WHEN THURSDAY CAME AROUND, a new batch of 20 visitors arrived on the island.

Amy was too busy to tend to the rather moody and bitter client she was assigned. Instead, Luffy readily and unknowingly took up this task.

After Robin left Law's villa at minutes to 7 in the night, she could only apologize to Luffy for not helping him with his project, and promised she would visit on the weekend, closer Saturday afternoon. For Luffy, this was no major setback. He had little respect for deadlines to begin with. He cheerily replied that it was fine, and went back to doing his school work.

[WhySoLovesick?]: Luffy, I'd also like you to do me a favor...is that ok?

I0 n the middle of speaking about his outline to the text-to-speech assistant on his laptop, (a haphazard contraption plagued with stickers and dirt) when he heard the messaging application's notification again. He switched out the word-processor he was using and replied:

[PirateKing]: sure! what is iT? ill make up 4 not givign u ur gitf 2day!

Standing before her small rental car, a blue sedan, Robin smiled. She quickly typed.

[WhySoLovesick?]: Please...bring some breakfast to that man next door. Like I told you, he's a very good friend of mine. I...don't think he's eaten since he landed, but if you go now he really might tear someone's head off.

After converting the text message to audio, Luffy nodded happily. He didn't at all mind someone trying to tear his head off. He'd just tear theirs off right back! Besides, now he would have an excuse to talk to Torao!

[PirateKing]: oki! wut dose he like 2 eat?

Robin replied instantly.

[WhySoLovesick]: Whatever you do, don't bring him bread. Or cake. But especially bread. Get him some fish. He doesn't like sweet or greasy things.

Luffy wondered if fish was even served for breakfast, and why such a grown man was so picky in the first place. But then his thoughts immediately doubled back on the idea of eating some freshly-caught fried fish, and his stomach grumbled.

At that moment, he very much thought of going to the dining hall for dinner. That was when the thought occurred to him—usually, at these high ends resorts, they have room service! At least, that was what Nami had told him before. Something about room service being a load of crap, and that it was cheaper to eat outside. Luffy got up from the glass table in the corner of the bedroom, perpendicular to the floor-to-ceiling windows, and instead he picked up the landline resting on his nightstand.

Beeeeeeeeeep

The signal was dead. Luffy saw that there were some words written on a laminated sheet of paper, resting next to the phone, but he was having difficulty reading it. The first line had the words Quick Access, but there were too many unfamiliar words and he was taking too long to read the rest so he got annoyed. He could just send a pic of the menu and ask Sanji for a recommendation; but then, another genius idea suddenly occurred to him.

He could kill two birds with one stone, and have the man next door both read the menu to him, and order room service for the both of them!

Why put off delicious food to tomorrow, when the night was still young?

Excited, Luffy put on his slippers, grabbed the laminated sheet of paper, and bounded down the steps. In a matter of seconds, he was outside a familiar 1305. The downstairs lights were all off, and there wasn't a single sound coming from the villa.

Luffy eagerly knocked on the door.

Thump, thud, thud!

No answer.

Frowning, Luffy pondered if the man was even still at home. He tried again.

THUD, THUD, THUD!

S Still no answer.

Now Luffy was really confused. Could it be, that he had passed out from starvation?

Spurred by his genuine love for humanity, Luffy apple all his strength and knocked more powerfully.

BANG, BANG, BANG!

"Oii!" Luffy yelled. "Torao! Are you OK?! Are you that hungry?!"

After his loud shouting, there was only the quiet sound of cicadas and the rustling of leaves. Luffy's brows creased, and he texted Robin.

[PirateKing]: robin i think smthn mgithve hapepned to tra-guy no matr what i du he wont anszwr

Before Robin could even reply, too busy driving back to her research facility and trying not to crash on the bumpy Poneirian roads, Luffy took matters into his own hands.

He spied the tall villa, two-storeys and identical to his, and he knew that upstairs would be the wall of the bedroom, with two wide glass panes covered by blinds. Luffy looked around for a stone to throw against one of the windows, but then the thought suddenly occurred to him—what if even the stone could not be heard? He needed something much heavier.

Way heavier! Luffy thought.

Enthused and pumped with energy, Luffy tucked the flabby, laminated paper into his shirt, and the cool material brushed against his warm skin. Looking around widely, he could only see pebbles, leaves, bushes, and bits of charcoal-looking things that covered the roots of those bushes. Why the hell were they red? Anyways, Luffy saw nothing useful.

In another stroke of genius, the young man decided,

It's better if I directly climb up there myself.

And so that he did.

Like a nimble, spindly monkey, Luffy scaled the wall with the dexterity of years of practice.

First, he hoisted himself up to the first trim of the roof, by jumping up, grabbing onto the lower trim of the roof, and pulling his body up.

Now, he precariously balanced on the ledge, and feeling around, Luffy managed to hold onto the edge and lift himself up to stand on the gabled roof of the porch, under which the entrance to the villa sat.

Now on the roof, the second floor was more within reach. Luffy simply had to crouch, and spring up to latch onto one of the columns. Scaling sideways, he was face to face with the ledge of one of the windows. It had a white frame, and inside, the blinds were tightly shut. Luffy felt the laminated paper in his shirt shift, as if it wanted to fall out. Feeling a sense of urgency, but with his hands completely devoted to grasping that column, Luffy banged his forehead against the window to knock.

"Hey, Torao?" He spoke at a reasonable volume, but he wasn't rewarded with an answer. So Luffy inhaled, planted his face right against the glass, and yelled,

"TORAOOOOOO!?"

BANG!

There was a loud thump, as if someone had fallen off a bed. There were a few strings of hissed curses.

"...Fuck! What the?"

Luffy felt the laminated paper slip further and further down. Now that he had been so active, there were small drops of sweat forming between his skin and the laminated paper. He felt it stick to his skin uncomfortably. Feeling it slide down, Luffy worried his brows in annoyance. If the paper slid out of his shirt and fell downstairs, then wouldnt he have to back down there and pick it up?

There was shuffling behind the window. As the steps finally neared, Luffy could tell the other man had reached the window. After a moment's hesitance, the blinds were drawn up unceremoniously.

Law's terrified face was met with a full, frontal assault of Luffy's big eyes and squashed cheeks pressed flush against the window.

Since the column was to the right, his body was firmly wrapped around it, while his head stretched towards the left and was stuck to the window like some sort of long ostrich neck.

Luffy leaned his head back and grinned cheekily. "OPEN THE WINDOW!"

Law was bewildered. His face was deathly pale, and his hands were trembling. Faintly, pain rang through his side, as that was where he had fallen on when a loud yell startled him out of his sleep. Feeling as if he would combust into tears at any moment, with a palpitating heart, Law pulled open the window. He was too shocked to even feel confusion! He hadn't even known the young man lived next door. Why was he at his window?

Why….couldn't he just ring the doorbell?

Immediately Luffy stuffed his chest forward.

"Hey Torao! Grab this paper under my shirt will you?!"

Law stared blankly. Why...was he pushing out his chest? Jesus! Was he hanging from that column? Bewildered, Law looked down. Just how did he get up here?!

"Hurry!" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs—nevermind that Law was right in front of him.

A mess of confusion and annoyance, in his foggy, just-awoken state, Law pressed his arm against Luffy's abdomen. The young man wiggled. A piece of laminated paper creeped down his shirt from his funny movements.

"There's paper under my shirt! It's about to fall!"

Law blinked, his mouth agape. The sweat droplets that had formed on his forehead from the stress began to trickle down the side of his face.

Law wanted to scream. Eyes wide, he was devastated. He succumbed and reached out a hand to grab the uncomfortably warm laminated paper. Why...was it damp?

Having been freed of the paper, Luffy grabbed the ledge of the window since it was finally open, and threw himself into Law's bedroom.

There was a loud thud, as abruptly, concerningly moist paper in hand,

Law was hit by a freight train.

"OOOF!"

Sprawled on the floor, Law's back panged with pain, and there was a somehow...light, but incredible dense figure sitting on top of him.

Just how?

"Ooops, that was close, haha!" came an insufferable laugh. In just less than 48 hours, Law was becoming incredibly sensitive to that laugh. It was akin to hearing a mosquito singing, or a fly buzzing. The minute he heard it, his vision blurred with red, and he instantly felt like he was about to snap and murder something.

"Just. What. the. fuck. Are. you. doing?" Through gritted teeth, he would've sounded a bit more menacing if not for the laborious breaths it took him to puff his chest and speak. The incredibly small but dense body on top of him vibrated again with hearty laughter.

There was some rustling, until finally, the freight train was removed. Luffy jumped up to his feet and snickered. "Hey Torao. Why didn't you answer your door?"

Law was still lying on his back on the ground. Through the corner of his eye, he saw Luffy's slim ankles walk past him on the floor and jump onto the bed as if he owned the place.

Does...everyone behave like this with someone they barely know?

Law found it baffling.

He slowly got up to stand and pinched in the bridge of his nose. "I don't think you understood my question. Who the fuck are you to just break into my villa like this?"

Luffy blinked at him, then as if uninterested in the question his eyes flitted to the soggy laminated paper that was discarded a few feet away from where the two of them had crashed.

"Aren't you hungry? Man I'm hungry," Luffy whined, and then he stretched out his foot. Using his toe he secured the laminated paper in between his two toes and lifted it up. He collected the paper in his hands, made a face at how wet it was, then rubbed it on his shirt as if to dry it. Law watched the entire sequence of events completely still.

"..."

Luffy fanned away Law's attempts at rationalizing with him. "Ah, anyways, so, sorry for falling on you, Torao. Man, you're really fussy for such a tall guy, Haha!"

Law didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What did those two things have to do with each other? And what kind of shitty apology was that?!

"Robin asked me to get some food for you," Luffy looked up at the ceiling and rubbed his nose, carefully considering whether or not to reveal her specific instructions. He settled for, even if he knows its supposed to be tomorrow and not tonight, we'll both agree it's better to get food tonight anyways!

"She said to get some breakfast for you, but you gotta be hungry, right?" Law continued to stare at the young man who had taken up residence on his bed. His left leg hung limply over the side, sandal dangling off his foot, while the right was folded under his left, its sandal discarded during their tussle.

Law folded his arms. "Robin?"

Luffy grinned. "Mmn!"

Law took a step away from him, apprehensive. "...You know Robin?"

Luffy's right foot came to dangle alongside the left. They swung back and forth. "Well, on the plane I told you about a friend who reads that Lance Armstrong or whatever book, and it's Robin!"

That indeed made sense, but Law wasn't convinced. Why on earth would Robin be friends with this kid?

After 2 seconds of deliberation, Law walked towards Luffy and grabbed his arm, lifting him up from the bed. "Get out," he clipped. "That's not grounds to break into a complete stranger's hotel villa. You're completely insane." Yanking him up, Luffy was abruptly dragged by his right arm towards the exit of the bedroom.

His legs stumbled as he was dragged along, his remaining sandal falling off his foot in the process. He turned his torso to pick it back up, but was caught off guard by the brief glimpse of the full bedroom.

Despite the villa being completely identical to his, his neighbour's bedroom felt colder and much more impersonal. He could've sworn the walls were painted a cream yellow, so why did everything look a cloudy white?

Unlike his bedroom which was littered with clothes on the floor from when Luffy had rummaged through his suitcase and carry-on, the older man's single piece of accompanied luggage was neatly tucked away in a corner behind the door. The en-suite bathroom looked sterile and unused, and besides the identical hotel-provided toothbrush in the reflection of the vanity mirror, Luffy saw no other similarities at all.

"You can't just fucking scale someone's house and jump into their room on the grounds of getting food." Law went on. Luffy couldn't see his face because the man's back was facing him as he pulled his weight along, but he could tell he was angry. "Mutual friend or not."

Abruptly, the bedroom door was yanked open, and like an unwanted stray cat, Luffy was dragged by the scruff of his neck down the stairs.

"Ouch!" Luffy didn't like this one bit!

Finally unwilling to put up with this treatment any longer, Luffy put all his strength into pushing his weight backwards. Mid step, Luffy concentrated on throwing all of his weight into the man behind him. Once again, halfway down the stairs, Law's ass met something cold and hard, and Luffy landed on top of him without any damage.

"Fuck!" Law hissed in pain, and Luffy looked behind indignantly, then got up without helping Law. He stared down at him, rarely, but visibly annoyed.

"I wouldn't have climbed up the wall if you'd just answered when I knocked!" Luffy folded his arms, similar to the way Law had done earlier, and pointed a finger down at him, as if he were disciplining a stupid pet dog. "Why are you dragging me around like I'm a criminal! I thought you were a good guy but you're really not, Torao!"

Law looked up from where he was a step below Luffy, and wanted to curse, 'What does it matter if you think I'm a good guy or not? Am I a marriage candidate? Is this a job application?'

"Tell Robin I don't need her to check up on me, much less send some blubbering idiot." Getting up to his feet, Law jerked his chin in the direction of the door downstairs, completely put off by the idea of interacting with the kid any longer. "I'm not hungry at all. You can let yourself out."

Luffy pursed his lips. This wasn't going how he had planned at all. He lost his sandals, the laminated paper he so desperately tried to save, and now he was being kicked out! He felt completely ignored!

"..."

Luffy didn't know why he felt so upset—had it been anyone else, he would just leave and walk to the dining hall himself. He was this hungry already… but...maybe if he apologized he could get to stay a little longer?

As Law was turning to leave and go back up the stairs, cursing while he rubbed his back, Luffy mumbled something.

"Hey…"

Law didn't seem to want to stop—2 more steps and he'd be back at the top of the staircase.

Luffy frowned and reached out to pull at Law's black hoodie, and he finally halted. There was a deep, exasperated sigh, as the man's head slowly turned around, and cold grey eyes looked down on him.

Too annoyed to even speak, Law raised his brow, his patience running thin.

Luffy didn't feel like laughing anymore. He really...just wanted to make friends with the guy next door.

"Sorry for breaking in…" Luffy mumbled, and then with newfound determination, he released the man's sweater, marched up the steps to go to the very top of the staircase, and bowed his head slightly. His voice sounded more serious as he heartily yelled,

"I didn't mean to upset you! Sorry for yelling and knocking at your window, and waking you up!" What am I a drill sergeant? Law wanted to ask, but the young man wasn't finished.

As if remembering he wasn't even sure that the older man was sleeping, Luffy paused, "Ah, well, you were sleeping right? You had to, to not hear me yell so loud at the door. I tried like two times...Either way, sorry for the ruckus! I'm so used to just climbing up walls at my own house, that I forgot that it's something other people may find upsetting..."

Luffy laughed, recalling Law's frightened expression when he opened the blinds. " Pft! Haha!" Then he clamped a hand around his mouth, eyes widening, as if surprised by his own laughter. Like a switch, he put back on his solemn face and bowed again. "Yes, sorry for laughing, too."

Law's eyelid twitched. Was there any other person this bad at making apologies on the entire planet?

Eyebrows furrowed deep in thought, Law was trying to think of how to reply to this, and also how to tell him that apology or not, he still wanted him gone,

When suddenly—

there was a deep—

Loud—

Grumble.

"GRRRNRRRBMLBN"

Law "..."

Luffy "..."

They both paused, eyes wide, and Luffy looked down at his tummy. He patted it, assessed his integrity, parted his lips, and with his eyes nearly falling out of their sockets, he stuttered, "...T-That wasn't me…"

Law's frown deepened, and at this moment—more than any other moment in his entire, messy, fucked up life—he wanted to die on the spot.

.

.

.

"BWAHAHAHA! THAT WASN'T ME! PFT! THAT WASN'T ME! THEN WAS THAT YOU TORAO? AHHH! AHAHAHAHA!" Luffy's eyes were literal slits as he fell backwards and kicked his feet up and down. He gasped for air as he cackled. "I'm not hungry at all. You can let yourself out." He copied Law, and even accompanied the performance by stiffly marching up the stairs, before he couldn't hold back his laughter anymore and fell to the floor on the spot, cackling as he kicked his feet up and down again.

Law was going to fucking murder somebody today.

Rooted on the spot like a murderous, black and evil palm tree, Law glared holes at the young man who was laughing so hard tears were pooling in his eyes. His feet kept whizzing up and down, their speed increasing with every giggle.

"AhHAHAHAHA! AHAH! MAN, TORAO YOU'RE A REALLY FUNNY GUY HUH!" Wheeze. "IM NOT HUNGRY YOU SAID. THEN DID A GHOST MAKE THAT SOUND? TELL ME? WAS IT A HUNGRY GHOST? PFT! BWAHAHAHA!"

Law's fist clenched as he walked up to Luffy and grabbed one of his ankles that kept wiggling in his giggling fit. He wanted to snap that ankle in two like a twig. He glared darkly at the young man, waiting for his laughter to end, when suddenly...

Luffy pried open his eyes, and stared up at Law's deathly serious face. Contrasting with the pure murderous intent, unbridled mirth swirled in Luffy's eyes, completely unaffected by the grim man in front of him. If the entire villa was filled with a sterile, depressing white, the spot Luffy currently occupied was like a warm field of sunflowers.

Law was momentarily caught off-guard once again by the completely open and unguarded joy that Luffy regarded him with. Whatever words were about to form on his lips instantly died, and instead he heard himself muttering,

"...Let's get something to eat."

Luffy got up from the floor, beamed up at Law, and raced back into his bedroom. He grabbed the laminated paper, and said a barrage of words. "Hehe, I knew you'd come around! Do you wanna order room service or go to the dining hall? I came over so we could order room service together!"

Completely still, Law listened as the young man decided for the two of them. "Hmmm...the first part of this says seafood...I really want fried fish! What about you, Torao?" Then as if remembering the growling stomach from earlier, he laughed again. "Haha, poor Torao." He beamed widely at the memory. "Pft. I bet you're too hungry to even walk to the dining hall. I'll order some fried fish for you too! Or do you want steak? Steak will give you strength! Cheer up, huh?" Luffy squinted his eyes at the menu, concentrating deeply on the words.

Then, emboldened by Law's completely unresponsive state, he shoved the paper up into Law's face, and looked up at him. The difference in their ages was completely deceptive. The older man was not in control at all. "Hey, Torao, you read the menu! I'm dyslexic you know. This is hard for me."

Law glanced down at the young man, barefoot, standing half on the landing of the staircase, half on the same step as he was. For some reason, he felt like smiling, but all he could do was grab the paper from him and mutter, "You read it just fine a second ago."

Luffy chuckled and jumped on the spot, unable to contain his excitement. He rushed down the stairs and landed on the couch with a poof! Then he pat the seat next to him and said, " Come and sit here!"

Slowly, Law succumbed and sat in the spot he was told. Completely unaware as to why he was even listening to this crazy kid who broke into his villa and threw himself at him multiple times, Law heard some idiot with the same voice as him recite the entire menu aloud.

"Italian Cusine, - Spaghetti and Meatballs, 38 USD, Penne Alla Vodka, 45 USD, Fettuccine Alfredo, 32 USD…"

Stupid! he thought to himself while he read. What fettuccine alfredo? Why're you reading like an idiot? Just get up and kick him out! He's fucking crazy!

Even though his mind kept telling him to do so, Law's feet were firmly planted on the ground. He read the room service menu until he got to the very end, and when his stomach grumbled again, he couldn't help the small crack in his face that appeared as he did so.

As the young man next to him went on about ordering 4 different entrees and 3 totally incompatible sides, Law couldn't help but feel all the neglected needs he had been ignoring rush back into his body in an instant. He not only felt hungry, and tired, and completely parched, but...he felt a little lonely. When last had he spoke to Corazon? It'd only been a few hours, but it felt like days. Alone on a foreign island, contrary his age and confidence, Law found that despite himself he yearned for a distraction. He didn't want to think about the unpleasant encounter he had last night. He didn't even want to think about his loneliness, in every sense of the word.

Fortunately, the latter was unknowingly being tended to.

Laughter filled his villa (albeit of a single person) and even though the sun had long since set, the house began to feel warm again.

Slowly relaxing, Law began to lean further into the couch, lost in...no particular thoughts, just enjoying the unexpectedly happy atmosphere that enveloped the living and dining room all of a sudden. That was when he felt the weight across from him in the couch shift, and in the next moment, his entire field of view was taken up by big, dark eyes peering at gim curiously.

"Why'd you stop reading, Torao?"

Up this close, Luffy was basically about to bite his nose off. Law should have instantly shoved him out of the way, or better yet, thrown that stupid laminated paper to the floor and kick him out, but his body did something abnormal instead.

Ba-thump

Law felt his heart skip a beat, as Luffy's wide eyes turned from curious, to mildly annoyed. His gaze flitted downwards to the paper in Law's hands, and suddenly, Law felt that this dry laminated sheet was too damp to hold comfortably. He was about to push Luffy's face away, and tell him that he had reached the end, when suddenly something, in a brief moment of insanity, Law rasped the words,

"...You."

Luffy looked up from the paper, completely unaware of any sense of personal space. His legs were folded, and his body angled to the left as he shoved his head into Law's face. He was only trying to get the other man's attention. He didn't expect to be met with the words,

"You too."

When Luffy frowned, Law made a soft "pft," and couldn't help but flick Luffy's forehead, sending him reeling back from the pain.

"You keep saying I'm a funny guy." Law looked at Luffy as if he were an idiot. "Why's the pot calling the kettle black?" Law brought his hands to hide his lips—there was a small curl to the corner of his mouth, and his eyebrows were uncluttered from any creases from his constant frown. Hand over his mouth, he glanced sidelong at Luffy and squinted.

His mood was soaring by the minute. "What kind of idiot scales a wall just to ask me to order room service with them? You're so..." he trailed, but his deep voice chuckled. Just where did Robin find this kind of kid? "What was your name?"

Luffy was completely still. The spot on his forehead was red and it throbbed, and he only sat there on the couch staring at him like the blubbering idiot he was. What was my name again?

Luffy opened his mouth, and the sound that came out sounded something like his name. He wasn't sure. Did he get it right?

"Luffy...?" Law removed his hands from hiding his lips and smirked lightly as he scoffed. He seemed slightly annoyed, and vaguely amused, as he shook his head. "This idiot. And exactly who is going to foot the bill for this copious amount of room service you're ordering, Mr Luffy? Should it be me?"

Poof!

Luffy's face was completely warm, and he couldn't tell if it was the lightbulb illuminating the room, the cool night, or his face. Must have been the lightbulb, right?

"Of course, I'll pay!" Luffy puffed, feeling a little indignant that the other man would think him so shameless, but also in a good mood because he had said his name. "It's my treat! Robin said to get you food so how can I make you pay!"

Luffy managed to say another coherent sentence, but he was still stuck on Torao's earlier words. With his low, serious voice, his name sounded a little funny when he said it. Luffy put a hand to his head to brush against the stiff bristles of his hat, as if feeling it was a way to ground himself. He wasn't dreaming, was he? Torao...he smiled just now, didn't he? Turns out he can actually smile?

Luffy openly gawked at Law, and as if it were a mirage, Law's calm smile was gone, and instead replaced with a blank expression. If you looked closely enough, there was about a 3-degree tilt to his lips, but neither Luffy nor Law could tell.

"You'll pay? At least you've thought this far."

And for the rest of the night, that 3-degree inclination remained.