When Trafalgar Law moves into Grandline, he'd been running away.
He had a past he wanted to bury, and he thought the best way to do that was to drink himself numb into the night. He didn't seem able to ever fully let his guard down, so he downed his alcohol with wary eyes that wandered too frequently towards the door, as if he almost expected somebody unwelcome to come sneaking in.
He didn't bat an eye when he felt somebody sink into the seat beside him. He was too busy looking for answers at the bottom of his glass. But when he felt a tentative hand on his knees, he looked up, almost hostile. He hadn't been looking for attention.
"Hi. I'm Luffy." Says the dark-haired boy sitting next to him, all smiles and a lazy red shirt and blush in his cheeks from Law's reaction. "You okay? You look lonely."
Law moved to drop Luffy's hand away, but found himself hesitating, fingers gently grazing Luffy's skin on top of his hand. "I am." He confessed, slowly, grey eyes a storm as they inquired into Luffy's. It had been a long time since he'd thought about being with someone, but Luffy's touch incited curiosity.
"Come over to my place?" Luffy seemed to sit straighter, as though he almost expected to be turned down and was bracing himself for it. Law wondered if Luffy wasn't just as lonely.
Law downed the rest of his drink and put down his glass with a laugh. "I don't even know you."
"You should." A smile breaks across Luffy's face tentatively at Law's laugh, and his lips jutted out in a stubborn pout. Law found himself squeezing Luffy's hand, feeling the warmth that radiated from it, subtle and promising.
"Alright." He says, as he drops his hand and finds some crumpled dollars in his pocket that he dropped onto the counter. He's standing up, looking at Luffy, reaching for his hand again. "Let's go."
Luffy stands too, and Law notices that the guy is almost a head shorter, even if he looks toned and beautiful in the skin he sees. "Not so fast." Luffy mummers, and then he's standing on his tiptoes, reaching up to kiss Law softly, open mouthed and warm. Law feels something liquid and hot spill into his belly, his heart beating suddenly too quickly in his chest.
It was over too quickly, he thinks, when Luffy draws back and smiles at him, something like satisfaction lurking in his dark eyes. "We can go now." He says softly, and leads Law out of the bar.
Xxx
The first thing Law notices about Luffy's place is that it's homely. It's small with wooden floors and walls, carpeted by vibrant and soft carpets. Luffy leads him over to the couch. Law sits down, a little unsure about what he was doing, and Luffy sits down straddling him, his forehead tentatively resting against Law's forehead.
"Hi." Luffy breathes, and Law could have sworn he sounded shy.
"Hi." Law says, voice a little shaky, and then Luffy's kissing him, hard and fierce and demanding. Law finds his hands holding onto Luffy's hips, moving up his back, against his hair. He hears Luffy moan as Luffy's hands are on his cheeks, his fingers exploring, his mouth hungry. Law couldn't remember the last time he'd been kissed like this.
His fingers in Luffy's hair draws his head back, so Law could look at him. "My name is -" he tries to start, but Luffy cuts him off with a snarl that said, "I don't care." And he's pushing against Law now, hips gyrating on Law's, the friction between them raising, and Law could feel the hair at the back of his neck stand up, his body instinctively pulling Luffy's in closer. His mouth opens and Luffy's tongue explores it with thirst and hunger, like he'd been wanting this for too long, and Law is surprised at how right it feels, how it sinks into him with a lightness.
He shifts on the couch, taking control as he pushes Luffy down onto the cushions, biting on Luffy's lips before he moves to bite his jaw, his neck, his collarbones. Luffy moans, spine arching as he thrusts his hips upwards, and Law could feel Luffy interlocking his legs around his waist. He looks young and vulnerable yet beautiful, as his fingers fumble with the buttons on Law's shirt and Law wonders what's driving Luffy like this, whether there's something he wants to forget too, but he doesn't inquire. He finds himself holding his breath instead, as Luffy's fingers lightly skim across his chest, chasing the freckles and moaning in appreciation. Luffy's eyes are a myriad of lust and longing, fogged up with desire, and it only makes Law's craving all the more deeper.
He hadn't noticed he could want like this.
He reaches up to kiss Luffy on the mouth again, taking his lips with complete demand and control now, as hungry and willing as Luffy is. Luffy's hands are on his back, clawing into him, holding him tighter, and he's surprised to think, it's not enough. He's holding onto Luffy so tightly, has him in his arms against his chest, seeking in his warmth, wanting to drink up all that is Luffy.
They're shirtless and breathless now, when Luffy makes a noise at the back of his throat, and Law's attention is diverted back to his face from the chest he'd been exploring attentively. He wonders if he's mistaken, seeing the hurt on Luffy's law, Luffy's hand reaching up to hide his nose like he was trying not to cry.
Law stilled almost immediately.
"Luffy?" he asks, his voice soft.
"Keep going." Luffy breathes, but his hand is on his eyes now, and Law knows something is off about this. He pulls away slowly, sitting up and reaching to pull Luffy to a sitting position next to him, putting his arms around the guy's shoulders tentatively, hugging him close to his side where it could be a small comfort.
"Talk to me." He says instead, and he could feel Luffy trying very hard to control his breathing, like he felt guilty for feeling whatever it was that was getting to him now, that he didn't want to be showing this to a stranger. "Hey." Law says, more reassuringly, his lips lazily grazing the top of Luffy's head. "It's alright."
It felt strange to say it, to be comforting someone else. Law couldn't remember the last time he had a reason – or an excuse – to be intimate. Law couldn't remember the last time he would have wanted to. But Luffy felt different – he'd been larger than life when he'd picked up Law at the bar, but now he felt like he was folding onto himself, and Law wanted to stay.
"No, it's alright." Luffy tried to say, but his voice came out muffled and small. Law was surprised to feel his body shaking, knew that he'd started to cry, and something like panic hit his throat. He wanted to run, too.
"Luffy." Law tries hard to keep the panic from showing. With his other hand, he reaches to pull Luffy's arms away from his face, his fingers confidently rising Luffy's chin, so the boy could look at him. "What's wrong?"
Luffy just shakes his head, but seems to give up asking Law to not get involved. He buries his head into Law's side, and Law wraps his arms tighter around him, kisses his head one too many times, wants to comfort him, finds Luffy's fingers on his chest are searching. He lets Luffy cry it out, could feel the sobs dissipating, and after a while of silence broken by Luffy's heaves, Luffy's muffled voice reaches him.
"It's just – my brother died – a few weeks ago…" Luffy's voice is trailing, like he isn't sure he should be speaking about this, doesn't want to, and Law's arms are protective around his frame. "And I thought I could be okay, going on with my life, you know?" the question ends hopefully, and Law just waits, unmoving. "But I just – feel so fucking guilty – having a good time…"
Law was quiet for a long time, breathing Luffy in, staring across the floor at the wall, calculating. Then he lets out a breath, looks down at Luffy's broken form in his arms, and says, "Come on, let's get you to bed."
His arms find it's way around Luffy's frame, picking him up as though he weighted little, and at Luffy's surprised gasp he looks down at him, grinning. "Where's your bedroom?"
Luffy points. Law starts walking in that direction, his feet sure even though the place is new to him, opening the door and walking towards Luffy's bed, placing him gently down on it.
He sits down next to Luffy now, eyes serious, still in thought as he'd been since Luffy's confession. But his eyes look softer when he looks down at Luffy, who's dragged a pillow over his head and was peeking around it, as though he felt guilty for being this emotionally turbulent.
"You don't have to push yourself to have a good time." He says softly. He lies down next to Luffy now, who's pulled the covers up around himself, sneaking under them against Luffy, wrapping his arm around the boy. Kissing him lightly on the forehead again.
"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't feel good." He says, now that he's in comfortably, and he kisses Luffy on the forehead, tucks the boy in tighter, smiles into his hair. "Goodnight."
He passes out only after he felt Luffy's breathing slow down, become regular, felt the boy's clutch on his skin relax just a little bit, felt himself go lax and give into the sleep.
He didn't think his night would end up like this.
Xxx
In the morning, Luffy is apologetic. He makes breakfast but seems to be eager at looking at anything but Law. Law is surprised, he's so different from the person he'd been at the bar, but he doesn't comment on it. He sits at the dining table and lets Luffy make him scrambled eggs and sausages, humming quietly to himself as his eyes followed the boy around the room. He could feel Luffy blushing under his gaze.
Luffy had changed in the morning, to comfortable boxers and a shirt. Law had taken off his jeans in the middle of the night from the heat too, when he'd woken up and Luffy had been looking far too young and open next to him, and he'd had to turn away so he wouldn't have to think inappropriate thoughts about the boy.
But he was finding it harder and harder to, sitting in his kitchen, watching him. He could feel the desire he'd snuffed sitting up lazily again, wanting what he'd denied himself last night, wanting to take it and to know what Luffy was like.
Luffy finishes making him tea, places the kettle on top of the table along with their mugs, sits down in front of him. He looks up at Law through his lashes, shy but determined, and opens his mouth and says "Thank you for last night. I'm sorry I'm such a fucking mess. It's not what you signed up for."
Yes, Law thinks, but he doesn't say it. His eyes are on Luffy's mouth. The boy is licking his lips nervously.
"Come here." Law says. Luffy looks startled.
"Come here." Law repeats firmly, and Luffy gets up from his stool, walks around the table nervously, stops next to Law. Law's eyes are intense, as they look him from head to toe, drinking in the boy. He wraps a hand around Luffy's wrist, pulls him down. Kisses him hungrily, tightly.
"You're fucking gorgeous." He tells Luffy, and Luffy raises a hand to run through the back of his hair. "I want to fuck you."
Luffy seems a little surprised by this. Law thinks, maybe this wasn't what Luffy had in mind. But he draws out a hand, takes Luffy's fingers into his. Brings it to his mouth, kisses it lightly.
"But we don't have to do anything yet, okay?" he says softly, and he thinks it calms down something desperate and panicked in Luffy's eyes somehow.
"My name is Trafalgar Law. I didn't realize I wanted this, but you leave me feeling like I should get to know you. I will, Luffy. There's no need to rush." And he drops Luffy's hand, gets back to his breakfast. He lets Luffy walk around the table to his seat, and wonders if the boy could hear how loudly his heart was beating.
It was out of the ordinary to do anything like this for Trafalgar Law.
Xxx
When Law leaves, Luffy presses his number into Law's hand with a soft kiss on the lips, bold yet comfortable.
Law wanted to wait for a while before calling him, hitting the bar, trying to get the feel of the town, trying to lose himself in the places instead, but his mind kept conjuring up the image of Luffy, and how warm he'd been and how desperate for company, like he needed someone to hold him together.
So he calls Luffy late that night, when it's already past 12am and Luffy's voice is sleepy when he picks up.
"I'm outside." Law says, and within minutes Luffy's opening the door for him, hair sticking up in different directions and eyes puffy from sleep. Law pulls him into his arms immediately, kissing him gently on the lips. Luffy draws up against him lazily, and Law's fingers are on his cheeks, strumming down his neck.
"I'm glad you came." Luffy mummers into him, and he is pulling back to pull Law with him to the bedroom. Law takes off his pants and T-shirt, crawling down next to Luffy in his boxers, and Luffy throws an arm across his stomach.
Law puts his hand under Luffy's chin, lifting it up to kiss him. He could feel something gnawing in his stomach now, a longing. Yet there was something protective too. He'd meant it when he said there was no reason to rush.
They fell asleep like that, limbs entangled, breaths in harmony, and Law couldn't remember the last time he'd fallen asleep as easily.