•wow hello it's been forever because things have been getting crazier on my side. Enough about me, however. Who was your day? I hope it was send is, joyful, and hopefully stress free. I hope you enjoy this chapter!•
—The sight of sun, grass, leaves, greens, and animals galore astounds the second of the two seeds. The first of the two smiles. 'The storm has passed,' it says. 'Yes,' replies the second, 'indeed it has.'—
12. Tears
Law feels like there's weight off his chest.
It's only a single day after his appointment with the blonde boy who he found out was Luffy's brother. He wakes up without wishing he didn't for the first time in months. It's been forever since he's felt, in a sense, truly free. He can breathe more fully, and take deeper breaths. It's exhilarating and scary, having the chains around his heart have finally let him go, and Law's nearly drunk on sudden freedom.
The coffee this morning packed a bigger punch, its flavor a bit deeper, its after effects lasting a bit longer. Law loved it, this sudden releasing of the heart. All he had to do was open up. Simply open his mouth and spill the secrets he longed to forever keep locked away in the depths of his soul. Such would not only help himself, but help others, too, in the process. He had never thought of it that way.
The summer school teacher was nearly bouncing in his apartment, smiling and happiness all around, and surely, if he were to have a roommate, they wouldn't be wrong to assume he was still drunk on the nonexistent drink from the previous night. He himself didn't know the exact reason for his energy, but it had something to do with letting go.
Letting go of the guilt, letting go of the pain, throwing it out, letting the air disperse it amongst the appropriate people. He wasn't alone in this searing, sharp, gut-wrenching hurt.
Humming to himself, he grabs his bag, already fully dressed and having eaten, and heads out the door, locking it behind him with a soft click of security. The teacher spares a long side glance at the door not more than five feet away from his own. He even dares to stop, simply staring at the closed piece of wood. He opens his mouth, raises his hand to knock, but decides against it.
Law hasn't said a single word to Luffy since their kiss in his car.
And that hadn't gone well nearly as awkwardly in his head. But now that he had to face the teen in class today, Law wasn't sure what he was going to do. The energy within him quickly disseminated from jittery excitement to queasy nervousness, the emotion pooling in his stomach and staining his cheeks the lightest of all pinks. His movements ceased to be for a moment, before the rational part of his brain screamed at him to move, that he had a job, and that he couldn't be late.
Instead of knocking, he swallows down the greeting which he nearly let loose on the air, mentally kicks himself, and moves on toward the outside, where he could transport himself to his classroom.
Once inside the vehicle, Law pulls out his phone, texting a man in whom he knew would answer within the first minute of pressing send.
L: hey Shachi
Shachi: it's been forever, dumbass.
At that, Law smiles. He really hasn't been keeping in touch with his friends nearly as much as he should be. Maybe he will go out and do something with Shachi as soon as this whole situation was over. Hence, the reason for his delayed social life. Ace, Luffy, Sabo, hell, even Marco, and all the crazy shitty emotions, legal crap, and things of past have pushed every other aspect of his life so far away that he was at the point of forgetting anyone else worried for him except himself. Poor Shachi. Law was even partly surprised he hasn't forgotten Law, either.
L: sorry, Shachi. I swear I'll make it up to you. My life has become so crazy so quickly.
Shachi: ...I understand. You're still dealing with that Luffy kid and his brother, right? That's gotta be tough.
L: you've no clue
Shachi: well im here to talk anytime. Literally, whenever, I'm always on my phone
Law smiles at the warm phone between his hands. Shachi never left him without a chuckle or two leaving him. Whether he rip it through his cold, dead body, or it comes easy, easy enough that one could even call it natural, his old co-worker could and would always make him feel better. Maybe it was the good weather that affected his good mood, and maybe it was his good mood that affected his words.
L: thanks, Shachi :)
Shachi: I'm checking u into the nearest hospital. Trafalgar Law, being thankful? You are dying?
Law closes his eyes, taking a content breath of air.
L: nope. If anything, the exact opposite.
...
When Luffy comes, he's avoiding eye contact, and a certain part of the older's heart drops. Not that Law was hoping for anything, of course, they had quite a large audience of teens before them. And, just like him, Luffy must be feeling awkward, too. Facing the teacher you kissed after meeting a brother he thought to be dead all his life just yesterday? There probably a war going on in that mind of his.
Law tried his damned hardest not to look at Luffy as much as the other kids, but his grey eyes always seemed to migrate back towards the black haired teen, who lazily glanced at the PowerPoint he had on the board, then to the window, then to his untouched paper before him. At the lack of work ethic, Law tightened his lips, but regardless, his eyes were glued to Luffy. So much so, a girl in front gave him a queer look, turned back to glance at her fellow students, faced him again, and furrowed her brows. Law shot her a glare hard enough to have the threat come across clearly, and she remained seated forward the rest of the class period.
Doflamingo's voice over the intercom came and went long ago, and so did the lecture which Law was teaching that day. It was nearly the end of the summer school, with only three days remaining in the program. The time comes and goes, and Law ps back is to the students when they are dismissed from the clas. Some pack slowly, and other bolt out of the door, as if something were chasing them down the halls of the school. Luffy, however, and Law I would know, is one of the ones taking his time. Yet he isn't exactly slow, he's not nearly the fastest one here.
Law focuses on packing the papers he had returned to him from the students on his desk, busying himself as he watches the teen discreetly from behind a comforting curtain of hair that hangs in front of his face. As the teen gets up, Law turns away from him, getting his bag from the floor. Law feels Luffy's eyes on him for one second, two seconds, three. Then.
He's gone.
Law takes a deep breath of air, pushing back strands of hair. It's no more than a few minutes more that the last student straggles out of his classroom, and the doctor is left alone within the wide space.
Cursing violently, Law sighs. If only he wasn't so awkward, then this whole situation involving Luffy and their kiss would be resolved. Maybe then, once he got over that, he could have the resolve to tell him what he knows about his brother. All those times Luffy had asked, Law never wanted to tell him. The truth was, he was still recovering himself, so what's the point of risking a new injury when the old one hasn't completely healed yet? All that would remain was bigger, more dangerous, and deadlier injury, and soon, the harm done to the body would be irreversible. Law didn't want that, he didn't at all, so after the talk with Sabo, he tried to let go. Luffy's brother had helped more than he ever thought, he really did. And now, he's ready to talk about the subject. But, was Luffy ready to talk to him?
Obviously not.
He'd give the teen his space to recover further from the loss, because there are other, more important, pressing matters to attend to. Law would admit, the decision in the car was something made purely in the heat of the moment, and it was beyond embarrassing, so he could understand Luffy's position very well.
But in the end, there is a dead body, whose past and murder is yet to be completely uncovered by all parties. And it was up to Law to expose what information he holds.
The day turns dark quickly, and it's not long before the gray eyed man is leaving the school once more, bouncing back into his routine, heading for home. Home. Meaning comfort, meaning safety, meaning relaxation. To Law, however, home is a reminder that life can never be all these at once.
—•—
Time flies in a quickened hurry of sorts, coming and going, fleeing from the outstretched hands which tries to grab hold and slow it down. Running and sprinting it goes, and before long, the final day of classes arrives.
It hits Law like a moving train, realizing that this was the last time he could talk to Luffy and have a reason to, for it could concern school. After such a program, however, the only reason to talk to the teen is for personal reasons, and even so, would he be willing to lend him an ear?
Morning is made up of a pink-blue ombré. The sun is blocked by the shadows in the sky, though, showering coldness into the room and dampening Law's spirits. His energy from the previous days were only brimming under the surface. But the excitement was slowly succumbing to being worried over Luffy's not talking to him.
The teen in thought waltzed in, eyeing his teacher casually before taking his seat, pulling out his notebook and taking quick notes. The sudden change in mood concerning schoolwork surprised Law, and if anything, he would say he was proud. Though what spurred the 180 from the first day of school still confused him, Law was happy he was finally taking a liking to his education, and hopefully he would make up for his lost credits.
"Okay," Law announces after the principal's voice floated brought the school over the intercom. He would still have a very harsh word with the man sooner or later. "You guys made it. It's the last day of school all over again."
A collective cheer rises over the students, some even jumping from their seats and pumping an excited fist into the air. A small smile arises upon his lips, and a few girls in front sigh contently. Law raises an eyebrow at them before exhaling. "I understand that you're happy, but there's still the final you have to take."
The wild whooping from within the room relapses into groans and furious curses, some even kicking their chairs or yelling to retort. "Oi," Law hisses, fixing each student with a dangerous, sharp glower. He turns and pulls a tall stack of papers from behind him, and drops it on his desk. Placing his hands on his hips, he says, "I don't want to be here any more than you all do. Trust me. I have my own life, and my own issues, too." At this, Law spares Luffy half a second's eye, and finds those dark, attentive, and wide eyes placed squarely on him. Law gulps, and tries to find words through a dry throat.
"But," the teacher huffs, holding up a single final. "If any of this to count for anything, you've got to get a good grade on this, alright? How about this. When you're done with your exam, you can leave."
The man picks up the stack, placing a large amount on each desk, and instructing the students to pass back the papers. "Not necessarily out of the school, but you're dismissed from my classroom. At least you can get a small taste of summer before your next class. However, whether you want to rush and do poorly or take your time and do well is not my decision."
Once all the health finals were out, the students fell into a monotone silence, pencils scratching against paper, erasers rubbing vigorously against mistakes. The teacher sat bored at his desk, lazily glancing at the pupils before him. His gaze had landed on Luffy and lingered for a bit longer than he would've liked, and when the teen happened to look up once, Law panicked, and he coughed slightly into his sleeve. Luffy jerked his head back downward, and bit down his lips from erupting into a small smile. What was this? What was happening between them? It was a spark of some sort, Law could feel it, but he dared didn't hope. Who knew what was going through the teen's mind at the moment? The teacher, doctor, and neighbor didn't, and he didn't dare to prod unless he was given permission. The man had hurt the smaller boy more than enough, so what right did he have to hurt him more?
The first student, the black haired girl who had walked in on the starting day was finished first, walking up with that same confident air hovering around her. She hands in the final with a frown, narrows her bright blue eyes, and sashays through the door. Numerous students watch her exit, a sense of longing painted on their features. From then in, it was as if a spell that had enchanted the students had been broken. One after the other, every thirty or so seconds, a student would finish, more eager to leave than to turn in their completed final. One nearly sprinted to the door before turning in the assignment, to which Law 'gently' reminded the boy to turn in his damned work.
By the time there were only thirty minutes left on the clock, only five students were left, and Law already partly regrets telling them they could leave. The air in the room was starting to being clammy and confined. Law tapped his finger against his chiseled cheek absentmindedly, scrolling down social media on his phone while keeping an eye out for the last few students.
A boy smiles now, widely, and stands, pulling his final with him. With an upturned, gleeful grin, he places it in front of Law, nods acknowledgement, then walks out with a swagger. Law watches him with annoyed eyes, only to look back up as other remaining students come up as a clique, handing in their tests as one, jogging to meet the first of the group who had waited for them up ahead.
Luffy was the last to remain.
Clearing his throat ungainly, Law watches him. The teen pauses, scratching his head, and scrutinizes the paper below him. The teacher debates the pros and cons of asking him if he needed help, and though it be a final, he would gladly offer it to him. Luffy, he realized, held a special place in his heart. Yes, he was still figuring out exactly where, and yes, it was a rather large chunk.
Law scowls at the wall when he figures he's been staring, and occupies himself with his phone again, lazily scrolling downwards, the occasional post bringing a soft smile to his lips. Minutes of silence seemed to stretch on forever in this state, and it was a good ten minutes until the bell when Luffy finally rose from his seat. He was inching towards they desk slowly, skimming the passages for any mistakes. Law curses his heart as it speeds against his will, each beat painfully louder than the last for every step the dark haired took towards him.
Once standing before the teacher, Luffy puts down the paper, making brief eye contact before straightening again and nodding. Just as he was about to leave, Law jumps up from his chair, annoyance clouding his features. "So. How long do you plan on ignoring me? Or, the other half of the time, when you're glad I kind of, you know, exist?"
The young man turns, regarding his teacher with a careless once-over. "I didn't realize my relationship with my teacher, and, excuse me, doctor, was supposed to be so intimate."
"Intima— ...does it pain you to address me?" Law shoots, eyes narrowed, a strict glare hiding his hurt. He had dared to hope for more than a casual hello or regard.
Dark irises rolls towards the ceiling before snapping back into place. Luffy walks towards his chair, bends to gather his things from its place on the floor. "Hello, Law," Luffy drawls sarcastically, lips pursing as the frown on the teacher's face deepened.
"That's not fucking funny and you know it," Law spits, face heating against his will. He speed walks towards his student, reaching out and holding the teen on the shoulder, preventing him from taking any step towards the door. "Why have you been avoiding me half the time?"
"I don't know," the boy says with a fake smile smothered across his tired features. He spins, looking Law straight in the eye. "Maybe I had no words to say to someone who made—"
Luffy stops himself, catching his breath in a single swoop, leaving Law's mind strangled amidst an infinite amount of possibilities. Within the older's being, he sensed the need to bring up the conversation between him and his brother, because he still doesn't know that, and to hide things about both brothers from the third isn't right. It isn't right at all.
Luffy deserves to know, and maybe through that, he could tell him about Ace.
"Luffy, about your brother, Sabo," Law begins, searching deep into Luffy's eyes for some sort of life, for some sort of sign, but there's none, or, none he could see, and through the sharp pains of his heart he continues. "He was in my apartment because—"
The bell sounds loud through the near empty room, and Law's mouth shuts close as if on cue, and Luffy narrows his eyes. "What were you about to say?"
"I could say the same. Just...go to class," Law mutters, turning away. At least he would have more time to think of what to say, how to say it, and whether or not one phrase would hurt Luffy's feelings as much as or more than another, so for Luffy to leave would be excellent.
The weight was slowly, slowly coming back, and it wasn't from Ace.
Luffy contemplated the words, worried eyes flashing from the door to the man. "Can we talk after school?" Luffy asks, hushed voice walking gingerly amongst the wind between them, and the teacher sucks in a shaky breath, because finally. Finally, finally, finally.
His thoughts wandered to the last time they talked outside of school, and though his mind screamed rationality, his face heated anyway. "Sure," Law nods, "I, um. My car or the apartment?"
The student conte plates the options, eyes widening as his memories remembered, too. With his cheeks dusted a light pink, he turns, waving off the teacher. "My apartment is fine, I guess," he says, voice strained and weak, yet strong enough to get to Law, so he assumes it's okay, it's alright.
That's what they'll be.
He'll be okay.
He'll alright.
Law'll be okay.
Luffy'll be alright.
—•—
Outside of Luffy's apartment Law stands, and hours have flown by in one second. After he had graded the finals and sent them to his pink coated boss, his journey home was one of deep thinking and contemplation. What was he to say to a teen who had suffered a loss great enough to flip his world upside down? And he held valuable knowledge about that loss. It wasn't fair anymore, it really wasn't. And the time has come to finally set things right.
The man takes a deep gulp of air, running a hand through his thick black locks, worried and nervous and anxious. He wanted to tell Luffy everything, as the place in his heart which prevented him was gone, but it didn't erase his awkwardness around Luffy, especially concerning their strange relationship.
The younger opened the door with a yawn, dark hair sticking up in haphazard angles, rubbing his right eye with the corresponding hand and opening the door with the opposite, and with a voice which screamed 'I just woke up', Luffy says, "Hey." The greeting is soft and gentle, and he looks Law in the eyes, both a good sign, for the teacher had expected otherwise.
He smiles, relieved. "Hello, Luffy. May I come in?"
Luffy nods, humming approval, and widens the door just enough for him to come in, but not enough for Law to avoid the awkward brush of arm against arm, and from such contact, Law's body came on high alert. Luffy simply studies him as the man enters the apartment, which was different from the time he came in originally, the time when he realized Ace had a brother.
He sits on the couch, cleared seemingly for him on one side, with rumpled blue blankets on the other, making a little socket for one to slip in and nap. A smile tugs insistently on Law's lips at the innocent cuteness of it all. Luffy came up behind him, glancing around his frame questioningly. "Is there somethin' amatter?"
Depending on the context of such a question, Law could answer variously. But no, he goes with the usual answer, the non-questionable answer, and throws a small smile in the boy's direction. "I'm fine," he announces softly, planting himself in the spot prepared for him on the couch. Crossing his legs, Law gestures to the spot beside him, smothered in soft blanket. "Here, sit. I've many things to tell you."
"Hell yeah you do," Luffy mutters, finally piped up and attentive, plopping down on the fortress of softness. "I'm tired of constantly beating around the bush with you about my brother, Law."
The man nods slowly. "I...I'm." A gulp, a deep breath of much needed air, oxygen, gas, he inhales the scent of the intensity between them, takes them in, shoves them out, and keeps them there. "I'm sorry... I killed your brother."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Luffy snaps with dangerously narrowed orbs, viciously scouring Law's face for any sort of flaw in the mask of sympathy and regret he wore. "What in the sweet, living fuck?"
The boundless energy from only a few days ago had snapped, and the weight was being added back, tripling in consistency, and Law was finding it hard to breathe through the pain his heart was being dealt. He closed his eyes, waiting for the slap that was sure to come, for the retaliation of lying to him all this time, for holding back such precious facts from the only younger sibling his dead brother had for months and months and months on end, and when he revealed it, it was only this. Ugly, disgusting, filthy truth, instead of the diamond jewel of peace or love or whatever Luffy had seemingly expected.
Such a harsh blow did not befall him, but instead a ginger hug, skinny arms attempting to wrap around Law's hunched frame. "I heard your conversation outside your apartment. When Sabo was there? I heard enough to understand."
Surprise filtered through the neighbor's body, and he pulls himself up almost immediately. Luffy did what?
"Why do you push all the burden onto yourself?" Luffy sighs, pulling back and looking deeply into the endless depth of dark and gray. "All these times I would go to my fridge and its restocked, the times that I'd wake up and the apartment is magically cleaned, and those times you helped, helped so much. Then there's me, too scared to face reality, and instead I get lost in the labyrinth of the darkness of my mind."
Law nods his acknowledgement of the metaphor. He's been there, he's done that. He knows, he understands.
"So when you push all the blame onto yourself like that, of course I would get angry. Who wouldn't? Have more confidence in yourself, you're okay in my book, you're okay. Not only because of all the things you did for me, but because it was wasn't even your fault. It's that guy, Blackbeard's."
The teacher closes his eyes and turns away, taking in a gulp of oxygen before huffing it via a shaky sigh through his nose. "I've been suffering for a long, long while, Luffy, I've just kept it secret enough that even I myself questioned as to whether or not I felt anything, and once upon a time, I didn't. So of course, all those times when you've asked to talk about Ace, it wasn't nearly as simple as opening my mouth and speaking. It was similar to opening my soul, Luffy."
The teen thinks over the words, eyeing the man before him in a new light. Law shakes his head vigorously, and suddenly there's wetness in his eyes. Oh, all the times he could've told Luffy about the hate filled rage he filled himself with, until it consumed his being and any sudden movement would result in a violent madness overcoming him. Oh, all the ways he could've explained his deep and extreme sorrow since the time Ace left him in childhood, since they separated, and how many times his thoughts strolled over to his dearest friend, Ace, and his heart would heave. Law tightens his lips, swallowing whatever remaining word he had left to speak, and leans back, staring emptily at the ceiling, his gaze dropping to his side, looking away from Luffy as he desperately tries to blink away the tears. He wasn't going to cry here, not now, he wanted to grieve and think and pretend he was okay in secret, away from people.
Away from Luffy.
But that teen, he's much more perceptive than Law could ever imagine.
The dark haired brings his hand to Law's chin, barely noticing the black stubble which resided there, and tilts the sad man towards him.
Just because he forgave himself doesn't mean he can't remember.
Just because he remembered doesn't mean he can't be sad.
And just because he's sad doesn't mean he is not strong.
Because he was strong enough to hold on to it for so long. For over a decade.
Through lidded eyes, Luffy leans forwards and murmurs a hushed, "It's okay," before brushing his lips against Law's, shivering as a jolt of electricity flows through his being. Law, surprise filtering through his mouth, pauses for only a second before closing his eyes, feeling the cold tears curve arcs of liquid into his dark skin. He embraces the other softly, gingerly and carefully, and kisses him as though he could bend with the slightest force. Gives him all the pain, all the frustrating and the strength he had remaining, and presents it to Luffy, unknowing if he would accept it, because it's a new side to the man, and Law didn't know whether or not Luffy would like that, because he was so used to bottling up everything and staying strong that he forgot what it mean to have a moment to look back, relax, and simply rest. To take a break from having to put on such a mask every day for the sake of everyone else, except himself.
It's all lips and gentle squeezes of the arms, and Luffy sighs against the heated skin, humming when Law plants fleeting butterfly kisses on his lips, which migrated to his cheeks, to his temples, to his forehead, to his nose, then back to his mouth. "Thank you," the doctor murmurs between subtle touches of the lips. "Thank you, Luffy."
The teen nods, eyes fluttering open to see the teacher staring at him through eyes which started to twinkle. "It's me who should be thanking you," Luffy responds with a small split of the lips. Yeah, the change will be hard to adjust to. This. Whatever 'they' were, it was something Luffy could defiantly get into. They clicked like mismatched puzzle pieces, pulling each other up as they stumbled under the weight of everything. No, they weren't perfect, but yes, they were sure to improve. They would throw hits, but bandages were sure to come after. They would learn to love all over again, with no setbacks or turn backs, and they would learn to live again.
They pull away, breathing synchronizing, and it was only this moment when they truly understood each other, their situatin, and the scars that were going to remain. Such a precious, peaceful moment, however, was ruined anticlimactically, but it eased the rough tension out of the air, adding a bit of a comical feel. Law smiled awkwardly, digging in his back pocket for his sleek phone, and furrowing his eyes at the screen. It was Sabo.
"It's Sabo," Law reads to Luffy, whose countenance flashes curiosity. "Put him on speaker."
The older complies, pressing the appropriate button. "Hello?"
"Yeah, Law? We found Blackbeard, and it's urgent. Come to my office immediately."
Law and Luffy lock eyes, horrid sickness darkening their expressions at the same time. Law responds hastily. "Yeah, of course, we'll be there."
•That was a pretty long chapter! Thanks for reading and, unfortunately, the chapter after this is definitely the last one for this story, which is a bummer because I actually greatly enjoyed writing this piece. Especially this chapter just got me into the feel of true OC, if that makes any sense...like the way it's written, I guess. Or maybe it's an author thing. Anyway, please review, fav, follow, all that jazz, and see you in the finale!•