this fic is betaed by my good friend Eddie ( .com) and WordsandWonder from KidLaw chat! Thanks to those two and I owe them a lot :)
There was something about the urgency that left Drake feeling anxious the whole day, making him think about the forthcoming appointment a little bit too much during his time guarding his post on the winter island where he was stationed. He was not usually the type who would ponder over the future, but something in the snail's gaze, that surely mimicked Law's, disturbed him and left him restless. Luckily, nothing happened during the day, therefore he could leave for the nearby Summer Island a little earlier than the previously arranged time.
However, leaving early meant that he had more spare time before Law arrived on the island. Drake decided to sit on the top of an abandoned castle in the middle of the forest, staring at the clear sky full of stars, the constellations he knew too well. For a brief moment, he could feel as though weight was lifted from his mind as he focused on the tiny blinking lights. It was interesting how people could look up and glance at them only to turn away, ignorant to the fact that those innocent lights in the sky were the ones that pulled the strings of the earth. As Drake always believed, they were responsible for the chaos and the order that graced their world.
Although, he did wonder why the constellation never changed, now that he and Law were about to change their plan, and that might change the course of history. Perhaps it had changed, but he hadn't noticed?
Before he could think of an answer, his attention was diverted as he saw a dimming blue light covering the clear black sky. The color was so strange, so muddy that Drake's heart instantly jumped when he realized what… Or rather, who that might be.
Out of nowhere, a raven haired man appeared in front of him, right at the place where a huge chunk of the abandoned castle's debris sat a few minutes ago. His steely grey eyes looked so intense and scary as he unsheathed his nodachi, pointing the sharp edge in Drake's direction. On impulse, Drake jumped back and unsheathed his sword as well, dodging in time before the nodachi could even come close to his neck. Drake could see anger leaking from the raven haired man's eyes, melting down like a lava would, even if the man's expression remained calm.
"There's a reason why creating a room takes up so much of my energy, Admiral," he hissed, every word laced with suppressed fury. "It is because I am aware of every. Single. Thing inside the room I create, and since I am now covering the whole area of this pathetic little island with it, I can hear the heartbeat of your fucking minions."
The snail didn't lie. Law was indeed distraught. Drake could only see it in his eyes, but that was enough to confirm it.
"Yes, I brought them along," Drake admitted calmly. "They're out of our hearing range, though. They couldn't possibly hear us."
"That was hardly my point!" Law insisted. He swung his sword once, only for Drake to block it with his axe. "You brought them even though I specifically told you not to. You didn't respect our agreement."
You didn't trust me, was what Law meant with those words. Drake closed his eyes and sighed. "I had to be prepared. You didn't sound like you on the denden mushi," he admitted. "And you hardly act like you. Even right now. I'm just being a little cautious. This is New World, and we play a dangerous game. Who knows if someone managed to obtain Bon Kurei's Copy Copy Fruit power and is pretending to be you?"
At that, Law finally withdrew and sheathed his nodachi. Drake relaxed from his defensive mode, still looking at Law, who looked like he hadn't slept at all these past few days.
"I can send Pitero and Veloci on their way, now I know it's really you."
Law wiped his face, sighing. "No, you don't have to," he sighed, his eyes flashing an apology once they were free from the shadow of his tattooed fingers. "You have a point there. And to be fair, I also have two of my men on a small boat in the north part of the island."
"Your men wear your jolly roger?"
"They're in disguise," Law replied. "I usually wouldn't call on such short notice, Drake-ya. But there's a complication in our plan that requires immediate action. I need to discuss with you in person to find out how much chance we have of executing this."
Drake nodded, feeling as if he was watching Law slowly crumble down further by the minute. He knew this man, and he didn't like what this… complication was doing to him, to his eyes. The confidence and fearlessness that once defined him had now gone, replaced by a distressed skeleton with eyes like storm clouds. They looked dark, gloomy, and flashed panic every once in awhile.
It's amazing how tiny orbs of grey could tell so much of the story that his face refused to.
"Tell me this… complication."
"Eustass Kid," Law finally spoke, with a flash of panic once again showed. "He was captured by Kaido."
At that, Drake raised an eyebrow. Eustass Kid. His fellow Supernova. A man so reckless and so proud, he had himself captured because he refused to surrender. He threw a confused look to Law. What does that man have to do with their grand plan? Why is it important for Law to know of his well being?
Law seemed to have too many questions to answer one of Drake's. "Is he alive?"
"From what I heard? Barely. He had been tortured."
Drake could almost hear Law's fingers clenching his nodachi. "How?"
"There were rumors at the base, but I haven't exactly seen him with my own eyes," Drake replied. "And I will, once I leave this island - But how is Eustass Kid a complication in our grand plan of taking down Master Kaido?"
"Because he is our ally, and he has to be out of Kaido's lair for us to make the plan work," Law replied, much to the orange haired man's surprise. Sure, they had agreed to form an alliance with one mutual goal, and given how dangerous the plan was, they had also agreed to do whatever it took for their plan to succeed, but he didn't expect Law to go around and recruit other pirate captains like recruiting soldiers. The very dangerous ones too, those who survived Grand Line and did not do so by mere luck.
"Oh," Drake replied. "The number of your allies had grown significantly."
Law threw a dangerous glare. "Strawhat-ya got the job done. If it wasn't for his aid, I would not be making much progress with eliminating Smile and SAD altogether," he hissed. "And so will Eustass, once we free him. I already have his crew with me, including Killer-ya. We just need to take Eustass to continue this plan."
"But why?" Drake asked. "Why do you need more allies, Law? And Eustass Kid. He's dangerous and uncontrollable."
Law shook his head. "We have had an alliance formed ever since we met in Sabaody. You can trust that they won't betray us. Especially not when his entire crew are dying to get their revenge on Kaido," he answered calmly, but something in his voice indicating an impatience, so Drake allowed the man to continue. "Besides, with the current complications we face, we need more raw power on our side. Kaido's wrath is aimed toward me and Strawhat-ya instead of Doflamingo, now that he has been captured by The Marines. We have to face the beast head on now, so we need all hands on deck to beat him, so to speak."
Drake wanted to object. He wanted to point out the fact that this raw power Law talked about had been beaten by Kaido single handedly, and was now at his master's mercy, but fighting Law was never wise. Besides, Law had proved too many times that he was capable of carrying out such dangerous plan, that Drake had no choice but to put his faith in the raven haired man.
"You want me to break Eustass Kid out of his imprisonment," he concluded
"Preferably without exposing yourself in the process. I have thought of some plans that might work, but I need information about Eustass-ya's cell, his health, the guard rotation, and your considerations..." Law paused for a brief moment. "For this plan to work, I need your input. I need… you to make this plan with me. Because I'm not going to be able to live with it if you're exposed or getting into trouble. This is really dangerous, Drake-ya, and if you feel any hesitation that this might not work, then please do tell me."
There were an uncomfortable rush in Law's voice. Something dangerous and yet heartbreaking in his gaze, that Drake just nodded and decided to give in to his request. "It's fine. We can do it," he said, praying that Law wouldn't see how unsure he was about this plan, but Law was a great tactician, and he a trained spy. He had been a spy even before his time in The Marines. So maybe, just maybe they could pull this off.
Taking a breath, Drake explained what he already knew about the base and Eustass Kid's imprisonment. He was stationed outside Kaido's main base, so he didn't know the exact condition and location of Eustass Kid's prison, but he explained the guard rotation, since he knew some of the guys who were assigned to guard Eustass Kid. The whole time he was explaining, Law paid full attention to him, eyes never straying and head filled with thoughts as words filled his ears. Drake knew that face too well. He knew that Law was thinking as he spoke, and think, he does. When it was Law's turn to speak his thoughts, Drake couldn't help but once again amazed by his thinking.
When they finally ended the conversation with respective to do lists to carry the plan, they agreed to meet again at the same place and time the next day. There was an awkward pause as they both finished talking and shared a gaze. Drake tried to decode what's Law look meant, or better yet, what he was thinking in their shared silence, but before he could get anything at all, Law eventually broke eye contact to turn and walk away from the scene.
"I'll see you later," he said. "Be careful."
Drake's eyes widened, shocked from the sudden departure. He wanted to see more of Law. He wanted to reach for him, to feel his skin, to learn about his mission in infiltrating Caesar Clown's laboratories and defeating Doflamingo, the only man he seemed to hate with passion. Drake wanted everything that Law saw, that he felt, and on top of all, he wanted to see every single injury Law obtained fighting the Heavenly Demon, but the situation was very serious, and Drake had learned that Law was unshakable in such conditions. He stepped forwards to reach for Law, but stopped himself and called for him instead.
"Hey, Law,"
The raven haired man froze, eyes glancing over his shoulder as Drake cleared his throat, not knowing why he even called him.
"I'll take care of this."
Law stared at Drake for a few moments, before sighing and letting out a smile that almost made Drake feel triumphant. The caramel skinned man nodded, relief evident in his eyes as he turned his gaze back to the bigger supernova. "I will get some rest now, then," he stated. The words were spoken with a low tone, but it made Drake feel proud of himself, because even though the words might not give much away, his eyes showed trust.
The supernova stared at the surgeon's back as he moved away from him, and his mind couldn't help but linger on the smile, and the skin beneath that black shirt he wore.
-n-
Drake found himself remembering how the surgeon's bare back looked. It was well toned, tanned, and, like most part of his upper body, covered with ink. However, unlike the other tattoos he had, the shape of the back piece could easily be understood at first glance.
The orange haired man leant forward, touching sweaty inked skin with his equally sweaty hands. Even though it all felt so soft, it also felt a little cold-probably due to drying sweat, but Drake loved it regardless. He ran his hand over the tattoo, tracing its pattern.
Law had frozen at the touch as he turned his attention to Drake, lips forming a small tired smile that suggested he was quite content. The kind of smile that Drake often saw on people after a good fuck. The raven haired man pressed himself to Drake's touch, giving him permission he did not even ask for.
"How long have you been awake?" Drake asked.
"Not long."
Law offered no other explanation, only sighing at the other's hand roaming to his neck, connecting the dots all across Law's back that were the marks and bites left from their previous session.
"Of all the places you could tattoo your Jolly Roger."
Law gave a low chuckle. "It was not meant for my eyes to see," he replied. "It was meant for my enemies to remember."
"And for your crew to remember to whom their loyalty should lay, hm?" Drake replied, too content to actually censor his thoughts or to think of a more decent way to word it, but he had decided that he didn't care. He felt too good to let it be ruined by some stupid overthinking. In fact, he never felt this good before. Sex had never felt so good. Not in his life as pirate, nor in his time with the Marines. Perhaps he was not too selective when it came to choosing partners in the past, or Law just simply knew things about him and his body that both he and previous partners never discovered.
However, judging from how relaxed Law was, Drake was pretty sure that the feeling was mutual.
He continued absentmindedly tracing invisible lines across Law's back and all of a sudden, he realized that he was creating Ophiuchus out of those marks. It was strange, because he only saw that constellation twice in his life. Ophiuchus. The man who holds a serpent.
It suited him so well, because of all the things he could hold, that man chose something dangerous.
Something like an alliance.
It was usually a game for veteran pirates, those who had travelled to the hellish seas of the New World, and finally realized that the luck that made them survive the first part of Grand Line was quickly running out. Pirate crews who had just set sail tended to have too much pride to even think about it. Even if Pirates were to form an alliance before the New World, it was usually done for a short term. Afterall, a pirate alliance was a dangerous game to play. It's like holding a poisonous serpent in your hand─you never knew when the serpent would betray you - not to mention that it could be easier for The Marines to locate and capture them all at once if they're not careful.
Then here was this young rookie, who had never sailed oceans past North Blue before, proposing an alliance so early in his pirate career that Drake couldn't help but think that this Surgeon of Death was just playing with him.
"This is a dangerous game you play, Trafalgar Law."
Law chuckled softly. "What, getting in bed with rival captain?"
"Alliance," Drake whispered, fingers never leaving the tanned skin as he whispered. "I have seen hundreds of Pirate Alliances before. I was part of at least half of those alliances, infiltrating them to break things off so The Marines could destroy both crews easily. It takes just a little provocation, and they turn and destroy each other. None of them ever go well."
"I didn't know The Marines have special task force to eliminate Pirate Alliances."
"They have. In fact, those missions were what gained me the Rear Admiral rank," Drake stated calmly. "Allied pirates are the worst, Trafalgar Law. When two powers combine, it could destroy an island, hurting civilians, or disturb The Marine's agenda, but they are also more vulnerable. They have doubt towards each other, they know each other's weakness. I used to break them like that before sending a fleet to finish whatever was left."
Law turned to Drake completely, crawling towards the orange haired man, grinning challengingly. His eyes stared deep into his soul, making Drake feel even more than naked under the steely gaze.
"Then, I chose the right person to be my ally," he whispered, sounding as tempting as he was before. "You'll notice if a spy from The Marines tried to provoke things between us, hm?"
"From The Marines, and from other parties, yes," Drake answered, swallowing his saliva. It still intrigued him how a pair of eyes could literally make him drool. "The key is to lay low and never contact each other using our real identity. If no one knows that we're allied, they wouldn't… uh…" the orange haired man wasn't capable of finishing his own sentence, for the smaller man's presence flooded his senses─his gaze, so close and so deep, pulling Drake inside a baseless pit of desire. His sultry voice… the smell of his skin…
Words left his brain altogether when Law landed a kiss right on the X shaped scar on Drake's chin.
"See? The right person," Law whispered.
"Still, Trafalgar Law. I might betray you in the future."
"I don't think so. I have Ikkaku and Clione in my crew. You won't hurt them, right?"
"How do I know that you won't betray me?"
"Is this not convincing enough?" Law asked teasingly, causing Drake to let out a soft chuckle. Lazy arousal was starting to bloom in his abdomen, but he ignored it and instead decided to brush his thumb on Law's goatee, keeping him so close, that the ex-Marine could literally breathe the smaller man's breath.
"Do you usually sleep with other Pirate Captains just to gain their favor?" he asked, trying to fight back the desire lingering in the back of his mind.
"Only the most attractive ones," Law gave him a smirk that was asking to be wiped away by another kiss. Trafalgar Law really did have a smart mouth, for words and for other things. Drake just couldn't really decide right now which one was most intriguing. Not when Law was so close, so exposed, and so tempting.
However, his curiosity over Law's vague answer got the best of him. "Do I have competition then?"
"As of now, no. And I don't plan to. You are sufficient for the mission. With all the espionage history and your… controlled power," the hatted man reached out to Drake, palms finding the older Captain's biceps as he brought their face closer, his nose ghosting over Drake's cheek. "Get it?"
The orange haired man stifled a laugh at the smaller man's action. "You know you could test my strength with a fight, right?"
"True, but what's the fun in that," Law chuckled. "As a man that spent 6 years longer at sea, I guess you should have known that it gets so lonely sometimes."
"Hm," Drake smiled as he captured the other man's lips once again, engaging in lazy kisses that made him want to pull him back to bed. However, Law had another thought. He pulled himself away from Drake, breaking the kiss with a lick that made the orange haired man groan.
"Play time's over," he grinned teasingly as he collected his clothes that were scattered across the floor and put them back on. "Go get dressed and find me in the hull. I need to discuss the backup plan."
"Can't it wait for another hour?"
Law chuckled, but shook his head anyway. "We're about to infiltrate a Yonko and his affiliated organization," Law stated in a less teasing, more warning tone that made Drake groan internally. So much for lazy time. "We need all the hours we can get if we want to make it out alive."
The surgeon stepped out of the room, forcing Drake to finally get up and get dressed himself. When he finally arrived at the hull of Trafalgar Law's submarine, it was already filled with maps, papers, and photographs that were obviously cuttings from news articles or bounty posters. Law was explaining something to one of his men, one who wore a hat that looked like a whale, while Pitero sat across the room, clearly glaring at a red mark that popped under Law's collar.
There was no longer a teasing tone, no longer a seductive gaze. The man that was all over him in the bedroom just now had gone full tactician as he turned to Drake, explaining his part of a plan that was so smart, so calculated, and well prepared.
Three words that might as well be translated as Trafalgar Law.
