I'm done making excuse for my lateness. I don't have the time to write and that's that. You know, I prefer having a schedule, but if I can never follow it, I'll just give it up and update whenever I finish my chapter.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 11: Lunch

"TORAOOOOOOOOOOOO~"

Law woke up to see something black and white fly towards him. The first thought that came into his sleepy mind was Lilian. Then the thing crashed into him and he was sent off the couch where he had been happily napping before the disturbance.

"Agh…"

Luffy-ya's grinning face appeared close to his. Like, really really close. Nose-touching close. It was kind of freaky.

"L— Mugiwara-ya?... Again? What're you doing?"

Dammit, he almost called her by her name. Not good, not good.

"Nothing!"

"Luffy, what do you think you're doing? Don't snuggle on the floor with the Surgeon of Death! We're supposed to go to the Baratie!"

That made him aware of Luffy-ya's body pressed against his. She was only wearing a white shirt (where was her cardigan again? In the guest room?) and it was dropping slightly, revealing… Why was he even thinking of that?

He was having perverted thoughts. Not good, definitely not good.

"Oops, sorry," she giggled. She stood up, her face red. Also aware of the position they were in. "Can I leave this here?" She showed the large bag she had on her arm.

"Of course."

Shachi came out of the kitchen eating a heart-shaped cookie. Probably from Cora-san. "Wossat?"

"Torao's birthday present. No peeking."

"Leave it in my room, Mugiwara-ya. They don't go in there."

"Ok~"

Law picked himself off the floor, noticing Nose-ya glaring at him and Roronoa-ya wandering aimlessly around the living room.

"Oh! It's the Straw Hats!" Cora-san jumped out of the kitchen too, followed by Penguin, Bepo and Ikkaku. "Nice to meet you! What, there's only the two of you? Where are the others? I didn't know you were coming, so I didn't prepare. Do you want anything? Oh, anyone wants cookies?"

Shachi raised his hand. "Me."

"You guys should get some," Ikkaku laughed. "Cora-san's cookies are the best."

Penguin frowned. "Calm down, Shachi. You already ate half of them."

"They're good."

Cora-san waved him off. "It's all right, it's all right! I can always make more!"

"D'you have sake? Sake." Roronoa-ya asked.

"That's a good idea. I'm sure the cookies would go great with sake." Ikkaku giggled. "There's a bottle in the kitchen."

"Whoa, the cookies taste so good! Try them, Usopp!"

Shachi turned and saw Luffy-ya picking in the plate. She had her cardigan back. "When did you get here? Oi, that's mine!"

"Too late."

"Where's the penguin?" Penguin whined.

"Here."

"Luffy, we gotta go. Sanji's very annoying about your safety. I don't wanna get killed by him."

"Don't worry, I told him not to."

Cora-san pouted. "Now now, Long Nose-san, why would Straw Hat not be safe? You're offending me. She likes it here, don't you, Straw Hat? If anything happens, I'm sure she can protect herself. She doesn't need you to worry over her. Now, get yourself a cookie before she eats them all."

"No thanks. I just don't trust you, Heart freak. And don't call me Long Nose-san."

"That's mean. I'm not a freak, I'm Corazon."

"Usopp! It's not nice to call people freaks! Apologize! Heart-ossan is a good person, be nice to him. Torao too."

Nose-ya looked at his best friend. Law didn't like it that Luffy-ya was angry with her friends because of him. He didn't want her to be angry. He wanted her face to shine like a million suns, like it did when she smiled her incredibly wide grin. He wanted her characteristically carefree laugh, the way it played was like music to him. Law didn't like the stern gaze that brought a frown to her, or her pissed voice when she reprimanded someone. She was still beautiful, but he didn't like it, her aura was so much darker when she was upset. The bright presence she usually had relaxed him for some reason he still didn't understand.

"Mugiwara-ya, Nose-ya, please don't fight. I don't like it."

"What, you don't like it? You look like you fight everyday."

Law held out a hand to calm Luffy-ya. "Well, I don't. Although I supposed the Straw Hats did, and that it wouldn't have bothered you if I had been a fighter." He smirked at the flustered look on Nose-ya's face. He really loved to shut others up by being smarter than them. Something he couldn't do with Luffy-ya because her logic was too impossible. Anyways, she was the one always embarrassing him. "It's also bad to judge people on their appearance alone, didn't anyone teach you this, Nose-ya? Well, I would've judged you to be a good-hearted lying idiot, which you seem to be." Nose-ya was bright red. "You know, I may look like a gangster with my tattoos, but you look like Pinocchio with that nose, and Pinocchio is a good-hearted lying idiot."

Luffy-ya giggled loudly at her friend's embarrassment. That laugh was much better than the frown. "A good-hearted lying idiot."

Law shrugged. "Lying idiots can have good intentions behind their lies and idiocy."

"Pinocchio?"

"Of course."

"Torao fights well, you know. I'm sure he could beat you, Usopp."

"Ah~" Shachi sidled up to a bright red Nose-ya, patting his shoulder. "You should know never to try and outsmart our Captain. It always backfires."

Penguin crossed his arms. "Why do you always try, then?"

"I never give up. I know Doc can be embarrassed because Straw Hat managed it, I just have to find out how to do it."

Luffy-ya grinned ominously, giving Law a bad feeling about it. "You want to?" And without warning, she jumped onto Law's back and hugged him tightly from behind. She wasn't heavy. Leaning over so that her mouth was right next to his ear. Law could feel her smirk. "I like you a lot," she breathed into his ear so that nobody but him heard her. Of course, it gave him a scowl and a rapidly spreading blush.

He fought to keep control of himself.

"Stop doing that, Mugiwara-ya."

"Shachi wanted to know."

"Don't spoil him."

"You look good when you're blushing."

Law's face darkened a few shades. Dammit, her blunt honesty just had to be illegal. And she'd said it out loud. Everyone in the room – except him of course – burst out laughing. He sent them a glare that promised a slow and painful death to all of them.

"G-Go have lunch with your friends. I'm busy." He even stuttered.

"Ok."

"And get off me." He was thinking the exact opposite, but he was good at hiding his true intentions and emotions, so it wasn't a problem to him. Luffy-ya was the only one who could mess up this control over himself.

"Ok." She didn't. "Can I go to the party with you on the Polar Tang? I wanna ride it."

"Yeah." Law grumbled without thinking. Shit. Did he just accept? His mind screamed, BAD IDEA, BAD IDEA at him, and he agreed with it. He simply couldn't bring himself to refuse her. Damn those stupid emotions, jumbling up his thoughts and confusing him. Before the rational part of him took over and he could correct himself, Luffy-ya's confortable warmth left his back and she was skipping towards the door with Nose-ya holding a drinking Roronoa-ya by the arm.

She stopped and looked back at him with that grin he had come to associate with his doom. Law groaned, knowing something terrible was about to happen. "Before I forget." She disappeared and suddenly he found himself lifted off the ground and carried out of the house, then thrown in the passenger seat of a colorful car before he could even react. Luffy-ya plopped down next to him with that terrible grin of hers. Nose-ya and Roronoa-ya started fighting over the wheel.

Law scowled, not happy at being controlled that way. "What are you doing?" He hissed. He hadn't asked to go to their friend lunch, although he didn't move from his seat. Why, he didn't know. Cora-san came out and looked at the car with an amused expression on his face. Shachi smirked behind him and waved.

"We can visit Ace afterwards."

"You don't have to kidnap me for that."

"I didn't kidnap you." She pouted. Law huffed. Being carried and thrown into an unknown car against his will was kidnapping for him. Cora-san and his friends didn't seem to care, Bepo was only watching with a slightly interested look, Shachi and Penguin were smirking and Ikkaku and his father had a knowing smile as they waved goodbye to him. "Zoro, let Usopp drive. We'll probably end up somewhere in South Blue otherwise."

"Shut up!" But he obeyed.

"I shouldn't be here." Law persisted.

"I know." Nose-ya replied, sounding upset about the situation. He started the car and drove out.

"Once Luffy decides something, there's no turning back," Roronoa-ya said with an amused smile.

Nose-ya sighed. "I have no idea why I'm still with her."

"Because we're friends," Luffy-ya said happily, earning herself a glare from Nose-ya that she ignored.

"Your friends won't be happy when they see me."

"I know," Nose-ya repeated. "Well, except Chopper. I think he really wants to meet you in reality. He was happy when we found out you were invited to the party." He grimaced. "Apparently you're a genius doctor who managed to heal an incurable disease while you had it."

"Yeah. The Amber Lead Syndrome. I don't want to talk about it." Being reminded of this sickness and why he got it revived too many painful emotions, despair, hate, grief. Terror. It brought too many painful memories. He never wanted another tragedy like what had happened to his hometown, and his family. He never again wanted to see a person he loved laid in front of him and coughing blood as the last of their life flowed out of them, as their murderer laughed in front of him, as everything around him burned and disappeared. He never wanted to fall again.

Luffy-ya rested her head on his shoulder, surprising him out of his thoughts. "You were staring outside for too long without moving." Law looked at the girl who made him smile without him knowing why. Or maybe he knew, and was in denial.

He couldn't love her. Love could hurt more than anything. It made you happy for a while, until you forgot the disasters it could provoke. That's why he had never wanted to love Cora-san, or his friends, he had never wanted this new family only to lose it again. He didn't want to love Luffy-ya.

"Sorry," he muttered. Glancing out the window, he recognized the place. "We're almost there."

She wrapped her arms around Law and leaned against him, again surprising him. "You shouldn't be sad. It's bad for your health. Didn't you know smiling is a cure to anything?"

He stared into the wide, serious chocolate eyes reading deep into his soul, understanding his despair and trying to comfort him silently. After a moment, he sighed and closed his eyes with a tiny smile, concentrating only on the warmth enveloping him. Until they arrived and Nose-ya parked the colorful car in one of the private spots of the Baratie, like privilegied customers. Which they probably were.

The Straw Hats all saw their beloved captain, the person each of them would die for, enter the private space they had in the Baratie. Followed by Usopp dragging Zoro as usual, and behind them, the Surgeon of Death standing away from the friends somewhat awkwardly.

"Luffy! Zoro, Usopp! Finally!" Nami cried out, getting up to hug Luffy. Shouts of "Luffy!" sounded around them, filled with happiness at seeing her again in flesh and blood, up and running, laughing her mischievous smile as she always did.

The Straw Hats private space was a large Japanese style room with soundproof walls added at the back of the Baratie by Zeff, the owner of the restaurant and Sanji's adoptive father. It was closed to the public, of course. In the center of the room was a wide round table with nine chairs around it, and more space in case someone else came. Right now, five people were sitting together with appetizers in front of them. The table had a few special functions Franky added when he was bored, like an automatic plate carrier to share dishes around the large table. Orders were unnecessary, as Sanji, the Head Cook, was the one cooking for them before he joined the meal, and he always made whatever he wanted, or whatever Luffy ordered him to if the food was gone and she was still hungry. Everything would taste good anyway.

Sanji came in with plates balanced on his arms, twirling up to Luffy.

"Luffy-chwan~ I prepared lots of meat for—" He froze upon seeing the surgeon staying apart from them. The surgeon who stole his Luffy-chan from him, who looked like a serial killer but who was trusted by Luffy-chan. Sanji was jealous of the man who earned her affection so easily and even made her snap at him, which she never did. "What's he doing here?"

Trafalgar lifted his head and glared at him. He glanced at the tense Straw Hats watching him. He could feel how they didn't like him. "Mugiwara-ya forced me." With his deep, slightly mocking voice. Infuriating.

"Course she did." Franky grinned, knowing how stubborn Luffy was. He knew she liked the surgeon a lot it was obvious.

"We found her buying his birthday gift. She wanted to drop by his house to get her stuff back." Usopp said apologetically.

"Stop sulking. If you don't like it, tell her." Trafalgar said with a scowl, his tone not changing.

"Oi, marimo, you were supposed to prevent something like this from happening!"

"Was I? Or did you just invent that because Luffy prefers the Surgeon of Death over your dumb curly brow?"

"What did you say?"

"Stop fighting!" Nami told them, irritated. She didn't like the surgeon, of course she didn't. But she trusted Luffy to know her friends. The Straw Hats had already resigned themselves and had decided to let her stay with Trafalgar, only Sanji didn't want to accept the fact that Luffy was very obviously falling in love. "Come on, Sanji, be nice. Get another chair for Trafalgar. Or Torao?"

"I'm always at your service, Nami-san~"

"Get food too!"

"Of course, my lovely Luffy-chan~ I have so much food ready for you~" Sanji bowed to the women, somewhat comically, and twirled out with hearts flowing out of him.

"C'mere, Trafalgar," Nami gestured towards him. "Luffy usually sits here. I will allow you to be here, next to her."

"What d'you mean, allow me?"

Luffy sat in her seat. "Don't make Nami angry, Torao. She's scary. Whoa, Nami, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Nobody even reacted when Luffy was hit hard on the head by her best friend. It was almost a natural occurrence. Trafalgar sighed at the sight and plopped down in his assigned seat. Zoro went next to him. Sanji entered again, ridiculously loaded with plates on his head, arms and leg, all filled with delicious food nobody knew the name to. He was holding several bottles of sake in one hand and dangerously carrying a chair in the other hand.

"Yosh!" Luffy exclaimed, miraculously recovered from the punch once all the dishes were on the table. "I know we have a lot to say to each other, and I'll soon tell you what happened during these two years. But for now… let's eat!"

It was the strangest, noisiest, funniest lunch Law had ever had.

Yes, it's over. Of course, things will happen during this lunch. We'll see I guess. Hopefully Law will get embarrassed even more. (*sadistic*)

And yes, Usopp is kinda mean in this chapter. He'll change.

Kadek8785: As if I would commit seppuku. I want to live. And sorry for the disappointment, but Ace won't be here yet. Lunch comes first. Always

I suppose you guessed what Lilian thinks of Law. Well, it's not important to the plot, so I'll tell you. Don't worry, whatever happens, Lilian will accept the truth. She's even better at hiding emotions than Law, so she'll just say it's all right with a broken heart. She wants the best for her best friend.

And, you see, they accepted him. So, I guess you were right about Sanji being the last one.

Next chapter will focus mostly on conversation between Law and the Straw Hats. I think. I started thinking about following chapters finally, be proud of me.

See you next chapter!

Next chapter:

Serious conversations