Chapter 10
Law sat atop a large cliff on the edge of Wano; it had almost been two weeks since they'd arrived in the country, and it had been even longer since Luffy left him on Zou. Law lingered on that cliff every night, waiting to see the Thousand Sunny sailing those waters to come meet him. His heart ached to see the captain again, he yearned to hold his hand, to sleep with him by his side. Law looked down at the dead water below. Although he looked across the horizon for the Straw Hat's ship, there was something else he dreaded would arrive in its place. He could imagine Luffy's limp body floating below the waves. It sent a chill through his body; he hated not being able to be there for him, especially now when he was facing down an Emperor of the Sea.
Zoro trekked up the cliffside, interrupting Law's pervasive thoughts. He was less than thrilled to see the swordsman, but he was grateful for the distraction. "Trafalgar, we need to talk." Law wasn't surprised by the sudden development. Really, he was surprised this hadn't happened sooner. He stood up and dusted off his kimono.
"Let's make this quick." Law told him, not wanting to leave the cliff for too long. He followed the swordsman down to a small building that had been acting as their base of operations while in the hostile country. As he entered, he was met with the faces of Franky, Usopp, and Robin. All the Straw Hats on Wano had come to confront him, and Law was pretty sure what it would be about. They all stood there for a moment, and Law wondered who would be the first to speak.
"So, Trafalgar," Franky began. "You and our captain have gotten pretty close."
"We were sailing together for several long voyages." Law responded, calmly. "It only makes sense that we would grow to appreciate each other's company."
"Yeah," Usopp butted in. "But this is different."
"I'm not sure what you mean," Law responded.
"Stop playing games with us, Law!" Zoro shouted whilst unsheathing his sword. "We know."
"I said, I'm not sure what you mean." Law repeated through gritted teeth, creating a room to encompass the building.
"Woah woah woah," Usopp pleaded. "Nobody needs to fight. We're just here to talk."
"Please." Robin turned to Law. "Traffy, you don't have to hide from us." Law thought for a moment, weighing his options in his head.
"Admit it," Zoro told him, pointing the tip of his blade in Law's direction. Law's mouth felt dry as he tried to force the words from his throat.
"Fine!" He snapped as the feelings he'd kept hidden inside his chest came bubbling up. "I'm in love with Straw Hat Luffy!" Law could feel the tears invading his eyes. The words seemed to sting Zoro more than any blade could.
"Why?" He choked out. Law's hand went to the hilt of his own sword. Slowly, he pulled it out of its sheath.
"Hey!" Usopp shouted. "We said no fighting!" Law swung his blade in a wide arc, but, instead of doing any damage to the Straw Hats, he sliced off his recently reattached arm. The party gasped as Law moved forward with another swing of his sword.
"I am a doctor!" He shouted as his leg fell from his body. Tears began cascading down his face like a dozen shooting stars waiting to grant a single wish. Law stabbed his sword into the ground and placed his remaining hand to his chest, willing his heart out into the open. "It is my job to take people apart! And it's my job to put them back together!" The Straw Hats remained silent, waiting to hear where Law was going with this spectacle. Law squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath before pushing forward. "I am no exception. I've taken my own body apart countless times, and I've put it back together even more," Law looked down at the heart pulsating in his hand, "But there's always been a piece of me missing: a piece I could never seem to find." A sad smile tugged at Law's lips as he placed the heart back in his chest. He willed his severed arm and leg back to their natural places and let the room he created dissipate. "Luffy is that piece. I know that now. When I'm with him, I finally feel whole." Law looked to the surrounding Straw Hats, realizing they were crying as well.
"And what about us?" Zoro cried. "We won't be whole without our captain."
"Wha- I'm not taking him away from you."
"Well It's not like you're becoming a Straw Hat." Usopp retorted.
"No," Law admitted. "Luffy and I are rivals first. When our alliance ends, we will return to that."
"But then what will become of you two?" Robin asked him.
"When Luffy returns, I wish to confess my feelings to him." Law admitted, drying his face of the remaining tears. "You don't have to worry about what will happen after, Luffy won't feel the same."
"You really are blinded by your own self loathing," Zoro chuckled as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "We've seen the way he looks at you. The way he acts around you. The way he talks about you. It's not the same as when he's with us. That's why I'm so scared." Law froze as he took in the words. He looked around the room, meeting the Straw Hat's various gazes, knowing they felt the same way. Law made his way for the exit.
"If Luffy feels the same," Law told them, "We'll figure something out later, but Luffy's not abandoning his crew and I won't abandon mine either; that much is certain." He let the door shut behind him, hoping his words gave the crew some piece of mind. Night had fallen during their confrontation. He thought about seeking out Bepo, the only crewmate he had who knew about his predicament, but decided to return to the cliffside instead; until Luffy returned, the only company Law sought was that of the stars.
It would be another two days before Luffy would make it to Wano. Law spent most of his days developing their plan to defeat Kaido, but his nights were dedicated to the cliff and the stars. He and the Straw Hat's had scarcely talked since their heated conversation, but they seemed to have made their peace with each other. It was one night when Law was on his way to meet with their various allies for progress reports that he noticed a couple figures in the valley below. Luffy was finally on Wano, and Zoro had met with him. Luffy had wrapped himself around the swordsman's face in an incredibly awkward looking hug, but Law couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous. He stared down at them as they talked, and, to Law's surprise, Zoro pointed up to him for Luffy to see. Immediately, the boy was running up , and, in no time at all, they were together again.
Luffy threw himself into Law's arms, hugging him with his entire body; it felt so much better than the one he received as a goodbye.
"Traffy!" He yelled into Law's chest. "I have so much to tell you!"
"Straw Hat-ya," He spoke softly, knowing he had something to tell Luffy as well. "I know the perfect place we can talk." Luffy withdrew himself from Law, but, before moving away, he pressed his cheek to Law's.
"Garchu!" He yelled. Law smiled at the silly gesture. "Did you think I forgot?"
"No," Law responded. "I was only hoping." Luffy smiled back, and, without another thought, Law grabbed his hand. "Now, let's go." Luffy laughed, letting Law drag him towards his secret destination.
They arrived at the cliff Law had looked over so many nights before; nobody would bother them here. Law sat down, letting his legs hang over the edge, and Luffy did the same. He didn't wait a moment before jumping into his story of Whole Cake Island. It was a remarkable adventure full of action and romance. Law patiently listened to him ramble on as the sun set and the stars emerged. He likely would have continued talking for hours, but he paused after noticing something on Law's face.
"-Traffy?" Luffy cocked his head. Law lifted a hand and touched his cheek, finding that he was crying. Luffy was clearly confused by the sudden change in tone, but, at that moment, Law couldn't bring himself to meet the boy's gaze. Instead, he looked at his feet and took a deep breath.
"I have something to tell you as well," He whispered. Law knew it was finally time to come clean; he'd held it in long enough. Here with the stars as their witness, Law would lay his heart out to the boy he loved.
"What is it?" Luffy whispered back.
"Straw Hat-ya," He spoke softly, still not able to meet the other's gaze, but he knew Luffy was hanging on to every word. "I'm afraid I've fallen in love with you."
"Oh," Luffy frowned. "Like Hamcock?"
"Yeah," Law let out a slight chuckle as another tear slid down his cheek and settled at the bottom of his chin. "Like Hamcock." They both sat there at the edge of the cliff, looking out over the still water of the sea as Luffy took in what he heard. The silence felt so long, Law nearly threw himself into the water below.
"Well," Luffy began, choosing his words carefully for the first time. "I love you too, Traffy."
"You do?" Law asked, afraid to let himself believe it.
"Yeah," He laughed. "You're way less annoying than Hamcock." That got Law to laugh along, although he wasn't quite sure it was intended to.
Law wiped the remaining tears from his eyes, embarrassed they had ever been there. "Room." The familiar blue hue formed a bubble around them; it was like they were in a world all their own. "Straw Hat-ya," He paused but willed himself to continue. "I'd like to give you my heart." Law could feel his cheeks heating up. He placed a firm hand on his chest and removed the still beating organ. With two hands, he held it out to Luffy. "Please accept it!"
Luffy took the heart in his hands and pondered on it. Law was thankful to feel the weight of it leave his palms. Luffy looked up, and met Law's eyes for the first time in what felt like an eternity. "Well," Luffy started, "If I get your heart then you have to take mine!"
"Wha-" Law's face was really starting to heat up now, and, to his surprise, so was Luffy's. The other boy stood stern and dropped his hands from covering his chest. Law gave Luffy a questioning look, wondering if this is what he really wanted. He gave Law a quick nod of his head in response.
Slowly, he reached his hand out and placed it flat against Luffy's chest. He could feel how fast his heart was beating, and, before he knew it, the heart was sitting in the palm of his hand. He pulled it close and looked down at Luffy, unable to keep the smile from spreading across his face.
"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Luffy asked. Law thought about it for a moment.
"Well, the Law of the Sea declares that all pirate alliances will end in betrayal, even if those pirates are in love." Luffy frowned at the thought.
"I don't like that law." He told him.
"Lucky for us, we're pirates; we don't have to follow every law laid out before us." Luffy's smile returned with new found confidence.
"What other laws are there?"
"Well," Law began, trying to figure out how to best say what was on his mind. "The law I'm most fond of is the Law of Hearts, and that particular law dictates that any two pirates who offer up their hearts to each other should. . . Um. . . Kiss?"
Luffy's face grew a brighter shade of red than Law had ever seen. He was sure the boy would reject the proposal, but then he took a tentative step forward. "That sounds like a law I could follow." He whispered, looking up to Law's face.
"Does it?" Law followed suit and stepped towards Luffy.
"At least for a little bit," he smirked, finally closing the gap between them. Law brought his hand up to Luffy's face and stroked the scar beneath his eye. Luffy placed a shaky hand on his elbow, willing him to keep going. Law suspected this was the first time either of them had done this sort of thing, but hey, when you set sail on the open sea, you set yourself up for a lifetime of firsts. This was just going to be another one of those. Law lowered his face to Luffy's, who in turn lifted himself onto the tips of his toes. Law chuckled to himself; that was as far as he would be able to go. The rest would be up to him. He could feel Luffy's breath hot against his lips, his eyes were closed, waiting for their mouths to finally meet. Law closed his own eyes and lowered his head one final time, locking Luffy in a kiss for the ages.
Author's Note
Well, we've finally reached the conclusion I've been building towards for the last week. I'm so happy with how it came out, and I am even more happy with all the people who took the time to read it; it really means the world to me. This was the first fanfiction I've ever written, and I'm not sure yet if I'll try and write another one. If I do though, it'll have to wait till I finally finish that dang novel. Anyways, I'd love to hear what people think of the story as a whole now that it's finished, and thank you so much to everyone reading; I hope it's been just as fun for you as it has been for me!