

“And I don’t?” Almost all of them looked away guiltily. Law pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance before sparing a glance over to where Luffy was happily making conversation with an annoyed Kid who seemed to be doing his best to ignore him.

He wasn’t very keen on spending his afternoons tutoring someone who—according to his friends, was very difficult to tutor. If they were directly, or technically indirectly, asking him to help Luffy then it must be bad. Though Law could already tell it was bad by the way the boy never seemed to be able to sit still, much less pay attention in class. 

He would admit that he had experience tutoring—namely Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi. When they had become friends the three of them hadn’t been to school in years so he had done his best to catch them up, which was a whole headache in itself. “Fine. I’ll see what I can do.”

A couple of them cheered and Law finally sat down in his place beside Nami and found his gaze once again returning to Luffy. That didn’t last long though as the orange haired girl started talking again. “Thank you, Law.”

He looked at her, frown etched on his face. “Whatever. You owe me one.”

She laughed and patted him on the back, much to his displeasure. “Oh you’ll be fine. Besides,” There was a teasing glint in her eyes. “He seems to really like you. Especially as of late.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said—probably too quick if he was being honest with himself.

“Oh, really?” She shifted her eyes to something behind him and nodded in that direction before looking back at him. 

Law followed her gaze and unsurprisingly found Luffy who at that moment locked eyes with him. Without hesitation Luffy sent him a warm smile, lifting his hand in a wave. 

With a bit of heat in his cheeks he returned to pulling out his lunch. “He’s like that with everyone.” 

She merely rolled her eyes with a huff but thankfully dropped it as she turned to make conversation with Usopp.

Moments later Luffy sat down beside him with his plate stacked high but disappearing in a matter of what felt like seconds—his eyes quickly landing on Law’s own lunch.

He handed Luffy the apple that Cora had packed for him with a sigh. “When are you free?”

The shorter boy smiled up at him. “I’m free today! My brothers are working late and I don’t have any other plans.”

“My place okay then? Cora-ya is a bit overprotective.” He noted sheepishly.

“Who’s Cora?”

Law looked at him for a second before he realized he had never actually mentioned him to the others. “He’s my dad. Well that’s how I think about him since he’s taken care of me since I was twelve. Since he…”  He cleared his throat, suddenly looking for a topic change. “What about you?”

Luffy tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?” 

“You said you live with your brothers right? Other than them and your grandpa I’ve never heard you mention any other family.” Luffy had a solemn look on his face and Law suddenly regretted ever saying anything. Curse his lack of social skills. “You don’t have to tell me. Sorry.” He quickly added and looked away awkwardly, suddenly thankful no one else was paying attention to them. 

Luffy let out a giggle. “You think too much Torao!” He tugged on his arm causing Law to look at him again, a small smile resting on his face. “Ace, Sabo, and I aren’t actually blood related but we grew up together with my grandpa taking care of us. Well when he wasn’t dumping us on Dadan and Makino’s doorstep when he was working.” He laughed a bit as if he was remembering his childhood and Law listened intently. 

“Grandpa tries to tell me about my parents sometimes but I don’t really care. I’ve got all the family I need.” Luffy had a strange look on his face. “Is it just you and Cora?”

Law was a bit taken aback. He hadn’t planned on Luffy asking about his family, though he should have expected it. Since Luffy had told him a bit about his home life he only figured it was fair he offered a bit in exchange. That’s how these things went right?

He slowly nodded. “Cora took me in when I was twelve… Or eleven depending on how you look at it. For a while we were on… We were travelling. When we made it to Swallow Island we stayed with one of Cora’s old buddies and that’s where I met my friends.” Law glanced over to see Luffy listening with rapt attention. Unable to hold his gaze he looked away but continued. “We stayed there until about a year ago when we had to leave and now I’m here.”

“Why did you have to leave?” Ah, fuck. He knew he shouldn’t have said anything. What was he supposed to say now? He definitely couldn’t tell him that they were on the run from his psychopathic uncle who ran one of the most infamous gangs in the underworld. 

The panic must have shown on his face with the way he saw Luffy’s expression change. Before he could even think of a response there was a sudden hand in his, pulling it into the other’s lap. It was the same as when he almost got into that fight with Kid.

“What are your friends like?”

When the final bell rang Law quickly grabbed his things and made his way towards the door where Luffy was waiting on him, wrapping his arm around Law’s as he approached. 

Something he had noticed about Luffy this past week was that he was always touching someone. Whether that be holding one of the girl’s hands, playfully linking arms with Usopp and Chopper, or just hanging off of one of the others he could never seem to keep his hands to himself. 

It was even more painfully obvious when it seemed that he gravitated towards Law. Whenever he would meet them in the mornings or in between classes as soon as Luffy noticed him he would detach from whoever he was with and insert himself into Law’s space. But that didn’t mean it was any less embarrassing.

Not that he was embarrassed to be seen with him or anything, it was more that he wasn’t used to the casual touches. Though Law would be lying if he said it didn’t bring him a strange sense of comfort. 

As they made their way out of the building Nami suddenly pulled him in the opposite direction, dragging Luffy with them as well. 

“Hey! What are you doing?” He yelled over the voices of the other students as she dragged them through the crowd.

The only reply she gave was a smug smirk over her shoulder leaving Law even more confused. When they approached the office he suddenly put two and two together and realized what she was doing.

“Nami-ya I never agreed to go shopping with you.”

She looked at him with an amused expression. “You’re just stalling so you don’t have to. But now I’m taking matters into my own hands.”

At that moment Sengoku walked out of the office, bag in hand. “What are you three doing here?”

“Trust me I would rather not be here right now.” Luffy laughed beside him.

He looked at them confusedly before Nami spoke up, putting on her best innocent face. “We wanted to take Law shopping since he doesn’t have a lot but we’re short of funds. We hoped that you might help us with that. I mean,” She gestured to Law, “All of his clothes are worn out and just makes me so sad to see it.”

The way she was talking was very off putting, but what was even more off putting was that it seemed to be working on the older man in front of them. 

“I just want to make sure he has proper clothes since it’s about time for the seasons to change. It’d be bad if he gets sick because of it.”

There were many things Law wanted to say. One, Cora would have no problem buying him clothes if he asked. Two, he did in fact have clothes fit for the cold weather. And three, he just couldn’t believe that Nami was taking advantage of his rich grandfather’s worries about him for her own gain. Though he said none of it.

Sengoku looked like he was thinking. “Hm you’re right.” Without any hesitation he pulled out his wallet.

“Sengoku-ya, you don’t-” 

There was a sudden hand slapped over his mouth. “Don’t have to worry about a thing!” Nami sent him a barely visible glare before letting him go. “I’ll make sure he has everything he needs!”

After a bit of fiddling with his wallet Sengoku pulled out a black card and handed it to Law. “Don’t be shy now, buy whatever you need. If my grandson needs clothes then who am I to deny him?”

Law noticed the faint wetness surrounding the man’s eyes with a sigh. “Thank you, Sengoku-ya.” With a few more words and a promise to visit him and Cora soon he was gone. 

“You’re a terrible person, you know that?” 

“Hey, if it works it works.” Nami turned to him. “Meet us at the mall tomorrow at noon. We’re bound to find some stuff there.” 

“Do I get a say in this at all?” 

She smacked him on the shoulder. “Oh come on, It’ll be fun! I’ll even invite my girlfriend so you can meet her.”

“That makes me want to go even less.”

Nami had talked about her girlfriend before. If he was remembering correctly he was pretty sure her name was Vivi. Apparently she went to a private all-girls school that wasn’t far from here and she was the daughter of one of the most prestigious families in the area.

Luffy cheered by his side. “I haven’t seen Vivi in forever! You should invite her!”

“Luffy-ya!” Nothing about this situation was helping the impending sense of doom in his chest. 

“Don’t worry Law.” Nami put a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve already texted her.” She showed him her phone with a smile.

“I’m leaving.” He started with annoyance and walked away. 

The two of them laughed and Luffy ran to catch up with him, arm wrapped around his own. Nami called after them with a quick ‘See you tomorrow!’ and walked in the other direction. As they were walking out of the building he sent a quick text to Cora. 

L: Luffy is coming over to study

L: Please don’t embarrass me

C: You’re finally bringing someone over??

C: MY BABYS GROWING UP SO FAST

C: I’M SO HAPPY

Law groaned. He was absolutely going to be insufferable the entire time. 

They walked across the almost empty parking lot. He guessed they had taken longer than he thought since nearly everyone was already gone.

“You have your own car?! That’s so cool!” Luffy exclaimed as they approached the off-white sedan. 

He unlocked it and they climbed in. “It’s not mine. Cora-ya and I share it but he has it most days for work.” It was a bit old and had its fair share of problems but it worked just fine.

The other boy nodded. “I have my license but Ace and Sabo won’t ever let me drive.” He pouted. “I don’t know why, I’m a great driver!” 

Law looked at him for a long second. “Somehow I doubt that.” 

“I am!” He tried to argue.

“Sure you are.”

Law pulled into the driveway and Luffy immediately jumped out, looking up in awe at the house. “Your house is so big! Me and my brothers just live in an apartment.” 

“Yeah, well it’s technically Sengoku’s, he just lets us stay here.” By the time Law had made it to the door Luffy was still in that spot. “You coming or not?”

He looked over with a smile and nodded, quickly running over to where he was. Once they made it inside he called out to let Cora know that he was home and almost immediately heard footsteps approaching. 

The older man appeared around the corner with that big dumb smile on his face.

“Wow, you’re tall.” 

Cora let out a laugh. “I get that a lot.” He looked down at them. “You must be Luffy. I’ve heard a lot about you. About time he brings one of his friends around.”

Luffy laughed at that as Law groaned. “Cora-ya! Can you please not?”

“Oh hush you brat.” Cora turned back to Luffy. “You can call me Cora.”

“Shishishi, I’m Monkey D. Luffy!”

“Monkey?” Cora’s face suddenly dropped. “Are you perhaps related to Garp?”

Luffy looked surprised at that. “You know my grandpa?”

He nodded. “I used to be a marine.” Law cringed at that. “I’ve never worked under him directly but we have crossed paths. Though now that I think about it I do remember him mentioning he had a grandson.” He mumbled the last part. “The vice-admiral had always been a lively man even in his old age. Is he doing okay now?” Cora turned and gestured for them to follow as they walked towards the kitchen where Law saw that the older man had already started on dinner.

The younger boy nodded. “I think he might retire soon. Said he didn’t like the new fleet admiral.” 

As Luffy and Cora talked Law made his way over to the counter where Cora had started chopping different vegetables, chicken already seasoned and laying on a pan. Thank god they got here right on time.

Without hesitation Law quickly threw on his apron and took over. He may not be the greatest cook but he knew his way around the kitchen—at least a lot better than Cora did no matter how much he whined about it. 

It wasn’t long before Cora noticed. “Law, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Saving this dinner before you burn it.” He looked up to see the displeased expression on his face. 

“Do you have no trust in me?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

“No I don’t.” He sat down at the table with a barely audible ‘brat’ that Law still heard but chose not to comment on it.

“Torao, you can cook?” Luffy took his place beside him. He thankfully wasn’t wrapped around him like he usually is—lest he somehow accidentally get hurt. What he did have was a finger hooked into the string of the apron that was tied around his waist, as if to keep him close. 

“A little.” He said, a blush rising to his cheeks. It was infinitely harder to focus on cooking with Luffy this close to him. It was one thing to hang onto him in school but it was another to do it like this in front of Cora. 

He spared a glance behind him and already found Cora looking right back at him with an amused smile, pointedly looking down to where Luffy had his hold on him and back to his face with a raised eyebrow. He seemed to be holding back a laugh but Law just glared at him before turning back around and resumed his chopping.

“So,” Cora started, “Do you boys have any plans for the weekend?” Law nodded. “Really? You’re going out and I don’t have to force you to? I’m surprised.”

“I’m still being forced against my will, just not by you.”

He must have looked confused if Luffy’s laugh was anything to go by as he elaborated. He told the older man about their plans to go shopping the next day leading into him talking about the other girl and their other friends as Cora listened, making comments here and there about how he can’t believe Law had so many friends now.

Suddenly the boy beside him was feeling around his pockets like he was looking for something. “What is it?” Law asked.

Luffy let out a laugh. “I left my phone in the car. I’ll be right back.” In an instant he was gone.

As soon as he heard the door click Cora immediately let out a barely restrained giggle. “So Law-”

“Shut the hell up.”

“I was just-”

“Stop talking.”

Cora laughed. “I didn’t realize you two were that close.” 

“It’s not… He’s like that with everyone.” Law argued. “It’s not like he’d stop even if I told him to.”

“Really?” There was a hint of smugness in his voice. “Because I think if it really bothered you he would.” He didn’t even chance looking back at the older man. “Is there something you want to tell me, Law? Do I need to go ahead and give you The Talk?”

Law whipped his head around so fast he could’ve sworn he heard it crack. “Cora-ya!” He shouted indignantly, his face burning bright red. “No! It-It’s nothing like that! And never ask me that question again!” 

This caused another round of laughs from the man. “I’m just teasing you, Law. I’m happy for you. I’ve never seen you like this with anyone before, it’s different.”

“Like I said, It’s not-” 

Suddenly he heard the front door open and shut his mouth with an audible click. “Torao!” He heard Luffy before he saw him. When he soon rounded the corner into the kitchen there was a frown on his face which quickly turned to confusion as he looked at Law. “You okay Torao? You’re all red.”

Cora snickered behind him and Law grit his teeth in annoyance. “Fine. What’s wrong Luffy-ya?”

“Ah.” His eyes lit up as if he’d already forgotten what he was upset about. “Can you believe this? Ace’s boyfriend and Sabo’s girlfriend are coming over tonight!” He whined.

Law raised an eyebrow. “And that’s bad how? You don’t like them?”

“It’s not that.” Luffy deflated. “Marco and Koala are great but the walls are thin and my room is in the middle.” He looked slightly embarrassed at the implication and Law couldn’t help but snort. “It’s not funny! I’m suffering over here!”

Cora shot him a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry you have to deal with that.” Luffy nodded. “Well, you two already have plans together tomorrow so why don’t you just stay the night? That way everyone’s happy and you don’t have to go home to that. What do you say, Law?” He sent a glare towards Cora but he just shrugged at him.

The younger boy’s eyes lit up and looked over to Law who tensed under his gaze. He knew they were waiting for his answer and he was about to say no but Luffy looked so hopeful. How could he refuse him when he looked at him like that? 

“Do whatever you want.” He turned to finish putting everything in the oven and as soon as he closed the door there were arms wrapped around him in a crushing hug. “What-”

“Thank you Torao!” Luffy looked up at him with that big smile on his face and Law once again felt the flush in his cheeks.

“Yeah, yeah. Get off of me.” He put a hand on his face and pushed him away causing the other boy to laugh.

While the food cooked Luffy and Cora made conversation as Law mostly just listened, jumping in every now and again. He was happy they seemed to get along so well—not that he had any doubt that they wouldn’t. Cora was arguably the most important person in his life. Hell, he owed him his life, so if for some reason they didn’t get along he wasn’t sure he could bear it.

The conversation flowed easily, mostly because Luffy had so many things to talk about at any given time, but Law didn’t mind. Over the past couple weeks he had come to find that he liked listening to the boy—though he would rather take that to the grave than admit it out loud.

After dinner they finally sat down at the table to pull out their study materials and almost immediately Luffy was looking lost, like he didn’t know where to start. 

“What subject do you need help with the most?” Law supplied helpfully.

Luffy looked down at his papers for a second before turning his gaze onto Law. “All of them.” With a bit of hesitance he admitted that he had never passed a test with a grade higher than fifty. Law sure had his work cut out for him.

With a sigh and rub to his temples he reached for the green textbook on the table. “Let’s start with math.”

He didn’t look too thrilled about the proposal but nodded anyway. It was apparent almost as soon as they started that Luffy had no clue what he was doing. He couldn’t seem to focus and even if he did he wasn’t retaining any of the information that Law was telling him.

They went through all kinds of different questions and equations but more often than not the answer would be wrong. They did this for a few hours and Law’s patience was beginning to wear thin. He tried not to think about when they would get to the other subjects.

The longer this went on the more frustrated Luffy also seemed to become. “I don’t know why I can’t seem to get it! I barely understand the formula and I still get the wrong answer every time!” He laid his head on the table as his hands rubbed through his hair in frustration.

Law was starting to understand why the others had pushed the tutoring on him, but that didn’t make him any less annoyed about it. He could feel the beginnings of a headache starting to form. 

“Luffy-ya, I don’t understand what’s tripping you up. Is this how it goes when you study with the others?” Law asked. Cora watched on from where he was washing the dishes.

The boy in question turned his head just enough to look at him and nodded. “They try to help but I know it’s annoying when it never seems to do anything.” He paused for a moment, looking off to the side. “Ace tries to help but he’s not that good at it either. And he’s busy with fire academy and Sabo is super smart but Law school takes up most of his time as well.” 

Law stole a glance up to Cora and noticed the frown on his face. “What about your grandfather?” 

Luffy turned to look at the older man and shook his head. “All he does is yell at me and it always turns into a big argument. That’s why I moved in with my brothers, to get away from it.” He could hear the pout in his voice from where he buried his head in his arms. “All gramps ever says is that I’m not trying hard enough but that’s all I ever do.”

Law came to the sudden realization that he in fact did not like Luffy’s grandfather. He may have never even seen the man but that still didn’t change his mind.

Cora made a noise of understanding as he dried his hands and walked over to the table. “I’ve only met him a few times but he does seem like the kind of man who’d do that.” He affectionately messed up Luffy’s hair and looked at the both of them. “It’s getting late. Why don’t you two wrap up for the night and go get comfy? I’ll make some popcorn and we can watch a movie.”

In an instant Luffy perked up, seemingly excited at the thought as he hurriedly put away his books and the scattered papers on the table. Law followed his example, albeit slower, making the other boy whine that he wasn’t going fast enough. Once he was finally done Luffy grabbed him by the arm, laughing as he dragged him through the kitchen but ultimately stopping in the living room having realized he didn’t know where he was going.

At that Law took the lead, the grip on his wrist quickly becoming uncomfortable with their switched positions. Without a second thought as to what he was doing he pulled away but just as quickly fitting his hand into the shorter boy’s as they walked upstairs to where Law’s room was. 

As soon as they walked in the room Luffy immediately made a beeline for his bed and plopped down on it. “Your bed is so comfy Torao!”

Law gave no response to that as he walked over to his closet. He wasn’t sure any of his clothes would fit Luffy since most of the ones he owned were already slightly oversized and Luffy was a whole head shorter than him. 

However with a bit of persistence he settled on an old pair of pajama pants and some random band t-shirt. When he turned he saw Luffy had now moved from the bed to the shelf where he kept all of his comics and medical books—as well as his sketchbooks. He watched as he looked at all the things around his room finally landing in front of the mirror where there were a few pictures of him and the others hanging along the border.

“Here.” Law said as he came up behind Luffy, smacking the clothes in his hand on top of his head. 

The boy thanked him with a laugh as Law turned to grab his own pajamas which was a similar pair of pajama pants just in a different color and a t-shirt. After he changed he turned around to see that Luffy had already finished and Law found that he was right in that his clothes were way too big on him.

He had tied the string on the pants so they wouldn’t fall but they were clearly too long for him and the shirt was adorably oversized, swallowing him whole. And god was he cute like that.

He did his best to shove his feelings down and made his way to the bathroom, fishing out one of the spare toothbrushes for the other. He quickly brushed his teeth and washed his hands to take out his contacts.

He would’ve kept them in, but after wearing them all day he would be lying if he said they weren’t starting to irritate him. Begrudgingly he slid on his glasses since watching a movie in the dark without them was just a headache waiting to happen if he didn’t.

“Torao! You wear glasses?” He turned to see Luffy standing in the doorway of the bathroom with a dopey look on his face.

He nodded. “I mostly wear contacts.” When Luffy didn’t say anything else Law scowled. “I know they look weird but you don’t have to stare.”

The shorter boy snapped out of whatever stupor he was in and laughed. “They don’t look weird. I think they’re cute.” He got up in his face and Law could feel the tips of his ears burning. “I like being able to see your eyes though. They’re a pretty golden color. Like treasure.”

Law sputtered something incoherent and quickly fled from the bathroom, leaving Luffy to do his own thing. He instead opted to head downstairs and help Cora with the snacks even though he surely didn’t need it.

Once they finally got settled Cora took a seat in one of the chairs while Law and Luffy took the couch, the younger boy sitting just slightly too close for comfort but he did his best to ignore it. They ended up choosing an action movie that Law had been meaning to see since it came out the previous year but had just never gotten around to watching it.  

At some point during the movie Luffy laughed and pointed at something on the screen, bumping shoulders with Law in the process. This wouldn’t have been so bad if he had moved back to his previous position but intentional or not that did not happen. 

So here he was, shoulder to shoulder, no longer focusing on the movie. But how could he? Frankly, he didn't think anyone would be able to focus on anything with Luffy pressed up against them like this. 

Law was gay. He had known this for a while, as did his friends. Ikkaku herself was a woman lover, Bepo just liked who he liked, and he had his suspicions about the other two—even if they insisted they were straight.

With that being said he was comfortable in his sexuality. The most important people in his life, including Cora, accepted him for who he was and that was enough for him. He had even told Nami and Luffy about it when the orange haired girl talked freely about her girlfriend and her own sexuality the first day they met.

When it came to Luffy however, the boy had never admitted to anything relating to his sexuality, other than that he never really cared for it before. Because of that Law wasn’t sure if he was doing any of this intentionally or just because that’s how he is but it was doing poor things to his heart. 

As the minutes passed the position quickly became uncomfortable since his own arm was squished into his side, painfully pressing into his rib cage. Luffy didn’t seem too bothered but finally he couldn’t take it anymore as he freed his arm and threw it on the back of the couch behind the other boy’s head. It was only because he was uncomfortable. No other reason. 

At the movement Luffy turned to look at him and just as Law assumed he would, the other took that as an invitation and pressed up against him, snuggling into his side. He laid his head in the crook of his shoulder and neck and Law thought he might just explode.

Did he know what he was doing when he did it? Yes, absolutely. Did he regret it immediately after? A little.

He couldn’t relax. Why did he think this was a good idea? He just prayed to every god he could think of that Luffy couldn’t hear his heart pounding in his chest. If he noticed his nervousness he gave no indication of it.

It wasn’t but a few minutes later that Law heard soft snoring and looked down to find Luffy fast asleep on his shoulder. Even then he didn’t move his arm from the back of the couch and tried his best to focus on the screen in front of him.

After what felt like forever the movie finally ended and Cora turned, mouth open like he was gonna say something but paused when he saw the two of them. “And you say there’s nothing going on between you two.” He whispered delightedly.

The only response Law gave was a glare. He wasn’t about to risk Luffy waking up to this conversation. Thankfully Cora didn’t push it though, merely grabbing the blanket on the back of the couch and tossing it over them since Law couldn’t exactly move. With a few muttered words and a quick goodnight Cora made his way upstairs, leaving Law to only his thoughts.

Law grabbed the remote, choosing a random show just for background noise, scowling once he realized it was one of those medical dramas. He didn’t have anything against them per se, even thought some of them were good. He just had to constantly remind himself that they were going for drama, not accuracy.

As he looked down at Luffy who was peacefully sleeping on his chest he couldn’t help but be reminded of his friends back on Swallow Island. Other than Cora they were the closest ones to him. When one of them leaned up against him or casually touched him he had no problem with it—other than his pride.

So what made Luffy so different? This boy who had quickly and unapologetically forced his way into his life. Law wasn’t stupid, he knew these feelings weren’t purely platonic but why did it have to be him? And what about him did he have Law falling head over heels so quickly?

Luffy had no interest in relationships, he had said it himself. Law would be stupid to think he had a chance. On the off chance he did, why should he think he could? 

Law wasn’t a good person. He had killed and tortured people with his bare hands—no amount of soft words and reassurances would change that fact. He couldn’t erase what he had done. Doflamingo was right in the fact that his hands were stained. 

But Luffy… Luffy was so good. He cared about his friends and everyone else around him without restraint. Law didn’t know the full details but from what he had gathered he had saved his friends from their darkest moments, uncaring about whether they wanted him to or not. How could Law compete with that? 

A past painted with blood and death was all he could offer. Cora had almost lost his life just for caring about him. If he wasn’t in the picture Doflamingo would probably be long gone by now, rotting in a prison cell. If only Cora had just left him there then maybe he would get what he deserved along with Doffy.

The sheer embarrassment he was feeling was now replaced with something much darker, drumming just beneath his skin. He knew he was spiraling. That didn’t mean he could stop it though as he ran a shaky hand through his hair. 

He had to leave—had to move. Away from the good that was Luffy lest he taint him with everything he’s ever done. The guilt made his skin itch and he could barely restrain himself from indulging it.

With unsteady movements he carefully moved him away—off of his shoulder and laid him on the couch, throwing the blanket over him without a second thought. He wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there lost in thought but apparently it was long enough for the TV to ask if he was still watching. 

It took everything in him just to focus on his balance as he made his way into the kitchen and over to the fridge. His body shook, the panic settling in like an old friend. He threw the door open with haste, barely being able to see the bottle of water as he grabbed it.

It took him a few tries but once he finally had enough grip in his hands he opened it, throwing his head back and swallowing half of it down in one go—hoping the cold water would be enough to shock him out of his ongoing panic attack. 

He braced his hands on the counter beside him in an attempt to steady himself. His breath came out in short huffs as he wiped his chin where some of the water had escaped. It did nothing to stop the shaking however as he pushed up his glasses and rubbed at his face with annoyance.

“Torao?” 

Law whipped his head around. There in the entrance to the kitchen was Luffy as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Law’s shirt hanging off of one shoulder. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” He mumbled just loud enough for the other to hear.

“S’not your fault.” He walked further into the kitchen, eyes widening when he got closer. “Torao, what’s wrong?”

Law flinched at the question and turned his head in the opposite direction. “It… It’s nothing. You can go back to sleep.” 

“Well that’s stupid.” He said it so matter of factly that it made Law pause. When he looked over to say something he found Luffy already right beside him with that unwavering gaze set on him. “What’s wrong?” 

He turned his head to the side, not being able to keep his gaze. “I’m fine, really. I’ve always dealt with things like this on my own.” He said, his hands keeping a white-knuckled grip on the counter behind him.

He had never willingly bothered others with something as small as a panic attack before, not even Cora—though the man always somehow had a way of knowing. When they were on Swallow Island it was increasingly difficult to hide considering he lived with five other people but he made do. It wasn’t something that he ever wanted to burden others with. 

There was a sudden hand on his, gently prying it from his grip on the counter. When he turned Luffy had wrapped himself around his arm, slotting his body up against his, and leaning his head on his shoulder. He pressed his fingers into his hand, gently rubbing circles into it. 

“If you don’t want to talk about it that’s fine. But I won’t leave you alone.”

Law didn’t warrant that with a response, fearing what would happen if the sudden lump in his throat was anything to go by. So they stood there in the dim glow of the oven light side by side. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed but soon enough his body went slack, eyes drooping with exhaustion and laid his head on top of Luffy’s.

They stood like that for a few minutes more, Law fading between consciences, before Luffy suddenly moved. Using his already existing grip on his hand he pulled him along with him out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Law was confused until he inevitably led him into his own room. Without a word Luffy walked over to the bed and pulled back his covers, sliding into the space by the wall and holding his arms out in a silent invitation. 

He could refuse. Come up with every excuse as to why he didn’t deserve this—didn’t deserve Luffy’s kindness. But as he lay there looking up at him with those soft brown eyes, Law found that he didn’t want to.

He didn’t deserve it. He had no right to want it. But maybe, just maybe, he could indulge himself and have it for just tonight. And if he became addicted to it well then that was something he could deal with later.

So he removed his glasses, gingerly placing them on his bedside table, and slid in as he wrapped the blankets around them both. Luffy pulled him into his chest and wrapped his arms around him as Law threw an arm around his waist and their legs tangled together.

He fell asleep within minutes. If anyone asked he would tell them it was because of his lack of sleep from insomnia and the added exhaustion from his panic attack. But the reality was that this was the most comfortable and safe he’s felt in a long time. 

Cora might panic a bit in the morning when he realizes they were no longer on the couch but that was something he’d deal with in the morning.

Chapter Text

Law stood in the kitchen cooking breakfast for the three of them when the doorbell suddenly went off. He looked over to Cora, the man looking just as startled as him. The only other person who knew where they lived was Sengoku but there was no reason for him to visit.

Core went to answer the door as Law tried to calm his anxieties. Luffy stood by his side at the stove as he watched him cook since Law refused to let him help as he didn’t need another Cora in the kitchen.

A few minutes later Cora returned to the kitchen with a big smile plastered on his face followed by Nami. 

“Law, you have so many friends now! I’m so happy for you!” He cried.

Law ignored him. “Nami-ya? What are you- Wait. How did you even know where I live?” 

She smirked at him and held up her phone. “All of us share our location with each other. I just looked to see if Luffy was still at your house. I know where everyone else lives so it wasn’t too hard to figure out.” 

“Zoro gets lost all the time so this was our solution.” Luffy explained with a shrug. “I’m not the best with directions either.” 

Law was still confused. “Okay… So why did you show up at my house unannounced? We’re gonna see each other later.”

“Well if we’re shopping for new clothes I gotta see what I’m working with.” She looked at him like it was obvious. “I also needed a ride since Vivi is gonna be late and my mom has the car.”

“I wish you people would ask things before just doing whatever you want.” Law stole a glance over to Cora who was just watching the interaction with an amused smile as he sipped his coffee. 

At this Nami seemed to become annoyed as she made her way over to the two of them and flicked his forehead. “I did, if you would’ve bothered to check your phone!” She turned to Luffy and did the same. “You too! Out of the two of you I would’ve at least expected you to answer me!”

Luffy held his forehead in pain and mumbled something about her being mean before she wrapped her arm around his neck, ruffling his hair and causing both of them to laugh.

“Can you not do this right here? It’s bad enough you randomly barged into my house, I’m not going to burn myself while cooking because of you two.” Law snapped as he dodged Luffy trying to get out of the girl’s grasp. 

Somewhere distantly in his mind he was reminded of the mornings he and Cora spent on Swallow Island with the others. More often than not he and Bepo would do the cooking—Penguin and Shachi arguing or messing around behind them as Cora and Wolf watched in amusement when Law yelled at them. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss it.

Cora went to refill his coffee. “Nami, would you like any breakfast or anything?”

The girl immediately let go of Luffy and politely smiled at Cora. “I’m okay, I already ate but I’ll take some coffee if you don’t mind.”

She made her way over to Cora by the counter who had gotten her a mug down and Law watched as she poured an unhealthy amount of cream and sugar in her drink. Luffy had made his way back over to him.

Over the course of breakfast Cora and Nami were deep in conversation, mostly about the day they were going to have, even pulling up her phone to show him photos of her girlfriend and their other friends. Law finally butted in when she brought up his little rivalry/friendship with Kidd and his slightly better relationship with Killer. Everyone just seemed to live for embarrassing him.

After they had finished breakfast Law begrudgingly showed Nami his room so she could go through his current wardrobe at her insistence. “Wow, even your room needs some work.” 

Law bristled at that having already been annoyed by her airing out his life at school to Cora. Not that it wasn’t anything he hadn’t already told him but it was the principle of it. “My room is perfectly fine! Can you just do whatever you need to do so we can go?” 

She sent him an amused look. “I’m just saying you could use a little bit more decorations. It’s boring in here.” 

He sat on the bed and Luffy followed right after him. He watched as Nami approached the closet and paused as she reached out for the handles, turning back to look at Law. “What?” He asked, annoyed.

She looked at him for a second before speaking. “I’m not going to find any pornos in here, am I?” Luffy busted out laughing beside him. Law couldn’t help the way the heat crept up his neck as he sent a nasty glare her way. “I know you’re gay but you’re a teenage boy. I don’t need a repeat of what happened at Sanji’s.”

“No. I don’t own anything like that. Frankly, I’m offended that you think I would.”

She merely shrugged her shoulders and threw open the doors to the closet, delighted to find that he at least kept his clothes organized—even if his choice in clothes sucked. “Damn Law, do you go shopping with your eyes closed?” 

“I don’t. Cora usually buys my clothes.” He scowled.

“Makes sense.” She looked through his clothes for a few more minutes before picking something out and throwing it over to him. Unsurprisingly it was what his wardrobe mostly consisted of—a simple t-shirt that was too big and jeans that were slightly loose around his hips. “Put that on. It’s the best I can do for now.” She didn’t look too happy about it but nevertheless walked out of the room.

Once he started changing he could feel someone looking at him. When he chanced a look over his shoulder he found a soft pair of brown eyes looking his way.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He questioned.

Luffy’s eyes flicked up to his for a split second before looking back down. “Did your tattoos hurt?”

He nodded. “Some more than others. Typically parts closer to bone or with a lot of nerve endings.”

At that Luffy moved, standing up and making his way over to where he was. When a cold hand pressed into the back of his shoulder he let out a poorly suppressed shiver. “Which part hurt the most?”

Law absolutely refused to look at him lest the other boy catch sight of his face. The speed at which the heat spread through his cheeks was downright embarrassing. Why couldn’t Luffy just keep his hands to himself for once? Especially when he was shirtless, standing in the middle of his room with Cora and Nami waiting on them downstairs.

He took a shuddering breath. “When they went over my spine.”

Luffy made a noise of acknowledgement as his fingers roamed over his back, eventually landing over one of the raised bumps of his spine, right below the nape of his neck. It took everything in him to keep his mouth shut—to not make any noises like a freak right in front of him as he ran his fingers down his spine and over his tattoo.

At the sound of distant shouting Luffy let out a quick laugh, saying something that Law couldn’t understand. How could he when his mind was going a million miles a second? He heard his door open and shut signaling that Luffy had walked out and Law promptly dropped into a crouch, hands over his face trying to hide his patheticness even though he was alone.

God , he was a loser. 

There was no way the little shit didn’t know what he was doing, right? Law was gay, yes. But goddamn he had never felt more gay in his life than he did right now. He made quick work of changing his clothes as he willed his heart to calm the fuck down and stop beating out of his chest before he has a damn stroke. 

When he finally made it downstairs Nami and Luffy were standing by the door, the former complaining about how long he was taking. She took one look at his face and failed to hide her smirk but thankfully kept her mouth shut. 

“Let’s go.” 

“Oh, Law, wait!” Cora walked towards them at the door, reaching into his wallet and pulling out some cash before handing it to him. “Here.”

Law looked at the money but made no move to grab it, instead turning to the girl beside him who looked like a deer in headlights. “You gonna tell him or should I?” 

“Tell me what?” The older man looked between them curiously.

He stared at her for a second more before turning and pulling the black card out of his own wallet and showing it to him. “She conned Sengoku-ya into paying for everything.”

“No I didn’t!” He stared at her. “Okay, maybe I stretched the truth a little bit. But it’s not like I lied!” 

“Oh, really?”

“Yes really!”

Before Law could say anything else Cora burst out laughing in front of them. “You definitely remind me of someone I used to know.” 

Nami looked at him with a questioning look. “You’re not mad?”

He regarded her with a soft smile. “Dear, that man would give up his whole life savings for Law or me if we asked. I’m impressed that someone had the guts to take advantage of that.”

With a quick “Have fun!” he herded them out the door. Luffy immediately called shotgun and raced towards the car, much to the girl’s annoyance.

They swung by Luffy’s apartment on the way there so he wouldn’t have to wear the same clothes as yesterday, Nami and him waiting in the car. “So, you excited about going shopping?” 

He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Not really.”

“Oh, come on Law. It’s gonna be fun! You’re gonna have a whole new wardrobe to choose from as well!”

He sighed. “It’s not like I don’t appreciate what you’re trying to do but I just-” He bit the inside of his cheek. “I don’t exactly like looking into a mirror.” 

“Bullied?”

A short laugh escaped his lips. “You have no idea.”

“Well I won’t if you don’t tell me.” There was an almost hopeful silence between them before she cut it off with a sigh. “Look,” Before he could protest she pulled herself into the front seat with her legs still hanging in the back so she could see him. “The kind of clothes you have are fine—well, some of them. They would even look okay if styled properly, but personally I don’t think they’re doing you any justice.”

When he didn’t reply she continued. “Clothes play a big part in how we see ourselves. Hell, I wore my sister’s hand-me-downs for more than half my life. They were cute but they weren’t me. When I finally had a way to make my own money and was able to look and pursue the things I wanted I think that’s when I really started loving myself, not to mention when I met Luffy and the others they kinda forced it onto me whether I liked it or not.”

He couldn’t help but smile a little at that. “Sounds about right.”

She smiled at him and rested one of her hands on his arm. “What I mean to say is start with the things about you that you can control and the rest will come in time.” Law gave a small nod, turning the words over in his head. “You know, Zoro was way worse when I first met him.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “How so?”

Nami laughed. “All he used to wear was workout clothes, usually gross and always stained with something. It took months before I could convince him to dress properly. He refuses to acknowledge it but I can tell he looks happier, more confident in himself. Luffy was okay already because of Sabo but I helped some. Really Sanji’s the only one who came prepackaged with a sense of style, not including Vivi.”

“I would’ve guessed Robin-ya would’ve been included in that.” He quipped.

She shook her head. “She didn’t get to have much of a childhood, much less had friends. I think you too are a lot more alike than you think.”

“Doubt it.”

“You’d be surprised, but that’s not my story to tell.” She turned to look out of the windows towards the apartments. “Wonder what’s taking him so long.”

Just as she said that the door to his apartment had opened and Luffy stepped out in jean shorts and a baggy red t-shirt. It was simple but it made him look good. Law noticed that it seemed like he was talking to someone before finally closing the door.

Nami must have noticed as well. “Hm, his brothers must be home.” 

When he got closer to the car she pulled herself back into the backseat and Luffy climbed in with a laugh. “Sorry, Sabo and Ace wouldn’t stop talking to me.”

“Knowing you, you probably had the same problem.” 

As they waited for Vivi they decided to walk around the mall for a bit. From what he could see it was pretty big standing three stories tall with every kind of store you could think of. The mall back on Swallow island wasn’t nearly as big as this one. 

“Vivi will be here in about an hour. She got stuck in a last minute meeting with her dad.” Nami said as she looked down at her phone. “I was gonna wait until she gets here to help pick out clothes so-”

“Can we go to the arcade?!” Luffy cut her off with a big grin on his face. “They have some new games I wanted to try!”

“Sure, why not?”

The arcade was located on the second floor, taking up the space of two stores with how big it was. The bright, colorful lights and loud music—a stark contrast to the stores around it. It was enough for him to instantly feel the beginnings of a headache. 

He gave a slight rub to his temple before looking over to where Nami and Luffy were both standing by the card machine and looking at him. With a raised eyebrow he looked at the two of them before sighing and walking over. “If Sengoku-ya asks me why there’s a charge from the arcade I’m telling him you stole his card.” 

They both cheered as Law loaded money onto a game card deciding to get one to split between them. He didn’t care too much about playing any games so he just followed the two of them around for a while and watched them play. 

That’s not to say he wasn’t good at them. According to Penguin and Shachi he had amazing luck when it came to arcades, though he just argued that the others were just bad at the games. One time Law had won the four of them so many prizes that they were eventually asked to leave the arcade on Swallow Island since the managers were convinced they were cheating. They still each left with a big bag of prizes that day. 

The different games they were drawn to was evident. Nami clearly went for the machines that were the easiest but had the highest payout for points so she could get something from the prize counter. Luffy on the other hand didn’t seem to care as much about that and went after the more fun ones, eventually making his way over to the rows of different claw machines.

“Come on Luffy! You get no points from these and they’re always rigged.” Nami complained. At the same time she was eyeing a cat plush from one of them.

Luffy groaned. “You’re no fun! Just a few times!”

She relented with a sigh. He walked around for a minute looking at all the different ones before landing on the biggest one there was, filled with stuffed animals that were half of Law’s size. Nami grumbled at his side about him wasting all the points.

“You’re not even the one paying for it.”

She didn’t respond to him, merely sending a small glare his way as they watched Luffy attempt the game. From the start it was evident that his coordination was way off—almost completely missing the big, red stuffed dragon he was going for. He tried once, twice, and a third time before turning to the two of them with a pout. 

“These things suck.”

“I told you they were rigged.” 

He looked at the game with longing. “Think I’m small enough to climb in there?”

Nami swiftly smacked the back of his head. “Don’t do that. You’ll get us kicked out.”

Something in Law’s heart panged at the sad look on Luffy’s face. He mentally cursed at himself for being so weak for cute things as he held his hand out for the card in the other’s hand.

The questioning looks didn’t go unnoticed. “You want to play?” Luffy asked but handed over the card.

Law only nodded and walked over to the big machine and swiped the card. He made quick work of positioning the claw over the prize and snagged it on the first try. 

“Woah! How did you do that?” Luffy exclaimed beside him.

He just shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve always been good at them.” The flap opened at the bottom and he pulled out the giant plush and handed it over to Luffy. “Here.”

He tilted his head in confusion. “But you won it.”

He blamed the heat in his cheeks on the crowded arcade. “Yeah, I won it for you dumbass. Take it.” 

In an instant he was squished in a mess of arms and fluff but the touch was gone just as quickly. He could’ve sworn he saw a light blush on the other’s face but it was hard to tell under all the colorful lighting. 

Not even a few seconds later Luffy’s eyes locked onto something else in the machine. “You should get the blue one! Then we can match!” 

“I don’t really-” The other boy’s smile was wide and hopeful and how could Law say no to that? “Fine.”

Not even two minutes later he was pulling out the blue dragon and threw it over his shoulder. 

“Yeah that was cool and all, even if it was just a fluke.” 

He looked at the orange haired girl with a raised eyebrow. “If you want me to win one for you you can ask like a normal person.”

“The cat one, preferably.”

“You’re an ass, you know that?” He said with a roll of his eyes but swiped the card a third time, deciding to humor her since she was the one picking out his clothes.

By the time they left they each had a giant plush and pockets full of candy. At one point Luffy had a stroke of luck and managed to win two matching keychains from one of the claw machines and immediately handed one over to Law who had already attached it to his keys. 

After they put their prizes in his car and walked back into the mall a voice called out to them. “Nami! Luffy!”

“Vivi!”

Both Luffy and Nami ran over to the blue haired girl who had called out to them, Luffy hugging her first. Law assumed this must be the girlfriend that Nami always talked about. 

“Luffy!” The orange haired girl yelled, pulling at his collar. “Get off of her! Let me hug my own girlfriend!” Vivi laughed at the two of them as Luffy stuck his tongue out. 

“She’s my friend! We haven’t seen her in forever!” He whined but ultimately let go, slotting himself right beside Law and wrapping his arm around his.

The two girls hugged, exchanging a few words before Nami placed a chaste kiss on her cheek before finally walking over to them. “You must be Law, right? I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Vivi.”

He nodded. “Same here. Nami-ya never shuts up about you. You’re the only thing she talks about sometimes.” 

“Law!” Nami scolded him, blushing when Vivi looked at her. “What? Is it so wrong to talk about my own girlfriend? Come on, it’s time to shop!” She tugged Vivi along by the hand as she giggled and Law and Luffy followed. As they walked Nami leaned over to him. “I’m so getting you back for that later.” She said with a glare.

“I think I’m perfectly justified. Honestly I should’ve embarrassed you more with the shit I have to put up with at school.” He glared back. 

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.” Her gaze was unwavering so he decided to play his best card. “I want you to remember I’m also paying for everything.”

“I can just have Vivi pay for my stuff.”

“You’re going to use your girlfriend like that?”

At that she seemed to back off a bit. “Fine. Bastard.” She mumbled the second part under her breath but Law still heard it.

“Witch.”

“Creep.”

“Gold digger.”

“Jackass-”

“Why don’t we try this store first?” Vivi interrupted, seemingly ignorant to their name calling. “I’ve heard good things about it.”

He nodded and they walked in. It was a good sized store with so many different kinds of clothes that Law didn’t even know where to start so he merely followed the two girls with Luffy hanging off of his arm. 

As soon as they approached one of the racks Nami and Vivi turned to him, intensely staring him down. He stared back inquisitively but was ignored by both of them as they talked between themselves.

“I think dark colors would look best.” Vivi said.

“I agree, but it won’t hurt to try some lighter ones.” Nami replied to her. “I think blue would also suit him.”

A nod. “It would bring out his eyes.” 

Luffy jumped in. “I think red would look good!”

Nami sent him an unimpressed look. “You’re just saying that because it’s your favorite color.” Luffy laughed at that. “But I also think it would look good.” 

While the two girls went through the racks of clothes they made Law go wait by the dressing rooms for them, refusing to let him help. “I don’t trust your judgment.” Nami had told him when he protested but was ultimately ignored.

Luffy followed after him but went back and forth between himself and the other two, not being able to stay still for long. It was about twenty minutes later when they finally made their way over to him. 

“Okay we’re starting with a simple one just because I want to prove that I’m right about clothes that actually fit you right looking better.” Nami playfully smiled at him and handed him a small pile of clothes in her hand. 

“Yeah whatever.”

He took the clothes and made his way into the small dressing room, making a point to not look at the mirror as he changed. The outfit was simple consisting of just a black fitted t-shirt and a pair of black cargo pants that surprisingly fit him really well. They sat on his hips nicely but were still slightly loose around the legs making them pretty comfortable. 

It was only after he finished changing that he turned to look in the mirror and oh… Maybe Nami really did have a point. He looked… good. Definitely different from his usual style which he guessed wasn’t really style at all and realized he may have been more open to this than he had thought. He had certainly hated himself long enough.

He vaguely heard Nami yelling at him to hurry from the other side, knocking him out of his thoughts. When he opened the door and stepped out the other three were staring at him. “Well?” He asked.

“Oh, wow.” Nami started. “That’s ten times better than before already.”

“Torao you look so good!” Luffy yelled, throwing his arms around him for a split second before backing up. Law definitely didn’t blush at that.

Vivi regarded him with a serious look, already going for the pile of clothes they had and grabbing another outfit. While she did that he looked into the big mirror that was outside of the dressing rooms and Nami came up beside him with a giggle.

“You know with a little eyeliner and maybe a couple chains you’ll really look the part. Be the little emo boy you know you are.”

“You just can’t help yourself from making fun of me, can you?” He scowled in her direction.

She snorted. “You make it too easy. Now, what do you think of it?”

He knew the answer she was looking for but refused to give it so easily. “Looks like shit.”

She let out a loud laugh. “You’re a liar and you know it.” 

They went through a lot of different outfits, each one usually better than the next. He still didn’t like his reflection in the mirror, but maybe it was becoming a bit easier as time went on. 

The next store they went to was slightly smaller but inevitably they did the same thing as the last. After a couple outfits Nami handed him one, looking slightly anxious. He brushed it off for the most part and started looking at the clothes as he was walking back to the dressing room but stopped dead in his tracks. 

He slowly turned to look back at the girl who was pointedly ignoring him. “Is this a joke?”

She looked between him and the wall a few times before sighing heavily. “Oh come on Law! You won’t know until you try it on!” 

“Nami-ya, I’m not wearing a crop top.” He scowled at her.

Vivi came up beside her and looked at the shirt in his hands. “Oh! I’ve seen that one online! You’re tall and lean so that’ll look good on you.” She smiled up at him and he just rubbed his face in slight annoyance. 

“Listen,” Nami started, “You don’t have to come out and show us if you don’t want to but at least try it on. I think you’ll like it.”

Without another word he simply made his way into the dressing room. He couldn’t believe he was actually doing this, though nearly all of the outfits and clothes the two of them have picked out so far have been good, great even. He guessed he’d trust her this once. He’ll try it on, probably hate it, and could move on to the next.

The shirt was a dark blue—almost black with a white stripe going over the shoulder and down the sleeve on each side. The pants were a soft pair of white sweatpants—Vivi figuring it would be a good idea to get some loungewear while they were at it. Law thought they just liked treating him as a doll they could dress up.

The pants were unsurprisingly very comfortable and he was definitely buying them. Begrudgingly he slid on the top, slightly put off by the breeze on his stomach. It wasn’t as short as he originally thought but short enough for his tattoo to be poking out at the bottom. 

It wasn’t necessarily bad, surprisingly comfortable, but didn’t really think he could see himself wearing it outside of the house. Law was more horrified at how much he liked it. Deciding to humor the two girls he could hear talking he stepped out and leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed. “Happy?” Vivi’s eyes lit up while Nami snorted into her hand. “Something funny?” He scowled at her.

“Law, I’m gonna be honest with you. You’ve never looked more gay than you do right now.” 

“Go fuck yourself.”

She burst out laughing and grabbed his arm when he tried to go back into the dressing room. “It looks good! It really does!” She said between laughs and he was just thankful that Luffy was too occupied trying on some clothes of his own to notice what was going on.

When they finally went to check-out he saw Nami’s smug smirk when she noticed the shirt in the pile. “Not a word.” He hissed.

One of the stores they went to seemed a bit more formal than the others. “Homecoming’s in a few weeks so might as well start looking.” Nami explained as they walked in.

“Who said I’m going to homecoming?” Law asked.

“I did.” She shot back and leaned up to whisper in his ear. “You’ll get to see Luffy all dressed up too.”  

His face warmed and he pushed her away from him. “Shut up.”

They spent a while in this store since Nami and Vivi were also looking at dresses. He was admittedly starting to become tired—all of the changing and walking around started to wear on him. They had already been at it for a few hours but he really just wanted to take a nap, even if there’s no way his insomnia would let him sleep.

Soon enough Vivi came over to him, a purple dress hanging over one of her arms and in her hand was what looked like a pair of black dress pants and a dark maroon button up shirt. “Try this on. I think the red will look nice on you.” She gave him a sweet smile.

He felt the choice in color was a bit intentional but didn’t mention it as he went to change. He felt a little silly in nice clothes like these but stepped out regardless. Once Vivi saw him she looked at him for a second before coming up to him.

“Do you mind?” She asked and held her hands out to him.

He did mind actually but he trusted her well enough at this point. “Go ahead.”

She grabbed his arms, neatly rolling up the sleeves until they sat right under his elbows. Next she popped open the top buttons of the shirt—enough for the top of his tattoo to peek through before smoothing out the collar. She looked around for a split second before pulling a gold chain off of one of the jewelry stands near them and clasped it around his neck, stepping back to admire her work. 

“This is definitely the one.” She smiled and pulled him to the mirror.

He almost didn’t recognize himself for a second. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t look good. It wasn’t but a few seconds later that Nami and Luffy came around the corner.

“I can’t decide between the red and green what do-” Nami paused when she saw him. “Oh wow. That’s the best one yet. The necklace was a nice touch.”

Law simply rolled his eyes at her and looked over to Luffy, realizing he had been strangely quiet. The other hadn’t moved from his spot when they had rounded the corner and was staring at Law with wide eyes, a small blush dusting his cheeks.

Having been caught staring he quickly averted his eyes to the side and covered his mouth with his hand. Once he looked back at him he had his normal smile on his face, the blush gone, and came up beside him. “I told you you’d look good in red.” 

It was Law’s turn to blush. “Yeah, whatever.” 

He ignored the looks the two girls were giving him as he went back into the dressing room. Needless to say he did buy the outfit.

Around mid-afternoon Nami’s phone went off and she stepped out to answer it, coming back a few minutes later. “Sanji invited us over to Baratie for a late lunch. Said he’s out buying groceries with Zoro now and wanted to know if we’d come.”

Law looked at her. “I’m assuming you told him yes?”

“Of course I did. I’m not turning down free food.”

Luffy jumped up and down. “Yes! Sanji’s food is amazing! You have to try it, Torao!” He shook his arm in excitement.

Law had never tried the other’s cooking but had to admit he always thought it looked good. Sanji was frequently bringing different foods and drinks for Nami and Robin at lunch and sometimes gave some to the others, even when he did Law never took any.

“You said he’s with Zoro?” Nami nodded. “Sure we’re not interrupting a date?”

She laughed. “They wish. According to them they’re just ‘hanging out’”

“I’m not convinced.” 

“Trust me, none of us are.” She turned to the other two. “Usopp and Chopper will be there as well and Robin’s bringing Franky too.”

Law barely held back a groan. “How many friends do you guys have?” 

They all laughed at him but Luffy is the one who responded. “Franky graduated last year but him and Robin are dating. Other than that there’s Brook and Jimbei but they travel a lot with their jobs so we don’t see them often.” 

Nami put a hand on his shoulder. “Unfortunately for you Luffy makes friends with almost anyone he meets. You’re just gonna have to deal with it.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And why do I have to deal with it?” With a glance he noticed Luffy and Vivi in conversation a few feet away. When he looked back at the girl beside him she had an unimpressed look on her face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, come on Law. You’re not exactly good at hiding your feelings like you think you are.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” 

“It means exactly what I said.” She huffed. “You clearly have feelings for Luffy.” 

“I don’t know what you're talking about.” Law looked away, feeling the heat rise on the back of his neck.

“Don’t act like that. I have a hundred beri riding on this.”

He whipped his head around to stare at her. “You-?!” He sputtered. “You bet on us?!” The other two were thankfully still oblivious to the conversation they were having. 

“No. It’s obvious you two are gonna get together. I bet on who’s gonna confess first.” 

Heat drummed underneath his skin and he was sure his face was red. “And who, pray tell, did you bet on?” 

“You actually.”

Law was surprised at that. He was sure that she would say Luffy, though he figured it made sense with the way she kept pushing him about it. “So you keep pestering me about it so you can win? Sorry to tell you but that’s not happening.”

Nami shrugged her shoulders. “I have my own reasons for betting the way I did. But I’ll tell you this.” She walked forward a step and looked over her shoulder at him with a cheeky smile. “I never make a bet I don’t think I can win.” At that she left him alone as she went over to the other two.

She was oddly confident to bet on someone like him. He had no confidence, was socially awkward, and refused to even confront his past—much less his feelings about Luffy. 

“Torao!” Law was knocked out of his daze to Luffy pulling on his arm. “You okay?”

Luffy looked up at him with his big brown eyes, eyebrows pinched in concern with a small pout gracing his lips and god was he cute like that. “I… Yeah, sorry. Let’s go.” The pout was immediately replaced with a warm smile that Law couldn’t look away from.

Maybe he didn’t need to confront his feelings—not when they smacked him in the face like this. He was so screwed.

They decided to walk since the restaurant was just around the block, though not before putting all their bags in their respective cars. On the way there Luffy told him all about how Sanji’s dad owned the restaurant and Sanji worked there frequently as the sous chef. As soon as the building came into sight Law was a bit taken aback. It was nice— really nice, and definitely more expensive than anything he could ever afford on his own.

As they approached he saw Zoro and Sanji gathering groceries out of a car he could only assume was the latter’s with how nice it was. Nami called out to them and the second Sanji noticed them he instantly dumped the bags he was holding into Zoro’s arms and ran towards them, ignoring Law and Luffy completely and going straight for the girls. Vivi laughed as she hugged him and caught up for a moment.

Law looked past them, seeing the small scowl on Zoro’s face. He was no stranger to the way the two of them fought like cats and dogs, especially at school. Though it was clear as day how the swordsman was feeling, his face was practically dripping with jealousy at the fact that Sanji’s attention was so easily stolen away from him. Law could only wonder if Nami read him as easily as he was reading Zoro.

Eventually Sanji greeted Law and Luffy as he walked back over to take his bags back from the other and they made their way in. It was definitely the fanciest place he had ever been into, the inside decked out in reds and golds. There was a second floor that had tables overlooking the rest of the dining room. 

When they walked in he was immediately greeted with the sight of two older men, one who seemed to be the host and the other was a large man with a blond, braided mustache and a leg that Law instantly recognized as a prosthetic, dressed in chef’s whites.

“The ‘ell you think you’re doing little eggplant?” His voice was gruff as he directed the question towards Sanji who immediately scowled. “This is a restaurant, not a community kitchen.”

“I’m making lunch for my friends you damn geezer.” Law was a bit put off but the others just acted like this was a common occurrence. “Don’t worry, I’m not using your shitty ingredients. I bought my own.”

Sanji pushed past him, making his way towards the double doors towards the back that led to the kitchen. Zoro followed after him with the bags in his hands.

“You’re still using my kitchen!” The man yelled at him.

“Oh, please!” Sanji turned to look at him, walking backwards as he glared. “I’ll be running this place soon anyways!” 

“It’ll be a cold day in ‘ell fore I let you run anything little eggplant!” The only response Sanji gave was a flick of his finger as he pushed past the doors and disappeared into the kitchen. He looked back to them with a huff. “Your normal table is open.” 

The three others cheered and made their way up the stairs, Luffy dragging Law along by his arm. They ended up at a round booth in the corner of the upper floor, big enough for all of them plus some. Nami and Vivi slid in first, Luffy after them and Law climbed in last. They scooted around most of the way to make room for when the others came.

He didn’t realize but Zeff had followed them, leaning his arm on top of the booth. “The usual drinks I presume?” When Nami confirmed his gaze turned to Law. “And you? Don’t worry it comes out of his check.” Law couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

“Just water is fine.”

With a huff he turned and walked away, passing by Zoro as he joined them and slid in beside Nami. It wasn’t even ten minutes later that everyone else had shown up. He could only assume the man walking alongside Robin was her boyfriend, Franky.

He was definitely not what he imagined when he thought of ‘Robin’s boyfriend’. The guy was tall with bright blue hair, a red Hawaiian shirt with yellow palm trees on it that was completely open, and very short shorts. 

“Yo! You must be the newest addition to our group! That’s so sssssuperr!” 

Law was vaguely surprised at how loud he was but introduced himself either way. Robin slid in beside him, Franky after her, followed by Usopp and Chopper. 

Soon enough Sanji appeared with two trays filled with all different kinds of foods. Sandwiches, chicken, rice balls, you name it. He also handed out fresh plates and everyone started grabbing what they wanted so Law did the same, obviously going for the rice balls first but stayed away from the many different kinds of sandwiches he had made.

As soon as he took the first bite he was in heaven. This was by far the best food he had ever tasted—definitely better than anything he had ever made himself. He was even going as far as thinking about paying Sanji to make him rice balls every once in a while.

He was broken out of his thoughts when said cook started questioning him. “You’re not going to eat any of the sandwiches?” 

He knew this would come up eventually but it was still a bit embarrassing to admit. “I don’t like bread.” He could feel their questioning stares and sighed. “A girl I used to know gave me moldy bread as a joke. Can’t stand the texture anymore.”

The girl in question was Baby 5, she and Buffalo thought it would be hilarious to give it to him as a prank. He was stupid really to not notice what they were up to. After that he was bedridden for weeks. That paired with the Amber Lead Disease was a nasty combo and left him wondering how he wasn’t already dead. They were reprimanded by Doffy but that didn’t stop them from pulling more pranks on him in the future.

“Don’t worry Torao!” Law looked over to Luffy beside him. “I’ll eat all of your bread for you.”

“You’ll eat anything if it means you get more food.” The others around the table laughed. 

Law mostly just listened as the others talked, not bothering to jump in unless he was asked a question. Needless to say once he had finished eating all of the exhaustion washed over him in an instant. The shopping for hours paired with a full stomach left him exhausted, his social battery depleted. Even though he slept longer than usual the night before it didn’t make up for all the sleep he had missed during the week.

Under the table a hand laced itself in his own. “You okay?” Luffy asked him.

He looked over to him. “Just tired. Not used to being around so many people.”

“Did you wanna go home? I’ll go with you if you want me to.”

God Luffy was too good to him sometimes. “I’m not gonna ask you to leave your friends for me.”

Luffy tilted his head in confusion. “You don’t have to ask, I did. Do you want me to?”

Every part of Law screamed to save himself the embarrassment but at this point he was just too tired to care. If Luffy offered then who was he to say no to that? He didn’t look at him as he nodded and Luffy gave his hand a squeeze. 

They soon said their goodbyes and headed back to Law’s house. He looked at all of the bags in the backseat like they had personally wronged him but knew Cora would scold him later if he left everything in the car. Luffy insisted on carrying at least half of them and the dragon so Law let him, not bothering to put up a fight.

“Bought a lot did you?” Cora laughed as soon as they walked in. 

“Nami-ya is very persuasive.” 

He avoided most of his questioning as Luffy told him about all the things they had done. Law took this opportunity to make his way upstairs to his room, turning on the small lamp on his nightstand, and dropped all of the bags in front of his closet. That was something he could deal with later. 

He did pull out one of his new pairs of sweatpants and a soft shirt and quickly changed into them since he didn’t plan on going anywhere else. As soon as he was comfortable he flopped down on his bed face first and instantly sunk into it laying his head on his arms, closing his eyes but not falling asleep. It had been a while since he felt this boneless. He liked the others well enough but it definitely took a toll.

A few minutes later he heard his door open but didn’t bother opening his eyes. He could vaguely hear the sound of bags being sat on the ground and the stuffed dragon being thrown on the bed beside him. What he didn’t expect next was the heavy weight laying over his back.

He cracked an eye open and looked over his shoulder. “What the hell are you doing, Luffy-ya?”

Luffy looked at him like it was obvious. “Taking a nap with you. Sanji’s food always makes me tired.” 

Law rolled his eyes. “Do what you want I guess.”

He said that but the weight from Luffy on top of him was very comfortable. It was almost embarrassing how quickly he fell asleep. Luffy was small enough that he wasn’t suffocating him but heavy enough to ground him.

Cora found them like that a half hour later, having come to check on them when he realized he hadn’t heard anything for a while. When he found them that morning he didn’t say anything about it figuring he wouldn’t embarrass his son anymore than he already has. 

“He just makes it too easy.” He quietly laughed to himself as he threw a blanket over the two boys.

Law would never hear the end of it. 

Chapter Text

When Law went back to school on Monday he couldn’t be bothered enough to put an elaborate outfit together despite all the trouble Nami and Vivi had gone through to get him an entire new wardrobe. He hadn’t even gotten all of it organized yet since Cora insisted on going through his old clothes first before doing so. He had gotten about a quarter of the way through the previous day before simply giving up, too bored to continue.

The outfit he decided on was the first one he had tried on at the mall—black cargo pants and a black t-shirt. Nami might make fun of him for being lazy but at the moment he couldn’t care less as he stepped over the multiple bags of clothes around his floor. 

Cora drove him to school since he had to go to work after and as soon as Law walked over to where the others were Nami did in fact start making fun of him. “You’re so helpless that you can’t even put together an outfit for yourself?”

Law glared at the girl, Luffy already glued to his side with an arm around his. “Once I have everything put away I will but I’m not going through every bag searching for one just to please you.”

She opened her mouth to say something but stopped when a voice came from behind Law. “Wow, you don’t look like shit for once.” He turned around to see none other than Kidd and Killer walking over to them. “A bit too simple if you ask me though.”

“Good thing no one is.”

Killer came up beside him. “You look good, Law. Don’t listen to him.”

“Hey!”

Law gave a small nod. “Thanks.”

When lunch rolled around Law was met with sudden realization that somewhere along the way Kidd and Killer had wormed their way into the friend group, whether they realized it or not. He knew that Luffy considered them friends before he met Law but that wasn’t the case with the others, until now. He watched as Usopp, who had seemed to get over his nerves, talked with Kidd about some invention he was working on and Killer, surprisingly, had struck up a conversation with Sanji about pasta. He wasn’t sure what that was about but who was he to judge?

Luffy turned to him and asked if they could study again today which Law agreed to. He sent a quick text to Cora to let him know. As he slipped his phone back into his pocket he noticed that the expressions on Kidd and Killer’s faces had changed into ones of anger.

Law followed their gaze to two guys across the room. One had long blond hair and weird looking eyebrows—if you could even call them that. The other wore a pair of headphones, his long hair pulled back into a braid. He also had freakishly long arms. The two of them were looking in their direction and seemed to be laughing at something. 

Law kicked Kidd’s shin lightly, enough to get his attention. “What did those two do to make you this pissed off?”

He scowled. “That’s Apoo and Hawkins. They’re pieces of shit.”

Seeming as that was going to be the only information he would get out of the other Law rolled his eyes in response and let it go. He wasn’t in the mood to find out how far he could push Kidd’s buttons before he snapped—especially not when he was already this mad. 

When Law walked out of the building at the end of the day he got a text from Cora letting him know that he was stuck in a meeting and would be late. He, however, wasn’t too keen on waiting for the older man to pick them up and simply texted him back that he and Luffy would take the bus.

The bus would’ve dropped them off right by his house but decided to get off a few blocks away where it stopped by the corner store. Maybe an energy drink would be enough for him to be able to get through tutoring Luffy and organizing his clothes. He knows he’ll pay for it tonight when he can’t sleep but that was a problem for later. Luffy, true to his nature, grabbed an armful of snacks which Law inevitably ended up paying for.

As they walked out the store he cracked open the tab on the cold can and took a few sips, grimacing at the taste. Coffee was much more preferable than the carbonated drink that, to him, tasted like battery acid. Shachi and Penguin loved them but Law could never get the taste for them no matter how many he tried. He did buy it though so he was gonna drink it.

Luffy on the other hand was chewing on a piece of jerky, a bag full of snacks hanging on one arm and his other somehow never left its place where it circled Law’s. The air had begun steadily dropping in temperature as the September month was coming to an end so Law found he didn’t mind the touches nearly as much. 

Law naturally ran on the colder side. He figured he should probably get some blood tests done, knowing that it could be a sign of something wrong but he’d be damned if anyone other than himself and maybe Crocus went poking around his body—much less sticking a needle in him. The doctor in him was constantly fighting with the child who had been repeatedly scorned and betrayed by the very people whose job it was to care for him.

That being said, Luffy radiated warmth. Whether that be from his personality or his naturally high body temperature it was hard not to take notice when the boy practically never left his side. Before Law had realized it Luffy had melted away all of the walls of ice that he had built around himself after leaving Swallow Island. It was almost freaky how quickly he had done so.

Something about Luffy calmed him, his touch easing every worry that ran through Law’s mind and threatened to send him spiraling. He even-

“You bastard!” 

Law was violently pulled from his thoughts and looked around for the source of the voice. With a quick glance he knew Luffy had heard it as well. They were in an area that had a bunch of businesses—some abandoned, along a strip of road. Not many people were around, mainly just cars passing by, narrowly avoiding after school traffic. 

When they walked a little bit further Law peered down one of the alleyways. Though he couldn’t say he was necessarily surprised by what he saw.

“Having fun over there, Eustass-ya?”

Towards the back of the alley stood Kidd and Killer both sporting injuries, Kidd clearly the worse out of the two. His eyes flickered up to meet Law’s with a small scowl as he and Luffy walked further into the alley.

Law looked down to find two bodies on the ground, still breathing from what he could see which he was grateful for. He wasn’t necessarily looking to get caught up in being a witness to murder. Though as he walked forward he recognized the two as Apoo and Hawkins—the ones that Kidd had pointed out earlier that day at lunch.

Law stepped over the two boys on the ground who seemed to be out cold and approached the others. “Do I even want to ask what happened?” 

He did a quick once-over on both of them. No broken bones it seemed, bruises slowly forming along their arms along with a few cuts that looked shallow at first glance, and Kidd’s nose was steadily dripping blood—looking slightly more crooked than normal. 

The redhead shrugged. “They were assholes.”

“Right.” Knowing he might regret this later he made a split second decision since he couldn’t necessarily leave them as they were. “Come on, I have a first aid kit at my house.”

“I don’t need your-”

“That would be great.” Killer cut off his friend with a look and surprisingly Kidd didn’t argue.

“Whatever.”

Kidd and Killer made to exit the alleyway first, Luffy after them having let go of his arm when they walked in to poke at Hawkin’s head, and Law went last. Though, as they walked out Law paused in his tracks, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. He was no stranger to this feeling. It was the same feeling—same vigilance he had to keep for years.

He waited a second, then another—listening, before he swiftly turned, throwing the remainder of his bitter drink in his attacker’s face, effectively blinding them if only temporarily before slamming his elbow into their stomach. In that split second he realized it was Apoo who had tried to attack him from behind as he dropped the knife in his hand to clutch at his stomach.

“LAW!” 

“TORAO!”

When he bent over in pain Law took that chance to sweep him off of his feet causing him to fall face-first to the concrete below him. Without a second to spare he kicked the knife away from Apoo’s reach and planted his foot on the top of his head.

“What reason could you possibly have to attack me? I’m not the one who kicked your ass.” 

He pressed his foot down slightly harder making the boy below him grimace. From his place on the ground Apoo glared up at him, his eyes wild with adrenaline and pain. He felt a hand grab at his foot that was still on the ground in a poor attempt to… Hurt him? Law wasn’t sure but he remained unmoving.

“I’ll kill you, you piece of shit.” Apoo wheezed.

Law stared down at him unimpressed. “I seriously doubt that.”

Without another word Law moved. Swiftly removing his boot from the other's head and just as quickly bringing it down on the arm that had a hold on him, feeling the bone snap in two. To absolutely no one’s surprise he let out a loud yell and promptly let go of Law as he rolled on the ground, clutching his arm to his chest.

Law didn’t spare him another glance as he walked out of the alley to where the others were staring at him wide-eyed. He made his way past them, continuing on his way home now annoyed at the loss of his sugary drink since he threw it at Apoo. He may have not liked it that much in the first place but it was the principle of it.

“Woah, woah, woah. We are not just skipping over that.” He was grabbed by the shoulder by none other than Kidd.

Law looked back at him with a scowl. “What’s there to say? He tried to attack me and I had to defend myself.”

All of a sudden a warm body landed against his back with arms around his neck. He panicked for a split-second before realizing who the body belonged to. “Torao, that was so cool!”

“I am seeing you in a whole new light.” Killer added.

“Oh please.” Law rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen worse.” 

The three of them continued to pester him the entire walk back to his house whether that be with questions on where he learned to fight or just about how cool he had looked which mainly came from Luffy. Law, however, didn’t give them any information since that would mean revealing that he had been in a gang for two years.

Law led them into his house and let them sit at the dining table while he went upstairs to grab the first aid kit. As he was coming back down he didn’t miss the sound of the door opening and a loud thump that echoed through the house.

“Cora-ya be more careful! I don’t wanna have to patch you up too.” He yelled and peeked his head into the entrance hall where Cora had picked himself back up from the floor.

The older man jerked his head up to meet his son’s gaze. “I’m fine- What do you mean patch me up too?” Law didn’t reply and Cora followed him to the dining room where Kid, Killer, and Luffy sat. When he saw the blood and scrapes covering the two taller boys he let out a gasp and immediately started fretting over the two of them and turned to Law for answers. 

The young doctor sat the kit on the table and started pulling out what he needed. “This idiot,” He jerked his thumb towards the redhead, “Got into a fight and made it everyone else’s problem.” 

Kidd scowled at him. “They started it! Bastards have been making fun of Kill for a while. They were asking for it.”

“I didn’t say they weren’t.” Law shrugged. “But make sure you knock them out properly next time.”

Cora perked up at this and turned to his son and Luffy with a scrutinizing look. “Are you two hurt as well?” 

Law merely shook his head as he pulled on a pair of gloves and filled him in on what happened after the two of them arrived. “The dumbass thought I wouldn’t notice him sneaking up behind me. He now has a broken arm.” He sent a cocky smile to where Cora was leaning against the counter and rolled his eyes.

“You’ve always been annoyingly good at knowing when someone is behind you. Especially when I first met you.” 

Law let out a short laugh. “I think being an extremely traumatized ten year old will do that. Besides, if I didn’t I would’ve never survived there between you and the pranks the others would try to pull on me.” The way the three others looked between each other while the other two talked wasn’t lost on him. He was sure the way he and Cora talked to each other was a little strange to outsiders but when you had been through as much as they had some things became a new, although weird, kind of normal for them.

Law first started cleaning and dressing the wounds on Killer since his was the more minor of the two. From the injuries the two of them were sporting it was pretty obvious Kidd had most likely jumped into the fight first and Killer backed him up. 

Cora had asked if he wanted any help having a bit of medical knowledge himself—or about as much as you could have having lived with someone like Law for the better part of almost seven years. If he was anything he was a medical geek.

Kidd even dared to question him. “You sure you know what you’re doing?” He asked once Law moved to him.

He rolled his eyes. “I’ve been studying medicine since I learned to read. I’m pretty confident in my own abilities.”

The redhead let out a laugh—almost condescending. “No wonder you’re such a fucking nerd.” 

Law didn’t warrant that with a response, instead inspecting Kidd’s newly crooked nose and the swelling around it. He probably should’ve dealt with this first but it was too late for that now.

“Be grateful, Eustass-ya. I’m saving you a trip to the emergency room.” He made a grab for a piece of gauze on the table and grabbed his nose with it. “Try not to punch me.”

Whether Kidd heard him or not he wasn’t sure as he started talking. “Well good thing I didn’t need your help in the- AH!” Law swiftly set his nose back into place, feeling the pop of the bone under his fingers. “GODDAMMIT TRAFALGAR!” He didn’t see the flinch from the other three in the room.

His fists clenched and unclenched, clearly trying to fight the urge to hurt him. Law frowned. “I warned you.” He kept a gentle but firm pressure on his nose to keep it from bleeding everywhere.

“That hurt you piece of shit.” Kidd’s scowl was deep and menacing but Law wasn’t deterred in the slightest. 

The most it did was make his annoyance grow by the second, fueled even more from the stunt Apoo had tried to pull earlier. “Well next time don’t get hit in the face and I won’t have to fix your stupid nose.”

“I didn’t make you do shit. You just think you’re hot shit because you broke that asshole’s arm and can do whatever you want.”

Law knew it was the pain talking but it still made his temper flare as he tightened his hold on his nose, making the other wince in pain and got up in his face. “I’d like you to think about the position you’re in. If I wanted to, I could easily break it again and this time there’ll be no fixing it-”

“Trafalgar Law.”

Law was caught off guard, the scowl instantly disappearing from his face, by the sharp tone coming from the older man and he loosened his grip. Cora may let a lot of things slide but this was apparently not one of them. 

With a slow turn of his head he looked at the other, flinching at the expression on his face. His gaze was hardened into a deep frown, eyes staring daggers through him. Law recognized that look. It was hard not to when he spent two years on the receiving end of that look whenever he did something wrong, just not from Cora. Before he could stop it memories were racing through his mind—ones that reminded him of what usually happened after he received that look.

He glanced between the older man and where his fingers were still holding onto Kidd’s face. “Fine, sorry. Just… Just don’t look at me like that. You look too much like your brother…”

He said the second part quietly but knew Cora had heard him when his face changed into a look of surprise before dropping in guilt. Law felt a bit bad for saying what he did knowing it was a sore subject for the both of them. 

“You mean your uncle?” Killer asked, breaking the silence.

“Only legally.” Law scoffed and instructed Kidd to hold the gauze so he could tend to his other wounds.

“What’s he got to do with that?” Luffy asked. His breath hitched in his throat and knew Cora was in the same state if the look on his face was anything to go by. When neither Law or Cora responded the shorter boy let out a low whine. “Come on Torao, you never talk about yourself! I wanna know more about you!” The other two who sat at the table nodded.

“Law…” Cora looked at his son and the question in his gaze was clear. How much did he want the others to know? 

He thought for a moment. He was certainly closest to Luffy and liked Killer pretty well. He would even go as far to call Kidd a friend at this point despite how much the other got under his skin. At the very least he trusted them enough to not go around spreading his dark past to everyone they knew.

He wasn’t oblivious enough to think that he could hide it for much longer as the others always seemed to have a way to make him talk. Besides, if they were going to leave once they knew about the things he had done then he could go ahead and save himself the heartbreak when they did. It was just a matter of now or later.

“Go ahead.” He looked at Cora. “They’ll know soon enough.” 

“Know what?” Luffy asked.

Law avoided eye contact with any of them and busied himself with Kidd’s injuries as Cora looked at all of them. “It’s not a nice story. But I trust none of this will leave this room.” They all nodded curiously and Cora sighed heavily. “I need a drink for this conversation.” Law rolled his eyes as the older man pulled out a bottle of wine from the cabinet, opened it, and poured himself a glass.

“My brother, Doflamingo, is not a good man. I would go as far as to call him a monster.” He didn’t miss the way Kidd, Killer, and Luffy listened eagerly, hanging on every word that came from Cora’s lips. “I used to be a commander in the marines, Sengoku had taken me in when I was young and from there I joined. When I was twenty-two my brother started rising to power in the underworld through black market trading. I infiltrated his gang as a mute and became his right-hand man under the name Corazon.”

Killer suddenly butt in. “Wait. So is Cora not your real name?”

The older man let out a small smile. “I wasn’t sure any of you would catch that. No, that’s not my real name. It’s Rosinante, but I’d prefer it if you called me Cora since that’s what Law calls me.”

“It’s not my fault I didn’t know your real name until you nearly died. Sengoku-ya was the one that told me.” Law scowled a bit.

Kidd tensed up in surprise. “Died?” 

“We’ll get there.” Cora said. 

This was all a lot easier when it wasn’t Law who was telling the story. It didn’t bother him as much to hear it anymore, only festering in the back of his mind when he was alone and could sit on the memories. But here, with Cora talking and Kidd, Killer, and Luffy listening he found he didn’t mind as much as he thought he would.

“A few years later is when I first met Law. He showed up one day, bombs strapped to his chest, and demanded that he join the gang.” 

Law could feel the piercing stares on the back of his neck, only standing to find that his suspicions were correct once he finished with the final bandage on Kidd’s arm. “What are you looking at?” 

“Bombs, Law?” Killer asked in disbelief.

He set a small scowl on his face as he packed up the first aid kit and cleaned up. “I had just lost my family and had nowhere else to go. There I could basically guarantee my livelihood so I did what I could to make them let me join.”

There was a brief silence between them before Kidd spoke. “Dude, that’s kind of badass. Where did you even find them?”

He shrugged. “Don’t remember. I think I just found them in a junk pile.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Cora butted in. “The hideout was surrounded by mountains of junk, never knew what you could find in there. Anyways, part of my mission was to deter kids from trying to join, and Law was one of them but no matter how hard I tried to gently discourage him he never left.”

Law whipped his head around to stare at the older man who couldn’t hide the amused smile on his face, knowing he had gotten a rise out of him. “Gently? What part of throwing me out of a window every time you saw me would you call gentle? I could’ve died, you know? A broken neck is no joke.” 

Cora let out a laugh. “You didn’t though, and you got me back for it so we’re even.”

Luffy looked between them before landing his eyes on Law. “What did you do?” 

He looked at the three of them coolly. “I stabbed him in the back. Literally.” 

The older man sighed, fondness laced in his voice. “I still have the scar.”

“Can we see?” Luffy asked, far too enthusiastically in Law’s opinion.

“Maybe another time.” Cora let out a small laugh, no doubt amused at the eagerness in the younger man’s voice. “A few weeks later Doffy welcomed him into the ‘family’ as he liked to call it. Law was skilled, even then, and my brother recognized that. For a while he just acted as the family’s doctor. I remember the first time he pulled a bullet from my side.” 

“I’m sorry,” Kidd said, his face twisted as he was trying to wrap his head around what he was hearing. “How old were you at this point?”

“Ten.”

“TEN?!” Kidd, Killer, and Luffy yelled at the same time. 

Kidd continued. “You were doing surgeries at ten years old? That’s insane.”

“My parents were surgeons. And like I said, I’ve been studying medicine since I was old enough to read.”

“Studying it and doing it are two very different things.” 

Law merely shrugged. “Listen, I had to have something to make them think I was useful enough to let me stay, even if I was way in over my head at the time.”

Killer looked at him. “What do you mean?”

He paused in his movements, unsure of what to say to that. Instead of saying anything he looked over to Cora who was refilling his glass, silently asking for him to continue.

The older man sent him a small nod and started talking again. “For about the first year or so he was just the family’s doctor but my brother thought his talents would be more useful for… Other things. Like if he wanted certain information or if someone wronged him or…” Cora paused, clearly unsure of how far Law wanted him to go.

It wasn’t really something he liked to talk about, but the other three looked utterly confused about what he was trying to say. Law figured if he was going through the trouble of telling them he may as well tell them everything. After all, they were the ones who wanted to know more about him.

Law came in where Cora had left off, walking over to stand beside him. “He used my skills as a surgeon for his own means. Because I could get him what he wanted without killing the person in the process, not like he ever let them go after anyways.”

A heavy silence filled the room, suffocating him under its weight and he knew they had caught on to what he was implying. He couldn’t look at any of them—couldn’t bear to see the looks in their eyes.

Surprisingly, Killer is the one who broke the silence first. “He made you torture them.” It wasn’t a question. Merely an acknowledgement of what he was saying but Law answered him nonetheless.

“...Yeah. But at that point I was in too deep. Even if I left I wouldn’t have been able to survive on my own, and that’s if I could get away before he found me and dragged me back.” 

The silence was loud. What interrupted it was the quiet screech of a chair and the next thing he knew there was a pair of arms wrapped around him. He gave a weak attempt to push him away. “Luffy-ya-”

“Don’t.” The younger boy cut him off as he rested his chin on Law’s chest and looked up to him with a frown. “You’re terrible at hiding your feelings.”

“I don’t-”

“You didn’t have a choice. You did what you had to to survive.” His gaze was soft but stern.

He had said it so matter of factly that he was a bit taken aback. Honestly what had Law been thinking? Of course this is how Luffy would react after hearing about his past. He shouldn’t have ever thought otherwise, that’s just how he is. That didn’t mean that he completely believed him but it was enough for now.

Law looked to the side, unable to hold his gaze but pulling him tighter against his chest. “Right.”

Luffy didn’t look totally convinced that he believed his words but thankfully dropped it as he turned his head to rest over his chest, not bothering to go back to the table. It was a bit embarrassing but Law appreciated the comfort, sending a middle finger towards Kidd when he noticed the small smirk on his face.

It was then that Cora took back over, reaching over and running a hand through his son’s hair. “I wasn’t there when it happened. When I returned and realized what my brother had done I knew I couldn’t stand to the side anymore, though at the time I couldn’t do more than clean him up and comfort him as best as I could.”

“I couldn’t leave and abandon my mission. He was my brother so I felt like I had to be the one to keep an eye on him and keep him in check. But after another year of watching this go on and what he was putting Law through I couldn’t take it anymore so one night I took him and we ran.”

“What changed?” Kidd asked a little hesitantly. 

His gaze was set on Law and by the pause he figured Cora was also looking at him. “I was sick. Had been for years and basically on death’s door everyday. I… don’t really remember much from that night. One minute I had just walked into my room and the next thing I knew I’m in his car and he was talking.” Luffy gave him a comforting squeeze.

He intentionally left out the bit about the Amber Lead Syndrome, not quite ready to share that bit of information. It was one thing to talk about what was done to him but it was another to tell them about what was him, and still is. The fact that the patches on his skin had more or less gotten his whole city massacred by the government and that he was the only survivor was a bit too personal—a bit too deep, even for him.

“I’d be surprised if you did remember it.” Cora remarked. “I really did think you were about to die at that moment. I swear I have grey hairs from that night.”

Law sent him a cheeky smile and reached up to grab at his hair. “I think I see a few growing in-”

He quickly smacked his hand away. “Alright you brat that’s enough. If I have any it’s because of you.” 

Cora placed his hand on his head and pushed him away from him making him lose his balance and almost falling over with Luffy in his arms, the older man taking a sip of his wine as he did so. He quickly regained his footing though as he escaped his reach, not being able to stifle the small snicker that left his lips. He could hear the laughs coming from Kid and Killer and the giggles from Luffy under him.

Once Law found his balance he leaned against the counter opposite from Cora and the smaller boy turned in his arms leaning his back against his chest, pulling Law’s arms around him and held him there. 

“What happened next?” Luffy asked.

“Not sure I wanna know if we haven’t gotten to the almost dying part.” Kidd added.

Cora laughed a bit. “At the very least it’s a happy ending considering I’m still here.” 

“That doesn’t make me any less nervous.” Killer said.

Cora continued the story. “Well after we left we were on the run for about six months and my brother thought I was simply finding a cure for Law and would check in occasionally. He didn’t know I had no plans of returning to him. After about six months we finally found a cure for Law from a doctor named Crocus that Doffy had told me about. By the time Law was getting better my brother had found us. I’m not sure at what point Doflamingo found out but somehow he knew that I’d been giving information to the marines—that I had been selling him out for years.” 

Kidd, Killer, and Luffy listened with rapt attention, surprising Law with how much they were interested in his past. He guessed you didn’t get this kind of story often.

“When he showed up I made Law and Crocus hide while I confronted him. Needless to say he didn’t appreciate my efforts to stop him from hurting anyone else and he nearly killed me, shooting me- well I don’t remember how many times but-”

“Seven times.” Law interrupted.

Cora whipped his head around to look at him, surprise covering his features. “What?”

“You were shot seven times.” Law looked up to meet his eyes. “Gladius shot you twice and he shot you five times.”

“...You remember?” 

Law was almost offended that he thought he wouldn’t. “Of course I do. It was one of the worst nights of my life.” He mumbled, though in the silence of the kitchen it was almost deafening. “You forget you made me watch as he almost killed you.”

Cora suddenly looked guilty at the harsh reminder. “I was hoping that would be a memory you would forget. Trust me, if I had another option I would’ve taken it but we were short for time.”

“You saw all of this go down?” Kidd asked and Law nodded.

“Crocus and I were hiding under the floor and could see everything. The only reason he didn’t find me is because Sengoku-ya showed up with the marines and he fled. Any later and Cora-ya would’ve died before Crocus and I could help him.” 

“Well, that just goes to show you how skilled you are to be able to save me after getting shot that many times.” Cora threw his head back, finishing the rest of his glass in one go.

Law scowled. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Crocus.”

“Law.” Cora looked at him sternly. “How many thirteen year olds do you know that can perform life saving surgeries like you do.”

He was silent for a moment, knowing the man was right. “Fine, I see your point.”

He almost missed the mocking sneer on Kidd’s face. “What? Can’t do it by yourself? What kind of surgeon are you?”

Law knew he was simply just trying to mess with him but goddamn it did it work everytime. “I could do it by myself with ease, asshole. You’d kill your patient before you even started.” The others laughed at the two of them and he couldn’t help the small smile that found its way to his lips. 

“After that we went to stay with an old friend of mine on Swallow island.” Cora said.

Luffy leaned his head back to look at Law. “That’s where you met your friends right?”

He nodded. “Surprised you remember.” Luffy smiled up at him and Law had to look away before clearing his throat. “We stayed there for about two years before Doflamingo had gotten wind of where I was and we had to leave. Right before Sengoku-ya stepped down as Fleet Admiral we got information that Doflamingo was no longer looking for me so now we’re here.” 

Killer looked at him carefully. “Do you believe that?”

He thought for a second. “No. Not really. It never made sense to me.”

There was a brief silence before Kidd broke it. “Well, that explains why you are the way you are.”

Law frowned. “The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean it explains why you’re such an asshole.”

“I do not want to hear that coming from you .”

Luffy, Killer, and Cora all laughed at the two of them bickering. At the very least he was slightly relieved at the knowledge that they wouldn’t treat him any differently. After a few minutes of going back and forth Cora interrupted by asking if Kidd and Killer wanted to stay for dinner and much to Law’s annoyance they agreed.

Instead of cooking they decided to order out at a chinese restaurant that had quickly become a favorite of Cora and Law’s when they moved here. It didn’t take long before the food arrived and all five of them sat around the table as they ate.

Law looked at Kidd. “You know Eustass-ya, it’s pretty hypocritical of you to make me air out my dirty laundry when I know practically nothing about you or Killer.” He didn’t miss the look he sent to his friend, Killer shrugging in response.

Kidd sat back in his chair, scraping the bottom of his box. “S’not nearly as interesting as your shitty life. Kill and I grew up together. Never knew my parents and don’t care to either. We bounced around a few homes but mostly grew up on the street.”

Law didn’t know what he was expecting but it sure as hell wasn’t that. Cora furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the two of them. “Where are you two living now?”

Law couldn’t recognize the expression on Kidd’s face. It was almost as if he was surprised at Cora’s concern. 

Killer is the one who ended up responding. “We have a place that we pay for so we’re okay.”

“Is that even legal?” Law asked.

Kidd shrugged. “Landlord doesn’t ask questions and we keep to ourselves. Plus it’s cheap.” He rubbed the back of his neck and if Law didn’t know any better he would think that the redhead was embarrassed. “There’s a lot of rich people around here who always want something done or need something fixed. They don’t have to go to a big company and I can charge them what I want since they have money to throw around.”

“I help sometimes.” Luffy adds. “It’s pretty fun.” As he said that he stuffed his face with noodles.

“Only when it’s a bigger job.” Kidd seemed a bit annoyed at that but continued. “There’s one old man who likes to collect old cars and I fix them up for him. He’s an ass but the old coot pays well.”

Killer quietly snorted at his friend. “Don’t act like you don’t like getting to take those cars apart. You’ve always liked putting things together and taking them apart.”

The redhead pointed his fork at him with a glare. “Shut the hell up. No one asked.” Killer only smiled in response, seemingly pleased that he had effectively embarrassed his friend.

The silence only lasted for a few seconds before Cora broke it. “You know Law,” He looked at his son. “The car was making a weird noise earlier on my way home. I was going to take it to a shop when I had time but those places are so unreliable these days. If only there were, oh I don’t know, two boys willing to check it thoroughly for any problems I would pay them handsomely for their services. Maybe even buy them lunch.”

Law sighed heavily and heard Luffy giggling beside him. It was obvious what Cora was doing but Law absolutely was not going to play into it, instead he just sent a look into Kidd and Killer’s direction, daring them to refuse.

The two of them shared a look before Killer simply smiled and Kidd looked away, his cheeks tinged with red. “Ya don’t have to be so fuckin’ cryptic about it. We’ll do it.”

Cora’s face brightened. “Great! We’ll do it another time since it’s starting to get dark but we can talk about the details later.” He stood from his seat and went to throw his things away. On his way out of the room he gave a small ruffle to the two taller boy’s hair. “Even if you’re not coming to fix anything you’re always welcome over here.”

With that he walked out leaving the four of them at the table. “For the record,” Law started. “Killer is always welcome here. Not you.”

“Fuck you.”

Law wasn’t sure how it happened but it was now half an hour later and the four of them were sitting around his room and Kidd, Killer, and Luffy were helping him sort out his wardrobe. At some point one of them had turned on music from their phone. Law was pretty sure it was Kidd if the heavy metal screaming was anything to go by.

“Your music taste sucks.” It didn’t, but Kidd didn’t need to know that.

“Like you could do any better.”

Law refused to admit that he was actually right. Almost all of his music he had saved had come from Shachi, Penguin, Bepo, and Ikkaku sending him songs to listen to. He had almost nothing that he had found by himself.

He turned to Luffy who, unsurprisingly, was right next to him. “What do you listen to?”

The shorter boy thought for a moment before smiling. “I listen to everything. Though I guess Brook’s music is my favorite.”

“Brook?” Law vaguely remembered the name and thought back to their conversation the day before. “He’s your friend that travels a lot right? He makes music?”

He nodded. “He’s pretty popular. His stage name is Soul King.”

Law froze, dropping the shirt in his head and whipping his head around to stare at the boy beside him. “Soul King?!” Kidd and Killer echoed his surprise.

“That’s way more than ‘pretty popular’ !” Killer said.

There almost wasn’t a single person who didn’t know the name Soul King. Law, even though he didn’t engage with many different kinds of music, had been a big fan of his since Shachi showed them some of his songs a few years ago—even having a t-shirt of his somewhere around here.

Luffy flinched at the three of them yelling and Kidd looked like he had been betrayed. “There’s no fucking way you know Soul King!” 

“Yes I do! He’s one of my friends!”

“You’re lying!”

Luffy looked downright offended at the accusation. “No I’m not!” He reached into his pocket and whipped out his phone. About a minute later he turned it around to show a picture of him and all of his friends standing around the tall figure that was definitely Soul King, including another large older man with long black hair who Law could only assume to be Jimbei. 

Luffy scrolled through multiple photos showcasing all of his friends, the singer being included in a lot of them.

Law wasn’t able to hide the shock on his face as he looked through the photos. “Why didn’t you tell me you were friends with Soul King?” 

He tilted his head in confusion. “But I did tell you.”

“How was I supposed to know Brook and Soul King were the same person?!” 

He shrugged. “He has a concert here in November. Everyone’s going, do you guys wanna come?” 

“YES!” They all yelled.

Law knew about his concert for a while now. As soon as they had moved here tickets had already been long sold out and he scoured the internet for any resales with no luck. All of them were clearly scams or ridiculously priced.

Luffy laughed at their enthusiasm and said that he would talk to Brook about extra tickets for them. For a while they talked about the singer and their favorite songs. To Law’s surprise Luffy and Killer both shared Binks’ Sake as their favorite while he and Kidd preferred Bone to be Wild which they argued about which one was better for a good fifteen minutes. 

What finally broke it was when Killer had noticed the pictures that hung around his mirror and approached it to look at them. “Are these your other friends, Law?” 

He looked over to see what he was looking at and nodded. “Red hair is Shachi, Bepo is the one with white hair, Ikkaku is the girl, and I think you can guess which one is Penguin.” Law said, referring to how the boy wore his name on his hat for some reason—one that he had never figured out. Kidd made his way over to his friend to also inspect the photos. “I didn’t meet Ikkaku until after I had already moved. I don’t have any pictures with her so she felt it was her duty to send me an entire envelope filled with photos of her and the others.”

“They look like dorks.”

“Eustass-ya, they are dorks. But they’re my dorks unfortunately.” Luffy laughed beside him.

“You’re such a softie for your friends.” Luffy teased him.

“Shut the hell up. I am not.” He argued and looked away. “They’re idiots who can’t survive without me.”

The shorter boy suddenly grabbed onto his arm and leaned into him. “Just admit that you like people! It’s not like it’s gonna kill you.” 

“It might.”

He groaned, now wrapping his arms around Law’s waist and hugging him, almost knocking him to the ground. “Torao! You’re no fun!”

“You’re still here though.”

“You two are gross.” Law looked up to see Kidd looking down at them with a look of disgust to which Luffy stuck his tongue out at him in response.

A few hours went by and slowly but surely they finished with organizing his things. It went by a whole lot quicker when you had three extra people helping you, and that’s with all the times they had gotten distracted by things around his room or just by telling stories. It was almost mind boggling how well he got along with Kidd when he wasn’t being an asshole—though he would never say that to his face. 

By the time they made their way back downstairs the sky had gone dark and Law found Cora laying across the couch watching something on the TV, sitting up when he saw them. “You boys done? I can take you home.”

Law regarded him with a raised eyebrow. “ You are not going anywhere. You’ve been drinking.”

The older man rolled his eyes. “Oh please Law I’m not the lightweight I used to be when I was your age.” In spite of his words he plopped back down on the couch, raising his hand in surrender. “But do what you want I guess. I’ll just be here all by my lonesome. Without my precious son to keep me company.”

He didn’t miss the snickers coming from behind him. “Stop being dramatic. It’s not the end of the world.”

“Dramatic? Me? Never .” Cora smiled at them as Law grabbed the keys. “Don’t take too long. I miss you!”

Law couldn’t help but roll his eyes at his antics. Despite his earlier statement he was clearly more affected by the alcohol than he would admit. Law simply walked out of the door, not waiting for the others to say their goodbyes before they followed him out.

The car ride was comfortable. They rode with the windows down and breathed in the cool air of the night as they listened to music, Kidd pointing out that there was no weird sound coming from the car. Law had responded with a sarcastic ‘You actually believed him?’ which earned him a glare to the back of his head.

He dropped Kidd and Killer off first taking notice of the rundown apartment complex where they supposedly lived. It was a bit off putting but ultimately there was nothing he could do about it. Killer thanked him for treating their wounds and the food before they disappeared into the building.

When they pulled into where Luffy lived he heard a quiet gasp coming from beside him. “Torao we never actually studied!” 

To be honest Law had completely forgotten that that was the whole point of Luffy coming over that day. He must’ve been so distracted by everything else that they had gotten completely sidetracked in the process.

“Don’t worry. We can try again tomorrow.”

Luffy’s face positively lit up at his words. “I can come over again tomorrow?” 

Law paused, realizing what he had said. It’s not like he could take it back since he had already said it but seeing the look on Luffy’s face had him realizing he didn’t want to.

“Yeah. You can come over tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

Once the weekend came around Law didn't have anything better to do so Cora forced him to go grocery shopping and run a few errands with him. Well, forced is a bit of a stretch but that didn’t mean he was looking forward to it. Luffy and his brothers were visiting their grandfather and if he was being honest with himself he wasn’t desperate enough to ask anybody else to hang out with him.

For a Saturday it wasn't as busy as it could’ve been which he was thankful for, but an uneasy feeling still settled in his stomach. No matter how much time had passed since he had left his uncle, doing things like this—something as simple as grocery shopping—had felt too normal. He knew he didn't have to constantly look over his shoulder anymore but the feeling still crept over him like it was second nature. Was he being irrational? Probably. It just felt wrong somehow.

It was about halfway through the trip when Cora suddenly sighed, stating that he had missed something on one of the previous isles and asked Law to go grab it. Fortunately it didn’t take long to find what he was looking for and turned to return to Cora when someone suddenly called out to him.

"Law?" 

He turned and saw the familiar orange haired girl he had begrudgingly had come to think of as a friend. She was standing beside an older woman with pink hair and shaved sides and nodded to her before walking over to him.

"Nami-ya? What are you doing here?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Probably the same thing you're doing here dumbass. Surprised Luffy's not with you."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Oh please, don't play dumb. You two are inseparable." 

"No we’re not."

Nami looked at him with a raised eyebrow—obviously not convinced by his words. "You say that but never pull away from him when he practically hangs off of you." She smiled as if she just had an idea. "You should ask him to homecoming!"

"Why should I do that?" 

She looked amused. "Oh come on, I think you two would look so cute together! I'll even help you with your outfit!"

"I'm not talking about this with you."

"You're no fun Torao!" 

"Don't call me that."

"Oh, so Luffy gets special privilege? Interesting."

"No! He just-"

"I was wondering where you were." Law was cut off by Cora coming around the corner. "You had me worried when you didn't come back." He looked at the girl beside him and smiled. “Nami! It’s good to see you again!”

“You too!”

"Is that you Rosi?" 

Law looked over to see the woman Nami had been with, looking over at them with a smile. Cora's face lit up instantly in recognition—almost causing the man to fall over. 

"Belle?" The woman pulled him into a tight hug which he returned just as eagerly. “It’s been years since I’ve seen you!” 

Law stole a glance over to Nami and saw she was just as confused as he was. "You two know each other?" She asked.

The woman looked at her daughter. "Are you kidding? This guy is my best friend! Rosi, I guess you’ve already met my daughter Nami and I have one more but she's away at college."

Cora let out a small laugh. “I knew she reminded me of someone! I can’t believe she’s your daughter!”

The woman laughed loudly at that. "Trust me she definitely is." Her gaze landed on Law. “And who is this? Did you have a secret family you never told me about? I was supposed to be the best woman at your wedding!” 

Cora laughed. “This is my son Law. And I promise it’s nothing like that. You still hold that honor.” 

“I’m teasing. Though I’d be surprised if you found a woman that wanted to marry you.” She gave a cheeky sideways glance to the taller man.

“Oh you’re one to talk, miss ‘I like to scare away every man that approaches me’ .” They both started laughing.

Law leaned over to the orange haired girl beside him. “This is weird right? It’s not just me?”

“Oh no, this is definitely weird.”

As time went on Law was becoming more aware by the second that they were in the middle of the grocery store. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't uncomfortable. Thankfully Cora seemed to notice his restlessness and invited the two over for dinner so they could catch up. He wasn't exactly thrilled about it but figured it was better than standing here for another two hours.

Once they finally made it back home and put everything away, Law started pulling out ingredients, intending to start prepping dinner.

"What are you doing?" Cora asked.

Law looked at him like it was obvious. "We have people coming over. There's no way I'm letting you make dinner."

He had the audacity to look offended before sighing. "That's probably best. I don't need to give the woman another reason to make fun of me." 

Law turned and started chopping the vegetables. "You two seem close." 

"We met in training for the marines. We were best friends for years until I was eventually sent out to monitor my brother and we haven’t seen each other since." Law flinched a bit at the mention of Doflamingo. It must have shown on his face because Cora placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know you don't like marines but she's not like that. Bellemere is one of the very few people I trust with my life. You'll like her."

“If she’s anything like Nami-ya I doubt it.”

Cora choked out a laugh. “You say that but I know you two are close.” Law didn’t warrant that with a response, instead simply rolling his eyes as he continued his chopping.

As Law had started to finish up the food he had made there was a knock on the door. Cora was the one who had answered it and not even a minute later he, Nami, and Bellmere walked into the kitchen—Cora holding a small crate of tangerines and the older woman carrying a pack of beers.

"Still haven't improved your cooking skills I see, Rosi." Bellemere snickered as she saw Law at the stove.

The older man sent her an annoyed look. "Can't we go one time seeing each other without you making fun of me?"

She laughed. "In your dreams!"

Nami walked over to Law, leaving the other two to bicker. "Need any help?"

"Not gonna charge me are you?" 

"I figured I'd offer some charity for a change."

Law let out a small smile against his will and asked her to help set the table, pointing out where the plates were. As the two of them were setting it up Bellemere had offered one of the cans of beer to Cora to which he had just looked at her in disgust.

"Gross. I don't know how you drink that stuff." He walked to one of the cabinets and pulled out a bottle of wine. "I have my own alcohol thank you very much." 

"Your loss."

"Trust me, I'm not losing anything."

“Priss.”

Law was a bit taken aback. He had never seen Cora like this—so open and free with someone other than him. He was happy for him and the man definitely deserved it after everything he had been through. 

Though, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a bit jealous. Maybe Cora had a point when he said he needed to make more friends. He had practically been attached to his side for years now. Perhaps he was a bit more introverted than he should be, or maybe it was just the trauma.

...Probably both…

As they ate Law came to realize a few things about Bellemere. The first thing was that she was loud—not that it was a bad thing, it almost reminded him of Luffy in a way. It left him to wonder if he and Cora just attracted people like that naturally.

Secondly, she and Cora were more alike than he realized. She recounted the story of how she found Nami and her other daughter, Nojiko, and took them in. Just like Cora she had abandoned her job to care for the two of them and Law realized that even he and Nami are more alike than he first thought. 

The more they talked the more a question burned in the back of his mind. He had never really cared about it before but now he had someone right in front of him that would have the answer and wouldn’t hold back, if only to embarrass the older man beside him.

When the conversation came to a slight lull he took the opportunity for what it was and asked. “What was Cora-ya like in the marines?” 

Law didn’t necessarily like talking about the marines, usually preferring to keep any and all thoughts locked in the farthest corners of his mind and Cora knew this as well, but the opportunity was just too good to pass up. Though he knew he made the right decision when he saw the teasing smirk on the woman’s mouth.

“He was a massive crybaby.”

Cora gawked at her. “I was not!” 

“He still is.”

The older man whipped his head around to look at his son, betrayal written all over his face. “I am not !”

Bellemere let out a loud laugh at that and turned her gaze to Law. “We were doing paperwork once and he cut his finger on one of the sheets. Cried like a baby for like ten minutes.” 

Cora glared at her. “You say that like it was a tiny little papercut. It damn near sliced my finger open.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“You’re not being dramatic enough.” Cora sipped his wine and leaned back in his chair. “Whatever. I’m still a better shot than you.”

“Yeah, when you’re not tripping over your own damn feet.” She laughed at him. “I’ve lost count of how many times I had to save your sorry ass from falling over.”

To his side Nami was giggling at the two of them going back and forth and Law couldn’t hold back the smile on his face. In the back of his mind he realized that he and Nami would probably be seeing each other a lot more often given how close their respective parents seemed to be.

While Cora and Bellemere stayed at the table and laughed over drinks Nami and Law went up to his room, not before she grabbed her purse that she had brought in. As soon as they walked in, Nami threw him a look over her shoulder. “I’m taking over your desk.”

“What for?”

She sat in his desk chair and opened the bag she had brought, pulling out a few tiny bottles of different colors plus a few other things that he didn’t immediately recognize. “I have a date tomorrow with Vivi and I was planning to do my nails tonight before coming here. Ran out of time so I’m doing them now.”

He narrowed his eyes in her direction. “Don’t get that stuff all over my desk.”

Nami turned in the chair, annoyance covering her features. “What do you take me for? I’m not an amateur, I’ve been doing this for years.”

“Kind of figured you would get them done professionally.” He said as sat on his bed and laid back on it.

Law never really paid much attention before but now that he thought about it the girl almost always had her nails done and even when she didn’t they still looked nice. Nami obviously put effort into the way she looks and took pride in it and he had to commend her for that. It made him think about the conversation they had in the car the previous week. 

She shrugged her shoulders and grimaced slightly. “I did a few times but it got too expensive, so I figured I would just learn to do them myself and I’m okay at it. Usopp will do them for me occasionally.” She faced him in the chair but didn’t look up as she proceeded to file her nails into the shape she wanted. “Don’t think you’re getting out of our conversation from earlier.”

“What conversation?”

“About you and Luffy, obviously.”

Law rolled his eyes. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

She paused in her filing and looked at him unimpressed. “Cut the bullshit. I’m not about to sit here and go back and forth with you about it. Literally everyone can see that you have it bad for him, you’re not as good at hiding it as you think you are.”

He turned his head away from her. “I never said I was good at hiding it.” 

There was a pause and Law could clearly hear the amusement in the girl’s voice when she started talking again. “So you’re actually admitting it?”

“Is there any point in denying it?”

“Nope.” Nami tried to hide her giggles but failed miserably. “So tell me about you two.”

He scowled. “Like I said, there’s nothing to talk about.”

“On the contrary, there is.”

“No there’s not.” Law could feel his patience slowly running out the longer they talked.

“There is.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Like what you’re going to do about your feelings.”

“Simple. Nothing.”

She let out a groan. “Oh, come on-”

“What do you want me to say?” He quickly sat up in his bed and turned his sharp gaze on her. His voice had a hint of bitterness in it, not bothering to hide the near desperation as he talked. “That the next time I see him I’m gonna profess my love for him? That I can be allowed to think that we could be together? That- That I deserve to be with someone like him? Well sorry but that’s not happening.” He panted slightly when he finished and instantly regretted his words when he saw the look on her face.

“Law…” 

He turned his head, not able to look her in the eye any longer. “I’ve lost too much already and it’s only a matter of time before my shitty past catches up with me. I’m not going to drag Luffy into that if I can help it.” 

His mind instantly thought of Doflamingo. He had never believed for a second that the man had stopped looking for him and he refused to have Luffy as someone that could be used against him. He would sooner give himself up than let that happen. 

There was a long pause where neither of them said anything and when Law chanced a look over to Nami the girl had a thoughtful look on her face. A few more seconds passed before she finally said something, hesitation laced in her voice. “But you don’t push him away?”

“I-” He stuttered, trying to search for the words in his scrambled thoughts. “I wanted to. I wanted to so badly but he makes it so hard that I-” Law took a deep breath.

He didn’t know why he was telling her all of this. She annoyed him on good days and pissed him off on the worst. But it wasn’t like he could talk to Luffy about this. He was friends with Kidd and Killer but he’d be damned if he mentioned a word of his feelings to Kidd.

As far as his friends back on Swallow Island he hadn’t told them much about Luffy. Not that he didn’t trust them—he trusted them with his life. Maybe it was more out of embarrassment than anything. He knew the others would tease him and ask questions about it to no end and he didn’t want that right now, at least not while he was still figuring it all out himself.

But Nami… Nami knew Luffy, and as much as he hated to admit she could read him like a book. What’s more, she had never once made fun of him for it—teased him a bit sure but she listened. When he shared his insecurities about his self image with her she could relate to him and went out of her way to make sure that if he wasn’t comfortable in his own skin he could at least be comfortable in the clothes he wore.

“It’s so easy to forget everything else when I’m with him, so much that it scares me sometimes. It’s like… Like I can breathe again after years. It’s hard to let go of that feeling.”

“Luffy does seem to have that effect on people.” She slowly stood from where she was sitting in his chair and made her way over to him, taking a seat beside him on the bed. “I don’t know what you’ve been through and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I’ll let you in on a not-so-secret.” She turned to him and looked him in the eyes with a small smile. “Luffy doesn’t care. Even if your past does catch up with you like you said, Luffy won’t let you go so easily. Not when he likes you this much.”

She laid her hand on top of his and continued. “I tried to push him away too at first and I said some things that I’m not proud of but he didn’t care. He knew I wasn’t being honest with myself and that was enough for him, no matter how many insults and curses I threw at him.” The look in her eyes was almost distant, as if she was recalling those memories before her gaze was back on him. “If I couldn’t even get him to leave me alone then there’s no way that you could. Though I’d like to see you try.” She let out a small laugh and Law rolled his eyes.

“What I’m trying to say, Law,” She squeezed his hand, as if to emphasize her point. “Don’t push him away. The only thing that’s going to achieve is making both of you miserable and neither of you deserve that.” She suddenly sent him a small glare. “Also if you even think about hurting him I will personally make your life hell. We’ve all been through enough for one lifetime.”

He thought about her words for a moment, letting them sink in and roll around through mind. “Thanks…”

“Anytime, Law.” Before he could react her smile turned cheeky. “Besides, I think you two are perfect for each other.”

His mouth ticked upwards in amusement. “Is that you talking or the money you bet on us talking?” 

She let out a loud laugh. “A bit of both.”

There was a brief silence between them and Law watched as Nami fiddled with her bare nails before curiously looking around his room and at the art on his walls. 

“You know, you’re good at art.”

He raised his eyebrow at her. “Your point?”

“Wanna do my nails? Might take your mind off of things.”

Law was a bit taken aback and was sure it showed on his face. “My art and nail art are two completely different things.”

She merely shrugged. “How hard could it be?”

He was surprised at the offer but even more surprised to find that he was considering it. Law wasn’t completely clueless on the basics. When he was under Doflamingo Giolla, one of the officers under Trebol, had been a very eccentric woman and an artist like him. He had never been close to the woman but he had often caught her doing her own nails and, on occasion, Baby 5’s.

“Do I get anything in return?”

To his surprise her smile only grew. “I’ll give you ten berri.”

“Twenty.”

“Fifteen and I’ll do yours as well.” 

Law thought for a moment. “Deal.” He had never particularly cared about doing his nails but honestly, why not? “What are you wanting?” 

“Surprise me.” 

For someone that took pride in the way she looked, the sheer trust in her voice had sent him reeling. He stole a glance over to the side and carefully considered the colors she had set out and the little tools that sat still on his desk that he now recognized as tiny brushes.

“It’s not my fault if it ends up looking like shit.”

They sat down on his floor since there was no way he was gonna risk spilling the polish all over his sheets and he didn’t have another chair. As he was opening the top on one of the bottles he didn’t miss the searching look on Nami’s face. “So Law-”

“No.” He quickly cut her off.

She threw her head back with a groan. “Oh come on! Why not?”

“Why are you so invested in my love life?”

As she talked she gestured wildly with the hand that Law wasn’t currently painting. “Sanji refuses to admit he likes a guy and Zoro has always been so tight-lipped about his feelings that it pisses me off. Usopp already tells me everything about Kaya, he's just too shy to confess. As for Franky and Robin, that ship has already sailed so not much to gossip about there.”

He looked at her with a small glare. “Is that all I am to you? Gossip material?”

“Yes.” She said it so quickly that Law didn’t even think he’d believe her if she told him she was lying. “But other than that you two are the most interesting thing to happen in a while. You can’t blame me for being nosy.”

“Your girlfriend not interesting enough for you?” He reveled a bit in the way she glared at him, knowing he had probably hit a nerve.

“My girlfriend is plenty interesting. This is a completely different conversation.” 

He let go of her hand, having just finished the first coat and gestured for her other. “What do you even want to know? Can’t promise I’ll answer though.”

The girl looked as if she was thinking for a moment. “Well, why don’t you ask him to go to homecoming with you? It’s in two weeks.” 

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not? You have nothing to lose!”

“I have my pride.”

“Really? Since when?” When Law looked up to meet her eyes he found that she was already looking at him with a smug smirk. “Unless you tell me a good reason as to why you won’t ask him I’ll just keep asking.”

He scowled at her, at the same time feeling a slight blush in his cheeks. “Because that shits embarrassing.” He finally admitted and she giggled at him. “Besides, you’re so insistent on me asking him but why can’t he ask me?” 

“Maybe he’s embarrassed too.”

“He doesn’t seem like the type to be embarrassed about something like that.” 

“Well Luffy is about as unpredictable as you can get.” She said as she switched her hands again.                     

“I’m not asking him, no matter how many times you tell me to.”

“Now you’re just being difficult.” She huffed. “It’s not like he’s gonna say no! I think he’d be thrilled about you making the first move!”

He knew she was doing it in good faith but it was really starting to piss him off the longer she pushed and he grit his teeth in an attempt to not snap at her. “I’m not doing shit! Stop asking me!”

“Stop being a coward and I will!”

“I’m not a coward!”

“Oh really? That’s what it seems like to me!”

“Like I said- ”

Law was cut off by a soft knock on his door and it opened to reveal Cora and Bellemere on the other side, their faces slightly flushed from the alcohol. “You two okay in here? We could hear you yelling from downstairs.”

The two teens turned their heads around to stare at their respective adoptive parents who seemed to be frozen in place. Nami seemed to recover first as she frowned in the direction of the two adults. “Mom, tell Law that he should ask Luffy to homecoming!”

Law whipped his head around and glowered at the orange haired girl. “Nami-ya! Get off my case! That’s none of your concern!” He hissed.

She returned his look. “It is my concern when it involves my best friend!”

In his outrage at the sheer audacity of her he turned to the older man in the room. “Dad-ya! Tell her what I do is none of her business!”

In the slight pause he didn’t miss the way Cora and Bellemere quickly glanced at each other before busting out into uncontrollable laughter. Law scowled and turned his attention back to the girl’s nails, currently annoyed beyond belief. “I don’t see how this is funny.” As they laughed Law could feel heat in his cheeks and he was sure that his face was red—which only pissed him off further.

Cora eventually tripped over his own feet from laughing too hard, immediately sobering him up as Bellemere swiftly caught him from falling on his ass. Law didn’t miss the way she did it on what looked like pure instinct without even batting an eye—which if they really were friends for as long as the older man had said it shouldn’t have been surprising. 

When he regained his balance he regarded his son with a hint of amusement as he leaned against the doorway. “It’s not a bad idea, Law.”

Bellemere nodded beside him. “Luffy’s a sweet kid. You two would be cute.” She playfully smacked the back of her hand on Cora’s chest and smiled up at him. “We have to get a bunch of pictures of them.” 

“Not you too!” He groaned with betrayal. “Can we please not talk about this?” 

“Alright, alright.” Cora soothed with a small laugh. “We just wanted to make sure you two were okay. Don’t kill each other when we leave.”

When the two of them finally left and the door clicked in place Nami looked at him with an eyebrow raised and he sighed heavily in an attempt to release the tension in his body. “If I agree to think about it will you leave me alone?” 

She thought for a moment before sending him a small smile. “For now.” 

He rolled his eyes. That was good enough for him.

When Cora and Bellemere opened the door to Law’s room the last thing they were expecting to see was the two of them on his floor, opened bottles of nail polish sitting on the ground around them, with Law painting Nami’s nails. It was certainly not something Cora had ever expected to see his son doing.

He and Bellemere had been happily chatting over drinks when they heard the commotion coming from Law’s room. Having been worried that the two of them were actually fighting they quickly made their way up the stairs and down the hall.

The sight that greeted them was admittedly weird, but definitely not unwelcome. If anything he was immensely happy that the two of them seemed to be close—even if they were bickering. 

Law had tried to hide it but Cora could tell that he had been lonely ever since they left Swallow island nearly two years ago. To see him make so many friends in just a few months, well, it was all Cora could ever wish for and it left him thinking back to all the ones he had met.

Luffy’s presence had been incredibly strange the first time Law had brought him over. He was loud, energetic, and very charismatic—everything that Law was not. So as Cora had watched the interactions between the two it didn’t take long to figure out that his son had fallen fast and hard for the other boy and couldn’t help himself when he teased him about it. He was extremely happy for Law but at the same time knew he was struggling with his feelings for Luffy, and Cora would be the first to admit that he didn’t know how to help him.

Kidd and Killer on the other hand were a bit different. Kidd clearly had a temper and was a bit crass in Cora’s opinion but he didn’t mind the boy. It was probably why he and Law butted heads often and couldn’t seem to go five minutes without making fun of each other. Killer on the other hand had been a lot calmer than his red-headed counterpart and was even polite when he addressed the older man. Even before they had revealed their upbringing it was clear that the two were close.

He knew that Law and Kidd had a rough start based on what he and Nami had told him so when the two of them had appeared in his house it was like a smack in the face—especially since they were all bloodied and bruised. Even though they bickered and acted like they couldn’t stand the other Cora could tell that it was just a facade. Otherwise Law would’ve never taken the time to care for their wounds and definitely would’ve never revealed the darkest parts of his life to them. 

This was further solidified in his mind when he had gone to check on the four of them after they had made their way up to Law’s room. He had planned to open the door and ask if they had needed anything but when he heard laughter coming from the other side and the playful banter between them he couldn’t bring himself to ruin the moment. If Cora stood beside the door and listened to them for a few minutes that was no one’s business but his own.

When Nami had shown up at his front door last week Cora had, understandably, been over the moon about it, more so now that he knew she was his best friend’s daughter. She was a delight to talk to and obviously shared his love of teasing Law. He had been surprised at the fact that she had convinced Law to let her take him clothes shopping—something Cora hadn’t been able to do for years. He was immensely grateful, however, after he had noticed the slight changes in Law’s demeanor over the past week.

It was subtle but Cora, who had always been able to see changes in his son, had noticed that he was slightly more confident—more sure of himself and held his chin a bit higher when he walked. Law may have not noticed it himself but Cora was, after all, trained to notice things.

So when he had opened the door to find them in the position they were he thought he might just lose his mind. Like Law and Kidd the two of them bickered but it was different in the way that they argued with each other like siblings and Law-

Cora stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he and Bellemere reached the bottom of the stairs. He had been so caught up in the two’s bickering that he had almost missed it completely.

Law called him dad…

It was this startling realization that had Cora nearly falling to his knees. The wave of emotions crashed over him and just as quickly spilled over as tears ran down his cheeks. It was also probably influenced by the alcohol running through his veins but once he started he couldn’t stop.

“Rosi?” Bellemere grasped his arm in an attempt to steady him. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

He choked on a sob, attempting and failing to get his breathing under his control but how could he when it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders? Through his tears his vaguely registered Bellemere leading him towards the couch and sitting down, pulling him into a tight embrace with her arms around his neck and he dropped his head onto her shoulder—no doubt making a mess of the green flannel she was wearing. 

Cora knew a breakdown would happen sooner or later, not necessarily for this reason, but he had put his feelings on the back burner for so long as he didn’t want Law worrying over him. But here in this moment he had his best friend with him. The person who knew every gruesome detail of his life but had never once judged him for it.

“You gonna tell me what’s wrong?” She ran a comforting hand through his hair. “Or are you just gonna sit here and cry?” He knew she meant no malice in her words, just a simple reassurance that she would listen.

It took another minute or two for him to finally calm down enough to get words out. “God, Belle… I’ve been so worried about him… He’s been through so much and I… I never knew if I was doing enough and-” He took a deep breath and pulled back a bit to look her in the eyes. “He called me dad, Belle… Law… He’s never-” He broke into another sob.

Law was his son, yes, but Cora had never imagined that Law thought of him as his dad. The last thing Cora wanted to do was pressure him into thinking that he was merely a replacement for the family that he had lost—didn’t want him to think that. It’s not like he took him in all those years ago to force him to play father and son with him.

But god . 

He had said it so naturally, like he’s been calling him that for years and the thought sent him reeling. Ever since Cora had stolen him away that night, Law had been everything to him and he never stopped worrying if he was doing right by him. Had he made the right choices? Is there something he could’ve done differently that would’ve eased his pain over the years?

He wasn’t sure, but somewhere along the way he must’ve done something right if Law was calling him dad. It was almost like confirmation that he wasn’t doing as bad a job as he thought he was. Cora doesn’t think he’s ever been so happy and relieved in his life. 

Bellemere listened silently as he told her everything and at some points he wasn’t even sure if he was making any sense but she never interrupted to tell him otherwise. Cora wasn’t sure how long he talked for but by the time he finished his eyes were red and puffy and his head hurt. 

“I need a smoke.” He rubbed at his eyes in an attempt to soothe the pain.

Bellemere let out a small laugh and stood from her place on the couch, stretching a hand out to pull him up which he gratefully accepted and the two of them made their way out to the backyard. 

There wasn’t a whole lot out here—merely a bench swing that hung from one of the trees and a small shed that was wholly unused. The most Cora had found in there when he inspected it was a faded blue hammock and a few gardening tools that couldn’t have been used more than once or twice. He had been planning to fix up the backyard and make it look nice but he just hadn’t found the time for it and with October creeping in he figured he should probably wait until spring to even start.

He and Bellemere walked out, taking a seat on the swing. He should probably replace it seeing as it creaked under the weight of the two of them and the chains that held it up had gone a bit rusty but he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t gotten a bit attached to it since they moved in. It was a nice place to clear his mind and he had even caught Law out here reading a handful of times despite his complaints of it being a safety hazard.

Cora flicked his lighter once, twice, and a third time before it lit up—the small flame doing nothing to ease the chill from the night air. He had tried to quit smoking years ago but had never quite been able to. It was a small, albeit unhealthy, comfort.

Law knew however, not like he would’ve been able to hide it from him either way. At some point he had stopped badgering Cora about his bad habits but the older man still always felt a bit guilty at the displeased looks the other would send his way when he could smell the smoke that clung to his clothes. Law had to give him some credit though as he had massively cut back from when the two of them were under his brother’s care and no longer smoked a pack a day.

He lit both his and Bellemere’s before throwing his arm on the back of the swing and leaning his head back slightly at the first drag. The woman laid her head on his shoulder, just barely leaning into his side though he was grateful for the warmth. Back in their marine days you would often find them together like this, leaning into the other smoking cigarette after cigarette if only to ease their anxieties temporarily.

“So,” Bellemere started, “What are you gonna tell him?”

He glanced over at her before turning his gaze to the house and shrugged slightly. “I don’t even know if he realized he said it.”

“Wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

Cora grimaced at that. “Maybe. I just-” 

Belle craned her head up to look at him when he paused. “Just what?”

He removed his arm from the back of the seat bringing it to rub at his face as he curled in on himself in an attempt to sort out the thoughts running through his mind. “I don’t want him to take it back. He has a habit of shutting down anything relating to his family and I don’t want to push him.” He took a shaky breath, hanging his head in his hands. “But it made me so happy to hear him call me that. What if he takes it back?”

Cora felt a hand on his back, rubbing soft circles into the spot between his shoulder blades. “I’m sure he won’t.”

He groaned miserably into his hands. “You don’t know that.”

“Rosinante, look at me.” He slowly removed his hands from his face and just barely turned his head so he could look at her from the corner of his eye. “You’re worrying over nothing. I only met him today but that kid adores you and even if he said it accidentally he clearly meant what he said or else he would’ve already taken it back.”

He looked down for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh, returning to his previous position with his arm thrown over the back of the seat and taking another drag of his cigarette. “How come you always know what to say?”

She tilted her head to look back at him with a small smile. “Please, I dealt with your little mood swings for years. Nothing’s changed even after all this time.”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, if you wanna talk about mood swings-”

“Don’t even start you prick.”

Cora let out a small laugh at that, Bellemere joining him soon after. Even after nearly eight years it was like nothing had changed between them. Their lives had definitely changed since the last time they saw each other but their relationship hadn’t and he was silently grateful for that.

He knew Law missed his friends back on Swallow Island, and he had plans to remedy that soon, but here in this town he seemed to be a little bit more at peace—with himself and with the people around him. And now Cora had the person he had missed the most back by his side. Maybe this time they really could settle here for good and not have to worry about anything else other than living their lives and not be shackled by fear of what was to come.

Cora wasn’t sure how long the two of them sat out there before Law and Nami came looking for them. When they came outside Nami had excitedly ran up to them showing off her nails that his son had done and, quite frankly, Cora was impressed. It was a completely different medium than what Law is used to but they still looked good. They were a deep orange color, white flowers with long petals painted over it. Simple but cute.

“It pains me to say this but it’s definitely better than what I could’ve done.” Nami said with a smile on her face.

Law raised an eyebrow in her direction. “This is not becoming a regular thing.”

She sent him a smug smirk. “We’ll see about that.” She grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand out from where it was hidden in the pocket of his hoodie and held it out for them to see. They were black with small silver stars painted across them, though they were slightly crooked from what Cora could tell. “My hands always shake when I do it.”

“That’s not my problem.”

She sent him a small pout. “At least do them for homecoming.”

“Why should I have to do that?” 

“Because I’m your best friend.”

“I thought Luffy-ya was your best friend.”

“Right.” She smiled at him wickedly. “He’s my best friend but I’m your best friend.”

Law sent her a small glare. “You wish.”

“No point in wishing if it’s already true.”

Cora and Bellemere laughed at the two of them bickering. At this point the only one who Law didn’t bicker with was Luffy but that was simply because Law could never seem to say no to him. 

It wasn’t long after that the two women took their leave since it was now long past sunset and the moon sat high in the sky. Cora and Bellemere hugged for a long moment, not quite ready to let go after only just reuniting after so long but they soon left, knowing it wouldn’t be long before they saw each other again. 

Law took a seat beside him and for a few moments neither of them said anything before Cora nervously cleared his throat. “Did you two have fun?” It was a poor attempt at stalling before he asked the question that was really plaguing his mind. 

Cora didn’t miss the suspicious look on his son’s face when his voice shook but nodded. “Are you okay? Your eyes are red.”

Leave it to Law to never miss anything that may pertain to his health. As much as he wanted to he knew there was no way he’d be able to talk his way out of this. With a deep breath and as much confidence as he could muster he looked over to him, his own nervous gaze meeting Law’s searching eyes. 

“Did you… Did you mean it when you said it?”

Law raised an eyebrow at him, clearly confused. “When I said what?”

So he didn’t even realize what he had said. A feeling made its way through Cora’s body and he wasn’t quite sure if it was dread or hope. “Law,” He started, “You called me dad.”

An array of emotions crossed his son’s face in an instant but Cora was able to pinpoint the exact moment where it hit him. His face paled, shoulders tensing as he hunched over himself slightly, and it wasn’t hard to miss the flash of panic in his eyes before he looked down.

“Sorry, I didn’t-” He paused, taking a breath and Cora didn’t miss the way he nervously fiddled with his hands, one rubbing circles into the palm of his other—a habit he didn’t have before. “Is… Is that okay?” 

“Of course!” Cora waved his hands in front of him, trying to soothe the pure anxiety that radiated from his son. “It’s more than okay! You can call me whatever you want!” He couldn’t stop the slight shake in his hands. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it.”

He slowly nodded, barely looking up to meet his eyes. “You’re not put off by it?”

The older man tilted his head to the side slightly. “Of course not, I already tell everyone you’re my son. I just didn’t want you to think I was trying to replace your family.”

To Cora’s surprise Law whipped his head up and glared at him, every muscle in his body freezing at the movement. “There’s nothing to replace. They’re my family and so are you.”

Oh.

Oh…

“What? Did you think I would just let anyone call me their son if I didn’t think of them as my dad?”

“No!” Cora immediately tried to remedy, but it was a bit hard when he could feel the swell of tears in his eyes for the second time that night. “I just-” His voice cracked.

Cora knew deep down that they were family and that Law considered him family but it was one thing to think it and something else entirely to hear it confirmed out loud. He knew, but had always been afraid to ask on the off chance that he didn’t feel the same way. His heart wouldn’t have been able to take it.

As Law looked at him his features softened, no longer guarded and accusing. For the millionth time that night Law surprised him, moving first into Cora’s side with a slight sigh, awkwardly wrapping his arms around his middle which the older man returned eagerly.

“Law-”

“Yeah, I know.”

The two of them sat there for a while. Cora was quicker to calm down this time, mostly because he simply didn’t have any tears left to cry but also because he had probably never felt so happy and content in his life. 

He hugged Law close, savoring the warm feeling in his chest despite the cold air that surrounded them before rubbing a quick hand through his hair. “I got a new book the other day. You wanna read it with me?” 

He felt a nod into his chest and Law pulled back a little bit to look at him, looking slightly annoyed. “Change your clothes first. You smell like smoke.”

Cora’s laugh echoed through the backyard as Law pulled away completely and moved to stand. “Sorry, I only had one I promise.” The younger boy rolled his eyes in response but before he could walk away Cora caught his wrist. “Law,” He said, a soft smile on his face, “I love you kid.”

He turned to him, poorly suppressing a smile. “Yeah, love you too dad-ya.”

Chapter Text

When Law's birthday had rolled around it was also the first day of fall break and Law was planning on spending it by reading some books he had bought recently, spending time with Cora, and all in all relaxing. His plans were almost immediately ruined however when Luffy, Kid, and Killer showed up at his door unannounced, and before noon at that. He had barely woken up thirty minutes before and was kind of annoyed if he was being honest. 

"What are you doing here?" 

Before he could even react he was suddenly engulfed by an armful of flowers, Luffy ignoring his question and instantly jumped on him, careful of the blossoms he was now holding. "Happy birthday Torao!" He wrapped his arms around his middle, slotting himself into Law’s side and staying there. 

“What? How did you-? Where did these come from?” Law stumbled over his words trying to wrap his mind around what was happening. Kidd and Killer stepped in and closed the door behind them, though none of them moved from the entrance.

Luffy laughed at his confusion. “Shishishi. I didn’t have time to buy you anything since Cora only told us it was your birthday yesterday.”

Law threw a withering glare over his shoulder at the older man who didn’t look guilty in the slightest. "Oh come on Law, they're your friends! They deserve to know!" 

He rolled his eyes, now looking at the huge bundle of flowers in his arm. He recognized the majority of them—daisies, yarrow, forget-me-nots, and many other different species of wildflowers. They were clearly fresh and Law looked over to the boy at his side. “Where did you get flowers?” 

Now that he was actually looking at him he didn’t miss the small streak of dirt across his cheek but Luffy just smiled brightly up at him. “There’s a bunch in the woods behind my apartment. I got them this morning.”

Kidd butt in with a scowl. “Made me wait nearly half an hour in the parking lot ya little shit. Yer lucky I didn’t leave ya there.”

Luffy apologized with a funny expression on his face and Law suspected he wasn’t sorry at all. He turned back to him with an almost sheepish smile. “You draw a lot of flowers so I thought you’d like them.” 

Law was at a loss for words. Luffy had really gone out of his way and spent the whole morning picking flowers for him just because he thought he would like them. Though Luffy was wrong. 

Law loved them.

What could he have possibly done to deserve this, to deserve him? Even after everything he’s done he was still able to have someone like Luffy in his life.

“There were also a lot of cool bugs out there.”

And the moment was ruined. Law sighed and sent a careful look at the bundle of flowers in his hand. “There’s no bugs mixed in here right?”

Luffy let out a soft hum and shook his head. “Shouldn’t be, I checked.”

It didn’t exactly ease his worries and he had to physically hold himself back from dropping the bundle in his hand. He didn’t hate bugs but he didn’t necessarily like them either. Some carried diseases, some poisonous, and frankly that’s all he needed to know to know he didn’t like them. Not to mention the ones that bite or sting you.

By all means he was a relatively sheltered kid, albeit by choice, before everything happened—always having his nose buried in books and usually only playing with his little sister. So even when his fellow classmates wanted him to go explore with them he was almost always busy or just couldn’t be bothered. Though even with living in a colder region like the north he had seen his fair share of rashes and infections caused by them and would very much prefer not even risking it.

Shachi and Penguin always liked hunting for bugs when they explored the woods around Swallow Island and Law made a point to stay away from the two of them when they did. If he didn’t they would surely chase him around with beetles or whatever they could find just to tease him. He was usually fine looking at them from a distance but would be damned if he touched one—the sensation always making his skin crawl.

Nevertheless he regarded the shorter boy with a soft smile. “Thank you.”

They moved to the kitchen where Cora, who seemed more nervous than usual, was sipping on his coffee. Law set the flowers on the table and looked at him questioningly. Cora however avoided his gaze entirely and smiled at Luffy, sitting his mug on the counter. “The flowers are beautiful, I’m sure I have a vase around here somewhere.”

He took a step away from the counter and promptly tripped over his own feet nearly faceplanting the floor if Law hadn’t caught him. He quickly thanked him, still not looking at him and at this point he had had enough. “What are you hiding?” He asked as Cora pulled out a vase, sitting it on the counter with a shaky hand.

He looked briefly startled before guiltily looking down and sighed as he walked over to his son, setting a hand on his shoulder. "I called them over so you wouldn't be alone today."

Law was suddenly confused. "Alone? Where are you going?" 

Cora was leaving? This wasn't like him. Usually on his birthday Cora was even more annoying than usual. He never made it a huge celebration—knowing Law would not be happy, but he always made a point to spend extra time with him and do whatever the boy had wanted. He was the only reason Law had come to not hate his birthday.

He smiled at him. "I just have some business to take care of but I won't be back until later. There's money in the drawer for food." This instantly made Law's mood sour as Cora rubbed his hand through his hair. "You'll understand when I get back, so don't be too mad at me okay?"

Knowing the man he probably had a surprise planned for his birthday but he couldn't help but wonder why it would take all day. It did leave him annoyed though since he had planned to spend time with him.

The man grabbed his keys and went to leave before he suddenly turned back. "Oh, also dad will be by later to give you your present. He wouldn't tell me what it is but you know him, it'll probably be something way too expensive. I swear he spoils you too much." 

And at that he walked out, leaving the four of them alone and Law definitely wasn’t pouting. He brought a hand up, running it through his hair when he noticed a small colorful bag in Killer’s hand. “What’s that?” He nodded towards it.

The tension in the room seemed to soften and he held the bag out to him. “It’s not much but this is from me and Kidd.”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “You guys didn’t have to get me anything-”

“We don’t need yer pity.” The redhead scowled at him. “Take it.”

Law merely rolled his eyes at the other but took it nonetheless. He sat it on the table and opened it, finding a few books and pulling them out. As he did that Kidd had taken a seat at the table, Killer standing beside him, and Luffy had taken it upon himself to hop up on the counter that was closest to Law. “I’ve already read them but thought they might be something you would like.” The blond explained.

He quickly skimmed over the back covers, reading the descriptions before looking at the other. “I’ll let you know what I think of them. I’ve been meaning to get some new ones, just haven’t had the time.” All three of them were mystery—his favorite genre by far.

He went to sit them back down in the bag before something shiny caught his eye in the bottom. When he pulled it out his eyes widened at what he was seeing and whipped his head around to look at Kidd who was already watching him. 

“Did you… Did you make this?”

He held the small object in the palm of his hand, admiring it. It was different pieces of metal intricately put together in the shape of the tattoo on his chest. The main part was pieces of wire twisted around each other to form the heart, little bits of metal jutting out from the top and bottom just like how it looked on his chest. It was all attached to a keyring.

He shrugged. “Had a bunch of scrap metal lying ‘round. Wasn’t too hard to make.”

Killer smiled mischievously at Law. “He stayed up all night working on it.”

“I didn’t do shit! Stop lyin’ out of yer ass!”

“Ah!” Luffy appeared beside him. “That’s so much cooler than my gift! No fair Jaggy!”

“Sucks to suck.”

The shorter boy pointed an accusing finger at the other. “There’s still Christmas! I’ll get Torao something so amazing it’ll be better than anything you could make him!”

He glared. “Yer just a sore loser!”

Luffy grinned at him. “Scared you’ll lose?”

Unsurprisingly that seemed to be what set him off. “Alright Monkey. Don’t go cryin’ to yer precious ‘Torao’ when ya lose.” 

“I won’t lose!”

Law rubbed a hand over his face as the two of them argued. “You two are idiots.”

Once they finally settled down he took the vase from the counter and filled it up with water before returning to the table and started arranging the flowers so they would all fit, considering the sheer amount Luffy had given him. He had just responded to something that Killer said when he turned back to look at the flower he was holding when something caught his eye. In an instant he dropped the flower in his hand and jumped back, holding his hand to his chest as if he had been burned.

Kidd was saying something but Law ignored him, whipping his head around to stare accusingly at Luffy. “I thought you said there were no bugs in there!”

Luffy curiously looked over—Law not missing the gleam in his eyes, and made his way to the table. When Luffy picked up the same flower he was holding, Law unconsciously took another step back. 

The shorter boy suddenly let out a laugh. “Shishishi, it’s not a bug Torao. It’s a spider!” He lowered the flower and Law could see that Luffy had let the little white creature crawl into his hand, making his own skin crawl at the sight.

“Same thing!”

He generally disliked most bugs but spiders were by far the worst. He would go as far to say that they terrified him—whether that be from the sheer unpredictability or just from the general appearance he wasn’t sure. One thing he knew was that he would take any other bug, hell, even a snake over a spider any day.

The other boy frowned at him. “No they’re not! They’re completely different!” He raised his hand to look at the spider closer. “It’s only a crab spider, she’s harmless.” Luffy held it out for Law to see and he took another step back.

“She?” Killer asked.

He nodded. “If it was male it would be smaller. Most female spiders are bigger than males but not all of them.”

“I don’t care what it is. Keep it away from me.”

“Scared of a tiny spider, Trafalgar?” Kidd sneered at him.

Law scowled. “Shut your mouth, I’m perfectly justified. You didn’t grow up in a hospital like I did. I’ve seen the kind of damage that bugs can do-”

“It’s not a bug, Torao!” Luffy huffed. “Spiders have eight legs and two parts of their body while insects have six legs-” As he ratted off facts he was stepping closer to Law, who wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not, but at the same time backed further away from him.

He gave a harsh jolt when his lower back hit the counter. Any other time he would’ve found Luffy’s knowledge incredibly attractive but given that he was currently scared out of his wits and damn near on the verge of a panic attack he couldn’t find it in himself to think so. 

He waved one hand in front of him, the other holding onto the counter in a death grip. “Luffy-, Lu-ya, you can tell me all about it later. Just get that thing out of my house.” 

Luffy paused in his movements and his face practically lit up in excitement. “You’ll let me tell you about bugs?”

He nodded. “As much as you want.”

The shorter boy gave a loud cheer before quickly making his way outside and Law let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, silently willing his heart to stop pounding out of his chest.

“That was pathetic.” Kidd laughed.

“I don’t wanna hear it.” He scowled. 

He noticed Killer shifting through the remaining flowers on the table before he looked up at him. “Seems like that was the only one. The rest are bug—or spider, free.”

Law nodded at him in thanks and returned to his previous position, though this time he eyed each flower warily before picking it up. He knew he was being paranoid but who could blame him?

It was around three when his grandfather had finally shown up. The four of them had found a set of playing cards and were currently on their third game of Poker when they heard the knock and he called out that the door was unlocked—not wanting to leave the game. They were using potato chips in place of poker chips which proved a bit difficult since Luffy kept trying to eat them. Just to get him to stop, Law had given him a separate bag of chips for himself.

Killer had already folded on the second bet and when Sengoku walked in they were on the final betting round. He was relatively quiet when he found them sitting around the kitchen table, watching as they finished the game. 

Law looked at his cards carefully. “Raise.” He pushed his remaining chips to the middle of the table. “All in.”

He smirked up at the redhead in a silent dare and to his delight he took the bait. “You’re on Trafalgar.” He pushed the remainder of his to the middle as well and Luffy, not one to be deterred, did the same. Now it was time for the showdown. Kidd laid his hand down on the table. “Full house.”

Law’s smile only grew in response as he playfully tossed his cards on the table. “That’s too bad. Straight flush.”

He jumped from his seat, slamming his hands down on the wood. “Bullshit! Yer fuckin’ cheatin’!”

Law let out a loud laugh, Sengoku joining him. “You’re terrible at poker, Eustass-ya.” He looked down at Luffy’s hand which was only a pair. “Lu-ya, I’m convinced you don’t know how to play.”

He looked up at him with slight offense. “What? I know how to play!”

“You would’ve been better off folding.”

“But that’s no fun!”

He looked at him for a moment. “I’m begging you, never go to a casino.” 

He pouted in response and Law looked up to his grandfather who had come to stand beside him and playfully ruffled his hair. “That’s my grandson! I didn’t know you were so good at poker.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve always been stupidly good at it.” He said as he gathered up the cards. “It was Doflamingo’s favorite game, he’s the one who taught me to play.” The others went silent, looking at him with interest. “You should’ve seen his face when he realized he lost to a twelve-year-old. I was the only one who could match him in skill.”

It was actually some of his only good memories with the crazy bastard—if you could even call it that. Nothing would ever come close to the satisfaction he felt every time knowing he had outsmarted him and seeing the scowl on his face when he lost. Granted Doffy would always give him more ‘work’ in a sheer show of pettiness, but it was almost always worth it.

“I’m never playing you in poker again.” Kidd frowned.

“Coward.” He ignored the other’s outrage and looked up at his grandfather, skillfully shuffling the cards in his hands. “Want me to deal you in?”

Ever since he was small Law was never really too fond of his grandfather with him being the former fleet admiral and with what had happened to his hometown under the government's watch. Since he had met the man he had doted on Law in an attempt to bond with him, as he was his one and only grandson. He had mostly forgiven him a few years ago as he realized what had happened wasn't necessarily his fault but he'd be damned if he admitted it out loud. 

He shook his head, almost sadly. “Unfortunately I can’t stay for long. You four may be on break but I am not. I have a mountain of paperwork to catch up on before school starts back and Garp is waiting for me outside.”

“Grandpa?” Luffy asked.

Law looked up at him confused. “You didn’t drive here?”

Instead of answering him, Sengoku handed him a small black box wrapped with a yellow bow. With how small it was Law figured it might be some kind of jewelry but when he opened it he found that it was definitely not that.

His mind took a few seconds to catch up to what he was seeing and he looked up at the older man before looking back down and up again. He could feel the curious stares of his friends and in the corner of his eye saw them trying to peak into the box.

"Are you serious?" Sengoku had a smug look on his face and gestured to the door.

"What is it Torao?"

Law ignored Luffy in favor of jumping out of his seat and quickly making his way outside, a set of keys in his hand. As he threw open the door he immediately noticed the new car beside Kid’s obnoxious red one. It was a sleek, black sedan with yellow accents on the rims and along the bottom of the car.

He could hear the surprised gasps and excited words of his friends as he turned to look at his grandfather who had followed them outside.

“Sengoku-ya, this is…”

“It’s paid in full and insurance is taken care of until you turn eighteen.”

“I can’t… I can’t accept this.” 

Sengoku looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Why not?” 

Law returned his gaze as if the answer was obvious. “This is too much. I don’t deserve this. Why would you-”

“Kid,” The older man cut him off, “If anyone deserves this, you do.” A small smile fitted his face. “Besides, I’m old and sitting on more money than you can imagine. What better to spend it on than my grandson?”

“But…” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Are you sure?” 

“Law, if I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t have bought it. Now go on, they look eager to see it.”

He looked over to see Kidd, Killer, and Luffy admiring the car and looking up at him expectantly. He took a few steps forward before turning back to look at the older man. “Thank you, grandpa.” 

He ignored the sudden sniffling behind him as he made his way over to the car. Parked near the end of the driveway was a truck with an older man sitting in the driver’s seat and Law assumed that must be Luffy’s grandfather. He was a big man, old and muscular, a scar around his left eye and Law thought Luffy looked nothing like him. Despite his mean looking face he was laughing at Sengoku as he climbed in the passenger side.

“Hurry the fuck up Trafalgar! I wanna hear this baby purr.”

“Seems like you’re almost more excited than I am Eustass-ya.”

“S’not my fault that ya can’t appreciate her beauty.” 

Law laughed at that but quickened his pace nonetheless. When he opened the door he was instantly hit with that new car smell. The leather seats were a mix of black and yellow and he climbed into the front seat, Killer leaning in beside him. He looked down to his hand and realized there wasn’t an actual key to put in and the blond must’ve noticed his confusion as he instructed him to push on the brake and push the button located beside the wheel.

He did just that and the engine roared to life before settling into a quiet hum and he heard Kidd whistle at the sound. “Pop the hood, let me look inside.”

Law couldn’t even find it in himself to be annoyed at the demand, merely rolling his eyes and doing as he was told. As the other inspected his car to his heart’s desire he checked out the inside, noting that Sengoku had left him with a full tank of gas as well. 

He had never thought much about what kind of car he would want or about cars in general. As long as they had gotten him where he needed to go he would be satisfied. But now, sitting in the nicest car he had ever been in, the key sitting in his hand, he knew that this was definitely his dream car.

When he finally stepped out he found Luffy and Kidd standing at the front, the latter trying to explain the parts of the engine and how it works but Luffy just looked adorably confused. The redhead must’ve been in a really good mood considering he only looked vaguely annoyed at the questions.

“The piston sucks in a mix of air and gas, compresses it, then the sparkplug ignites it makin’ a small explosion and pushes the piston down powerin’ the crankshaft.”

Luffy had his hand on his chin as he listened. “So it’s magic.”

“...Did ya just hear a fuckin’ word I said?”

He giggled in response and lit up when he saw Law looking at them. “Torao!” He yelled, pushing past Kidd.

“Oi!”

Luffy wrapped his arms around his middle and looked up at him. “Can we take it for a drive?”

Law thought for a second before nodding. “Are you hungry? Could get some food while we’re out.”

His face lit up in excitement and let out a loud cheer in response. Barely twenty minutes later once Law had gotten ready, having never changed out of his pajamas, they left. Luffy and Kidd had played rock, paper, scissors for who got to sit up front and much to Law’s annoyance Kidd had won. 

Cora had given them plenty of money for food so they ended up going to a hibachi restaurant—a little bit more pricey than what he would usually go for but it was his birthday after all. 

“Eustass-ya, it’s not that hard.”

They were currently seated in the restaurant, placed back in a corner away from other customers which Law was silently grateful for, with a plate of sushi and tempura for them to share. Kidd had been struggling for the past few minutes trying, and ultimately failing, to figure out how to use chopsticks.

“Shut the fuck up Trafalgar before I gouge your eyes out with them.” He growled, but his face was bright red from embarrassment.

“This is just sad.” He snorted.

“I swear-” He pointed an accusing finger at Luffy. “He’s not doing it right either!”

When he looked over to the boy beside him he found that Kidd was right, although- “At least he’s still able to use them. You can’t even do that.”

In his rage he accidentally crushed the cheap wood in his hand, snapping them in two and Law had to put a hand over his mouth in an attempt to stifle his laughs, Killer mirroring him with his shoulders shaking in a silent mirth, and Luffy giggled unabashedly beside him.

“All three of ya are fuckin’ dead to me.”

In the end their waitress had brought over a fork when she brought the food with a sympathetic smile, but otherwise didn’t call any attention to it—which was probably in her best interest.

The food may have been expensive but the portions were a lot bigger than he was expecting. With their previous appetizers he could only finish about half before he was full and slid the remainder of his food over to Luffy who had just finished his own plate and took it with no hesitation whatsoever.

Once they made it back home instead of continuing their card games the four of them settled in the living room and turned on a scary movie. None of them had seen it before but that didn’t stop them from giving loud commentary on just how terrible it was.

“This shit is so stupid.” Kidd said. “Don’t go runnin’ after the man who just killed yer friend empty handed.”

Killer nodded in agreement. “That’s literally the worst thing you can-” Screams echoed from the screen. “Exactly! What did she think was gonna happen?”

Law grimaced as he watched. “Either that guy isn’t human or the writers are just dumbasses because it takes a lot longer than a few seconds to suffocate someone.” He glanced over and saw the three of them staring at him. “Listen, you don’t live in a gang for three years without learning some things.”

“No, you’re right, he barely touched her.” The blond said. “But coming from you it just feels different.”

Luffy laughed from where he was situated under Law’s arm. It went on like this for a while, watching the movie and then complaining about how stupid the characters were or Law pointing out the medical inaccuracies. It honestly was pretty fun if he was being honest. 

Once that one had ended they decided to try and find the lowest rated ones with the sole purpose of making fun of them. A lot of them were so bad that they were basically a comedy. 

Somewhere into the third movie he had started to space out a bit. Even though Cora had left this was still one of the best birthdays he had ever had. Sure he spent a couple with the others on Swallow Island but he had never been able to truly relax when he knew that Doffy could’ve showed up anywhere anytime. He was still paranoid about it sometimes but he had never felt as safe as he did here.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been spaced out but a small nudge from Luffy brought him back to reality as he looked up at him. “You okay?”

Law looked down at the other, not suppressing the soft smile that made its way to his lips at the concern. He adjusted slightly and pulled the other further into his side before nodding. “I’m fine.”

It was late in the evening when Cora returned, the closing of car doors startling him out of his thoughts. He heard the sound of the door opening and closing as well as hushed voices. "Dad-ya?" 

When no one answered he unwrapped his arm from Luffy and stood up—suddenly suspicious and called out again with no answer. He didn't get very far before Cora and four others suddenly walked into the living room, stopping Law in his tracks as he stumbled back.

"What the fuck?!"

"Surprise!" Cora yelled out, though Law paid no attention to him as he looked at the other four in the room.

"Captain!"

"Yo, captain."

"You look surprised."

“We missed you!”

Law was stunned silent. His best friends who he hadn't seen in nearly two years, as well as the girl he had only ever seen through a screen, were suddenly standing in his living room. His emotions were already all over the place from the day so it wasn't really his fault when his eyes started to water. Before he could even move the four of them ran over and threw their arms around him in a hug which he returned just as eagerly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He choked back a sob.

Shachi was the one who responded. "Because it was a surprise obviously! It was more fun this way."

He couldn't help the quiet sniffle he let out but immediately regretted it when he did. Penguin pushed back from him to look at him with a shit eating grin on his face.

Law knew what he was gonna say before the words even left his mouth. "Awww missed us so much it brought you to tears? I can’t believe the Trafalgar Law is crying over us.”

He hastily pushed him away and brought his hands up to wipe his eyes. “No I’m not you asshole. Shut the hell up.” He looked up to see all of them with tears running down their faces. “Fucking hypocrites.”

Ikkaku appeared in front of him. “You’re a lot taller than I thought you were.”

“You’re a lot shorter than I thought you would be.” She came just up to his shoulders just as Luffy did.

“Asshole.” She said that but still reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug which he returned before letting go a few moments later.

“I’m pretty sure I know the answer, but just so we’re clear, you two aren’t together or anything right?” Kid asked and Law didn’t miss the way he shot a look over to Luffy.

He couldn’t hide the disgust on his face as Ikkaku had grabbed his sleeve as she bent over, bursting into laughter. “Gross. She’s like my sister.” He looked down at the girl holding on to him as she giggled uncontrollably—and didn’t show any signs of stopping. “Oh, come on, the thought of dating me cannot be that funny.”

“I-.. You- Haha..” 

“You know, if I wasn’t gay and you weren’t a raging lesbian this would be incredibly offensive.” At some point the other had started laughing along with her and he definitely did not smile at his friends having fun.

Though at some point Law noticed the odd expression on one of his friend’s faces as he stared at the blond in the room.

“So Captain,” Penguin started, looking almost shy. “Gonna introduce us to your other friends?” 

The look wasn’t lost on the other three beside as they all watched, vaguely confused at their friend’s sudden change in behavior. However Law did as he was asked and went through and introduced Kidd, Killer, and Luffy to them and vice versa. The whole time Penguin’s eyes kept darting back and forth, lingering on Killer far longer than normal.

Thankfully the awkwardness didn’t last too long since Luffy had jumped at the opportunity of making new friends and excitedly started talking to them. It was almost strange seeing his old friends mix in with his new ones but he couldn’t say that he hated it.

In the middle of catching up with his friends Cora pulled him aside. "I know your friends all came together so who's car is in our driveway? There's no one else here, right?"

Law knew it was coming but couldn't help the smug grin as he pulled the key from his pocket and held it up for the man to see. "It's mine."

Cora stared at him for a second. "...What do you mean it's yours?" 

"Exactly what I said. Courtesy of grandpa." 

His body went rigid—face paling and morphed into one of surprise and Law could take a guess as to what was going through his head. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something but nothing came out. Cora tried a few more times before he finally relented and turned, pulling out his phone and calling, who Law could only assume to be, Sengoku.

He listened as the older man admonished his adoptive father over the phone as he walked to another room. “Dad, what the hell?! I told you I was going to get him a car next year!” There was a slight pause. “No, I can’t still get him one, there’s no point in that!” Another pause. “At least tell me if you’re gonna pull something like this! I can’t believe-” The door shut behind him a little too loudly and all Law could hear now was muffled arguing though he couldn’t help but laugh to himself a bit.

When he came back he found that most of them, including Luffy, had taken to sitting on the floor since there weren't enough seats for everyone. Law of course sat right beside him as he was talking to Bepo. 

As far as he could tell it seemed like everyone was getting along well. Shachi and Ikkaku were sitting together and making conversation with Kidd while Penguin and Killer were… Talking? Flirting? He couldn’t really tell.

He mostly just listened as Luffy talked. At the moment he had taken it upon himself to tell Law and Bepo about different kinds of beetles and even with his dislike for bugs he couldn’t even bring himself to feel disgusted. Not when it was Luffy talking.

Unbeknownst to Law, Ikkaku and Shachi had been watching him closely for a while now. The two of them, including Bepo and Penguin, noticed something with their best friend had changed in the past couple months since he had come here. He was less guarded, more playful than before, and generally seemed happier but they had never mentioned it to Law in fear that he would put his walls back up once he realized.

Though as Ikkaku and Shachi watched their friend talk openly with the boy beside him they knew they had found the reason why. They looked at each other with wide eyes when Law looked at the boy with such a soft look that they almost didn’t recognize him. With a glance over to Bepo they knew he was thinking the same thing as them.

The two of them came to a silent agreement as they nodded at each other and promptly stood from their place on the floor and made their way over to Law. He didn’t notice them until it was already too late as Ikkaku and Shachi both hooked an arm under his armpits and dragged him up from his spot beside Luffy.

“We’ll be borrowing him for a minute.” Ikkaku said.

“Hey! What do you-! Let me go, you assholes!” The height difference between the two dragging him was enough that it left Law stumbling clumsily in an attempt to regain his balance.

Shachi ignored him as he struggled in their grip and looked back at his other two friends as they dragged Law in the direction of the kitchen. “Come on, Bepo. Penguin, stop flirting and get your ass over here!” 

Even from under his hat they could see the small blush that dusted over Penguin’s cheeks and he hurriedly stood and chased after them, whacking Shachi over the head in the process. “Shut the hell up!”

They only let him go once they made it to the far side of the kitchen—out of earshot from the other room. As soon as he had his bearings he scowled at the two that dragged him. “Want to tell me what this is about?”

Shachi matched his scowl with one of his own. “We should be the ones asking that. Want to tell us what’s going on between you and Luffy?”

The four of them watched as surprise overtook his features, a light blush settling on his cheeks as he avoided their eyes. “Nothing is going on.”

“Bullshit.” Ikkaku hissed. “I’ve never seen you that soft before. It’s weird.”

“I’m not soft-”

“Captain,” Penguin cut him off, “Even I saw you making googly eyes at the guy.”

“He hasn’t stopped looking at you almost the entire time we’ve been here.” Bepo fiddled with his hands. “Sorry.”

Law looked at the four of them carefully before letting out a heavy sigh. “Fine, yes, I like Luffy and no I’m not telling him.” He decided being blunt was probably his best option in this situation. After all, he was terrible at hiding his feelings according to Nami and knowing the four of them keeping his feelings to himself would only make things worse. “I didn’t mean to hide it, it’s just been a lot to process.” He turned his head away from them.

There was a short pause. “You really like him, don’t you?” Shachi asked, voice laced with a hint of disbelief. 

He nodded. “I’m not talking about this right now, not when he’s literally in the next room.” When he looked back at the four of them he hardened his gaze. “If I hear that any of this makes its way back to Lu-ya I will disembowel all of you, except for Bepo.”

Penguin whined. “Why is he the only one left out?!” 

“Because if any of you are going to run your mouth it's not gonna be him.”

Shachi nervously swallowed the lump in his throat. “Right, well on a kind of related topic,” He looked at Penguin, “What’s up with you? I thought you were straight.”

The boy in question merely shrugged his shoulders. “So did I.” A smile grew on his face and he turned to Law. “Captain, why didn’t you tell me you had such a cute friend?”

Law raised an eyebrow in his direction. “Well for one I thought you were straight obviously. Second, I didn’t realize he was your type.” His lips twitched up at the dumb look on his friend’s face.

“You kidding? Tall, long hair, blue eyes, and don’t get me started on the lipstick. I might be in love.”

“You’ve barely known him an hour, Pen.”

Ikkaku jumped in. “I don’t know Cap. He looked pretty into it when Penguin was flirting with him.”

Penguin’s smile turned impossibly wide. “What can you tell me about him?” He thought for a second and his smile dimmed. “Him and the other guy aren’t together right?” 

Law shook his head, partly in disagreement and partly in disbelief. “No, but they are best friends and grew up together. You almost never see one without the other.”

Penguin let his chin rest on his fingers for a long moment before he moved, slapping a hand on the chest beside him. “Shach, be my wingman.”

He frowned in response. “I don’t like where this is going.”

“Don’t be like that!” He whined. “I just need you to distract him while I charm the pants off of Killer.”

“Dude, why me? The guy looks like an ass.”

“He is.” Law interjected.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine!” Penguin playfully threw an arm around Shachi’s shoulders. “Cap already has his man, Ikkaku’s into girls, and Bepo just isn’t up for the task. You’re my only hope!”

“I’m also into girls.”

Law watched as they went back and forth for a minute—Shachi eventually agreeing, and turned to Penguin, pinning him with his gaze. “Pen, you know I trust you and I’ve known you guys a lot longer but they’re my friends as well. Don’t fuck it up.”

He sent him a playful smile. “Have you no faith in me captain? I’m gonna make this guy fall for me with my pure charisma and charm.” Law raised an eyebrow in his direction. “I’m kidding. Besides, even if things went wrong he looks like he could crush me with his bare hands.” His smile not so subtly turned into a smirk.

“You’re into that.”

“ Oh yeah. ”

Law sighed into his hand at his friend’s antics while the others didn’t even bother to stifle their laughs. Once they returned Cora had also come back out and suggested they get comfortable and he would try to find as many pillows and blankets as he could. The house was big but not big enough to where there were enough rooms for all eight of them.

He noticed Penguin and Shachi saying something to Cora and when the man responded to them with a laugh they took off into the only guest room that was downstairs. When they returned a minute later they were carrying a big mattress that they had clearly stolen from the bed. 

“I’m not putting that back in there tomorrow.” Law stated.

Shachi laughed at him. “You’re just mad you didn’t think of it first. Besides, we’ll worry about that in the morning.”

They laid it down in the middle of the floor and everyone started taking blankets and pillows once Cora had dumped all of them on it. Law quickly snagged one and as if he knew what was coming next he quickly claimed his spot at the end of the couch where it reclined. This was his spot and there was no way in hell he would be giving it up.

Ikkaku seemed to have the same idea as him as she took her own claim of one of the recliners. “Why do you get the chair?” Penguin accused.

“Because I’m a girl! And if I’m gonna cuddle with anyone it’s not gonna be any of you!” Ikkaku shot back, making herself comfortable.

“You only use the girl card when it’s convenient!” She only shrugged in response.

There was a slight pause between the others and Law could see the wheels turning. It lasted for a whole two seconds before all hell broke loose, sending pillows flying everywhere and eventually breaking out into a full on pillow fight.

He joined in as best as he could from where he was sitting but somewhere in the middle of the chaos Luffy had been knocked back and went flying right into his lap. He was so surprised he almost missed the sly wink Shachi sent his way. That bastard had done it on purpose.

Law placed a hand around his waist to steady him. “Shishishi sorry!” 

“It’s fine.” By all accounts he thought Luffy would jump back up and rejoin the chaos, but when the other settled in his lap and leaned back against him he was a bit confused. “What are you doing?”

He let out a slight hum and looked back at him. “I was gonna sleep with you.” A small, almost knowing smile graced his lips. “Do you want me to leave?”

No, he didn’t want him to leave—quite the opposite in fact. Law had never thought of himself as a touchy person but Luffy had come in and destroyed every assumption he had had about himself in a matter of months. It almost scared him just how much he craved the other’s presence to be near him, to touch him and wrap his arms around him so that for once he could finally just relax. He could barely even sleep anymore without the other beside him.

Law could feel the flush in his cheeks at the question and turned his head. “Do what you want.” He let out a loud giggle and settled back against him.

Kidd scowled in their direction. “God you two are gross.”

Once everyone had finally settled down the sleeping arrangements went like this—Law and Luffy on one side of the couch with Bepo on the other, Ikkaku and Kidd had claimed both of the recliners, and Shachi, Penguin, and Killer had gotten stuck with the mattress.

With a final happy birthday from Cora the older man turned off the lights and headed off to bed since it was already nearing midnight. They had turned on a random action movie and even with the small conversations here and there he found it to be a comfortable quiet. 

Luffy had snuggled into his side with his head on his chest and after all the excitement from the day Law had found himself slipping in and out of consciousness fairly quickly. He vaguely heard some comments about the two of them but couldn’t find it in himself to care when the other just cuddled closer and he could feel all of the energy leaving his body as he finally fell asleep.

Yeah, this was definitely the best birthday ever.

Chapter Text

It was the early morning hours when Law was pulled from his sleep. Gentle light filtered in through the windows and the sound of soft snoring was enough to wake him from his dreams. 

He lay there for a while in a half asleep daze, vaguely recognizing a heavy weight on top of him. As the minutes passed the fog finally started to clear from his mind and he could feel his limbs again as he opened his eyes. By the golden glow casting shadows around the room he figured it must be around sunrise which was admittedly earlier than he would have liked.

When he looked down he found Luffy sound asleep with his head resting on his chest. The boy was almost fully on top of him, arms squeezing his sides and one leg thrown over his hip. Law found he couldn’t even be that mad about the small amount of drool that had slipped out of his mouth and was pooling on his chest. 

He looked so peaceful, his tan skin practically glowing in the light of the morning and Law was unable to stop himself from staring. Luffy was just so pretty— gorgeous even. He had never been so enamored with someone in his life and was overwhelmed at the mere thought of it.

He loved Luffy—had known it for a while now too. It was far too easy in Law’s opinion. In the relatively short time they had known each other he had fallen fast and hard for the other boy. He was just so easy to love and gave love so freely in return like it was second nature.

The warm feeling he got in his chest whenever he was around the other wasn’t a mistake, nor was it some medical condition he had. He didn’t know how he could even try to deny it to himself anymore when the mere touch of him had the ability to calm whatever thoughts were racing through his mind. The feeling of his arms around Law was enough to lull him into a peaceful sleep even when his insomnia threatened to keep him awake through the early hours of the morning. 

He had only known him for a few months but apparently it had been long enough for him to worm himself into his heart and mind, leaving him in his thoughts nearly every waking hour of the day. He was so far gone for the other boy that it almost scared him. Luffy had him wrapped around his finger and sometimes Law thinks he knows it too with the teasing smiles he would send him or the way he never hesitates to ask Law for what he wants like he knew just how weak he was for him.

Not like Law minded either way. It was one of the things he had come to like about the other—especially when he curled up into his side without a second thought simply because he wanted to. 

He loved Luffy, but he couldn’t have him.

It had almost become a game to him. A game of wondering how long this peace—this calm would last before the other shoe dropped. How long could he savor this life before it all inevitably came crashing down again? 

Because that’s how it usually went. He had something good, he was happy, and then it was all ripped away from him in an instant. He lost his family, his home, almost lost Cora and then had to leave some of the only friends he had ever had because of Doflamingo.

He had never been convinced for a second that he had stopped looking for them. It was too easy—the timing too convenient. Doffy was not a man who gave up easily, especially when he knew that Law was alive and well. Even if he didn’t need his talents anymore, in his eyes Law was his. To him he was his family, his subordinate, and forever his little Surgeon of Death until one of them was dead.

He spent his nights wishing, hoping that he could be done with it all but he knew it would all inevitably be in vain. It wasn’t a question of if Doflamingo could find him. It was a question of when he would come to take him back and Law shivered at the thought of what would happen when he found out that Cora was alive as well. When that eventually happened he would do everything he could to make sure Luffy and the others wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire. 

He knew he should push them away—push Luffy away to keep him safe and out of reach from his uncle but he just made it so hard to do so and a part of Law didn’t want to either. It was selfish, incredibly so, but goddamn it did he want to be selfish for once in his life. If he had to sit here and patiently wait until he had to return to his personal hell then he figured he could be a little selfish, at least for as long as Luffy would allow him to.

No matter how much Nami and the others pushed him there was no way he could ever admit his feelings to the other boy. It would be like admitting defeat, like once he admitted his feelings aloud to the other his fate was set in stone. It scared him to think that as soon as he confessed life would spit in his face and steal this happiness away from him once again. The longer he waits the longer he can prolong the inevitable, and the longer he can savor this peace because that was definitely how it worked, right?

Though, even he had to admit that they were getting far too comfortable with each other. They were far past what was considered ‘normal’ for friends to do—much less best friends. At first Law had chalked it up to Luffy just being touchy like he was with all of his other friends but that clearly wasn’t the case anymore. No matter where they were or who they were with, the other was somehow, in some way pressed up against him or just touching him. Whether that be with their hands tangled together, leaning against the other’s shoulder, or with their arms around each other it never failed to make his heart do funny things.

He didn’t mind, never did, and had even begun to unconsciously seek out his touch like it was natural. It did leave him to wonder if that had been Luffy’s plan all along. To bombard him with his easy touch and casual affections until it no longer bothered him. If that were the case—which Law doubted the other had done intentionally—it was definitely working.

He wasn’t sure how long he lay there, lost in his thoughts. As much as he wanted to stay there wrapped in the comforting heat of Luffy’s arms his bladder seemed to sorely disagree with him. Carefully he began to untangle himself from the limbs wrapped around him, taking care to try and not wake up the other but quickly found that to not be possible when he started to stir. 

“Mmm Torao..?” He mumbled, eyes just barely opening to look at him. Law felt his arms wrap tighter around his waist as he sat up. “Don’t leave yet…”

He reached a hand down and rubbed it through soft black locks, lowering his voice into a whisper so as to not wake the others. “I’ll be right back. Go back to sleep.”

Law heard some unintelligible, almost annoyed, grumbling but he loosened his grip regardless, allowing him to leave. As he made his way to the bathroom he rubbed at his eyes with a yawn and belatedly realized that he had completely forgotten to remove his contacts the night before so with a quiet curse under his breath he changed course and instead made his way upstairs to his bathroom. 

Once he finished his ‘business’ he swiftly took his contacts out, coming to terms with the fact that he would have to wear his glasses for the rest of the day given that if he didn’t it would only serve to irritate his eyes more. He could handle the teasing from his friends but there was no way he would be going out anywhere if he could help it.

It took a few minutes but when he finally located his phone he learned that it was just past eight in the morning and cursed his body for not being able to stay asleep for a bit longer. Given that he was now wide awake he grabbed one of the books that Killer had gifted him since he didn’t want to wake the others, and made his way back to the living room where he found Luffy laying on the arm of the couch, watching him with half-lidded eyes and a soft smile on his face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked quietly, taking care to not jostle the others as he stepped around them.

“You’re really cute.” 

Thankfully Law had already sat down otherwise he definitely would’ve tripped over his own feet. Heat rushed up to his cheeks as he sat back in the chair and Luffy made himself comfortable in his lap, his eyes never leaving Law’s.

He poked the spot where the glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. “They make you look like a nerd.”

Law huffed, rolling his eyes at the other. “That’s exactly why I don’t wear them.” 

Luffy let out a quiet giggle. “I didn’t mean it like that. They’re cute, you should wear them more often.” He reached out, pushing the glasses to rest on the top of Law’s head and held out his hand away from them. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“That’s not how it works.”

“I thought you couldn’t see?”

“I’m not completely blind, Lu-ya. It’s just fuzzy.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Two.”

He let out a satisfied hum at the response before plucking the glasses from his head and putting them on his own face with that stupid, dumb smile on his lips. “How do I look?”

Law couldn’t hold back the upturn of his own lips at the question. “I don’t know. According to you I can’t see.” He teased.

It was a lie, obviously. He could see the other just fine, especially when that cute smile morphed into an adorable pout and he could feel his own heart swell in affection at the sight. He wasn’t sure what his face looked like but was silently grateful that everyone else was still asleep around them. If they were awake they would surely never let him live this down.

“Come on, give them back.” He reached out, removing the glasses from his face and putting them back on. Luffy shifted in his arms, turning until he was situated between his legs, head on his chest, and his arms around him. Law let out a huff, almost a laugh. “Comfortable?”

He nodded. “You’re always comfy.”

“I must be with the way you’re always laying on me.”

The other boy turned his head and looked up to him. “It’s hard to sleep by myself.” He admitted sheepishly. 

Law was taken aback at the confession. He had never expected Luffy to have sleeping problems like he did given that he always seemed to sleep peacefully when he was with Law. Though, he supposed he couldn’t say much since he was practically the same. “That’s surprising.” He reached out, running his fingers over his cheek.

Luffy shrugged, leaning into his touch with a soft sigh. “My brothers and I shared a room for years so it’s hard to get used to having a room by myself now. I can fall asleep fine but I wake up a lot.”

Law sent him a teasing smile. “So you just like cuddling with someone, is that it?”

He looked away as if he was thinking. “It’s usually okay if there’s just someone else in the room.” His gaze wandered over back to Law’s and matched his smile. “But I sleep best with you.” 

He let out a quiet chuckle. “Is that so? Well it certainly explains things.”

Luffy had once complimented the color of his eyes, comparing them to treasure and saying how pretty they were. At the time he had simply run away, too embarrassed to even return his gaze. It wasn’t like he had never noticed the other boy’s eyes but as he looked at him now he realized he had never truly seen them.

They were a deep brown, the same color as the earth, grounding and beautiful. Sun-kissed by the light of the morning with specks of gold swirling around the iris. Luffy’s eyes looked hopelessly kind and exuded a kind of warmth that Law wanted to drown himself in.

He flicked his gaze down to the rest of his face. Light freckles dotted over his tanned cheeks and nose, barely noticeable if you weren’t looking—which Law most certainly was. He ran his thumb over the scar that rested just below his left eye, self-inflicted as Luffy had once told him before. When he told him the story about how it happened he chided the other boy for it, any higher and he more than likely would’ve lost his eye.

As Law silently admired him he didn’t miss the way Luffy’s eyes began to droop closed as the minutes passed by, his breathing slowly evening out against him. It was obvious that he was trying to fight off sleep by trying to blink his eyes awake or simply moving his fingers against Law’s hip but it was ultimately all in vain.

He moved his hand to card through his dark hair, surprisingly softer than he had imagined. It was only then that he picked up his book which he had sat to the side before and finally opened it. Eventually Luffy fell back into sleep against him, Law’s hand never leaving the soft locks of his hair except to turn the page of his book. He would never get tired of this, of the feeling of the other boy against him, his body heat never failing to keep him warm. 

About half an hour later Cora came stumbling down the stairs, fully dressed. When he got close enough Law leaned his head back enough to look at him. “Where are you going?” 

Despite him asking quietly the older man startled at the question, whipping his head around and letting out a sigh when he saw him looking at him. “Don’t scare me like that.” He walked over to him as Law rolled his eyes. Once he got closer his eyes lit up with a restrained mirth. “You two are certainly comfortable.”

“I don’t wanna hear it. It’s not like I was gonna be able to go back to sleep anyways, figured I’d let him sleep a bit longer before everyone else woke up. Answer the question.”

“There’s too many of you to cook for so I figured I’d go buy breakfast for all of you. I was thinking of just getting a bunch of biscuits.” Law grimaced at that and it was Cora’s turn to roll his eyes. “Yes, yes, I know. I heard they have good breakfast bowls. You okay with one of those?”

He nodded. “Can you get me a coffee too?”

“I can’t get all of you one.”

“I didn’t say get everyone one.”

“How is that fair to the others?” 

“Doesn’t have to be. I’m your son.”

Cora stared at him for a long second before letting out a soft sigh. “Fine. I’ll be back soon.” He only hummed in response, turning back to his book as the other walked away. He listened to the sound of the door opening and closing before the house settled back into a comfortable silence.

The first of the others to wake was Kidd. He could hear as the other started to shift around in his chair as he started waking up, barely sparing him a glance when he pulled himself up. He made it a few steps before pausing and regarding the two of them with a raised eyebrow.

“Problem, Eustass-ya?” 

Kidd rubbed his hand over his face with a sigh before turning and continuing his trek to the bathroom. “S’too fuckin’ early for this shit.” 

Law let out a light chuckle at that. Some of the others started to stir but it wasn’t until Cora came back that everyone got up, Luffy was still fast asleep on top of him however. Law marked his place in his book and sat it to the side, ignoring the quiet snickers coming from his friends.

The hand that wasn’t currently running through his hair gently rubbed over his back and whispered in a soft attempt to wake him, though it wasn’t until he mentioned food that he stirred awake. Suffice it to say it didn’t take long before he had jumped out of his lap and quickly made his way to the kitchen. 

At the same time he was pulling himself out of his seat Killer was also getting up and came to stand beside him. “Friends my ass.”

“Shut the hell up.” He scowled. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you and Pen cuddled up together.”

Law didn’t miss the way the other stiffened up beside him. “I… Well, he-” He stuttered out.

When he looked up he noticed the light flush on Killer’s face, he couldn't hold back the small smirk on his lips. “Don’t worry, I’ve already warned him not to screw you over.”

He looked over to Law with wide eyes. “You’re not…”

“Mad?” He asked and only continued when Killer sent him a small nod. “I trust Penguin and I trust you not to hurt him either. Though, if you’re uncomfortable with it I can tell him to cut it out. Better to do it now since he already has his sights set on you.”

The blond looked away from him, the tips of his ears burning red. “It’s… Fine. I’ve just never had anyone look at me like that.”

“Really?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s always just been Kidd and I and we’re not usually met with anything other than disgust. It’s different…”

Law regarded him for a long second before he finally spoke again. “Trust me, I know the feeling.” Flashes of memories flickered through his mind but he pushed them away before he could dwell on them too long. “Well if it’s my blessing you were looking for I don’t care. Not like they would listen to me anyways.”

Killer looked back at him, clear mirth in his eyes. “Even though they call you captain?”

“They’ve been calling me that for years. I tried to get them to stop but as you can see it didn’t work, so I’ve just accepted it.” 

“Well they certainly care enough about it to drag you off last night.”

Law whipped his head around to the other. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough to know that they care about your opinion.” He must’ve noticed the anxious look on his face because he followed it up with, “And don’t worry. Luffy and Kidd were too busy arguing to hear anything. Good for you for finally admitting it though.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, really? Because I clearly remember hearing you say that you like Luffy.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

He snorted. “Sure. You should tell him. It’s embarrassing watching you two pine after each other when you’re so clearly in love. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Law looked away from him, turning his gaze to the ground and crossed his arms over his chest. “Trust me. There’s a lot that could happen.” 

There was a pause of silence between them, turning heavy when he heard Killer suck in a harsh breath. “Oh.” He breathed out. “This is about…”

He didn’t need to finish the rest of his sentence for Law to know he had caught on to what he was implying. “I’m not dragging him into my problems.”

It was quiet for a few long moments. “Well, if you want my opinion,” He looked up to the other, a solemn expression on his face, “You’ve already dragged all of us into it, whether you two are together or not.”

“What do you-?”

“If he tries to take you back we won’t let him, not without a fight.” He turned his gaze over to Law. “You’re our friend. I’m almost offended that you think so little of us.”

“Wha-? That’s not the point! He’s dangerous. I’m not worth all of you getting yourselves killed trying to save me and I don’t need you to either.”

Something dangerous flashed behind Killer’s eyes but he didn’t back down. “Just because you don’t think you’re worth it doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t, Law. I don’t know what you’re thinking but we’re not here just to pass time or to make ourselves feel better. We’re here because we care, and if you think any of us are going to sit by and watch him take you against your will then you’re wrong.”

“I… I didn’t-”

His face softened just a bit as he sighed deeply. “As long as you understand. You would do the same for us.”

Without another word Killer turned and made his way into the kitchen where Penguin immediately started talking his ear off. Law turned his words over in his head and was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly yelled at the voice that appeared behind him. “He’s right, you know.”

He whipped his head around, meeting Cora’s eyes. As the older man made his way over to him he rolled his eyes in annoyance. “I really wish people would stop listening to my conversations.”

“Then don’t have them loudly in the middle of the living room.” Cora rested a hand on his shoulder, concern written all over his face. “Why didn’t you tell me you were that worried about Doffy?”

Law looked away. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

He let out a small scoff at that. “You’re my son, I have a right to worry about you. My brother is not someone you need to worry about. I meant what I said to him four years ago. You’re free from him and he’s not going to take you back, I won’t let it happen.”

He couldn’t stop the glare he sent the older man. Everyone kept telling him the same thing over and over again and it made him want to rip his fucking hair out, made him feel like he was the crazy one for the very real danger that Doflamingo posed. “You don’t know that!” He growled and it took everything in him to keep his voice down so as to not alert the others. “In case you forgot, he almost killed you! You know better than anyone that he would kill anyone and everyone to get what he wants! We don’t know what he’s doing or what his plans are. For all we know he could already know where we are and is just biding his time, waiting for us to let our guard down!” By the time he finished he was panting, all of the air being stolen from his lungs and the next time he spoke his voice shook. “You don’t know what’s gonna happen…"

Cora barely reacted to his outburst, his face remaining carefully blank and he pulled Law into him, wrapping his arms around him who in turn fisted his shaky hands into the taller man’s shirt.

“Maybe I don’t.” He said softly. “Maybe everything you say is true and maybe he will come for us again.” Cora pulled back just enough to look down at him, turning Law’s head to meet his eyes. “But maybe he won’t. I don’t know what my brother is doing or what his plans are, Law, but what I do know is that you can’t keep making yourself miserable over a bunch of what-ifs. I didn’t take you away all those years ago just so you could live the rest of your life in fear.”

“I know you’re scared, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t as well but the only thing you’re going to achieve by stressing out this much is just making yourself go crazy. Have fun  with your friends and live your life. Stop worrying about things that may or may not happen.” Law leaned his head back into Cora’s shirt, letting out a soft sigh as a hand slowly carded its way through his hair. “Luffy’s good for you, you know? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy with someone else. Should I be offended?”

“Shut up.” He mumbled, causing the older man to let out a small laugh.

“I mean it though. Even I can tell that you mean as much to him as he does to you. If you want to be with him, and I know you do, then tell him. Let yourself be happy. You of all people deserve it.”

What Cora was saying made sense, Law knew it did, but that didn’t mean he could so easily let go of the fear that plagued him every waking hour of the day. Even if he so badly wanted to. “I’ll think about it.”

The older man let out a loud groan at the response. “Why do you have to be so stubborn?!”

“That’s rich coming from you.”

“Me? I’m not stubborn!”

“Says the one who still insists on cooking even though you burn everything!”

“I don’t burn everything .”

“Tell that to the pot we’ve had to replace six times since we’ve been here.”

“You little-” 

In a flash Cora had wrapped an arm around his neck to where he couldn’t escape and roughly rubbed his hand through his hair, to the point where it almost hurt. “Let go of me old man!”

“Old man?!” He shrieked. “I’m only thirty you brat!”

“Sounds old to me.” Before he even had a chance to respond, Law swiftly kicked Cora’s leg out from under him, making him fall to the floor with a loud thump while he thankfully remained standing. He leaned over the taller man, looking down at him with a cocky smile. “Having trouble staying on your feet, Grandpa ?”

He let out a sound of indignation and swiftly grabbed his arm and pulled him down with him. Law didn’t even get to react before Cora started twitching his fingers over his sides as he tried to suppress the laughter that was bubbling in his throat but ultimately failed in the end. 

It reminded him of their later days in the gang. On the nights when he stayed with Cora he had often spaced out, dissociating to cope with the ongoing trauma that Doflamingo had put him through. Whenever the older man noticed, since he couldn’t talk, he would often tickle him to get him out of his head. It certainly always worked, grounding him back into the present even if it left him annoyed after and grumbling angrily under his breath.

He squirmed, twisting around in an attempt to get away but the older man had always been stronger than him. He pleaded in between laughs and giggles to be let go but he didn’t let up. “This is payback, you little shit!”

Unbeknownst to him some of the others had peeked around the corner at the commotion and were watching with smiles of their own, Ikkaku and Shachi snapping a few pictures for blackmail material before returning to their breakfast. When Cora finally let go of him his face was flushed, glasses nearly knocked off of his face as he quickly scrambled away from him. 

He scowled, pointing a scathing finger in his direction. “Never do that again.”

Cora lifted himself off of the ground, running a playful hand through his son’s hair. “Whatever you say. Feel better now?”

“No.” He growled. 

It was a lie and that was probably what annoyed him the most. Some of the weight that he was carrying had been lifted off of his chest and he felt just a little bit lighter.

Once Law made his way to the kitchen where the others were, he saw Shachi staring at him from the side with a dumb grin on his face. “What?” He bit out, already knowing it would be something stupid.

“We get the glasses today?”

“Oh god.” He groaned, knowing what was coming next.

Penguin suddenly appeared at his side, wrapping his arms tightly around him with a teasing smile. “This is by far your best look.”

Shachi copied him on Law’s other side, effectively trapping him between them. “We love your little nerdy self Cap’n.”

“I will gut you.”

Ikkaku appeared in front of him, Bepo behind him as they both smothered him in their arms. “No you won’t.” The girl said. “You love us.”

He could hear the giggles and laughs around them as Bepo rested his chin on top of his head. “You need to wear them more often, Captain.”

“You people are insufferable. Let me go.”

Penguin laughed beside him. “Are you kidding? We have to savor this moment.”

He looked over to Cora for some sort of help and instead found him watching them with clear amusement written all over his face before he not so discreetly took a photo of them. Law had to actively fight himself so as to not relax into his friends arms. They were annoying, yes, but he was admittedly weak for them, not that he would admit it out loud.

Ikkaku looked up at him. “So how come you decided to grace us with this sight on such a beautiful morning? Is it my birthday?”

Law rolled his eyes in annoyance. “You dumbasses made me forget to take my contacts out last night.”

“Hmm?” He looked to the side where Shachi was sporting a shit-eating grin before bringing his hand up to cup his mouth, lowering his voice so only the five of them could hear. “You forgot? Or was Luffy just too distracting ?”

He visibly flinched at the accusation. “That is not what I said!” He hissed, now struggling to get out of their grasp, face flushed in embarrassment. 

The others laughed at him, Penguin squeezing him a little harder to gain his attention. “I’m surprised he didn’t jump you as soon as he saw you.” His voice was low but it only served to make the heat spread to the tips of his ears and down the back of his neck.

He wasn’t going to tell them about the soft moment the two shared while everyone else was still asleep, it would only be adding fuel to the fire that was currently burning him from the inside out in humiliation. Just the memory of Luffy’s soft words and the look on his face when he gazed at Law was enough to fluster him.

“Let me go, assholes!” When he was finally able to break free from their grasp he swiftly turned around, making his way out of the kitchen.

“Hm?” He heard Bepo behind him. “Where are you going Captain?” 

Law grit his teeth. “I’m putting my contacts back in.” Before he could even take another step forward he was suddenly tackled from behind, nearly knocking him to the ground. As he regained his footing he whipped his head around to glare at the four of his friends. “I swear to fuck -”

“No please Captain!” Ikkaku yelled.

Shachi followed right after her, looking like he was about to burst into tears despite the fact that his eyes were as dry as a desert. “You’re gonna make us so sad! They’re so cute on you!”

After a few more moments of begging and pleading, which was admittedly giving him a headache, he was roughly pulled back before being thrown back into a warm body. When he looked behind him he came face to face with Luffy who had been sitting on the counter this entire time, stuffing his face with biscuits as he watched them. 

“Keep him there! Don’t let him get away!” 

At Penguin’s words Luffy loosely wrapped his legs around Law’s waist, snaking his arms under his own and linking them together over his chest. “Don’t encourage them!” He hissed over his shoulder.

By all means he could easily break away from the others grasp or just carry him on his back if it came to it. Though just as he was about to do just that Luffy ever so slightly tightened his arms around him, pulling him flush against his chest and hooking his chin over his shoulder. Naturally all the fight evaporated from his body and he sunk into the embrace.

“That felt way too easy.” 

He sent a glare to Shachi at his words but didn’t respond as Cora handed him his food since he couldn’t really move at the moment. In a sheer move of pettiness he grabbed his glasses and moved them to rest on the top of his head causing a wave of groans and whines to ring out through the room. 

He barely spared a glance up as he stabbed into his food. “Keep it up and I really will put my contacts back in.” 

He knew they didn’t mean any harm in their teasing. However, when they practically gushed over him anytime they saw him wearing his glasses he felt perfectly in his right to be annoyed. They had done it ever since he first got them.

He listened to the conversations around him as he ate. About halfway through his food he stole a glance over to Luffy who hadn’t moved from his place, head perched on his shoulder, and didn’t miss the longing look in his eyes as he gazed down at Law’s bowl. Without even a second thought as to what he was doing he gathered another bite onto his fork and held it up to the other boy who happily took the offered food, his arms giving him an affectionate squeeze. The action had not gone unnoticed as he had hoped as he cleared his throat in an attempt to stave off the embarrassment when he saw the look on the others faces.

“How long are you guys staying?” He asked and the four of them threw cheeky smiles and giggles at each other. He even noticed the way Kidd and Killer shared confused glances. “What?”

“Captain,” Ikkaku started, looking at him amusedly, “We’re not leaving.”

Law paused in his movements. “You… What do you mean you’re not leaving?”

Penguin laughed at him. “We’re staying here in Grandline.”

“We start school with you next week!” Bepo smiled.

He whipped his head around to stare at Cora who nodded and grinned, confirming what the others were saying. “Wolf wanted to come see you as well but it was already getting late and he had plenty of stuff he needed to do before-”

“Wolf is here too?!”  

“Of course he is. You think he would let them come by themselves? He may be a stubborn old man but he cares about all of you.”

Law smiled a bit at that. If it really was true he would have to pay the old coot a visit soon. He had never expected a visit from his friends, much less for them to tell him that they wouldn’t be leaving. A warm feeling spread through his chest at the thought that he wouldn’t have to only see them through a screen anymore.

He startled a bit when Ikkaku suddenly appeared beside him, poking his cheek with a playful smile on her face. “It’s okay to cry Cap’n. We know you’re so overwhelmed with emotion-”

“I’m not.”

“-that you’ll never have to spend a day without us again.” She continued as if he had never interrupted her. “Come on, I can see the tears in your eyes-”

“You’re hallucinating.” 

They went back and forth for a while, Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo eventually joining in as well. Once Law had finished eating he sat his bowl to the side on the counter, leaning back further into Luffy and sipped on his coffee that had begun to cool at this point.

At some point in the conversation Kidd had finally spoken up. “What’s up with all this ‘captain’ bullshit?”

Shachi and Penguin both turned to him looking scandalized. “You never told them the story?!” The redhead yelled.

Law raised his eyebrows at them. “It’s not that crazy of a story.”

“You are the only person who would say that.” Penguin frowned at him before looking back to the others. “Long story short, we nearly died and he saved our lives.”

“You seem to be doing that a lot.” Killer said and he merely shrugged at the statement.

Pen continued with his story. “Me and Shach beat Bepo up and then tried to mug the captain, needless to say he kicked our ass.”

“You deserved it.” Law cut in.

“We said sorry!” Shachi yelled at him. “Few weeks later we got attacked by a boar and it pierced my stomach.” He took it upon himself to lift up the bottom of his shirt, revealing the discolored scar that took up the left side of his abdomen. “Pen tried to kill it with a bomb we found and nearly lost his arm in the process.”

“It wasn’t my fault! The damn thing must’ve been faulty!”

“How the fuck are ya people findin’ these bombs?!” Law snorted at Kidd’s question. 

Penguin shrugged. “We found it in town. Cap and Bepo heard the explosion and found us.” Mimicking Shachi he pulled his arm out of his sweatshirt showing off the jagged scars that reached up his arm and his shoulder, partly obscured by black ink. “Hurt like hell but at least it looks cool.”

He felt Luffy shift behind him. “Isn’t that the same tattoo you have?” 

Law turned his head and found the other’s eyes already on him and nodded. “It was my design.”

Bepo lifted up his sleeve over his shoulder, Shachi and Ikkaku copying him to reveal the matching swirls of ink. “We all got matching ones with Captain!”

The four of them started recounting the long tale of the day they had gotten the tattoos and stories about the time they had spent together on Swallow Island. Somewhere in the middle of it he noticed that Luffy had begun to fiddle with his hands and swung his legs back and forth, probably becoming restless from sitting in the same spot for so long. Eventually Kidd and Killer had to leave since they had a job to get to, though he didn’t miss as Killer and Penguin exchanged numbers before they left. 

The rest of the day was mostly spent catching up, playing games, and almost constant teasing from his friends. According to Luffy both of his brothers were working and he didn’t have anything that he needed to do so he stuck around as well, very quickly getting used to Law’s other friends. It didn’t help that they took it upon themselves to bring up every embarrassing memory they had of him.

“Why in FUCK would you tell him that?!” He screeched, hitting Shachi and Penguin over the head who only laughed in turn.

Law had just returned from the kitchen after grabbing a drink only to find the two of them telling Luffy about when he had accidentally came out to them. It was a memory he unfortunately remembered very well. He had been awake for thirty-six hours straight and in his delirious state he had admitted that he was gay and that he really liked Sora from the comics that they all loved before promptly passing out for a whopping thirteen hours from exhaustion. 

When he woke up the next day he had been horrified when they had told him what he said. Obviously all of them had been supportive of him but Shachi and Penguin had thought it was hilarious that his gay awakening had been Sora and have never let him live it down to this day.

Luffy giggled loudly after he sat down beside him. “Shishishi, you had a crush on a comic book character?” 

Law’s face felt like it was on fire and he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. “It wasn’t so much the character, but the actor who played him in the series…”

“Which made him see the character in a new light-” He swiftly hit Penguin over the head again, cutting him off mid sentence.

“Wait-” Bepo said, “I thought you didn’t like the series.”

“I don’t. But he was hot and a good actor. The rest of it was shit.”

“Who was the actor?” Luffy asked curiously.

He paled, all of the color draining from his face in an instant. “Uh- I… I don’t remember…”

“I found him!” Ikkaku yelled. He had barely noticed her scrolling on her phone for the past minute or so when she lit up.

Law sent a scathing glare her way and she in turn sent him a smug smirk as she turned her phone around for all of them to see. He hadn’t kept up with him in the past year, at least not like how he obsessively went through all of his accounts years ago, but he instantly recognized the actor. 

The screen showed one of his social media pages, filled with shirtless photos on the beach and promos for his recent movies. Tanned, golden skin, dark eyes, and messy black hair. He was fit and lean with a charming smile that made his massive following of fans swoon—including him from a few years ago. 

“He has a type-” Shachi wasn’t able to finish his sentence before Law smacked him over the head like he did with Penguin.

“Shut the fuck up Shachi!” He hissed.

When he snuck a glance over to Luffy, who had been quiet ever since Ikkaku turned her phone around, he found the other boy still locked onto the screen. He was sporting a small blush on his cheeks, eyes slightly wide, and no doubt recognizing the similarities between the two of them. 

Law thought the situation couldn’t get any worse until Cora peeked over the couch behind them. “Hmm? Isn’t that the actor you used to be obsessed with?”

“Dad-ya!”

He did a double take, looking between the phone and Luffy before a small smirk settled on his face. “He kinda looks a lot like you Luffy-”

“DAD!” With a loud cackle he continued on his way to the kitchen and Law promptly brought his hands up, covering the red that painted his whole face and the back of his neck. “I’m going to kill all of you.”

Laughs rung out through the air around him. He was absolutely horrified— mortified at the sheer audacity of his friends. Luffy giggled beside him but he refused to look at him, even as he pulled Law against him, his head tucked under the other’s chin with his arms around his body.

As if taking mercy on him they thankfully stopped talking about it, moving on to talking about movies that they liked. As the minutes passed he could slowly feel his face returning to its normal color and his heart finally stopped beating out of his chest as he removed his hands from his face and shifted more comfortably in Luffy’s arms. 

They spent the rest of the day like that, though thankfully they didn’t get to embarrass him anymore than they already did. He had shut them down before they even had the chance. He loved his friends but if he had to deal with things like this for the rest of his school life then he would have to mentally prepare himself before school started again. If not then he would surely not survive the rest of the year.

Chapter Text

Luffy wasn’t exactly sure where he was running to, only that he had to get away from where he came from. By this point the rain had completely soaked through his clothes leaving him with a light shiver even as he ran but doing little to ease the ache in his cheek.

The day had started as normal as any. Luffy, Ace, and Sabo had spent the majority of it together—a rare day when the three of them were home and had spent it playing games and messing around. They had even been able to go to the gym together earlier in the day which was even more rare. That was until his grandpa insisted the three of them come over for dinner. At first they were just going to stay in but he was being abnormally pushy, which was always a bad sign.

Ace groaned. “This is gonna suck.”

“We were having fun too! Why can’t we just ignore him?” He pouted at his brothers.

Sabo let out a soft sigh, rubbing his hand through Luffy’s hair as he headed to his room to get ready. “You know why, Lu.”

He did know, but that didn’t make him any less upset. Legally he was under his grandfather’s care until he turned eighteen—which he wouldn’t be for almost a year and a half. Since he was almost always at work Luffy stayed with his brothers. It wasn’t a point that had ever been used against them but it hung over their heads regardless.

Luffy pulled himself from the couch to go change into some decent clothes. He loved his grandfather, yes. After all, he was his only blood family he had, but that didn’t mean he liked him. 

It took only a few minutes until he was ready, merely throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. It was steadily getting colder outside as the days passed but not enough for him to bother with putting on a pair of pants—no matter how many times Sabo told him he should. As he waited on the others he flopped back onto his bed, pulling his phone out and sending a quick text to Law, complaining about having to go to his grandfather’s. 

Luffy texted him often and never minded when the other didn’t always respond. He knew how awkward Law was. It had been a day when they had just finished studying that he asked about it and he had sheepishly admitted to liking it when Luffy messaged him. He wasn’t ignoring him, he just didn’t know what to say and had told him as much so he kept doing it.

Just earlier he had sent a mirror picture of himself at the gym as he held one arm up and flexed it to show off the muscle that was there. He had done it partly because Ace dared him to and partly because he thought it would be funny. Law had seen the picture almost immediately and he pouted when the most the other did was like the message, his older brother breaking down in laughter beside him.

“You sure he likes you, Lu?”

“Of course he does! Torao’s just awkward!”

“Really?” He asked between laughs. “If he still hasn’t gotten the hint after this long it may be hopeless.”

“It’s fine.” Luffy smiled up at his brother. “I can wait.”

He was brought back to reality at the sound of Sabo calling for him to hurry up, smiling a bit at the memory. The car ride there was nice, all three of them laughing and cutting up, Ace and Luffy arguing on who gets to pick the music. As they drove the sky slowly began to darken with the promise of rain as the trees began to sway in the wind.

Once they made it to his grandfather’s they simply walked in, not bothering to knock since he never locked his doors. “No one would be stupid enough to rob me!” He had said when they asked him about it years ago. 

Ace announced their presence as the three of them went in but didn’t get a response in return. They went further in and found him in the kitchen, presumably finishing up with dinner and Luffy felt a sinking feeling in his stomach when he saw his grandfather. The older man was clearly in a bad mood, shoulders tense and lips pressed into a thin line. Sabo and Ace shared a look, the latter inevitably being the one to start up a conversation in an attempt to ease the tension that was thick in the air.

The oldest of them walked over, playfully smacking a hand over their grandfather’s back. “Come on you old geezer, your three favorite grandsons are here. Why all the doom and gloom?”

“You’re my only grandsons.”

“Exactly my point. What? You going senile in your old age?” 

Garp swiftly smacked him on the back of the head. “Show some respect you brat! I may be old but I can still kick your ass!” 

Ace just laughed in response, though Luffy didn’t miss the strained smile as he rubbed the spot on his head. Their grandfather gruffly asked about fire academy, stuffing a piece of meat in his mouth in the process, and his brother spiraled off into a story about how his best friend, Deuce, had to patch him up after falling flat on his face during training. 

Sabo placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze, a silent act of reassurance that Luffy was grateful for. The blond then made his way over to the counter and started clearing the dirty dishes, putting them into the sink to be washed later as he started making conversation as well. 

Once they finally made it over to the small table he sat across from his grandfather, Ace sitting to his left while Sabo sat on his right, placing his phone face down next to his plate. Dinner was too quiet. Halfway through the meal Ace let out a heavy sigh, his short patience having finally run out, and rubbed at his face in annoyance. “Spit it out, old man. Whatever you have to say just get it over with already.”

Garp sent him a look before silently reaching into his back pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper, and handing it to Luffy. Ace and Sabo curiously leaned over either side of him looking at the paper as he unfolded it. Once it was open he instantly recognized it as his report card, listing his grades from the first quarter of the school year.

“Woah, they haven’t been that high in a while!” Ace smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

“Guess all that studying with Torao is starting to pay off.” Sabo added.

His highest grade was obviously gym, the next being art since that was an easy grade in general. As for the rest of them, they weren’t passing but it was a smaller gap than before. Definitely the highest it’s been in a long time.

He felt the urge to smile at his brother’s praise but that disappeared instantly at the look on his grandfather’s face. Sabo immediately came to his defense when he noticed. “I don’t know why you look like that. This is a good thing.”

The older man scoffed. “Good?” He turned his gaze onto Luffy. “I let you live with them with the promise that you would improve your grades.”

It was true. Once Ace and Sabo had turned seventeen they had left Dadan’s, renting an apartment for the two of them and Luffy had moved in with his grandfather. Half the time he wasn’t even there—too busy with his job as a vice admiral to stay. But when he was, it was almost non-stop arguing and he had run out more times than he could count to stay with his brothers for the night, even if he would inevitably have to return the next day. The beginning of summer break had been when they finally convinced Garp to let Luffy live with the two of them and he had been there ever since.

“I can’t help it!” He tried. “I’m trying my best but it’s just hard to understand!”

Ace matched the scowl on Garp’s face. “Yeah, and in case you didn’t notice, he is improving!” He gestured towards the paper still in his hands. “At this rate he should be passing by Christmas.”

“Passing should be the bare minimum! How do you expect to reach a respectable rank in the marines if you can’t even do that?!” And here it goes—the same argument they have almost every time they see each other.

It’s been the same thing ever since the three of them were little. Since Ace and Sabo are in fire academy and law school respectively their grandfather had seemed to back off a bit, even though Luffy swears he can hear him grumbling about it under his breath sometimes. He may have stopped badgering his two older brothers but it’s almost like he’s doubled down on his efforts to convince Luffy to join the marines, no matter how many times he refuses.

“I’m not becoming a marine!” He yelled back.

“You are!”

“No I’m not!”

“You will!” He said it so harshly, leaving little room for an argument as he glared at his grandson. “I guess I’ve been too lenient on you. Have your things packed by Sunday, I guess I’ll just have to tutor you myself.”

Luffy jumped out of his chair, slamming his hands on the table, his voice laced with panic. “What?! No!” Ace and Sabo copied him, causing the table to rattle.

“Watch your mou-!”

“I’m not leaving my brothers! You can’t make me!” The other two echoed their sentiments beside him. 

“Hold on!” Sabo yelled out. “You can’t just spring this on us out of nowhere!”

“What the hell are you talking about, old man?! You can’t just take Luffy!”

Not one to be looked down on, his grandfather was now standing as well, towering over the three of them with his massive frame but not one of them backed down. “I’ll do what I have too! It’s for your own good!”

“How would you know what’s for my own good?!”

“You little- I didn’t raise you like this!”

Sabo let out a short laugh. “ Raise us ?! You didn’t raise us at all! Dadan and Makino did!”

“That old bag is a criminal!”

“At least she cared !”

“Everything I did was to protect you three!”

“And you did a pretty piss poor job of it, didn’t you?!” Ace retorted, his face contorted in anger. “What part of protecting us included almost fucking dying while you were too busy with your job?”

“You can’t blame that on me! I came as soon as I-”

“As soon as you could? You didn’t show up until months later and didn’t even care!” His grandfather barely flinched at the accusation. “You didn’t even ask how we were before beating on us like you always did!”

“It made you stronger, didn’t it?!”

Sabo’s eyes widened in a mix of disbelief and horror. “We were children! How could you say that so easily?”

Garp seemed to realize that he was fighting a losing battle but if he was anything he was stubborn—and unfortunately for him Luffy, Ace, and Sabo were all but the same. 

The older man slammed his fist down, the table creaking under the weight. “Don’t argue with me you brats!” He turned his harsh gaze onto the youngest of them. “I told you to improve and you didn’t! This is your own fault.”

“But I did! It-”

“It’s not enough! I’m thinking of your future!”

“No you’re not! You’re only thinking about the marines!”

“I’m preparing you for them!”

“Why can’t you get it through your dumb head that I don’t want to be a marine?!”

Garp clenched his fists against the table. “This is because of that bastard Shanks isn’t it? He-”

“Shanks had nothing to do with it! You just hate him because he cared about me more than you ever did!” He wasn’t sure if it was true but a lot of the time, especially in this moment, it certainly felt like it. “I’d rather be like him than EVER become like you!”

Before another word could leave his mouth Garp had grabbed a fistful of his shirt and roughly dragged him up, leaving his feet dangling in the air as he grabbed onto the older man’s hand. “Hey! Let me-”

“LUFFY!”

“LU!”

One moment he was in his grandfather’s grasp, struggling to get away and the next thing he knows he’s sprawled out on the ground, back hitting the floor hard . In his disoriented state he vaguely registered hands on him—on his shoulders, his back, his face. There were voices all around, angry and loud. Too loud, too much, it was too much.

It wasn’t but seconds later that pain shot through his cheek, throbbing and burning and tingling all at the same time. His mind was running a million miles a second but he couldn’t pinpoint a single thought—gasping for air but each breath felt shallower than the last. The only thing he could hear clearly was the sound of his heart drumming in his ears.

What just happened? Had he been hit? His grandfather had hit him? It wasn’t like this had been the first time. Garp had just excused it as ‘training’ when they were younger. But this… Something about this felt different. 

Someone was calling his name, the voice was filled with something akin to panic, or maybe anger—he couldn’t tell. He wanted to scream, yell, something, anything but it was like his voice had been stolen, leaving a lump that he couldn’t swallow no matter how he tried. 

His grandfather had been pissed with him plenty of times before, had smacked them around in his annoyance, but never had he hurt him out of pure anger. He had always been stronger than them, never had to try hard to make it sting just enough to be painful, but this time it was obvious that he hadn’t even attempted to hold back.

He slowly looked up from his place on the floor. How long had he been sitting there? As far as he knew it could’ve been minutes or mere seconds. He caught sight of blond beside him. Lifting his gaze further he found Ace, hands gripped in the front of his grandfather’s shirt, his face twisted in a snarl. His grandfather…

He looked over to the older man, spitting curses at his older brother. It was as if he could sense his stare, those hateful eyes snapping over to his and glaring daggers through him, pinning him in place.

He was unable to stifle the sharp gasp that escaped him. Without another thought as to what he was doing he smacked the hands away from him, wriggling out of his brother’s grasp and jumping to his feet. The only thing that was running through his mind was a desperate need to get out. To leave. To run, run, RUN !

So that’s what he did, turning on his heel and throwing the door open without care, running off into the night. He barely noticed the pouring rain as it started to absorb through his shoes with each step, bleeding through his clothes to the last layer and leaving him soaked to the bone. The coolness of the water did little to calm the throb in his cheek.

He didn’t know where he was running to, just that he had to get away. The more he ran the more his lungs began to burn with exertion, chest tightening with each breath he took. He didn’t stop, he kept running until his body forced him to, dropping to his knees in the middle of the sidewalk and heaving in as much air as he could.

Slowly but surely his senses began to return to him, bringing with it a kind of clearheadedness he didn’t have before, the first thought in his mind being that he was wet and cold. His clothes clung to his skin uncomfortably and made him cringe at the feeling. Every drop of water that fell only heightened the chill that he felt.

Luffy wasn’t sure where he was having run out with no direction in mind. He considered turning back knowing his brothers must be worried about him but ultimately decided against it, his stomach turning at the thought of even going back the way he came. His mind may have settled for the time being but he could feel the panic climbing its way back up his throat and making itself known once more. 

He looked around for anything familiar. Luffy may not be the best at directions but he was nowhere near as bad as his green haired best friend. The more he looked around the more he began to lose hope until his eyes caught sight of a small building with a glowing open sign hanging on one of the windows that he had already passed. Upon closer inspection he instantly recognized it, being the corner store he and Law had gone to not long ago. 

Law.

Torao .

Luffy knew exactly where he was, the alleyway where they had found Kidd and Killer being just a little ways ahead of him. With his newfound sense of clarity he broke off into a sprint, a bit desperate, but no longer frantic as he ran, doing his best to clear the rainwater from his face and where it pooled under his eyes. Somewhere along the way he took a wrong turn—or maybe two—but soon enough he was standing outside the house he had been at more times than he could count.

Both vehicles were there—an older white sedan and brand new black car parked side by side in the driveway. The lights were on inside the house, illuminating the windows with a soft glow, warm and inviting. He made his way up the steps to the porch, finally being shielded from the relentless downpour but not from the chill of the night air. He stood in front of the door, raising his fist to knock, and stopped—letting his hand fall back to his side.

What was he thinking? He can’t just show up out of nowhere, expecting the other to drop whatever he was doing for him. But god , the need to see him, to feel his arms around him was too great. It was the only place he wanted to be right now. Would he mind? The other always seemed to indulge his selfish wants of attention from him, looking at him with that fond look in his eyes, but how far did that extend? 

Luffy quickly shook his head, clearing the unwanted thoughts from his mind. This wasn’t like him. He was here now and it was far too late to be doubting himself. He did however have enough sense in him to pull out his phone, which had been vibrating in his pocket nonstop the whole time, and sent a short text to Sabo and Ace, letting them know he was okay and that he’d be back tomorrow. Without giving them a chance to respond he shut his phone off, slipping it back into his pocket, and finally knocked on the door.

Law and Cora had just been silently spending time together, listening to the heavy beating of the rain against the windows when they heard the knock on the door. The older man had been watching a show on the TV while Law had laid across the couch, legs hanging over Cora’s lap as he read one of the books Killer had given him. When they heard the noise Cora had been the one to get up and answer it.

It wasn’t until he heard a strangled “Luffy!?” coming from Cora that he jumped up from his spot, not even bothering to bookmark his place before quickly making his way over to the door.

He couldn’t help but match the older man’s panic at the sight that greeted him. “Lu-ya? What’s wrong?” He was dripping wet from the rain and kept his gaze on the ground, not looking up at either one of them. Once Law moved a bit closer his eyes landed on the forming bruise on the boy’s cheek and quickly closed the remaining distance between them, reaching up to get a better look at his face but pulling back when he flinched away. “I thought you were at your grandfather’s. What happened?”

Luffy pointedly avoided his eyes, opening his mouth to say something but the only thing that came was a choked sound before he quickly closed it again, frustration evident in his face. Before Law could stop him he leaned forward, dropping his head into the middle of his chest and twisting his hands into his sweatshirt. 

Law looked up to Cora who was still standing beside them and was met with the same worried gaze he was sure he was sporting as well. He grabbed the shorter boy’s hands and had to suppress a shiver. “How long were you out there? You’re freezing!” The only response he got was a weak shrug. “Come on.”

He intertwined his fingers with Luffy’s and pulled him along up the stairs and instead of heading to his room they turned into his bathroom. Law let go of his hand to turn the shower on and let it heat up when he turned back to Luffy. “Get warmed up. I’ll leave you some clothes by the door.” 

Leaving the other alone was the last thing he wanted to do, especially while he was in this state. However his body was far too cold for Law’s liking—his mind already going through every single ailment caused by the cold and needlessly making his anxiety go through the roof. It may have not even been winter yet but between the chill of the night air and the heavy rain making it even colder it left plenty of opportunities for sickness.

Luffy nodded and Law walked out, shutting the door behind him before making way to his room and ruffling through his closet. He pulled out a soft pair of sweatpants and one of his hoodies, as well as a pair of boxers that were slightly too small on his hips and a thick pair of socks. Once he set them outside of the bathroom he made his way downstairs to where Cora was standing in the kitchen.

The older man turned at the sound of his steps. “Is he okay? Did he say anything?”

Law shook his head. “Not yet.” It was strange, he had never seen Luffy like this before and it made him worry. “He hasn’t said anything at all.”

He let out a small groan, running a hand down his face. “I swear, I’m gonna have a full head of gray hair by thirty-five between all of you kids.”

“Dad-ya, I’m your only kid.”

“Doesn’t feel like it sometimes.” He suddenly frowned, looking as if he was lost in thought.

“What is it?” 

His eyes darted over to meet Law’s for a split second before breaking off. “Nothing… It’s just-.. You said he was at his grandfather’s right?” 

He nodded, thinking back to the text he had received earlier that day. “Lu-ya said he invited him and his brothers over for dinner.” A mere few seconds later Law’s eyes widened, realizing where the older man was going with this. “You’re not thinking-”

“I can’t say anything for sure.” He cut him off, looking serious. “But the vice admiral has always been known for his brutal training methods, it wouldn’t surprise me if that kind of aggressiveness extended towards his grandsons.” There was a brief moment of silence between them that was cut short when Cora pushed off from the counter, reaching Law in a few short strides and placing a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think he’ll want me to see him like that. Are you gonna be okay?”

Law nodded, feeling the concern in his voice. “I’ve got him.”

The older man sighed heavily. “Then I’ll leave him to you. If you need me for anything please come get me.” 

“I will.” 

Cora gave a light ruffle to his hair before letting him go. He made his way up to his room to wait on Luffy. If their suspicions about what had happened really were correct then his hatred for the old man would know no bounds. 

Law looked up from his phone when Luffy came into his room. He was dressed in the clothes Law had left for him even when they were too big for his body with the towel wrapped around his neck, though his hair was still dripping. He tossed his phone to the side, holding out an arm and gesturing for him to come over. “C’mere.”

When Luffy approached he sat on the floor in front of him and pulled his legs up to his chest, leaning forward to rest his head on his arms. Law’s hands moved to the towel around his neck and gently moved it through his hair. Luffy never reacted to the movements except for a small hum at the feeling. Once it was mostly dry, Law simply couldn’t take the silence anymore as he tossed the towel in the hamper sitting in the corner of his room. 

He held a hand out to the side and Luffy seemed to understand the silent invitation, taking it and pulling himself up to stand as he turned to face Law. Taking a page out of his book he took the other’s hand in his, rubbing soft circles into his palms. When he noticed the way he still refused to look at him he finally decided to take matters into his own hands.

His hand found the soft skin of Luffy’s cheek and tilted his head in his direction. “Lu-ya, look at me.” For the first time since the boy had shown up at his door Luffy’s soft brown eyes met his own. “Are you okay?”

Law carefully watched his face as it slowly changed. Sucking in a harsh breath, his lips trembled pitifully and eyes crinkled in an attempt to hold back the tears that Law could see welling up. Without warning Luffy pulled his hands back and brought them up to wipe at his face, proving useless once the first tear fell, causing the rest to spill over.

 “I-I don’t… I just-” He broke off with a sniffle.

At the first strangled sob Law’s heart broke into a million pieces and his head was swimming with questions, though he didn’t ask any of them. Instead he reached out, gently grabbing the sleeve of his hoodie and pulling him closer before Luffy all but collapsed into his lap, burying his face into his chest as he cried. 

Law wasted no time in wrapping his arms around the smaller boy, gently carding a hand through his damp hair and getting a whiff of his own shampoo. He held him close, gently rocking him back and forth in an attempt to comfort him. He didn’t know what to say or even if he should say anything at all. 

Minutes later Law was broken out of his thoughts at the sound of gasping breaths. He looked down in alarm, finding Luffy curled in on himself even further, hands twisted in a deathgrip in his sweatshirt. His shoulders trembled with each inhale, and his chest rose and fell like he was struggling to pull in enough air. The other boy let out a rasping cough and Law quickly pulled away just enough to lift him up, gently cupping his face in his hands. 

“Hey, hey, Luffy, baby , you’re gonna make yourself sick.” His breaths were uneven—too fast, too shallow and his face was a mess of snot and tears. The other wrapped his hands around Law’s, gripping them like a lifeline. “Hey, I need you to breathe.” He removed one of his hands, gripping Luffy’s in his and brought it to rest in the middle of his chest. “Copy my breathing. Can you do that for me?”

He nodded, wet gasps wracking his smaller body. Law started taking deep breaths, purposefully letting his chest move with the action. In for a few seconds, holding it, and releasing it slowly. Luffy tried a few times to copy the action but almost stopped completely, air catching in his throat and causing him to choke on another sob.

“C-can’t…” He was panicking way too much for Law’s liking—eyes blown wide, his entire body shaking.

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay.” He leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together and gently squeezed the hand he was still holding. Law tried his best, whispering small encouragements and wiping away tears that just kept falling despite his best efforts until he finally began to calm.

Minutes passed like that—his breathing still uneven but steadier and his grip on his wrist loosened, no longer desperate. His tears didn’t stop, but as long as he could breathe that was enough for Law as he pulled him back in to rest on his chest.

Eventually his sobs quieted, devolving into soft sniffles and the occasional hiccups but Law didn’t move, opting to continue rocking him slowly, running a comforting hand over his back until it stopped completely. He sat there, feeling as the tension in Luffy’s body lessened and he finally went slack in his arms, nuzzling his nose into Law’s neck with a soft sigh. 

“Are you okay?” He spoke softly so as to not startle him, bringing his hand up and gently scratching at his scalp. Luffy hummed at the feeling and nodded into his shoulder. “Do you wanna talk about it?” He shook his head. “Okay.” It went quiet again, the other slowly beginning to nod off in his arms.

After a while Law finally stood up from the bed, Luffy still clinging to him and wrapping his legs around his waist, arms circling his neck. “Lu-ya.” He said gently in an attempt to coax the other to let go but to no avail. If anything his grip seemed to tighten around him.

With a soft sigh he resigned himself to his fate, adjusting his hold on him so he could carry him comfortably. He guessed it made sense, Luffy had always been a bit clingy on normal days and figured the need to be close to someone only increased when he was upset. If that was the case, Law had no problem indulging the other boy. 

He crossed the hall to his bathroom, flipping the light on and shutting the door before setting the other boy down on the small counter. Luffy made a small noise of protest as Law unwrapped his arms from his neck so he could move away. “Hey, calm down, I’m not going anywhere.” If it wasn’t for the circumstances he would find the action downright adorable, but he had other things to worry about at the moment.

He turned to the small linen closet behind him and pulled out a soft washcloth, not missing the way Luffy hadn’t raised his head. Once he moved back the other dropped his head onto his shoulder as Law wetted the cloth with warm water. He went to lift the other’s face but was surprisingly met with resistance. “Hm?” He questioned.

Luffy hung his head even further, covering his face with his hands. “It’s gross.” He mumbled.

Ah, so he was embarrassed. 

Law rolled his eyes with a soft sigh. “Lu-ya.” He tried again to tilt his head up, the other boy finally relenting and allowing the motion as he met his red-rimmed eyes. “I’ve had my hands in people’s organs. A little snot and tears isn’t going to scare me away.”

It was honestly a welcomed change of pace, being the one to take care of Luffy for once since it was usually the opposite. The other would probably disagree but there was nowhere else Law would rather be right now than standing in his bathroom, gently wiping away dried tears as Luffy twisted his hands into his sweatshirt with his face adorably scrunched up in a pout. He could get his answers tomorrow, but as for tonight he would simply care for him—even carry him like a child if that was what he wanted.

He threw the dirtied cloth in a basket to the side before raising his hands to Luffy’s face, tilting it up and inspecting the forming mark on his cheek. It had begun to turn different shades of red and was warm to the touch. “Does it hurt?” 

“A little.” His voice was rough from all of the crying. 

He dragged a light finger over the darkened skin, knowing by tomorrow it would probably be a nasty bruise. With a soft sigh he dropped his head onto Luffy’s shoulder and just sat there like that for a few minutes. The other didn’t seem to mind as he immediately hugged him close, both of them just basking in the other's presence before Law eventually pulled back and picked him up again.

He carefully made his way down the stairs with Luffy in his arms, suddenly thankful that Cora always left a small light on for him just in case of a random bout of insomnia. The older man had already gone to bed and the only noise that could be heard was the soft sound of rain pattering on the windows. 

Law walked into the kitchen and immediately went to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water and an ice pack from the freezer before sitting Luffy on the counter once again. The other didn’t have to be pulled away this time as he carefully unwrapped his arms on his own but still kept his legs hooked around his waist so he couldn’t go too far. He offered the drink to him before opening one of the cabinet drawers beside them and pulling out a dish towel, decorated with sunflowers and leaves and wrapped it around the ice pack.

By the time he turned back to the shorter boy he had already downed half the bottle before closing it and sitting it to the side. Law reached out, bringing the covered pack to his face and holding it there. He flinched away at first but quickly settled into feeling, letting out a small sigh of relief at the coolness.

With a quick glance to the time, illuminated, bright green digits on the stove reading 11:47 , he settled into the other. Luffy had wrapped his arms around him, one cheek squished into his chest while Law held the cold pack on the other. He rested his chin on top of his head and rubbed his free hand over the other’s back.

It wasn’t but a few minutes later that Luffy already started to complain, trying and failing to squirm away from the pack on his face. “Torao, it’s cold…”

He couldn’t help the soft chuckle he let out before pulling back just enough to look at him. “It’s supposed to be.” Law had to physically hold himself back from cooing at the small pout on his face. “It’ll help it heal faster and should numb the pain a bit.” 

“How much longer?” He whined.

Law looked over again— 11:52 . “Just a few more minutes.” It needed to stay on for at least a good ten minutes before he would be satisfied. All of a sudden Luffy’s stomach gave a light growl. “Hungry?”

He looked away with a small frown. “I didn’t get to finish dinner…”

The weird response definitely raised some questions in Law’s head but he kept quiet instead of voicing them out loud. He mentally went through the different foods they currently had. Him and Cora being home all week as well as his friends being over multiple times meant that they were low on groceries, though Bellemere and Nami had come to visit yesterday…

He unwrapped himself from Luffy and made his way over to the fridge once again, quickly finding what he was looking for and pulling out a few tangerines. As soon as he turned back around he caught the other red-handed, holding the pack away from his face. “Keep it on.” He said and was met with a slight look of betrayal, but he put it back in place nonetheless.

Once he caught sight of what was in his hand he let out another whine. “How come Nami lets you have them? She always yells at me.”

Law laughed a bit at that, being reminded of when they met. The orange haired girl had been chasing him around for stealing tangerines from her lunchbox. He had whined then too about the other girl being mean for not sharing, although Law could understand her motives for doing so.

Ever since Cora and Bellemere had been reunited and brought that first crate of tangerines with her they had very quickly become a staple in their house, going through at least a few in a day. The older woman insisted on just giving the citruses to the two of them even when Cora had tried to give her money for them since that was her main source of income but she didn’t want to hear it. Because of that it had resulted in him discreetly giving the money to Nami to stash in her mom’s bag later, leaving Law to wonder how long it would be before she eventually noticed what they were doing.

He told the other boy as much, who was still frowning as Law finished peeling the fruit and handed it to him. Luffy took it, quickly stuffing a slice in his mouth. “Whatever. Once I win our bet I’ll get as many as I want!”

He hummed, interest immediately piqued at that and was briefly surprised that Luffy had never mentioned anything of the sort between them. “What bet?”

He huffed in annoyance, crossing his arms. “Can you believe it? She tried to tell me- ah-” He stopped himself, looking up to Law with wide eyes before quickly turning away, pursing his lips. “I can’t tell you.”

Law regarded him with a raised eyebrow, skepticism written all over his face. “What do you mean you can’t tell me?”

“I just can’t!”

“Then why did you mention it in the first place?” 

“I forgot!”

“You forgot?”

He nodded, still not meeting his eyes and Law sighed, deciding to just let it go. If Luffy didn’t want to tell him then he wouldn’t force him to—even if he really wanted to know. They fell back into a comfortable silence as the other ate, finishing off four tangerines and his bottle of water before he was satisfied. He was somehow able to hold the ice pack on for a good thirteen minutes, the snacks could only distract him for so long.

Once he was done he leaned his head back into Law’s chest with a soft sigh, arms around his middle refusing to let him move away. “Okay?”

Luffy gave a small nod. “M’tired.”

“C’mon, let’s go to bed.” The other started to move his hands up to loop around Law’s neck and the opportunity to tease him was just too great. Instead of ducking his head and picking him up he stayed where he was, feeling a slight tug on the back of his neck. “What, your legs don’t work anymore?” He questioned with a smirk.

In response Luffy looked up to him with a glare, that stupid, cute nickname falling from his lips. “Torao…” He whined.

“Hm?”

“Don’t be mean.”

“I’m always mean.”

“Maybe to everyone else, but not to me.”

Law’s eyes widened a bit at that. Thinking back, he realized the other was right and was ultimately at a loss for words at the realization. He couldn’t think of a single time that he hadn’t given into one of Luffy’s whims almost immediately and silently cursed himself for it, heat rushing to his cheeks. The one time he tried to tease Luffy and it had inevitably backfired on him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you do.”

When he looked down he was met with the tired, but playful look in the other boy’s eyes. “Yeah, whatever you say.” He gave a light pinch to his sides, making Luffy squirm a bit before he finally stooped down and pulled him up into his arms. “Come on you big baby.” He heard a bit of unintelligible grumbling from the other but he settled into him nonetheless.

Once back in the room Law made his way over to the bed, giving a light rub to Luffy’s hip. “Come on, go ahead and lay down. I’ll join you in a minute.” 

Luffy gave a small nod as he unwrapped himself and planted his feet on the ground, averting his eyes and Law couldn’t help but pull him in once again. Head resting on his chest, his hand gently running through the shorter’s hair as they swayed in the quiet of the room. After a minute or so Law finally pulled away knowing Luffy wouldn’t have been the first to move.

As soon as he stepped out of reach Luffy crawled into the bed and made himself comfortable. Law made his way out of the room, leaving the door open as he made his way back into his bathroom, removing his contacts and brushing his teeth as quickly as he could. He swiftly pulled the soiled sweatshirt covered with dried snot and tears over his head and tossed it into the hamper, revealing the black tank top he had on under it. Law briefly wondered if he wanted to put on another one but ultimately decided against it—Luffy had always been enough to keep warm anyways.

After that he slid in beside him, pulling the covers over both of them. Luffy was faced away from him, curled into himself and didn’t react when Law climbed in. He almost wondered if he had already fallen asleep but that idea was quickly thrown out the window when he heard his stuttering breaths.

Without a second thought Law reached out, wrapping an arm around Luffy and pulling him back against him. “Hey, what’s going on?”

He shook slightly in his arms. “I just-” Luffy stuttered out, bringing his hands up and covering his face. “I just feel so stupid…” 

“What?” He pulled away, lifting up to rest on his elbow to look down at him. “Lu-ya…” He rolled onto his back and Law pulled his hands away from his face, noticing the tears that had welled up in his eyes, illuminated by the moonlight. “You’re not stupid. Is that what all this was about?”

The way the other looked away from him told him everything he needed to know. “I was only able to stay with Ace and Sabo because I promised gramps I would get my grades up.”

“Was?” He tried to wrap his mind around what Luffy was saying. “But you’ve been doing good during our study sessions.”

“It wasn’t enough.” A single tear slipped out. “He’s trying to make me move back in with him.”

Law reached out, gently swiping the tear from his face. “Well, what did your brothers say?”

He gave a small shrug as his voice started to shake. “We got into a big fight with gramps but he wouldn’t listen to any of us. All because I’m too stupid to understand anything.”

“No you’re not.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re super smart.”

“Luffy, baby , come here.” He turned in his arms, nuzzling his face into his chest as Law tightly wrapped his arms around him. “I’m smart because that kind of stuff interests me, it always has. And because it interests me that means it’s easier for me to learn it, not to mention I’ve been studying almost nonstop since I was a kid.”

He brought a hand up, lifting his face to look at him. “But you’re smart too, just in different ways. Just like how I could talk your ears off about medical terminology and every bone in the body, you could tell me about different kinds of bugs for hours because it’s something you’re passionate about. You’re also smart with people. I could only dream to read people as easily as you do and to know when to say the right thing.” 

Law brushed a piece of hair behind his ear, wiping away the tears that had been steadily falling for a while now. “Everyone is good at different things. You’re not stupid just because you can’t understand a few equations or remember certain things. You get what I’m saying?”

Luffy squished his face back into his chest, but nodded nonetheless. “Mhm.”

“Good. Because that’s about as much as I know to say. Comforting people is more your thing.”

He heard a light snort coming from the other as he shook with a quiet mirth. Luffy wrapped his arm back around him, tossing his leg over his hip to cuddle even closer. “You’re not that bad at it.”

“Oh, really?” He let out a soft smile even though the other couldn’t see it. “Maybe I should go into psychology.” 

This time the other looked up of his own accord. “I think you should just stick to being a doctor.”

“Well technically a psychologist is a type of doctor.” 

“It is?”

“Mhm. Just a different kind.”

This went on for a while as Luffy asked him different questions and he would do his best to answer them. Law was sure it was mostly to keep his mind distracted from other things but he didn’t mind. The other boy eventually fell into sleep against him just as he was talking about the different kinds of atrophy. Once he realized he pulled him in, rubbing a gentle hand over his back until he finally fell asleep himself wrapped in the comforting warmth of the other.

Chapter Text

Law was the first to wake up the next morning—his body aching a bit from laying in the same position for so long. Luffy hadn’t moved and was still pressed to his chest, arm tightly wrapped around him to keep him in place. He thought about moving, just enough to ease the pressure on his side and regain feeling back in his arm that was currently acting as Luffy’s pillow but all of that was forgotten the moment he looked down at his face.

He moved his free hand from where it rested over the other’s back and brought it to rest over Luffy’s jaw, his thumb rubbing soft circles over his discolored cheek. The bruise had already begun to bloom purple and blue overnight—a stark reminder of the state he had been in when he showed up last night.

The movement must’ve been too much and he watched as Luffy shifted, slowly blinking his eyes open and tightening his hold around Law. He nuzzled further into his neck, sending a light shiver through his body before muttering out a quiet “Good morning” which he returned.

“You okay?” He asked, lazily running his hand over the expanse of his back. Luffy nodded with a small hum. “Well I’m not. My arm is numb.” He flexed his hand a few times, a prickling sensation shooting up his arm at the action.

The other boy let out a few soft giggles at that. “S’not my fault you’re comfortable.”

“It is your fault.”

“Come on Torao! Five more minutes!”

“I will kick you off the bed.”

“No you won’t.” He rolled his eyes at that. 

Finally he couldn’t take it anymore as he rolled over on his back in an attempt to ease the painful ache in his arm and shoulder. Unfortunately—or maybe fortunately for him—Luffy still had a leg thrown over his hip and inevitably rolled over with him as he stretched out his arm to get some circulation back in it. The other boy let out a small, surprised sound at the action as he was now laid on his chest, legs on either side of him. 

It wouldn’t have been so bad if Luffy didn’t lift himself up on his arms with his hands on either side of his head. He effectively caged him in before gazing down at him with a cheeky smile. “You know if you wanted me on top of you, you could’ve just said so.” Law could only imagine the look on his face, his skin rapidly heating as he gaped at the other.

Did…

Did Luffy just flirt with him?!

He watched as the other’s face changed, letting out a snort and giggling shamelessly before throwing his head back in a hearty laugh. Law set his face into a scowl before reaching up, swiftly pulling the hood over the other boy’s head and pulling the strings until all that could be seen was his nose and part of his mouth. Luffy continued laughing at him as he grabbed at his hands but Law wasn’t done yet as he deftly tied the strings into a tight knot and double knotted them for good measure before he let go.

“I see you’re in a better mood.” He mumbled under his breath.

Luffy didn’t seem to hear him as he struggled to untie the strings. “Why’d you tie it so tight? Torao!” He whined.

Law figured it must’ve been a lot harder since he couldn’t see what he was doing but there was no way in hell he was helping him—not after that. Luffy on the other hand didn’t seem to care enough to keep struggling. Before he could protest the other reached behind his head, pulling the hoodie off in one swift movement. He shook out his hair, running a hand through it and messing it up even more and god if that wasn’t the hottest thing he’s ever seen in his life.

Law had obviously seen his body before whether that be in the locker rooms at school or whenever the other boy borrowed his clothes and had no qualms about stripping in the middle of his room without warning. However, it was one thing to send subtle glances to the side and another thing entirely to be trapped under him as he shed the article of clothing. If Law wasn’t already red he sure as hell was now as he felt the blush spread down his neck and turn his ears hot.

Luffy was attractive, unbelievably so in his not-so-humble opinion. He was slim but still muscular and Law could see the faint lines of abs on his stomach, the sight alone enough to make him have to hold himself back from tracing them with his fingers. His arms were toned nicely, leaving him to wonder how strong the other boy really was. 

He distinctly remembered him mentioning that he helps Kidd and Killer on occasion with jobs and he clearly worked out if the picture he sent the previous morning was anything to go by. He hadn’t been expecting it by any means. By all accounts when he opened the message he thought it would be a picture of a bug or animal he had found in the woods. Definitely not a picture of him flexing in front of a mirror in nothing but a loose tank top and a pair of gym shorts. Law had been so flustered by it he couldn’t bring himself to do more than like the message, fearing that he would make a fool of himself trying to formulate a proper response.

He—with great effort—tore his gaze away from the other and turned his head to the side, swallowing the lump in his throat with an audible gulp. Either Luffy was oblivious enough to not read his face or he was purposefully teasing him because the next words that left his mouth only embarrassed him more. “You’re really red.”

“Shut up.” He bit out with a scowl. 

The only thing he heard after that was a loud laugh and he had to wonder if Cora could hear them from down the hallway. The next thing he knew there was a hand on his cheek, gently turning his head back to meet the other’s eyes. Luffy didn’t say anything, merely gazed at him with a soft smile on his face as he ran his thumb over his cheek.

It was the same thing that Law often did to him but he couldn’t say that he reveled in the attention like Luffy does. It was embarrassing, yes, but it did serve to allow his heart to calm down a considerable amount—at least to where it didn’t feel like it was beating out of his chest. The other ran his fingers over his jaw, cheek, anywhere he could, though he seemed to especially like tracing the white patches on his face. 

Law, gradually becoming uncomfortable being the sole focus at the other’s attention, gently grabbed his wrist to stop the movement and averted his eyes. “Okay, that’s enough.”

Luffy flopped onto his chest, crossing his arms with a pout and turning his head to rest against them. “That’s not fair! You do it to me all the time!” He first made to rest on his bruised cheek before wincing in pain, seemingly having forgotten it was there and ultimately resting his chin on his arms.  

“Yeah, well, you get off on the attention. I don’t.”

“Hm, how do you know what I get off to?”

“Lu-ya!” He groaned indignantly and pushed the other’s face away, causing him to let out a laugh. “Where the hell did you learn to talk like that?”

“Shishishi, Ace is always flirting with Marco and it’s funny to watch.”

“Is he now?”

He nodded. “Most of the time it’s just him being gross but he did give me some ‘tips’, even if most of them were terrible. Said it was his brotherly duty. ‘Bo yelled at him when he found out.” 

Law let out a snort at that. “I can imagine he wouldn’t be too happy.”

The other’s giggling bounced around the room and Law swore he could listen to it forever and never get tired of it. The boy on top of him went quiet again, gazing at him with those soft eyes that felt like they were staring straight through his soul. Like his entire being was being laid bare for Luffy to see, unable to hide the worst parts of himself from his knowing gaze.

“Stop that.” He turned his head away, causing the other boy to whine at the action. “I don’t like being looked at like you do. It feels weird.” 

It made his skin crawl, twinging with a deep rooted insecurity from his younger years that he had never quite been able to shake. He was used to being ostracised, regarded with a sense of fear just because of the way his skin looked. Law knew Luffy didn’t mean any harm but a voice constantly gnawed in the back of his head telling him that maybe—just maybe if he looked hard enough, close enough, that he too would see the reasons he had been called a monster all those years ago. 

That Luffy would see everything that made him ugly—inside and out.

He sat up from his place on top of him. “Huh? Why not? You’re so pretty.”

Law gave pause at that, flitting his eyes back over to the other boy. “...What?” It gave out a bit breathy, laced with something akin to disbelief.

Luffy tilted his head to the side like he was the one who was confused. “Why are you surprised? You’re really pretty. I’ve always thought so.”

He reached out once again to cup Law’s face in his hands but he stopped him short, gently grabbing his hands and pushing back. “You don’t have to lie to me. Trust me, I know more than anyone how weird I look.”

The other boy let out an offended sound. “I’m not lying!” He turned the hands that held his and intertwined their fingers together, giving them a slight squeeze, face set in determination. “If you don’t like being called pretty then fine. Handsome.”

“No.”

“Beautiful.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Hot.”

“You’re insufferable.”

He softly laughed and brought their intertwined hands up to his face, turning them over and placing a chaste kiss on the back of Law’s hand. Goosebumps made their way all the way down his arm at the foreign touch of lips on his skin, face flushing in an instant. “And you’re cute when you get all blushy.”

“Will you stop that?” His face was set into a scowl but the deep red on his cheeks gave him away. Luffy being on top of him and holding both of his hands gave him no way to hide from him.

The other boy’s smile was wide and innocent and a stark contrast to the cheeky glint in his eyes. He pursed his lips as if he was thinking—which they both knew he wasn’t. “Hm, maybe. If you admit that I’m right.”

“Right about what exactly?”

His smile only grew. “That you’re super pretty and you should also make breakfast.”

Law rolled his eyes. “Well I can’t do the second part if you’re on top of me.”

“And the first?”

“No.”

Luffy let out a loud groan, flopping back down on top of him in defeat. “Toraoo! Why not?”

“Why is this so important to you?”

Law watched as he lifted himself back up, caging his head in between his arms like before but this time his smile was nowhere to be seen. His lips were tilted down into a frown, eyebrows pinched ever so slightly as he looked down at him. “Because I don’t like you thinking badly about yourself. It makes me sad.”

He clicked his tongue in slight annoyance as he looked up at the other. “Fine. I’m pretty. Happy?”

Luffy regarded him for a whole two seconds before barking out, “No!”

“No?!” Law sputtered out, having the sudden urge to throw the other boy off of him. “What do you mean no? I did what you said!”

“Yeah, but you didn’t mean it so it doesn’t count!” Luffy argued back. 

He scoffed. “Well sorry if it’s a little hard to believe when I’ve only ever been told otherwise.”

His face went from something of annoyance and morphed into a look of outrage and anger at the statement. “Who’s been telling you that?! Was it someone here? Was it Mingo? I’ll kick his ass if it was!”

Law could only watch in surprise as Luffy started off on a tirade about beating up everyone who ever made him feel bad about himself, gesturing wildly with his hands. It soon spiraled into reassuring him that everyone else was wrong about him, that adorable, angry pout never leaving his lips. The scowl on his own face disappeared rather quickly. How could he be annoyed when Luffy was so outraged over the mere thought of people being mean to him in the past?

Affection swelled in his chest and he was unable to suppress the laughter bubbling up in his throat. At the first small giggle he let out Luffy stopped completely in his rambling, the sound only increasing in volume as the air began to constrict in his chest. He continued laughing, bordering on hysteria just with how amusing the whole situation was to him. Law wasn’t sure when the last time he had truly let go and laughed like this was but at the moment he just couldn’t help himself. Tears prickled the corners of his eyes and threatened to fall though he wiped them away before they had the chance.

Once he was finally able to come down from his high and pry his eyes open he found the other staring down at him with wide eyes. His mouth was slightly agape with a light pink dusting over his cheeks. Law knew his smile was far softer and filled with more fondness than he had ever let out before—at least knowingly. “What’s that look for?”

Luffy blinked at him dumbly for a second before abruptly averting his gaze and letting out a noise that sounded nearly like a fucking whimper. “You- Uh-” He stuttered out, the blush on his face deepening and spreading up to his ears. Law watched as he pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down in his throat. 

Oh.

Oh.

Despite all the compliments, all the angry rambling, and the reassurances it wasn’t until this moment that he felt the other’s words ring true in his mind. Luffy really did find him attractive. Law couldn’t say he really understood why—though it did make his confidence in the moment soar. Most of the time Luffy would take any opportunity to turn him into a blushing mess so it was a welcome change.

He let out a breath of air—bordering on another laugh and lifted his arm. “Come here.” Luffy immediately took the invitation and laid down on top of him, hiding his face in his neck. Law wrapped both of his arms around his back and squeezed tightly, as if he could let out all of his feelings in a mere embrace. “I appreciate you worrying about me, but I’m fine, really.” He said softly so as not to disturb the moment. “It just takes time.”

He was quiet for a few moments before mumbling, “I know. But I don’t like it.”

Law let out a soft snort. “Trust me, I don’t either.” 

As he softened his embrace he began to slowly run his hand up and down the other’s bare back, his nails gently scratching over it. Goosebumps rose in its wake, feeling his muscles ripple under his touch.

“Then I’ll just keep saying it until you believe it.” He let out a soft sigh against his neck, sending a light shiver down his spine. “That feels good.”

The only response he gave was a small hum in his throat as he continued rubbing over his back. Luffy began to relax into him further as the minutes passed and Law almost felt himself slipping back into sleep. As much as he would’ve liked to stay here he could feel the emptiness of his own stomach and the urgent need to relieve himself.

“Come on, we need to get up.” He said softly.

Luffy shifted on top of him. “S’too early to get up.”

Law rolled his eyes, lifting his head a bit to look at the clock on his wall. “It’s already past ten.”

“Too early.”

“I’ll make you breakfast.”

At that Luffy finally pulled away. “Why didn’t you say that first? Come on!”

Once he was able to get up he pulled a fresh sweatshirt out of his closet, feeling a slight chill now that he didn’t have the other to keep him warm. At the same time Luffy was struggling to undo the knot that he had tied on the hoodie he had been wearing. When he finally figured it out he pulled it back over his head and Law had to admit—Luffy was adorable in his clothes.

He made a quick breakfast knowing that Luffy’s brothers were probably worried sick about him. With a bit of pouting and grumbling he was able to get the other boy to hold the ice pack on his face again for a few minutes as they chatted with Cora. After grabbing his still damp clothes from last night and a bit of worrying from the older man they left. 

Once they made it to the apartment building Luffy looked over to him with a small smile. “Do you want to come in? Sabo and Ace have been wanting to meet you.”

His eyes widened. “Yeah, I mean- if you want me to.” If he would’ve known he’d be meeting his brothers for the first time he would’ve put more effort into his outfit. Sweatpants and a sweatshirt didn’t really make for good first impressions—at least not to him. 

Luffy opened the door, calling out for his brothers to let them know he was home. Almost immediately Law could hear the sound of hurried footsteps and no more than a few seconds later two bodies came crashing around the corner.

“Luffy!” 

The boy in question was quickly engulfed in two pairs of arms causing him to let out a laugh. The two of them fussed over Luffy for a good minute before finally looking up and noticing he was there. 

“Who are you?” 

Both of them stood up a little bit straighter as they looked at him—and wow. Law was definitely, irrevocably, head over heels for Luffy but even he couldn’t deny how attractive the two in front of him were. If the other boy hadn’t already told him that none of them were related by blood he wouldn’t have thought twice in thinking that they were.

The one, who Law could only assume to be Ace if the tattoo on his bicep was anything to go by, looked the most similar to his little brother. He and Luffy shared the same dark hair, the same brown eyes. Their skin had that similar golden tan though Ace’s was a shade darker and he was mottled with freckles in a way that Luffy wasn’t—easy to see since he was shirtless.

The other one however wasn’t as obvious. Sabo, if he had to guess, wasn’t tan like his brothers and had wavy, blond hair. He had blue eyes, or well, eye. One was a bright blue, the other a milky white with an old scar surrounding it and taking up the left side of his face. They may have not looked similar at first glance but the longer Law looked the more he could see the resemblance. The two shared facial features, the shape of their face—even if Luffy still had a little bit of baby fat clinging to his cheeks—the same big, round eyes, and Sabo seemed to exude a similar sense of kindness that his younger brother did. 

“Trafalgar Law-”

He was cut off abruptly as Luffy had reached behind him and pulled him forward by the hand. “This is Torao!” A look of recognition flitted across their faces and he let out a quiet sigh.

“Lu-ya, that’s not my name.”

The other boy looked back at him and had the audacity to look confused. “Yes it is?”

“No it’s not. That’s just a nickname you gave me.”

“But it’s what I call you so it’s your name.”

Law just looked at him for a few seconds. “...That’s not how that works. Besides, you’re the only one that calls me that.”

He knew that he had made a mistake when Luffy looked up at him with a mischievous smile. “I’m the only one that can call you that. You tell everyone else off when they try.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He let out a loud laugh before turning back to his brothers. The two of them looked at him sternly, a solemn expression eventually making its way to his face as he looked at them. “Sorry I didn’t come back last night.”

The blond let out a soft sigh while Ace scoffed, reaching out a hand and ruffling his little brother’s hair. “You better be sorry Luf! Scared us half to death when you wouldn’t answer your phone!” He pulled back with a pointed look. “You’re on dish duty for the next week to make up for it.”

Luffy let out a loud whine in protest. “A week?! But that’s the worst job!” He paused for a few seconds before his head shot up, looking between the two of them. “Wait. A week? But I thought—”

Sabo smiled at him and shook his head. “We convinced the old man to let you stay here.”

Luffy’s face lit up in a matter of seconds, his smile wide with excitement as his eyes crinkled in the corners. “Really?!” 

His head whirled as he looked between his two brothers and Ace nodded his head. In the blink of an eye Luffy had thrown his arms around both of their necks, effectively catching them off guard and knocking all three of them to the ground. Luffy and his blond brother laughed out loud as Ace grumbled in protest.

The boy quickly got back up to his feet and threw his arms around Law, thankfully not knocking him over. “Did you hear that Torao?”

He gave him a small squeeze. “I did. Good for you.”

Luffy beamed up at him but before Law absolutely melted at the sight he was yanked back. Ace had pulled him by the ear to get his attention. “Don’t ignore me you brat!”

“Ow! Ace!”

“Go easy on him, we have a guest.” Sabo laughed a bit, still sitting on the floor. He let out a quick thanks when Law offered him a hand and pulled him back up into a standing position.

The other had a small scowl on his face and pointed at him. “You’re too soft on him ‘Bo.”

“You’re his brother Ace, not his mom.” He rolled his eyes. “The game you ordered came in Lu. Why don’t you two go set it up while I get to know your new friend?”

If Law were any normal person he probably wouldn’t have caught the subtle emphasis on the word ‘friend’. Luffy looked adorably oblivious but he didn’t miss the slight quirk of Ace’s eyebrow. Without even bothering to hide the smirk on his face he roughly threw his arm around his little brother’s neck and pulled him away—much to the other’s annoyance.

Sabo’s smile was kind and his body language refused to give him any clue as to what was going through the other’s mind. His posture was relaxed, non-threatening, and Law wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He couldn’t get a read on him and to be honest it was a bit frightening.

“Would you like some coffee?” Goddamnit, even his voice was frustratingly level.

Something about Sabo set off all the alarm bells in his head. He schooled his features as best he could and nodded. “If it’s not a bother.” 

For a split second he wondered if he was just being paranoid—he was always anxious meeting new people after all. But the second the words left his mouth his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, searching his own. Law wasn’t sure what he was looking for but he must have found it as his smile widened, seemingly pleased at his response as he turned to make his way into the kitchen and Law followed.

The kitchen was a bit chaotic in his opinion. It wasn’t big by any means but at the same time it overflowed with color. The cabinets were teal, the countertops made from polished wood and was home to a multitude of different appliances. A mix of red and steel pots were set beside the sink, left out to dry alongside plates and bowls of all different shapes and colors. To his side was a bar that separated the kitchen and living room—which was just as colorful as the kitchen and he could see Luffy and Ace, who had thrown on a shirt, near the TV presumably setting up his new game.

“It’s nice here.” He said finally as he gazed at the fridge. It was covered in pictures of the three of them and some others that Law recognized and some he didn’t. They were held up by a multitude of magnets—mostly in the shape of food.

Law looked over to where the other was making the coffee just as Sabo caught his eye. “I appreciate it.” He said smoothly. “You and Luffy seem to be close.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be here if we weren’t.”

“Hmm.” Sabo turned around where he stood, leaning back against the counter. “And you two aren’t…” He trailed off, but Law knew exactly what he was insinuating.

“No. No, we’re not together.” Even just saying it out loud caused his heart to ache a bit. 

Unfortunately Sabo seemed to catch on to that fact. “You don’t sound so sure.”

The other’s words caught him off guard and his cheeks burned under the other’s scrutinizing gaze. What was he supposed to say to that? Thankfully he was spared from his embarrassment rather quickly as Sabo let out a snort.

“Relax.” He let out a genuine smile. “I may be overprotective sometimes but I trust Lu’s judgment, and he clearly likes you. I am his older brother though so it’s only natural.”

Law let out a sigh, the tension leaving his body. He was mostly just relieved to know that he didn’t make a terrible first impression on him.

“Trust me, I know the feeling.”

Sabo tilted his head slightly in confusion. “Lu didn’t mention that you had siblings.”

Him and his big fucking mouth. He groaned internally at the thought of having to talk about his family, a different emotion making itself known in his chest. The damage had already been done though, so he figured he might as well suck it up and tell him—at the very least they could both relate in a way.

“I did.” The blond’s eyes widened at that. “I used to have a little sister but they were all killed when I was younger. I was the only one left.”

“Sorry- I didn’t…”

Law shook his head. “It’s fine, you didn’t know. But I know how it feels to want to protect a little sibling, and how it feels when you can’t.” He took a deep breath, mostly to compose himself before speaking again. “Lu-ya tells me a lot about you two, about all the things the three of you do together. He clearly cares about you and Ace a lot. He’s lucky to have you.”

When he looked up to the other he was surprised to see the shocked look on his face, tears welling up in his good eye. Sabo quickly wiped it away with his sleeve though before Law could say anything.

“Sorry.” His voice was slightly strained. “I worry about him a lot, you know? Me and Ace, we try our best but it’s difficult when we can’t be here all the time. It’s nice to know we’re not doing a terrible job at raising him on our own.” The coffee machine went off behind him and he turned back around, pulling down a few mugs and busying himself with that. 

Law gave him a few moments to compose himself. He didn’t mean for the atmosphere to turn on a dime like it had but it honestly seemed that Sabo needed it. Law may not be the best at reading people but even he could see that a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

“Did Lu tell you about what happened?” He saw Sabo glance over at him after a minute.

Law nodded as he was handed a mug. “Last night, he told me after he calmed down. He didn’t go into much detail but I pretty much got the gist of it.”

Sabo looked thoughtful for a moment before saying anything. “He doesn’t usually like talking about things like that. I assume he acted like nothing happened this morning?”

The blond sent him a knowing smile before he even had the chance to respond. “Nearly gave me whiplash.” He mumbled, rolling his eyes and turning to look at him. “Is he always that clingy when he’s upset?”

The quiet chuckle the other let out didn’t go unheard. “Oh yeah. Couldn’t leave him alone for a minute without him throwing a fit when he was little.” 

Law let out a small smile at that. He could definitely imagine it—a small Luffy clinging desperately to his brothers when he was hurt or upset. The thought was unbearably cute to him but was snapped out of it when Sabo continued talking.

“Luffy won’t admit to it but he’s always been a bit of a crybaby. Not so much in recent years but still.” He had a mischievous smile on his face and looked over to where the other two were laughing, raising his voice enough so they could hear him. “Isn’t that right, Lu?”

Ace and Luffy looked over to them curiously, the latter tilting his head in confusion. “What?”

“You’ve always been a crybaby.”

Law watched as the other’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink, his eyes quickly darting between him and Sabo. “Don’t tell him that! I am not!”

Ace barked out a laugh at the accusation. “Crybaby Luffy!” He mocked and stuck his tongue out at the accusing glare his younger brother sent him. It didn’t take long before the two were full on wrestling.

“I’m surprised though.” Law looked over to Sabo curiously, meeting his gaze. “He’s never gone to someone else other than me or Ace when he’s upset.”

“Really? Not even-” He was cut off with a shake of his head. 

“He doesn’t like the others to see him when he gets like that. So imagine my surprise when we get the text that he’s with you.” 

Law didn’t know what to say to that. He knew Luffy trusted him, just didn’t realize how far it went. It did make a warm feeling spread through his chest though and he looked up, watching Ace and Luffy wrestle. Both of them were sporting wicked smiles as they struggled against each other.

“Are they always like that?” Law found himself asking.

Sabo followed his gaze and let out a small laugh. “Always. They seem to have a special talent for riling the other up. It's how they show their love, even if Lu’s a sore loser half the time.” He suddenly frowned. “I’ve had to replace the TV twice this month though. I won’t be doing it a third time.” 

Law let out a small snort at that. Luffy had mentioned to him before how strong his brothers were, stating that he had never been able to beat either one of them when they sparred. But all three of them, even when working together, had never been able to beat his grandfather in a fight which brought a question to the forefront of his mind.

Law knew he shouldn’t ask. It was none of his business after all, but he wanted to know so badly that the question was leaving his lips before he could stop it. “You said you convinced him not to take Luffy. How?” Sabo looked over to him, surprise written all over his face and Law immediately regretted saying anything at all. “You don’t have to tell me, I know it’s personal. It’s just from what I’ve heard about him, he doesn't seem like the type to give up easily, and, you know-”

“You’re worried about Luffy.” 

He whipped his head around to stare at the other before nodding his head. “I’ve never seen him like that before.”

Sabo let out a long sigh, contemplating, before finally speaking. “Long story short, I threatened him.”

Law looked over to the blond man in surprise. “Threatened?”

He shrugged, looking awfully proud of himself. “Well, maybe blackmailed is a better word for it.” 

The second Garp grabbed Luffy by the front of his shirt Sabo knew immediately what would follow. 

“LUFFY!”

“LU!”

Ace yelled out at the same time he did. The two of them lunged at their adopted grandfather, grabbing him by the arms but it was fruitless effort as not even seconds later their little brother was on the ground. Sabo immediately rushed to his side, doing his best to lift him from where he sprawled out on the floor with one hand on his back. 

He tried calling out his name a few times but his eyes were glazed over, unfocused, so he did the next best thing and checked on the mark on his cheek, darkening with every passing second. Even he could tell it would turn into a nasty bruise by tomorrow.

Ace had grabbed Garp by the front of his shirt, a snarl on his face as he yelled. “Have you lost your fucking mind, old man?!”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you, brat!”

“Nothing ever changes with you, does it?!” 

Sabo paid no attention to them as he kept his focus on the youngest of the four of them. Luffy didn’t seem to hear him no matter how many times he called his name which only served to worry him even further. His breathing began to pick up, his chest rapidly rising and falling with each breath he took.

After what felt like forever Luffy began to look up but his eyes gazed straight through him before they flicked over to Ace and finally landed on Garp. He let out a sharp gasp, nearly choking on it, and his eyes were wide with terror. Without any warning he smacked Sabo’s hands away from him in a panic and if it wasn’t from the pure shock of it all he wouldn’t have let him. He jumped to his feet, nearly tripping over the chair that had been knocked to the floor. One second he was standing there, shell shocked and still, and the next he turned on his heel and darted away.

“LUFFY!” 

His little brother threw open the door without pause and Sabo chased after him. Ace had let go of Garp and followed once he realized what had happened. They both yelled after him but quickly lost sight of him in the heavy downpour of rain. Luffy had always been fast even compared to them and the fog certainly wasn’t helping anything.

When they made it back inside of the house they were already soaked. Without any hesitation Sabo made his way back to where their grandfather hadn’t moved an inch from where they left him and grabbed his phone from the table. He held it up for the older man to see and stopped the recording that had been going the whole time.

“The hell is that?” The older man’s voice was gruff, eyes narrowed at his grandson.

“Do you know what it was like,” His tone was sharp—cold, but his gaze held a fire in it that would lead any other man to burn at the sight of it. “To see Luffy show up at your door in tears, scared out of his mind knowing all you can do is comfort him before having to send him back here? To see your little brother miserable where he is and not being able to do a damn thing about it? Do you even care?!”

He gave no response and Sabo wasn’t sure if he preferred that over the alternative, but he kept speaking. “I didn’t want to have to resort to this but you left me no fucking choice. I don’t give a shit what you say, Luffy isn’t coming back here.”

“Excuse me?” His voice was menacing, holding just a hint of confusion.

“He’s staying with me and Ace. If you want to push the issue then fine, we’ll see what the courtroom thinks of you.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No. It’s a promise.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, brat. Who do you think you’re talking—”

“I DON’T GIVE A DAMN WHO YOU ARE!” He took a breath, if only to steady himself and stop from lunging at the man. “I’m only thinking of my brother! Luffy’s the only reason I haven’t said anything until now. I know he still loves you because that’s just who he is. I didn’t want to put him through that if I didn’t have to.”

“You little—”

“What would your marine buddies think? Huh? If they knew that this is the way you treat your family. What would they say when they figure out all the shit we had to go through, all because you care more about your job than your own grandsons?”

“What I do is none of their concern.”

“It will be. Once I make sure your face is plastered everywhere, on every newspaper, in every article until there’s not a single person who doesn’t know what a piece of shit you really are. I’ll ruin your career, everything you’ve worked so hard for.”

“You wouldn’t try it.” 

“I’d like to see you stop me. I’ve got connections in places even you don’t know about, old man.” He stalked up to the man, nearly standing toe-to-toe with him as he looked up at him with what was sure to be a snarl on his face. “So, it’s either let Luffy stay with us where he’s happy, or watch everything you’ve built over the years go up in flames after I take him by legal means.”

Sabo watched him carefully. The older man never really kept a tight leash on his emotions in the first place—which made it all the easier to see the exact moment that his words finally sunk in, realizing that for maybe the first time in his life he had been backed into a corner and had no way out. That this time he would have to face the consequences of his actions head-on. That this time he had made a mistake that he couldn’t fix with half-assed words and violence.

“That’s what I thought.” Sabo said with an air of finality, not bothering to give the man a chance to fight his way out. “And in case I didn’t make myself clear enough,” He reached up, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him down to eye level. “You so much as touch another hair on Luffy’s head and I’ll make you wish you were dead.”

It took everything in him to force himself to let go of his shirt instead of just punching him right where he stood. “Let’s go Ace.” He tore his gaze away from the older man, turning on his heel and walking away, his brother hot on his heels. 

Sabo stepped out the door and heard Ace pause behind him. When he turned back he found the other stopped in the doorway with a conflicted look on his face, fists clenched so hard that they shook at his side. Before he could ask what was wrong Ace started to speak.

“I know you love us, you old bastard.” He was facing Sabo, but his words were directed to the man behind them. “Even with your fucked up ways of showing it, I know. We won’t keep Luffy away from you but I won’t force him to do anything he doesn’t want to.”

His words may have been bitter but Sabo could only marvel at how far his brother had come over the years. From that small boy so filled with hatred and rage to now. At the moment the blond felt a bit like Ace did in his younger days. At the very least he definitely wouldn’t be able to face the older man like he was now. Maybe in a few days he could, given a chance to process everything. 

He turned his head to look over his shoulder. “If you still want to be in our lives then I suggest getting your shit together before you lose us for good. Because unlike you Sabo and Luffy are my priority. They come before anyone else.” 

With that he turned and finally stepped outside with Sabo into the cold night air. He reached back to pull the door closed but stopped when they heard a gruff voice behind them. “Hold on you brats.”

Heavy footsteps made their way over to them and Ace let go of the door, letting it gently swing back open on its own. Sabo grit his teeth, expecting another fight, but was instead met with a heavy silence once Garp finally reached them. He looked over at him but refused to meet his eyes.

The silence was deafening, stretching long and harsh between the three of them. Sabo wished he would hurry up and say what he wanted so they could go search for their little brother but the lump in his throat prevented him from voicing it out loud. He got his wish however when Garp reached out beside him to the coat rack that stood by the door and pulled off two jackets, handing both to the two of them. 

“Don’t catch cold.” His voice was strained as if it pained him to even say the words. Ace took the first—a worn, leather bomber jacket, the color a dark brown and inside lined with fleece that had long gone stale after one too many washes. The other was a black suede with a breast pocket on either side and the inside made with a blue flannel that was soft to the touch.

Sabo gripped the jacket in his hand, knuckles turning white and glared down at it as if it had personally wronged him. The sound of Ace shrugging on his to the side pulled him back into his body and he felt the anger rise in his throat. He suddenly wished they weren’t standing under the roof under their grandfather’s old rickety porch—at least then he could blame the dampness on his face on the rain. He threw his jacket on with haste, turning on his heel to walk away. 

“Go to hell.” 

The words were bitter, wet, and shaky as he made his way back to the car. The blond opened and closed the door with a slam, taking a seat on the passenger side and dropping his head into his hands. He didn’t think he was in any state to drive at the moment. 

The jacket was warm against him where his wet clothes sent a chill down his spine. It offered a strange sense of comfort, being several sizes too big for him and having the distinct smell of sandalwood and pine, a hint of sea salt mixed in that made him want to sink into it. 

It brought him back to a time when he was still ten years old, huddled around a fire with his brothers and newly self-appointed grandfather. They had finished ‘training’ about an hour before and had just finished off the remains of a boar they had caught when they began to relax. The air dropped in temperature with every passing night as the winter in Dawn began to settle in and their grandfather pulled out a thick blanket as he settled his back against a tree. 

Despite his injuries Luffy jumped up from his spot on the forest ground with a smile and dragged Ace and Sabo up with him before pulling them over to Garp who let out a loud cackle at the sight. He roughly bundled the three of them up in the blanket, the fabric rubbing uncomfortably against his bruises, before settling them in his lap and wrapping his arms around them as they watched the fire crackle and dance under the dark sky. Luffy quickly devolved into soft snores, Ace on the other hand putting up a bit of a fight but settled in with a few angry and annoyed grumbles. 

It took a bit longer for Sabo to calm down enough to fall asleep, tears pricking in the corner of his eyes at the new kind of warmth—one of which he never felt with his birth parents. He pulled the youngest of them against him and soon was sleeping comfortably against the older man. For the first time in who knows how long he felt warm, safe—quiet tears rolling down his cheeks at sensation. 

Though now they were falling for the opposite reason.

Ace joined him in the car not even a minute later. He didn’t say anything, instead offering a comforting hand on his back and rubbing in circles before finally pulling out and leaving. 

“We drove around everywhere looking for him after that.” Sabo said, recounting the night before. “Lu doesn’t answer his phone at the worst of times.” 

Law nodded as he listened, coffee long having been finished off but he still held the mug in his hands. There was a sudden shoulder knocking against his and he looked over, noticing the hesitant expression on the other’s face. “Don’t tell Lu about any of this, okay? I don’t want to make him worry.”

“I won’t. But I can’t promise I won’t cause a scene if I see the bastard in public.”

Sabo let out a snort at his side. “You and me both.” He looked like he was going to say something else but his eyes flitted past Law, his gaze catching on something behind him before bursting out in laughter.

When Law turned around he found Ace and Luffy in the doorway, the latter being dragged around on the floor with his ankle held tightly in the other’s grip as he struggled. The older one smiled triumphantly. “I win.”

Luffy let out a noise of outrage. “No you didn’t! I can still kick your ah-”

He was cut off as Ace pulled him up further with a laugh, now dangling freely in the air. “You’re still a few years too early to ever have a chance at beating me!” His eyes flit over to Law who watched the whole thing with an amused smile. “You sure you want this one? He’s a bit feral.” 

Luffy kicked out his free leg in an attempt to hit his brother all while Ace dodged almost effortlessly. “Stop embarrassing me!” His face was bright red—a mix of embarrassment and the blood rushing to his head. 

“But that’s my job, Luf. What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t?”

“A good one.”

Something in Ace’s face irked at that, his smile becoming strained. He once again turned his gaze onto Law as he completely tuned out his brother. “You know, Luf talks about you a lot. I rarely hear about his other friends anymore.”

Law’s eyes widened slightly at that before looking down to the other boy and placing a small smirk on his lips. “Oh really?”

Luffy’s face was a mix of hesitation and confusion before ultimately morphing into a look of panic as he realized where his older brother was going with this. “Oi, Ace-”

“Yeah, I can’t count how many times I’ve heard, ‘Guess what me and Torao did today?’ or ‘Torao is so pretty when he’s angry’ or my personal favorite ‘Torao’s smile is so cute I just wanna-’” A hand was promptly smacked over his mouth by Luffy who had been struggling the whole time—one hand around the wrist that was holding his ankle to lift himself up and the other on Ace’s face.

“Shut up! I don’t say that stuff!”

A muffled, “You do.”

“You totally do.” 

Luffy regarded his other brother with betrayal written all over his face. “Sabo, you’re supposed to be on my side!” He said with a whine.

The blond haired man only shrugged innocently. Ace simply pushed Luffy’s hand away causing him to lose his grip sending him back to hanging upside down, narrowly missing hitting his head on the ground. “Let me go!”

Ace let out a hum. “But that’s no fun. You know he has a picture of you as his homescreen?”

Law physically flinched at that, staring down at Luffy in surprise. The other boy met his gaze for a mere second before blushing furiously and kicking his leg at his older brother once again. “You make me sound like a creep! It’s a picture of both of us!” 

“Still a picture of him.” 

“I’m gonna tell Marco you’re being mean to me!”

“You’re going to snitch on me to my own boyfriend?”

Luffy nodded resolutely and sent a small smirk up at him. “I’m gonna tell him you bought a ring.”

“You what?!” Sabo shouted in horror beside him. “Ace—”

“Sabo, it’s not- I mean-” He growled in frustration. “Dammit Luf that was supposed to be a secret!”

Luffy merely stuck his tongue out at his older brother and Ace finally let go of him, letting him drop to the floor and hitting his head on the way. “Ow, Ace! What was that for?!” 

“What do you mean-?!”

“Portgas D. Ace.” All three of them flinched at the chilling tone from the blond haired man. “Explain. Now.”

“‘Bo I know what you’re thinking but it’s not an engagement ring! I just… We both have crazy schedules so we don’t get to see each other a lot so, you know… It was gonna be his Christmas gift!”

Luffy came to stand beside him, not an ounce of regret on his face as he nestled into his side and Law wrapped an arm around him. Sabo ran his hands over his face with a groan. “I just came to terms with you dating someone twice your age and you already bought him a ring.” He raised his eyebrows at that but made no comment.

“It’s not like that! He’s crazy busy as the chief of surgery and I’m about to start at the station so I thought it'd be nice to have something for each other.” 

With that comment it was like puzzle pieces began to click in his mind. “Wait. You’re dating Marco, that Marco? Like, nicknamed ‘phoenix’ Marco?”

“You know of him?”

“Of course I do. Anyone who aspires to be someone in the medical field knows about him. I hoped to be able to do my residency under him after medical school.” Law was technically already a surgeon but it’s not like he was about to say it out loud—especially since he wasn’t licensed so it was very illegal. 

He had known about ‘Phoenix’ Marco for a long time. Law was already way smarter, more experienced even, then a lot of surgeons in the field so medical school wouldn’t be too much of a challenge for him. That’s precisely why he wanted to work under the older man. Marco had been revered in the medical world for his almost unnatural aptitude for that kind of work. He didn’t take many apprentices but when he did there were only two paths for you—you quit and completely change careers or you become one of the best surgeons in the country.

And Ace was dating him?!

He raised an eyebrow in his direction. “Well, I didn’t know all of that but I’ll tell him he has fans.” The man looked thoughtful for a second before a smirk made its way onto his face. “So I really am dating a hotshot doctor? Hell yeah.”

“Ace.” Sabo sounded exasperated.

He cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

“We’re not done talking about this.”

“It’s not that big of a deal ‘Bo! Koala’s older than you too.”

He let out a long sigh, indicating to Law they had had this conversation many, many, times. “She’s older than me by one year. Not twenty.”

“Twenty-two…”

“You’re not helping.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know Marco’s a good man but I can’t help but worry.”

Law wasn’t sure if he should really be listening to all of this but he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t at least a little bit entertaining. It also served to let him understand Luffy a little bit more and why he was the way he was. Somewhere in the middle of it the shorter boy pulled him away by the arm stating he wanted to show him his room. He vaguely heard Ace let out a suggestive whistle behind them, leading Luffy to yell at him over his shoulder and despite the embarrassment Law couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

He had been getting to see a different side of Luffy today and he definitely wasn’t complaining about it. With every little smirk, every blush, and every soft gaze he could feel his resolve slowly crumbling. Even he could tell he wouldn’t be able to go on like this much longer and was starting to come to terms with that.

His room, albeit a bit messy, was by far the most chaotic room he had seen so far but it was very much Luffy. The walls were white but it was hard to tell with the sheer amount of things that were hanging up. There was a mixture of movie posters, random art, and an entire section behind his bed dedicated to photos of his friends and brothers with room for more. Multicolored stars were attached to the ceiling above his bed and string lights lit up the room in a soft glow.

“Usopp and my brothers helped me put everything together when I moved in.” He explained.

“That makes a lot more sense.” Law smiled at the pout on his face. “You didn’t really strike me as the decorating type.”

An old laptop covered in stickers was thrown haphazardly onto the red blankets of his bed which was also home to a bunch of plushes. His desk was a mess of papers and half eaten snacks, and in one corner of the room sat two large beanbag chairs. The small shelves around his room, unsurprisingly, held no books but instead a multitude of trinkets of all different kinds—too many for Law to count.

When he finally looked back over to Luffy, who was now sitting on the bed, he found the other’s eyes already on him. “Do you like it?”

He nodded. “It’s cozy in here.” And it was. It was a far cry from his own room that was mostly bare aside from a few pictures and a shelf full of books. Luffy’s room had a lot of character and he half wondered if he should get Usopp to do his room as well since he wouldn’t even know where to start if he tried. 

Law made his way over to the bed and stood in front of Luffy. “So, what’s this about me being your homescreen?”

His eyes widened a bit and a finger came up to scratch at his cheek as he looked away. “It was a nice photo.” Luffy reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. His lockscreen, which Law had seen before, was a picture of him and all of his friends at what looked to be the beach and figured it must have been taken over the summer. Nami seemed to be holding the camera as all of them were squished behind her to fit in the frame—a bit chaotic but it turned out good.

He unlocked his phone and turned it around to show him the homescreen. It took a few seconds but he vaguely remembered Luffy taking the picture when he, Kidd, and Killer were over at his house. The picture was of the two of them, one of Luffy’s arms wrapped around him while the other held up his phone, capturing them in the reflection of his mirror. Law had become so used to Cora and his own friends taking pictures that he hadn’t even thought twice about it when it happened.

He turned his gaze back down at Luffy who was refusing to meet his eye—clearly embarrassed at having been caught. Law looked around the room before suddenly having an idea and tossing the other’s phone on the bed. He reached down and grabbed Luffy’s hand in his, stepping back and pulling him up to his feet much to his confusion. “Come here.”

Law pulled out his own phone and stopped in front of the mirror hanging on the back of the closet door. His hand rested against the shorter boy’s hip as Luffy’s arms automatically wrapped around his middle and he snapped a photo, mimicking the one Luffy had taken. Without much delay he quickly changed his own background and turned it around to show the other.

“There, now we match.”

Luffy stared dumbly for a few seconds before bursting out into loud giggles. “Send that one to me! I’ll add it to my wall!”

Law looked over, studying the pictures he had hanging up. “You sure there’s going to be room?” He teased.

“Shishishi, of course there is!” 

Luffy pulled him over to sit on his bed. Law sat down first near the headboard with his back against the wall—having to move a few plushes in the process. Luffy was halfway across his lap sitting sideways. With his closer proximity to the photos he started looking at each and every one of them.

“Tell me about them.” He said, earning an adorable smile from the other.

Luffy started pointing different pictures out, telling him stories about when and where they were taken. He talked about the ocean, the times they hung out in the Baratie, and Zoro’s kendo tournaments. Stories from Brook’s concerts, Franky’s shop where Usopp also worked occasionally, and even about some kids who had become attached to him, referring to him as their big brother. Law listened as he talked, barely sparing a glance towards the photos anymore, instead content to watch Luffy as he talked so passionately about his friends and the things they had done. Law truly was a weak man.

After about an hour or so Ace made his way over to Luffy’s room. They had been waiting for their new game to come in for weeks and he was eager to, once again, kick both of his brother’s asses in it. The door was cracked open like it normally was since Luffy didn’t like to feel cut off from the rest of the apartment and by extension his brothers. It was the reason they also usually kept their doors cracked open as well—unless Marco or Koala were over of course. 

Ace gave a small knock on the door—mostly as a warning since they were teenagers after all, but didn’t hear anything in response. “Luf?” He called out as he pushed the door open. The scene he was met with was adorably cute and also left him with a few questions. 

He left the door open and walked back to the living room where his other brother was. “Hey ‘Bo?” Ace peeked around the corner and found Sabo looking over at him. “You sure he said they weren’t dating?”

He cocked his eyebrow in confusion. “I’m pretty sure. How come?”

Ace didn’t respond but merely threw his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing behind him. Sabo followed him silently back down the hallway and peeked into the room. Law was sitting up, nestled into the corner between the wall and headboard, his arms wrapped around Luffy who was in his lap. Luffy was fully leaning against him, one of his hands resting on his hip with his head tucked into his neck. Both of them were fast asleep.

Sabo let out a quiet hum with a smile on his face. “I give it a week and Lu will be telling us all about his new boyfriend.” He pulled the door back to just being barely cracked open. “Come on, we can play later when they wake up.”

Ace let out a quiet laugh. “Maybe. They’ll be sore after sleeping like that.”

Both of them were thinking the same thing—but neither of them said it out loud. They didn’t have to, it was written all over their faces. Luffy had found someone he wanted to be with and they couldn’t be more happy for him.

Chapter Text

To say his school life with his friends from Swallow Island was anything less than chaotic and headache inducing would be a lie. 

Okay, maybe that was being a bit dramatic but his days were a lot louder than normal—and that was saying something. Monday was filled with introductions to the rest of the group, embarrassing stories about Law, and all in all chaos. He was the one to show them around before classes started along with Luffy, Nami, and Robin which meant that by the time the first bell rang everyone knew about the new kids in school.

He had at least one class with each of them, sometimes two, and on just the first day he witnessed Penguin blatantly flirting with Killer—which was surprisingly reciprocated, Shachi making a fool of himself trying to flirt with every girl he saw, including Nami and Robin, and Ikkaku landing two girls numbers in a single class. Bepo on the other hand, not one to care much about relationships, had immediately become the favorite for every teacher he had. 

On top of that he was also dealing with the problem of homecoming which was at the end of the week. Despite all of his griping from before he was seriously considering Nami’s advice about asking Luffy to go with him, but he just didn’t know how. He never was good with words—not like Luffy was. 

At the very least he wasn’t alone in his dilemma as Usopp was very clearly trying to get over his nerves to ask out his crush, Kaya. She was a pretty blonde with similar goals to his own of becoming a doctor. He had never talked to her directly but the other boy had told him plenty about her.

On the other side of that Nami was obviously going with Vivi, Robin had her boyfriend Franky, and Penguin announced that he had scored his own date in Killer.

“What about you, Shach?” Ikkaku asked Tuesday at lunch. “You make a fool of yourself enough to find a date?” 

The boy in question suddenly looked very smug. “As a matter of fact I have.” Ikkaku, Penguin, and Bepo all dropped whatever was in their hands and stared at the redhead. 

“You do?” Bepo asked.

“Oh my god he’s delusional.” The girl gasped out.

“Cap’n I think you might need to examine his head.” Penguin turned to him.

“I can’t do anything if it’s psychological, unless it's something like a concussion. Did you hit your head this morning?”

Giggles and laughs reverberated through their table. “You guys are assholes. I’m not that bad of a catch.”

“Now we never said that.” She rolled her eyes a bit. “Sometimes you just come off a bit… Desperate…”

“What? I’m not desperate!”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“You wanna talk about desperate? How about Cap’n with his-”

“You finish that sentence and I will chop it off right here for everyone to see.”

He didn’t need to clarify what he meant for Shachi’s face to pale and hands cover his crotch protectively. “You can’t, that’s my best asset!”

Ikkaku let out a loud snort, mixing in with the amused laughs from around the table. “Shachi, babe, if your best asset is your dick then you seriously need to work on your self-esteem.”

“Who said anything about having terrible self-esteem?”

Penguin playfully threw an arm around his shoulder from where he sat beside the redhead. “Forget about that. So who’s your hot date?”

He turned his head away, a pout on his face like a child who was just told they couldn’t have candy. “Well now I’m not telling you.” Loud protests rang out from Penguin and Ikkaku. “No, you can wait until Saturday since you two wanna be assholes about it.”

From the corner of his eye he noticed Kidd rubbing a hand over his face, clear annoyance written all over it as Killer’s shoulders shook in a quiet mirth beside him. Law vaguely listened to the ensuing argument between the three of them as Bepo attempted to mediate between them.

A few minutes later Law saw Nami messing with her nails beside him, pulling off pieces that had started to peel from when he had painted them. On her other side Ikkaku noticed as well, grabbing one of her hands and examining them. 

“These are super cute! Did you do them yourself?” 

“Actually,” She placed a hand on his shoulder, “Your dear old captain painted them for me.”

Most of the table went quiet at the confession and Ikkaku smacked her hands on the table, letting out a loud whine. “Captain! Why haven’t you ever offered to do my nails?” 

“What are you talking about?” He raised an eyebrow in her direction. “I never met you in person until last week.”

She crossed her arms. “You could’ve still asked.”

Law rolled his eyes, noticing the looks on the other’s faces, Robin being the first to say something. “And here I thought Luffy was the only one Law had become close with.”

Nami waved her off. “Oh yeah, turns out my mom and his dad are like long lost best friends or something.”

“So you’ve been to his house?” Sanji looked downright horrified at the thought.

“A few times. They like to drink together and then I have to drive us home after when mom gets too drunk.” Nami leaned a bit into his side. “As a matter of fact we need to talk about you doing my nails for homecoming.”

“I never agreed to that.” 

“Oh come on Law, help a poor girl out.”

He sent her a small scowl. “You’re perfectly capable of doing them yourself.”

“Yeah, but you do them better.” 

“Captain!” Ikkaku stood from where she was sitting and looked down on him. “If you do hers then do mine too!”

“You heard the girl.” Nami sent him a small smirk and he heard Luffy laughing beside him.

Before he could even respond he was pulled back by the back of his shirt, nearly enough to pull him out of his seat. When he looked up he found Sanji staring down at him. “Dude, what the hell-”

“You should be honored to have the chance of doing two lovely ladies' nails for them! You ungrateful bastard!” 

He smacked his hands away. “Piss off. It’s none of your business.” 

“You little-”

Nami attached herself to his arm looking up at him and batted her eyelashes prettily. “Please Law? I thought we were best friends.”

“We’re not.”

He felt arms sneak around his neck and glanced back to find Ikkaku draping herself over his back, leaning her entire weight over him. “It’ll be super fun Cap'n.” 

“Is this your plan to try and convince me?”

“Is it working?”

“Given the fact that you’re both lesbians and I’m gay, no.” 

Law glanced around at their friends. Sanji looked close to an aneurysm, Robin had an amused smile on her face, Penguin and Shachi looked scandalized at the display while Kidd and Killer were failing to hide their snickers. 

“Fine,” Nami frowned, “I didn’t wanna have to use this but you leave me no choice.” She cupped her hand around her mouth and leaned up to whisper in his ear. “I’ll tell Luffy about all the drawings I found in your sketchbook.”

“You-” He whipped his head around to stare at her, that familiar heat creeping up his neck. “When did you-?”

She shrugged. “You left it on your desk. I thought it was a regular book and wanted to see what you were reading.”

“So you just kept quiet so you could use it against me when the time came?!”

“Do we have a deal or not?”

He brought a hand up to wipe at his face. Law hadn’t had a lot of time to work on his art lately, but when he did mindless doodling turned into sketching the one person who was almost always on his mind. That dark messy hair, the scar that perfectly sat under his eye, and the blinding smile that was damn near always on his face was constantly in his thoughts, which inevitably caused it to show in his art.

He guessed he couldn’t be too mad at her. It was his fault that he left it out—especially knowing how nosy all of them were in the first place. A loud, annoyed groan escaped from his throat, his body being smothered from all angles only adding to his irritation.

“Alright, fine.”

The two girls cheered in victory, giving him one last squeeze before finally letting go as Nami smiled. “Great! Robin?”

“Oh come on, don’t-”

“It would be nice,” The black haired girl interrupted him. “All of the salons will be packed out for the next few days. It would save me a lot of time.”

Luffy shifted beside him, giving a light tug on his arm. “Can I come?”

Before Law even had the chance to respond Nami chimed in on his other side. “Nope. Sorry Luffy, but this is our girls night. You can go hang out with the other guys.”

The other boy let out a whine and Law couldn’t help but glare at her. “So why am I included in this ‘girls night’?”

“Well for this occasion we’ll consider you an honorary girl.” 

“Why does it feel like you’re making fun of me?”

“Because I am.”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and resigning himself to his fate. “I better be getting paid for this.” 

Laughter wrung out through the air from the others, all except for Sanji who was once again at his side pointing at him accusingly. “Like I said you bastard, you should consider yourself lucky to be able to do this for them!” 

“Considering the time it takes to do them, it's not happening for free.” He threw a smirk over his shoulder at the blond. “What, are you going to pay for them?” 

Sanji didn’t even look fazed at the question. “How much?”

“Depends. How much is it worth to you?”

He was only mildly surprised when the other pulled his wallet out of his pocket and started shifting through it. “I still have ingredients to buy too.” He pulled out a small stack of bills and handed it to him. “That enough?”

Law looked down at his hand in shock before smiling back up at him. “Plenty. I’m sure they’re grateful as well.” He pocketed the cash, suddenly two hundred berries richer. 

The girls all thanked the blond as he sunk back down in his seat, a dopey smile on his face. Nami leaned over to Law. “I’m so proud.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ve been spending too much time with you.”

She laughed. “Well then, we’ll come over to your house after school on Friday and we can all get ready together Saturday. Homecoming starts at seven but we were planning for everyone to meet at the Baratie before so we need to be ready by about five.”

Law stared at her for a second. “...You already had all of this planned out didn’t you?”

“‘Course I did. Besides, you know mom and Cora, they’ll be ecstatic to be able to get pictures of us together. Not to mention getting to drink together again.”

“I don’t even want to think about it. He’s embarrassing when he’s drunk.”

Later that day when Law told his dad about the girl’s plans he, of course, enthusiastically agreed, citing that they should probably go grocery shopping before since they were getting a little low. He went as far as asking him about what snacks the others liked so he could get a few—though Law had no clue. A few hours later he overheard him on the phone with Bellemere talking about it, the two of them seeming more excited than any of them.

The next morning came slower than he had hoped. He hadn’t been able to sleep more than an hour, which he wasn’t even sure if he did, and his entire body felt heavier than usual. Half the time he was able to pull himself together enough to make use of the new wardrobe he had but today was definitely not one of those days—instead throwing on a hoodie that was actually a little too small for him and a pair of black sweatpants. Nami had a habit of making fun of him when he ‘wasted her precious time’ by not putting effort into his outfits but he couldn’t bring himself to care today.

On the way to school he got himself a coffee, savoring the bitter flavor on his tongue and hoping that it would give him at least enough energy to make it through the day. As soon as Luffy caught sight of him he instantly lit up, detaching himself from where he stood with Usopp and Chopper and made his way over to Law, wrapping his arms around him. 

The taller boy couldn’t help but sink into the embrace and like he always did Luffy noticed immediately, pulling back just enough to look up at him. “You okay?” 

“Tired.” He pulled the other back in, resting his chin on top of his head. “Couldn’t sleep.”

Luffy, like the saint he is, stood there and allowed Law to lean on him, only turning around in his grasp so he could continue talking to his friends. No more than five minutes later he heard the voices of his friends from Swallow Island as well as Kidd and Killer approaching. Immediately Kidd’s rang out louder than anyone else’s in their friend group causing his irritation to spike.

As soon as the others made their way over to them he couldn’t help but send a nasty glare to the redhead. “Can you shut the hell up?” He spit out. “There’s no reason to be this fucking loud at seven-thirty in the morning.”

Kidd, to his credit, didn’t look put off in the slightest as his words and instead raised an eyebrow at him. “The hell’s wrong with ya? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

“Can’t wake up if you never fell asleep in the first place.” He scowled.

“No wonder ya look like shit.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

He hadn’t even been here twenty minutes—hell, he hadn’t even made it to his first class and a headache was already beginning to form at his temples. All he wanted to do was turn around and go back home and lay down for at least another few hours. Maybe even take Luffy with him so at least then he knew he’d be able to sleep.

The day passed by slowly with Law struggling to keep himself awake and not even attempting to look like he was paying attention. He had a small period of grace in art when he finished the piece that he had been working on the past few days rather quickly and was able to lay his head down—if only for a few minutes. 

When Lunch had come around, Law, Luffy, and some of the others were walking to their usual spot when he noticed a gaggle of girls standing around it. He couldn't say he recognized any of them but the one who stood out the most was a tall girl with long black hair, snake earrings, and a very revealing outfit. While Law didn't swing that way he did recognize that she was attractive.

He heard an annoyed groan beside him and turned to see Nami. "What is she doing over there?" 

"Who is she?"

She looked at him surprised but quickly brushed it off. "Boa Hancock. She’s an actress and part-time model. Supposedly she’s been gone for the past few months for a movie so that’s why you haven’t seen her.” Her words were said with disdain.

That answered some of his questions, but raised even more. “So why is she over at our table?”

“Trust me, you don’t wanna know.”

“Humor me.”

She shot him an almost sympathetic look. “She’s in the same boat you are.”

“Meaning?” He looked at Nami and back to the girl at their table when she didn’t answer him.

Law watched the moment that the girl caught sight of them, and more specifically, Luffy. Her eyes lit up, a blush appearing on her cheeks as she threw her arms around him and squished him into her chest. “Luffy dear! I’ve missed you terribly the past few months!” 

“Oh,” A pit formed in his stomach. “I see what you mean. You don’t like her?”

She scoffed. “She doesn’t like us! Mostly me and Robin because we’re girls and his friends.” Nami rolled her eyes at the girl cooing over Luffy. “We tried to get along with her. She doesn’t show it in front of him but we can tell she hates us.”

“Did you tell him?” 

The girl shook her head. “If Luffy wants to be friends with her then who are we to stop him? Trust me when I say none of us like her, except Sanji of course.”

He looked over to see scowls on the other’s faces all except for the blond who, unsurprisingly, had hearts in his eyes. Even his friends from Swallow Island had anxious expressions on their faces and he didn’t miss the looks they kept sending him.

"Oh, Hammock! What's up?" 

Law let out a little snort at the way Luffy clearly butchered her name. This earned him a glare but couldn't bring himself to care as the others snickered beside him.

"I came to ask you something very important. Though I'm sure I already know the answer, I thought I should at least let you know!"

"What is it?" 

"I was just gonna let you know to wear something purple so we can match, or I could even have you fitted for a nice outfit! Oh, I can see us now! You'll look so handsome all dressed up and by my side!" She squealed and closed her eyes with a blissful look on her face as if she was imagining it.

This caused him to look even more confused. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"For Homecoming of course! You're going with me right? Oh, well of course you are, I shouldn't even bother asking." 

His stomach dropped. This explains the bad feeling, a dark pit of jealousy beginning to simmer inside of him. He had no right to be jealous, Luffy wasn’t his after all. He knew that but couldn’t stop the glare he sent her anyway.

Hancock continued on about their outfits and how absolutely adorable Luffy would look dressed up—which Law agreed, as long as it wasn’t with her. He didn’t necessarily think Luffy would go with her, but he couldn’t say anything if he did. She was beautiful, a little stuck up, but any other guy would’ve probably killed to be with her. Though when he finally gave his answer it shocked all of them.

“Sorry Hammock, I already have someone I’m going with.”

This was the first Law had heard of this. He had already lost his chance. When did he ask someone? He looked over at the girl beside him for answers but she looked just as surprised as him.

Though Hancock looked downright murderous for a split second before fitting a clearly fake smile on her face, her eye twitching. “You do? And who might that be?” 

Luffy reached behind him and took Law’s hand in his, tugging him forward. “I’m going with Torao!”

…What?

“...What?”

Luffy smiled up at him. Oh god and Hancock was glaring at him and everyone was looking at him. When was this decided? He wracked his brain trying to figure out when they said they were going together. Did Law somehow black out and he doesn’t remember asking him? 

He could feel his face burning. He looked back to Nami who was trying and failing to stifle her giggles, Robin had a knowing smile on her face, and Zoro looked briefly surprised before shrugging. The rest of them were a mix of smug smiles and laughs. Shachi and Penguin had both let out a loud snort before turning around, though Law could still see their shoulders shaking in mirth.

When he turned back he was met with her looking him up and down, belittling him with just her gaze. She let out a short laugh. “You’re joking.”

The boy seemed confused as he tilted his head to the side. “Why would I be?”

“Who even is this?” She didn’t even try the disgust in her voice. “I’ve never seen him around before.”

Luffy seemed to not notice and smiled up at her. “This is Torao! He started a week late so you probably don’t know him.”

Despite Luffy talking she never took her scornful eyes off of him. He was used to these kinds of looks, that didn’t make him any less uncomfortable though. 

In the middle of Luffy’s rambling she abruptly cut him off. “You’d rather go with this thing rather than me?” He stopped, taken aback before she continued, her voice laced with venom. “Why does he look like that? He looks disease-ridden. Gross. I don’t understand how you can even stand to touch him.”

Law’s breath caught in his throat. The words struck deep within him but it was no longer her words he was hearing.

“Also call security and the government!! Hurry!!"

"White Lead Disease?!! Someone come quick! It's a survivor of White Town!! He has white patches on his skin!!"

"Ewww we'll catch it!! Go away, you filthy thing!"

“Got rid of two infected people!”

“There’s still somebody! Don’t let him escape!”

“KILL HIM!”

A hush fell over their friends and the tables surrounding them as she continued on with her insults. Law was so taken aback all he could do was let out a short laugh from the sheer audacity of the girl. It didn’t go unheard though as Hancock snapped her eyes to his with a scowl. “Something funny?”

“Yeah, you finished?” He let go of Luffy’s hand, stuffing his own shaky ones into his pockets and plastered a cocky smile onto his face. “If you think that I seriously care about what someone like you thinks of me then you're even dumber than I thought.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “And what is that supposed to mean?” 

“I have to spell it out for you too?” He took a few steps forward. “You’re so pathetic that the second you get rejected you start attacking me. Feel better about yourself? You think people will like you more?”

Her scowl turned into one side of her mouth quirking up, almost mockingly. “As if. People love me because I’m beautiful.”

He scoffed. “Yeah, and how does that feel? People only liking you for your looks I mean, because it sure as hell has nothing to do with your personality.”

Hancock placed a finger against her lips, almost as if she was holding back a laugh. “I could almost ask you the same, but just the opposite.”

“Seriously, you should be grateful anyone even pretends to tolerate you.”

“Luffy seems to tolerate me just fine.” He spared a glance to the boy beside him who was sporting a deep frown, eyes locked on Hancock with a glare. The girl didn’t seem to notice or didn’t care as she looked at him with hearts in her eyes. “Isn’t that right Luffy dear?” 

“Huh? Why should I?!” He sounded downright outraged that she would even ask that. 

Her facade cracked at his harsh voice. “B-But Luffy dear, I only spoke the truth!”

“You can’t even tell the difference between fact and opinion?”

She glared daggers at him though Law wasn’t the least bit intimidated—he had certainly seen worse. “Shut your mouth scum. I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Don’t be mean to Torao!” Luffy yelled at her, pulling away when she tried to grab his hands in hers and Law couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride inside of himself at the display.

“Luffy, honey,” Law scoffed at the casual pet name, “I just wanted to be with you, you know we’d look good together.”

“I already told you I wasn’t interested. I’m not going with you to homecoming, I’m going with Torao.”

He could see the moment the last bit of hope left her eyes and the way her hands clenched though he couldn’t bring himself to feel the tiniest bit of sympathy for her. She turned to him, eyes blazing and got up in his face with a sneer. “You’re lucky he even looks at you.”

Law smirked. “Sounds like bitter jealousy to me.”

“Hmph. We’ll see who he chooses in the end.”

“Hope you have a box of tissues ready.”

With one last scoff and roll of her eyes she stomped away, her heels echoing through the quiet cafeteria. He could hear giggles and laughs behind him but he was frozen in place. Images of a once beautiful city bathed in the light of flames flashed behind his eyes. Blood seeping through the cracks of the street he once walked daily looking far fresher than it should’ve been after seven years. 

He was harshly brought back to reality when a hand landed on his shoulder and forced himself to suppress a flinch. “Captain?” He didn’t turn but Bepo’s voice rang clear beside him and he couldn’t help but notice that everyone else had gone quiet. 

Without even sparing a glance towards his friend he shook off the touch, ignoring the calls of the others as he pushed his way out the door leading outside. He pulled at the collar of his hoodie, the material suddenly feeling way too constricting and oh god why couldn’t he breathe. Law didn’t really have a destination in mind but eventually settled on a spot behind the school. He sat down against the wall, feeling the brick dig into his back as he rested his head in his arms, pulling his knees against his chest.

That was fucking humiliating. When he came to school today he hadn’t been expecting all of his insecurities to be served up to him on a silver platter like that—especially not in front of the majority of the student body. That wasn’t even the worst part. Her words didn’t hurt nearly as much as the memories of his past did. Memories he had tried to forget for the better part of seven years came flooding in like a tidal wave. Ones that he had buried in the deepest grave he could dig in the back of his mind.

It was barely a minute later when Law heard an all too familiar voice. “Torao?” He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t heard the steps approaching. 

Despite him not moving from his spot Luffy sat down right beside him, the grass crunching beneath him and giving Law an idea of how close he was without looking up. He leaned into his side and once he felt like he could breathe again he turned his head to look at him, reaching out a hand and intertwining their fingers together.

“You remember the conversation we had the other morning? The day I met your brothers?” Surprisingly Luffy nodded and Law took a deep breath. “That,” He said, referring to the fiasco from a few minutes ago, “Is the reaction I’m used to from other people when they see me. Especially when they know where I’m from.”

The other boy frowned. “Where you’re from? What’s that got to do with anything?”

“It-” He cut himself off, swallowing the lump in his throat in an attempt to stifle the emotions that were welling up inside of him. “I don’t…” Fuck. He couldn’t even get the words out without choking up. 

Luffy suddenly let go of his hand, turning until he was facing him completely and leaning his side against Law’s legs. He gently slid his fingers across his jaw before cupping his cheek in the palm of his hand and meeting his eyes. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I want to know.” His lips curved in a slight smile. “I wanna know everything about you, if you’ll let me.”

Law could only stare at him with wide eyes. Luffy was too good to him sometimes. He was so kind, so compassionate, and far more than he thought he ever deserved after everything he’s done. Even if he cursed himself for it sometimes he knew that falling for Luffy was one of the best things that’s ever happened to him.

He reached up, taking the other’s hand in his and twisting it together with his own. “Y-Yeah, I… I want you to know.” He was surprised to find that it was true. “I know we were supposed to study today but-”

Luffy waved him off. “I didn’t feel like studying anyways.”

“Do you ever?” He softly smirked at the other boy.

“It’s not my fault that it’s boring. I just like hanging out with you.”

“You like using me to buy you snacks, you mean.”

“That’s not true!” He slid his head into Law’s lap with a goofy smile on his face. “I also like Cora, he’s funny.”

“Ah yes, snacks and my dad. The only two reasons you like me.”

“I have plenty of reasons. You’re smart, you have really cool tattoos, you’re super pretty too-”

Law cut him off with a hand over his mouth. “Okay, stop it. You’re embarrassing.” The other let out a loud laugh at the action and settled further into his lap. Law moved his hand, letting it rest on the curve of his neck before asking the question he really wanted to know. “So, since when were we going to homecoming together? I’ve never been asked before but I don’t think that’s usually how it goes.”

Luffy’s expression suddenly changed, furrowing his eyebrows with a slight frown as he looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

Law’s fingers paused where it was tracing over his jaw and matched the other’s confusion. “What do you mean?”

They stared at each other for a long moment before the shorter boy let out a sharp gasp. “Ah-” His eyes went wide and his cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. Before he could ask what was wrong Luffy brought both of his hands up and covered his face. His voice came out muffled—almost meek when he finally spoke. “I forgot to ask you.”

A second passed in silence, then another, and another before- “pfft-” Law turned his head and covered his mouth with his hand, poorly suppressing the giggles that tried to escape.

“Don’t laugh at me!”

That only spurred him on further, letting out a loud chuckle at the other boy. “How do you forget something like that?”

“There was a lot going on!”

“And you just assumed I’d say yes? What if someone already asked me?” 

It was mostly a tease, he certainly wasn’t expecting for Luffy to fly up from his spot in his lap, whipping his head around to look at him. “Did they? Are you going with somebody else?” The question practically flew from his lips, leaving him breathless.

He was taken aback by the genuine concern in the other’s eyes. Luffy looked nervous—afraid at the mere chance of Law going with someone that wasn’t him. It was incredibly endearing.

He let out a small amused huff. “I’m kidding. I’m not going with anyone else.”

Luffy gave a small pout for being teased, mumbling something about Law being mean. At this point, especially in this moment, it was becoming increasingly harder by the day to suppress his urges when it came to the other boy so for once he let himself indulge in them. He reached out, gently but firmly taking Luffy’s chin in his fingers and pulled him closer, his lips softly pressing against his forehead just below his hairline.

“With that being said,” He pulled back, golden eyes meeting soft brown ones—pupils blown wide as the other stared at him. “Do you want to go to homecoming with me?” 

Luffy stared at him for a long second, slightly dazed before nodding. He was so close, close enough to feel his breath on his skin when he breathed and it was almost painful to keep himself from moving forward. It was only when he noticed Luffy’s eyes dart down to his lips for a split second that he let go of him, pulling back and clearing his throat awkwardly.

“You should go back inside. I know you’re hungry and the others are sure to be worried.”

Luffy shook himself out of his daze and frowned at him. “Aren’t you coming too?”

He let out a breath. “I am, just… Just give me a minute, okay?”

The other didn’t seem satisfied with that answer, the crease in his eyebrows deepening but he nodded his head regardless. “If you’re not back by the time I’m done eating I’m coming to find you.”

Law threw a smile over to him. “That’s not fair. You gotta give me more than five seconds.”

“I don’t eat that fast.”

“I’ve seen you inhale a plate of meat in two.”

“It was Sanji’s food! I couldn’t help myself.” 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go on, I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Fine.” Despite his words Luffy seemed to hesitate for a moment. Though before Law could ask what was wrong he surged forward, his lips meeting Law’s cheek in a chaste kiss. Without another word the other finally stood from his spot and started making his way back to the cafeteria.

He looked back once with a worried expression but Law simply waved him off with a small smile, but as soon as he disappeared around the corner that smile fell. A long breath of air escaped his mouth and he ran his hands over his face. That was one of his problems solved—even if it gave way to a whole new, albeit worse, one.

He did want Luffy to know. To know about that part of himself that he kept hidden but it would be hard talking about after almost seven years of repressing almost any and all feelings relating to his family. The dread settled in his stomach like a heavy weight, sending a wave of nausea through him and he knew then that he’d be in an even shittier mood the rest of the day.

Once he finally gathered the courage to face the others he pulled himself from the ground and slowly made his way back inside. As soon as he walked through the door he was met with a funny sight. Luffy was standing up, pulling against Nami and Sanji who each had a grip on one of his wrists. The two of them looked to be yelling at him and Law noticed Robin letting out a soft laugh when she saw him across the room. The black haired girl pointed over to him and nearly everybody at the table looked up.

At the same time Sanji and Nami let go of Luffy causing him to fall backwards on his ass but just as quickly scrambling to his feet and making his way over to Law. He wrapped his arms around him and looked up into his eyes. Law couldn’t help the small smile on his lips. “I’m okay.” He said before Luffy even had the chance to ask.

The other boy let go of him, instead grabbing his hand and pulling him over to the table with the others. To their credit none of them asked him questions about what had happened and instead continued on like normal which he was grateful for. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk anyways.

Unfortunately for Law the day continued like normal, or as normal as it could get after that. Despite his wishes he separated from Luffy after lunch ended and headed to his math class alongside Penguin, Kidd, and Killer. It wasn’t but a few minutes after they sat down that there was a harsh kick to his shin—harshly jolting him out of his thoughts.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?” He met Kidd’s gaze with a glare of his own, looking up from his worksheets.

“Don’t tell me you’re lettin’ what that bitch said get to ya like that.” 

He gave pause at that, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest with a sigh. “It’s not that. I couldn’t care less about what someone like her thinks about me.”

“Then why are ya sittin’ here mopin’?”

“I’m not-” He cut himself off when he saw the other raising his eyebrow at him. Maybe he was moping, just a little bit. “It just…” It was a bit of a battle with himself to keep from breaking down right there and then as he desperately tried to get his brain to focus long enough to say the words stuck in his throat. “It brought back memories that I was trying really hard to forget.”

“Is this about…” Your uncle? Killer left the question hanging but Law heard his words loud and clear.

He shook his head. “No. This is from before that.” 

His body language must’ve made it clear enough that he didn’t want to talk about it since moments later Penguin leaned over to him and asked for help on a couple of questions. Law looked at him questioningly since math was, surprisingly, Penguin’s best subject. He doubted the other truly needed help but went along with it if only for the distraction it provided.

Science was much the same, the only difference being that he couldn’t talk to the others given that the majority of the class was a lecture which was arguably worse. He couldn’t find it in himself to focus on the teacher’s words, the noise in his head being far louder in comparison. His hand rested on top of his notebook where he was taking notes—or at least pretending to, eyes tracing where white met tanned skin. He knew he had been staring too long when he could’ve swore the white began to fucking grow. 

Law tugged his sleeve over his hand and sat back in his seat, once again adjusting the hood around his neck in an attempt to get some air in his lungs. It was paranoia. It had to be paranoia. He had been cured for four years now, no trick his mind tried to play on him would change that fact. He tried to focus on something else—anything else, other than the sound of his heart beating in his ears.

His body gave a light jolt when a foot knocked against his under the table and looked over to find Nami’s eyes already on him. The concern in her gaze was clear as day and finally he relented, leaning forward and burying his head in his arms with a deep sigh. A hand came to rest on his shoulder giving it a light squeeze. That’s how they sat for the remainder of the class. Nami’s hand a steady pressure, thumb gently rubbing over the clothed muscle of his shoulder and giving him something to focus on. 

“Thank you for that.” Law told her once the period ended.

She lightly patted him on the back. “Anytime Law. I’ll add ten berri to your debt.”

He rolled his eyes. “Good to know you’re only nice when you want something.”

“You just figured this out?” Her arm looped through his and pulled him along to leave. “Come on, I’m sure Luffy’s waiting for you.”

And she was right. As soon as they walked out of the classroom he saw Luffy waiting on them, his hand quickly finding his own and they walked together to their last period. Thankfully it seemed to go by quicker than the others and before he knew it they were leaving.

The drive home was mostly quiet. The whole way there his hand was intertwined with Luffy’s, driving one handed. It wasn’t the safest but it was admittedly one of the only things keeping him from falling apart at the moment. When he pulled into the driveway he was mildly surprised to see that Cora wasn’t home but figured it was probably better that way. The man would’ve immediately started pestering him with questions as soon as he saw him and that was the last thing he needed at the moment. 

The two of them immediately made their way up to Law’s room when they went in. He barely regarded the other boy as he tore off the hoodie he was wearing so he could breathe but almost immediately regretted it. Like this the white spots along his arms were exposed sending a wave of nausea through him, he couldn’t even stand to look at them right now. He quickly shifted through his closet and pulled out a dark sweatshirt with a softer neckline, vaguely recognizing his racing heart. 

As soon as he tugged it down over his body two arms wrapped around him from behind and he let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. The two of them stood like that for a few moments—at least long enough for his breaths to even out. “Sorry…” He found himself mumbling.

Law felt Luffy shake his head from where it rested between his shoulder blades before letting go. He flopped back onto his bed, rubbing his hands over his face when he felt the mattress dip. He didn’t have to look to know who it was but did anyway, finding Luffy lying down right beside him, meeting his soft eyes for a moment before turning away. The other hadn’t initiated contact this time, giving him a semblance of space to get his thoughts together. He was grateful for the thought but found himself reaching out and taking his hand, craving the comfort of his touch instead. Without any hesitation Luffy twisted their fingers together, rubbing his thumb over the discolored skin. 

“Have you heard of a country called Flevance?” The other looked thoughtful for a moment. “It’s fine if you haven’t, it doesn’t exist anymore.” There was a soft squeeze to his hand and he took a deep, steadying breath before continuing. “That’s where I’m from. There was a mineral called Amber Lead that could only be found there.” 

He looked over to meet Luffy’s eyes. “Almost everything was made of it, the buildings, jewelry, even the walkways. It was so beautiful there that the country was nicknamed the ‘White City’. Both of my parents were doctors and ran the hospital there. It was them, me, and my little sister.”

“You had a sister?” He asked, a little breathless.

Law nodded, a small smile making its way onto his lips. “Her name was Lami. You remind me of her a bit, you both like to drag me around against my will.” Luffy let out a soft giggle at that. “She was two years younger than me and was always trying to get me to play with her or take her to the park, even if I was busy.”

“Knowing you, you probably had your nose stuck in a book.” That comment earned the other boy a glare as his smile widened. “Am I right?”

Law rolled his eyes. “I was studying medicine. I wanted to be a doctor like my parents, even then.”

There was a brief silence between them before Luffy spoke, his voice almost a whisper. “What happened to them?”

The hand in his tightened just a bit. “The Amber Lead was toxic. It had been slowly poisoning everyone for nearly a century and each generation had a shorter lifespan than the last. Even if I wanted to I couldn’t…” have kids of my own. The words stuck in his throat. He was cured but the risk of passing it on was too great in his mind and it’s one he wouldn’t take.

He took a deep breath, dark eyes meeting his own. “I was supposed to die when I was thirteen. The poison slowly erodes you from the inside and in its final stages turns the skin white.” He lifted up his free hand. “That’s where these come from. Lami was the first of my family to show symptoms of it.”

“Then they all…”

Law shook his head. “The surrounding countries thought it was contagious, which it wasn’t, and cut us off from the rest of the world.” He replayed the memories of that day in his head, the frown on his face deepening as he turned his eyes toward the ceiling. “The hospital was overflowing with patients without enough supplies to go around. Both of my parents tried to find a cure, even when they were feeling the effects of the poison themselves. I overheard my dad on the phone that night begging for supplies and trying to reason with them. He tried to explain that it wasn’t contagious but no one would listen.”

“Torao…”

“They killed everyone. All because they were scared of a disease that wasn’t even infectious. I was the only one who survived.” 

He had told his friends from Swallow Island about his past when they met but had never gone into too much detail about it. After that he pushed away the memories, refusing to allow himself to think about his family that was taken from him too early. There was always something more important after all. Doflamingo, being on the run, surviving.

It was like a bone that had never been given the chance to heal properly. He had gotten used to the constant pain, had learned how to work around it and keep going despite how much it hurt. The only way to fix it would be to reset the bone but that involved a whole new process of healing—one he never thought he was quite ready for. He had lived so long with the broken one that he would have to relearn how to live with one that wasn’t so deformed, even if it still offered him pain from time to time.

“I tried to hide her, Lami, I mean when I heard all the noise outside and went to look for my parents. When I found them they were already…” He swallowed down the lump in his throat, images of two bodies lying in a pool of their own blood flashing in his mind. Luffy’s hand squeezed his, an act of comfort that he wasn’t sure he was grateful for as tears sprung in his eyes. They didn’t fall yet but threatened him like the receding tide before a storm. 

He should stop—needed to stop before there was no going back. He never liked to cry in front of others. It was too vulnerable, too weak but he found himself unable to keep it in. Everything that had been building up over the past seven years was spilling out and he was powerless to stop it. The cracks grew with each word that spilled from his lips and every memory that echoed through his mind.

He recounted fleeing from the hospital with bullets grazing just past him but never quite hitting the mark. About shaking off his pursuers and having to stifle his cries lest he be found and killed. How he was forced to walk through the bodies made up of his neighbors and classmates, wading through a sea of blood that stained the once pristine, white pavement red.

The longer he talked the more his voice wavered, becoming shaky with every breath he took. “I went back to the hospital to get her so we could escape together but when I made it back they had… They-” He opened his mouth, desperate for air, but all that escaped was a choked sob. “Fuck…” Law let go of Luffy’s hand and sat up, bringing his hands up to wipe away the tears that escaped. “Sorry.” It came out almost as a whimper.

He couldn't stop the tears. The overwhelming grief and anger hit him like a truck. He didn't know what to do with these emotions, couldn't handle them all at once. A hand came to rest on his back, rubbing it in slow circles and he felt Luffy leaning against him with his head on his shoulder. 

“They set it on fire. I couldn’t even get close without getting burned while she was still trapped inside.” It was a thought that kept him awake on the worst nights. About whether his sister had been found and offered a quick death or if she had been trapped in that closet as it burned, crying out for her brother who had failed to protect her. 

He looked over to Luffy who already had his gaze on him, eyebrows pinched in concern and something close to pity. “I don’t- I don’t have anything left of them, not even-” my memory. His body trembled with sobs that he failed to hold back. “I can’t… I can’t remember their faces… Or their voices. It’s all blurry.” 

It was like most of his memories of his home and family had been erased—burned from his mind after that night. Logically, he knew it’s probably his extensive trauma that was causing the mental block but he couldn’t help but let the guilt of it weigh him down. He couldn’t save them and now he couldn’t even remember them. Not their smiles, the sound of their voices, nothing.

“That’s- That’s why I joined the gang. I lost everything that night. My family, my home, everything.” He brought his hands up to wipe at his face, only further irritating his eyes that were sure to be bloodshot already. “And then I almost got Cora—dad killed when he tried to find a cure for me. He should’ve just left-” Law quickly shut his mouth when he felt Luffy flinch against him and curled into himself further.

Luffy caught on to his words though and he felt the other pull away from him. Just as quickly as his touch left he felt a hand on his cheek, turning his head. “He should’ve what?” 

Law met his eyes, a mix of defiance and anger staring back at him. He looked away guiltily. “Nothing. It’s-” Air caught in his throat, bringing a new wave of tears to his eyes. Damn his big mouth and emotions.

“Torao,” Both hands now rested on his cheeks, softly, but firmly forcing Law to look at him. “He shouldn’t have left you anywhere. He saved you because he cares-”

“You don’t understand!” He cut him off, grabbing one of his hands and squeezing tightly. “I almost lost him too. If- If I had been a second later he would’ve died too.”

“But he didn’t. And neither did you.” Luffy pulled him in, wrapping his arms around his trembling figure as he dropped his head onto his shoulder, wetting it with his tears.

They went quiet for a few minutes, the only sound being Law’s stuttering breaths and quiet sniffles. When he could finally talk again his voice shook pitifully. “He took me to as many hospitals as he could but whenever the doctors or nurses saw me—when they knew where I was from they… They all screamed and ran. They called me a monster. No one would help or even just listen to us for a second. That’s why it took so long to find a cure.” 

Law felt his arms tighten around him, just shy of being painful. “You’re not a monster. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong.” He pulled back enough to lift Law’s head, wiping away the tears with his thumb. “I’m sorry Hammock said all of those mean things earlier. I should’ve stopped her. If I had known-”

Law shook his head, leaning his forehead against the other’s. “You couldn’t have known. I think we were all surprised that she would even go that far.”

“Still, if anyone else says anything, tell me and I’ll beat them up for you.”

He let out a wet laugh. “You know I can take care of myself right?”

“I know. That doesn’t mean I can’t too.”

“You’re too good to me sometimes,” A sad smile appeared on his lips. “I don’t feel like I deserve it.”

“Torao,” Luffy gazed at him, a fire burning in his eyes but instead of the scalding, destructive flames he was used to, it was warm, comfortable, and safe. “Don’t say that. You deserve so much, a lot more than whatever I can give you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The other boy pulled away slightly, looking down and fiddling with his thumbs in his lap. “I know I’m reckless, and loud, and I don’t think before I do things. You know Sabo’s scar? The one on his eye?” Law nodded. “It’s my fault he has it. He can’t even see out of it anymore.”

“How could something like that be your fault?”

He shrugged. “Me, ‘Bo, and Ace used to play around in a junkyard back in Goa. A lot of criminals hung around there but we didn’t care, and one day I heard some of them talking bad about us. I didn’t care what they said about me but I didn’t like them insulting my brothers so I said something about it even though I knew they were dangerous.

They didn’t care that I was a kid and tried to hurt me. When ‘Bo and Ace tried to protect me they set the place on fire and got hurt though Ace wasn’t hurt as bad as ‘Bo. Dadan saw the fire and got us out but she got burned really bad too.” He let out a humorless laugh. “‘Kino was horrified when she got home that day.”

“Luffy-”

“I know. They said they don’t blame me for what happened but I can’t help but feel guilty. I can tell when it bothers him,” He gestured to his own eye, “It twitches when it’s hurting though I’m not sure if he notices sometimes.”

“Were you hurt?”

“A couple scrapes and bruises but nothing too bad.”

“Then take it from someone who was a big brother,” He lifted Luffy’s face with a hand on his cheek, “I know they were just happy you were okay. I’m positive they don’t blame you.”

The other boy met his eyes, that soft determination making a return. “Then as someone who’s a little brother I know Lami wouldn’t blame you either. You did the best you could.”

Law’s hand twitched where it rested on his face, a fresh wave of tears spilling over before he could stop it. “Right…” He said, breathless. Before he could react Luffy shifted and laid back on the bed. “What are you doing?”

“You said you didn’t sleep last night right?” He adjusted the pillow behind his head and held out his arms. “C’mere.”

Luffy drew him in, maneuvering him to lay with his head on his chest and a leg thrown over him. He felt it was a little awkward considering how much taller he was than the other but all of that was forgotten the second he heard the steady thump of his heart under him. It was then he realized that Luffy had chosen this position for a reason. To remind Law that he was here, that he was warm and alive.

He didn’t get the chance to ponder on the warm feeling in his chest for long. A hand made its way into his hair, working through all the snags and small tangles. Suffice it to say between all of that and his utter lack of sleep it didn’t take more than a mere few minutes for him to fall asleep against him.

When Law started to wake it was to two hushed voices. In his haziness he tried to make out the words but to no avail and once he shifted they both stopped. “Law?” 

All at once the awareness returned to his body, a pulse of pain pulsing through his head causing an involuntary wince. Feeling more awake than before he slowly pried his eyes open, finding himself and Luffy tangled together as well as Cora who was sitting on the edge of the bed. “Dad?” He brought a hand up, wiping the crust from his eyes. “Where did you go?”

The older man reached his hand out and ran it soothingly through his hair. “I left you a note on the table. I just went to pick up a few groceries.”

Law sat up from his spot and stretched his sore limbs with a soft sigh, squeezing his eyes shut as if he could will away his headache. “I didn’t see it.”

“Luffy told me what happened. Are you okay?” 

He turned his head to look at the other who quickly looked away from him. “I’m fine.”

“Law-”

“Dad, don’t.” He rubbed at his temple. “I don’t wanna talk about it. Not more than I already have.”

“Fine,” A loud sigh reached his ears. “Any requests for dinner? I haven’t had the chance to make anything yet.”

“Anything that doesn’t involve you burning the house down.”

That earned him a glare. “Take-out then. Brat.” He mumbled the second part as he stood but Law still heard it, a small smile gracing his lips. “I’ll come get you two when it gets here.”

It was about half an hour later when the food arrived and in that time Law had laid back down with Luffy, his body feeling incredibly heavy after the day he’s had. The other didn’t seem to mind much but quickly got up as soon as Cora called for them—much to Law’s annoyance. Dinner wasn’t as awkward as he thought it would be but then again how could it with two chatterboxes like Cora and Luffy. The older man was very excited to figure out that the two of them were going to homecoming together and asked a million questions, most of which Law let the other answer.

It wasn’t long before he had to take Luffy home considering it was a school night—even if he desperately wanted the other to stay. The ride to Luffy’s apartment was quiet, but was much more comfortable than the drive earlier. Once he pulled in and parked he gathered up enough courage to finally say something. “Thank you, for listening I mean. I know it was a lot and-”

Luffy cut him off with a hand on his cheek. “You don’t have to thank me. If you need to talk I’m here for you.”

He let out a huff of air. “Same goes for you.”

In an instant the other pulled him in, wrapping his arms around his neck in a hug which Law responded in kind. The angle was a bit awkward considering he was reaching across the console but neither of them seemed to mind. Before Luffy went to pull away Law felt him press his lips against his temple for a long second—because that was apparently something they did now. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Law barely noticed when he moved away and stared at him dumbly.

“Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

A few hours later Law lay in his bed, irritated and exhausted. It wasn’t enough that he didn’t sleep enough the night before but apparently his body thought that the nap from earlier was a full night’s rest—even if it was the farthest thing from it. He turned his head, staring at his closed door for a good minute. He had heard Cora go to bed about an hour earlier and made a decision. If he didn’t sleep tonight then he would be even more miserable tomorrow and that was the last thing he wanted.

Law pulled himself out of bed before leaving his room and padding down the hallway, stopping in front of the older man’s room. He raised his hand to knock on the door before pausing, suddenly feeling like a small child who just had a nightmare and was looking for comfort—even if it wasn’t too far off from the truth—he was seventeen for Christ's sake. 

After a minute of going back and forth with himself he swallowed his pride and knocked, almost immediately hearing a voice on the other side telling him to come in. When he opened the door he found Cora sitting up on his bed, book in hand and his small lamp bathing the room in warm light. “What’s the matter? Couldn’t sleep?” Law nodded. 

He knew the words he wanted to say but it stuck in his throat, feeling embarrassed now that he was here. “What’re you reading?” He asked instead.

“It’s one I first read when I was in marine training.” Cora looked down at the book in his hand and back up to Law, a knowing look in his eyes. “Do you want to read it with me?”

Before Law even had the chance to nod, the older man was pulling back the covers beside me, patting at the spot for him to come over. He easily slid under the blankets and made himself comfortable, leaning against his side when Cora ran a comforting hand through his hair.

“You know, I don’t mind if you want to sleep in here-”

“Shut up.”

Chapter Text

When Friday came around Law still wasn’t in the best of moods. After telling Luffy everything, his memories of Flevance—or at least what was left of them, were still fresh on his mind. Though this time he couldn’t push them away like he did before. The wounds had been ripped open and he had to let them bleed a bit before they would start to heal.

As he pulled in he noticed Nami, Ikkaku, and Robin standing near where he normally parks. He quickly hopped out, pulling his thin jacket tighter around him to fight back the chill of the morning. “What are you doing over here?”

The orange haired girl rolled her eyes at him. “Do you expect us to carry this around all day?”

Only then did he notice the unusual number of bags sitting at their feet along with their normal school bags. “You need all of that for one night?”

Robin let out a small laugh. “To be fair it’s not a normal night.”

“Yes Law,” Nami huffed in annoyance, “Just because you can throw on an outfit and be done doesn’t mean that we can. Besides, I had to bring all of my nail stuff too.”

He let out a sigh and popped the trunk of his car and they piled their bags in. As they walked to the front of the school to find the others it didn’t take Law long to spot the new addition. The boy was a bit shorter than Luffy with bright pink hair, a green patterned bandana tied around his forehead. Big blue glasses sat on top of the accessory—an odd choice of colors but that wasn’t what bothered Law.

What bothered him was the fact that this random kid and Luffy were so deep in conversation that the latter hadn’t even noticed him yet. 

Before he even had the chance to do anything he felt a jab to his side. “Fix your face.” 

He turned and glared at Ikkaku who only smirked in response and Shachi threw an arm around his shoulder. “She’s right. You look ready to kill the poor kid.” 

Law threw his arm off. “Leave me alone, I’m not going to kill him.” He rolled his eyes.

Maybe just scare him a little.

His eyes wandered back over to the two of them and the pink on the other kid’s cheeks wasn’t lost on him. It wasn’t a few seconds later that he spotted Law and he felt a deep satisfaction at the full-body flinch that he gave. This in turn caused Luffy to look over and as soon as he saw Law his face broke out into a big smile. 

“Torao!” As soon as that stupid nickname left his lips he was already moving, pointedly ignoring the ‘like a moth to a flame’ comment from behind him. “Have you met Koby?” He asked, attaching himself to Law’s side—a fact that he definitely wasn’t internally gloating about—and he wrapped an arm around the other.

“I haven’t.” He barely spared the other a glance, more focused on the boy beside him and the chill against his skin. Luffy was clad in a simple t-shirt and his normal shorts—far too little clothing for the weather. “Are you not cold?”

“Hm?” Luffy looked up at him, down at himself, and promptly proceeded to start shivering. “I wasn’t until you said something.” Law let out a sigh.

In the corner of his eye he noticed Koby make a grab at his jacket but Law was quicker, shrugging his own jacket off his shoulders and tossed it over the shorter boy, ignoring the snickers from behind him. “I’m almost positive Sabo-ya probably told you to wear a jacket.”

“I forgot it!” Luffy fitted his arms through it before looking up at Law once more. “What about you?”

“I’m fine.” He said, playfully flipping the hood up to cover his head. At the very least Law was also wearing a long-sleeve shirt so he wasn’t completely defenseless to the cold. Besides, it would get warmer as the day went on so he wasn’t too worried about freezing to death.

Luffy pulled it back down with a small laugh. “Oh yeah,” He started, “Koby, this is Torao!”

“Trafalgar Law.” He quickly corrected, refusing the chance for his nickname to even leave the kid’s mouth.

“It’s— It’s nice to meet you.”

“Koby’s in the year below us.” Luffy explained. “He sometimes trains with gramps to become a marine.”

The new information only furthered his dislike for the brat in front of him. He wasn’t able to stop the way his eyes narrowed even further, a hint of a scowl making its way onto his face. Fortunately for Koby he was saved by the bell ringing and quickly said bye to Luffy, scampering off as quickly as he could.

“Stakin’ your claim huh?” Kidd teased quietly as they walked in, heading to their respective classes. The only response Law gave was an elbow to his side causing the other to simply laugh at him before breaking off. 

“How come you don’t like Koby?”

Law startled at the question. They were in the middle of their English class when Luffy asked. Thankfully the conversation around them was loud enough that no one was paying attention to them because he didn’t think he could say anything otherwise.

“I never said I didn’t like him.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Law regarded the other boy for a moment who was looking at him curiously. “I don’t respect anyone who wants to become a marine.”

Luffy seemed to think about that but didn’t seem convinced in the slightest. “You like Cora though. And Nami’s mom.”

“That’s different.”

“And Sengoku.”

“He’s on thin ice,” Luffy laughed at that. “I don’t like your grandfather either.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, but you don’t like him for a different reason.” The other boy knocked his shoulder against Law’s playfully.

“Two things can be true at once.” He said knocking back against him. The silence stretched between them for a few moments before Law decided to test the water. “He clearly likes you, you know?”

Luffy tilted his head in confusion, an adorable thing that definitely did not have Law melting at the sight of it. “I like Koby too, he’s my friend.”

“That’s not what I meant. He likes you the same way Hancock does.” The same way I do.

“He does? Are you sure?” When Law nodded he brought a finger up to scratch at his cheek. “I don’t think of him like that so I never noticed.”

Law couldn’t suppress the small scoff he let out. “Pretty obvious from where I was standing.”

Luffy gave pause at that and he watched as the other boy studied his face and looked down at Law’s jacket that he was still wearing until something akin to recognition lit up his features.

“Are you jealous?”

It was like a shock to his nervous system at the question, setting him on edge. Before he could even try and save face a wide smile spread across Luffy’s face, a gleam in his eye that wasn’t there before.

“...No.” Fuck, fuck, fuck. You dumbass. You absolute fucking idiot. He knows, he definitely knows—

“Shishishi, you definitely are.” 

He turned in his chair to face Law completely, who in turn leaned back in his own, crossing his arms over his chest in a poor act of indifference. “No I’m not,” He tried, “What do I even have to be jealous about?”

Luffy shrugged, his smile almost smug. “I don’t know, you tell me.”

“Nothing. It’s none of my business who you’re friends with, even if they are little marine wannabes.” The second part came out mumbled but Luffy still heard it.

“You don’t act like that when I talk to the others though.”

“The others don’t act like that with you.” 

“So you are jealous.” 

Law could feel the blush creeping up his face, knowing he had been caught. “Why do you care so much?”

He shrugged again. “I don’t.” He pulled one of Law’s arms away from his chest, grabbing his hand and intertwining their fingers together. “But you’re cute when you get all red.”

His free hand came up and covered his face—a poor attempt at hiding it. “You’re so embarrassing.”

“Shishishi, you like it.”

“I don’t.” He does.

Art class, for the most part, was almost insufferable. The entire time he was forced to watch Usopp and Kaya steal glances at each other, and with homecoming being the next day there was only one reason why. 

There was a loud thump from under the table and from Usopp’s resulting cry he could only assume that Ikkaku had kicked him. “Dude,” She started, “This is pathetic. Just go ask her!”

In return he puffed out his chest, forcing a brave face. “You see I would, but the stars are not in place! It would be irresponsible to not take into consideration the devastating effects of imperfect timing for something such as a homecoming proposal!” 

Luffy tilted his head in confusion while Law and Ikkaku both raised an eyebrow in his direction. His facade instantly cracked. “What if someone already asked her?” He wrung his hands together with anxiety. “I’m just gonna make a fool of myself if that’s the case.”

“Considering she’s been eyeing you since the second you walked in I highly doubt that.” Law replied.

“Well of course she is! Who wouldn’t dare to gaze upon the great Usopp!” Luffy giggled at his antics before he deflated again. “It’s hopeless.”

Silence mounted heavily over their small group. Law merely turned back to his own project. They had been working on self-portraits much to his dismay and he was mostly just trying to get this one over with so they could move on to the next—even if he was obsessing over minor details. It wasn’t until Ikkaku started talking again that he looked up. 

“You know she is pretty cute. Sure would be a shame if someone did ask her out before you could.”

Her grin turned smug when Usopp snapped his head up to stare at her. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact I don’t have a date for homecoming either.”

“Yeah, but you said-”

“That I’m going to keep myself open? I know. But it just hurts my heart to see such a pretty girl going alone.” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “She deserves to have someone who appreciates her on such an important night, don’t you think so Usopp? I’d be more than happy to fill that role.”

Ikkaku turned her head slightly, catching the eyes of the few girls on the other side of the room—which included Kaya. As if further threatening Usopp she let out a wink that was nothing but flirty and Law heard the sound of giggles as the boy looked at her in slight horror. 

“I’ll give you until the end of lunch,” Her gaze landed back on him, “After that you’ve lost your chance.”

Usopp wasn’t given the chance to respond as the bell rang signaling that class was over. He quickly grabbed his things and left the room, a sense of doom hanging over him. “You’re a terrible person.” Law said.

She merely waved him off. “Oh it’ll be fine. He just needs a little push is all.” 

“Usopp can do it.” Luffy reassured them. “He just gets in his head and overthinks a lot, like Torao does!”

“What? I do not!” 

Ikkaku let out a loud laugh. “Sure you don't, Cap'n.” She started to walk off and waved behind her. “See you guys at lunch! And we’ll see which one of us gets a date.”

Law really would be lying if he said he wasn’t the least bit curious to see how all of this plays out. He definitely had been hanging around Nami too often with her never ending stream of gossip paired with Robin’s information that she somehow had on almost everyone. It made for a deadly duo when paired together.

Needless to say, once lunch rolled around tension between the two of them was high and it certainly did not go unnoticed by the rest. Eventually Nami leaned over to him, lowering her voice so only he could hear. “What’s going on between those two?”

He debated telling her about the conversation from earlier but quickly changed his mind when he noticed Kaya walking over. “Just watch.” 

She sent him a curious glance but kept quiet. Once Kaya made it to the table Law noticed the book she had in her hand as she turned to the youngest of them all. “Here’s your book back, Chopper. I appreciate you letting me borrow it.” She handed the book over and Law eyed the cover, vaguely recognizing it as one he had been trying to get his hands on. 

Chopper took it from her hand, a sparkle gleaming in his eyes as he turned to her. “What did you think of it? It was super interesting right?!” 

She nodded with a small smile on her face. “It was. I made some notes if you wanted to see them later.”

Before Chopper responded to her it was as if he could feel Law’s eyes on him and turned. He glanced down at the book in his hand before looking back up to him and held it out. “Did you want to see it too?”

Law instantly perked up at the question, he did want to see it. He had to swallow down his excitement as he nodded and took the book—almost immediately opening it and skimming through it. It was one that he had never been able to find anywhere no matter how many times he searched.

The book was pretty straightforward in itself—a collection of rare diseases and conditions that even most common doctors typically didn’t know about. It was almost unconscious the way he searched the pages for any mention of Amber Lead Syndrome, White Lead Disease, just anything for the questions he didn’t even know if he wanted answers to but was met with disappointment. It didn’t mean all was lost however since as soon as he had some free time he would absolutely pour over the pages and make his own set of notes.

He had just stopped on a page about Endocardial Fibroelastosis when he felt the stares of the others. “What?” His voice came out annoyed but after rereading his own medical books a frankly unhealthy amount of times he was ecstatic at the prospect of new material. 

Shachi let out a snort. “I haven’t seen you that excited since the last Sora comic came out.” 

His face flushed at being caught and scowled. “Shut up. I’ve been looking for this one for years.”

When he looked back up the gleam in Kaya’s eyes didn’t go unnoticed as she asked her next question. “Are you studying to be a doctor too?”

“A surgeon. Cardiothoracic specifically.” Law looked over to Chopper. “How were you even able to find this book anyways?”

“Oh, I didn’t find it.” Chopper smiled. “Dr. Kureha let me have it!”

Law gave a full body flinch at the new information he was hearing as he stared at the other wide-eyed. Before he could stop himself he jumped to his feet and slammed his hands on the table a little too hard. “You know Dr. Kureha?!”

“She’s my mentor.” His voice came out almost meek.

He stared for a long moment, the rest of the table quiet as they waited for him to say something. Finally Law brought a hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “I have been in this god forsaken town for months and not one of you decided to tell me that two of you had connections to the most famous doctors on this side of the world?!”

“Hey! I told you about Marco!” Luffy huffed at his side and he sat back down.

“You didn’t tell me it was that Marco! I wouldn’t have even known if Ace-ya didn’t mention it!”

Just like ‘Phoenix’ Marco had been revered for his surgical skills there was the other side of that where Kureha’s medicines had taken the pharmaceutical world by storm once she came into the picture. Not only that but her knowledge on diseases was second to none—the very book in his hands having been written by one of her former colleagues. That’s why it was such a sought after book and damn near impossible to find most of the time.

Before Law even had the chance to say anything else Kaya’s voice rang out across the table. “Are you okay Usopp? You don’t look so good.”

Law looked over just in time to see the other plaster a smile on his face, even if it was strained. “Me? Of course! The Great Usopp—”

“Kaya right?” Ikkaku stood from her own seat and the flash of panic that washed over Usopp didn’t go unnoticed. “I don’t think we’ve met yet, I’m Ikkaku.”

The blonde’s smile was kind as she regarded her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you! I knew there were some new students but I haven’t had the chance to introduce myself.”

Usopp had told him a bit about Kaya though he’s never talked to her directly. First impressions, kind, smart, and overly polite. The kind of polite where it was obvious she came from money—even if he already knew that. 

“It’s alright, I’ve heard a lot about you,” The corner of her lips tilted up, “but I have to say, you are much prettier up close.” The laugh the other girl let out was a bit shy, not expecting to be complimented like that. Kaya politely thanked Ikkaku but she wasn’t finished just yet. “You know, it might be nice to get to know each—”

“KAYA!” Usopp jumped from his seat and slammed his hands on the table, startling the other girl a bit. “Sorry,” He apologized sheepishly, “can I talk to you for a minute?” 

Her face lit up, a mix of hope and anticipation gracing her features as she let out a breathy okay. As the two of them walked over she waved over her shoulder, “It was nice meeting you guys!” 

Once the two of them were out of hearing range nearly everyone turned on Ikkaku who was radiating pure smugness. “What the hell was that about? What did you do?” Shachi asked.

“Oh, you know,” Her smirk grew, “just gave him a little push is all.”

Penguin looked unimpressed. “Uhuh, in what way?”

She took it upon herself to explain everything that had transpired in their art class, the smile never leaving her face. When she finished Nami’s face matched her own. “Oh we are going to do great things together.” 

“That was mean,” Kidd spoke up on her other side, “I like your style.”

She merely shrugged and gestured with her hand. “It worked didn’t it?”

All of them turned just in time to see a shy smile spread across Kaya’s face from where the two of them stood near the edge of the lunchroom. She quickly nodded her head, a yes escaping her lips that was clear to see even from their table. 

Killer raised an eyebrow at Ikkaku. “And if it didn’t? You weren’t actually going to ask her out were you?”

“Oh no, I totally still would’ve— Don’t look at me like that!” She waved off the few glares that earned her. “Even if I did, there's no way she would’ve agreed to go with me.”

“So you were going to ask knowing you’d get rejected?” 

“Exactly. And then we have a bonding moment and I encourage her to ask Usopp herself since he clearly wasn’t going to. I get a new friend and she gets the guy she’s been pining after for who knows how long.”

“Years.” Nami chimed in.

“Right, years.”

Law’s eyes wandered back over to the two of them when he saw Kaya reach up and place a chaste kiss to Usopp’s cheek before quickly making her exit. Usopp however seemed frozen to the spot, jaw hanging open and eyes wide in surprise.

“Oh no, he’s broken.” Nami said. “Zoro, go get him.”

“Why me?!”

“Need I remind you of your massive debt to me?”

He clicked his tongue in annoyance but ultimately did as he was told. For the rest of lunch Usopp was stuck in a daze, his face eventually morphing from shock into lovestruck, though Law just ignored him for the most part.

Once the last bell rang anxious whispers and the sound of bags being packed quicker than normal made its way to his ears. As students flooded the hallways to leave there was an air of excitement that could be felt by everyone—even him. When he made to leave the classroom he was surprised when a hand grabbed his and pulled him back, turning to find Luffy as the culprit.

Robin sent them a questioning look but he waved her off. “I’ll be out in a minute.” She merely nodded and made her way out of the classroom with everyone else until it was just Law and Luffy left. “You okay?”

Luffy nodded, wrapping his arms around Law in a hug and resting his head on his chest. “I’m gonna miss you.”

He let out a short huff, just barely a laugh. “We’re gonna see each other tomorrow.”

“Yeah, but I always come over to yours on the weekend.” The shorter boy turned his head to look up at him. “Are you sure I can’t come?”

Cute, cute, cute. “I think Nami-ya might kill me if I change her plans.” He pouted. “Besides, aren’t you and the others going to Franky-ya’s?”

Luffy seemed to perk up at the reminder of hanging out with his other friends and nodded, an adorable smile on his face. “His place is super cool, you should meet his dog Sunny! She’s a golden retriever and is super fun to play with!”

Law let out a soft smile. “Is she?”

“Mhm! Don’t tell Franky but I’m her favorite, I can tell.”

“I’m sure you are.” Law playfully messed up his hair. “Come on, I’m sure the others are gonna come looking for us soon.” He went to move away but was stopped by the other tightening his arms. “Hm?”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Law raised an eyebrow waiting for an explanation but the other looked away at his clear confusion. His cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink, bringing a finger to scratch at his cheek and oh—

Law truly was the luckiest guy in the world.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He smirked.

“Torao!”

“What? How am I supposed to know what you mean unless you tell me?”

Luffy’s mouth opened and closed a few times, struggling to find the words he wanted to say which only caused his blush to darken and Law’s smile to widen. “Don’t be mean.” Was all that came out.

“How am I being mean?”

“You know what I want.”

He shrugged. “No idea.” Law didn’t get the opportunity to be the one teasing Luffy so he took the opportunity for what it was, nearly melting when the other buried his face in his chest. “Cat got your tongue?”

One second Luffy’s arms were tightly wrapped around his waist and the next his hands were gripping the collar of his shirt, pulling him down enough for him to place a wet kiss high up on Law’s cheek, just below his eye. When the other retreated back his face was a mix of hesitance and hopefulness.

Who was he to say no to that?

“You know if you wanted a kiss you could’ve just said so.” Luffy opened his mouth to retort but was cut short when Law’s lips met the skin of his cheek. “Happy?” 

“...No.”

Despite himself a small snort escaped as he pulled the other back into him. “Since you can’t come over tonight,” He changed the subject, mostly to prevent himself from full on kissing the other in the middle of their classroom, “you can spend the night tomorrow, if you want.”

“Can I?” Luffy turned his head up to look at him, a soft gleam in his eye. 

He hummed in agreement, tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear before finally pulling away, suddenly flustered by his own actions. Law cleared his throat as he grabbed his bag, the tips of his ears burning. Luffy twisted their hands together as they walked out and he noticed Robin in the hallway waiting on them. She had a small smile on her face when she looked at them but didn’t say anything so he merely shrugged it off.

As soon as they walked out of the building he was nearly knocked over by a heavy weight jumping on his back. “Cap’n!” Ikkaku yelled in his ear, arms and legs wrapping around him. “What took you so long? We’ve been waiting forever!”

He scowled at her over his shoulder. “It wasn’t that long. I think you’ll be fine waiting a few minutes.”

“I beg to differ. Me and Nami have been dying of boredom over here.” He sent a glance to the orange haired girl who just laughed at him. A sigh escaped his lips before Ikkaku promptly jumped off of him, linking her arm with his.

They said bye to the others and left soon after that, the four of them piling into his car with Robin claiming the passenger seat. As soon as they opened the door to his house the sound of laughter reached their ears and he called out to his dad, letting him know they were home. Nami and Ikkaku pushed past him and made their way into the kitchen where they found Cora and Bellemere.

“Cora!” Both girls yelled in unison, jumping onto the man with a hug and nearly knocking him over if it wasn’t for Bellemere holding him up.

“Full of energy I see!” He laughed. “It’s good to see you girls again.”

Law looked over to the older woman. “Please don’t tell me you’re letting him cook.”

“Hey!”

“Of course not, who do you take me for?” She playfully rubbed a hand through his hair—a habit she picked up from Cora. “There’s still a bit before it’s ready.”

Quick introductions were made for Robin and Cora who, of course, became emotional about Law having so many friends now and how she was so polite. Law led the other three upstairs to one of the guest rooms that had remained wholly unused in the months they had been here. “You can leave your stuff in here.”

“Aw Law, don’t want us to put our stuff in your room?” Nami asked with a coy smile.

“And have you make a disaster of it? No thanks.” He rolled his eyes as the three of them laughed. “Show me what your outfits look like.”

“For what? It was supposed to be a surprise!” Ikkaku whined.

“Do you want your nails to match or not? I can just paint them a hot pink and just be done with it if you’d prefer.”

Nami huffed at him. “You don’t have to be an asshole about it, you know.” 

He merely shrugged as they pulled out their outfits for tomorrow and showed him, a few ideas already swirling around in his head. He stood in the doorway for a moment before turning to look at the orange haired girl. “Are you wearing silver or gold jewelry?”

Her annoyed expression morphed into one of teasing, a hum escaping her throat. “I thought you wanted to ‘just be done with it’. Didn’t expect you to be this into it.”

“Answer the question.”

“Hmm, gold.”

“Guess I’ll use silver then.”

Nami promptly proceeded to chase him around the house yelling ‘you’d better not’ and ‘if you do you’ll be in my debt the rest of your life’. After dinner the four of them settled into the living room around the coffee table figuring it would be the easiest place to do this and turned on the TV for some background noise. They had gone ahead and changed into comfortable clothes, himself making the switch into his glasses and threatening Ikkaku when she tried to tease him about it.

Just as he was finishing with Robin’s nails his body gave a slight jolt when a tray landed on the table, being so focused on his task that he hadn’t heard the approaching footsteps. When he looked up to see a tray filled with all different kinds of snacks and dips he raised an eyebrow at the two adults beside him. “You two really went all out didn’t you?”

“It is a special night.” Cora responded before pulling something from behind his back and placing it on the table in front of him.

Law curiously grabbed the tall bottle, examining the label before looking up at his dad with wide eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Well, if you want to,” He gestured to the bottle of wine in his son’s hand, “For being seventeen you don’t really do a lot of typical teenager things like drinking and partying.”

“...Would you rather me lie and sneak behind your back?”

The older man let out a snort and rubbed a hand through his hair. “That’s not what I’m saying at all you brat. I’m saying you’re a good kid and I trust you not to take it too far. Besides, if you’re going to do it I’d rather you do it where I know you’re safe.”

“What about you two?” He looked up at the two of them.

“Well, if we’re letting you drink then we have to be responsible adults. We’re staying sober—”

A cough resounded at his side and he turned to look at Bellemere, a blank expression on his face before looking back to his son.

“We’re staying mostly sober tonight.” Laughs and giggles filled the air behind him.

Law nodded and looked at the bottle again, noting that it was one of the more expensive wines Cora had bought recently. He figured it couldn’t hurt. With a glance he realized they hadn’t brought over glasses and stood up when Nami spoke. “If that’s the case,” She turned to look at her mom, “Can I have some of your beers instead? Those are good.”

“Sure.” She shrugged, moving to turn before stopping and looking back at her daughter with a hand on her hip. “Now how would you know that?” Nami blanched, mouth hanging open in clear panic at her little slip up. “Have you been stealing my beers?”

“What?! No! I-” She looked away. “Okay maybe, but only once!”

“And when did this happen?”

Her glare made even Law falter, watching as Nami wrung her hands together in clear guilt. “Spring break, when we all went over to Zoro’s.”

“Spring break-? Nami, I grounded Nojiko for that!”

“I paid her back for it! She took a whole month’s worth of my allowance.” She paused for a second, looking up at her mom with a nervous smile. “I love you?”

Bellemere let out a frustrated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose when Cora let out a small laugh. “Cut the girl some slack Belle. Need I remind you what you were getting into when you were her age?”

“Rosi.”

“I used to have to carry you back to the barracks every weekend since you always insisted on getting shitfaced.”

She snapped her head up to look at the taller man. “I did not insist on that.”

“You always challenged ol’ Smokey to a drinking contest, that’s basically the same thing.”

“It’s not my fault he was always so smug about it. He pissed me off so I had to show him who’s boss.”

“Only that never happened considering he was a big, tall man who knew how to pace himself and you were a short, petite woman at the time tossing back beers like there was no tomorrow.”

“You’re overexaggerating.”

“I had to carry you over my shoulder just to get you to leave as you screamed insults at him. Which you never apologized for by the way.”

“Did it annoy him at least?”

Cora let out a snort. “No, he thought it was hilarious, that’s why he never stopped you.”

“That bastard,” She clenched her hand into a fist, “I bet I could out drink him now.”

Cora sent him a look that said ‘see what I have to deal with’ before turning back to her. “Don’t do that. You’re too old to be having drinking contests like you used to.”

“I’m not that old— Ah!” She cut herself off and pointed an accusing finger up at him. “Stop trying to distract me! We’re not talking about what I used to do, this is about-”

Nami attached herself to her mom’s side, wrapping her arms around her in a clear attempt to suck up to her. “I’m sorry. I felt really bad after I did it.”

“Because you took my beer or because you lost money?”

“Can’t it be both?” Bellemere failed to suppress a small quirk of her lips before schooling her face again and Nami shook her a bit. “Come on mom, don’t be mad! You’re gonna make me sad.”

The older woman finally let out a loud sigh, bringing her arm up to return her daughter’s embrace. “Fine, alright. If I catch you doing it again you’re going to be in so much trouble young lady.” Nami cheered. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have to go call and apologize to your sister. You comin’ Rosi?” She pulled her pack of cigarettes from her back pocket.

“I’ll be out there in a minute.” He waved her off and the five of them watched as she made her way out to the backyard. As soon as the door closed Cora turned on Nami, pointing a finger at her. “This is the only time I’m sticking up for you like that. Don’t do it again, because not even I can stop your mom when she gets angry.”

They all laughed at that, including Cora when Nami very enthusiastically agreed. The older man offered to grab the drinks for her and apparently Ikkaku who shamelessly admitted to liking them—her and the others occasionally swiping a beer or two from Wolf. Him and Law walked to the kitchen together and as he was grabbing two of Cora's wine glasses from the cabinet the older man placed a hand on his shoulder, a somber expression on his face.

"I know this week has been hard for you, especially after everything that happened." Law looked away at that and Cora let out a sigh. "You know maybe it’s not a smart move on my part to be giving you alcohol but I trust you enough to not take advantage of it. As long as you can promise me that you won’t use it as a way to forget because something like that never ends well.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.” 

“Not… Necessarily.” He grimaced a bit. “But I’ve seen first-hand the kind of damage it can do. I know your opinion on them but for marines they’re almost never the same as they were when they enlisted, and not in a good way. Belle and I have lost a couple of friends to their habits and if you couldn’t tell even she had a bit of a problem when we were younger. And then don’t even get me started on the Family.”

Law almost flinched at that, vague memories of a drunk Doffy or intoxicated Trebol and Diamante making their way to the forefront of his mind. They certainly weren’t nice memories by far—him and the other kids always making a point to be out whenever it happened.

“Just,” Cora forced a small smile onto his face, “Let loose, have fun with your friends, and don’t overthink everything like I know you like to do.”

Law scowled at that. “I don’t like to do it.”

“Well for someone who does it as often as you I figured it must be your favorite pastime.” He rolled his eyes at the older man, making his way back to the others but not before Cora ruffled his hair.

By this point Law had had about a glass and a half of wine and was definitely starting to feel something. At the very least his body was warmer than normal. Because of that he resolved himself to not drink anymore until he finished the other’s nails. Robin’s had already been finished and he was now working on Ikkaku’s.

He vaguely listened as the three of them talked and gossiped, his focus solely on the task at hand. Ikkaku was telling them stories from Swallow Island until the conversation eventually shifted—which he didn’t realize until they started talking to him directly.

“...do you think Law?”

He looked up to find the gazes of the three girls on him. “What?”

Much to his annoyance this caused a round of laughs at him when Nami spoke. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you like painting nails with how focused you were.”

Law rolled his eyes at her. “Considering I’m being blackmailed I really don’t. What was the question?”

“We asked what you think about Penguin and Killer.” Ikkaku chimed in as she popped a grape in her mouth.

“Well, I mean I’ve known Pen since we were thirteen,” He shrugged, “I always suspected that he wasn’t straight but even I couldn’t have guessed that he would like Killer that much.” 

“What does that mean?” Robin asked curiously.

“He didn’t tell you?” The corner of his mouth quirked up when she shook her head no. “He took one look at Killer and knew he wasn’t straight.” Another round of laughs. “Other than that I think they’re good together, not that they would listen to me if I thought they weren’t.”

Nami hummed in agreement. “On that note,” She started, “Have any of you figured out Shachi’s date yet?”

Ikkaku groaned at the question. “Me and Pen have been trying to get him to tell us but he refuses to spill! I even tried bribing him with food.”

“Have you seen him talking to anyone around school?” 

She shook her head. “The only people he hangs around are us. I mean he’ll flirt with a couple girls here and there but none of them really seemed interested.” There was a brief silence between the four of them. Even Law couldn’t help but wrack his brain over the idea and his friend’s mysterious date. 

As Ikkaku and Nami switched spots he downed the last bit of wine in his glass but made no move to refill it and instead grabbed the next set of polishes he needed. Slowly but surely the conversation faded out into the background once again as he doubled down on his efforts. His hand had begun to cramp a bit and he was eager to be done with this—at least until the next time they convinced him to do it.

Maybe it was because of the alcohol running through his veins or maybe it was the simple fact of hanging around with the other three like this that he couldn’t help his mind wander to his family—specifically Lami.

“Stop moving.” He chided Nami who waved him off with a small laugh. 

If she had survived and been given the chance to grow up, what would she be like? He wondered if she would’ve turned out to be like Nami—cheeky, a bit vain at times, but compassionate. It was likely considering her personality before the tragedy that struck. They both certainly liked to find his last nerve and crush it under their heel. 

Though maybe she and Ikkaku would’ve been more similar. What with her tomboyish nature and a loud voice that rivaled even Kidd’s brashness half the time. Even with those things Law still catches the childish gleam in her eyes when something excites her or the way she’s never shy about her affection towards her friends, most obvious in her teasing.

On the flip side she could’ve turned out quiet and reserved. A watchful eye and a thirst for knowledge much like himself, or more notably, Robin. It seemed the least likely out of the three but it was a nice thought. Though even Robin had her moments when she would instigate the others for her own amusement—almost juvenile in a way that had even him provoking things further. 

Nami jerked her hand in his grasp, nearly causing him to mess up. “Stay still!” He hissed. The alcohol was likely starting to affect her too with her restlessness but that didn’t mean it didn’t annoy him.

He had never expected to become this close to the others when he moved here and especially not Nami—though that was partly to blame with Cora and Bellemere being best friends as well. 

The third time she moved, Law's annoyance spiked. “Oi, Lami-!”

…

Shit…

He realized his mistake the second her name left his lips and a small gasp sounded from Ikkaku but he wasn’t able to look at her. Certainly she remembered the name from the stories Law had told her, but his focus was focused on the girl in front of him.

“Lami?” Nami questioned, a playful smile dancing on her lips. “What girl are you confusing me with?” When he didn’t answer immediately her smile slowly fell, concern taking over her features. “Law?”

He cleared his throat in an attempt to seem less affected than he was, avoiding their eyes in the process. “She was my little sister.” It came out quieter than he wanted it to—almost a whisper.

“Your sister? I didn’t…” Nami trailed off, her voice taking a softer tone. “You know I don’t really know much about your past. Hell, I don’t even know where you’re from Law. I know you don’t have to tell me but I’m willing to listen.”

Law considered it for a good minute. He told Luffy everything and Kid and Killer knew half of it already so how much more could it hurt to tell her? Later when he was sober he would simply blame the alcohol and nosiness of all of them.

“Flevance,” He finally said, “I’m from Flevance.” A harsh gasp reached his ears and he glanced up to see the horrified expression on Robin’s face. “I’m assuming you’ve heard of it?”

She slowly nodded. “I won’t lie, I had my… suspicions, but I didn’t think you’d take too kindly to me voicing them.”

He merely shrugged, continuing his work on Nami’s nails, moving to the finer details. “I’m used to people making assumptions based on the way I look.”

“Law.”

“I know,” He waved her off, “I’m not offended, I’m just saying it doesn’t surprise me anymore.”

Robin seemed to choose her next words carefully, swirling the last sip of wine in her glass. “Was it… Was it true? What they said.”

“Do you think I’d be here if it was?” 

Apparently she felt that didn’t warrant a response as she studied his face. The entire time Nami had been looking between the two of them, confusion evident in the way her eyebrows scrunched together and the corners of her mouth downturned. 

“What are you talking about? Was what true?” She asked.

When Law didn’t answer Robin took a deep breath, as if bracing herself. “The circumstances and reasons were different, but the ending was similar to that of Ohara.” 

“Ohara?” Ignoring the sad looks on the other girl’s faces, Law met Robin’s gaze, wondering why Ohara was brought into the conversation unless… 

“You—” She seemed to understand where his mind was at and nodded, finally finishing off her glass. “Oh…” 

No wonder she knew about Flevance. It was for the same reason that he knew about Ohara—two grief-stricken kids searching desperately for answers on why their respective tragedies happened only to stumble upon other places that suffered the same fate. 

“I didn’t realize anyone could have survived that.”

“I didn’t realize anyone could have survived what happened to Flevance.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Well, it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.”

“Care to share?” Her voice had a hopeful tilt to it.

Before Law could think better of it he started talking, mentally promising himself to get Robin’s own story later. The version he told was very watered down—nowhere near the amount of detail he had gone into with Luffy if only to soften the toll it would take on himself. As he spoke he didn’t meet any of their eyes, taking advantage of the stillness to quickly finish the rest of Nami’s nails.

When he finished both the nails and his story he was nearly knocked on his back by Nami throwing her arms around his neck, almost choking him. “Hey—”

“Shut up! This is for my own comfort.” She argued immediately, shutting down any protests he had. 

Robin and Ikkaku both softly giggled as he let out a deep sigh, eventually bringing his arm up to wrap back around her when she didn’t move. “This is a bit dramatic.” He said after a moment.

“I think you mean not dramatic enough.” She countered, pulling back to look him in the eye. “How come you called me Lami?”

He turned his head away at that. “I didn’t mean to, your names are just similar.”

Despite the unshed tears in her eyes her lips turned up with a hum. “I don’t believe that.”

“I don’t really care what you believe. It’s the truth.”

“Maybe partially.” She lifted a finger to poke at his cheek which he quickly smacked away. “You sure it’s not because you think of me like a sister?”

Law clicked his tongue. “You sure do annoy me like you are.”

“That wasn’t a no!” Her smile turned wide. “Hope you don’t expect me to start calling you big brother.”

He rolled his eyes at the girl, fighting back a grin. “I would kick your ass if you did.”

“I’m gonna tell mom that you’re threatening me.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

Laughs resounded around the table at their antics including from Law. It felt weird, laughing and smiling like this, finding family in people who had no blood relations to him. It was both freeing and bittersweet at the same time. He didn’t quite think the guilt would ever go away but maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to accept it.

“I can already see the family resemblance, even if you look nothing alike.” Ikkaku choked on a laugh.

“You kidding?” Before Law could stop her Nami grabbed him, smushing the sides of their faces together as if to prove a point. “We look exactly alike.” She joked.

Between her orange hair, freckled skin, and brown eyes compared to his dark hair, tanned skin—save for the white patches—and golden eyes Law found himself having to disagree. He playfully pushed her face away from his own, leading her to finally move to her own side of the table, not without roughly messing his hair up of course.

The following conversation had Ikkaku and Nami debating on which one of them looked the most like Law, leading the former into her own feelings about Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo. Considering she had lived with them for years she thought of the three of them like her own brothers—Wolf being more like a crazy uncle rather than a father figure, that title better fitting Cora in her opinion.

“So Cap’n,” Ikkaku said eventually, cracking open either her third or fourth can of beer—he wasn’t keeping count, “How’s it going with you and Luffy?”

Law regarded her with a blank stare. "Can you guys be less interested in my love life?"

"Nope, now answer the question."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't know what you're expecting to hear exactly.”

She shrugged. “You're basically dating. Just without the benefits. Or the kissing. Or the honesty.” 

Law opened his mouth to retort but was beaten by Robin. “Well, you’re not exactly going without the kissing now are you Law?” Ikkaku and Nami looked between them in confusion.

He whipped his head around to stare at her. “Huh? What are you—”

“If you were trying to keep it a secret you really should be more careful about your surroundings. You never know who’s looking in.”

Law almost immediately caught on to what she was talking about, feeling the heat quickly spread through his cheeks to the tip of his ears. He covered his face with his hands, voice coming out strained and almost meek. “You saw that?” 

Nami’s voice cut in. “What? Saw what? What are you two talking about?” 

“Nothing.” He snapped, leaving little room for argument. “She saw nothing.”

“I wouldn’t say nothing.”

“Hey—”

“Luffy seemed very adamant on getting that kiss from you.”

There was silence for a whole two seconds before—

“YOU TWO KISSED?!” Nami and Ikkaku yelled out together.

“I swear—” He hissed, whipping his head around to look towards the entrance of the kitchen. When he didn’t hear any approaching footsteps or questions from the two adults he turned back around to glare at the two girls. “Shut the fuck up. We didn’t do shit.” In the corner of his eye he saw Robin with a single eyebrow raised, sipping on her glass of wine in amusement. “Okay, maybe we did,” He relented, “But it’s not what you’re thinking!”

“I don’t see how it could be anything other than what we’re thinking.” Nami countered, a smirk playfully dancing on her lips.

“It's not— We didn’t—” He let out a frustrated groan, bringing a hand up to wipe at his face. “It wasn’t a kiss on the lips or anything…” 

Ikkaku let out a hum. “And how long has this been going on exactly?” 

Law looked at each of them carefully. All three of them were staring back at him with matching smiles on their faces and he knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge their questions no matter how much he tried. With a resigned sigh he grabbed the bottle of wine from the table and poured himself another glass—his third one of the night. “I’m way too sober to be having this conversation with you.” 

Laughter rang out through the living room and against his better judgment he quickly tossed it back, refilling it once again. He probably—definitely, would regret this in the morning but at this point he would take anything if it meant making this interaction easier. 

“If you must know, a few days ago.” He mumbled.

“Mhm…” Nami smirked at him. “And how did this all start?”

“When I asked him to homecoming…” It probably, technically, started on that morning in his room but that was a whole other can of worms that he was not opening right now.

Against his better judgment he proceeded to spill his guts about every time since then that the two of them had shared fleeting cheek kisses or soft presses to the other one’s temple—including the ones just hours earlier. It was incredibly embarrassing, evident by the blush that spread to his ears, but at the same time he felt a weight being lifted off of his shoulders. It’s not like he could talk to anyone else about this.

In the morning he would vow to never drink with them again—especially if it made him this honest.

“Law,” Nami sounded exasperated when he finished, “you are one of the smartest people I’ve met, but fucking hell, you cannot be this stupid.” She pointed accusingly at him, her face flushed from the alcohol. “You can’t sit there and tell me you don’t understand what this means!” 

He bristled at that. “I’m not stupid! Of course I know what it means!”

“Oh yeah? Then why haven’t you said anything?”

“Because— ‘Cause—” He tried, desperately searching for an answer to the question in his hazy state. Finally he relented, laying his head against the table in defeat. “I don’t know…”

He thought he did. A week ago he could’ve answered the question with no problems. At first it had simply been all too much—a new town, new people, and new emotions that he had never felt before. After that came the guilt, a heavy burden that had weighed him down for years but Luffy had accepted him wholeheartedly. Not once did he think less of him or blame him for the things he had done.

Fear had been the third thing. A fear of his past catching up to him in the form of his uncle. It wasn’t like the fear was completely gone, far from it actually. But was that something that was still holding him back? No, at least he didn’t think so anymore. 

Then what was it? His past had been completely exposed and Luffy had comforted him as he admitted everything, even standing up for him when he had been humiliated in front of the whole lunchroom. 

He thought about the other boy. About those endlessly kind eyes that only ever saw the best in him when most just saw his scars and assumed the worst. About his hands that caressed him as if he was something precious, but at the same time held him as if he never wanted to let go. 

Law had been a stranger to this kind of love when he first arrived but now he wondered how he had ever lived without it. He couldn’t imagine—didn’t want to imagine his life without the other boy in it, whether that be together or even just with Luffy beside him. Though he didn’t think he could be satisfied with just being friends much longer. Not when Luffy looked at him like that, touched him like that.

The conversation had moved on without him while he was lost in his thoughts. It wasn’t but a few minutes later that his phone went off. The three of them paid him no mind as he checked it—not until a loud thud rang out from where he slammed his phone on the table, ducking his head into his arms once again as the tips of his ears turned hot.

“Oh, you are so pathetic.” Nami said with a smug grin.

He whipped his head up to find his phone in her hands and quickly snatched back from her hands. “Shut up.” 

Law scowled at her as he looked down at his phone again. Luffy had sent him a picture, though this time it wasn’t anything embarrassing as a gym selfie. No, this time it was a photo that someone else had clearly taken of him, smiling as wide as ever as he sat on the ground, a full-grown golden retriever in his lap. He could only assume it to be Franky’s dog, Sunny, that Luffy was telling him about earlier.

Law had always been weak to cute things but this may be the cutest thing he’s seen in his life.

“You’re so obsessed with him that it’s embarrassing to watch.” 

“I’m not obsessed!” 

He was.

She let out an undignified snort, a cackle escaping her throat. “You so are!”

Nami continued to laugh as she held her stomach, wheezing when Ikkaku joined in and Robin let her giggles escape. Law fought to hold down his own smile, eventually letting out an amused huff as he went to stand, nearly stumbling over himself. “I hate you guys.”

Another round of laughs sounded out as the three of them called after him when he walked away. He found Cora and Bellemere standing in the kitchen as he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, eventually settling against the counter beside the older man as he sipped on it. True to their word the two of them had only had a drink or two each—not nearly enough to even get them tipsy.

“Having fun?” Cora asked, bringing a hand up and ruffling it through his hair.

“No.”

He paused. “How come?” Just then the three girls came stumbling into the kitchen, giggles still escaping their lips. “Ah, I see.” Cora sounded amused, his hand resuming his ministrations.

Ikkaku was the first one to speak. “Cap’n,” She slurred a bit, “You can’t run just because she’s right!” 

“Right about what?” Bellemere asked.

“Nothing—”

“That he’s obsessed with Luffy.” 

“I’m not—”

“I knew that already.” Cora laughed.

Law whipped his head up to stare at him. “Dad!”

“What?” He smiled innocently. “It’s not like you really try to hide it.”

A groan escaped his mouth as he dropped his head into his hands, attempting to hide the blush on his face. “All of you are dead to me.”

“Oh don’t be like that, he’s clearly just as into you as you are to him.” He continued. “Neither of you really try to hide it.”

“Shut up.”

“You should see them at school! They’re practically attached at the hip!” Nami yelled.

Law didn’t even get a chance to defend himself before Cora was taking things even further. “They’re the same way here, always cuddled up together and whatnot. I have pictures as proof.”

“Dad!”

“You two are so in love it’s disgusting.”

Law turned on the orange haired girl who had a finger pointed at him. “You say that like you and Vivi aren’t just as bad!” 

She shrugged. “Maybe, but Vivi’s my girlfriend, we’re dating. You and Luffy aren’t.” 

He opened his mouth to retort but it died in his throat, not even being able to defend himself. It continued on like that for a while, him at one point trying to escape and go to bed but they didn’t let him—instead dragging him back into the living room to watch movies. Law was just thankful they weren’t making fun of him, any more and he would’ve died from embarrassment. 

The four of them piled onto the couch with multiple blankets strewn across them. He paid no attention to the movie they put on, the quiet hum of the TV and warmth surrounding him enough to leave him in a sleepy daze. It wasn’t but probably halfway through that he fell asleep, dreaming of soft, black hair and a cute smile. 

Chapter Text

When Law woke up the next morning it was to a heavy body and voices coming from the kitchen. He slowly blinked his eyes open, squinting from the sunlight that poured in through the windows and tried to bring a hand up to his face but found he was unable to. Looking down he found the three girls who had stayed over the previous night. 

Ikkaku was propped up sideways against him, legs thrown over the side of the couch. Nami was on his other side, leaning her head on his shoulder while Robin took up the rest of the couch with her head in Nami’s lap. No wonder his body ached like it did.

He attempted to turn his head to look at the clock but given that his glasses and phone were both on the coffee table, too far for him to reach, it was pointless. Law was sure his phone was probably dead anyways, having forgotten to plug it up in their drunken haze from the previous night. 

Thankfully he was saved moments later when the two adults rounded the corner. “A little help?”

Cora and Bellemere let out a laugh and woke the others up. Breakfast wasn’t anything special, merely some eggs, bacon, and some of the tangerines that the older woman had brought over the previous day. 

Somewhere along the way Nami had forced some undereye masks that she had brought onto him because "Have you seen your eyebags?” When they eventually began to get ready the three girls promptly took over his bathroom, using the mirror to do their hair and makeup. Law stood, leaning on the doorway lazily since it wouldn’t take him nearly as long to get ready.

“Tonight would be the perfect night to ask him out, you know.” Nami said as she worked on her makeup. “You two being each other’s dates, romantic vibes all around, the atmosphere is perfect for that kind of thing.”

Law watched as Ikkaku paled a bit. “Or, you know, I’m sure Luffy will ask you soon. He seems like he’s getting pretty impatient so I wouldn’t worry.”

His eyebrow lifted at the strange comment, eyes almost unconsciously flitting over to meet Nami who was already looking back at him. The gleam in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. 

Traitor.

“I’ll consider it.”

He watched as Nami nearly messed up her concealer and whipped her head around to look at him. “Really?”

“That’s all you’re getting from me. Drop it.”

Her lips curled up in a smile with a hum. “Okay, okay, fine. Since you’re standing there all useless, why don’t you come over here and curl my hair for me?”

“What? No, why can’t you do it yourself?”

She shrugged. “I mean I can, but I’m busy with my makeup. Besides, the sooner you help me the sooner I finish. And the sooner I finish the sooner you get to see your soon-to-be boyfriend.” He rolled his eyes at the implication. “Come on, you don’t wanna help me big bro?”

Law visibly recoiled at the name, scowling at the way her lips twitched up in restrained mirth. “Fine, as long as you never fucking call me that again.” Laughs resounded from the three girls as he piled into the bathroom with them. It was pretty cramped with all four of them in there, but he made do. “You sure you trust me to do this?” He asked, meeting her eyes in the mirror after she’d shown him how to do it.

“Listen, if Zoro can do it then so can you. Also if you mess up my hair I’m charging you a thousand berries.”

He simply rolled his eyes at that and got to work. Somehow curling Nami’s hair for her also turned into doing the same for Robin’s, Ikkaku being excluded with her natural curls. Cora and Bellemere popped in a few times, his dad falling over at the sight of them and crying happy tears, even snapping a few photos much to his dismay.

At some point as he was finishing with his curling he looked up to meet Robin’s gaze in the mirror, eyes scrutinizing him closely. At his questioning look she turned to look at him properly. “What?” He asked.

“You can say no,” She started, “But how would you feel about a little makeup? Just enough to bring out your features.” 

Nami and Ikkaku’s eyes practically sparkled at her words. He thought about it, his hand coming up to rub his neck. “I don’t know…”

“Oh come on, please Law?” Nami asked. “You’ll look so good!”

“Please Cap’n?” 

“You two are way too excited about this.” 

“You’re exaggerating.” Nami waved her hand around, moving to grab for her phone. “Luffy lets me practice on him sometimes.” After a few moments she held her phone up, swiping through a few pictures for him to see.

A soft heat settled on his cheeks as he looked through them. Each photo offered different looks—bright, soft colors that sat on and around his eyes, bold eyeliner drawn on in intricate designs, his lips painted in shades that ranged from a soft pink to deep purples and blues. 

“I can’t believe he sat still long enough for you to do that.” Ikkaku commented.

“Wasn’t too hard actually. Played some pirate movies and promised to buy him food if he stayed still.” She turned her head up to look at him, a smirk dancing on her lips. “You let me put makeup on you and the pictures are all yours.”

“If you don’t like it you can always take it off.” Robin offered.

He let out a deep sigh. He’ll eventually stop letting Nami talk him into things, but today was apparently not that day. “Alright, fine. Nothing too crazy though.”

Nami and Ikkaku practically shoved him to sit down on the toilet seat, the three of them comparing their different palettes which had Law more than a little skeptical. As she worked the clock steadily ticked closer to five, himself becoming more anxious as the time passed. 

When they finally finished Nami stepped back a little to admire her work as he looked up at her. Ikkaku let out a low whistle. “I can totally see why Luffy calls you pretty all the time.” 

“If Luffy doesn’t jump you the second he sees you then I have truly failed as your best friend.”

He rolled his eyes at Nami’s words, standing from his place to turn to the mirror. There was another sarcastic remark on the tip of his tongue but the second he caught sight of his reflection the words died in his throat. 

A freckled hand found its place on his shoulder. “If you want me to teach you how to do it yourself I’ll even consider giving you a discount for my services.”

A breathless laugh escaped his lips. “I might just take you up on that.”

He watched in the mirror as the three girls high-fived behind him before turning his eyes back to himself. Dark color sat on his eyelids, his eyes framed by a sharp wing of eyeliner making the gold stand out even more. His lips were tinted just a shade darker than their natural color.

He looked… 

He looked good. He felt good. As much as he hated to admit it, moving here had done wonders for his confidence. Not to mention all the compliments he had received from Luffy and the upgrades to his wardrobe with the help of Nami. He never had the time or help to really find himself before but just maybe he was getting a bit closer than before.

Law retreated to his room alone to get dressed, putting on a pair of black dress pants and the maroon shirt that he had bought when they went shopping. He clasped the gold chain around his neck before doing up his shirt, leaving the top few unbuttoned. As he was attempting to mimic the way Vivi had rolled up the sleeves before there was a soft knock on his door. 

He called out and Robin stepped in, her simple, long black dress moving with her as she walked. “Need a little help?” She asked, pointedly looking down at his sleeves. 

Wordlessly he held his arm out and Robin immediately walked over, unfolding them before properly rolling them up to sit under his elbows. When she finished she looked up to meet his eyes. “You know, I’ve had these for a while now but never had the chance to wear them.” She opened her palm that had remained closed this whole time revealing a golden pair of earrings. Her hand grabbed his, depositing the jewelry on it and closing his fingers around them. “I typically prefer silver. Besides, these seem more like your style anyways. You don’t have to wear them if you don’t want to but I figured they had a better chance of being worn with you instead of collecting dust in my jewelry box.”

When she let go he held out one of the earrings to inspect it closer. They were similar to his own that he always wore—almost the same exact pair actually. The main difference between them being the small golden sun charm that dangled from the hoop. 

He couldn’t help but wonder if the choice of charm was a bit intentional but he didn’t mention it as he made his way over to his mirror, switching out his normal ones for the new pair. “You sure you don’t want them?” He asked, admiring the way the charm dangled from his ears.

She shook her head. “I’ll never wear them. Besides, they look better on you anyways.”

Law thanked her and they made their way downstairs to find the other two girls already there. Nami had pulled her hair back into some kind of updo with a few curls hanging loose, a short, forest green dress adorning her figure. Ikkaku on the other hand wore a black lace top as well as suit pants and jacket in the same color as the bandana she was always, and currently is, wearing as well as a pair of sneakers. 

Before Law could even blink Cora was fawning all over him. “You know I used to do my makeup all the time.”

“You mean the clown makeup?”

“No you brat. I only did it like that back when—” He cut himself off, glancing over to the three girls and back to Law.

“They know.”

Cora let out a small hum but didn’t mention it. “Back when I was undercover.” He continued, looking at Nami. “I tried to get your mom into it too but she obviously hates me.” 

Bellemere let out a loud laugh at that, waving a hand in front of her. “I never cared much for it, and still don’t. I don’t like the way it feels on my face.”

“That’s because you’re not using the right things!” Cora tried but the woman just shrugged in response.

“Do you have any pictures?” Ikkaku asked, a hopeful look in her eyes.

The older man shook his head. “I lost all of that stuff years ago.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that?!” Bellemere yelled out, whipping out her phone from her pocket. “I have so many pictures from our marine days.” She scrolled for a minute, the four teenagers coming to look over her shoulder. “There’s one of him after he tripped over his own feet. That’s where he singed off part of his eyebrow after setting himself on fire, and that one—” She cut herself off, hiding her phone from the four of them. “Actually, you probably don’t need to see that one.”

Cora raised an eyebrow in her direction, crossing his arms over his chest. “Do you have any that aren’t making fun of me?”

“Those are the best ones!” She laughed. Bellemere scrolled a bit further. “Here’s some.”

She swiped through a few more photos and sure enough his dad was wearing makeup in all of them. “So you weren’t wearing clown makeup but you were still using clown colors.” Law said.

“Alright you brat that’s enough. I still want some pictures before we leave.”

After about a hundred pictures of all of them they finally left. Cora and Bellemere drove separately and he, Nami, Robin, and Ikkaku rode together in his car. The four of them pulled up to the Baratie a little bit after five which Nami insisted it just meant that they were fashionably late—a sentiment that had Law rolling his eyes. When they got there they found most of the others in the relatively empty parking lot along with their parents or guardians. According to Sanji, Zeff had insisted on closing for a few hours and then reopening for a late dinner service.

As soon as he put his car in park the three girls quickly hopped out of his car. Ikkaku made her way over to Bepo as the other two went for their respective dates. Nami was instantly all over her girlfriend, planting kisses all over her face causing Vivi to shriek out in laughter. On the other hand he could hear Franky’s obnoxiously loud voice saying how sssssuper beautiful his girlfriend was, picking Robin up and spinning her around. Law made a mental note to himself to never let the others say anything about him and Luffy since they were nearly just as bad.

Cora made his way over and stood beside him. “I didn’t realize so many of your friends had parents who used to be criminals.”

Law snorted at that and looked up to him. “You say that like you weren’t technically one too.”

“...Good point.” 

Glancing around, he noticed Luffy standing off to the side with his brothers as they talked to Usopp and Zoro and started making his way over to them. He saw the moment the other caught sight of him, his signature smile gracing his lips as he waved him over before pausing in his tracks. Law felt a swell of confidence as he watched Luffy eye him up and down, mouth slightly agape as he stared.

Luffy's brothers shared a smirk before Ace pushed him forward, causing him to stumble a bit before whipping his head around and glaring at the other. A deep blush colored his tan cheeks as he made his way forward, meeting Law halfway. 

“You look good.” He said, eyeing the other. Luffy was clad in a dress shirt, a similar red to his own with his straw hat hanging around his neck by the string, and a pair of dress pants as well as a tie which was probably the most surprising. 

In the corner of his eye he saw Cora introducing himself to Ace and Sabo and didn’t miss the way the three of them kept sending glances over to him and Luffy. 

At Luffy’s lack of response Law tilted his head just a little, unable to suppress his smile. “You gonna say something or just keep staring at me?”

That seemed to be what knocked Luffy out of his daze and he let out a laugh as he wrapped his arms around Law’s middle. “Shishishi, you’re really pretty.” He raised one hand, fingers gently playing with the charm of his earrings.

He was unable to suppress the small upturn of his lips and turned his head away. “You’re so embarrassing.”

Luffy let out another laugh. “You like it.”

“Not really.”

When he looked back he watched as the other’s eyes dropped down a bit before a small whine escaped his lips. “How come you’re not wearing a tie? ‘Bo said I had to.”

“You don’t like it?”

Luffy shook his head, one hand coming up to mess with it. “It’s uncomfortable.”

Law let out a small hum, brushing Luffy’s hand away to straighten the piece of cloth, his fingers purposefully brushing against his neck just to see the other flush. “I think it looks good on you. It’s not often I get to see you all dressed up.”

He considered it a win the way his cheeks turned a rosy pink, breath hitching in his throat so quietly that Law barely caught it. Luffy turned his head away, a finger coming up to scratch at his cheek. “I guess I can wear it for a few hours.”

Not long after Law noticed Kidd’s obnoxiously red car pulling in but what really caught his attention was Shachi climbing out of the passenger seat. “You’re seeing the same thing I am right? I’m not going crazy?” Nami asked, suddenly appearing at his side.

Law didn’t answer her, merely watching the two of them interact. Shachi’s voice was clear from where the two of them stood as he tried to playfully wrap an arm around Kidd’s. “Come on, we have to act like we love each other!”

The taller redhead pulled away from him, a hint of a blush on his face as he scowled down at the other. “We don’t hafta do shit! Yer my date but we’re not dating.”

Shachi let out a loud laugh before catching sight of Law and Nami and making his way over. “Cap’n!”

As he approached Law was the one to voice the question they were all wondering. “Did you come with Eustass-ya?”

Law’s expression must’ve been weird because as soon as Shachi took a good look at it his own turned into one of hesitance. “Is that… Is that weird?” His hand came up to nervously rub the back of his neck.

“Not at all!” Nami immediately tried to remedy. “Just… Unexpected is all.”

“I didn’t know you two were close enough to come as each other’s dates.” Law added.

“Well Pen’s been hanging out a lot with Killer.” He shrugged. “I’m just doing my duty as his wingman. Besides, the guy’s not that bad once you get to know him, he’s a big softy. It’s also pretty funny to watch when he gets embarrassed, his face turns as red as his hair, it’s cute.” 

In a million years Law would’ve never thought the words ‘soft’ and ‘cute’ would be used to describe Eustass Kidd but here he was, probably the most confused he’s been in a long time. Penguin waved him over and he walked away, leaving Law and Nami reeling.

“You know, Law, I think I know why girls don’t like him.” She turned to look up at him. “Do you think he realizes?”

He thought back to when they met. “Probably not.” He said finally. 

Law distinctly remembered Shachi’s aunt and uncle being crazy homophobic when he and Penguin had lived with them. It didn’t seem to have bothered Pen that much but he was starting to think that maybe his friend had internalized it a bit more than they all realized. 

“Should we bet on them?”

A small smirk was plastered on her face when he looked down at her and he rolled his eyes, considering it a little longer than he probably should’ve. “Please, if anything’s going to happen there it won’t be for a few years at least. They’re both too stubborn to do something about it.” He paused for a moment. “Ask me again in a few months and I might consider it.”

With a laugh she made her way back over to Vivi, chatting with Usopp and Kaya. Law on the other hand kept his hand intertwined with Luffy’s as he talked to his brothers. It wasn’t long before someone new showed up.

“Not having too much fun without me now are you Anchor?” 

Law turned at the unfamiliar voice and Luffy whipped his head around so fast he could’ve swore he heard it crack. “SHANKS!”

Before he even had the chance to blink Luffy was running and throwing himself at the red-haired man. From where he was standing the scar across his eye and lack of an arm was blatantly obvious and he vaguely remembered Luffy mentioning a Shanks before. 

As Luffy wrapped himself around the man he merely laughed at the other’s antics, the both of them laughing loudly. Law, Ace, and Sabo merely watched in amusement as the two of them talked excitedly to each other before Luffy turned. “Torao!” He waved him over. 

The two brothers followed as Law made his way over to Luffy. He hopped off of the taller man and easily laced his fingers with his own. “Shanks! This is Torao!” 

Law merely rolled his eyes, coming to terms with the fact that Luffy was never going to introduce him properly. “Trafalgar Law.” 

A hand was held out to him to shake and Law returned it. “Shanks, though I guess you already knew that.” The way the older man was sizing him up was blatantly obvious, eyes eventually landing on his and Luffy’s intertwined hands. 

Law thought about the way that Luffy had so many protective people around him, and how he himself was now included into that same category. The other could by all means take care of himself but his sunny demeanor so easily made others want to protect it, to not let anything try to dim it. It was the same thing that Law could see with his friends, his brothers, and now Shanks who Luffy idolized.

The handshake seemed to be some kind of test, one that Law passed if the way Shanks body—as well as his grip relaxed. He greeted Ace and Sabo as well with a ruffle of hair and a clap on the shoulder respectively.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Luffy asked. 

“It was a surprise, Anchor! It was more fun that way.”

Eventually Law noticed Shanks' eyes wandering to the side, his body giving a light jolt before whipping his head to stare at the two older brothers. “You didn’t tell me that Mihawk was gonna be here!” He whisper-yelled. 

Ace’s lips turned up into a smirk as Sabo snickered. “Zoro is Luffy’s best friend, why wouldn’t he be here?”

“I don’t know!” Shanks’ face was a bit panicked. “A warning would’ve been nice!” 

“Not our fault that you two ended on awkward terms.” Sabo shrugged.

Ah, Law thought, They’re exes.

He turned to the side when he heard his name being called to find Cora walking over to them all. “Law! We were gonna start pictures soon, are you and Luffy good?”

He nodded and another voice chimed in from the side. “Wow… You are very tall.” 

Luffy giggled beside him and Cora looked down at the newcomer, a look on his face that Law didn’t recognize before something akin to recognition crossed it. “Red-Haired Shanks. I knew I’d seen your face somewhere.”

Law elbowed his side. “Dad, you’re talking like a marine. Stop it.”

He looked down at his son before his cheeks turned a deep shade of red and started waving his hands in front of him placatingly. “Sorry— I didn’t— That came out wrong!”

Shanks let out a boisterous laugh. “That’s alright!” He waved him off, holding his hand out in front of him which Cora took. “It’s nice to meet you—”

“Rosinante, or Rosi, or Cora, whatever you wanna call me.” 

“Rosi then.” Shanks’ smile had a certain kind of charm to it, one that seemed to be working on his dad if the look on his face was anything to go by. “Oi Zeff,” He called out to the old chef, “is your bar still open?” 

The Zeff in question let out an almost annoyed huff. “It’ll be double for ya.”

The sound that escaped his mouth was something akin to a whine, reminding Law of Luffy in a way. “Don’t be such a stick in the mud ya old coot.” The blond man rolled his eyes in resignation, Shanks’ smile returning at the sight of it as he looked back up to Cora. “First round’s on me.”

Before Cora could even respond Ace threw an arm over the other’s shoulder. “Now we’re talking!”

Nami called over to them for pictures but Luffy looked back to Shanks with hesitation, the man noticing almost immediately. “Don’t look at me like that.” He said, ruffling his hair. “I’ll be in town a while so we can catch up later. Go have fun with your boyfriend.” The voices around them went quiet. Ace snorted into his hand while Sabo and Cora were quietly snickering as Law felt the heat return to his cheeks. “What?” He asked innocently.

“Shishishi, me and Torao aren’t dating.” Luffy giggled.

“Oh…” He raised an eyebrow, a skeptical look in his gaze as he regarded the two of them. “Are you sure?” Ace’s snort turned into a full-blown cackle at this point, only serving to embarrass him more. 

After taking about a million more pictures they made their way inside the restaurant. There was a long table in the center of the dining room where they all sat, the adults scattering about the room in small groups. He noticed Cora, Shanks, Ace, and Sabo claiming a table for the four of them as they talked—no doubt about him and Luffy.

Zeff and Sanji eventually came out with multiple platters of food, sitting them along the middle of the table before everybody started to dig in. He vaguely wondered who was paying for all of this before Nami leaned over to him and explained that Mihawk, Zoro and a girl with pink hair that he hadn’t noticed before's dad, had. Apparently he was very wealthy, a fact that no one would’ve guessed when looking at Zoro, and had offered to pay for dinner for all of them.

When they finished it was just after seven so they headed out, Cora and the others staying for a few more drinks. The school was decorated with almost an alarming amount of banners and streamers making him question his grandfather’s sanity a bit. Music boomed through the speakers loud enough that you almost had to yell to be able to talk to anyone around.

There was a section full of tables which they had quickly claimed one for themselves. Despite the fact that they had just eaten, Luffy made his way to the table full of finger foods and immediately made himself a plate before coming to sit down. 

A little while later into the night Law and some of the others were sitting at one of the tables when he heard Ikkaku beside him. "Oh. My. God."

He turned to look at the girl. "What?" She didn't answer him, her eyes locked on something—or rather someone making their way towards them.

Law followed her gaze and found Penguin, but that wasn't what caught his attention. Even in the darkness of the room and despite all of the colored lights that shone around them he could make out the dark purple lipstick smeared around his best friend's lips. He, in fact, looked very pleased with himself but oblivious to how he looked on the outside. Even Law wasn't able to hold back a small snort—not when he heard Ikkaku and Kidd absolutely losing their shit right beside him along with the others. 

"Been busy have you?" Shachi asked him as he cackled.

The other tilted his head slightly in confusion. “What do you mean? What’s so funny?”

“Pen,” Law started, “Have you seen yourself?” 

Nami reached into her purse when he shook his head and pulled out a small compact before handing it to him. The moment he opened it and saw the mess on his face a hand smacked over his mouth with a brief look of panic as another round of laughs sounded around the table. 

“How long—” Shachi wheezed out a laugh. “How long have you been walking around like that?”

“I don’t know? A few minutes?!” 

Moments later Killer walked over, looking the most smug Law thinks he’s ever seen him. All evidence of what the two of them had been doing minutes before had been erased—lipstick perfectly applied and not a smear had been left behind. As soon as Penguin caught sight of him he sent the other a nasty glare.

“Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The smirk on his face gave him away. He lifted a hand and swiped a thumb over the mess of his lips. “That’s a good color on you.”

Killer promptly sat down in the last empty seat at the table beside Kidd and they not-so-discreetly fist-bumped, leaving Penguin’s scowl to deepen and his blush to darken. With a sympathetic smile that was poorly covering another laugh Vivi reached into her own bag and handed the other a small wrapping which turned out to be a makeup wipe. 

He wiped away all traces of the lipstick that was left on his mouth and Law didn’t miss the wave of insecurity that passed over his friend. Penguin stuffed the used makeup wipe into his pocket before crossing his arms tightly over his chest, shoulders hunched in a way that made him look smaller. The other met Law’s eyes for a split second but quickly looked away, lips tightening into a thin line.

Nami hit her fist against his thigh under the table as she watched the two of them and he batted her hand away. “You don’t have to hit me, I see them.”

Killer, clearly unaware of the state Penguin was in, tried to wrap an arm around him in an attempt to pull him closer. His hand made it as far as his waist before it was promptly smacked away. Law watched the exact moment that Killer’s face switched from ‘playful teasing’ to ‘oh shit he’s really mad’. He turned heel, making for the exit with quick steps as the blond watched in astonishment.

When his eyes flit back to the table his gaze was met with four glares meeting his own. A silent threat loomed over him before he quickly followed after Penguin, his lips muttering quiet curses under his breath. The table was draped in a state of awkwardness as they watched him leave. 

“Is he gonna be okay?” Nami asked him.

“He better be.” He responded, eyes snapping over to where one of them began to stand. “Bepo.” The white-haired boy turned his nervous gaze to him, worry gracing his features. Law simply shook his head, placating his friend with that single action as he sat back down.

“Besides,” He started, “If he’s not, I’ll castrate Killer where he stands.”

Kidd turned, meeting his eyes and Law silently dared him to argue. The contact was only broken when the other turned his head, a scowl on his face. He knew that it didn’t mean that the other had given up, simply a truce until things played out a bit more. Even then Law knew that Kidd knew he would and could make good on his promise if it came down to it.

It was no more than ten minutes later that Law caught sight of the two of them walking back to the table. He knocked his foot against Nami’s under the table and she turned to him annoyed before following his gaze, an undignified snort escaping her.

All of the previous insecurity had been erased from Penguin’s face, in its place sat his playful smirk as he strutted up to the table. Killer on the other hand was a mess. His face and neck were covered in kiss marks made with his own lipstick, though his smug grin was still present as he sat back down beside Kidd who was laughing at him.

“You uh—You got a little something there.” Shachi gestured to his own face as he snickered. 

“Really? I didn’t notice.” Killer rolled his eyes.

Law ignored both of them, turning his gaze to Penguin who had a slight frown on his face, but seemed to be much more receptive to Killer’s touches. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

He went to roll his eyes, meeting Law’s in the process. Law raised an eyebrow, the question clear in his gaze. Penguin merely sent him a warm smile, a slight nod of his head, and that was enough for the tension to drain from his shoulders, turning to make his own sarcastic remark towards the blond.

It wasn’t long before Luffy dragged him off to dance. It was a bit awkward, and he had no idea what he was doing as he merely tried to keep up with the other. The only type of dancing he knew was a bit of basic ballroom dancing as Doffy would force him and Baby 5 to attend the party’s he would throw, the two of them usually ending up the center of attention. At the time he would scowl and throw a fit at the thought of doing it but now he merely looked back on the memory a bit more fondly. If there was anyone he missed from that place it was her.

At some point after having his feet stepped on one too many times he had to sit back down, Luffy staying to dance with a few of his friends. 

“That was pathetic to watch.” Kidd remarked in his direction.

Law immediately scowled at him. “I’d like to see you do better.”

Kidd merely ignored him, continuing his conversation with Shachi who was sitting beside him. Unsurprisingly his eyes turned back to the dance floor, finding Luffy without trouble. Even under the multicolored lights Law could see his flushed face as he did some kind of dance with Usopp and Chopper. As if he could sense his eyes on him Luffy turned towards him, catching his gaze and smiling. 

“You two are disgustingly cute. So when’s the wedding?” Law turned to look at Nami who had just sat down beside him, a smirk on her lips. He didn’t respond, an annoyed expression on his face. “I’m just kidding.” She waved her hand before pausing. “Okay, not really. Can I be your planner?”

“Nami-ya—”

“I’m dead serious. Considering who your grandfathers are, I've got a massive budget to work with.” She leaned in conspiratorily. “I’ve already convinced Robin to let me do hers, still working on Usopp.”

“We’re not even dating yet.” Heat rose up his cheeks.

“You basically already are in my opinion.”

“Well good thing I wasn’t asking for it.”

“Don’t be embarrassed, I’m trying to help you.”

“I’m not—”

“You’re bad at hiding it.” She smiled at him before glancing over to where Vivi seemed deep in conversation with Kaya. “Me and Vivi are heading out soon. What about you and Luffy?” He shrugged at the question. “You look tired.”

“Considering I had to deal with you most of the day, I am.” 

“That was uncalled for.”

“You’re actually offended?”

“No, I live to annoy you.”

“I can tell.” 

His eyes found Luffy again in the crowd. Homecoming would be ending soon and despite his words Law really was getting tired. There were already a few people leaving from what he could tell. He stood from his seat, ignoring the questioning look from Nami and started walking towards the dance floor. 

Luffy must’ve noticed him coming because he met him halfway. Law wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him close enough to lean down and talk directly into his ear over the sound of booming music. He asked if he was ready to leave, offering to buy him ice cream to which the other enthusiastically agreed, immediately waving bye to the others who were still dancing.

They made their way back to the table to say their goodbyes as well. “Cap’n!” Shachi gestured him over. Law leaned down between him and Kidd enough to hear him, which he soon regretted when Shachi flashed him his shit-eating grin. “Make sure you use protection.”

Law immediately whacked him over the head—apparently not hard enough considering the fact that he started cackling, Kidd copying him as well. The three of them gained questioning looks from the others and he had to grit his teeth so as to not hit his friend again.

Luffy grabbed his hand. “What’s so funny?” 

“Nothing.” He glared at Shachi when he opened his mouth. “Come on.”

Luffy, like Law thought he would, ordered the biggest sundae that the place had. “Don’t spill that in my car.” He said as he parked.

“I’m not!” 

Before he could even react Luffy picked the cherry off of the top but instead of eating it he handed it to Law. “You don’t want it?” 

Luffy shook his head. “I don’t like cherries. They taste weird.”

“You’ve eaten some honestly gross things but cherries are where you draw the line?” Law asked with an almost laugh.

He shrugged. “I like cherry flavored things, like candy, but not actual cherries. I don’t like the flavor.”

“That’s good to know I guess. Anything else you don’t like that I should know about?”

“Nope! I like everything else!”

Needless to say it didn’t take very long before Luffy had finished the entire thing and they headed home. Cora was sitting in the kitchen when they made it back, and by the part of conversation that he caught he figured he was on the phone with Bellemere. The three of them talked for a few minutes, Cora saying that he would be going to bed soon and the two of them soon made their way up the stairs to do the same thing.

Once Law and Luffy made it up to his room he instantly turned on his small lamp, bathing the room in a soft golden glow. He made quick work of unbuttoning his shirt and started ruffling through his closet for some comfortable clothes—eager to be rid of the stuffy, formal ones.

“Can I wear some of yours?”

Law threw him a look over his shoulder. “You knew you were coming over. How come you didn’t bring anything?”

The corners of Luffy’s lips turned up into a sly smile. “I like wearing your clothes, they’re comfy.” He slowly made his way over to Law before sliding his arms around him from behind and hooking his chin over his shoulder. “You also get this look in your eyes when I do, it’s cute.”

“I do not get a look.” 

He probably does.

“You do.” He hummed and Law vaguely recognized the feeling of Luffy’s hands wandering under his open shirt, goosebumps raising along the bare skin.  

“Do you have no concept of personal space?” He asked, leaning back into him.

“Nah, do you want me to move?” His eyes had a glint of mischief in them.

Law brought his hands up to lace them with Luffy’s. “I didn’t say that.”

The movements felt natural, as if this is how they always were, but at the same time the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife and Law was sure he wasn’t the only one feeling it.

“Did you have fun tonight?” His head turned enough to nuzzle into the side of Luffy’s head with his nose buried in his soft curls, voice barely above a whisper. 

Luffy nodded from his shoulder. “It’s always fun when everyone’s together. You were terrible at dancing.” He laughed.

Law rolled his eyes at that. “That wasn’t the type of dancing I’m used to.” 

He jerked his head up to look up at him. “You can dance?”

“A little, it’s been years though.”

“Teach me?”

His eyes widened at the question. “Right now?”

“Yeah, I wanna learn.” He pulled away enough to let Law turn in his arms. 

“We don’t even have any music.”

“Do we need it?”

Luffy tilted his head and Law couldn’t help but melt at the sight, a breathless laugh escaping his lips. “No, I guess we don’t.”

He pulled the boy closer, guiding one hand to his shoulder and holding the other in his own. Luffy looked at their positions and frowned a little. “How come you get to lead?”

Law smiled at the question. “Because I know what I’m doing and this is the position I learned.” 

He pouted but didn’t try to argue as Law explained the steps to him. It was clumsy, Law’s own moves a bit rusty from going years without practice. Luffy stepped on his toes more times than he could count but the smile on his face had him forgiving him almost immediately. 

“Not like that, come here.” Law said, pulling him back in. “Try not to step on my feet this time.”

Luffy stifled his giggles into his neck. “Sorry, this is hard.”

“It’s not that hard, you just have no rhythm.” 

“I’m trying my best!”

They started from the beginning once again, Law going slower than he normally would so Luffy could keep up and, ideally, follow his movements. He grabbed the hand on his shoulder, pushing him out and pulling him back in in a turn before turning him back out and bringing him back to himself. This didn’t happen without Luffy stumbling once or twice but it was worth it to see the look on his face.

“Who’s bad at dancing now?” Law teased.

Luffy looked up at him. “I’ll get better and better until I’m better than you at it.”

“Oh really?” 

He nodded resolutely. “Yep!”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

“Well you gotta keep teaching me so I can!”

“I’m not that great at it either, Lu.”

“We can learn together then! It’ll be fun!” 

He said it so easily, like that was the obvious solution, like there was no other choice. Law should be scared at how quickly he gives in to the other—should be terrified at the implications but found that he didn’t care anymore. If anything he wanted to embrace it.

“Alright.” He spun the other around again and this time when Luffy stumbled he wasn’t able to catch himself, falling back with Law swiftly catching him with a hand around his waist. “You know, I wasn’t quite planning to dip you just yet, but this works too.”

A loud, rumbling laugh escaped Luffy’s throat at that, throwing his head back and exposing his neck. Law slowly pulled him back up so he could get his footing back, the giggles never stopping as he pressed his face into Law’s chest, hands moving to grab at his shirt.

“You good?” He asked, rubbing his hands along the length of his arms.

Luffy nodded into his chest as his laughs subsided before looking up at him. He was so close he could feel the other’s breath on his lips making his own mouth go dry. Law raised tentative fingers, brushing them along Luffy’s jaw before resting his hand on his cheek. It was almost unconscious the way his head tilted up, leaning into his touch like it was second nature. 

He thumbed over the raised skin of his scar, tracing the outline where it had been sloppily stitched before dropping lower. Law could feel more than hear the way Luffy’s breath hitched when the pad of his thumb met the corner of his lips. They were soft—slightly chapped from the cold. If it wasn’t for the almost insatiable need to have his lips on the other he could’ve stayed like this the rest of the night. Running his fingers over soft skin and admiring his face, relishing the hungry look in his eyes as he let Law do as he pleased. Though Luffy’s hands were twisted so tightly in the fabric of his shirt his knuckles turned white. Maybe he shouldn’t tease so much.

The choice was taken out of his hands when the other heavily swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’m trying really hard not to kiss you right now.” His voice came out breathy, a sign of just how affected he really was.

Law was unable to suppress the small upturn of his lips, Luffy’s eyes dropping down to stare at them. Since he was feeling so gracious he slowly ducked his head, slotting their mouths together in a soft kiss. It was a mere touch of lips, no roughness or hard edges in sight and it was everything he’d been wanting—craving for weeks. Neither of them made any move to deepen it and it was gone almost as fast as it came. 

“What’s stopping you?”

In a matter of seconds Luffy’s eyes went from dazed and unfocused to sharp, a challenge in his gaze—one that Law had no problem losing. His grin grew, a hint of mischief in his smile as his hand traveled from Law’s hip to rest on the back of his neck, gripping it slightly.

Taking that as all the permission he needed the other proceeded to pull him down and smash their lips together. The sound that Law let out was akin to a laugh, more a huff than anything as Luffy swallowed it. The kiss was clumsy, inexperienced, and everything he’s ever wanted. 

“Didn’t wanna scare you off.” He mumbled between kisses. 

“You could never,” Law responded, pulling back just slightly to catch his breath, “but your kissing might.” 

The pout that his comment earned him was downright adorable and made him want to kiss it off his face, so he did. This one was a bit slower, a bit more controlled than the last and Law nearly felt his legs give out at the lingering taste of vanilla on his lips. It was sweet—almost too sweet for his tastes but he had never craved anything more.

Luffy was the first to pull away this time and rested his forehead against Law’s, soft pants escaping his mouth. “Wow,” He breathed out, “that was a lot better than I thought it would be. And a lot wetter.”

The groan that Law let out was nothing short of annoyed as he ran a hand over his face. “I cannot believe I’m in love with you.”

Luffy’s hand that was still resting on his hip tightened, his smile probably the widest Law’s ever seen it before. His eyes sparkled as he looked up at him. “Really? You mean it?” He nodded, a small sound of agreement escaping his throat before the other boy surged up again, catching his lips in a chaste kiss. “Took you long enough.”

“You knew?” Law asked with a sigh that was more resigned than anything because of course he did.

“Course I did. You’re terrible at hiding your feelings.”

“So I’ve heard.” One of his hands came up, brushing a strand of hair away from the other’s face and tucking it behind his ear. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well, I was going to when I figured out that I liked you but then Nami— Ah— I mean, I didn’t…”

“Luffy.” Law gripped his face with one hand forcing the other boy to look at him when he tried to turn his head. “What does Nami-ya have to do with this?”

“...We made a bet…” Luffy had the decency to at least look a little guilty when the words left his mouth and his own face dropped into a scowl, his hand tightening ever so slightly.

“And what exactly were the terms of this bet?”

“She bet me that I couldn’t wait until you confessed to me. She said I was too impatient but jokes on her, I won!” His expression quickly morphed from guilt to looking awfully proud of himself. 

“What did you get out of this?” He asked, releasing his face and instead moving his hands down to his waist and holding him close—the need to feel him near greater than his annoyance.

“A bunch of tangerines! She said something about a crate or two.”

Ah, of course.

Law was absolutely going to kill her.

“I was getting impatient though! You took so long to confess I thought I was going to die!” 

Law thought about his words for a moment and the meaning behind them. “When—” He cleared his throat, “When did you figure it out? That you liked me, I mean.”

“Mm, it was that day in gym,” Luffy smiled as if he was remembering it, “You laughed at one of my jokes. A real laugh, not one of your sarcastic ones and I knew I liked you. Then Jaggy hit me in the face with the ball and you took care of me when my nose bled.” 

Law tilted his head slightly searching his mind for the day that the other was talking about. When he finally found it he could feel the heat rising up to the tips of his ears. “Lu-ya!”

“What?”

“That was like a week after we met! You barely even knew me!”

“I knew enough.” He shrugged. “I asked Nami and Robin about it and Robin said I should wait but I didn’t want to and then Nami made the bet.” His eyes met Law’s. “I was getting impatient though, almost gave up but it was cute watching you try to hide it.”

Law groaned, bringing a hand up to his face. So all of the flirting was intentional. He wasn’t exactly sure what to say to all of that but apparently Luffy wasn’t done. The other brought his hands up, gently cupping his cheeks forcing Law to look him in the eyes.

“I love you, Law.”

Warmth crept up his face, burning bright and hot at the use of his name. He knew that Luffy loved him, the events of the past couple weeks—especially today—leaving him almost without any doubt in his words but he wasn’t able to stop the ‘why’ that left his lips.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Luffy countered, looking at Law with the softest expression he’s probably ever seen from the other boy. “You’re super smart and such a nerd about the things you like that it’s cute to watch you talk about it even if I don’t understand most of it. You try to act like you don’t care about stuff even though I know you care a lot. I love your smile and your laugh and your eyes and you’re so pretty that it makes my heart do funny things—”

Law cut him off with a hand over his mouth, flushing all the way down his neck. “Stop it.” He strained.

Luffy looked absolutely scandalized and quickly pulled his hand away. “Hey! I wasn’t finished!”

He looked ready to continue making Law more of an embarrassed mess than he already was so before he had the chance he surged forward, catching his lips once again. “You talk too much.” He mumbled.

A small smirk made its way to the other boy’s face. “Guess you better shut me up then.”

That was all the warning he had before Luffy wrapped both arms around his neck, pulling him down hard enough that it caused them to stumble. He didn’t part from his lips, following him as the other stumbled backwards—only pulling away when his knees hit the edge of the bed causing the two of them to fall onto it. 

Law was able to catch himself from headbutting Luffy, hands splayed on either side of his head. “Whoops.” The other said without a hint of remorse before gently tugging on the chain that hung around his neck, bringing him down and sucking his bottom lip into his mouth.

Law suppressed a groan at the feeling. Compared to the kiss from a few minutes ago this one was heavenly. Both of them may have had no experience kissing before but Luffy was a quick learner—a stark contrast to how he was during their study sessions. It was a bit messy and sloppy but Law wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was exhilarating, intoxicating, and he never wanted to stop.

He moved one of his hands, gently loosening the tie around Luffy’s neck, partly because he knew it was probably bothering him and partly because he just wanted to feel him. Law loosened it just enough to pop the first few buttons of his shirt open before sliding his hand behind his neck, tilting his head up to deepen the kiss even further, a low hum escaping Luffy’s throat.

He pulled back just enough to catch his breath, eyes flitting down to watch the other’s lips—kiss bitten and glistening with spit. Law thought he couldn’t get any hotter but this sight certainly takes the cake. Luffy’s breath came out in short huffs so Law figured he’d give the other a bit of a reprieve, ducking his head and peppering soft kisses along his jaw and down his neck. It seemed to have the opposite effect as he let out a low snort before evolving into giggles.

“Ticklish?” Law murmured, unable to suppress his own smile.

“A little.”

He bent down, claiming his lips again and again and again until he was dizzy with the affection. Both of Luffy’s arms were looped around his neck, fingers scratching gently at the nape of his neck and sending pleasant shivers down his spine. If you would’ve told him a few months ago that he would have one Monkey D. Luffy in his bed and was currently kissing him until his lungs burned with exertion he would’ve called you crazy. Now, he wasn’t sure how he could’ve been doing anything else—couldn’t see himself doing anything else.

It wasn’t until he heard a small *creak* that he was pulled out of his haze, quickly sitting up and whipping his head around to stare at his door in alarm. The telltale sound of Cora’s heavy footsteps echoed behind his closed door. Fuck. He had completely forgotten that they weren’t exactly alone.

Law listened carefully over the sound of his own harsh breaths, and it wasn’t until he heard a door opening and closing from down the hall that he felt his body relax. Cora had told them that he was going to bed soon. He was just grateful he didn’t feel the need to tell them goodnight again before doing so. 

A sigh of relief escaped between his lips as he turned back to look down at the other boy. Not being able to stop himself he bent down for one more chaste kiss before getting off of the bed entirely, setting out to do what he originally planned to. Law shuffled through his closet—actually finding and pulling out clothes this time. 

Luffy’s eyes never left him and his gaze was felt heavily as he tugged off the shirt that’s been hanging off of his shoulders the whole time. He knows the other boy is watching him intently, if the lack of his outgoing voice is anything to go by. Scrutinizing his every move even as he’s undoing his belt and stepping out of his slacks—as if they haven’t seen each other undress a million times in the locker room.