Tea'sing All The Way Through

by Defenestrated-Nutter

The coffee shop that had become Law's second home just closed and he was forced to find another one to survive. In between all the madness that is college, he found himself tangled with his barista's personal life, his dog and his really bad food puns as if he didn't have enough of his own problems already. Au. Lawlu. Slow-built.

6. Chapter 6

Hey there guys,

How are you doing? I wish you all a wonderful 2018, full of amazing people, things, and experiences, along with common sense and mutual respect.

I know, I know, it's been decades since I uploaded the last chapter, and everyone is probably lost in the story, again. I apologize, also again. I have a really hard time starting a chapter. Every idea just looks awesome at first, and then when I start writing them down they just look stupid and I have to start all over again. This chapter is the result of a mixture of four attempts and, honestly, I love it now. It took me so many hours of sleep that I'm proud of what it has become. I feel like I'm increasing exponentially the number of words per chapter and that's a good but hard-working thing. At this pace, the last chapter will have 30k words alone and will be uploaded in 2023.

Anyway, this chapter has more dialogue than what I'm used to writing so, if it feels odd sometimes, I apologize in advance. I'm still learning how to properly use and abuse it.

So yeah, that's all for me for now, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Law has learned how to appreciate Bell-mere's from the outside while waiting for Shachi to get out of work. He rarely gets inside nowadays, prefers to wait for Shachi to bring him a big cup of coffee because when Law finally arrives at the coffee shop it's normally the time Shachi's shift ends.

At first, Law entered and sat by his corner like he normally would, but then Shachi started to sit in front of him, frowning and muttering under his breath for Law to hurry the fuck up and drink his damn coffee, and that was extremely annoying, to say the least. So he just stopped entering altogether. There was no point in going inside if he was just going to come out right after, most of the times Shachi was just waiting for him to appear to leave anyway.

So, now, he just waits outside, stands there by the window, waving at Luffy when he catches the guy looking at him, or leans against the wall if he sees that Shachi's still packing his things. It's a bit weird, he misses the new couch on his spot, since that thing is comfortable as hell, even though he just had the privilege of sitting there a couple of times, misses the calmness he once felt inside Bell-mere's, before Shachi started to work there, and misses the pastries, more than what he will ever admit. It's not like he doesn't buy one every once in awhile when he's really craving for sugar, or that Shachi doesn't bring a bunch inside a card box with him more often than not and lets him have one. It's just that they taste differently. He doesn't know how different or why, he just knows they do, like there's something he can't quite figure out what missing.

But he got used to it eventually, it's more practical actually, and it's not like he needs to do anything inside Bell-mere's anyway.

From the outside, Bell-mere's seems like a small little place, located on the ground floor of a three-floor building whose front walls can't fit more than two big windows per floor. It's not that hard to understand why Law didn't know the place existed at first sight. Until a few weeks ago, the only sign showing there was a coffee shop there was the small plaque hanging on the wall saying 'open'. Now though, the place's name is written on both windows with a faint tone of brownish-yellow that, even though it barely stands out, it's more than what it ever had. Fortunately, there's a good amout of people that know about its existence, and the space inside is so well used that the lack of it goes mostly unnoticed.

Law takes his phone out of his pocket, looking at the time and starting to get impatient. Shachi doesn't normally take this long and the sun hitting Law directly in the face isn't helping much. He tries to make the most out of the thin shadow the street lamp just ahead of him projects, but he's not that thin. He grabs the pack of cigarettes out of his backpack, picks one and is about to light it when someone opens Bell-mere's door and sticks the head out.

It's obviously Luffy, looking at him first with an unsure smile and then with a surprised one, almost like he didn't know Law smoked.

"Hum, Shachi's calling you," he says, his voice sounding unsure. He opens the door a bit more, showing that damn red cardigan he can't seem to put down nowadays, even though it's so hot he's probably melting inside of that thing. His hair is messy and shaggy, as if someone has run their fingers through it multiple times.

Law puts his cigarette back inside its pack and then sighs. "Can't he tell me whatever it is in the car?" He mutters, more to himself than to Luffy, not intending to sound rude. He receives a shrug in response.

"He's on his computer, maybe he wants to show you something," Luffy says, stepping back and holding the door open for Law to pass through, then heading towards the counter as soon as Law's inside. Law notices the straw hat hanging around his neck, swinging on his back with every rushed step. He normally puts it on the safety of the counter, right beside the register, he wonders why he has kept it on.

"Ah, finally!" Shachi says as soon as Luffy gets near him, warning the few customers sat inside the place about Law's arrival and making them all look at him. He sometimes doesn't know why he hasn't strangled Shachi yet, he has had quite a few opportunities to do so. "What took you so damn long to realize I was not coming out? You were supposed to be the smart one, man!"

Law hears Luffy chuckle, so he glares at the guy's back while approaching Sacchi and his stupid computer that has been to hell and back, considering his poor state. "What do you need?" He asks.

Shachi raises his eyes from the screen and Law can see how tired they look. His hair looks wet and messy and his hat is nowhere to be seen and he looks miserable and exhausted. "We need to choose Penguin's birthday present, right now. The delivery takes at least two days and his birthday is on fucking Saturday," he says, rubbing his left eye with his closed fist. Law chooses not to mention they still have four days to figure out the present, only lets him rant. "And if we add the usual delays or some freaking problem we might not even have one, but I guess we still have the receipt to show him we haven't fucking forgotten to buy him a present."

"Okay, you're overreacting now," Law says, leaning over the screen to see better, his palms resting on top of the counter on each side of the computer. He knows how Shachi is, he loves to give presents to everyone he knows on their birthday, mostly because he wants to receive presents on his own birthday too. The more gifts he gives, the more likely it is to receive gifts back because people usually like to reciprocate. "Let's see what you got."

The screen shows three open google tabs of the same site, but of different items.

"So," Shachi starts, leaning in to try and see, his chest brushing the top of his computer screen, "remember that vague idea we had? About buying him a new cap to replace that old and depressing thing of his?"

"I do have a vague idea, yes," Law says absently, examining each tab.

"Great, so I searched for some cool caps that would suit him and ended up finding this site that has three potential ones-" he pauses as the door's bell tingles. Law looks up and catches Luffy telling Shachi he will attend the customer with only a hand movement. He leans forward to let Luffy move behind him freely. "Yeah, that. I liked this three. The prices are a bit... exorbitant, but I think it's worked. Plus, we're both playing for it. I don't know if Jean wants to join in too, I'll talk to him later."

"I don't like this one," Law says, closing one tab, ignoring Shachi and making him gasp out loud and mutter that he should have a little more respect for his effort under his breath. Law senses the newcomer customer's eyes on him as the first sounds of Luffy touching the weird coffee machine start to fill the place. Law turns his head to the person beside him and is only mildly surprised when he sees a weird ass punk with green hair and no eyebrows glaring at him. The guy seems familiar, even though Law doesn't know from where. He sometimes wonders what he might have done in a past life to receive all the glares he receives on a daily basis, especially from such a demon looking person.

Law decides he doesn't care and looks at the screen again. He hears Luffy finishing the guy's coffee and then handing it to him, the guy quickly rushing away from the counter right after. He doesn't hear the bell jingle, so he guesses the guy took a seat.

"-and this one seems kinda like the one he has, expect from the pompon that instead of being red looks like a Penguin," Law catches Shachi saying and realizes he didn't hear the first part. It was probably not even important, he thinks.

"So this one then."

"The second one? But it doesn't have penguin written, just the figure on top. I guess I could order it customized but it costs more-"

"The first one then."

"Law! The first one doesn't have the little penguin on top and the ear flaps aren't hidden-able," Shachi says as if Law's dumb. He frowns, and Law frowns back, deeper.

"Why did you make me choose if you're not going to accept my choice?"

"Because you have to fucking have a reason for it! You can't just choose one and then the other like that!" Shachi says, crossing his arms in front of his chest, seeming annoyed.

Law sighs, rubbing his palm over his face. He notices Luffy on the other end of the counter, holding his phone with both hands, tipping furiously. Shachi snaps his fingers in front of his face and his right eye does this little twitch it always does when he's pissed off at something.

"Alright, alright. Whatever," Law says, returning his attention once more to the computer screen. He switches between the two tabs. There's not much difference between the two caps. They basically have the same style as the one Penguin uses. They're black, with ear flaps and a yellow brim. The only differences between the three are the things on top and the word penguin. The one Penguin uses has a red pompom on top that, due the amount of time the cap has seen the washing machine, is starting to look more pink than red and is actually hanging by just a few threads. It also has his name displayed in the front, written in caps lock, black letters over a white background, making the overall appearance of the cap look like a penguin.

In the first tab, the cap also has that appearance, but it's less noticeable. The letters are smaller, the P being the only letter standing out, white letters over a black background. The pompon is a simple white thing. According to the description, the brim is flexible and won't break when stuffed into a pocket or a backpack. A simple, practical, comfortable and warm cap, Law reads.

The second one looks mostly the same, but is somewhat different. It screams penguin without needing to have the word written. It looks like a penguin, way more than the first one. The ear flaps are longer, can be hidden and, instead of a boring pompon, it has a decoration that looks like a young emperor penguin, a cute thing even though Law can't really see it in much detail in the picture. Featuring a microfiber suede sweatband to keep your face dry, or whatever that hell that means. It costs more than the first one and, with the customization, the price will get even higher.

"I like this one better," Law says, turning the computer to Shachi.

"Yeah?" Shachi asks, looking unsure. "I mean, I like that one more too but, isn't it like, too similar to the one he already has? After the customization, they will basically look the same, just with that penguin thing instead of the pompon. Don't you think we should give him something that's at least a bit different?"

"So you think the first one is a better idea?" Law asks, impatient. That damn situation is taking too damn long thanks to Shachi and his indecision problems.

"Maybe? I mean, look at my hat," Shachi says, getting out of Nami's fancy high chair and crouching on the floor, picking up his own hat from his backpack. "Remember when you went with me shopping?"

Law does, it was horrible, like shopping always is when Shachi's around. He's worse than those chicks from movies that take three hours just to decide between two shirts and then leave without any. It's annoying, so annoying. But the guy insisted, saying he needed to buy something really, really, important and, as it turned out, he needed a new fucking hat, because the one he had was apparently falling apart over his head. That's partially the reason why the decision of buying Penguin a new one ever came up, Shachi decided he wanted to renew the hats of the group and, since Jean doesn't use one and Law said right at the beginning and with no room for doubt that he would not use a new one, Shachi had to turn his attention to Penguin and his poor cap.

"My old one was different from this one, the other was blue and this one's black, although they have mostly the same format I wanted something different. The problem is, I don't know if Penguin would prefer one similar or one different."

Law stays quiet for a minute, thinking. "He loves that cap, has been using it for ages. He isn't like you that uses it just for fashion proposes, he has an adoration for that thing. If we're going to replace it with a new one I think the best we can do is give him on that looks the same," he then says. Law thinks about himself, he isn't going to replace his own, at least not in the near future, but, if he ever has to, he would prefer to have one similar, because he has a special affection for his hat too and doesn't want to just lose it. He guesses Penguin feels the same about his cap, they can't just give him a new one and expect him to use it right after, to discard the old one like it means nothing. If the cap looks the same, the transition will be a lot smoother, that is, assuming Penguin wants to.

Shachi sighs dramatically, defeated, then sits once more on Nami's chair, bringing his computer closer. "Alright, I'm ordering this one," then, as if remembering something, he raises his eyes back to Law. "Oh shit, you want coffee? I forgot, sorry, just a minute-"

"I can take care of that," Luffy interrupts, suddenly appearing next to him, putting one hand on his shoulder to prevent Shachi from standing up. "Just buy the gift."

"Alright, alright," Shachi says, rolling his eyes dramatically and raising his hands in defeat but keeping the smile on his face, adjusting his ass back to the seat. "I forgot I was done for the day."

Luffy smiles a bit and then looks at Law, his eyes all big and shiny like they always are under that weird ass lighting Nami and Nojiko decided to buy to illuminate the place. "What are you having today?" He then asks, teasing.

Law knows what the guy's doing and, he has to admit, he actually misses the days when he could just come to Belle-mere's, frowning, and ask for the usual. "Just a coffee," he responds.

"Coming right up," Luffy says before turning his back to him, the noises coming from the coffee machine filling the place once more.

Law feels Shachi's eyes on him and, when he looks in his direction, he's eyeing him weirdly, with his face still facing his computer's screen but his eyes looking at Law instead, his brows frowned. What?, Law mutters, to which Shachi just responds weirdo, his lips moving but not making any sound. Law decides to ignore him, turning his head back at Luffy and catching him while he's looking at the display with a thoughtful expression on his face. He hears Shachi typing furiously on his side.

Luffy takes out a strange looking pastry with two shades of brown, dark underneath and lighter on top, as if it was made with two different kinds of chocolate. When Luffy places it in front of him, on top of a plate and beside his coffee, Law notices the thing is even weirder up close. Formed by wildly tangled thin strands, standing like a mountain of brown spaghetti on top of what appears to be a small chocolate tart shell, covered with powdered sugar.

Law grabs the plate and brings it closer.

"It looks amazing, doesn't it?" Shachi's says, this time not taking his eyes off the screen. "Nojiko spent most of the morning just preparing nine of those. I bet you can see why."

He does, it looks too damn visually complex. When Law takes the first bite, he notices how soft and sweet the pastry is, and is surprised that, instead of the flavor of two different kinds of chocolate, his mouth gets filled with only one kind from the tart shell and a flavor that he was not expecting at all. "Is this chestnut?" He asks, curious.

"And whipped cream, yes," Luffy says, smiling and leaning over the counter. "It's nuts, right?"

Law hears Shachi laughing hard and has to make an effort to keep his lips pressed together. He still smirks though, shaking his head as he grabs his coffee to help him clean his teeth, covered with pureed chestnut.

"Man," Shachi says while closing his computer and turning sideways. "You just went up a lot in my consideration. I'm glad I stayed just for that pun."

"There's more where that came from," Law says, finishing his pastry in another bite, then his coffee.

"Really? How come I've never heard any of them?" Shachi asks, shoving his computer into his backpack. Law looks at him and wonders why Shachi's acting like that when he clearly saw the pun Luffy wrote to him the very first time the guy entered Bell-mere's, wonders if his hungover made him forget, although he doubts it.

Luffy just shrugs, straightening up. "They come spontaneously, you just weren't here at the right time, I guess."

"I'm glad I was now. You know what, you should totally come to the party with us!" Shachi beams, putting one hand on each of Luffy shoulders, using his usual convincing technic that basically consists in putting a person on an awkward frontal position with a lot of eye contract until, eventually, they accept whatever Shachi's offering just to escape. The efficiency rate is depressingly low and Law doesn't really know why he keeps on using it. "Shouldn't he, Law?"

Luffy looks at him, like a trapped doe, although he seems more confused than embarrassed. "Yeah, sure," Law responds and wonders what Law's trying to do.

"I, hum, I dunno," Luffy says, trying to step away from Shachi's hands but failing miserably, the height difference between then adding a fun touch to the whole situation from Law's perspective. "I mean, I don't even know the guy. I just know his name's Penguin and you're offering him a cap-"

"And that's more than enough! Do you think he knows half the people who're gonna be there? Of course not!" Shachi interrupts, finally letting him go and putting his hands on his hips instead, looking pleased. "Plus, you can totally join in and offer the cap with us!"

"I'll think about it," Luffy says, in a tone that mostly means he's declining the offer.

"Great!" Shachi says, not catching it. "I'll give you the details tomorrow."

Luffy nods, looking relieved. He steps aside to let Shachi pass through. "Let's go then?" Shachi asks while bypassing the counter, not even waiting for Law's response and heading towards the door.

"See ya," Luffy says at his back, then looks at Law and smiles. He waves at him and gives one last look at the inside of Bell-mere's before following Shachi, then he stops on his track abruptly. The damn punk was still there. Sat on his fucking comfy couch. On his fucking corner. Staring at him.

The image of him and that black haired woman crosses Law's mind then. Law remembers him now, him and the woman, stealing his place right when Bell-mere's was crowded with people, a few months ago, even though it feels like years have passed.

Law glares at him before leaving, just because the guy's stare also turns into a glare, and continues glaring through the window until Bell-mere's is out of view.

"Who the hell was that guy," Law mutters, still confused, once he catches up with Shachi, halfway towards the parking lot near the Bell-mere's. He sees his reflection in the window of a hair salon and a bunch of women with a lot of colorful things on her heads raise their eyes at him, seeming completely unimpressed by his existence. He feels his brows forming a deep frown and something he can't quite explain grow inside his chest, like an itch between his lungs he can't scratch.

"Whom?" Shachi asks, apparently unaware of the fact Law was trying to murder someone with his eyes, right beside him, just a few seconds ago.

"That weird ass punk. That guy who walked in when we were figuring out the damn cap, Shachi," Law explains, like Shachi's useless. "What the hell was he doing in my seat?"

"Ohh, that guy," Shachi says, dismissively, like it's nothing, like the guy wasn't clearing provoking Law, shamelessly mocking him. "He's a regular client with an unusual style, that's all," he then shrugs, taking his car keys out of his backpack just by bending his right arm back and sticking his hand inside the small pocket on the front.

"He was glaring at me while sitting on my seat, Shachi, for no good reason."

"Well," Shachi starts, opening his car and entering with no grace whatsoever. Law climbs to the passenger's seat beside him. "You glare at people for no reason other than it being your regular look. Maybe you glared at him once and he took it personally, how am I supposed to know."

Law sighs. Shachi was clearly not helping, in any way, like he really never does.

Shachi's excuse of a car comes to life and, soon enough, they're on the main road, increasing the noise pollution. Law looks through the window, seeing the buildings passing by way faster than what they should be. He didn't really want to know the reason behind the glare, he wanted to know why he chose his damn spot to seat when the fucking coffee shop only had three more clients, and they were all sat together, occupying just one damn table. He had plenty of more seats to choose from. It could've been for the couch, it's comfortable and all, but Nami didn't just renew that corner, she put a few more comfy chairs and armchairs here and there too, on places where the view is better. He guesses maybe he's just overthinking the situation, but that glare at the end, and that glare when he approached the counter to order clearly say the guy has a problem with Law, even though he doesn't remember ever doing anything to him, not even that occasional glare Shachi says he uses.

If sitting on Law spot is some sort of revenge or whatever, then it's a really low blow. And a ridiculous one too.

Then something else clicks in Law mind. "You said he's a regular?"

Shachi gives him a sideways look, clearing having forgotten who Law's talking about. He clears his throat loudly before speaking, his eyes returning to the road ahead of him. "Well yes, he usually comes before my shift ends and sits there on the corner when I leave."

"Really?" Law asks, surprised, he has never seen the guy there, aside from that fateful busy afternoon. Law doesn't remember ever seeing him enter Bell-mere's when he's outside waiting for Shachi, so he guesses he usually arrives earlier than today. But, truth to be told, he doubts he would've even noticed him passing, after all, Law has never once spotted him seating on his corner on all the times he looked through the window to see if Shachi was already coming and to wave at Luffy. "And why the hell does he sit in my spot?"

Shachi clears his throat again. "Why don't you ask him that next time you decide to enter?" He spits out, annoyed. "And, just for the record, it should be his spot, not yours, you know. Because his ass sure sits on that couch more times than what yours does anyway."

Law feels the itch between his lungs grow, feels a pressure inside his ribcage that makes his breath uneven. And then he's assaulted by a flash of pure rage, as if he's a wild animal and another predator just stole his prey. He tries to maintain calm the rest of the ride to his apartment, if he's lucky, Shachi will continue on his way after dropping him off and won't insist on coming with him. It's harder than what it should be, he keeps looking through the window but seeing everything passing by just makes him feel nauseous. He tries to prick his indicator with the nail of his thumb without catching Shachi's attention. The last thing he needs his another lecture on how he should take some anger management classes.

Once he gets to his apartment, he bangs the door and punches the wall a few times, relieving a wave of stocked energy every time his knuckles touch the cement. He stops midway when he sees the red stain his last punch left on the white wall. When he looks at his hand it's not in better shape. A few drops of blood drip down the skin, through his fingers. The middle knuckle, the one more prominent on his hand, is the worse, all dark red and gory, and that's where the blood comes from, the other ones are mostly fine.

It hurts when he tries to open his fist, his fingers trembling when he tries to stretch them. On his way to the bathroom, with his backpack still on, all he can think about is how good the fact he used his left hand is, he would've been screwed if it was on the right one as he wouldn't be able to write properly. He cleans the blood with tap water, and that feeling of running water on a wound feels as weird and it always does. He grabs his first aid kit form the cabinet under the sink and sighs in relief when he sees it isn't completely empty. He takes a mental note to refill it next time he goes shopping.

When he sits on his couch, finally taking his backpack off and leaving it somewhere on the floor, with his now bandaged hand, he feels utterly stupid and ridiculous.

Maybe I really do need anger management classes, Law thinks as he stares at the ceiling. He doesn't know what crosses his mind sometimes, he just loses all control over himself, like a wild animal who doesn't know how to control its instincts, and just stops when he sees blood, it being the alarming sign that triggers the recovery of his senses. It's crazy and ridiculous and happens so out of a blue and without a fucking reason that it actually scares him sometimes.

"It's nuts, right?" Law mutters to himself, Luffy's voice playing on his head over and over again. He brings his bandaged hand up, putting it between his face and the ceiling, noticing a small red spot on the white bandage, and then smiles.

.

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On Wednesday, Law arrives half an hour earlier to Bell-mere's. When he enters, he notices the confused expression on Shachi's face and notices smugly how empty his spot is. He makes his way to the corner, putting his backpack on top of the table and then makes his way back, heading to the counter where Shachi's still looking at him weirdly.

"You're so ridiculous," he eventually says once Law's close enough, noticing his hurt hand but deciding to not comment on it, the slight twitch of his eyebrows being the only indicator he has even seen it.

"Hello to you too," Law says, smirking when he sees Shachi rolling his eyes and then rising from Nami's high chair to prepare his coffee without him even ordering.

Law looks at the display meanwhile, full of delicious pastries. Some are new, or at least, he has never seen them before. Others he has seen but hasn't tasted yet. In fact, the ones he has tasted are really just a few in comparison with the whole variety available. There are cupcakes, cookies, s' mores, weirdly shaped pastries with even weirder names, two big cakes, one white and the other reddish-pink with a lot of decorations, and one big meringue pie with a few tartlets right next to it, with cream and raspberries on top. They all look pretty delicious, but he doesn't order any, just walks back to his corner once Shachi gives him the coffee.

He doesn't have that much that he needs to do, but he has some work he can start doing earlier than what he needs to, along with some research he can analyze better later on. He takes out his computer and a notebook along with a well-chewed pencil. He starts taking notes and saving some sites in which he thinks there might be something useful but, overall, he's just messing around, searching random things and mostly learning totally useless stuff.

He takes particular attention to the front door every time he hears the bell above it tingling, he wants to see the punk guy entering and wants to see his expression when he notices Law's there. He bets the guy will glare, but at least now Law has given him a reason to.

A few people enter, some faces familiar others not that much. A foreign couple walks in and starts talking really loudly on a very fast sounding language, annoying everyone inside Bell-mere's, even though they apparently don't realize it. He's amused by how poorly Shachi manages to attend them, his face forming such an ugly expression of pure confusion that Law's not sure how they didn't just run away. They sit on a table right beside Law, with a wooden tray with two coffees and a lot of different kinds of pastries, probably trying the ones they thought looked best. They spend fifteen minutes just eating and playing on their phones before leaving the coffee shop, no word is spoken, no eye contact is shared. All the vitality in their conversation got forgotten by the counter.

Then he sees Luffy thought the window, walking fast and with his straw hat hanging on his back. His face is as red as his cardigan and Law's not sure how he hasn't melted yet, his hair being the black mess it always is. He smiles when he reaches the counter and then looks in Law's direction, probably because Shachi has made some kind of unnecessary and childish comment.

And then the funny part begins. The punk enters, grinning and shining with happiness and, when he notices Law's, it's like he has seen a thousand wars, frowning so hard his lack of eyebrows doesn't even make that much of a difference. He's forced to sit on the same table the foreign couple was just a few minutes ago, irradiating anger but avoiding eye contact with Law, choosing a seat that provides him only the view of the counter. Most people chose to look through the windows or to have a perfect vision of the whole coffee shop like Law himself, but there's always a crazy for everything.

Law can only see his left side, his green hair going right up on his head like a rooster's crest. He can't seem to close his mouth that well, due to the weird shape his teeth have, and he has a ring piercing on his nasal spectrum. Law sees him taking off his dark purple coat and wonders how the hell the guy managed to survive for so long inside of that thing. A white stripe goes down the sleeve Law's able to see due to the angle, meaning the other must look the same. The collar and the cuffs are plumed and his trousers are also bizarre looking, baggy and with a checkered pattern, that he looks like he's a fugitive from a circus.

The guy keeps ignoring him so, after a few moments, Law decides to ignore him too, losing his interest on him and returning his attention back to his computer screen. Law also doesn't look in his direction when Shachi starts to pack his things up and warns Law to do the same if he wants a ride home.

Law has never had such a boring ride and, once he steps out, he thanks the divine forces above for it to finally be over. He sometimes forgets how annoying Shachi gets when he decides to give someone a lecture, most of the times about things he does on a daily basis too.

.

.

.

The next day, Law does the exact same thing and receives, yet again, a lecture all the way home. But he doesn't mind, much, the punk's angry face this time was more than worth it. He feels childish when he's at home and recalls the episode, but he also finds he doesn't really care. He doesn't really mind if the punk sits on his spot, as long as it continues to be considered his spot, so no one can say he doesn't like sharing. In fact, he doesn't care if the guy sprints to the couch once Law leaves the Bell-mere's and is out of view, he doesn't care if he comes at other time of the day and sits there, doesn't even care if other people do the same, as long as they don't do it when Law's around because, when he is, it's his spot and his spot only.

And he would do it again, on Friday, if the universe didn't change his plans for him. Friday, as Law learned once Shachi started working, is the day where the shifts and the schedule belonging to the employees change, where they can arrange the schedule that will last until next Friday and switch shifts between them if needed. Why Friday and not, let's say, a Monday, Law has no clue, but he guesses it's not really that important. Most of the time, according to Shachi, the schedule remains basically the same, with only a few changes here and there or an inversion every once in a while, to break the routine.

So, during the next week, instead of Shachi's shift end at four pm, it will start.

When Law arrived at Bell-mere's he wasn't aware of that fact and so seeing both Luffy and Shachi behind the counter wasn't really that strange. Then Shachi told him and it all clicked in his mind. He just felt a bit annoyed for the fact he wouldn't have a ride home this time, unless he stayed until closing time, an option he didn't even ponder about.

Law stayed on his spot for a while, calmly drinking his still hot coffee and being surrounded by closed books, deciding which one to open first without really wanting to. The punk guy doesn't come this time, and Law's not sure if he's disappointed or glad. He looks around, counting the number of people inside and then looks at the counter where both Shachi and Luffy are on their phones, Luffy just waiting for his shift to end and Shachi just passing the time with probably some stupid game like candy crush even though no one plays that game anymore.

Law leaves half an hour after Luffy does, when his books start to annoy him and he realizes he's not paying much attention to what he's reading anyway.

He decides to go shopping before heading home, since there's a grocery store on the way. He doesn't know why he even bothers to make a list of what he needs at home, he never uses it, it's always forgotten under the magnet that's stuck against the door of his fridge, and it's only when he gets home with his arms full of plastic bags that he realizes just how many things listed on it that he didn't buy. He spends some good forty-five minutes walking through the corridors, throwing everything he thinks he needs inside the shopping cart while also paying attention to the price of each thing, he's still not rich after all.

The lights of the place and all the color around, along with all the big yellow or red signs of promotions and sales, make him feel a bit dizzy so he's more than glad when he gets out, his arms full of bags that now he needs to carry for quite a distance. He has not thought this through properly. When he finally gets home, exhausted, he just puts the things that need cold inside the fridge and leaves the rest inside the bags, on top of his kitchen counter, not having enough motivation to organize the rest inside the cabinets.

He takes a quick shower and eats two sandwiches before heading to his bedroom, intending to call it for the day. His sleep problems got worse in the past few weeks, they're so bad Law's not sure how he even manages to have the bare minimum of energy it takes to go to his classes and come home. At first, he just woke up really tired, or slept bad, always awakening in the middle of the night for nothing. Now though, he's been awakening at four AM, more or less, for no apparent reason, every single night. Sometimes he gets back to sleep, if it's a good night, but normally he just looks at the ceiling, his vision getting adjusted to the darkness so much it's like the lights are on, muttering curses and asking himself what he has done so wrong in another life to deserve such penitence, changing his position in bed so many times he ends up undoing it until the blanket ended up covering more the floor than himself.

He just doesn't have any plausible reason for what's happening to him, it's like his biological clock decided to cut off a few hours of his sleep as if he didn't sleep so miserably already. He has tried going to bed earlier, nothing. Has reduced drastically the amount of coffee he drinks per day, nope. Has tried drinking hot milk with cookies like a child before going to bed, nah. Has counted thousands of sheep, nada. Has taken hot showers before going to sleep, didn't work either. No matter what he ends up doing, at four o'clock in the morning, he's just, awake.

So if he goes to bed early at least he can equalize the number of hours he would've slept if his brain wasn't so fucked up.

He puts his phone charging, on top of his bedside table, and then heads to bed. He's not sleepy, but he's tired as hell so he hopes that's enough. He has to accumulate energy for tomorrow's night, or else he's going to be the depressing and sleepy drunk that will wake up with the sunlight hitting his face on a dubious alley full of piss and vomit and surrounded by trash bins. Penguin's a weird guy and ever since Law started to go celebrate his birthday with him, the guy always takes the responsibility to make sure everyone's is having fun, safe and alive. He obviously loses track on most of the people he invites right in the first half an hour because he invites so many it's impossible to keep everyone in the same place for more than a few minutes. Some want a bar, others want another so they go on their respective way. Penguin doesn't mind, after all, it's some weight that gets out of his shoulders. He normally sticks with a group that has never once exceeded eight people, makes sure they're okay and then takes them to his home, letting them crash there, on the living room previously prepared for the effect, with a lot of blankets and sleeping bags and pillows all spread around. So, as long as Law maintains consciousness, he's going to be just fine. After all, he, Shachi and Jean are on the top of Penguin's priorities.

Law changes his position in bed, trying hard to keep his eyes shut. He checks his mental list of things he's going to do tomorrow. He has to do laundry, he needs to actually, desperately, or else he won't have enough clean clothes to last the upcoming week. Then, well, he just has to occupy himself with some shit until it's dinner time, the dinner that Penguin's paying for because he doesn't think twice about spending money when it's his birthday. Normally, twenty or so people go to the dinner, the ones that will give Penguin some sort of present, and they eat as much as their bellies can handle so they can party all night long without entering in an alcoholic coma within the first hour, or at least try. Then, they all head to the bar's area and meet with more people and, there, Penguin only pays for his own drinks. It has been like this for as long as Law can remember going to Penguin's birthday parties, so he doubts the plans will change this year.

He turns again, this time looking at the ceiling. He's comfortable and warm, and yet the sleep doesn't come. He sighs, then raises from the bed and heads to the living room. He ends up sleeping on the couch, around three in the morning and with the tv still on.

He doesn't wake up until ten am.

.

.

.

Law doesn't know what went wrong, what kind of event coincidentally happened right with Penguin's birthday but, whatever it was, it's all over now, and everyone that participated in it just decided there was still some time çeft to party wildly. Law has never seen so many people in one street alone, at least not after moving to that town, and he fucking hates it. There's no space for him to move freely and he has to fucking zigzag between the drunk bodies, shoving people aside and trying to open a way through them with his fucking bare hands. There are girls in long and short and honestly all kinds of dresses everywhere, guys with tuxedos and suits everywhere. People everywhere. And they all came out of a blue. One minute Law had a big fucking group of friends to stick with, all inside and sat at a dubious pub that had happy hour, and the next thing he knows, a fucking wave of people, desperate for shots, just emerged through the door.

It's was so damn hard to leave the place. The floor was sticky, the people kept entering even though there wasn't enough room for anyone else, even the band occupying a whole corner stopped playing, not being able to move freely more. But he managed to get out just by following closely Kid that kept shoving brutally people aside with such an angry glare that Law's not sure how he didn't kill anyone in the process. The street, however, wasn't in a better state, fancy people everywhere, everyone with a different kind of smell, creating such an agglomerate of perfumes and colognes it made Law feel dizzy and he almost threw up right there at someone's expensive shoes.

He kept following Kid's redhead until they both reached a quieter place between two alleys that smelled like trash, piss, and vomit. Law feels his head spinning around now that he actually has enough space to fall on the ground and realizes he's not at all as sober as he thought he was when he was sitting down. He leans against the wall and hears Kid kick some forgotten bottle, shattering it, then he starts yelling and, suddenly, Penguin and Killer are there with them. Law's not sure how, but most of the group appear and then they're walking down the alley, Penguin leading the way like the good nearly sober guide he is. Law hears Shachi laughing behind him, walking between two girls he forgot the name of. Then, there are people again and he feels disoriented and a bit angry with himself when Shachi grabs his arm and starts pushing him gently through the crowd, opening a way for Law to walk behind him.

He decides then he won't drink more that night, he doesn't want to be taken care of like he's a helpless human being with lack of motor coordination. He's good like that, that's a good kind of drunkenness, he feels happier than normal, but not hysterical, he can still walk and remain on his feet, talk coherently and, most importantly, isn't in the verge of losing consciousness or in a state where he won't remember what the fuck happened once sober. So he's good.

Law shakes Shachi's hand out of his arm once they reach an area where there's enough space for him to walk freely and to see where the group is heading. He would've heard Shachi's exasperated sigh if it wasn't for all the noise around them, and would've seen his mocking expression and him shaking his head in annoyance if he had looked in Shachi's direction. Law feels, however, Shachi keeping a close distance, as if anticipating Law will pathetically trip on own his own feet and fall right there on the asphalt if unguarded. He shakes the angry thoughts out of his mind when he remembers that's exactly what he does when Shachi's the one being drunk. Law never leaves him on his own for a second because Shachi sure does pathetically trip on his own feet.

"Where are we even going?" Law asks, mostly to himself but, since Shachi was so close to him, he hears it perfectly.

"Blueno's Bar, probably," Shachi's says, although he seems certain of what he's saying. Law knows the place, has been there a couple of times already. For some reason, Penguin and Shachi like to be there, even though the drinks cost double than on most of the other bars in the area. Sometimes, however, the owner, a big guy that looks like a bull but has lips like a fish, does a few discounts, once a person spends enough money in there as if trying to encourage customers to buy more and more alcohol. "It probably won't be as full as this cheap and shitty ones."

"You have to warn Luffy then, so he can meet us there," Law says, almost tripping on a loose stone from the sidewalk, but managing to regain his balance before Shachi has time to react and help him doing so.

"Law, he won't come," Shachy says, sounding annoyed. "I've warned him every single time we changed places and he hasn't responded or appeared yet," he then takes his phone out of his jacket's front pocket and checks the time. "It's almost half past two, Law, he isn't coming."

"But he-"

"Yes, Law, he sent you a message during dinner asking if it was really okay for him to show up. I know. You've already repeated that a million times," Shachi says, rolling his eyes. Law feels his belly twitch with hunger then, it feels like they had dinner weeks ago, even though just a few hours went by. And Law ate a lot, so much he felt like he was about to explode right after. He even had to unbutton his pants so his stomach could stretch a bit more for dessert. He knows he ate like a starving man that didn't have enough food inside his fridge to feed himself for days but, in his defense, the food was just so delicious it was impossible to stop eating. Plus, he wasn't the only one, at least he kept his manners and ate slowly unlike the pink haired girl named Bonnie that sat right next to him.

Law had just finished eating when he received Luffy's text, asking if it really was okay for him to go, to which he responded obviously and even added the name of the first bar they would go after leaving the restaurant.

"But I-"

"Yes, Law, I also know you think you've already seen Luffy a bunch of times. You've also repeated that a million times."

"I did see him," Law says between his teeth, frowning and angry.

"Then why didn't he appear or even turn around when you called so desperately his name, huh? I mean, for real, Law, it's like you didn't see the guy yesterday," Shachi says, using a lot of hand movements. "You think you saw him, but you didn't, when you're drunk all people with brown hair and brown eyes look the same."

"You don't fucking look like him," Law mutters to himself and he's sure Shachi heard it, although any comment he could've said got lost once they enter Blueno's Bar. There were a few people inside the place, some dancing not at all at the rhythm of the music that was playing, others just sat on roundtables near the corner, drinking. The place's darker than usual, just the counter is well illuminated, like a luminous sign telling the subconscious where to spend money.

The group sits on one of the big tables, occupying all of the chairs available and stealing some from nearby tables. Penguin comes with a round metal tray full of tequila shots for everyone, saying it was Blueno's birthday gift for him. They all sing happy birthday to him, so loudly the music playing gets muffled momentarily by it. A few people join in, clapping or whistling, and then return to their own businesses right after. Law forgets he decided not to drink more and swallows his one and only shot and then two gin and tonic, with a slice of lemon he ends up giving to someone else to put on their own drink.

He loses track of time and when that pink haired chick Law forgot the name of convinces him to go dancing, his legs are even harder to control than before. Law doesn't know how to dance, at all. Penguin and Shachi have mocked him so much about it that he wouldn't even be surprised if, when he looked at their direction, they had their phones out just recording the moment. But Law doesn't look in their direction, and his lack of dance skills along with his lack of motion coordination at the moment are nothing comparing to the mess of limbs and moves and exorcism the girl (Polly?) is doing right in front of him. He actually feels good to have accepted her challenge, his dance moves could actually be considered art when next to hers. She laughs loudly and shoves everyone around her but seems so happy Law ends up laughing too.

The dance zone has more people now than when they arrived, but Law finds he doesn't really mind. He still has enough space to move properly so it's okay. The place isn't like a disco, but the music is loud and frantic enough and the fact the lights aren't psychedelic and blinding is a bonus.

And then he sees Luffy and he's sure it's not him thinking he sees him, he's actually there, entering the place without his red cardigan, wearing instead a vest that appears to be blue, but with his straw hat on top of his head. There's a tall guy beside him, talking to him, that Law just sees when he's already beside them, not noticing he left Polly dancing all by herself. He's wearing black and his eyebrows have a weird natural raise and Law doesn't like his appearance one slight bit.

Luffy notices him approaching with his big brown eyes all shiny. "Hey there!" He says, loud so he can be heard over the music, and then smiles widely when Law finally gets closer.

"I was starting to think you wouldn't come," Law says and his voice sounds weird to his own ears with the amount of alcohol he ingested. He receives an apologetic smile in return and then adds," they're over there," turning and pointing to the table full of purses and jackets and with only Penguin and Shachi guarding it.

Law sees them looking and then his attention is drawn to the guy beside Luffy. He doesn't look so tall up close, not to his own height. "So I guess you're safely delivered," the guy says as if Luffy is some kind of merchandise he can just drop off and then leave. He gives Law a weird ass look before heading to the counter, Luffy shouting a see ya at his back that gets ignored. Law would really like to know what's with the fucking glares he keeps receiving.

"So, want tequila a little time together or what?" Luffy says next to him, grinning so much it makes Law laugh a bit, even though he only realized what Luffy actually said when it was already too late to comment on it.

He notices Luffy's drunk when he trips on the only step of the place, one that marks the end of the entryway, and almost takes Law to the floor with him when he grabs his arm for support. There's a scent of smoke coming from him, making him smell just like Shachi and Penguin do when they smoke what they shouldn't. Law wonders if it really was Luffy whom he kept seeing instead of just some random person with brown eyes and brown hair like Shachi had said. He hears Luffy laughing as he tries to regain his balance and realizes why the other guy said safely delivered.

"Oh my God, you actually came!" Shachi yells when they get near the table.

Luffy smiles at Shachi and then looks at Penguin's direction, noticing the guy is wearing two caps on top of each other. He loved the present, but he wasn't ready to let go of his old one just like that, so the solution he found for the night was to wear both of them at the same time. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you! I'm glad you made it!" Penguin says, approaching Luffy and giving him one of his bear hugs. Luffy giggles and is then dragged to the dance floor, giving Law one last look, pleading for help from over his shoulder. He just shrugs in response, sitting on the nearest chair. He guesses it's his turn to watch over the table and all the belongings on top of it. His legs are tired from standing up for so long, and his feet feel like they're burning so much that, when his ass touches the chair, a wave of relief passes through him and he feels like, if he lays his head on the table, he will fall asleep right there. His head's heavy and he can't see very well. Everything's a blur, even when he brings his hand closer to his face and tries to focus on it.

Jean comes and scares him, touching his shoulder as he walks behind him to seat in a chair too. He doesn't say anything, and neither does Law, they just look ahead, to the dance zone even though Law can't really distinguish anyone at that distance, just a yellow blur that gets more defined with each step Law takes in its direction. He forgets about his tiredness, about his sore legs and the pain on his feet and just walks forward. He squishes himself between Shachi and Penguin and goes stand in front of Luffy that smiles when he sees him, huge white teeth shining over the light of the place. His hair's a mess and his face has more color than what Law has seen in it for the past few weeks, his cheeks all flushed. Luffy looks at him through his lashes, Law standing taller than him, and suddenly Law feels the itch between his lungs all over again, stronger than before, making him catch a breath.

"What?" Luffy asks, although Law didn't hear him, just watched as his lips moved and formed the word. He smiles and shakes his head, devaluing the situation. Law sees Luffy arching an eyebrow but then he feels someone rubbing against him and, when he looks up, he's not even surprised for having Shachi dancing weirdly against him, back with back, Penguin trying to mimic him but not having anyone to rub against without it being inappropriate.

Law doesn't know how long he stayed there, forming some kind of circle on the dance floor with his friends and Luffy. He didn't like the music that was playing, he didn't even know what kind of music it was, and yet he danced, moving his body at the rhythm of it, with other people rubbing themselves on him more often than not. He saw Polly, or whatever her name was, almost eating a guy's face, their bodies so glued together that it was weird to think Law could've been that guy if he didn't escape in time. At some point, Kid approaches them and starts to move in a very demonic way, but ends up spending more time walking towards the counter and coming back with a new drink on his hand than dancing. Law ends up drinking as much as him, giving Kid money every time they both finish their own. Kid gives him a glare every time, but still brings two drinks with him.

And then it was all over, too fast, Penguin getting him out of Blueno's bar and a sudden chilly breeze hitting his sweated face, making him shiver. He didn't know what time it was, and he couldn't check his phone because it had died without battery right in the begging of the night, like the useless thing it is, but the part of the sky he could see was still dark, all the street lamps still on.

Law's putting on his jacket when Shachi gets out, bringing Luffy attached to him, and Jean, Killer, and Kid following right behind. As the group gathers in the middle of the now semi-deserted street, with a slightly better illumination quality, Law notices how bad everyone looks like. Everyone's face is sweaty and flustered, their hair a mess, pointing in every direction, the clothes messy and poorly arranged, Kid's dark makeup all blurred around his eyes, making him look even eviler, Jean looking so grumpy and restless that Law's sure he's more asleep than awake, his eyes small and puffy. He's not sure if he looks much better than them.

"Alright, guys!" Penguin says, clapping a few times to get everyone's attention, or better, everyone's glare. "We're heading to my place so we need to take the bus as you already probably know-"

"Just get to the point already," Kid says beside him, his voice rough and angry.

"Alright, okay, hum," Penguin continues, letting out a short nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck. "If we don't get to the bus stop in ten minutes we'll have to wait an hour for the next bus."

Kid curses Penguin's family, Jean growls and Shachi gasps, taking out his phone and his eyes grow big when he checks the time. He and Penguin share a small conversation that started with why didn't you check the time, you fucker?!, followed by a few apologies, while the group starts to, clumsily, but as fast as they can manage, walk down the street. Law feels his legs wobbly and heavy, his feet numb, but he tries his best to walk as normally as he would've if he was sober, which proves to be quite hard when the damn pavement isn't even properly leveled.

They obviously arrive late to the bus stop, the bus being already long gone by the time they see the bus stop from afar. Jean and Killer seat in the cold metal seats, Jean immediately leaning against the glass wall behind him and closing his eyes, Killer just staring into space. Kid grabs his pack of cigars and takes one out, walking alone to a small green park on the other side of the road, saying he's going to take a piss. Penguin and Shachi, as the only mostly sober ones of the group, start looking at the bus' schedules fixed on one of the sides of the bus stop, along with the schedules of the others public transportation, analyzing and pointing and debating about things Law doesn't care.

He sees Luffy looking at the seat of the bus stop, one side occupied by a mad looking Killer and the other by a snoring and twisted Jean, just the middle part being free, but it's such a small space that even a tiny person like Luffy would feel squished. He ends up sitting in front of the bus stop, on the edge of the sidewalk with his feet hitting the road where the bus will stop. Law sits beside him, almost falling backwards while trying to do so. He feels nauseous and his head's spinning, so he keeps looking ahead, to the small park, spotting Kid's redhead quite easily between all the greenness. He feels his body shivering with the cold breeze and tries to push away the thought that they have to wait an hour outdoors. The warm feeling of the alcohol inside of his organism's being the only thing that's keeping him warm. He feels the muscles of his legs burning, screaming in agony, and he has to stretch them farther into the road to alleviate the pain.

He starts to look around when he stops feeling like he's going to throw up if he moves, trying to keep his mind occupied with something else other than his misery. Aside from the park in front of him, there's also a street kiosk, a small green metal house with the doors closed but a lot of newspapers and magazines showing through the windows. Behind the bus stop, there's a small convenience store on the ground floor of a five-story building. There's a laundromat right next to it, with big windows showing a long line of aligned washing machines and dryers that reminds Law he didn't take care of the laundry as he intended, and then a coffee and a flower shop, all closed. He notices Penguin and Shachi still debating and tries to concentrate on their conversation, but he can't hear clearly most of the things they say and gives up right away.

Law hears footsteps and then Kid's legs are in front of him. He looks up in time to see him taking off his large dark coat, then putting it on top of Luffy's shoulders more carefully than what Law has ever thought Kid could do. Luffy turns around then too, looking up with a surprised expression.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," he says, his hands coming up to the extremely flared collar. "I don't need-"

Kid huffs in response. "Yeah, sure you don't, man. I'm the one who doesn't need it because I'm wearing actual clothes, unlike you. Just shut your mouth and take the damn coat," he says as he goes to sit in the free space in the bus stops' seat, almost knocking Jean out of it but without stopping his loud snores. He crosses his arms in front of his chest, looking at Luffy as if convincing him that he will be just fine without his coat.

Law looks in Luffy's direction then and feels stupid for just now remembering the guy's wearing shorts and a vest that don't protect him from the chilly breeze at all. Law should've given him his own jacket, even though he would've missed its warmth, unlike Kid. Instead of looking around he should've looked at Luffy and noticed he was pale as a white wall and trembling like green reeds, but no.

He feels his stomach twitching inside his belly when Luffy stands up and mutters a thanks, then sticks his arms inside the coat and closes it, sitting right after. The coat is so big for him that it looks like he's wearing a blanket, a big blur from Law's point of view. Luffy's hands are lost inside the sleeves and the most part of his legs is covered too. He adjusts his straw hat on top of his head and brings the collar closer to his face, the color returning to his cheeks.

Law feels like he should apologize, but the right words never leave his mouth.

"Yes, Law?" Luffy asks and Law realizes he was probably staring. He looks away right after, but not before noticing one of Luffy brows arching, his eyes watery with the breeze and the alcohol. He sounds so drunk that Law tries to remember if Kid only carried two drinks or three back at Blueno's, one belonging to Luffy. He leans, like he's falling and Law's first reaction is to catch him, but he takes too long and Luffy reestablishes his balance on his own. "Why are you staring at me from my head tomatoes?" He then asks, giggling.

Law looks at him again, trying to figure out if he's just imagining things or if Luffy really said what Law thinks he said. He realizes he did when he sees Luffy's sly smile and feels proud of himself for catching it just in time.

"Don't you know any other puns aside from food ones?" Law hears himself asking without really wanting too.

"Of course I do!" Luffy says, his smile growing larger. It's so weird to see Luffy so smiley and humorous, so much Law's afraid he's just imagining everything. Law got used to seeing him staring into space or at the door of Bell-mere's with a blank expression as if pondering on just pick up his stuff and leave the place. It's been a long time since Law has seen him smile so fully and, even though he knows it is not entirely real and only exists due to the amount of alcohol inside of both of their organisms, he's still happy for seeing it back on Luffy's face.

Luffy looks like he's about to prove himself when Penguin and Shachi approach the group and start explaining their new plan. Instead of waiting the remaining forty-five minutes for a bus that would take an hour to get them to a bus stop near Penguin's place, only a fifteen minutes walk away after that, they will catch another that will arrive in five minutes and that will take them to the nearest subway station where they can catch the first subway of the day, at half past five in the morning. There's a station twenty minutes away from Penguin's place and, according to him, the walk is easy and fast to do, even though Law's not so sure of it, but he keeps his mouth shut. The change of plans will, in the best case scenario, make them arrive fifteen minutes or so earlier than what they would with plan number one, but Law doesn't complain, and neither do the others, too relieved for the fact they won't die of boredom waiting for a bus to realize the change of plans doesn't really compensate that much.

They all prepare their bus tap cards and wait impatiently for the bus to arrive. A few people appear to catch it too. Some are in the same state as Law and his group, others are well dressed and ready to go to work but with the same tired face as everyone else. Law and Luffy have to stand up at some point to prevent being trampled as everyone started to form an agglomeration on where the bus' doors will presumably be. When the bus finally arrives, there are enough people to fill it gathered in the same place. He looks around when people start pushing to get inside and have a seat. He notices Killer, Kid and Jean in the middle of the people, Shachi and Penguin on the side, by the bus. He keeps Luffy close and lets him enter first, helping him with the step and almost tripping over his own feet when it's his turn. By the time both of them use their tap cards, there aren't any free seats left so Law follows Luffy to the middle of the bus, him leaning simultaneously to the back of one of the seats and the window. Law stands beside him, grabbing a cold metal pole that goes all the way from the floor to the ceiling of the bus. He sees the rest of the group entering, opting for stand on the front, right next to the driver's cab, there not being enough space for them to enter more either way.

Law was not ready when the bus pulls off and he would've crushed Luffy in his corner if he didn't grab the pole with all the force of his right hand. He was still not used to be inside public transportation and much less under the effect of alcohol.

The trip is bumpy due to the bad conditions of the road and the poor and aggressive driving skills of the driver. People enter and leave the bus at every stop, but the amount inside of the bus remains relatively the same. Law realizes he's in a bad place when he starts feeling hands touching his own, aiming for the pole but still touching his hand, and when he starts getting shoved from all sides from people that want to get out and need to get to the door before the bus stops. On the first opportunity, when the bus stays stopped for longer due to the number of people that want to leave, he squishes between the people that managed to put themselves between him and Luffy and goes stand beside him once more, now leaning against the window, their arms touching. The secret to maintaining the balance is to open the legs until they're shoulder-width apart and do a ridiculous amount of force with them against the floor. Now that he has support for his back, he doesn't need to lean singly forward when the bus pulls off or slightly back when it slows down. He just hopes there isn't a big curve on the way.

It doesn't take long for the air inside the bus to become heavy and muffled. Law starts to feel sweaty again and he would've taken off his jacket if there was enough space for him to do so. He looks at Luffy and he looks worse than him, flushed and sweaty inside that big ass coat. He notices Law looking at him and smiles back at him, that sly smile of his.

"Hey, Law?" He asks when Law looks away, making him turn his face to him once more. He leans in to listen Luffy better over the murmur of people and it's the worse decision he could've made. "You look hot, let me blow you," Luffy says, his voice low and flirty, so close to Law's ear his breath sends a tingle of goosebumps down his arms and spine.

Law immediately backs off, he was caught so out of guard his mind takes a while to organize his thoughts and realize that was just Luffy showing off he knows more puns than food-related ones. He feels his face hotter than before and when Luffy starts laughing at him he receives a punch in the shoulder, Law giving it with too much strength but the coat absorbing most of it anyway. Law runs his hand through his face and fights the urge to roll his eyes.

"See? I know a lot of puns," Luffy says, looking proud of himself.

"Just one doesn't prove anything," Law says, regretting and facepalming mentally right after. What have you done, you absolute idiot, he thinks when he sees Luffy's determined expression.

"Alright then," he says, and looks like he's about to say another one but is interrupted when Penguin starts shoving everyone out of his way, the others behind him, and starts walking in their direction. "This is our stop," he says, then facing the bus' door. When the bus stops, he and Luffy move away from each other and head to the door, squishing themselves in between the people to pass through. He feels someone grab his jacket and, when he looks back he sees Luffy grabbing him, like a child afraid of getting lost in the crowd.

"Alright, to the subway station," Penguin says after everyone's out, leading the group along with Shachi, checking occasionally if the whole group is still following them. The station is at the very end of a very long street that they take ten minutes just to walk through. There are not many people around, aside from them and a few people opening their coffee shops and bakeries, so they have most of the sidewalk to walk freely. Killer and Kid walk in front of Law, while Jean goes on his own, away from the rest of the group, looking like a fast-paced sleepwalker. Luffy's walking beside him, stumbling a few times and looking peacefully to the sky as the first sunlight starts to illuminate it, the darkness being replaced with a dark tone of purple and blue. He's still wearing Kid's coat, now unbuttoned, his hands still hidden inside the sleeves, the arms dangling on both side of his body.

"You're gonna need a library card if you want to continue checking me out like that," Luffy says, looking smug.

"I wasn't checking you out," Law says, because he truly wasn't. He was just looking.

Luffy half-closes his eyes, showing Law he doesn't believe him. "Yeah, sure," he says, then shrugs. "Well, I check you out quite often, and let me tell ya, if I was a fine art appraiser, your ass would be priceless."

Law hears Kid bursting up with laughter, being so loud the sound echoes through the empty and mostly quiet street. Law starts laughing when he sees a slightly embarrassed expression on Luffy's face, one that says implicitly no one except Law was supposed to have heard what he said, but then he laughs too.

"I'm using that one next time I see a good pair of asscheeks," Kid says and then turns his back to them again as if nothing had happened.

Luffy remains shut for the rest of the walk, either for being embarrassed or because he's thinking about the next one.

The entrance of the subway station is a big dark thing full of poorly made graffitis and covered with old and mostly ripped posters, a roundly shaped structure with the shutters used to close it from two until five in the morning only half way opened. From afar, it looks like a big and scary mouth, the flights of escalators and normal stairs being the way down the throat. Law notices all the drawings made with tiles on the curved walls, big and so abstract Law doesn't understand shit. The escalator keeps taking them down and down for so long Law wonders if they're heading to hell.

They stay a long amount of time surrounding the card's vending machine because Shachi's a dumb fuck that doesn't know how acquiring subway cards works. Law hears the subways' loud noise, a muffled but strident sound that echoes through the tunnels. The shops underground are all still closed, security shutters covering each door and window, and people seem to pass through them without even noticing they're there. On the ticket gate, Kid faces some problem with his card, the doors not opening when he taps it on the scan. He swears a lot, loudly and aggressively, kicking the machine before passing through another one behind Jean, the doors closing right after. They lose another subway and have to wait for ten minutes for the next one, a woman on the speakers warning everyone about the delay.

The platform dock is a long thing with a yellow line marking the dangerous zone and seats positioned along the wall, with four entrances where people enter and leave. On the other side of the railway, the view is basically the same, just with fewer people and different paintings on the walls. They all sit in a row of seats, resting their tired legs, aside from Penguin that decides to stay on his feet, standing in front of them. Law sits between Luffy and Shachi, being in the middle of their conversation and having to lean back for them to be able to see each other while talking. Law finds he doesn't understand what they're saying very well, like he's inside a bathtub, his head underwater, and they're talking next to it, their voices sounding muffled. He starts feeling sleepy, his head suddenly so heavy it's hard to just keep his neck straight. He laughs when he hears the others laughing, talking loudly beside him, but the words still sound weird.

He feels himself leaning forward and he knows he's about to pathetically fall from the seat but doesn't have enough energy or strength to sit properly again. It's like he's feeling the gravity pulling him down, and the idea of it is so appealing to his body that his mind can't do anything to control it. Fortunately, Shachi grabs him and pushes him against the back of the seat again, the metal cold against his back.

"Easy there, buddy," Law hears him saying next to his face, the smell of alcohol and Shachi's cologne filling his nostrils in a sickening mix. He tries to push the guy away but he doesn't have enough strength to raise his arm properly.

"You okay?" Luffy asks on his left side and, when Law looks at him, he can only distinguish the contour of his straw hat and Kid's coat. "Feel like throwing up or something?"

"No," Law says, shaking his hand simultaneously. He tries to explain that his stomach feels just fine, but that he feels the itch inside his ribcage again, putting his palm on his chest to show where it is.

"On your heart?" He hears Shachi asking, his voice sounding skeptical but at the same time cautious, as if Law could be describing the beginning of a heart attack.

"No, you idiot! Between my lungs, here" Law says, turning to him and slapping his own chest, anger growing inside of him for not being able to express himself properly.

"But, does it hurt?" Penguin asks, suddenly entering the conversation, standing in front of him, slightly bent over, as if examining Law's chest even though his problem is not visible

"No," Law says, feeling frustrated, "it's just here and itches and doesn't go away."

"Is there something we can do?"

Law thinks for a minute, he doesn't remember noticing the itch going away, but he doesn't remember it always being there either so he guesses the only thing for him to do is to forget about it, and with that, he doesn't need help. "Yes," he ends up saying, then looks in Luffy's direction, finally focusing on his eyes. He doesn't know why Shachi says everyone with brown eyes and hair look the same when someone's drunk, Luffy's eyes are so unique and beautiful even a drunk person can distinguish them from the others."Tell me a pun, I miss them."

He sees Luffy confused expression and, for a second, he fears he didn't express himself well enough, but then he asks: "What do you call a fake noodle?" He waits for a response and Law hears Shachi calling them ridiculous and Kid huffing but he doesn't mind because, when Luffy answers with "an impasta", Law starts laughing loudly, even though it wasn't even supposed to be funny, and then Luffy joins him and Law knows they probably look retarded.

"Another one," Law says and Luffy starts saying a bunch in a row, both of them laughing in between. He hears the subway arriving before he sees it, the wheels sizzling strident and loudly, and that gives him time to stand and approach the yellow line, Luffy and Shachi always close. There are a few people inside already, and the remaining seats are only enough for a small portion of the people that enter. Shachi spots two empty seats, next to each other, and rushes to sit on the one on the corridor's side, occupying the other with his hand and not letting anyone sit there. The subway starts moving while Law's heading towards him and if Luffy didn't grab his arm he would've fallen backwards.

He feels his head spinning and the noise of the wheels over the railway is so loud and strident his brain doesn't stop screaming we're gonna derail! We're gonna derail! and he feels a sudden wave of unjustified panic rushing through him. At some point, Luffy grabs his hand, pulling him gently, and Law realizes he was grabbing the back of a taken seat for dear life, his nails digging into the fabric, the old woman sat there looking at him reproachfully and leaning his small body as far away from him as she could manage.

And then he's sitting, his numb legs stretched as much as he can in the reduced space available, his head heavy. When he turns his head to his side, Shachi's nowhere to be seen, but Luffy's there, sat next to him, looking worried and Law wonders if that's all because of his pathetic attitudes. He tries to sit upright, but it's hard when his limbs don't cooperate. He feels ridiculous and tired, so tired he wouldn't mind falling asleep there, in fact, the thought is more than tempting. The noise stops affecting him and he soon forgets it's even there, the metal and hard seats seeming more comfortable to his tired body than what they should be, and Luffy's there by his side. Law feels his arm touching his own even though there's still the thick layer of fabric from Kid's coat between them, and his smell fills his nostrils, overlapping the others, and his presence is just so sweet and so addicting he doesn't notice his head tilting to the side until he feels the coat's collar against his cheek. He tries to raise his head but he only manages to find enough strength to bury his nose deeper into the collar of the coat, finding Luffy's neck and inhaling profoundly.

"You smell good," Law mutters next to Luffy's ear and feels him shiver and tense under his face. Law hears his breath uneven and knows he's making him uncomfortable but he can't make himself move away, and neither does Luffy try to push him away. He doesn't remember closing his eyes, but he quickly realizes it's hard to keep them open when he tries to. "How far are we?"

Luffy moves under him, making Law's position more comfortable. "Four stops away," he says, his voice low, his hot breath touching lightly Law's face. He tries to imagine how they look like, in what weird position he has forced Luffy into, how weird he looks himself, but it only makes his head hurt.

"How do you know?" Law asks after a while. He feels the subway stopping and hears the sound of people leaving and entering quickly, the sounds of some sitting closer than others. Three, he thinks.

"Shachi told me where to get out," Luffy says, leaning his head against Law's.

Law forces his eyes open, turning his head a bit so he can look ahead. There are two men sitting on the seats in front of them, one reading a book, the other looking through the window even though the view is just the pitch black of the tunnel. He doesn't see Shachi, or any other person of their group, just sees blurry figures in the distance. "Where's he?" He asks, giving up and closing his eyes once more.

He feels Luffy stretching his neck, turning his head back, and then returning to the same position. "Standing with the others near the pole in the middle."

We're alone then, he thinks, but he quickly realizes he has said it out loud when Luffy responds with a simple and low "yes", both of them ignoring the fact there are two guys just in front of them, and probably a bunch of more people on their side.

Law feels and hears the subways stopping again. He waits until the noise of people leaving and entering decreases and then asks Luffy for more puns, making him giggle softly, his shoulders shaking. Law waits for a long time and then feels Luffy's face closer than before. He tries to open his eyes, at least slightly, and then sees Luffy's lips close, moving slowly and letting out a low mumble that would be impossible for Law to hear if they weren't so close.

"I'm glad you're not my pinky toe," he says, smiling in the end, so graceful and brightly Law gets mesmerized for a while, taking his time to ask why. "Because I would bang you against all my furniture."

Law starts laughing loudly, finding it way too funny, and Luffy joins in after Law's breaths against his neck start to tickle him. He feels the subway stopping again, and Law doesn't need Luffy to tell him to straighten up, that their stop is the next one. His back hurts when he sits upright and he feels dizzy and nauseous when he has to get up, the subway sizzling loudly. He stumbles his way towards the door and, when his feet touch the firm ground and he hears the subway start moving again behind him, his body starts leaning to the right, his mind thinking he's still moving. It takes him a while to get used to normal gravity again and Kid mocks him all the way up the escalators, and all the way out of the station even though Kid's walking conditions aren't much better.

He annoys Law so much the first thing he does when the fresh air hits his face is to look for his pack of cigars. He looks up when he realizes he has lost it, or finished it, or that someone stole it, questioning the Lord's above why they had to give him such luck. The sky is now turning blue, a pale tone with a few white and fluffy spots here and there. He asks his friends for a cigarette, desperate for nicotine inside of his system, but no one gives him one, that's just how good his friends are. It seems so improbable but, aside from Killer that explains he just has one that he's saving for himself, they just respond they don't even have a packet, as if they all didn't smoke, except Luffy, although he's not so sure anymore.

Law feels frustrated and annoyed and he spends a good portion of the walk just kicking a small rock that dared to cross his way, taking it as far as possible before it gets lost underneath a car parked illegally on the sidewalk.

"You know," Luffy says, appearing on his side, his straw hat firmly positioned on top of his head, making him have to look sharply up to see Law's face. "You don't really need a cigar."

"Why not?" Law asks, after a while of Luffy not responding, just looking ahead like he hasn't said anything.

"Cause you're already smoking hot," he says and he grins, but the grin is different from the others, it doesn't look happy, it just looks forced, faked. His eyes aren't shiny, even though the slightest of lights illuminates and makes them appear two spotlights. The day's brightening, the first sunbeams hitting the tall buildings of the area, and yet his eyes look dull. And maybe all of Luffy's grins, and laughs and smiles through the night where faked and he didn't even notice until now, and the thought pisses him off so much he doesn't even react to what Luffy said, just keeps walking, never wishing more that Penguin's place wasn't so far away from everything, that all the blankets and pillows and sleeping bags forming and improvising a giant bed on the floor was just around the corner.

Luffy keeps his mouth shut after that, putting some space between him and Law but seeming overall unaffected.

Climb five floors of stairs after such a tiring night must've been the hardest thing Law has done in years. He heard his legs and brain screaming when Penguin told them the elevator was being repaired and, when he put his foot right on the first step it was almost like torture. He tried not to look up to see how much stairs there was still to climb, and tried not to look down, otherwise, his mind would've told him it was preferably to just throw himself down.

He feels like shit. Tired and angry with himself. He wished he was in his apartment, in his bedroom, on his bed, not climbing starts to Penguin's, to sleep on the living room over some blankets and sheets that smell like mold because he just brings them out of the closet once or twice a year.

"Alright, who's hungry?" Penguin asks as soon as everyone's inside, closing the door behind them, then heading to the kitchen.

Law just remains standing in the corridor, watching everyone following Penguin, aside from Jean that heads directly to the living room, laying down on the mattress that's right beside Penguin's long couch, facing it. He doesn't even bother about taking his shoes off, or covering himself with a sheet or a blanket, just crosses his arms in front of his chest and starts snoring. Law's stomach rumbles, but the mere thought of food still sounds unappealing because he knows he will throw up if any food dares to touch it. He decides to head to the bathroom first, a small thing just at the end of a really long hallway that crosses all the apartment, passing right through the collection of pictures Penguin has hanging on the walls without paying much attention, being already too familiar with them. He takes a long piss and feels his eyes so heavy he has to close them while doing so.

He stumbles his way back to the living room where only Jean's laying, snoring loudly, still in the same position. He takes off his shoes, putting them in a corner where they won't bother anyone, and then chooses the spot on the edge of the big improvised bed, laying over a thin mattress Penguin once bought to do exercise at home, bringing a thick blanket over his body. The pillow is a piece of shit, just fabric with a handful of filling that's barely noticeable, but it feels so good to finally have something to rest his heavy head on that he doesn't mind. He decides to take off his hat, putting it on the floor next to the mattress, then turns to his side and tries to find a comfortable position. He hears Jean snoring and people talking from the kitchen, a small room right next to the living room, along with the sound of plastic bags being opened. His belly rumbles again, but he feels so cozy and comfortable he doesn't dare to move.

Then the voices get louder, whispered and hissed. Law hears them taking off their shoes, but doesn't think they had the decency of putting them out of the way like he did, just throw them somewhere instead. He feels them stumbling their way into the pile of blankets and pillows, finding a spot to sleep on. He forces one eye open, just in time to see Luffy entering a sleeping bag right next to him, without his straw hat on top of his head and with Kid's coat gone. And then Penguin closes the blinds and everything's pitch black. He waits for his vision to adjust to the darkness, but it doesn't.

Luffy's smell fills the air, along with the smell of alcohol, sweat, and stinky feet. He moves closer to Luffy, moving his body like a worm. He ends up falling asleep with his nose buried in Luffy's soft hair, breathing its smell and fighting the urge to run his fingers through it.

---

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