"Hey Law, what you do think?"
Trafalgar jerks at the sudden and unfamiliar call of his name in Luffy's chirpy voice, fork perfectly poised near his gaping mouth. The unfortunate piece of fish drops from his fork, making a soft slap on the table that Sanji begins screeching at Trafalgar for.
"Wha-What did y-you-," Law splutters, face growing so white Chopper shoots a concerned look his way.
"I said, what do you think Law." Luffy repeats, tilting his head to one side, blinking cluelessly.
Trafalgar flinches, causing a few curious glances to be thrown his way. His gaze flicks up from the table to Luffy, eyes hard, figure shaking. The silverware trembles in his tight hold, knuckles gleaming white.
"Hey Law? You okay? Chopper, I think something's wrong with La-"
"Don't." Trafalgar suddenly cuts in, his voice louder than any he's used with Luffy before; bar the times he's exasperatedly shouted at Luffy for his sudden hugs or absurd propositions during their strategic meetings. It shocks the rest of the crew into dead silence, and the atmosphere quickly grows tense and stormy.
Varying degrees of threats are sent to Law subtlety for the sudden show of hostility, from Chopper's fearful whimper to Zoro's move of a hand on Wadou, eyeing Law suspiciously.
"Don't call me by -!" Trafalgar chokes, voice straining with effort. His face is pinched and ghastly white, dark eyes boring holes into Luffy's own that stare determinedly back. The fork he's holding taps the wooden table to the rhythm created by his violently shaking form, hand still tightly fisted around it.
"Name." Trafalgar finally spits out, like the word is poison in his mouth, venom forced to swallow. Grimacing, like the word was a dirty rag been stuffed in his mouth for hours he'd finally managed to remove. Like he hates to admit that filthy word could even be related to him in any fashion. His head moves down slowly, breaking eye contact with Luffy as a trembling hand runs down his sweating face, resting over his mouth.
Despite the galley being filled with tension thick enough for even oblivious Luffy to sense, all eyes are trained on Trafalgar glinting with a hint of curiousity. If seeing the doctor react so violently to a name-one some even called him so often or during the occasional slip of tongue-is new, then seeing him stuttering and pale is a moment to be sealed and recorded for history.
"Don't call me by that name Strawhat-ya. Please." Trafalgar eventually continues, voice barely audible, muffled as it is behind his tattooed hand. "Call me anything, anything, but that. Trafal-guy, Torao, Trafalgar, even that stupid ass name, Surgeon of Death, the Marines gave me, but-" His breath catches, voice hitches, and for one crazy, wild moment, everyone thinks Law is going to burst into tears as he finishes his sentence hoarsely.
"That."
Luffy stares at Trafalgar, whose face is still twisted in pain and disgust, for a moment longer, brows scrunched a little and an uncharacteristic, deep-in-thought look on his face. He frowns, looking as though he's mentally debating whether or not he should say something, but even that's debatable, considering how it's a well-known fact that Luffy spews anything he thinks of faster than the thought can complete itself in his mind.
However, Luffy ends up not speaking at all. Instead he sighs and rests his hands in his chin, propping his elbows on the dining table. He seems to have gotten an inkling of understanding, based on the way he now looks at Law, pouting.
"Man, that's too bad. I wanted to be closer to Trafal-guy too, by calling him by his given name." Luffy whines, effectively dousing the flames of tension in the galley.
Trafalgar looks startled at that innocent revelation, head shooting up to look at the sullen Strawhat captain, blinking confusedly. He feels his face heating up; never before had he heard someone tell him something as precious as that.
Zoro simply snorts at that, shaking his head at how easily Luffy has put off the entire matter as something to be prodded at another time-probably when he was alone with Law and his curiousity on the issue had flared up once more-and it's a notion shared by all, considering how everyone begins relaxing once more.
Any lingering tension flees the galley when a loud roar from Franky is heard, who glares Luffy something fierce as he shouts accusations of his vanished steak in Luffy's direction. Turns out that Luffy had been sneakily and steadily picking food off everyone's plates when their attention was being redirected to Trafalgar and not their meals. And as though at Franky's cue, the crew falls into their usual routine of screaming at Luffy for stealing the food, then shielding their plates and throwing random projectiles at their captain as he attempts another round of picking food off their plates.
"It's okay."
The crew stops screaming for a moment to look in the direction of their temporary guest, slightly surprised at the affection they detect leaking into his voice.
"Calling me by a nickname instead of by my given name I mean. That already makes you closer, kind of. I didn't have many when I was young, so it counts as being special. I guess." Trafalger mutters, pulling his hat down, casting a shadow across his burning face.
The Strawhats' faces all split into wide grins as Luffy lets loose his trademark laughter, their chorus of promises to do so music to Trafalgar's red ears.
A/N: im. so sorry for this piece of trash. this is based off my headcanon here( post/98534288051)(because i can't do hyperlinks for some reason?) about Law and his hatred for his name ahah;; i don't really liked how this turned out but w/e