When Law and Leila returned to their shared bedroom the air was slightly tense. She had gotten changed rather quickly, feeling like she needed the rest that Law's bed provided her with. As they sat in bed Law removed his hat as usual when he slept. He usually put it on the table beside him, always within reach and never out of sight. Tonight, he held it for a moment longer in his lap – twirling it in circular motions. Leila observed him quietly, still regretting her childish actions earlier. As she turned to her back to Law, beginning to lay down, she felt a light weight fall onto her head.

Her eyes widened as her hand shot up to feel the top of her head. Law's hat lay rested upon it, her hair scruffy as he pushed it onto her head without much thought. She turned to look at him as if he was insane. Law sat, studying the way it framed her face and nodded approvingly.

"It suits you, just like I thought" He spoke matter of a factly. Leila blushed all the way to her ears that were luckily hidden by his soft hat. She carefully took it off her head and shoved it onto Law's head instead.

"You i-idiot" She stammered, unsure of why he had done that. "It looks better on you than anyone else"

Law glared at her slightly as he removed the hat, pushing his hair back into place. Her golden eyes almost looked angry at him and he couldn't help but smirk. He put his hat on his side table and raised an eyebrow at her.

"You tried to grab it so earnestly earlier, now you don't want it?"

"It's important to you, don't be giving it to random people like that" She scolded him, turning onto her side away from him with a huff.

Law stayed silent for a moment before quietly murmuring, almost to himself "You aren't a random person though…"

Leila felt herself freeze. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she shifted onto her back, curious what kind of expression Law was making. She turned and was stunned to see him fidgeting with his hands, his ears held a light blush to them that could be easily missed. His face seemed calm and collected but Leila could tell he was slightly on edge.

'Is it…okay for me to be a bit hopeful?' She thought to herself. However, she recalled the many times Law had said their relationship was purely casual and felt her heart fall into her stomach. She let out a deep sigh, fed up of the avoidance.

"Law" She spoke to him firmly, making him glance at her warily and raise an eyebrow. "Do you still think of this as being a causal relationship?"

Leila spoke honestly, her courage somehow coming out of nowhere. She disliked avoiding issues and preferred communication above anything else. But it was easier said than done. If she suggested she wanted anything more from him than he could give her – she was afraid she would ruin everything they had built up.

Law wasn't expecting her to ask him that at all. He assumed they would keep on doing their own thing until it…stopped one day. He felt a pang of annoyance. He didn't want it to stop one day. His gaze fell on her soft features. Right now…he did think of this as being a causal relationship. They hadn't discussed anything more than that, she didn't seem interested.

"I suppose so" He answered her with a sigh, thinking back to the argument him and Bepo had. "Why, are you sick of me now?" He tried to joke with her, but she clearly wasn't in the mood.

"What makes you ask?" He questioned. Leila's gaze fell to the blankets and she bit her lip in thought.

"At first, we agreed nothing complicated" She clarified aloud. "But now…I'm sleeping in your bed each night. I'm living on your ship. I work on your ship. I'm close friends with your nakama and we're in a sexual relationship…that sounds kind of complicated to me"

Law was quiet for a moment. He couldn't find himself disagreeing with her. Although Leila's words were true she wasn't mentioning her main concern. Her feelings for him.

"Well…are you unhappy?" Law asked.

Leila was slightly stunned at the question. She thought that as soon as she said the truth Law would pull away from her, realise how far he had gotten involved and ran. But he didn't. He seemed calm.

"No, I'm not unhappy. If anything, I'm the happiest I've been in my whole life" She found herself smiling softly, her cherry lips pressed together in an attempt to hide it. Her love for him was undeniable; at this point she was just trying to hide it.

"Well then. I don't see the issue" Law spoke assertively. Leila looked up at him with a curious expression.

"If we're both happy with the way things are right now – then I don't care if it's causal or not." Law continued. "We're just doing our own thing"

Leila's heart thumped in her chest. It wasn't what she was expecting. She was pleasantly surprised that they had talked it out like actual adults. She could find herself being fine with that, for now.

"But…with Bepo-"

"Forget about my conversation with Bepo" Law told her seriously, his eyes honest and clear. "I was mainly just trying to get him off my back. They can think what they want about our relationship – it doesn't bother me"

"Our…relationship…" Leila whispered to herself, smiling so hard that dimples appeared in her cheeks. Law observed her carefully, noticing new features that he hadn't seen before. He rubbed his temples with his tattooed hand, feeling nothing like his past self.

'What am I talking about?' He thought.

It was late into the night and she ship was still. The occasional waves lapping against the sides made the submarine creak under the movement. Law couldn't sleep. Leila lay beside him, her shoulders rising peacefully as she slept. Her long eyelashes were unmoving and her plump lips parted slightly as her warmth breath hit against Law's arm.

His arms were crossed over his eyes as he lay and his head thumped painfully against his skull – sleep calling out to him but never wanting to take him fully. Law let out a frustrated sigh as he looked down at the young woman beside him. His fingers tucked her dark hair behind her ears and he lingered, touching her earlobe lightly. Leila shivered in her sleep, tickled by Law's touch but she soon resumed her peaceful slumber. Law's eyebrows were tensed unknowingly, his face etched into concern.

"I don't know where my heads at" He spoke quietly, his voice echoing through his bedroom. Leila lay unmoving, cuddled up to Law's shoulder. "It's frustrating; I…I always know what to do. I always have a plan"

Law took a deep breath. "I couldn't plan you." His fingers ran down her arm until he reached her hand. He held it softly in his own and he scoffed. "How could anyone plan you?"

Law continued to think. He thought about when they first met; when he had found her beat up and half dead, when she first began to live on the ship and the everyday situations that followed. The times she would help his crew with menial tasks, when her playful laughter filled the ship, the times she would scold him like a child and the times when they came together at night – just them. Law rubbed his forehead. He had grown accustomed to her presence easily – it would be difficult to live without her.

'What do I want out of this…' He thought. 'She's right; this isn't casual in the slightest'. His gaze fell back onto her sleeping face.

"I don't want to see you with anyone else" He admitted aloud, his heart speeding up in time with his thoughts. "The thought makes me go insane"

Law shifted away from her, sitting upright and his face falling into his hands. He knew love - the love he had for his family. Love for women? Sure, he guessed he had that as well – he liked their bodies. But Leila was different. She was so much more than anyone he had ever encountered. The whole reason he kept her so close to him was because he wanted to keep her safe, he wanted her to stay near him at all times. Law glanced down at her and his heart sped up as if it was a biological reaction. He held his hand out ready to summon his room. His thoughts raced to the extreme.

'Can I stop my own heart from reacting like this…? It's like some kind of disorder'

As if on cue, Leila shifted in her sleep – her arm wrapping around Law's waist as she snuggled her head further into his body for warmth. Law's breathing struggled for a moment and he let his arm fall back down to the blankets. He sighed an unsteady breath and lay back down, trying to calm himself somewhat. Leila lay on his chest, unaware of his turmoil and sleeping happily with no nightmares. Law's fingers trailed through her hair, rubbing her forehead as if it alleviated his stress.

"I think I love you, you know…" He murmured into the darkness. He lay with his eyes wide open – there was no way he was going to sleep that night.