Notes:

Finally I made it to Chapter 3! Sorry for taking it too long, but I am hoping that you guys still enjoy it.

As much as possible, I research stuff first before I post here. But of course, mistakes are unavoidable (especially on medical concepts) so please bear with me. Comments are very welcomed, though. :)

And oh, the disclaimer part. Of course I don't own One Piece. I'm not Oda-sensei. I just borrowed his characters to make this FanFic.

Thank you and enjoy the story. :)

Most people became doctors at the age of 26. But Law, being a prodigy since childhood and having both parents as prominent doctors, had achieved this dream at the age of 23. Sadly, both of his parents and his sick younger sister died because of a large fire accident in Flevance. He was 22 years old at that time and living in a dormitory near his medical school. This had been the first tragedy of his life—his family had left without him having a chance to say goodbye. When he returned to his hometown, he was greeted by three burned corpses; faces unrecognizable, embraces never to be felt again. He would never see their smiles again. He was alone in this world, shattered, unmotivated. But he continued living, anyway. And he graduated as a cardiologist who healed the hearts of people, physically. It's pretty ironic, because his heart needed its own healing, emotionally.

After a few months of practicing cardiology, he met a man that changed his life. He was one of Law's first patients; one that died two years ago, but left Law a smile that broke a surface of sadness in his heart.

"Corazon… He was one of the most important people in my life." Law closed his eyes as he fondly recalled the man he was speaking about. In his mind, he pictured a blond-haired man with a really weird makeup: blue sets of triangles below his right eye and red paint on his lips, extending up to his cheeks. He wore a polo shirt with heart patterns in it, khaki jeans, a dark red hood from which two heart-like shapes hang from, and a dark purple feathery cloak. He's a ridiculous man, indeed, at least on the looks. Add the fact that that man was so clumsy he always slipped on the floor and almost burned himself while lighting his cigarette with a lighter. "I was a doctor—a cardiologist—when I met him. He was one of my patients, and certainly the weirdest one I have ever met. And he seemed to have an obsession with hearts, that's why he liked to be called Corazon."

Luffy looked with a glimpse of interest at Law. Interest with the story or with Law, he didn't know. But for now, he was willing to listen to this man, even though his stomach was already grumbling. "The Spanish term for hearts, right?"

"Yeah. Ironically, he suffered from a heart disease..." Coronary heart disease. A common heart illness, and is one of the most common causes of death to people. "He had come to me many times to let me diagnose him, but most of the time he was just there to annoy me. He said he wanted me to smile because I looked lonely. It's effective though. Thanks to him, I managed to live this mundane life, and even learned to love it."

Law laid his back down on the sand and gazed at the million stars. Luffy did the same, too, but his eyes were on Law instead. To be honest, he was having a mental (or stomach) battle right now; he was very, very hungry already, but he didn't want to ruin the mood. He was a man who would choose food in almost any circumstances, but the man in front of him was interestingly making him to put aside any thoughts of hunger for now. This man, who he was annoyed to for saving his life, was making him feel something unusual. He enjoyed hearing Law's story. Or his voice, perhaps. That smile painted on a seemingly cold person, but surprisingly warm on the inside, he enjoyed looking at them. His stomach might be empty, but his heart was being filled with something more worthy than food.

"Is it okay… if you tell more of his story?"

"Sure, if you are willing to listen."

Almost three years ago…

A 23-year old Law was busy organizing a ton of medical records of patients on his desk. He had just finished performing a heart surgery. He was new to the hospital and the youngest in fact, but because of his reputation, the administration had put a big trust and responsibility on him. He never complained anyway, verbally at least, because only weak people do that. One hour later, he would perform another heart surgery. That's the second for this day.

"I see we've got a new doctor here, huh?" Law was surprised to hear someone talking. Removing his eyes on the files, he saw a strange, tall man, leaning on the door frame.

"Could you knock first before entering? What do you want, Mister?" Law said, annoyed because his work was disrupted. Besides, he was pretty sure that the sign outside his door showed that the doctor is "out". He looked at the man from head to toe, and first impression screamed that this man was sick in the head. Who would wear a cloak in the middle of summer? An idiot, perhaps.

"Grumpy are we, Doc? I just wanna had my check-up. It's your job, right? And for the record, I did knock but you didn't hear it." The man stuck a cigarette in his lips and lighted it. But then…

"Hey, you know you can't smo—YOUR CLOAK!"

As the man lighted his cigarette, his cloak was caught by the lighter's fire.

"What?" Said the man as he stepped inside Law's room, seemingly unaware of his cloak on fire.

"You're cloa—." Law wasn't able to finish the sentence when the man suddenly tripped over. Legs on the air, ass on the floor. It was hilarious, to be honest. But Law had no time for such craziness. He was so fucking busy and this man just disturbed his peace like a fucking storm… on fire.

"Aww man, that hurts. I'm Rocinante anyway, but you can call me Corazon." The man, Corazon, tried to stand up, only to stumble again… on the desk, scattering the organized medical files on the floor. Even Law's treasured figurine, a polar bear given by his beloved younger sister, was dropped on the floor. Good thing it didn't break; or else Law would totally break the guy's neck.

"Fuck, my files…" Law closed his eyes and touched his temples in frustration. He could feel his blood rising because of anger. He wanted to scream at the guy and kick his ass out of the room, but he controlled himself.

"I am sincerely sorry, really." Corazon said, chuckling. Yes, he's really, really sorry. "Guess you'll need my help in reorganizing that stuff."

"NO, STOP! I mean, look, Mister Corazon or whatever, I'm sorry to say but I have an appointment, a heart surgery, in less than an hour." Law tried his best to calm himself. He was a doctor, after all. And in front of him was a patient, though he was not sure if the man entered the correct department. He didn't seem to need a cardiologist; what he needed was a fucking psychiatrist to tighten the screw in his head. "So, if you really need a cardiologist, you can go visit another doctor next room."

"Aww, that's sad. My fault anyway, I haven't set an appointment first, seeing that you're busy." Corazon looked at the scattered files and chuckled again. "Anyway, I can go back tomorrow." The man picked his cigarette on the floor and stuck it again on his lips.

What?! There were other doctors there, damn it, but why was this guy sticking on him? And to sum it up, this guy was really losing his cool. But patients are patients, and he had to handle this one calmly.

"Guess it can't be helped." Law sighed, defeated. "Alright, as of now, my schedule tomorrow is free from 1 to 2pm. Is that time alright?"

"Okay!" Corazon smiled and gave a peace sign to Law. "1pm it is. Thank you for your time, Doc. See you tomorrow!" And there he went out of the room, sucking his cigarette and filling the room with disgusting smoke.

At last, the man finally disappeared, Law said to himself. Somewhat relieved, he started to pick the figurine on the floor and put it in its special place on the desk. Suddenly, he heard a loud bump and a scream outside. He didn't need to look what it was; he was sure that it was that idiot tripping again.

"Corazon, huh?" He wrote the man's schedule on his organizer. He really needed a secretary to help him out. "It's gonna be an eventful day tomorrow." He sighed then started collecting the scattered files on the floor.

"Shishishi, that was funny! You seemed like a grumpy old man!" Here goes another idiot, laughing like there's no tomorrow as he listened to Law's story.

"I know, but I was really a composed man. And I still am." Law boasted. But right now, he wasn't really feeling calm. His heart was beating fast just by hearing Luffy's laughter. This man, like Corazon, could give him emotions that were the opposite of cold and loneliness. Happiness or madness, it didn't matter, as long as he felt alive.

"Really? Then," Luffy laid down his body on his side, facing Law, with his head rested on his hand and elbow on the sand, "why were you panicking just a while ago? Where's the composed man you were talking about?"

Shit, why was he asking me that question? And why was he looking to me like that? Law panicked. Strains of sweat started appearing on his forehead. The blush on his cheeks resurfaced again. They stayed like that for a few seconds, eyes looking at each other, bodies not moving even a single inch.

Blrrrrrrrr. And there's the sound of Luffy's hungry stomach. Saved by the bell.

"You're already hungry, aren't ya?"

"Well, duh? But…" Luffy tried to convince himself that he was willing to listen for more. "You can continue your story anyway." But there goes another sound from his stomach, and he simply dropped his face on the sand.

Law knew that he needed to fill Luffy's stomach already. In fact, it was a good escape for the awkwardness a while ago. And he was also getting hungry. "Three extra-large meat overload pizza, is that all?"

"Really? You'll buy now?! Hurray!" Luffy jumped in excitement. Food, finally. "Oh, can you buy a bucket of chicken and some fries, too? I got hungry just by hearing your story. Not that I don't like it."

"I know, I know. I understand." Law chuckled. If there was an eating contest around the corner, this man would definitely win. "Do you wanna come with me?"

"Nope. I like to be here. Don't worry, Traffy. I won't be going anywhere." Luffy gave Law a huge grin of assurance, with a peace sign on his hand. Surely, he won't run anywhere, not without his food.

Butterflies appeared in Law's stomach. How dare he do that peace sign, just like Corazon? "Alright. Wait for me."

Luffy looked at Law as he walked away. He smiled, but a tear had fallen from his eyes. He really missed them so much. He missed his brothers as they fight over food, him scolding them but joining their ruckus afterwards, and her laughing at their crazy antics. He missed his family so much he wanted to die.

But Law came to his life, saved him from drowning, and now joining him to celebrate this day. To be honest, he was thankful at Law, not only for saving him, but also for not giving up on him. He was thankful for Law for worrying about him, for giving him food… and also for this weird feeling inside his heart. They had learned very little about each other, but somehow their hearts understood each other. Maybe because they both loved somebody so much. Maybe because they were left alone in this world by their loved ones, due to some circumstances they couldn't control. But there was something more about Law that was making Luffy drawn to him, something he couldn't comprehend at this point.

Maybe he needed someone to hold on to.

He put his straw hat on his face, covering his tears.

"Luffy? Are you alright?"

Law removed the straw hat from Luffy's face. Luffy was a bit startled; he hadn't noticed he had slept. How long did Law buy their food? Ah yeah, food. It must be long, for his stomach was already aching.

"Luffy…" Law called again, because Luffy was just staring at his face, no response whatsoever.

Another rumbling from the boy's stomach was heard. "Man, I'm hungry. What took you so long?" He sat down and put the straw hat on his head.

"The line was long and the service was so slow. It took me almost one hour, I'm sorry."

"Nah, that's fine. Let's go back at the hotel." Luffy took the three boxes of pizza to help Law, and then led the walk. "I'll stay in your room, is that okay?"

"Sure, and if you want," Law followed Luffy, trying to gather the words he would say next, "you can sleep in my room again."

Luffy was shocked but amazed by the fact that Law invited him. "Okay! You'll continue your story, right?"

"If that's what you want." Law was surprised to know that Luffy was still interested in his story. He felt that it was unfair though, because he was also dying to know what on earth had happened to him to make a decision of ending his life. But he decided to take things slowly. If his story would somehow bring comfort to Luffy, then he would be more than willing to talk about it overnight. What mattered is that the boy would be fine, and guarded by him.

"After few weeks with that man bugging me, I grew fond of him. I slowly realized that he's not that… bad to be with." Law finished the slice of pizza in his hand and took another one. They were halfway on their food. "He may be weird, but his stories always made my day. To be honest, it felt like my day wasn't complete without him showing in my office. Of course, I won't admit that to him. But I didn't need to tell it, because I know that he knew."

Luffy did not speak a word. He was too busy eating pizza on one hand and fried chicken on the other. Law knew that he was listening, though. He continued to share his interactions with Corazon, those that he would never forget. Many of them were pretty hilarious, but some of them were serious and deep.

It was Law's day off when he and Corazon decided to take a walk on the sea coast of Minion. At this point the two were already close. Their relationship had grown from doctor-patient to being friends—or a father-son, perhaps.

"Why did you choose to be on this place?" Law inquired.

Corazon puffed on his remaining cigarette and put the butt on his pocket. "I always go here. I like the freshness of the wind."

"If you want fresh air, then quit smoking. How many times do I have to remind you that smoking worsens your heart condition?"

"Easy, boy. It's your day off for being a doctor." The older man chuckled. Law just rolled his eyes. "I'm drinking my maintenance, so I'll be fine, right?"

"Meds help, but proper health observance is also important." Law was about to say another thing when Corazon suddenly twisted his ankles and was on the verge of falling. Good thing Law already knew how to handle this kind of situation; he quickly grabbed Corazon's waist to help him keep his balance. "Jeez, you really have to do something about your clumsiness."

"You can't blame me why I'm like this, you know. Heh, thanks for helping anyway." Corazon chuckled. What a klutz.

When they spotted an empty cottage they decided to sit there for a while. Just like the other times when they're together, Law shared his experiences and frustrations about his work. Corazon, on the other hand, would share some stories about him and his brother Doflamingo. Law admired the brotherly relationship of the two. He saw Doflamingo twice, and to his surprise, he also wore a feathery cloak but a pink one. Corazon explained that it was just their weird idea—they wanted to look different by wearing feathery cloaks in their favorite color. Corazon would also always say that his brother really look out for him despite being busy with work. He found his brother a bit mysterious, though, because he didn't really know what kind of work Doflamingo was in. But he didn't bother to ask because he had a big trust on his brother.

How will it be like if Lamie was still alive?

After series of chatter, Law asked Corazon about something he wanted to know the first time they met.

"There were other cardiologists during that day when we first met… but why did you choose to bug me?"

"Does it really matter?"

"I don't know. I just found it… weird."

Corazon laughed like the whole thing was hilarious. Then he lighted another stick of cigarette, putting the lighter far away from him (and his cloak). Few puffs and he looked at Law, straight in the eye.

"Early morning on the day I introduced myself, I saw you sitting alone on the cafeteria, beside a window. You were drinking your coffee quietly."

"You sound like a scary stalker, you know." He was, indeed, at the cafeteria that morning. More than a year had passed on that day, but the pain of losing his family was still vivid in his heart.

Corazon laughed to himself. "Well, maybe. But the thing is you seemed very lonely. I wondered why. Then I heard a nurse calling you, saying there's an emergency heart surgery something something. Coincidentally, I also needed to meet a cardiologist that time, so I came to you after the surgery."

"So you're telling me that you came to me because I was lonely?" Law thought it was nonsense. "But… How did you know I was?" He was confused, but he found himself amazed for Corazon knowing that he was, indeed, lonely.

"You had the same look as my brother." Corazon then explained that both of his parents died when he was 8 years old. His parents loved him and his brother so dearly, to the point of almost spoiling them, that their deaths really shook the children's heart. Doflamingo, being the elder brother, tried his best to take the responsibility of taking care of him. "He tried to appear perfectly fine when I was with him, but when he's alone, I can see him staring at nowhere, wearing the same face that you had. I can even hear him crying in the middle of the night sometimes, up to now."

Law found it funny because somehow, he and Corazon had the same backstory. They both lost their parents. But the difference is that Corazon had a brother to lean on. Unlike he, who was alone and had no one to cry on.

But he got Corazon now, didn't he?

"You're not alone. You have me now."

Law opened his mouth in surprise. "Are you a fucking psychic or something?!" How on earth can he read what's on my mind?!

"Why, did I guess what you've been thinking?" The two looked at each other, and Corazon laughed. Law laughed, too, but deep in his heart, he wanted to cry. Not because of loneliness, but because of happiness caused by this klutz in front of him.

Corazon stopped laughing and looked at Law seriously. "You know," He moved closer to Law, who was finding the whole situation very, very awkward, "you should smile more. You're more handsome when you do that, you know." He patted Law on his head and gave his trademark peace sign.

Law hugged Corazon tight and cried like there's no tomorrow. The tears he had been holding back had a shoulder to pour on now. Corazon hugged back, like a father caressing his little child.

The food was all gone and Luffy, with his now fat stomach, was already sleepy.

"So this heart-guy was a really good guy, huh? I wish I met him." Luffy yawned, and looked at Law, smiling. "Aaaaaaahhhhhh, I'm tired. I'll just get my things in my room and sleep here."

"Alright." Law smiled back and started cleaning the area.

More than ten minutes passed and Luffy was back. He was wearing red pajamas with white stripes, and was fresh from the shower. Law also took a shower and was just getting out of his bathroom, with his towel covering his lower body only.

Fine muscles greeted Luffy and he couldn't help but stare at them. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't—."

"It's alright." Law interrupted. He became aware of Luffy looking at his body, and he started to blush. "You can sleep on my bed. I'll sleep on the sofa outside."

"No! It's your bed. You should sleep here. It's big for us two." Luffy said, now trying not to look at Law who was getting dressed. He wanted Law to sleep on his own bed, but he didn't want the idea of sleeping on the sofa, so he had to bear with sleeping beside Law. There's nothing wrong with it, right?

Law, on the other hand, was stunned. His heart was beating fast, but accepted the offer anyway. Truly, there's nothing wrong with sleeping with someone beside you. Truly nothing, even if it's Luffy. "If that's… if that's what you want."

"Shishishi. Then c'mon! We should sleep now. Look at your eyes, the circles are getting darker. You can continue your story tomorrow." Luffy said excitedly as he jumped on Law's bed like a child.

Law lied down beside the guy, facing the ceiling. On the other hand, Luffy had his back facing Law. Few minutes of silence until Law decided to speak up. "Luffy… still awake?"

"Hmm?"

"I was planning to check out tomorrow."

No response from Luffy.

Law wondered if Luffy was still conscious, but continued talking anyway. "Do you want to… come with me? I just want to wander around."

"Really?!" Luffy rolled his body, facing Law. His eyes were gleaming with excitement. "You want me to come with you?! Awesooooome!"

"But I have no plans yet on where to go next."

"That makes it more awesome! We can have an adventure!"

Law chuckled. He was happy to see Luffy, with the sadness from his eyes slowly being replaced by excitement. He looked at the younger guy fondly, and smiled.

"He's right."

"What?" Law asked.

"The heart-guy. You should smile more. You look more handsome when you smile." As Luffy said this, he rolled his body again, his back again facing Law. "Good night!"

Law was left dumbfounded. When he heard those words from Corazon, he knew it was a compliment—a father cheering up his son. But those words coming from Luffy had something more in them that made his heart beat faster.

What if?..

"Good night, Luffy." Law closed his eyes, with a smile on his face.