Into the Sea: Chapter 3 — Balance
A/N: Heyy didn't take me five months this time what up
Warnings: mentions of drowning, shock
...
When Law was a child, he used to flip through thick opuses with his father while Lami and their mother were hoarding the medical books. He was always more interested in learning how the human body worked in comparison to how a ship works, but his father knew how to make it fun.
One day, his father had told him to wait, only to return with a cup and a bowl of water. He'd said something along the lines of 'I want to show you something cool and weird, Law,' and Law's always been into all things cool and weird. His father had lowered the glass into the water, and Law had watched with rapt attention as some air remained, creating a bubble.
"A diving bell," his father had begun to explain in his usual patient tone, "is an open-bottomed chamber filled with air. The air is sealed inside by water pressure, see, and the diving bell is then lowered into the water by a cable. Someone will feed the divers air through a hose, and they also need to —"
His parents were never good at keeping explanations short and concise.
Truth be told, his father might have said it in different words, and maybe Lami and his mother weren't studying different books. It's possible that they were not in the house at all.
After over a decade of intense denial, the details have become sketchy at best.
Even still, Law clearly remembers a book about nautical miracles and inventions sitting on his father's desk — dusty and forgotten and just begging to be stolen and read in secret long after bedtime.
That's all beside the point, though. The point is… Okay, maybe there never was one in the first place, to any of this.
Who knows. His mind's adrift.
What's important is that he's stuck in the bottom of some forsaken bit of the seas with the only person whose death — save for Bepo's, and Law doesn't think about shitty things like that, denial is key — could still render him to nothing but broken pieces, unmendable. And there's nothing that some crummy book about seafaring can do to change it.
It's ironic that they'd only met up this time because of the dangerous currents that had all but shoved the Thousand Sunny directly into the Polar Tang's path. Now they're trapped thanks to the very same seas, about to be destroyed by the very same currents. Law's really not a fan of that particular plot twist.
After they'd ran out of things to talk about, Luffy had started doodling something that looked like a volcano wearing a tutu on the dry patches of sand, and Law had been left with his thoughts.
He tried keeping track of time, at the beginning — counting seconds and minutes aloud until Luffy told him to shut up because the numbers were dumb and didn't matter. Law had drawn lines in the sand after that, but the short time that they'd spent in the diving bell without Law's ability shielding them had come with a cost.
Water had leaked in.
It gathered on the sand in puddles, some many centimetres deep — deep enough that it soaked through Law's pants. Considering the fact that his ability is the only thing keeping more water from bursting in, it's really not a good idea to stay in the deadly kiddie-pool that is their temporary sanctuary.
Luffy had taken two seconds to think about it and promptly decided that the best course of action would be for Law to sit in his lap.
Of-fucking-course.
Law had protested. Vehemently. Unendingly. Loudly. None of it mattered in the face of Luffy's stubborn idiocy. Now he's sitting on Luffy's thighs, making sure not to put pressure on the gunshot wound in his side. His coat is wrapped around the both of them to keep them warm, but it's not enough to keep Law from shivering.
Luffy makes an annoyed noise — something that sounds like a mangled word — and his arms and legs jerk restlessly. He can't really move that much with Law sitting on his legs, which is probably the only thing that's keeping him from bleeding out right now. The quick patchwork Law had done earlier really isn't Luffy-proof.
It's not comfortable. Luffy still squirms and wiggles so much that it's like trying to sit on a water lapahn's back. Law's not sure if it makes any difference where he sits when Luffy sends water splashing every which way with his constant flailing.
Water hits him in the face as he's about to finish that thought, and Law's just about had it. "Try not to move so much, will you?" he snaps, a bit more irritably than he'd meant to.
"But I'm bored," Luffy whinges. "We've been here forever, and there's nothing to do and it's super boring."
Law flicks an unimpressed look his way. "It hasn't been that long. Besides, I'm bored too but you don't hear me bitching about it."
In a sudden fit of poise and maturity, Luffy sticks his tongue out at Law. "Blah, you never do anything fun anyway if you can help it. I'm good at fun, so listen to me!" He blows out a deep breath, his face scrunched in a pout. "This is so tedious that it makes me want to chew on my own arm. I could be having breakfast right now, Torao. Can't you use shambles or something to take us back to the Sunny?"
They've had this discussion three times by now, so Law doesn't have to think on his answer. He repeats what he's said every other time, too. "I don't know where Sunny-ya is, so we'd probably wind up right back into the sea. It's taking enough energy simply upholding the Room I have built already."
"Oh. Right." Luffy flops melodramatically, whining: "This sucks. Sanji was going to barbeque today, and that means meat on a stick. Torao, I'm missing out on meat on a stick."
"Shish kebabs?" Law ventures. "Is that what you mean?"
"Yes, shish-whatever, that thing!" Luffy agrees right away, nodding eagerly. "They're the best, and we caught a huge Sea King just yesterday before we met up, and even Sanji said that the meat was going to be amazing, so—" he cuts himself off with a frustrated growl.
Law can't see it too well in the dim light, but he thinks he can see a line of drool falling from the corner of his mouth. He can't blame Luffy for his daydreams, however. They haven't eaten since last night, which in Luffy's book must be on par with a 10-year-long hunger strike.
"I'm sure they'll be here soon, so stop complaining. And don't eat the sand, idiot."
"But I'm starving." Luffy sighs, long-suffering, but he lets his hand flop back to the ground where the water washes away the sand on his palm. "It's all crunchy and gross, not tasty at all."
"Which is why people tend not to eat sand. What are you, five?"
From all the petulance in Luffy's tone, he might as well be. "I'm not five, I'm nineteen. You know that."
"Sometimes I doubt it," Law replies dryly. "In fact, I've known five-year-olds that show more intellect and caution than you do."
"Jerk," Luffy mutters under his breath, but the word holds no bite, just fatigue and fondness. "I bet you weren't any better when you were five."
"When I was five, I was learning how to name each bone in the body, not fantasising about dinner. Besides, that was a long time ago. I don't think I recall that well."
Luffy grins mischievously. "What, are you saying you're old?"
"Fuck off. I'm not old. Not that old, at least."
Law's about to add something snarky along the lines of 'and not many pirates get to live long enough to grow old', but he swallows the words down just in time. They don't exactly need the reminder.
Tension builds in his shoulders, and Law frowns, tugging his hat down on his head — a nervous habit. The air has definitely gotten thinner and staler, and it's not getting any better. Law estimates that they still have about two hours' worth of oxygen, but that's it. If rescue doesn't come in a hundred and twenty minutes, they're done for.
There's also the matter of the currents. For the past something-something number of minutes, their try-hard diving bell has been bombarded with increasingly strong currents. Law's kept them at bay with his powers, but his stamina isn't endless.
He tries not to think about that, and he can tell that Luffy's uneasy, too. There's nothing to do but wait and hope Luffy's insane luck works in their favour once again.
Law forces himself to take a deep breath to calm down. It won't do either of them any good if he gets anxious about their situation. The shame for his earlier panic attack still makes his eyes downcast and his mood gloomy.
He's supposed to be the Surgeon of Death, a dangerous supernova, and he let himself fall back on blind panic just because of what? The ocean? He's a pirate, for fuck's sake.
Granted, both he and Luffy are devil fruit users, and the space they're in is far smaller than any room on the Polar Tang. There's also the fact that there are no doors and no way out, and —
Shit, he's getting worked up about nothing again. The worst part about that is that Luffy notices it every time it happens. And like every other time Law's breathing sped up to match the pace of his rapidly spinning thoughts, Luffy simply tightens his hold on Law and starts chattering about something meaningless.
He's not sure how Luffy knows how to calm him down — might be just fool's fortune — but it works. Luffy's nonchalant tone grounds him, giving him strength to push the tension out of his muscles.
Law takes another breath, and he lets himself lean on Luffy so that his back is partly on Luffy's chest and partly on the inside wall of the spike of the Thousand Sunny's mane. The wood is dry and smooth for the most part, and the damp and salty smell in the air reminds him of Polar Tang.
If he closes his eyes, he can almost pretend that he's home.
"I'm bored," Luffy voices tiredly. He's quiet for a while, a determined but unsure sort of hesitance that tells Law that Luffy's just as desperate for a distraction as he is, and just as clueless as to what that distraction should be. As a general rule, it's a bad sign when Straw Hat Luffy runs out of things to talk about.
The imminent crisis is averted with Luffy's eyes lighting up with an idea. "Let's play a game," he declares.
Law stares back, feigning indifference despite his exasperation. "Are you serious?"
"Is there anything else to do here?"
Law can't think of anything to counter that. He sighs and nods, after a moment. "Fine. I suppose that would help keep us awake. It can't be anything physical, mind you."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Luffy frowns, and his eyes scrunch in thought. Law gets the feeling that Luffy would be scratching his head, if he had the energy. After a long while during which Law's pretty sure Luffy's burst at least a couple of veins from thinking so hard, Luffy lets out a deep, disappointed breath.
"Man, I don't know any games like that. I wish we had cards."
Law's exhale is sharp and quick and the closest thing to a laugh that he can muster right now. "What, you wanted to play Go Fish or something?"
"You told me we can't get any actual fish from the ocean, so why not?" Luffy grins, seemingly pleased that Law's playing along. "Do you know any games, Torao?"
Law squints to see if Luffy's kidding, but there's not a trace of mischief on his face. "You're seriously asking that right now? You do realise the gravity of the situation we're in, right?"
"Well, yeah. It's not good." Luffy puffs his cheeks. "But it's boring here, that's why…"
Law shakes his head. He doesn't know any games. Trafalgar Law doesn't do games. Except… There's this one game, a vestige of a memory that clamours for attention at the back of his head. It's something he hasn't thought about in a very long time.
"There's one game I know. I haven't played it in a long time, though." Law takes a deep breath. "I don't really remember the rules that well either, it's been years since I last played. It's probably not a great idea."
Luffy's smile is familiar in so many ways. "Let's do it!" he decides, and then pauses, cocking his head to the side. "What game is it?"
"You tell me a secret," Law starts, the words rolling off his tongue well-worn and familiar after hundreds of times of repeating them when he was still teaching the game to Lami. He doesn't remember who taught it to him. "It doesn't have to be true, it just has to be convincing. My goal is to figure out whether you're lying or not. If I guess right, I get a point. If I don't, you win. We play until one of us has five points. Get it?"
"Yeah," Luffy agrees, nodding confidently. "Sounds fun."
Law agrees, closing his eyes. If nothing else, this is going to be pretty amusing. It's no secret that Luffy's an awful liar. "You want to start?"
"Sure!" Luffy takes a deep breath. "One time, uhh… One time I was a bird with blue feathers!"
Law can feel another current pushing against the Room, and his voice comes out a bit strained. "That's a lie. Try again."
"Dammit. I actually have red hair, it just looks black in this light?"
"Try again."
"Crap. Hmm… How about this one: one time I fought a guy who had an ice cream devil fruit!"
At that one, Law has to take a minute to mull it over. He's never heard of anyone with a power like that, but then again he'd never thought he'd hear about his boyfriend battling someone with a biscuit devil fruit for eleven hours. He's not sure. The New World is bizarre beyond reason.
"That's a lie," he decides, eventually.
Luffy groans. "You've played this more than I have, it's not fair. Let me try again! I… I like meat!"
"That's an understatement, but true. You do remember that the point of this game is to deceive me, right?"
"Of course I do! This is just hard, you already know what I like!"
"Tell me something else about yourself, then. It's not that hard."
"I was attacked by a Sea King when I was little. Does that work?"
"Really?"
"Yeah!" Luffy bobs his head eagerly, seemingly forgetting the whole lie-to-win aspect of the game once more. "Shanks saved me!"
"You know, I can't really even question that. True."
Luffy groans his frustration, but Law can tell that he's enjoying this. He wanted a distraction, and the simple game is fitting the purpose. "I want to try again!" he declares, and Law indulges him.
Two more tries and two more obvious lies later, Luffy huffs and declares that the game is terrible and so is Law. Law tries, next, and Luffy believes everything he says. After a while, it becomes a game in itself to think of a lie strange enough for Luffy to suspect anything.
"— you can't actually believe that I'm a seal in disguise, Luffy-ya. That's fucking ridiculous."
"But you say it so convincingly, how am I supposed to know?! This game really sucks, Torao."
"I didn't say it was a good game. I said that it's the only one I know." Law smiles, he can't help it. "It's not my fault you can't lie to save a life."
Luffy pouts out of principle. "I don't need to know how to lie, I have Usopp." He sighs. "I wish Usopp was here so he could tell me a story."
Law rolls his eyes, making no attempt to be subtle about it. "I don't think Long Nose-ya would be as excited about that plan as you are. Wouldn't you agree?"
Luffy grins, and Law can feel his laughter rumbling against his back. "Yeah, he'd cry and panic and say that he has a disease. That'd be pretty funny too, though…" There's a small pause before he continues, tone softer, "Do you think they'll be here soon?"
"They better," Law mutters. A part of him is pissed that they haven't come for their captains already, actually, but it makes sense that the vicious currents would make things difficult. He's tried to stretch out his haki to sense them, but it takes too much energy to focus on both his powers and his haki at the same time. His observation haki has never worked at its finest when he's tired.
His eyes flick to Luffy. "Can you sense them?"
"My crew? Uh…" Luffy pauses for a moment, pursing his lips and closing his eyes in concentration. The silence stretches on for a bit too long until he starts humming in thought — a low, drawn out sound.
Law knows his answer when his face splits in a bright grin. "Yeah, I can! Not that well; I had to focus really hard with all this water in between us, but I can sense Sanji. And that means that Sanji will be able to sense me! They'll be here in no time, like you said!"
"That's good."
"I hope they'll bring meat with them when they come… I'd just need a bit of energy to heal from," Luffy gestures crudely at the mess in his side, "Ya know."
Oh, Law knows.
Luffy looks pale, usually tanned brown skin muddled to the point where it looks nigh translucent. There are bags under his eyes and a tired curve on his spine that slumps his shoulders. He isn't looking too great, and there will be no change to the better until Law gets Luffy to the Sunny's infirmary or better yet, the Polar Tang.
He's always going to be at his best in his own wheelhouse, assuming that he'll be among those who live to see the next sunrise. It's not a given. Fatigue and exertion are dragging him down, too.
"Luffy-ya?"
"Mmh, yeah?"
"How are you feeling?" he asks, albeit the answer is not hard to guess.
Luffy shrugs. "Not too great. I'm really tired. And really —"
"Hungry, yes, I know," Law says. Not another talk about food, please. Law's stomach is about to devour itself as it is. He'd even consider bread — he still wouldn't eat it, but he might entertain the idea — at this point. "Are you experiencing discomfort, pain? Any dizzy spells, sudden sensations of cold or overwhelming thirst?"
Luffy's reply is almost immediate. "Well, yeah, it hurts." He says it like it's obvious, and it is, of course it fucking hurts. Gunshot wounds tend to do that. Law, you're an idiot. "But I don't feel like I'm going to be sick or anything, I'm just tired. I'm pretty thirsty, too, but it's not too bad. Why does that matter?"
"They're signs of shock. You probably would have shown some by now if you were going to."
"Ah, okay." Luffy licks his lips as if in thought, and then grins boyishly. "It's pretty funny, isn't it?"
"What is?"
Luffy's grin widens until it takes up his whole face. "Well, we're surrounded by water, and I'm thirsty."
Law doesn't find it too humorous, but he laughs regardless.
Luffy moves on. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Would me saying no change anything?"
"Hmm, maybe. Probably not. Why don't you like tight spaces, Torao? You mentioned it earlier."
"I haven't liked them since I was a child," Law says, voice flat. He hopes that will be the end of it, but it never is with Luffy. He pauses, and Luffy waits with patience that doesn't quite suit him.
He's going to want an answer, but Law doesn't exactly want to talk about that particular bucket of bullshit right now. He takes his hat off his head and runs his hand through his hair, buying time with nothing. "I don't want to get into it now, okay? It's a long story, and not all that special. I'll tell you about it if we get out of here, if you're still interested."
"Sure, I'd like that," Luffy says and then after a moment, adds; "It's when, though."
"Huh?" Law voices eloquently.
"It's when we get out of here, not if. Zoro and the others are coming, and they'll be here soon. Sanji could probably even swim this deep."
"No human can swim this deep," Law mutters, a bit uncertainly. He doesn't know what else to say. "How can you be so sure that they'll be here in time? Your crew isn't all-powerful, you know? Nor is mine."
Luffy grins. The look he levels at Law speaks volumes of how silly Luffy thinks Law is being again. "I know they'll be here, because Zoro and the others will stop at nothing to find me. My crew won't let anything get in their way. Yours won't either."
The faith Luffy holds in his crew is nigh tangible in each syllable — he speaks like he's talking about something obvious and unstoppable, like the tides changing or the sun rising. Law's not as optimistic. He tests the tired words on his tongue before he says them. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because we're nakama." Luffy says simply.
"Right, of course. I wasn't doubting their abilities. I was just... wondering. I'm sure they'll find us," Law lies.
It's his maybe most blatant lie yet — previous game included — but Luffy believes him. He looks serious. "Good, because they will be here. It's just a matter of time now."
The stern expression vanishes like it was never there to begin with, and Luffy adorns a pout that's much more at home on his face. "Torao, this is going to be really tedious until then! We already played games and everything..."
"Didn't we agree to talk to pass the time?" Law points out.
Luffy shrugs. "You know, we passed this island a couple of weeks ago that had giant crabs, at least as big as your ship! They tasted so good. Are you and your crew in a rush? We should circle around to get there after this."
And they were back to talking about food again. Law reaches blindly for Kikoku, and the comforting feeling of leather against his fingertips calms him down by a fraction. Luffy's unwavering faith in his nakama was like the breath of fresh air Law so desperately longed for, and bit by bit the budding panic bleeds away from where it had still lurked in his chest.
Law casts his eyes up to the highest point of the spike of the Sunny's mane, and he stares at the wood with empty eyes while Luffy talks about his crew.
They've been a thing for almost six months now, and yet Law knows more about Luffy's crew than he will probably ever know about Luffy. He's learned a lot about his lover too, though — he can recognise the tension that lies buried in every seemingly cheerful word spilling out of Luffy's mouth, and he knows where to look for the fleeting flashes of pain and fatigue.
Luffy's breath hitches, and Law he can feel the raspy coughs that rock Luffy's chest before he hears them. He runs his hand up and down the bumps of Luffy's vertebrae as the younger pirate hacks out something dark and wet.
"Are my lungs leaking?" Luffy croaks in wonder, wiping the blood on his pants. The words come out rough, his throat left raw by the coughing fit.
Law doesn't really know what to say to that, so he says nothing. Even if he wanted to, he isn't afforded the time to say anything.
Without warning, a strong current pushes against the sides of the Sunny's mane, against the Room Law still upholds. The force of it catches Law off guard. This was the strongest one yet.
He grunts with the effort it takes to keep the Room from crumbling down, and he would have fallen off Luffy and into the water had it not been for two gentle arms that wrap around him in the nick of time.
Luffy speaks directly into his ear, a bit too loud for Law's tastes. "Hey, you okay?"
Law rights himself, his hand moving to push Luffy's off him. "I— I'm fine. The currents are getting stronger, I'm having a hard time keeping us upright."
"Oh." Luffy pauses, looking at Law with questions in his eyes, "What will happen if you mess that up?"
"The same thing that happens when a ship capsizes. Except that we're at the bottom of the sea."
Luffy's lower lip is pulled upwards into a thoughtful expression. "That's not good," he finally decides.
"No."
Luffy nods seriously. "I see. What can we do?"
Another, stronger current rocks their haven mercilessly, and more water spills inside as the Sunny's spike threatens to topple over. Law focuses on moulding the pressure inside the Room so that they don't tip, his breath rasping harshly in and out his slack mouth.
When the sea settles, his attention snaps back on Luffy. He has to squint to differentiate between blots of mud and potential blots of blood, but there are no new stains on Luffy's yellow sash. Law refastens it around Luffy's midriff, and he hopes that it will hold.
"Torao?" Luffy questions. He's impatient, eager to do something. "Can I help? I could hold us still with my arms."
Law is too tired not to give in. It probably won't do them much good, but it'll make Luffy feel useful. "You can try. Brace your arms against the sides, there—" Luffy presses his palms flat against the wooden walls. "— Yeah, like that. Now stay still."
Luffy bops his head down a little, a grimace stretching around the corners of his mouth as another current pushes against the weathered wood. Luffy's muscles tense and relax as he tries to hold them steady, and the pressure is enough to keep them from getting more water in.
It occurs to Law that this is probably the worst fucking plan in the entire existence of mankind, but he has no idea what else they could do. Anything short of spontaneously spouting gills doesn't really cut it.
In a way, this might work, he thinks as he watches pearls of sweat gather between Luffy's brows before they roll down the bridge of his nose. If Luffy holds onto the sides of the diving bell, if one can even call it that at this point, Law could focus more on the Room. He'd save energy to extract some air from the water.
They might… They'd probably last a couple more hours. That should be more than enough time for their crews to come looking for them.
They might just make it out of this, yet.
The thought is almost exhilarating. Law closes his eyes and exhales slowly, incipient terror releasing from his body with each gradually calming heartbeat. He's still on edge, teetering dangerously on the precipice, but the looming sense of doom doesn't feel that imminent now that they have a contingency plan. Sort of. Law blinks tiredly, forcing his eyes to open again even as the pull and drain of the Room makes that difficult.
The lazy morning they'd shared on the Sunny feels like it happened eons ago.
"This is kinda fun." Luffy sounds way too chipper even with Law's lifted spirits. "It's like the roller coasters on Sabaody, the ones that jumped up and down! Hey, Torao, we should go to Sabaody."
"I didn't exactly have a good time on my last visit there," Law points out, detachedly making note of the way Luffy stills oddly for a second. "Though I did gain another crewmate on that island. It might be worth it."
Luffy doesn't sound quite as exuberant anymore, for some reason. "Yeah, the roller coaster part would be fun, and seeing Rayleigh again too. I hope he's doing okay…"
"Worry about yourself right now, idiot," Law retorts. He glares at Luffy out of habit, but neither his words nor his look hold any bite.
Once he realises this, Luffy breaks into a grin. "Aw, you shouldn't worry so much either, Torao. Nami says that worrying makes you get old faster."
"Good. I might just have time to die of old age in here, then," Law mutters, too low for Luffy to quite catch it.
Luffy tilts his head, blinking wearily. "What?"
"Nothing. I'm not going to worry." Law manages to hold up that act for all of thirty seconds before giving up when Luffy grimaces in poorly hidden pain, again. "There haven't been any new currents for a while, so you can probably take a break."
The look of pain melts away in a heartbeat, making way for an angry scowl. "I'm fine! You're being kind of annoying."
Law tries to resist the urge to roll his eyes at Luffy's senselessness, and he fails. When he speaks next, incredulity laces his words. "I'm annoying? You're the one who can't stay still for two damn seconds."
Luffy grins. "Guess we're both annoying then!"
"I hate you so much."
"You keep saying that." Luffy snickers.
He grunts in effort, suddenly, and the walls shake violently around them. The world curls and uncurls around them like a storm, and by the end of it Law finds himself hitting the muddy ground with a splash. A brief wave of vertigo and weakness washes over him, and Law brings a hand to his temple to steady himself.
Luffy spares him a concerned glance. "You okay?"
"Uh — yeah." Law fights off the effects of the seawater that now reaches halfway up his thigh, and he focuses back on the Room. "This is going to get difficult."
Another current. They're getting stronger and more unpredictable, and it's too much to be a coincidence. It's almost like it's a —
"Is this a storm?" Luffy asks, his jaw clenched around the words. "Nami… She mentioned a storm."
If Law thinks back, and he too can remember Bepo talking about something they might have to deal with on top of the capricious currents. He can't remember what it was, specifically. The memory of their conversation is hazy and distant.
"Could be. Has to be."
"Yeah, thought so." Though obviously fatigued, Luffy also sounds excited for some bizarre reason. Law can see his teeth gleam in the blue light created by his power, and Luffy's eyes sparkle with the challenge that dances in them. "It's like we're fighting the ocean, Torao. This is kind of awesome."
Law rolls his eyes. "I just want to get out of here. Can you still sense Black Leg-ya?"
Luffy nods, slowly. "Yeah. They're closer, I think. I'm not sure, it's really hard to focus because it hurts."
He says it so nonchalantly that it takes Law a couple of seconds to realise what he heard. When he does, his focus snaps to Luffy's side so fast that it nearly makes his head spin. "Are you bleeding? Do you feel woozy or cold?"
"It's not too bad," Luffy says distantly, his muscles flexing and his fingernails digging into the Sunny's wood as the sea stirs around them once more. "I can handle it."
Law can't afford to do anything else but believe him, because the currents seem to have decided that the pirates have skirted death for long enough. The sea shakes and roars around them, and Law has to focus on keeping the water inside the Room from slamming into their makeshift shelter.
Droplets of sweat form on his temples, and darkness begins to gather on the edges of his vision. He hasn't upheld a room for this long — must be almost two hours, now — in years, if ever, and it's taking its toll. His mind feels numb and overly clear at the same time, filled with a hazy pain that sharpens his senses.
He's so tired… The sea lies in wait for a moment, and Law lets his mind wander during the lull.
His eyebrows lower as he pays closer attention to his Room, feeling for anything out of place. He doesn't want to be caught off guard again — even Adam's wood isn't unbreakable. The water has been pushing against the Sunny's walls with insistence that could nearly rival Luffy's, and that's saying something.
For a second, he's reminded of the first awkward weeks of dating Luffy. He hadn't known they were dating because Luffy didn't feel the need to tell him and Law was too much of a coward to ask. Their first 'date' — and that's using the term very loosely — had been in a marine cell, where Luffy abruptly and possessively announced that they were in a relationship to a group of very flustered marine rookies.
Soon after, Luffy had been cornered by the Heart Pirates without their captain's knowledge so they could give him 'the Talk'. The you-hurt-him-and-we-hurt-you kind of talk. Law hadn't learned about that until days later, when Usopp had let it slip in between tall tales.
Of course, the most memorable event for Law was the moment his relationship with Luffy was reshaped into something more than that of a disposable ally. He had never planned on surviving Dressrosa. He also hadn't planned on holding his barely conscious ally in his arms, watching Doflamingo's legacy crumble to dust all around them.
Law hadn't planned to let it get to this point. This alliance should have ended on Green Bit. Maybe none of this would have befallen Luffy, then.
By the Seas —
he's
so
tired.
The floating bubbles on Sabaody...
"Torao? Don't fall asleep, remember, your powers —" Before Luffy can finish his sentence, a wave hits the Sunny's walls a lot harder than ever before.
Luffy shouts something mangled and probably vulgar, and seconds later an odd warmth spreads against the bare patch of Law's chest that's showing under his jacket. He looks down to see a dark red painting his stomach.
Fuck.
His eyes flick to Luffy. The younger pirate is sweating and panting with exertion just as Law is, and there's a distant, pained look in his eyes that tells Law that Luffy's not going to be conscious for much longer. He's been fighting sleep for way too long as it is.
They're running out of time.
Law twists his fingers to restore the Room, but the wave doesn't relent. His breathing speeds up, and his hands clench and unclench.
They nearly tip over, and Law's equilibrium is knocked askew by it. Luffy pushes against the walls, and though the Sunny is sturdy enough to withstand the New World, it has its limits. The sound of splintering wood breaks the cacophony of grunts and curses.
Law barely blinks and suddenly there's a crack in the wall, right under the fingers of Luffy's left hand. It's almost imperceptibly small, but Law can feel it. He can feel everything that happens inside his Room.
"Torao, it broke, I broke it!" Luffy sounds like he's about to panic. He tries to plug the leak with his hand, but water begins to trickle down the planks, dancing in the curves and dents of the Adam's wood. There's no stopping it. "You told me we can't break it, but it broke! What do we do?"
"Shit… Your crew, how far away are they?" Law asks, panting.
"Not — not far." Luffy replies through gritted teeth. He's abandoned the task of balancing them in favour of trying to keep the sea at bay with his bare hands.
"Be more specific?"
Luffy lets out a frustrated noise at the back of his throat. "I don't know. They're… Searching? I'm not sure. Kind of close, but also not really."
"Shit…" Law mutters, mostly to himself. The sea pummels against the spike of the Sunny's mane, and the pressure builds. Cracks spread from hole under Luffy's hand, creating a spider web pattern on the wood. Panic mounts, electrifying Law's every nerve.
One thing is sure. The wall is going to crack. Water is going flood in. Rescue will not get to them in time.
The thought snaps something inside Law, and what used to be muddled with fear becomes crystal clear. The roar of blood in his ears lessens as if someone's cut the sound with a knife, and everything else fades, too, until only the important remains.
Survival.
Luffy.
Even though Law's been told that his plans are never the best, he closes his eyes and crafts them anyway. His mind paints a picture on the backs of his eyelids, and it's in sharp enough focus that its edges are almost painful to behold.
A plan is formed. It's not the finest and most polished one he's made, but it's a plan.
"Let go off the walls, Luffy-ya. Lay down." His voice remains surprisingly firm and cool, now that Law's shoved his tumultuous emotions to the back of his mind. "I have an idea."
Luffy makes a questioning sound, but he doesn't protest. He slumps to the ground, sighing in relief when he finally lets his arms fall back down with his whole upper body. With the way Luffy's entire body shakes and shivers, Law thinks that his considerable strength would have been spent soon, regardless.
The second Luffy lets go of the crack ocean water begins pouring in with high pressure, almost as if eager to get inside. Law shambles a bit of mud on the hole, sealing it as best he can.
Luffy lets out a shuddering sigh, and Law thinks that it borders on a sob. He can't be sure — water slams into the walls again, and a spray of seawater hits them both. Law groans, battling his curse. It's a hard battle fighting the urge to let go of the Room, but it's a fight Law wins in the end.
"What's the idea? How can I help?" Luffy mumbles. He sounds like he's far past the point of helping anyone.
His back is resting against the unbroken side of the inner wall, his chest heaving up and down with each panting breath. He looks up at Law with half-lidded eyes, and Law gets the sense that he's moments away from unconsciousness.
"You look so pale," he says, the words falling off his tongue without his permission.
Luffy gets a weird look about him that probably would have been a silly grin had he been fully in his senses. Now he just looks slightly drunk. "You look pretty too, Torao."
Law huffs, somewhat fondly. "Thanks. I, uh… I'm not sure if this will work, so I want to tell you something, okay?"
There's a quick, rasping intake of breath. It sounds angry, like a waking beast.
Law continues. "I lov—"
A hand is slapped on Law's mouth with enough force to almost knock out some teeth. Luffy's large eyes are unreadable and dark, burning with intensity.
"You said you weren't going to say it back, and you can't," Luffy growls. He pauses, gasping for air that doesn't quite seem to reach his lungs. "I— you can't say it now, just because... You don't get to do that."
Law can do nothing to counter that. He nods, the gesture small enough that Luffy would have missed it had he still not been covering Law's mouth. Appeased by this, Luffy's hand falls back to his side. He stares at Law expectantly, as if daring him to finish those words.
"Okay," Law says. "Okay, I get it. Not saying it. But you —You know it, right? What I mean?"
Luffy grins, ire fast forgotten. "Yeah, of course. So, what's the plan?"
Law leans down to press a quick kiss on Luffy's forehead. "It's something really fucking dumb, and I'm not sure it'll work. I— I'm sorry, in case it doesn't. Listen, can you tell Bepo that I —"
"What?" A look of raw confusion and fear overtakes Luffy's entire face. Seeing it feels like someone is holding Law's own heart in their hand, and squeezing it with all their might. But his heart is right here, safe inside his ribcage. "There's something you're not telling me. Why wouldn't you be able to tell that to Bepo yourself?"
Luffy's tone is stalwart, demanding, absolute. Law really can't deny him anything when he gets like this. "The water is going to flood in any second now, and all that matters is your — our lives. I'm going to try something."
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure." Law closes his eyes and focuses on the last scraps of his strength. Most of it is sheer desperation at this point, really, but if he keeps ignoring that then maybe it will stop being true. Spoken like a true man of science there, Law.
Well, fuck science.
With the rest of his remaining power, Law gathers hydrogen from the water that surrounds them, and he fills the small makeshift diving bell with it until it's close to bursting. He's going to pack the space so full of gases that the pressure will create a bubble.
Add a bit of manipulation of the coating that covers the wood, and… In theory, it should work.
Law's face scrunches in concentration. The pressure builds, and Law can feel the Room fading despite his best efforts. The Room that still surrounds them burns, like acid licking his skin, but he refuses to let it go. He knows he would never be able to raise it back up again.
Law reaches down to brush his fingers against Luffy's face. Luffy is white as a sheet and there are dark rings under his eyes, but he meets Law's gaze evenly, the strength in his spirit unwavering as ever.
A loud sound puts a halt to the tender moment. A new crack finally breaks down the wall, creating a large hole. The mud Law had used to plug the hole in the wood is washed away in a split second. Water starts pouring in.
The air escapes, as does the pressure. Law's plan seems lost in the flash flood.
The water is close to reaching his waist, now. It's getting to be almost impossible to hold onto his powers as the Ocean's curse starts to take its hold.
This is a last-ditch effort if anything ever has been. The peak of desperate last-minute bullshit.
On a whim, Law takes Luffy's hand in his. His skin feels cold, clammy. Luffy's smile is small and tired, and so full of faith and trust that it makes Law's heart clench.
"Are you ready?" Law asks. Luffy stares at him blearily, and though he doesn't have a clue of what Law's planning to do, he nods his approval.
Okay. To hell with it.
Law draws air from the water one last time, and he concentrates. His head is pounding, and the constant pressure threatening to overpower him doesn't make things any easier. Law perseveres.
With a nudge of his mind, something shifts around them.
Their makeshift shelter explodes in a flurry of water and broken pieces of wood. Water pushes its way into the small space that's kept them alive for the past hours, but none of it touches them. Law doesn't let it.
They emerge from a midst of shrapnel and wet sand, still alive. Thick streams of bubbles twirl in spirals around them, and Luffy watches in wonder as they begin floating. With effort, he lifts his hand to brush his fingers against the coated inside walls of the air bubble they sit in, held together by Law's power and the strong layer coating.
They rise up, carried by the currents that almost took their lives. Law closes his eyes, focusing on only breathing and keeping the Room in place. They'll die if he gives in to weakness and passes out.
The bubble floats up, past the debris that's carried away by the currents, past the darkness. When Law opens his eyes again, he can't even see the orange wood of the Sunny's mane anymore.
Beside him, Luffy twists his head to take it all in. A fish swims past them, and his tired, pained eyes follow it with awe. He needs to get to a doctor.
"How are you… How's this possible? This is so," Luffy stops to catch his breath. Even the one sentence is a chore for him. "This is so cool, T'rao."
Law wants to say something to him, but all his energy is going toward keeping the bubble from bursting — his throat chokes up when he even tries to open his mouth, and all that comes out is a wheezing cough. The ride up is far from steady, and Law has to fight back a violent bout of nausea.
Something drips down his chin. He raises his fingers to his nose, feeling warm wetness. When he takes them back to examine them, he's not surprised to find blood.
The slight tinge of the Room illuminates them, painting Luffy's concerned face in shades of blue.
"Torao? Are you okay?"
No.
Law's not okay. It's becoming more and more difficult to hang on to his powers.
He blinks sluggishly, and when he opens his eyes, he thinks that his Room has faded for a second because he can no longer see the blue glow. It takes him a moment to realise that the Room is still up, he just can't see it anymore. Everything is too blurry.
It's an odd, detached sort of shock.
"— Law? You're being weird. What's going on?"
Law can feel the strain of his ability in every joint and muscle, and it's excruciating. He drags in air through gritted teeth and forces the pain and exhaustion to the back of his mind. He knows they won't stay there forever, though.
"Is this because of your power? You've been doing this for a long time?"
Breathing is a task, now. His head is spinning. Everything hurts.
"Torao? Law?"
It's almost like he's using the rest of his life force just to keep the room up, Law thinks without processing the thought. He can hear Luffy talking mutedly. Luffy sounds panicked, distraught. Law's not sure why he would. Everything is fine.
It takes him a moment to realise that yes, it does feel like he's waning in favour of desperately hanging onto his devil fruit power. For some reason, the thought doesn't bother him.
A small part of him associates the feeling of weightless fatigue with drowning. It feels like months ago when Law followed Luffy to the bottom of the ocean. Blood had painted the waters then, as it does now.
A wave of blinding pain crushes Law. He's pretty sure he cries out. His head hurts so fucking badly.
Hang on to the Room. Hang on. A little more.
The bubble keeps floating up, up, up.
A muddy brightness dances in his fading field of vision, and it takes Law a moment to figure out that it's coming from above surface — sunlight filtering through waves.
The last thing Law sees before his consciousness escapes him with the last of the oxygen still in his lungs is the light behind his closed lids shifting. Movement. A distant part of him hopes that that means Luffy is safe, now.
He smiles. Dying for someone like the future Pirate King is not a fate Law regrets.
All fades to nothing.
...
A/N: Oh okay okay I know that's a bad cliffie but. No one dies in this fic! I stand by it. This chapter was such a pain to write for some reason... I rewrote that ending at least five times with different outcomes. Killed Luffy accidentally once whoops. Also, if you think that there's no real reason for Law to sit in Luffy's lap you're right. I'm just a slut for cuddles.
Lastly, keep in mind that this is from Law's point of view and he isn't exactly level-headed here. He's not the most reliable narrator.
The next one should be easier, so expect that soon... ish? Idk. Huge thank you for the help and confidence boosts to Emy and Rei! You guys are awesome, and I would have scrapped this without you.
Please comment, it makes me write faster! Hasta la later o/