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Milk. Some eggs (he swears he won’t break any this time!). Flour. Ci- Co- What is this scribble supposed to mean? Not that his own handwriting was anything to be proud of, but come on, Ace could have done a better job at writing down what he needed for that damn cake.
Not that Luffy is complaining about getting cake as soon as he gets back home. Ace’s cakes don’t always turn out that good and are often a bit burned, considering he’s not a baker and nowhere as good at it as Sanji.
He can’t deny that a good thing that usually comes out of his brother’s weed use during Friday nights to relieve the tension from his long firefighter shifts is this sudden urge to bake cakes. And well, not even Ace’s ridiculous munchies are enough to have them completely eaten. Marco is also not very helpful with this yummy task.
Enter Luffy!
Luffy only ever goes to the supermarket for this kind of emergency - and if the shopping list is too long (or poorly written) he’ll always leave something behind or bring something extra that is definitely not needed. Creative liberties, as he likes to excuse himself.
Sabo usually does the supermarket trips. As he’s out to the sea in some crazy war journalist situation (one Luffy will eagerly listen to as soon as his brother comes back, mesmerized with the adventures the blond had lived), Luffy and Ace have been taking turns. It doesn’t help that both eat like horses and the money is as short as Luffy’s attention span.
He honestly hates coming to the supermarket. It’s so boring. What do you mean you can’t run with the shopping carts?
Yeah, whatever. Today’s his turn, as it usually is on Fridays. At least this is how they’ve arranged things since that time when Ace came to the supermarket as high as a kite and bought four big packs of sanitary pads because he thought they were hilarious.
And that scribble probably meant chilli.
He heads to the register line, shopping basket proudly in his hands. Mission almost completed! The person in front of him, for some reason, is buying all the bread in the world and nothing else. He could have gotten some. He examines the variety of candy bars available on the shelves. Just one won’t hurt, the money will prob-
“Next.”
He thoroughly empties the basket, putting its contents on the conveyor belt as he gives the bars a last, longing look. Just a Snickers. Two.
He’s holding the eggs as he looks up at the cashier. The carton slips from his hands as he takes in the person in front of him.
He’s used to some middle-aged ladies chewing gum who don’t really seem to want to have any kind of conversation and occasionally a certain girl slightly older than him who acts really, really friendly.
This person, however, he’s never seen before.
It’s a guy. He could use some sleep, but at the same time those eyebags have some weird charm. He’s so grumpy it’s kind of cute, like a wet cat. His whole arms are tattooed, and long tattooed hands with chipped back nails manipulate the products to have them scanned. Blip, blip.
“Is that all?”
Maybe he spent too long trying to decipher those drawings on his skin. His skin has a nice olive shade that contrasts nicely with the tattoos. He-
“Is that all, sir?”
Luffy’s eyes meet his for a second, completely lost with what he’s supposed to answer. His eyes are like honey, sprinkled with little brown speckles, and gaze at him with the smallest amount of patience in the world.
They are also really, really pretty.
“I- uhm-” Luffy stutters, averting his eyes. His cheeks feel warm. Great. “Y-yeah. Sorry.” He grins. The guy doesn’t smile back; instead, he looks at him as if he’s as stupid as a brick.
“It’s 28.99 berries. Payment method?”
“Uhm, cash.” Luffy answers, sticking his tongue out as if it would ease the effort of fumbling inside his pockets in search of the crumpled bills Ace had handed him.
The first thing that comes out of his front pocket is a long lost mint he has no idea where it came from. He looks at it like it’s the most absurd thing, wondering how the heck it made it to his jeans.
“What the hell?” He mutters.
He might not exactly be the brightest, but the corner of his eye definitely catches the guy smirking ever so slightly.
“Shishishi. Pockets are weird.” He hears the next person in line huffing. Rude. “Here.”
The guy takes the bills and hands him the change. Luffy is brilliant enough to let a coin escape his stupid hands and has to rescue it off the floor. He hears a breathy chuckle as he stands up, shoving the offending coin into his pocket.
Feeling his face warm again, Luffy quickly puts everything inside a plastic bag and plans to leave as quickly as possible. At least he’ll have some cake soon.
He takes a deep breath, trying to regain some of his lost dignity.
“Thank you. Good night.” The guy’s voice is the same deadpan tone as it has been during their entire interaction. When Luffy looks at him, though, he doesn’t look as grumpy as before. He even looks like he’s amused.
Well, of course he is. Luffy’s clumsiness is probably one hell of a distraction from his boring job.
“T-thanks. G’night.” He smiles, gathering his bag. The next person curses something under their breath.
The guy doesn’t seem to care, because he’s still looking at Luffy and answers his smile with another smirk before turning to the offended citizen.
——————
Balancing the plastic bag by the elbow, he pockets his battered earbuds, putting them in their case while still humming the cheery tune he’d been listening to the entire short walk home.
“I’m hom-”
“Shit-”
Ace and Marco, who have very obviously been making out on the couch if their flushed faces and chaotic hair situation are anything to go by, quickly disentangle themselves and sit as upright as they can. Ace, lazily smirking, fails miserably, letting his head fall on the backrest. Marco has that same amused, collected expression he always has, like someone who isn’t easily worried by anything. He just adjusts his glasses to regain some composure.
“Shishishi.” Luffy places the bag on the counter, his eyes glinting with playful accusation. “You sure you’re still baking that cake?
“Yup.” Ace slowly stands up. “Did you get all the stuff?”
Luffy shrugs, opening some cabinets in search of an early night snack. Potato chips will do. “I did my best with your ugly writing.”
Ace laughs, examining the bag’s contents. “Look who’s talking.”
Marco, still chilling on the couch, takes a long look at Ace, a look that’s both full of affection and mischief. “Ace wrote me a letter a few weeks ago. He’s lucky I have my medical-ugly-writing superpowers to understand that.”
Luffy’s mouth goes agape. Some chip crumbs can definitely be seen inside. Sabo would say it’s gross. “You? Writing love letters?”
“Shut up.” Ace visibly blushes, giving a pointed look at Marco, who just shrugs. “What the fuck, Lu. The eggs are all broken. How did you even manage this?”
“I uhm-” Luffy sheepishly tries to form a sentence, and he can feel the heat in his cheeks again as he remembers the guy. Amazing. “The carton kinda slid off my hands when I was at the register. Thought they could’ve survived.” He gives an awkward smile. “Whoops.”
“Geez.” The older brother grimaces as his hands get dirty with raw egg whites. “Did someone scare you or somethin’?”
“Pfft.” After a thoughtful mouthful of chips, Luffy comes to a conclusion. “Uhm… it was a different cashier. Unexpected, I guess?”
“Lemme understand this.” Ace empties the bag, leaving only the eggs inside. “You broke the eggs because the cashier was someone different?”
He blinks. “Yeah?”
Ace scoffs. “You’re such a clumsy little shit.” Of course he smears some egg goop on Luffy’s arm. Gross.
“Hey!”
Marco stands up and, as Ace is sorting the egg-garbage-situation, he whispers something in his ear. Ace’s eyes almost jump out of their sockets (well, they do it as much as they can considering how the weed makes his eyelids droopy). He takes a quick glance at Luffy, with a confused expression on his face, and turns back to Marco.
“Him? Really?” He looks at Luffy again, who’s just there eating his chips still with that same tune playing happily in his head and, as he finishes the bag, proceeds to lick his fingers clean. The Snickers comes next. Ace smiles at him in a weird way. “Interesting.”
“Whaddya mean?” Ace’s definitely got something is his stupid head. He looks at him like he knows something Luffy doesn’t. Not that Luffy knows a lot of stuff. Maybe it’s just usual stoned behavior. Luffy wouldn’t know himself, since smoking is disgusting and even if he thought otherwise Ace wouldn’t let him touch his stash, his point being: Luffy’s appetite on munchies would mean he would eat their whole apartment and they would end up on the streets.
“Nothin’ really.” He waves nonchalantly. His left forearm has a few superficial burns scarring from some of his shifts earlier that week. “But yeah, no cake today.”
“‘s okay. You always burn them anyway. I’ll eat something at Nami’s.” He announces with a stretch, proceeding to trash the remnants of his little snack time.
“Alright. You heading there now already?”
“Yeah.”
“‘Kay.” He yawns. “Text me if you need anything.”
“You too.” Luffy grabs his straw hat from a chair and glances at Marco, who’s just chilling by the counter. “But I guess you won’t really need me for a few hours.”
“Idiot.” Ace blushes. “Also, what’s with the chilli?”
“You wrote that.”
Ace mutters some curse under his breath. “I meant cocoa, dumbass.” Luffy bursts out laughing and Ace soon follows suit.
“Guess we’re missing out on some chilli cake today.” Marco observes.
“Not gonna lie, I’d eat the hell out of that shit.” Ace says, wiping his eyes. “Thanks for the Snickers, though.”
——————
Luffy may not have had luck with the cake, but he definitely hit the jackpot now. Sanji made chicken curry for tonight and it tastes amazing. He just has to be careful not to spill any on Nami’s carpet unless he wants to die a slow, painful death before his 20th birthday.
They are watching a stupid scary movie as they eat - Luffy and Usopp on the floor, using the coffee table to support their bowls, while Nami absolutely thirdwheels on the couch beside Sanji and Zoro.
Usopp occasionally pretends he’s not afraid to death, Sanji and Zoro bicker about what’s going to happen next, Nami just observes everyone like they are hopeless (but sometimes leans on one of the guys because she sure as hell is afraid of the movie, too) and Luffy laughs his ass off because the scary scenes are just downright stupid.
It’s peaceful. It feels like home.
They finish the movie and a trembling Usopp hurries to switch the lights on.
“Too dark in here, you know. Couldn’t see anything.”
Zoro rolls his eyes, an arm behind Sanji on the backrest. “If you say so.”
Nami stands up, narrowing her eyes. “Now I can see if I have to charge any of you for ruining my living room with curry droplets.”
“You’d charge us anyway.” The guys say in unison.
She just shrugs, heading to the kitchen. “There’s a price for using this apartment to hang out.”
Zoro scoffs, ruffling Sanji’s hair, who (affectionately) curses something under his breath. “Good thing we’ve found another place.”
Luffy perks up. “Hm?”
“So” Sanji smiles, as proud as ever. “Mosshead and I are moving together.”
Nami grins. “No way!”
“The neighbors gonna love the background noise.” Usopp, the one who still lives with them, says with every single drop of sarcasm he has. “And I don’t mean the bickering.” He adds, wriggling his eyebrows and giving a suggestive smirk.
Sanji promptly kicks his shoulder. “Usopp!”
“What? I’ve had my fair share of sleepless nights.”
“Gross.” Nami grimaces, and Zoro sticks his tongue at her.
“That’s cool! I mean, you’ve been together since High School.” Luffy finally says. Moving together is such a nice step in their relationship. He’s really proud of them. “Where is it?”
“A few blocks from the Baratie.” Sanji answers, slowly lighting a cigarette.
“Is the kitchen big?” Luffy asks with visible worry. They need to keep having their nice food meetings!
Sanji chuckles, puffing out some smoke. “Of course.”
Still listening to the conversation, Luffy heads with his bowl to the kitchen in hopes of finding more food. Bingo! Sanji definitely cooked enough for him to have seconds. Even thirds.
“We’ll need some help to move if any of you are available next week.”
“I’m in!” Luffy raises his spoon in acceptance, coming back from the kitchen with a full bowl again.
“Whoa.” Sanji eyes the bowl in incredulity. “Even bigger appetite today?”
“No cake.” Luffy sighs. “I broke the eggs because of the cashier.”
Nami looks at him for a while. “What the hell do you mean?”
“I don’t know!” He takes a spoonful to think better. It always works. “I mean, it was a different cashier this time. When I looked at him it all felt weird and my hands stopped working.”
Zoro chuckles, downing a beer. “Was he that ugly?”
Now that Luffy thinks about it… “He was… pretty, actually.” And he blushes. Obviously.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Nami intervenes. “You never, ever call anyone pretty.”
“Luffy.” Usopp breathes in and out. “Are you saying you have a crush?” Usopp would know what it’s like, since he’s head over heels about that blonde med student. What’s her name again?
“I… don’t know?” He really doesn’t, because he’s never had a crush before. He’s just been too busy worrying about other stuff. “I’ve just never broken any eggs because of anyone before.”
“Romantic.” Sanji says, sarcastically.
“Are you going to the supermarket again soon?” Nami questions, hopeful.
“Probs on next Friday again, yeah.”
“Try to see him again.” Zoro says, and the others nod in confirmation.
“I’d like that.” Luffy smiles, remembering his tattoos. “He seems cool.”
“At least try to learn his name next time.” Sanji reminds him.
“Really? It’s a miracle he even calls us our actual names.” Usopp laughs. “We’ve seen the stupid nicknames he’d given to people.”
Nami smirks, placing a bill on the coffee table. “Then I bet we’re about to see the rise of a pet name soon.”
——————
The weekend goes by in a flash, and next week is no different. Monday’s blues go as per usual - that crappy feeling of not having fully recovered from the weekend and dreading the start of a full week. At least there’s boxing practice by the end of the day.
Luffy’s still trying to get the hang of this university thing. Catching up on classes is really hard and there definitely is a lot more stuff to study about that doesn’t exactly interest him. He should’ve known Biology was a very ample degree to pursue and the coolest part, the beetles, wouldn’t be covered from day one. Instead, he’s been dealing with cells. They are so tiny and yet so full of little names and mysteries. Beetles are formed by then, so he guesses he should pay good attention to how mitochondria work.
He wishes he could pet an Atlas beetle, though.
Tuesday and Wednesday are not much different, except he almost - almost! - naps during class and for the absurd amount of reading he has to do in such a short time. Why are these papers written like that, anyway?
He must admit there are times during those days when some flashes of that cashier guy come into his mind, and it doesn’t really help remembering those eyes when he’s supposed to be attentive to whatever is happening during class. Maybe, just maybe, he wishes he was listening to that smooth, low voice of his instead of this professor’s high-pitched tone. He also wishes he could remember all of those tattoos, too.
On Thursday, though, he barely has any time to think about him as he misses his boxing practice to spend the whole afternoon helping Sanji and Zoro to move their stuff to the new apartment. It’s a nice place.
When the night falls, Sanji gives him a ride home. When he’s about to open his apartment’s door, he reminds himself with enthusiasm that tomorrow is Friday again.
He opens the door with a wide smile.
——————
Eggs. Cocoa - he won’t get it wrong this time! Some scribble that looks like bread. Milk.
Another Friday night, another trip to the supermarket.
This time not only he aims to sleep with some cake in his stomach, which means not being stupid and breaking any eggs, but he also plans to see the guy again.
He’s not sure exactly about what he’s supposed to do. It’s not like they have a lot of time to have a conversation or anything. He wishes they could talk. The guy seems interesting, like he would have a lot of cool stuff to tell. Maybe it’s because his voice is so soothing. Luffy wonders what the guy likes. Do his tattoos give any hint?
He heads to the register. To the guy. There’s a small line, and the guy makes it flow quickly with practiced motions and just a few words. Blip, blip. He seems so serious, even though Luffy knows he heard him chuckling last time. It was kind of a cute sound.
“Next.”
The guy smirks at him. He wants to think that he didn’t do this to anyone else before in that line.
“Good evening.”
Luffy’s heart does a funny flip. Why is he having difficulty finding words? Why does this guy do this to him? He always knows what to say and never has a hard time about it. He’s never been shy in his life. Yet, when those honey eyes land on him, he just freezes.
“G-good evening.” He stupidly answers, the realization that the guy has a good amount of piercings in his ears making him blush for some reason.
The smirk disappears, and it could be a sad thing, but his serious face is still very, very handsome, so Luffy doesn’t have it in him to complain at all.
Blip, blip.
While the guy scans his stuff, and Luffy is happy he didn’t drop anything this time, his eyes land on his shirt. There seems to be a tag in there with his name. Tra- To-
“It’s 32.99 berries. Payment method?” The cashier interrupts his investigation. Shit.
“Cash.”
He hands him some crumpled bills and coins, and can’t help but notice the “DEATH” tattoos on the guy’s fingers as he hands him his change.
“No broken eggs today?”
Luffy looks up at him. He’s smirking, and there’s a glint of shy mischief in his face that is just irresistible.
“Shishishi.” Luffy fully laughs. So the guy is funny. Interesting. “Guess not.”
“Cool.”
They glance at each other for a second before the next person in line starts putting a whole bunch of products on the belt and the guy - Tor-? - turns around and changes his demeanor completely.
——————
Ace bakes a chocolate cake. It’s not pretty and it’s burned as usual, but it’s not like some cheap ice cream can’t do the work.
“Since Marco had to leave to deal with some medical emergency,” Ace says, opening a drawer in search of a clean knife, “we’ve got this all for ourselves.”
Luffy chuckles. “You say it like Marco eats like half of your cakes. He eats like a bird.” He points out, opening the fridge in search of the remnants of the vanilla ice cream they had opened a few days prior.
Ace cuts a generous slice, puts it in a bowl and adds a scoop of ice cream. He hands the bowl to Luffy and repeats the same steps for himself. He doesn’t seem to care about presentation as Sanji usually does. It’s a shame they don’t have any syrup. Or colorful sprinkles. He could’ve gotten some at the supermarket. He could go back there and-
“Mmm. So good.“ Ace almost melts in his chair at the first spoonful. “I’m glad you didn’t break anything today.” Luffy starts attacking his own bowl. The ice cream was indeed the best idea. “Was the cashier that usual old lady or what?”
“Shishishi.” He finishes his bowl, thinking about the next. “Nah, it was the guy again.” He licks the spoon, thoughtful. “You know, he also pointed out the breaking stuff part.”
“Wow.” Ace shakes his head, giggling. “Which of you is worse?”
“Hm?”
Ace smugly crosses his arms over his chest. “You forget how to function when you see him and he, despite seeing a bunch of people everyday, remembered that you, of all people, is a clumsy idiot.”
His face is doing that getting-warm-thing again. “So?”
“Geez, Lu.” Ace rolls his eyes, sighing in disbelief. “You definitely have a crush.” He smirks. “And maybe this guy is not completely unaware of your existence.”
Oh. “So you think he likes me?”
Ace scoots closer, pointing at his chest. “Do you like him?”
“Uhm…” Luffy looks down, fiddling with the strings of his hoodie for a while. “I wish we could, like, talk. And I think he’s pretty. And he’s in my head, like, a lot. An-”
“Yep, definitely have a crush.” Ace wipes an imaginary tear, faking a crying voice. “Never thought I’d be alive to witness this.” He places his hand on his heart. Always so dramatic. “My little brother finally having the hots for someone.”
Luffy flicks his nose, earning loud laughs from his older brother. He sighs. “It’s so weird.” His tongue finds a bit of ice cream on his lower lip. “He makes me forget the words. Or how to move.” He covers his face with both hands. “I… dunno what to do.”
“You, of all people, don’t know how to approach someone?” Ace tries to free Luffy’s face from his hands. “Wow. Shit’s bad.”
“Ugh.” Luffy’s hands slip off his face. “Shut up.”
Ace cuts another piece of cake and proceeds to eat it with his hands. “Just give him your number.”
“Does that even work?”
Ace shrugs. “‘Course it does. Or do you think you guys will have time to chat at the supermarket?”
Luffy rolls his eyes. Why do his brothers always think he’s stupid? “Yeah, I get that. I mean, how would you know? You’re only on Grindr and stuff.”
“Well, that’s how I find my hookups, including Marco.” Ace chuckles. “But in your case I guess giving the phone number works best.” He finishes the piece of cake, licking his fingers. “You already know who’s the guy you want.”
“Hm.”
“Plus, it’s got some old school charm.”
Luffy grins playfully. “Ohhh. That you understand about.”
“Huh?”
“The love letter.”
Ace blushes furiously. “Shut up.”
Luffy gets more cake as well. “Never thought of you as the romantic type.”
“Neither did I, but here we are.” Ace dreamily places his face on his hand, supporting his elbows on the table. “I miss him.”
Luffy inhales the piece of cake, with a lot of crumbs insisting on falling out of his mouth as he speaks. “You see each other everyday during lunch.”
“Shut up.”
——————
Today Ace’s stoned ass decided he wanted to make a carrot cake. So here’s Luffy again in the supermarket looking for carrot cake ingredients.
Here’s also here for a little something else.
“It’s 14.99 berries. Payment method?”
Luffy shoves his hands in his pocket in search of his usual crumpled bills.
“Cash.”
He hands Tor- Torao? the bills. And something extra.
“You… forgot this, sir.” The guy says, confused, giving a folded piece of paper back to Luffy.
He grins, shaking his head. “No, I didn’t.” His head then motions to Torao, confirming that the little piece of paper is for him.
The guy slowly unfolds the paper and, judging by his blush, he definitely understands Luffy’s handwriting. His phone number, more specifically. “Oh.”
Luffy blushes as well, unable to resist how cute he looks with his cheeks all reddened. “I- uh- you’rereallypretty!”, he blurts out.
The cashier freezes, looking at him as if he were crazy. They stay in silence for long seconds while Luffy sheepishly shoves everything in a plastic bag.
“Uh… Thank you and have a good night.” Torao’s voice comes back erratically and it’s just fucking adorable.
He can’t ignore him carefully putting the piece of paper inside his front pocket.
“Good night.” Luffy smiles triumphantly.
——————
Did he really triumph, though?
How long will it take for Torao to text him? Will he even text him in the end?
Ace made it look so easy. He didn’t mention how hard it was to wait for such long hours for a response.
What if it takes him days or even weeks to reach out? How is he going to face him when he goes to the supermarket again? Should he ask him why he’s taking so long or is it outside of whatever crush etiquette is supposed to happen between them?
Ugh. If only they had time to actually talk. Things are so much easier face to face. When he doesn’t break anything, that is.
He could ask Ace for help, but he’d rather not know what he’s been up to with Marco in his room. Considering the size of the blunt he smoked a few hours ago, he’s probably as asleep as a rock, now that he thinks of it.
Luffy yawns and stretches his body. He could use some sleep, too. His phone, besides having no new texts, says it’s 11:42 PM.
Meh. He decides it’s just better to sleep and find out what tomorrow brings.
At least Saturday mornings mean boxing practice!
He undresses until he’s only in his boxers and disappears under the blanket. It feels sooo nice.
When he’s in that funny state that’s somewhere between reality and dream, and you start seeing weird stuff as if you’re living some kind of surrealist experience, he hears a buzzing noise. In his almost-dream, the noise seems to come from underneath him. Weird. He wonders if this is how Ace feels when he smokes. He opens his eyes again and searches for his phone to check the time again.
His phone is under his pillow. Apparently he forgot it there after some minutes playing some stupid game before drifting to sleep.
It’s way past midnight and there’s a new text.
A new text!!
… It could just be some stupid span.
Just one way to find out.
He unlocks his phone and literally squeaks in pure shock.
Unknown number:
You’re not so bad yourself.
His eyes almost jump out of its sockets and he sits upright, a huge smile spreading across his face. Fuck sleeping. He’s suddenly very awake.
Luffy:
omg
torao?
Unknown number:
Torao?
That’s funny.
Have you been giving out your phone number to a lot of people and now you don’t know who it is?
I’m Trafalgar Law.
Luffy:
nah only u 😁
so torao
im luffy
didnt think u would txt me tbh
Unknown number:
Me neither.
I guess I just had to know what makes you go to the supermarket every single Friday.
Not that I’ve been noticing.
Luffy:
my brother always bakes a cake
i have to get the ingredients
Unknown number:
I see.
Luffy:
are you new? i dont remember seeing you before
Unknown number:
Yes. I started this month.
Why do you ask? Have you been paying that much attention?
Luffy:
😁
yeah
but like
you have really cool tattoos so its hard not to notice
Unknown number:
Do you like them?
Luffy:
a lot 😁😁
why do you have death on your fingers?
Unknown number:
Why couldn’t I have DEATH on my fingers?
Luffy:
you have a point
ill know someday
did your piercings hurt
Unknown number:
Some of them did a bit, yes.
Why do you ask?
Luffy:
they look good on you
😁
also ive been thinking on getting one but i dunno
like on my ear
Unknown number:
Just do it. I can suggest you a studio if you want.
Would it affect your job or something?
Luffy:
i dont have a job right now
just studying
university
Unknown number:
What do you study?
Luffy:
biology
wanna be an entomologist
study beetles and stuff
🪲🪲🪲🪲🪲
Unknown number:
That’s interesting.
I’m a med student. 4th year.
Luffy:
really? thats pretty cool
i guess both us know smth about mitochndrai then
Unknown number:
…
Do you want to have a conversation about mitochondria? Really?
Luffy:
nah
id rather know abt u
😁😁😁
Unknown number:
Ok.
I work part-time in the supermarket to pay my part of the rent. I live with some friends near my work.
I used to work at a café before, but it closed its doors.
Luffy:
it must be cool to live with yr friends
i live with my brothers
one of them is never around cause of his job
Unknown number:
It’s infuriating sometimes.
University students can be really messy.
Luffy:
you kinda give off the vibes of someone really tidy
like
you literally use periods
😏
Unknown number:
I am.
I must say I cringe at how crumpled your bills usually are.
Luffy:
theyre not that bad!!!!
Unknown number:
They are.
Luffy:
😣
Unknown number:
So what do your brothers do?
Besides baking and being outside.
Luffy:
the one who bakes is a firefighter
the other is a journalist
were not biological brothers tho
just like chosen brothers
i live a few blocks from the supermarket
Unknown number:
Me too. I’m lucky I’ve found a job near home.
I don’t have brothers. It must be nice.
Luffy:
so we live nearby? thats a coidncidnce
Unknown number:
I guess.
Where do you study?
Luffy:
sabaody university
Unknown number:
Really? Me too.
Considering how close our institutes are, it’s crazy I haven’t seen you there before.
Luffy:
its my first year 😁
but would you have noticed me?
Unknown number:
I would.
They finally text their good nights when it’s way, way past 3 AM.
Sleeping is so overrated anyway, Luffy thinks as he drowns again into the blankets with a dopey smile.
——————
“Have you been messing with my stash?” Ace asks, fumbling with the screeching coffee machine.
Luffy drowsily looks up to Ace from his massive bowl of cereal.“What?” He grimaces dramatically, wiping some sleep from his eyes. “Ew, no. Why?”
“Your eyes are fucking red, Lu.” Ace points out, flicking Luffy’s right ear.
“Ouch!” He then shrugs, eating some of his sogging cereal, and letting out a massive yawn. “Haven’t slept at all.”
“Weird dreams again?” His brother asks, preparing two large mugs of coffee. On one of them is written “light my fire”. It was a gift from his firefighter bros a few months ago.
“Torao and I were texting.”
Ace spills some of the coffee on the counter, cursing unintelligibly. “You what?” He clumsily grabs some paper towels to deal with his mess. “So you gave him your number?”
“Yep.”
“And how was it?”
Luffy’s face warms up and his lips curve into a dreamy smile. “He’s… really nice.” He almost whispers, like he’s just come to this conclusion to himself.
Ace chuckles. “Not really beating the crush allegations here, bro.” Luffy rolls his eyes in amusement.
Marco appears from the hallway, freshly showered and ready to go to one of his morning shifts. He takes one of the coffee mugs and places a chaste kiss on Ace’s freckled cheek.
“Thanks.” He mutters, and Ace, beaming, seems to almost melt on the spot.
The scene makes Luffy casually remember about when Ace told him that he missed Marco even though they see each other nearly everyday. It’s not a stretch to say that he’s already missing texting Torao again.
Is he that doomed?
“If he makes you cry I’m gonna beat the shit out of him.” Ace warns in a playful tone that is absolutely serious, sipping his hot coffee with way too much glee in his dark eyes.
——————
Sanji’s and Zoro’s apartment already looks spotless, with everything in its place. It’s a tiny bit small, but it’s cozy enough for two people and the kitchen definitely delivers, just as Sanji promised. The spotlessness and the cute plants are all surely Sanji’s doing, Luffy ponders as he starts to smell something delicious coming from the kitchen. Meat, without a doubt.
Sanji comes back from the kitchen with a roast that makes Luffy’s mouth water. He could dehydrate like this if he doesn’t eat soon. His boxing practice today has left him starving and lunch wasn’t nearly enough to curb his appetite.
Four plates and a half later, he sighs in both relief and satisfaction and sips his lemonade. Now he’s in proper shape to start a conversation.
“I’ve been texting Torao.” He says. This lemonade is really good.
“Who?” Sanji asks, confused, gathering the plates from the table. Luffy would love to help him wash them, but since that infamous plate-breaking incident, he’s not allowed near the sink.
“The guy from the supermarket.”
Nami almost chokes on her beer. “That’s definitely a pet name.” She laughs almost manically, shoving Zoro’s shoulder. “I won the bet!”
“Shishishi.” Luffy laughs, shaking his glass. “His actual name is a bit complicated.”
“How did that even happen?” Usopp asks, wide-eyed.
“Just gave him my number.” Luffy shrugs, finishing his lemonade.
“And he texted you?” Zoro doesn’t seem to buy it either. He gulps his beer in thought.
“Yep.”
“That shit is definitely not one-sided.” Sanji observers, heading with the plates to the kitchen. Nami nods.
“Guess it’s time we know more about him.” Zoro finishes his beer, the glass bottle meeting the table with a loud thud. “If he screws this up I’m gonna end him.”
Luffy chuckles. “It’s fine.” He assures them, sucking on an ice cube. “He’s a med student at Sabaody. Works at the supermarket to pay for his rent. Lives with some friends. He’s nice, actually.”
“He goes to Sabaody too?” Nami seems surprised. “Wow.” She sips her beer and snorts. “It’s crazy you ended up stumbling on each other in a supermarket and not at uni.”
“I know.” Luffy agrees. “But it’s a lot of people there, I guess.”
“So what are you gonna do now?” Sanji asks, coming back from the kitchen with a tray that seems to contain… Is that tiramisù? Yum yum. His stomach smiles.
“Whaddya mean?” Man, he really wants that tiramisù, like, now.
Sanji swats his hand away from the tray. “Will you just text forever?”
“Ask him out, you idiot.” Nami proposes.
A date? “You mean just the two of us?”
“Dear God.” Sanji sighs, serving the tiramisù in small bowls. “Not even mosshead was this dense.”
“I heard that, curlybrows.”
“That’s how a date works, you dummy.” Nami says, confirming Luffy’s doubt.
Usopp nods, using his fingers to count the possibilities. “Yeah. Like going to the park, or getting some ice cream, or going to the movies-”
“Did you do that with Kate already?” Luffy curiously asks.
“It’s Kaya.” Usopp gets very flustered in a matter of seconds. “And not yet. I’m-”
“I’ll ask him out.” Luffy decides, already devouring his tiramisù. “And you, Usopp, should ask Kaylee, too.”
“It’s Kaya.”
“That’s what I said.”
“It’s definitely not.”
“How the fuck did the two of you end up into med students?” Sanji chimes in between spoonfuls.
“Guess they need someone to study their stupid brains.” Nami concludes.
“That’s definitely it.” Sanji agrees with a smirk.
Nami suddenly fumbles with her purse.
“2 weeks for that date to happen. Tops.” She bets, placing two bills on the table.
——————
Another Monday.
More cells to deal with. How is there so much to study about such tiny things?
Luffy leaves the lecture room as soon as the professor announces their usual break with a bag of chips and his phone. He sits under a tree, opens his chips and starts munching on them.
A tiny, cracked bird egg on some dried leaves reminds him of someone who would understand his cellular frustration.
Luffy:
ugh
Torao 🥚🖤:
Good morning to you too.
Luffy:
i’m gonna die studying these cells
i thought i knew enough about them before uni
but shit
how can smth so tiny be so complicated
Torao 🥚🖤:
You will survive.
You need to understand the cells to get to the beetles.
Luffy:
yeah yeah i know
but like
at least the microscope exercises are fun
Torao 🥚🖤:
I like them too.
I also really like Anatomy.
Luffy:
anatomy is toughh
are you good at remembering all the names?
Torao 🥚🖤:
Sort of.
Organs are easier. I have a harder time with some muscles.
Luffy:
i ended up knowing some because of my boxing lessons
i can help you with them if thats the case
Torao 🥚🖤:
That’s cool.
I can help you with the cells if that’s the case, too.
Didn’t know you did boxing. It makes sense.
Luffy:
wdym
Torao 🥚🖤:
Your arms.
Luffy:
oh
what about them?
Torao 🥚🖤:
They are a good anatomical example, yes.
Luffy:
🤭🤭🤭🤭
are you free during lunch?
Torao 🥚🖤:
Not this week.
I really need those hours to study for some upcoming tests and to finish a paper.
Luffy:
😔
Torao 🥚🖤:
I’ll only be able to rest on Friday night.
Luffy:
wait
dont u work on fridays?
Torao 🥚🖤:
It depends.
I have a set rest day on Sunday and one Friday per month.
Luffy:
it must be tough
Torao 🥚🖤:
It is. But that’s what I have to do. At least my education is for free.
Luffy:
yeah
cant imagine paying for uni
books and stuff are already so expensive
but like
do you plan on doing anything on friday?
Torao 🥚🖤:
Not at all.
Just becoming one with my bed would be nice.
Luffy:
😁
and what if i have an idea?
Torao 🥚🖤:
Tell me about it.
Luffy:
i thought that maybe we could go to the movies or smth
if you want to ofc
Torao 🥚🖤:
I’d like that.
It’s been forever since I last went to the movies.
Luffy:
really?
Torao 🥚🖤:
Sure.
Luffy:
just
no idea what to watch
theyre reprising the first movie from that sora franchise but like i’ve never watched any of them
Torao 🥚🖤:
I’ve heard about it, but never have I.
We could watch it.
It’d be a refreshment for a very busy week.
Luffy:
im buying the tickets for the 8pm screening then
Torao 🥚🖤:
Deal.
I’ll pay you later.
Luffy:
no no
its on me
Torao 🥚🖤:
Are you sure?
Luffy:
yeah
just dont worry
Torao 🥚🖤:
Go back to class, then. I should as well.
Luffy:
k
cant wait for friday
😁
Torao 🥚🖤:
😉
Luffy locks and pockets his phone, trashes the chip bag in a bin nearby and heads back to his class.
In the middle of his professor’s endless lecture, when his hands have already given up on any efforts of writing anything down, he realizes it with wide eyes.
He just asked Torao on a date and he said yes.
He said yes!!
Holy shit.
Needless to say, he spends the rest of the class smiling to himself and completely unaware of whatever is being covered on that ugly slideshow.
Friday seems so, so far away.
——————
WEDNESDAY
9:36 PM
👒THE STRAWHATS 👒
5 online
Sanji:
Sushi night this friday?
🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣
Zoro:
Ill need some sake
Nami:
You guys are literally in the same room
But yeahhh
Also yeah for the sake
Zoro:
Great
The witch is gonna end my booze
Nami:
Not my problem if you can’t handle your liquor
🥱
Sanji:
I’m only paying for Nami’s
Zoro:
You gonna pay me in another way
Usopp:
🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢
Jesus Christ
I’d say get a room but you already got one
Nami:
Get inspired by the flirting and ask Kaya out you dummy
Usopp:
And what if she says no????
Zoro:
She won’t say anything if you don’t ask her
Usopp:
I must prepare myself
Some sushi will boost my strength
🍣
Nami:
@ Zoro save some sake for Usopp
He’ll need the courage
Or I’ll text her myself
Usopp:
HEY!!!!
you already steal everyone else’s girl
Nami:
Can’t help if I’m so charming
Sanji:
True
Nami:
But I’m concentrating my efforts on that blue-haired beauty that gets an iced matcha every afternoon when I’m at Doskoi Café editing my videos
I have I feeling she’s not straight
You know how good my ✨ queerdar ✨ is
Usopp:
You totally don’t sound like a stalker
Sanji:
Do you think she recognizes you from your videos?
Nami:
No idea
That cat-eye definitely comes from a good tutorial, not sure if from mine though
Only weirdos stop to talk to me in the street honestly
Where the make-up girlies at 🥺
Also where’s @ Luffy
Sanji:
Weird that he still didn’t say if he’s coming on friday
I need to know If I’m gonna need to buy a normal amount of fish or the whole ocean
Luffy:
guyysss
sorry i cant go this friday :( sushi sounds good tho
@ sanji pls make it again another time
Zoro:
Anything happened?
Luffy:
i have a date
with torao
Usopp:
YOU WHAT????????
Nami:
@ Zoro I won
Zoro:
Shit
Suppose your great queerdar didn’t see that comin tho
Nami:
Shut up
Sanji:
@ Luffy You? Denying food? to get a man?
Explain yourself
Luffy:
were going to the movies
we gonna watch sora
im really excited
Nami:
Doesn’t he work on fridays?
Luffy:
he does
but this one is his rest day
Sanji:
How much did you pay for him to accept that gruesome fate?
Luffy:
😁😁😁😁😁
guys
he kinda said my arms are nice
Nami:
Wow
Usopp:
😱😱😱
Never thought I’d be alive to witness Luffy FLIRTING
Nami:
IKR???
OF ALL PEOPLE
Luffy:
idk
its funny cause hes so different from me
like
hes all calm and nerdy and tidy
🥺
Sanji:
You are a loud mess indeed
Luffy:
yeah
kinda
😁
idk but theres something so interesting about him
dunno how to explain
Zoro:
Maybe you just don’t need to
Sanji:
Can’t explain my charm, mosshead?
Zoro:
🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕
Usopp:
HAVE FUN!
And for the love of God wear protection
Luffy:
😁😁😁🤭
wdym
im not getting laid yet
Nami:
Focus on yet
Sanji:
Considering how you’ve been impressing us lately, I don’t know anything anymore
Nami:
At what time are you getting out?
Luffy:
hell come get me by 7pm so we can catch the bus to the mall
he lives nearby
Sanji:
That’s actually sweet
Nami:
Good
I’ll be at 5:30 pm by your doorstep to avoid you getting out in rags
That Torao guy won’t resist you
😏
——————
“That’ll do.” Nami says, hands on her waist and a proud look in her eyes.
Luffy looks at himself in his mirror, slightly cracked on a lower corner. He’s wearing a red tank top he hadn’t worn in ages, mostly because it had been forgotten somewhere in the middle of the chaos of his closet, and light blue jeans that Nami said makes his ass look good. He turns around to confirm this information and yeah, that’s true. He wishes he could wear his usual sandals, but Nami promptly forbade him and made him put on a pair of white low top chucks.
“I like it.” He finally says, flexing his fully visible arms. “You think he’s gonna like it?”
“If he doesn't, I’m murdering him.” Nami adds a thin gold chain with a sun charm around his neck. “You could turn a lesbian straight.”
Luffy grimaces, doing her a once over. “Not you.”
“I’m absolutely fine.” She agrees, making a disgusted face at the thought of being with a guy. Her expressions make him burst into laughter. “Well, my job here is done. Text me if you need anything. Have a good date.”
“Thank y-”
“And definitely don’t kiss with your teeth.” She advises, swiftly disappearing through the open door.
“Wh-”
Ace suddenly enters the room, examining Luffy with eyes full of mirth.
“She’s right.” He fucking claps. “Lookin’ good, Lu.” He starts sniffing the air until his freckled nose reaches Luffy’s neck. “Wait, did you steal my cologne?”
“It was Nami.” Luffy shrugs.
“That bitch.” Ace grits his teeth. “She did a good job though. You better get that guy or I’ll end him.”
Luffy snorts. “You’ll be stoned.”
“I have my ways.”
His phone buzzes. He smiles when he looks at the message.
“He’s downstairs already.” He grabs his phone and wallet and puts the string of his straw hat around his neck. “Bye.”
The elevator is so slooooow. He could’ve gotten the stairs. This way he could run and get downstairs faster.
At least the elevator doesn’t stop on random floors. Today he doesn’t have the time to interact with his neighbors.
When he finally reaches the ground floor, he waves to the janitor and finally, finally steps outside the building.
Torao is there, his back on the wall, hands in his pockets, looking absolutely divine in a black short-sleeved shirt and skinny jeans that leave very little for the imagination.
Apparently he’s got more tattoos on his chest. He wishes he could see them all.
And he smells so, so good.
Torao turns to him, his hands still in his pockets. His beautiful honey eyes don’t meet Luffy’s. He seems a bit shy and it’s adorable. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Luffy smiles.
And then his smile falters when he realizes Torao is definitely wearing some smudged eyeliner.
That’s so fucking… hot.
“You’re staring.”
“Sorry.” He shakes his head, blushing. “You look… really good.”
“Can’t complain about how you look.” Torao says, chuckling. And then his eyes finally meet Luffy’s. His voice is almost a whisper. “You… look nice in red, you know.”
Luffy bites his lower lip as his stomach does a funny flip that has been way too regular lately. “So, uhm… let’s go?”
“Yes.” Law smirks, turning around to lead them to the bus stop.
——————
They’re lucky enough to find two vacant seats next to each other. Luffy’s by the window, admiring the night lights, and they bask in an awkward silence. Unless…
Yes!
Luffy hands him an earbud.
“Let’s warm up.” He smiles, connecting the earbuds to this phone’s Bluetooth.
Torao looks at the bud like it’s offending him, but puts it on nonetheless. “What’s this?”
“Shishishi.” Luffy puts on the other earbud and searches for a song on his music app. There! “The Sora theme.”
Torao hums, listening to the heroic song blasting in his left ear for a while with a pretty cute attentive face. “I’ve heard this before.” He smirks, looking at Luffy, who’s shaking his head in accordance to the rhythm. “I guess it’s quite famous.”
“We’re probably the only ones that never watched it.”
“Probably.” Law agrees, averting his eyes and looking through the window. “It’s a good song, though.”
“Right?” Luffy grins, exaggerating his seated dance moves. “I like it, too.”
Torao rolls his eyes, showing a subtle smile. Is he blushing? “What else do you have there?”
“Do you like Soul King?”
“Not usually my thing.” Torao nervously plays with his earrings. “I’m mostly on the… melancholic side of things.”
Luffy chuckles, gently shoving his shoulder. “Like some emo stuff?”
“... Yeah. Kind of.” He shyly fumbles with his hands on his lap. “We can listen to it, though.”
——————
A few songs later and some serious attempts by Luffy to make Torao dance on his seat (unsuccessfully), they arrive at the mall and hurriedly reach the cinema. They’ve still got some minutes before the screening starts. A bunch of Sora cosplayers are around holding pop corn buckets and taking cool pictures with the movie poster.
“You gettin’ anything?” Luffy asks him once it’s their time on the snacks queue.
“Uhm.” Torao looks around. “Some soda is fine.”
“No pop corn?” How is he supposed to concentrate on the movie without pop corn? “Really?”
Luffy’s enormous pop corn bucket arrives and he starts eating it by the counter while the cashier gets Torao’s diet coke.
“I can steal some of yours if I crave it.” Law shrugs, apparently terrified by the sheer size of the bucket. “No way you’re eating that all by yourself.” He takes a single pop corn and smirks as he munches on it.
Luffy smirks back. “I’ll only let you because you’re nice.”
“I’m not nice.”
“You are.” He shoves a bunch of pop corn into his mouth. “And yeah, I’m gonna eat all this.”
The cashier is waiting for the payment, and as Luffy tries to find a way to reach for his back pocket to get his wallet, Torao takes his own wallet instead, showing him a shiny card.
“It’s on me.” He decides, proceeding to pay. “You paid for the tickets already.”
“Alright, Mr. Math.”
——————
The pop corn doesn’t really help him focus on the movie. Well, the movie is actually pretty great - so great that there are many, many times when their gazes cross knowingly during specifically cool or funny scenes in a way to communicate in silence and Luffy does a huge effort not to jump Torao’s bones.
The way his eyes glint in excitement, illuminated by the screen, is just addicting. He’s so beautiful.
Luffy sometimes looks at him with the corner of his eye. Torao’s plump lips, wet from the soda and for some constant licking as an effort to keep them moist, look like the most inviting thing in the world.
If he kissed him, though, would Torao realize he’s never done this before?
——————
When they leave the dark room and reach the hallways, Luffy impulsively grabs Torao’s hand to lead him to a nearby milkshake booth that definitely wasn’t there the last time he went to the mall.
Torao doesn’t let go of his hand. Their hands remain intertwined. Shyly.
“Whoooa! Look at this!” He shouts, pointing at the place’s logo. “Let’s get milkshakes!”
Torao raises an eyebrow, chuckling softly. “Do you still have space in there?”
“Of course I do!” He answers, almost offended, as he grabs a colorful menu. “C’mon, which one do you want?”
“It’s on me now.” He states, taking the menu.
“Again?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Luffy shrugs, examining his options. Wow. “Big Unicorn Madness.”
Torao looks at the picture for a while, slightly flabbergasted. “What even is that?”
“Dunno. It’s pretty and seems tasty.”
“All right.” He says, still choosing his option. “I’m gonna go with a small vanilla one.”
“That’s boring.”
He smirks. “That’s classic.”
“You’re gonna starve to death.”
“You’re the one who’ll have to save me, then.” He says, completely unaffected, as he places their order.
“You’re the doctor here.”
Torao smiles wider at him. There’s still something shy and grumpy in his face, but there’s a hint of playfulness coming to his beautiful eyes.
They get their milkshakes, thanking the cashier, and start walking until they find an empty bench.
“Let’s sit here.” Torao points to the bench, making himself comfortable.
The bench is barely enough for the two of them to sit. Every brush of Torao’s shoulder on his sends electricity directly to his stomach. Even though the milkshake is perfectly cold, his body feels stupidly warm.
He’s never felt like this sitting next to anyone before. It’s kind of exciting.
“Wow.” He breaks the silence, sipping on his sugary goodness. “The movie was pretty cool, right?”
“Pfft.” Torao sips his milkshake, turning to him. “That’s an understatement.” He smiles widely. Brightly. “Remember that part when Stealth Black used his invisibility powers?
“That was sooo sick.” Luffy says, flapping his hands in excitement. He nearly drops his milkshake. “Those Germa guys were insane.”
“It was really satisfying seeing those bigots being screwed up.” Torao crosses his legs, taking another sip of his dull vanilla milkshake. “They are really good villains. I enjoy well-written villains like this.” He sighs, looking ahead with a smile. “It’s been a while since I last watched some good sci-fi. You can see it was well researched scientifically. All that cloning had a good genetic backup in actual scientific research.” He suddenly blushes, looking sheepishly at Luffy’s adoring face. “I- Sorry, I’m kind of rambling here.”
“‘S okay.” Is he kidding? He could listen to him rambling like that for days on end. It’s so cute to see him all excited like this. “We should watch the next movies.”
“...” Torao licks his lower lip, smiling shyly. “We could do that.” He pauses for a moment, enough for his smile to widen just a tiny bit. “I’d like that.”
Luffy grins at him, and they spend what feels like both an eternity and too little time staring at each other like the world around isn’t really there.
“So…”, He goes back to his milk shake, flustered like all hell. “How about your tests? Did you finish your paper?”
“I- I guess they went well. I’ll know soon.” Torao fixes his hair, placing a strand behind his pierced ear. “And yes, I finished the paper. I still have to wait for my supervisor to review that.”
“What’s it about?”
“In simple words, heart diseases.” He tastes more of his milkshake, fingers nervously tapping on the plastic cup. “I plan on starting a residency in cardiology once I finish graduation.”
“Wow.” Luffy is so much in awe that he touches his shoulder. Torao flinches a bit, but doesn’t take his hand away. “So you wanna become a heart doctor?”
“A cardiologist? Yes. Hopefully a surgeon.”
Luffy squeezes his shoulder. A pretty solid, muscular shoulder, by the way. “That’s really cool, Torao.”
Torao looks at him for a while and just… he bursts out laughing. Luffy wishes he could record that sound and play it on repeat forever. “Why do you call me that?”
Luffy laughs, too. Isn’t it obvious? “You just look like a Torao to me.”
He averts his eyes, still chucking. “I don’t.”
“Want me to stop?” Luffy asks, seriously.
Law turns back at him and slowly shakes his head.
They stay in silence for a while again, each of them with their head focused on the plastic cups on their laps as if they were the most interesting view possible.
Torao breaks the silence this time, his pretty face turning to the side to look at Luffy.
“Why beetles?” He mutters.
Luffy smiles brightly. Maybe his voice comes out a bit too loud. “They are so fun. Like, some of them have horns, are colorful, are huge, or can jump. And there’s the fireflies which, like, shine! I’ve always been obsessed with them. I’ve had some as pets.” He touches Torao’s hand lightly, scooting slightly closer as if trying to get his point across. “They have a really important role in nature, you know? They decompose stuff. They even pollinize!” He distances himself again, but he realizes that gorgeous honey gaze has never left his chocolate eyes. “Never understood why some people are terrified of bugs, honestly. Always loved them.”
Law looks elsewhere and it almost hurts. “I’m not the biggest fan myself.” He says almost in a guilty tone. “But that’s just me being terrified of something crawling me.”
“Like this?” Luffy asks, impulsively tickling Torao’s arm.
“Wh-”
“Shishishi.”
“S-stop it!” He shouts, trying to contain his laughter as Luffy tickles his inner elbow. His skin is so soft.
Torao recomposes himself, wiping his eyes and shielding himself with his tattooed arms. “You’ll be a great entomologist.” He bites the straw before having more of that bland milkshake. “You clearly have passion for your field.”
“What about you?” Luffy asks with curiosity, finishing his milkshake so hurriedly he almost freezes his brain. “Do you have passion for Medicine or are you one of those people who study it to become rich?”
Torao’s eyes shine in a very special way. “I love it.” He smiles in a slightly melancholic way. “I was influenced by my father. He was a cardiologist himself. My mother was a nurse.”
“Were?”
“Well.” He looks down, decreasing the volume of his soothing voice. “I lost them as a child. They died in a car accident with my little sister.”
Great, Luffy. Congratulations on making him sad. That’s not how dates work! “Sorry Tor-”
“It’s fine.” He smiles softly. “Until before college I lived with my guardian, whom I also call father. Cora. He did everything in his power to ensure I’d get enough education to enter a prestigious university and make my dream come true.”
“He seems like a cool guy.”
“He is.” Torao points at his sternum with way too much force. “He manages to be even clumsier than you.”
“Hey!”
“You said you live with your brothers.” Torao finishes his ugly white milkshake. “What about your parents?”
“Never met my mum.” Luffy plays with the straw from his empty cup. “My dad is somewhere covering war conflicts.” He snorts. “The funny part is that my journalist brother works with him.”
“What a coincidence.”
“Like the fact we study at the same place?” He questions amusedly.
“Yeah.”
They stand up and trash their plastic cups, walking for a while among the crescent amount of people. Their hands remain interlaced - their fingers have a tiny bit more of force this time. They don’t comment on this. They just let this happen.
“Oh.” Luffy stops abruptly, annoying someone behind them. “The garden in the parking lot.”
“What about it?”
“There usually are some cool bugs in there.” Luffy pulls Torao’s arm by his hand. “Wanna see them?”
“Will you save me if some of them decide to crawl me?”
“Shishishi.” Luffy guides him by the hand. “You’ll be fine, Torao.”
——————
Luffy inspects the bushes for the 2989th time. “Meh.” He sighs, putting his hands on his waist, totally not doing an effort to show off his arms as he does so. “Guess they are sleeping or something.” He looks up with a pained face. “There’s not even a firefly in here.”
Torao crosses his arms, seemingly having fun with Luffy’s suffering. “They knew I’d be around so they hid themselves.”
“What?” Luffy shoves his shoulder in surprise. “They’d love you!”
“Not sure if I would be able to return their love.” Torao approaches the brick wall, placing his back on there calmly. It’s an usually deserted area of the mall, at the very corner of the parking lot, and he seems content with the lack of noise. “It’s a beautiful night, though.”
“Yeah.” Luffy follows suit, staying beside him. “The breeze is nice.”
“The moon looks larger than usual.”
Luffy turns his head at him. “Did you know that bugs use the moon as a kind of compass?”
Torao crosses his arms, looking at him. Only now Luffy realizes how much taller he is than him. Like… a head taller. “Is that why they are attracted to light?”
“Yeah.”
Torao leans closer, snorting. “That’s crazy.”
And just… Luffy can feel his breath ever so slightly on his nose. It’s warm. His face is the closest it has ever been, those smudged honey eyes insist on looking at him like with this addicting softness, and he realizes Torao’s got two tiny moles on his left cheek that are ridiculously charming. He wishes he-
He takes a long breath.
Fuck it.
Standing on his tiptoes and enveloping his arms around Torao’s neck, he brushes his lips on those tiny cute moles and places a chaste, nervous kiss on his mouth. Their foreheads touch. His legs tremble. Torao doesn’t move. Was this a bad idea? Don’t people kiss on dates? Why-
Strong, large hands grip his waist, making him gasp.
A hand slowly slides to his upper back, making him shiver deliciously, and it makes their torsos flush together.
Torao smiles against his lips.
“You’re just so-” he whispers, brushing Luffy’s lips with his, never finishing whatever he had to say because he closes their distance before Luffy ever has the chance to know what the heck he ever meant to.
He could melt at any second.
Torao’s lips are so soft. So warm. There’s still a vanilla aftertaste that’s all but bland when combined with his taste. He kisses Luffy tentatively at first, delicately stroking his mouth and experimenting with angles. His goatee scratches his skin just right. Luffy tries to keep up, using his characteristic quality of being a fast learner with practical things to help him. When Torao provocatively sucks his lower lip, Luffy sighs, smiling, because it’s so fucking hot, and Torao uses it as an excuse to slide his tongue into his mouth.
It’s a bit weird in the first seconds. When Luffy understands he’s supposed to brush his tongue with Torao’s, though, he understands why people rave so much about kissing.
When their tongues find their rhythm, holy shit, Torao angles Luffy’s head to go deeper and his left hand grips Torao’s nape hairs like the world is about to end. When he does that, that gorgeous tattooed guy moans softly. It’s the hottest sound Luffy’s even listened to. He wants more of that. The hand in his wait holds him tighter.
And then… Well. Torao basically manhandles him in a way Luffy’s back hits the wall not so softly. He cages him with purpose. It’s not always he faces someone as strong as him. He can feel his cock twitch. He gasps in surprise and Torao happily swallows this and all of the stupid sounds he makes. The kiss gets frantic, messy and a bit wet. It couldn’t get any better. It’s perfect. Torao is perfect.
After what feels like an eternity he remembers he has to breathe. But, like, does he really need to? Disconnecting their lips would be so lame. Torao’s body feels so good against his. He could stay like this forever. Fuck breathing.
“Ahem.” An unknown voice interrupts his train of thought. “Excuse me.”
Torao jumps away from him, clearly embarrassed from being caught by a fucking security guard.
Well, that’s actually… awkward, really.
They both have very prominent boners, by the way. Luffy didn’t know a kiss could get him so worked up.
“Whoooops.” Luffy scratches the back of his neck, laughing to the security guard as if it serves him as an apology. “Shishishi.”
The guard opens his mouth to say something, but before he can spoil his little moment with Torao any longer he just grabs him by the wrist and runs like a maniac.
“Hey!” Torao asks between breaths. He’s got long legs, he surely can run just fine. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Fleeing, duh.”
Torao runs faster. “Let’s go to the bus stop then.”
They run through the parking lot until they hit the mall’s gates. And they laugh so, so hard while doing so that it feels like they are living some kind of adventure. It’s freeing.
“Shishishi.” Luffy laughs, stretching his arms to the sky. “We made it!”
Torao scoffs, his bated breaths doing nothing to make Luffy’s boner disappear. “You sound like a criminal.”
——————
The bus ride home is silent. No earbuds this time. Their hands remain together and Torao even strokes Luffy’s from time to time. It makes his skin tingle and a neverending smile grace his lips. Luffy hides his head in the crook of Torao’s neck and it just stays there comfortably for the whole time. His smell is addicting.
When they get down from the bus and Luffy is about to get sad with the prospect of going back home, Torao squeezes his hand as if to tell him something.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“Do you…” His voice is nothing but a shy whisper. “You wanna go to my place?” He fumbles nervously with his earrings. “My friends are out at a bar somewhere, so it’s only… the two of us.” He explains, averting his eyes. “If you’d like. Of course.”
“Sure.” Luffy answers, his voice sounding pathetic. His cheeks burn. “I’d like that.”
“Cool.” Oh, Torao’s cheeks are burning, too! “It’s only a few blocks from here.”
——————
Luffy follows Torao’s example and takes his shoes off as soon as he enters the shared apartment. Thank God Nami also chose his socks so he’s not wearing a pair with holes.
He places his straw hat on the couch as he takes in the place. “You really are tidy.”
“Tch.” Torao turns the light switches on. “I was about to excuse myself for the mess.”
“Don’t be silly.”
Torao heads to where it seems to be the kitchen. “Do you, uhm… want some water?”
“Sure.” Luffy accepts, following him like a stray dog. “Thanks.”
He hands him a glass of cold water. “Here.” Luffy replies with a smile.
Torao takes a glass for himself and leans on the counter. Luffy realizes that there are lots of medical books on the small kitchen table, seemingly used very often considering the amount of post-its and colorful bookmarks.
“Are all those books yours?”
“Kind of. I share them with my friends.” Torao says, retrieving the glass.
“Are they also med students?”
“Yeah.”
“Cool.” Luffy takes a book and starts flipping the pages absentmindedly. “I’m the only one in my friend group studying Biology. We’re all over the place.” He puts the book down, using a hand to count on his finger. “There’s a chef, an influencer, a Mechanical Engineering student and a kendo teacher.”
“Sounds fun.” Torao smiles, putting the book back on where it seems to be its right place. Tidy bastard. “As much as I love Medicine, it must be nice to change the topic of the conversation from time to time.”
“It is.” Luffy smoothes his tank top. “Nami, the influencer, helped me dress today by the way.”
Torao does an once over, biting his lip. “She did a great job.”
“You think so?”
Torao comes closer, closer and closer, until his lips brush Luffy’s ear. “You’re gorgeous.”
A strong shiver travels from Luffy’s toe tips to his hair ends without missing his already interested cock. Shit.
And then Torao looks at him with a… face. Like he’s hungry. Luffy wouldn’t mind being devoured by him. It’s almost like they aren’t close enough, and it’s something both realize as it’s hard to tell who moves first and start the feverish kiss that follows.
Luffy doesn’t need to kiss anyone else to know that Torao’s tongue is the one that tastes best and that his lips are the softest. And he doesn’t want to, to be very honest. He just wants him. He could kiss him everyday, everytime, and never get tired of it. And the way Torao’s hands grip at his sides, playing with the hem of his top, is not really helping him think otherwise.
Neither is the whine that comes from Torao’s mouth when he bites his bottom lip.
He needs him closer. He wants to feel his skin. God. He’s never felt like this before. Yeah, he’s horny. He’s been horny, but he solved the situation multiple times with some mindless jerking off. This is different. He’s desiring someone like his life depends on it.
He’s not only horny. He’s curious. And frankly desperate.
So he shoves a hand under Torao’s shirt to feel the skin on his back, bringing him closer and deepening the kiss. They both gasp at the heightened proximity.
He’s not the only one who’s worked up, though. Torao promptly grabs his ass, giving his length some welcome friction, and he lets go of his lips to scatter kisses on his neck.
“Aah-” Luffy can’t help the sounds that come from his mouth.
“Bedroom.” Torao whispers in his ear, licking his earlobe and making him shudder. “C’mere”
Now it’s Torao who’s guiding him by the hand, both of them stumbling in their passionate hurry.
The short hallway seems endless.
——————
As Torao closes the door, it’s Luffy’s time to pin him against any available hard surface. That shirt looks great on him but come on, it needs to go. He wants to see his tattoos, to touch his skin, to kiss his chest, to taste his abs. If only those buttons weren’t so damn confusing to unfast! Why isn’t Torao wearing a normal T-shirt?
Realizing the hard time Luffy’s been under, Torao undoes his buttons, one by one, until his shirt falls on his tattooed shoulders. His smirk is delicious. The bastard knows what he’s doing.
He’s just- shit. He has a huge stylized heart tattooed on his chest that asks to be traced by his tongue. He’s lean and long and gorgeous, and he has a white spot next to his left hip bone that needs to be bitten until it becomes red.
Why would he lose time desiring anyone else when this exists?
“Shit, you’re so hot.”
Letting his shirt fall off his perfect tattooed arms, Torao swiftly slides Luffy’s tank top over his head. It falls… somewhere. Whatever.
“You’re one to speak.”
“Shishishi.”
Oh GOD. Kissing with their skin touching like this feels incredible. They kiss hungrily, their hands anxious to touch and feel every possible available surface of soft warm skin, and Luffy feels like Torao is taking him somewhere while they are at it.
His calves stumble on something that doesn’t allow him to take another step back. Torao pushes him and he’s now on the soft surface of his bed. He crawls over him, eyes soft and even worried, and he gently takes a strand of hair out of Luffy’s eye.
“So.” He whispers, caressing the scar under his left eye. “Have you… done t-”
Done wh-
Oh.
Oh.
No, he hasn’t.
Come on, he didn’t even know what kissing felt like until tonight.
So they are… Yeah. That sounds good.
Luffy just shakes his head, smiling softly. His eyes never leave Torao’s.
“Just… tell me if-”
“Just don’t stop, Torao.” Luffy places an index finger on Torao’s lips. “Please.”
Torao just nods.
Grinning, Luffy pulls Law to a messy kiss and he realizes doing it on the bed is even hotter. Their lengths friction into one another and it reminds him that the constraints of his jeans are becoming nearly impossible to deal with. All those clothes are too damn much. They need more skin.
Wait. Does Torao have tattoos on his legs?
Time to find out. He tries to multitask, fumbling with the fly in Torao’s skinny jeans while they kiss as if the world is about to explode, and Torao helps him with the mission of getting rid of those pants as soon as possible. Nimble tattooed fingers reach Luffy’s fly, and his jeans are somewhere on the floor in no time. They’re only in their boxers.
Torao’s mouth leaves Luffy’s all of a sudden, which makes Luffy whine in disappointment, but he soon changes his mind when he feels Torao’s lips - and teeth - play on his neck and make his cock twitch impossibly in his boxers. Long fingers reach his nipple and for the love of God, Luffy could die without knowing that he’s got such sensitive nipples. It all feels so good.
“Shit-” He moans, bucking his hips up.
Torao says goodbye to his neck with a harder bite that makes him gasp audibly and Luffy realizes his head is gradually going down. He scatters little kisses on his chest and abdomen, never taking his fingers off his nipple, until he reaches his hipbone and gives it a bite that makes Luffy nearly scream.
“Law-”
Luffy looks down. Torao looks up at him, pupils blown wide in a way that makes him look ferocious, like he wants to eat Luffy alive. It’s so damn sexy. He’s got that irresistible smirk to make things even worse. He palms Luffy’s clothed erection as if asking for permission for whatever. What the fuck, Torao. Do whatever the fuck you want. Just keep going!
“Please-”
Torao places a kiss on Luffy’s clothed boner, making his hips buck upwards again, and then he proceeds to get rid of those stupid boxers.
Luffy is fully exposed to Law’s scrutinizing eyes, shamelessly leaking and so hard it’s painful.
It doesn’t go unnoticed on Torao - he licks his lips, visibly liking what he sees, and starts to jerk Luffy off agonizingly slowly, patiently collecting the precum from the slit to have a better slide. He gives up on that after a short while, though. Letting his hot breath reach the sensitive skin, he replaces his fingers with his tongue, which slowly circles the head and takes its time on the slit.
Luffy’s head snaps back at the sensation. Holy shit. Torao’s hands were good enough, but this? This is heaven.
Torao expertly sucks on the head, leaving Luffy whimpering and searching for some leverage until he grips Torao’s hair so as to not die from pleasure.
With his tongue playing with the underside, Torao slowly takes Luffy’s length into his mouth, sucking the life out of him as he increases the speed of his up and down motions. He blows him with purpose. The purpose of killing him, probably.
At some point, with the room’s atmosphere punctuated by Luffy’s loud moans and gasps, Torao takes him all in, and Luffy has to make the biggest effort not to come when he feels the head touch his throat. He grips Torao’s hair harder, and it makes him moan on his cock in a way that the vibration reverberates through his whole body. He’s so close. So close!
Out of nowhere, Torao takes his cock of his mouth, to Luffy’s utter disappointment. It doesn’t last long, though. He soon takes him all in again quickly as sets an absurdly fast pace, increasing the pressure by hollowing his cheeks. Another moan by Torao is what makes him lose it.
“Law!” He grips his hand harder, words failing him. “I- I’m co-” His groin starts to fucking explode. “FUCK!”
The orgasm that comes is something he’s never experienced before. It’s so intense he shuts his eyes like they’ve been locked. It’s a strong wave that travels throughout his whole body and makes his back arch impossibly. Torao swallows around the head and it surely doesn’t help with the sensitivity. He lets go of him, and when he opens his eyes, dizzy and panting, Torao, flushed as all hell, hair all messy, looks at him with a smug smile, lips glinting with spit and tears drying out. He’s so fucking perfect.
“You okay there?”
Luffy chuckles between pants. “Y-yeah.” Torao gently rubs circles on his inner thigh. “I’m- shit.” Luffy tries to sit up, but his arms still fell like jelly. “Just… wow.”
Torao leans down to kiss him again, and the kiss is slower this time, sweeter even, like they don’t need to be in a rush for anything. Time is just a human concept anyway. Or something. Torao finishes it with a peck on Luffy’s nose, earning a smile. It tickles.
When Luffy feels his energy is finally coming back to his muscles and he means to sit still, Torao pushes him back on the bed and stands up. Luffy mourns the loss of that warm, heavy body over his, but he can’t exactly complain now that he can see a completely stood up Torao only in his boxers as he opens the second drawer from the nightstand in search of something.
Well, yeah. Apparently there’s no leg tattoos. Which is fine anyway. Those are some beautiful, long legs.
There is a wet spot on his boxers and his boner seems painful. Luffy’s mouth waters at the sight. Would he ever suck Torao off, too?
“Found it.” Torao says with a smile, coming back to the bed with a plastic bottle in hand and a tiny metallic packet. He tosses them somewhere in the sheets and kneels between Luffy’s legs, spreading them. That simple motion is enough to make Luffy’s cock come back to life.
“You’re quite flexible.”
Luffy eyes him smugly. “You like that?”
Torao opens the bottle, spreading some clear… thing on his long fingers. Probably lube. Now that Luffy looks at it, he’s seen something similar in Ace’s bathroom. “Let me show you how much I like it.”
That simple sentence is enough to make the hairs in the nape of his hair bristle. His stomach does that goddamn flip again. His cock definitely likes how it sounds.
Before he can form proper words for an equally hot response, he feels a wet, cold finger touch his hole.
“Relax.” Torao mutters, leisurely forcing one finger in.
It’s a bit weird. Not bad, just new. Luffy’s never put anything in there before. He knows his prostate is somewhere in there and that it can be really good. Time to find out.
Torao’s finger moves in and out with care. It doesn’t hurt. It’s just a matter of getting used to it. After a few thrusts, Luffy feels his body relax around the finger and it starts getting pleasurable. His hips start chasing that damn finger. Oh. Soon it’s not enough. He needs more girth to feel…
“More.” He gasps, his cock starting to fill out again.
Torao slips in another finger, and it burns a tiny bit this time. He tries to remember to relax. The burn feels good, though. It’s a good kind of pressure. Like he’s being filled. Torao keeps the in and out motion, but also plays with his fingers, scissoring him, stretching him. Pleasure coils in his gut. He’s already panting. It doesn’t help that he’s still a bit sensitive from his last orgasm. Could he cum like this? He’s nev-
“LAW!” Oh shit. Torao probably found his prostate. That smug, irresistible smile is certainly proof of that.
He keeps hitting that sweet spot with his fingers and oh God, Luffy is getting close. So close.
Torao decides it’s time for a third finger. The stretch is a little uncomfortable in the first thrusts, but he soon gets used to it. Geez. This feels so good. He’s blabbering some unintelligible noises as Torao finger fucks him like it’s his favorite thing to do in his life. His groin feels like it’s going to snap at any second. He’s so close.
Another hit to his prostate is enough to send him to heaven and back.
“FUCK!” He shouts as his body contorts in pleasure, cum spurting on his abs and on Torao’s chest. “Shit.”
Torao places a gentle kiss on his left knee. He stands up again, and Luffy wishes he had enough strength to urge him the fuck back, but any words he could’ve planned die in his throat as Torao shimmies off his boxers.
Dear Lord.
He absolutely knows what he’s doing.
And it’s fucking hot.
He’s rock hard and leaking. He comes back in between Luffy’s legs, opens the little metallic packet and puts the condom on. He spreads a good amount of lube on his covered length, jerking himself off a few times. Luffy wants to record that jerking off scene into some drawer inside his brain so he can open it whenever he wants to and replay it at least a thousand times per second.
“Relax.” Torao whispers again.
Placing Luffy’s left leg on his tattooed shoulder, Torao comes closer and starts forcing his length into Luffy’s hole. It definitely burns more than the fingers, but it’s not uncomfortable at all. Luffy’s craving it like a lost man in the desert needs water.
He’s actually excited to be doing it. He’s never given much thought to it before, but now that he’s met Torao, he wants to go all the way with him. He wants to get so close to him that they morph their bodies somehow.
This is probably the closest option to it.
Torao inches in with care, filling Luffy up deliciously, until he’s fully sheathed.
He stays still for a while, caressing Luffy’s thigh over his shoulder as his other hand firmly fixes Luffy’s hips on the bed.
He looks down, somewhere between soft and hungry, with an interrogative glint in his lined eyes.
Luffy impatiently gets it.
“Move.” He whines. “Please.”
And so he does.
And fuck, does it feel good.
Torao’s thrusts happen in a crescendo of speed until all can be heard in the room is the lewd sound of skin against skin and moans that come louder than they have the right to be. It’s just impossible to stay quiet. It must be some doctor magic to know exactly what body part to touch to have this kind of pleasure.
“Fuck, Luffy.” Torao groans, and his face contorting with pleasure, decorated with a bead of sweat coming down his temple, is just too insanely attractive. What a man. He’s liking it as much as Luffy and Luffy’s the one responsible to make him feel this good. Fuck yeah.
He’s close again. He’s never come that much in such a short amount of time. Sex finally makes sense. Luffy’s hand grip the sheets as Torao’s body moves over his with intent.
“Law!” Well, Torao definitely knows how to find his prostate. My God. This is amazing. Can he cum again without touching himself?
He internally sets that as a challenge.
Torao seems to read his thoughts, considering he’s hitting his prostate repeatedly with abandon.
“L- I’m-” He comes again, this time completely unable to form even a goddamn curse word. He spills over his stomach, a shudder dominating his whole body and his brain becoming pure mush. Torao keeps thrusting as he rides the last waves of his orgasm, ending the process with a blissful smile. Fuck that was good.
Torao thrusts a few more times until it’s his time to explode. He groans as he cums, biting his lower lip in absolute pleasure.
They are both sweaty, mushy messes.
Panting, Torao makes an effort to take a deep breath. He pulls out, tremblingly walking away in the direction of his bathroom. Luffy can’t help but notice the huge tattoo on Torao’s back. It’s so cool. Also that’s one nice ass.
Why is he going away? Is he gonna leave Luffy all there by himself? He’s heard some stories like that, like when-
Torao comes back without the condom and with a wet towel in his hand. He swipes it over his chest and over Luffy’s mess on his own abdomen.
“Just a second.” Torao mutters, leaving the room.
Why is he leaving again? He wants him back in bed!
Torao comes back with two glasses of water, which he places on the nightstand. “Have some.”
Oh. Now that he talks about it, Luffy is thirsty as hell. Like when he works out and sweats like crazy.
“Thanks.” He says, managing to sit up with some difficulty. “Ouch.” He’ll be sore soon. Just like when he works out.
“Everything okay?” Torao asks, sitting beside him
“Are you kidding me?” Luffy almost chokes on his water. “Shit. I wanna go again.”
Torao laughs, placing his tattooed arm around Luffy’s shoulder. “Was it that good?”
“Yeah.” Duh. Is that even a question?
He caresses his eye scar like he’d done earlier. It tickles. His whole body kind of tickles. “Slow down.”
“Shishishi.”
“You-” Torao fixes a strand of Luffy’s hair. “You’re beautiful.” It’s almost inaudible. But Luffy surely listens. And blushes. Of course he does.
They lock eyes for a moment, drowning in that delicious post-sex hormonal ride (Luffy’s read about it somewhere). The world around them could have gone still and they wouldn’t notice.
Well, except it doesn’t.
There’s a phone buzzing somewhere. It starts ringing as if someone had offended it.
“It’s yours.” Torao observes, sipping on his water and putting the glass back on the nightstand.
“Shit!” Luffy rushes out of bed, not even remembering where the heck his jeans have fallen. Shit. It just keeps ringing and ringing. There! He almost let the device fall as he tries to touch the screen to answer the call.
“Uhm, hello, Ace?” He asks nervously, crouching on the floor. “Yeah, I’m at Torao’s.” He smiles at Torao, who smiles back. “Of course I’m okay.” He furrows his brows. In a matter of seconds, Torao stands up and snatches the phone from his hands. “Wh-”
“Hi.” He greets in that deadpan cashier voice of his. “This is L- Torao.” He nods as Ace says whatever. “I’ll walk Luffy back in a minute.” Nods again. “Bye.”
Luffy looks at him as if he grew a third arm.
“What?” Torao seems serious, but that smirk is still there.“Your brother’s worry is totally justifiable.” He helps Luffy stand up from the floor. “Plus, I don’t want some big brother’s wrath on me. I still have a long life to live.”
“Yeah, sure.” Luffy hugs his waist. “Wish we could cuddle more, though.”
“Next time.” He ruffles Luffy’s hair and then stops. “I mean… if you want to.”
“Are you crazy?” Luffy looks up at him, starry-eyed. “‘Course I do!”
“Cool.” He blushes, averting his eyes. “So, uhm, get dressed.”
Luffy kisses the tiny moles on his cheek and proceeds to go hunt for his lost clothes.
——————
“I CAN SEE YOU TWO, YOU KNOW!!”
Oh shit.
Torao can’t even kiss him goodbye by his building’s gate because Ace is obviously snooping on them by the window.
Luffy laughs nervously and Torao puts his hands up in defense.
“I’M COMING!!!” Luffy shouts back, earning some “shut up!!” from a random resident who also happens to be awake at way past 2 in the morning.
“THANKS FOR BRINGING THIS IDIOT BACK!”
Someone shhhh-s the shit out of them and Luffy realizes that yeah, it’s time to leave.
“Bye, Torao!” He hugs him, placing one last peck in his lips. “Text me.”
Torao smiles softly, turning away to walk back home.
Even from a distance, Luffy can say Ace is eyeing them with suspicion.
He grins, greeting a very confused janitor and making his way to the elevator.
——————
SATURDAY
2:28 PM
👒THE STRAWHATS 👒
5 online
Nami:
@ Luffy
HOW DID IT GO
👀
Sanji:
Bet you guys kissed during the movie
Nami:
With a mouth full of pop corn?
Gross
Zoro:
If I went to watch that movie I’d spend my time doing something else ngl
Nami:
Get a room jfc
Sanji:
You brute
Zoro:
You liked me being a brute yesterday
Sanji:
No dinner for you today
Zoro:
I can live off of beer just fine
Nami:
True tbh
Usopp:
Wtf you guys
@ Luffy
Are you even alive man
What if that Torao guy kidnapped him
Luffy could be dismembered by now
LUFFY
CAREFUL WITH THOSE MED STUDENTS
❗❗❗❗❗
Nami:
You’re literally into a med student
Usopp:
She’s not scary
Sanji:
You sure?
You seem to be pretty scared of her not to have asked her out yet
Usopp:
I’m no the only one pocartinating
Procsatianting*
PROCRASTINATING**
Here
Ok
It’s taking @ Nami ages to ask the mysterious blue-haired girl out too
Nami:
It hasn’t been a year and a half on my case
And her name is Vivi
🩵
Sanji:
So we have a name now
Nami:
Guys………..
She’s fucking perfect
Like a princess
Zoro:
The witch is gonna scare the princess away
Nami:
Said the ogre
Usopp:
LUFFY
LUFFY
LUFFY
LUFFY
⚠️
⚠️
⚠️
Zoro:
Shut up man
Luffy:
guys
Usopp:
See?
It worked
Nami
OMG 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
TELL US EVERYTHING
Zoro:
You just vanished
Luffy:
guys
Sanji:
You said that already
Luffy:
okok
we kissed
like a lot
Usopp:
WOOOOOOOOO
Nami:
Please tell me you didn’t use your teeth
Luffy:
lmao
it was pretty great actually
he pinned me to the wall
Sanji:
That’s hot
Luffy:
it was
then we went to his place
Nami:
WAIT
DON’T TELL ME YOU GUYS FUCKED
Luffy:
we did
Sanji:
ON YOUR FIRST DATE?
Zoro:
You trying to sound like an exemplary virgin now
Sanji:
Shut up
Nami:
@ Usopp you’re now the last virgin standing
Luffy:
yeah
nbd
Usopp:
Please tell me you didn’t catch anything
It was nice meeting you
Luffy:
relax
we wore a condom
i mean
pretty annoying to stop everything to put that thing on but like yeah
Usopp:
Spare me from the graphic details
Sanji:
Was he nice to you?
Luffy:
3 orgasms
🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭
Nami:
Shit
Sanji:
You heard that, mosshead?
Homework
Zoro:
Fuck you
Nami:
Told you he wouldn’t resist you
Luffy:
couldnt resist him either
hes so fucking hot
hes got a big tattoo on his back
Usopp:
And that’s it?
I mean
Was it a one night thing?
Luffy:
oh no no
well see each other again tomorrow
and well try to have lunch together this week
just gonna try to make our schedules work
Zoro:
My threats still stand
Tell me if I need to end him
Sanji:
Brute
But yeah
Tell us
——————
A few weeks go by. They are filled with the best efforts to meet during lunch at uni, and sometimes they manage some date nights on Sundays. They definitely try to enjoy the opportunities of either of them being home alone to have long, delicious sex sessions. One day during lunch they might have had a quickie in the men’s bathroom. Torao said it couldn’t become a habit, but he seemed to get off on the danger of being caught or heard. Luffy didn’t know there was so much to know about someone’s body. His Biology degree definitely doesn’t cover this.
There’s more to Biology than beetles. And there are things that Biology just can’t grasp at all. Like this warm tickle in his chest every single time Torao looks at him with those honey eyes or pecks his forehead.
In short, they make their crazy schedules work somehow. And they are almost finished with the Sora movies!
(Maybe, just maybe, he likes to hum the Sora theme to Torao when he’s about to sleep after they fuck. It also earns him a smile.)
Torao even offered to meet Ace properly. His brother was protective at first, but soon loosened up after a chat about the medicinal properties of Cannabis and gave him tips on how to take care of some new burns he’d gotten.
Next week Torao is going to meet the Strawhats. During one of their lunches, Luffy has already met his friends and has seen them a few times when he went to Torao’s. The plan is to have a huge dinner with both gangs together. Even Vivi is coming!
(Usopp is still a coward. No signs of him getting that girl he likes.)
——————
“It’s 24.99 berries. Payment method, sir?”
Luffy shoves his hand in his pocket in search of those damn bills.
“Cash.” He answers, still having trouble. There’s something his hands aren’t- yeah, there!
He hands Torao the bills and a crumpled folded paper.
This time he doesn’t find it strange at all nor tries to return it to Luffy. He just eyes him suspiciously, puts the bills in the register and finishes the purchase.
While Luffy is purposefully putting the cake ingredients inside plastic bags at the speed of a drunk snail, he anxiously looks at Torao as he unfolds the paper in silence.
His pretty eyes go wide.
“I- Is that all for tonight, sir?”
Luffy answers with a wink that makes Torao blush and smile beautifully. A wide, genuine smile, with that hint of shyness and smugness that Torao somehow seems to mix together and make it look perfect.
Here. Here's his response. Definitely a yes.
Luffy leaves the supermarket and shares a last glance with Torao.
The paper reads, with a relentlessly trained calligraphy:
“Be my boyfriend? :)”