Title: Panacea
Author: AoiTsukikage
Rating: NC-17 overall
Characters/Pairing:Law/Sanji
Chapter: 11/?
Word Count: 3561
Summary: There's something in his demeanor, the way he hides his true feelings whenever they start to unconsciously slip out, that speaks volumes. And Sanji would hardly consider himself somebody that wants to fixpeople but, well, he likes a challenge, and Law presents a rather giant one.
Spoilers:For recent-ish chapters, but this is set before Dressrosa.

Chapter Eleven

"Control."

"Yes, what about it?" Law asks, crossing his arms and staring up at the sky from the balcony off of their hotel room. It's mid-afternoon of the next day and Sanji's feeling markedly more like himself now that the stitches have been removed and he's got more or less a full range of motion again.

Or, at least, enough like himself that he's starting to think ahead to Law keeping his promise, because he really hopes that's still on the table.

"That's what you need during sex, right?"

"Well, yes, in a manner of speaking," Law peers at him. "What are you insinuating?"

"I'm…" Sanji moves closer, leaning on the rail beside the other man and glancing sideways at him. "How much would you be willing to give up?"

"To you? Rather more than I would consider trusting anybody else with," he replies, and it's a non-answer, so Sanji elbows him lightly and glares. "I trust you implicitly," he amends, and yeah, that's better. "Are you asking me?"

"Yeah. I mean, just say the word and I'll stop, but I want to know that you're willing to do that for me, and I promise I'm gonna make it good for you. Okay?" he doesn't think Law will say no, at least, and he's not disappointed when Law shrugs his shoulders rather helplessly and nods.

"Okay."

"Great. Tomorrow night?" Sanji asks, because he doesn't want to wait until their last night and besides, they've got a room and a bed so it only pays to take advantage of it.

"Yes," Law clips the word off short, his nerves getting the better of him, so Sanji leans over to kiss him and smiles when Law doesn't even hesitate for a moment. "Are you going to give me any hints as to what this trust will imply?"

"Nah. It'll be a surprise," Sanji pulls away and spins on his heel, already planning things out in his mind.

000

For once, they don't have to change their plans. The past two days have been full of re-stocking the ship and lounging by the pool and, thankfully, the crew seems to have given up their apparent fascination with him and Law and have mostly left them alone.

Which brings them to the aforementioned night, and Sanji's kneeling on the bed and grinning while Law stares at him in surprise.

"How is this helpful?"

"It's symbolic," Sanji replies, Law eventually sighing and holding his wrists out, and the cook pulls out an old tie and wraps it around them, as gentle as he can be, directing the other man to raise his bound arms over his head so that he can tie the loose end to the top bar of the headboard. "Okay?"

"Mm, I can get out if I need to," Law doesn't look concerned and Sanji guesses that yeah, he probably has no reason to be. But there's a hint of color high on his cheeks, knees pulled up toward his bare chest in a way that's less about modesty and far more about plain vulnerability, and Sanji thinks it's fucking adorable how bashful Law can be when he's a little out of his element.

"Relax," Sanji's arranged the pillows so Law can lean back comfortably, and he does, unfurling his legs and letting Sanji crawl between them. "I promise this'll be good."

"You'd best make good on that since you keep repeating-oh," Law lets out the last word in a breath, catching the sound before it can fully leave his throat, and Sanji smiles against his neck. It's only fair, he thinks, that he gets to do this now after Law had done it to him, so he slides his tongue down Law's throat, quick kisses along his sternum down to the tattoo on his chest. He traces his tongue over the swirls of the heart, running it back up to his shoulder, and Law shivers a little in obvious pleasure, stifling a low groan in his throat.

"Hey, no," Sanji moves up enough to kiss him properly, curling his tongue around Law's and tugging a little. "I wanna hear you. I pretty much woke up the whole hotel last time so you don't have to be embarrassed about it," he grins, hoping that it puts Law at ease, and Law finally smiles tentatively back and nods. "Good," he doesn't really think Law's suddenly going to lose all his inhibitions, of course, but the other man is being surprisingly accommodating so he's going to take advantage of that.

He kisses his way back down Law's neck, wondering if the other man has the same sensitive spots that he seems to, and on a whim trails his hand up Law's side to brush his thumb over one of Law's nipples, feeling it harden under his touch.

"Fuck," Law says it almost as a whisper, like he's afraid to be any louder, but he's shaking a little and his eyes are half-closed, a flush starting to color his cheeks.

And that's encouraging, so Sanji replaces his hand with his mouth, teeth lightly scraping over the raised pink bud, hands sliding down Law's flat stomach and cupping him through his jeans. Law's panting now, straining against his bonds even though if he really wanted to he could free himself, and Sanji's taking a lot of pride in knowing that it's possible to make Law fall apart and that he's actually well on his way to doing it.

"Good?" he asks, pulling his mouth away, and Law bites his lip and nods, hips shifting up slightly. "What?"

Law growls at him and Sanji moves back on his heels, crossing his arms. "If you want something, you need to ask for it."

"You're an asshole," Law replies in a hiss before he closes his eyes and visibly collects himself. "Look, just…hurry it up, okay? It's not that I don't appreciate the foreplay, but I'm…nervous, and it's hard for me to enjoy it knowing what's coming."

And well, that's honest, so Sanji quickly undoes the other man's jeans and slides them off, his cock already hard and leaking a little despite his anxieties. "I'm gonna be gentle, but you've gotta relax for me, okay?" Sanji digs the oil out of his own pants and pours it over his fingers, hoisting one of Law's legs around his waist so that he has better access.

He can tell that Law's trying really hard not to close in on himself and decides to trust his instincts, knowing that he can do this by feel alone and it's probably less intrusive than having him staring the entire time. He kisses Law again, trying to keep his mind off of what he's doing, and slides a slicked finger in with relative ease.

Law grimaces and clenches a little so Sanji stops, waiting until he relaxes before moving his fingers in farther. "Okay?" he asks, trying to ignore his own arousal in favor of making sure Law's always comfortable.

"Yes, it's fine. I told you, I've done this much," Law smiles thinly and his only reaction when Sanji adds a second finger is to furrow his brow a little. His hands are clenched in the fabric of Sanji's tie, twisting it around his fingers for something to keep hold of, and Sanji smirks to himself and crooks his fingers, pressing deeper.

Law can't suppress the moan that tears from his throat at the pressure to his prostate, eyes shooting open and his leg inadvertently tightening around Sanji's waist to tug him closer.

"Fuck, you play dirty," he gasps and Sanji shrugs, adding a third finger while Law's distracted.

"Does it feel good?" he questions, getting a glare in return as if the answer should be obvious. "Hey, I'm just making sure!" he protests, leaving the other man's prostate alone and sliding his fingers out a little before pushing back in, Law's hips moving to fuck himself back on them.

"Mm, yeah," Law finally mumbles, turning his face against his arm, and Sanji lets that one go for now. "I'm okay, you can…" he shrugs, peering out at Sanji, and he looks utterly debauched and Sanji feels something hot and desperate uncoil in his stomach, nodding.

He pulls back, fingers slipping out of Law's body, and quickly sheds his own clothing before oiling his cock with shaking hands. Hitching Law's leg around his waist again, he pushes forward, the head of his erection nudging against Law's opening. "This'll probably go easier if I just do it all at once, but…"

"Need I remind you that I have literally had my heart crushed and managed to stay conscious during it?" Law's voice is dry but his meaning is clear: he's got a high pain threshold and, logically speaking, this should be nothing compared to what he's been through.

"Okay. Just stay relaxed for me," Sanji covers Law's mouth with his own, swallowing the little noises he makes while he pushes inside, and fuck, Law's hot and tight and it's taking all of his restraint not to just shove forward. He's trembling as much as Law is by the time he bottoms out, hips pressing against Law's ass, and Law lets out a sound that could almost be called a sob before moving his head back, eyes a little damp. "Hey, are you…"

"It's not pain," Law promises, sniffing disdainfully. "I'm just…overwhelmed, I suppose, because I never thought I…" he breaks off them, finally showing some cracks in his carefully constructed composure. "I never thought I would get to this stage with anybody, and that I'm…happy to have it happen…" he shakes his head and Sanji knows this isn't the time for deep conversation so he pulls back a little before pressing forward again

"Still good?" he questions, arms shaking to hold himself up, and Law gives him a rather knowing smirk and pulls him in with his leg, breathing against his lips.

"While I…appreciate the…concern, I do wish you would just…hurry up and fuck me. Sanji," he adds, and Sanji grins back and kisses him before starting to move in earnest, hips snapping forward. Law grits his teeth and moves with him, both legs wrapped around Sanji's waist now, and Sanji braces one hand on the bed and the other under Law's back, holding him up a little to better the angle (and it's a good thing Law's as skinny as he is because otherwise that would kind of be impossible). The movement makes Law go limp, something like defeat in his gaze, and Sanji doesn't know what that means because he's so used to Law trying to be in control. It's a little frightening, this submission, like Law's trying to detach, and Sanji leans in to kiss him.

"Law?"

Law blinks slowly and looks at him, letting out a shuddery breath.

"Talk to me."

"Fuck me," Law replies, but he still doesn't move and the words lack any sort of conviction.

"Not gonna happen," Sanji doesn't pull out because damn it, it's taken a lot of work to get this far and he's not giving that up, but he has to know Law's with him on this. "What's up?"

"This isn't exactly the best place to speak about it," Law finally shifts a little. "Suffice to say that…I've had moments when allowing myself to kind of sink into my own consciousness may have been the only thing that saved me, and I suppose when I'm put into a vulnerable position it's second nature to slip into that state," he muses. "I don't feel any threat from you, but voluntarily giving up control is…I thought I could do it, but I'm not sure I can."

"You're with me now, right?" Sanji's pretty sure he is, at least, and Law nods. His eyes are clearer now, and he doesn't look so frighteningly out of it. "Look," Sanji sighs, wriggling his hips a little and making them both groan. "I'm not asking you to…submit to me. That's…fuck, half the reason I like this with you is because we can be equals in this. Sex doesn't have to be about having defined roles or something, y'know?"

"I do," Law promises. "I'm…having a harder time than I thought convincing myself of it, though," he chuckles dryly. "But you're right, of course."

"Good," Sanji kisses him again and Law returns it immediately, moving his mouth with Sanji's in a way that's completely sensual. "So…"

"Please. Continue," Law's gone back to being seductive, eyes smoky and dark, a smirk playing about his lips, and Sanji will never figure out his abrupt mood shifts but he's not complaining now.

"Hold on," Sanji reaches back to shift Law's legs higher, keeping his back off the bed again before thrusting forward, and Law grits his teeth and damn near growls at him and okay, that's actually preferable than him lying there motionless, so he keeps his hips moving, fast and frantic after having held out until now.

Law doesn't seem to mind, though, and while he's still not exactly loud (Sanji doesn't think it's in his nature, honestly), he's making these little noises low in his throat with every drive of his hips. Sanji leans forward, not really able to kiss the other man when they're moving so much so they end up mostly breathing into each other's mouths, eyes locked.

"Can you…fuck…can you hold yourself up like…like this so I can…get you off?" he asks with obvious effort, losing his rhythm with the effort of trying to form a sentence.

"Yes, fuck, please," Law's voice hitches a little on the final word, and he's damn near begging and it's the hottest thing Sanji's ever heard so he vows to make this fast, letting go of Law's back and letting the other man support himself. Law's cock is hot and heavy in his hand and he's not exactly gentle but Law doesn't seem to mind, so he jerks him off rapidly, hand moving with his hips, and Law bucks into his touch before letting out what Sanji can only call a whine and coming abruptly, body jerking up and cum spurting over his stomach.

His whole body clenches involuntarily when he does, and the extra pressure around Sanji's cock is all he needs for his own orgasm to hit him, curling over Law's body and gasping through it.

Law's legs slip off from around his hips, hitting the bed with a dull thump, and Sanji braces a hand on Law's shoulder and pulls out slowly, chancing a look up at the other man while he does so. Law's wrists are hanging limply in his bonds, his body slumped against the pillows, streaked with sweat and cum and his hair is sticking up in damp spikes.

He's fucking gorgeous, and Sanji feels a tiny thrill at the fact that Law had given something to him that nobody else would ever get, and it's…overwhelming. He shakes his head and stands up on shaky legs, feeling like a newborn deer, before stumbling to the washroom and wetting a facecloth. Law sits up a little while Sanji cleans him off, as gentle as he can be but Law doesn't seem to be in any pain and that's a good sign, especially since Sanji hadn't taken it easy on him.

His tie is ruined, although he knew it would be, the fabric twisted and stretched, and Law glances up before using his ability to sever it instead of making Sanji try to work through the knots.

"Thanks," Sanji picks up the pieces of fabric and tosses them aside, too exhausted to do much more than curl up and sleep. Law rubs idly at his wrists but from what Sanji can see they're barely red, and drops his head back onto the pillow, arm coming to rest around Sanji's waist instantly when the blond moves beside him.

They're quiet for a while then, breathing in-sync in the sex-soaked air of the room, and Sanji can feel the silence bearing down on him so he asks, "Was it okay?"

"Yes," Law replies immediately, fingers stroking patterns along Sanji's back. "I…might even say I enjoyed it."

"Good. That was the plan," Sanji kisses at Law's jawline, the closest part of him he can reach right now, and yawns before burrowing down farther into the blankets. The moment seems perfect, and he might regret what he's going to say next, but he knows there's no better time for it and, well, he's not a coward. "I love you."

"You shouldn't," Law doesn't even seem surprised, the bastard, but of course his first response is to be predictably self-deprecating.

"Yeah, well, tough shit, because I do. You're a pain in the ass and you're impossible to figure out, but for what it's worth, that's how I feel," he pokes Law's shoulder and Law laughs and reaches down to frame his hips with his hands.

"Well, not that this might mean much coming from me, but I…believe I might love you, too. As much as I'm capable of it," he adds, and Sanji doesn't really care right now because damn if his whole body doesn't feel warm with just those words. "It…"

"Doesn't change anything," Sanji fills in for him. "Of course not. We're still who we are and we've still got our own things to do," he pushes himself up a little to kiss Law, framing his face with his hands and brushing his thumbs over Law's cheekbones. "But, y'know, why beat around the bush when we'll both be happier just to say it?"

"True enough," Law kisses him back, sighing in what sounds like pure contentment. "You're not smoking," he sounds surprised.

"I want to, but I'm about ten seconds away from passing out so I don't think that'd work very well," he flops back down and half-closes his eyes. "What're the chances they'll let us stay in bed for the whole day tomorrow?"

"With your crew? Probably not good," Law admits, his fingers lightly trailing over Sanji's skin like he's trying to memorize him by touch alone. "But I wouldn't object to it, since it's our last day here."

Or ever, Sanji thinks, although the island's taken them off-course enough that it will take a couple of days to get to Dressrosa, but trying to find this peace on the ship is going to be damn near impossible. Still, if Law's okay with it, he's completely fine with not moving any more than necessary for the next day and a bit.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks again, trying to hold off sleep for at least a little longer because Law post-coital is about the most unguarded he ever is, and right now there's something beautiful about how at peace he seems.

"I'm fine, Sanji," he promises, Sanji's name rolling off of Law's tongue with ease now, and the blond's a little amazed at how far they've come when he actually thinks about it. "I can't say how I'll feel in the morning, but all things considered, I'm sure I can withstand it."

"Good. Thanks, by the way," he adds, and Law chuckles. "What?"

"Nothing. You don't have to thank me as if I've done you a favor. I wanted it, and you were willing, and…" he pauses, reaching to cup the back of Sanji's head with his hand. "I think I needed it, to be quite honest. Since my….relationships up until this point have effectively been one-night-stands, the idea of an equal partnership isn't something that had truly crossed my mind. It's not that I ever considered being on the receiving end to be demeaning, precisely, but I think I'd always assumed that…"

"It's submissive?" Sanji guesses, and Law nods. "I mean, yeah, depending on who's involved it could be, but…" he shrugs. "It doesn't have to be."

"I realize that now," Law assures him. "And while I doubt I'll be…giving myself to anybody else in that way, as I said, I'm glad I chose to with you."

"So 'm I," Sanji can't resist kissing him again and Law doesn't seem bothered by it, although Sanji yawns halfway through and it kind of ruins the moment. "Fuck, I need sleep."

"Sleep, then," Law pulls the blanket up a little higher, wrapping his arms around Sanji's shoulders and hauling him half on-top of him, and Sanji throws his leg over Law's hips so they're a tangle of limbs but it's nice. "And I should really be thanking you."

"Why?" Sanji's too exhausted to figure out Law's riddles right now so he just wants a direct answer.

"Because you didn't let me down," Law says it quietly but Sanji knows what he means. Law's given him a lot tonight, and Sanji could have abused that privilege, but the last thing he's ever wanted to do is make Law uncomfortable and dammit, if he's trusted with something, he's going to take it seriously.

"Yeah, well, I know if I put one foot out of line you're probably gonna kill me, so that's a good incentive," he's joking and he knows that Law knows it.

"Brat," Law mutters into his hair and Sanji smiles against Law's skin and lets himself relax completely.

They're good. They might only have a few more days left, but they're good, and given the situation, he's pretty damn happy right now.

Notes

1. This probably got too sappy again but I hope it's not straying from their characters too much.

2. Thanks as always for reading and commenting; you guys are the best :)