•Hi guys! Its been forever, so I'll just cut to the chase with the chapter!•
—The seed breaks through the surface, a fearless act of courage. It fights through the rain, through the storm, through the black. The lake acknowledges his efforts. The other seed doesn't; it instead looks up enviously, wishing it had such strength.—
9. Apologies
Luffy decides to go back to Summer School the next day, and no, it wasn't because of Law. Nor was it, for some strange reason, because of Ace. It was because of himself, because he wanted to.
Well, he tells himself that.
The sunlight shines through the open window, bringing in warm air and bright rays of sun. A normal person would've smiled at nature's little blessing. Luffy doesn't. But that's okay, since he's in a better mood than he's been in months, and that has to count for something, right?
He opens the fridge, and he isn't surprised anymore at the large amount of food, with meat and soda specifically in abundance. It's become a normal thing, a ritual of sorts, something expected and known. Luffy's never questioned, and he never will. What he will question, however?
Law.
He's always been a question mark, an unknown value in his equation of life.
He pulls out some bacon, and starts to prepare it, thinking over what happened the previous night. His conversation with his teacher was rather strange, but enlightening, and the contradiction made both sense and none at all in his twisted mind. Luffy was simply out of it, no if, ands or buts, and he felt sorry. He was going to apologize today. He should've. His actions, his calling Law 'Ace', was much too hurtful. It was too much.
He often forgets that he's not the only one suffering.
Law must be too. After all, Ace and Law had been friends long before Luffy was even in the equation.
The sudden realization makes Luffy pause, eyes wide open. Of course. He should've known.
Luffy licks his lips absentmindedly, removing the bacon from heat and placing them on a plate, and pulling out a cold bagel from the fridge. It'd have to do for breakfast, because his appetite had suddenly plummeted. Its Law's fault. No, it was wrong to blame him for his incompetence.
It's Luffy's fault.
He eats quickly, shoving the deliciousness in, all the while glancing steadily at the clock. He was going to do this. Luffy finished with gusto, quickly placing the plate in the sink and stealing to his room, hoping to make himself presentable in the twenty or so minutes he had remaining of the bright morning.
But before that.
He walks towards his Calendar, tilting his head to the side thoughtfully. It's June 1st already. A new month, a new leaf. Luffy has finally turned it, and he wanted to keep it this way, sure. He'd have his days, but this was his Calendar.
He had to form it, make it his own. He writes:
I'm gonna apologize to Law today.
If only it went as smoothly as he wrote it.
—•—
"I'm sorry, Law, last night I was just...no, no," Luffy mutters to himself, hands tight while gripping the stirring wheel. The morning didn't welcome his apology, glaring back at him with yellow arcs of sun.
Luffy managed to pick himself up somewhat, having dragged himself to his car after throwing on skinny jeans with converse, and a nice tee. Though the minutes seemed to want to lazily roll by, hours have passed in Luffy's mind. He said he was going to apologize, and of course he meant it...but how?
If he thought too hard his face would pink at the idea.
Luffy's heart hammered in his chest, and there's five minutes until Grand Line, until he'd apologize, and everything would be forgotten. He hopes. Luffy went too far, he knew that, and even if it wasn't on purpose, even if what he saw was fake, the hurt in Law's eyes were real. His teacher having emotions such as those he exposed the previous night was a slap across the face to Luffy, and his insensitive assumptions drove him to the actions he was taking now. Its just. It's mean, cruel, if one were to go as far, and Law deserved a well thought out, well worded apology.
Luffy sighs, biting his lip. "I, um, sorry for, what I said last night," he proclaims with an air of confidence, one soon popped by himself out of shame. Embarrassment flooded his cheeks, and he shakes his head vigorously. That he had to and grovel generously before the very man he threatened and pestered for information not long ago was beyond humiliating. It was abhorring, a stain to his swollen pride, and a stab to his heart.
Suddenly, the school is at his right, and his head is completely out of ideas. He hadn't thought of one at all, and the encounter Law was soon to receive was going to be one of the lowest, pride-wise, events of his life.
Luffy swallows and pulls into the parking lot.
He quickly parks his car, not missing the detail of him being the only student on time, and exits with an air of purpose. He was going to do this, he needed to do this, even if it went in the complete opposite direction of his intention, it was a morality thing. A human thing. It's not right to leave it as it was.
Dark, round orbs search the parking lot as he walks towards his school, narrowing at the obscure amount of cars. Law's wasn't there.
Luffy swallows and clears his throat. "Maybe he parked elsewhere," he murmurs, calming himself and as he makes way to the school doors, and opens them.
The halls are empty, the emptiest he's seen them in a while, and Luffy sometimes forgets how enormous his school is sometimes. The familiarity doesn't stop him, however, as he begins to make his way towards the classroom in which he was was to apologize to Law in. His heart started beating in his ears again, to the point where that was all he could hear, and his face was a healthy shade of light pink. He might not even be here, who knew, but if he really was, then he'd have to ready himself to apologize.
There's no way he'd be able to properly show his regret if he didn't.
Luffy reaches the classroom, hand on the cold knob. The blinds on the windows are drawn, the class dark. He narrows his eyes at the door, and gives it a turn. It opens, chilly air messaging his face as he steps into the threshold. There's not a soul. Luffy scans the empty room, frowning. He had readied himself, worried over this, fussed over this, all for nothing?
Cursing quietly, he slams the door shut, stalking away from the room. Law should've been there, so he could get it over with, but no. Of course.
Luffy draws his mouth into a straight line, face impassive and gray. But staying mad wasn't going to solve any problems. He had to think rationally, or, at least, as rational as he would let himself think.
He was improving, he could feel it, and the only obstacle was himself and his lack of information.
Luffy walks back down the dull hallway, eying the walls lazily, deep in thought. "If Law isn't in the classroom," he pounders aloud, "then where the fuck..." The Principal's Office. It was the most plausible of all the places that popped in his mind, and he'd have to go there for the classroom key, anyway. It was just the creepy, unnerving principle that rubbed him the other way.
The student steels his resolve. He would have to endure it. This was for Law, for this apology that had to be made. Not to mention that the man still had information about his brother that even he didn't know, an irritation which irked him to no end.
Luffy tucked the feeling away for the moment.
He walks carefully to the center of the school, it's heart. The halls, veins, pumping students in and out, keeping it alive and healthy. A reason the school was down to shit in awfulness? The principal itself. The man was a virus, infecting all who come near him. It was only a matter of time before Luffy became exposed enough to become sick himself; the man would only smile as he landed a fatal shot.
Luffy swallowed down his fears. Fear? Since when was he scared? Nervous? Anticipant? The blonde simply threw him off guard, and so much so that for Luffy to appear before him again was nothing less than nerve wracking. Nevertheless, it had to be done. It had to.
The hallways leading to was his destination darkens steadily, or maybe it's just his imagination toying with him. They usher him along to the office, smiling evilly, taunting him with whispers of encouragement. A sinking feeling resides deep within his core, and the hairs in the back of Luffy's neck stand on end. He was getting worked up yet again, becoming a deterrent to himself.
Luffy pauses, bringing both hands to his face in a loud slap. A hurtful red burns bright on his cheeks, and Luffy takes a deep breath. "Get it together. The day's barely started," he mutters to himself. He looks up. A double door beckons his entry, curved brass handles shining bright, craving his tug. The doors themselves are an almost blinding white, speckless, and cleaned. The pure exterior is so fake that Luffy had to cough to conceal a chuckle.
It was as if it was hiding the rottenness within.
Luffy grabs a half moon on the door and pulls, mind set on a single goal and that goal only. To find Law.
"Monkey D. Luffy. I've missed you."
Luffy blinks rapidly, eyes adjusting to the bright lights behind the blonde. The contrast throws the principal into shadows, lenses glowing alongside the eerie smile he smeared in his face with a permanent marker. The student closes the door behind him quietly, and walks forward with tentativeness. "Dolflamingo," Luffy deadpans. He walks over to a seat and, throwing the smirking man the dirtiest look he could produce, plants himself in a chair before his desk. "Where is Law?"
His smile spreads wider, almost cartoon like, and it makes Luffy want to puke. Doflamingo tilts his head, resting it upon a tan hand before responding. "You're always looking for my boy. He's not here yet. Why?" The final inquiry is asked in a low, almost challenging tone, and Luffy's resolve wavers in the slightest before he builds it back up. Too late. Doflamingo notices, and a low laugh slips past his lips.
Luffy's eyes widen to the size of plates. "My boy?" he repeats, eyebrows raised. The innocent reaction comes almost natural, something he'd do before his brother had passed.
Something tingled within him at the mention of his deceased sibling. Luffy's better now, he swears. He hopes.
"You're too cute," Dolflamingo murmurs. Luffy ignores him as best he could. "Why isn't Law here? School starts in, what, ten minutes?"
The self gratified smile slips from his features, and Dolflamingo's gaze flicks downwards to his wrist. "8:49. True," he mutters under his breath. His mouth tugs downward slightly, and Luffy tilts his chin up, a vain attempt to look down on his superior. The student's round eyes turn into slits.
"Since he's not here," The pink coated man begins, "would you like to stay here with me?" He pauses in his shuffling of documents to glance up at Luffy with suggestive eyes. A cold shudder runs down Luffy's back, and he swallows to tamper down his upset stomach. Everything about the situation raised a red flag for him, but of course, Luffy didn't listen.
There were bigger things in life he had to attend to, and there was no way a simple man was going to stop him like this. Besides, Law would have to come here first thing in the morning anyway to get his classroom key. Luffy eyes the wall to the right of the blonde's hear, sporting a single golden key on a hook, the plate above reading, 'Classroom 69'. It's only one of a row of hooks, many of which are without a key. Without a doubt the teacher would come here and, finally, rescue him from this nightmare.
Only to be thrown into another one, but that was for then.
Luffy avoids the scrutinizing eye the man gives him as he makes himself comfortable in the chair, not bothering to respond to Dolflamingo's inquiry.
"So," he begins after a moment's breath, readjusting his glasses. The blonde folds his hands, long limbs propped on the table before him. "So. You and Law seem to be close, hmm?"
Luffy swallows. "Of course not."
"Really? I'd beg to differ," Doflamingo purrs, licking his lips. The student doesn't bother to suppress his revolted shudder. Neither does he stand to reply. He didn't owe the man an iota of space nor time.
After a long drawn out moment, the principal stands, waking gangly towards a filing cabinet. Luffy follows him with his eyes only, suspicion follows his every motion. The pink coat the man wore hid his arm movements, but a loud slam makes Luffy jolt. The blonde turns back towards him, a blank rectangle in hand. Luffy shifts uncomfortably in his seat, and if the sirens in his head weren't going off before, they sure were now, and every single one of his senses told him to flee.
What was he so scared of?
"How's that Ace kid doing?" The tan man asks casually, orbs glancing up from studying the thin paper. Luffy's heart stops, and his world blanks to a pure, chaste white.
Its misleading.
He doubles over, and the pain from those three months come back to him, hitting him like a truck of bricks, knocking the air out of him. His brain whirls within his head, dizzying him and throwing him off balance, because nowhere had he ever planned on his brother being mentioned by the one person he absolutely despised. He wasn't worthy. This man had no regard for his brother, absolutely none, not an ounce of respect. He had no right, none whatsoever.
The blonde had to stop.
"How...how do you know him? How do you know my brother?" Luffy grits, standing up so fast a pang of pain shoots up straight from his core, sending him nearly tripping over his own feet.
A look of shock comes across the older's features. "Ace was your brother?"
Luffy's stomach churns obscenely at the tense. "Yeah," he manages weakly, eyes down. He pauses for breath before asking, "Why?" He doesn't mean to. But it's Ace, so the world could fuck itself.
Luffy thought the road ahead was bright. Doflamingo turned into a desolated, isolated street.
Doflamingo shows him the card, and Luffy takes a look of unrequited curiosity. The contents wipe the anger clean off his face, followed by his eyes watering without his consent.
It's a picture of a young Ace, around ten or so, smiling proudly with an arm slung around another boy's shoulders. He sniffles as quietly as he can. "Ace," he whispers, bringing a caressing thumb over his smooth, innocent face.
"He's passed, hm?" Doflamingo asks sorrowfully. His company's glassy eyes blink owlishly, fighting to rid of his filling cup before it overflew. "It's no wonder."
Luffy pushes the ominous statement to the back of his mind, and instead narrows his eyes at the child who Ace seemed to adore. His tan glistened in the sunlight, with dark, wistful eyes, a white hat admired with black dots, and a baby frog clamped within his small fist. "Who's..."
"That's Law," the man smirks.
"That's Law?" Luffy repeats disbelievingly, gaping at the young face. After a long gander at his premature features, the younger takes a low intake of breath. "Holy shit. How...how you have this? What the fuck," Luffy says all at once, and the blonde raises an amused eyebrow at his language.
Doflamingo takes back the pictures, tucking it into one of the many pockets his large featured coat offered. "You could say we have a history."
The bells rings then, a sound almost gone unheard in the roar of the sudden crowd, a sea of voices that Luffy had somehow managed to block out. The black haired just about turns to leave, to close the door on the whole situation when a stray thought suddenly comes to mind.
"Dolflamingo," Luffy begins sullenly, eyes a wild ferocity of madness. "What did you mean, 'It's no wonder' Ace passed?"
The tall man regards the boy's body language carefully, picking his next words with a cautious tongue. "He isn't the same Law I would've thought he would be as an adult. Something tragic has happened to him, much deeper than a simple death."
"Are you insinuating you know something about Ace's death?" Luffy asks with a grave voice. He's surprised it doesn't waver or faulter like his heart.
"Law might," Doflamingo smiles. Luffy scowls at him, stalking away and slamming the door, hate for the blonde fully restored.
...
Law was here, death written across his face, with black creases between his brows.
If one woke up in the wrong side of the bed to have a bad day, Law didn't even wake up on the bed; the man was simply grumpy, and in every form of the word. He seemed to hate to the world and everything in it, seeing as the threatening, negative aura around him seemed to fester itself more and more prominently. Luffy took this all in within a second, still standing in the doorway. "What the hell happened? Damn," Luffy remarks, one that slipped out of his mouth almost automatically. A student pushes him from behind, laughter trickling in through the gap. Luffy glances up, and its that tall guy with the Afro, a new stack of porn in his hands. The black haired frowned deeply as the guy above him snickers and walks confidently to his seat. Serval teens follow the first, and Luffy finally gets himself together and gets himself into a seat. Questioning Law now was a wrong move, one that would end in nothing less than pretty.
The class dragged on, with Luffy barely paying attention to the man's drab lecture. Unlike his previous classes, he didn't care wether or not the students payed attention, and neither did he care if anyone was engaged. Which, because of his lax ways, none of the students were. Luffy's mind was a ragged, tangled mess of thoughts, spinning around in endless loops, yet he still tried to wrap his head around this one. What had gotten into him? Was it because of yesterday?
Was it because if his words?
Guilt sinks to the bottom of Luffy's stomach, and he shakes his head to rid myself of those thoughts. Of course not. There's no way someone as proud as Law would get so worked up over such a tiny thing, was there? He was too old for such antics.
"That's all," Law conjures with a slam of his workbook. In a swift move, he tosses the paperback into his bag, shrugs on a coat, and exits the classroom in a heightened, steady gait, in tandem to the bell's obnoxious ring.
The noise in the classroom had all but quadrupled as the students laugh, conversations carried high above them. Luffy shut this out as much as he could, and instead hurries after his teacher. He didn't even know why he was so adamant to apologize to the man, but it was a gut feeling, something that told him he had to do this no matter what.
Ace had told him to listen to that feeling. So Luffy did.
Skipping his second hour, Luffy walks outside into the bright sunshine, covering his face for a better view of the wide parking lot. It isn't long until he spots Law, turning keys in his hand, scowling deeply at the metal. Luffy tightens his lips and walks tentatively, stealing across other cars to get to the passenger side of the older's vehicle.
Just as Law slips into the driver's seat, Luffy pops open the opposite door. Law looks up, startled, but quickly slips the impassive mask back onto his face. "Get the fuck away from my car, Luffy-ya," Law spits, eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't have time for your shit."
Luffy swallows and takes a seat, closing the door behind him. Law's eyes are on him the the entire time, and each centimeter closer to the man sends his heart racing out of nervousness. "I just, um," Luffy stutters. He rings his hands, looking down, and a flush of embarrassment fills his cheeks. He prepared himself for this, stressed over this all morning, and just at the crucial moment, of course this happens.
He thought it'd be okay. He'd thought it'd be alright.
"You're waiting my time," Law sighs roughly, starting his car and unlocking the door. "And I'm not in the mood. Leave."
Luffy turns to him, eyes wide and apologetic. "I'm sorry," he says softly, head bent respectfully. "What I did last night wasn't right. No, it was cruel. I didn't take your feelings into account. It won't happen again, I promise, so I'm so—"
Law had grabbed his shoulder in a hurried, swift movement, pushing down with so much force that Luffy lets a little gasp out, grimacing as his back hits the small seat. Law towers over him, face streaked in sharp angles of sun, eyes narrowed into slits. "Luffy-ya," Law begins, voice deep and rolling off in waves. "I have too many things to deal with right now, and you're not helping."
Luffy's eyes harden. He had tried the nice way. "Like Ace's death?"
Law freezes. "Where did you hear—"
"Dolflamingo," Luffy breathes. "What do you know? I knew you were hiding something."
"That man and his loud mouth," the older grumbles, mouth forming an even deeper frown. Law lowers his face, his nose a breath away from Luffy's. "Don't delve into these things. It's none of your concern. The truth hurts. Reality hurts. Life hurts. You cant handle it, I know well."
Luffy scoffs, offended. "I- I'm better. I'm not healed, no where close, but I'm better. I've improved, so please. This is my own brother were talking about, so of course it's my concern. What is it about my brother's death that I'm missing?"
The man studies the student below him, teary eyed and rosy cheeked, looking up defiantly. Law takes a deep breath. "I'm the one who should be sorry," Law says under his breath. Luffy might've been a persevering, overbearing, annoying bastard, but he still had this effect on Law, something he didn't realize until it was too late.
Something tugged within Law.
Downwards.
Luffy made a surprised little squeal when Law's lips were suddenly on his. Shockingly soft and plump, Laws lips barely touch Luffy's, gingerly caressing the flesh. Luffy struggles below him, weakly gripping the older's back, and pulling. The student presses his head against the seat, away from the shy mouth hovering on his own. He averts his mouth, gasping heavily. "What are you doing?" Luffy murmurs between soft pants.
Law pulls away from the boy before him, facing the opposite way. "An apology."
Luffy furrows his brows as he gazes at the man before him. Law is quiet, silent, even, for several moments, all without facing him. The younger gets the hint and, eyes still planted on Law, exits the car. Though his heart pounds wildly in ears, cheeks inflamed, and movements jerky, his mind couldn't get Law's statement out of his mind.
An apology? For what?
—•—
Sabo groans, throwing papers up into the air in frustration. "I just can't understand it! You interviewed Law and he just goes, 'Ace died because of me' and leaves? What...what the fuck?"
Koala sighs, spinning around in her chair. She chews furiously on gum, looking over different documents of various sizes and colors. "That man is sneaky, and he can use his resources well. He left so quickly we couldn't go after him, and we looked in the hallway, he disappeared..."
Sighing, he leans back in his seat. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked you to do this favor for me."
Koala sputters, standing. "The both of us know that I'm more than capable of handling a case of two by myself! Dragon has you busy on a thousand other different projects, so of course, since I have a time-allowing schedule, I'll look into your brother's case for you."
Koala tilts her head, smiling softly, "It's taking a bit more time than anticipated, and yeah, the questioning was completely my fault."
The blonde thinks for a moment, nodding absentmindedly. "Speaking of brothers, how is Luffy? Has he recovered from the hospital?"
Koala gives him a confused look, pausing in her collection of papers. "What hospital?"
"Well," Sabo begins, a nostalgic smile painted on his features. "There was this one day a few months back that I'm walking, right? And I found Luffy just passed out on the sidewalk. I thought he was sleeping, because his eyes were kinda half openish, but they closed suddenly and I freaked out. Then I took him to the hospital."
Koala drinks in the information with a drawn out, exaggerated, "Okay." Sabo turns towards her, eyes all seriousness. "Well?"
"Um. He's been out of the hospital for at least two and a half months now. He's going to summer school in order to regain the credits he missed."
The man releases a breath, relaxing his tension. "That's great."
"Hmm," Koala hums in agreement, tucking a stray strand of orange hair behind her ear. "Next time, I'll—"
"No," Sabo interrupts, a new flame shining brightly in his eyes. "I'll go."
He stands, easing towards the exit of the room already, and Koala follows him hastily, hands stretched out wide to her sides. "Hold on, there's no way Dragon will allow this," she protests. "And besides, didn't I tell you I'd handle it?"
"I want to see him personally. Luffy, I mean," Sabo says clearly. "He comes before anything, even this job as Vice President of the whole damn police force."
"You reckless little—"
Sabo faces her squarely, bringing himself up as high as he could, initiating the intimidation he had acquired over the years on the job. "Hey, while I'm out there, I can see to this Law person. If you weren't able to get it out of him, guaranteed, I will."
Koala crumples, letting out her bottled frustration through a huffy sigh. "There's no stopping you, is there?"
The blonde smiles wildly at her, winking. "Nope. I'll keep in touch."
He walks out the door with finesse, closing it softly behind him. "Oh, and Koala?" The man says before completely shutting the door.
The woman eyes him with a defensive eyebrow raised. "What?"
"Thanks for everything," he smiles, leaving as roses blossomed on the woman's cheeks.
•ITS BEEN OVER A MONTH hi friends. So at least this is a decently sized chapter for your reading pleasure. Anyway, thanks reading as always. HMU on favs, follows, reviews, all that juice. See you all in the next chapter!•