A/N: little note: I have no experience in biology and I googled the Krebs Cycle and wrote down what I found so sue me if it's wrong.

I'll see you all in two weeks!

Chapter 5: Battleships

Living with Luffy was hard. But he did it.

Liking Luffy was hard. But he did it.

Keeping it a secret from Luffy was hard. But he did it.

Helping Luffy with his homework...was hard.

"I don't get it I just don't get it!" Luffy's exasperated moan filled the small dorm. He sat at the desk at the end of his bed with the book flung onto the floor and his head on the desk. Law, who was sitting Katy-corner on his bed leaning on the wall, looked up from his book and smiled at him.

"Biology again?" He asked. Luffy nodded, his head still face down on the desk. Law closed his book and slid off the bed, pulling his desk's chair over to Luffy's. He snatched up the book as he walked by it and set it on the desk. "Okay what is it this time?"

"Krebs Cycle." He mumbled, leaning his head sideways to look up at the older man. "Help me?" He asked, sticking out his bottom lip.

'Fuck your and your lip' Law thought as he turned to look at the textbook. 'Just stop...being you.' And as much as he liked to see him struggle he knew if he didn't help him he'd fail. Plus the Krebs Cycle would be relatively easy to teach him. "Sure."

"Thank you, Torao! You're the best!" Luffy straightened up in his chair and flung his arms around Law causing the surgeon to break out into a rosy blush.

'He called you the best.' The childish voice said. 'That's because I AM the fucking best.' He thought back.

"Okay so where were you when you left off?" Law cleared his throat after Liffy had detached himself.

"I dunno." He grabbed some of his notes off the table. "Here I guess." He handed the paper over to Law who took one look at it and tossed it back on the table.

"What kind of notes are those?" He asked, crossing his arms and leaning back in the seat.

"Some I found online." Luffy shrugged.

"Luffy you have to use the textbook that's why is here." Law said, feeling slightly hurt.

"But I hate looking through it, it's so boooooooriiing." he groaned.

"But that's the adventure of it all!" Law frowned at him. "There's so much information and you could learn a lot!"

"That's just because you liked this class."

"There are few things I like in this world, Luffy," Law sighed as he flipped to the beginning of the lesson. "That class was not one of them."

"Really?" Luffy's face scrunched up into a mixture of confusion and interest. " I thought you liked biology."

"I like biology, yes" Law said, grabbing a pencil and starting to draw out a diagram. "This class, however, I did not. It was pretty pointless and basic to me. I had already learned most of what the class had to offer but Mariejois wouldn't allow me to test out."

"Wow, you're really smart." Law bit the inside of his lip to keep a small smile from creeping out.

"Yes, I know." He pushed the diagram over to the other man and handed him the pencil. "Okay, lets start. Can you tell me the steps?" Luffy reached for the book but Law pushed it just out of reach. "Without the book." Luffy pursed his lips and looked down in silence for a few moments before shaking his head 'no'. Law closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. "Jesus, Luffy." he slowly opened his eyes and looked Luffy straight in the eyes. "Condensation, isomerisation, dehydrogenation, decarboxylation, oxidative decarboxylation, substrate level ATP/GTP synthesis, dehydrogenatl, hydration and dehydrogenation of malate."

"What." Luffy asked. Law rubbed his face hard with the palms of his hands. This was going to be a long night.

It was after two in the morning before he'd finally got Luffy to understand the lesson and Law felt god damn proud. Tired but proud. Both of them crawled into their beds and Law switched off the light and it was quiet.

"What else?" Asked Luffy from his side of the room.

"What do you mean?" Law countered, not understanding what the photography student was getting at.

"You said there were a few things in this world that you liked." He said, his voice swallowed by the darkness and tension in the room. He was only a few feet from him and Law felt like Luffy's voice was coming from the other side of the grand canyon while he stood on the other. "What else?"

Law's heart rate was increasing steadily and he took a deep breath and sat up. "I like my job. I like this city. I like my friends." he hoped those answers would satisfy the other and they could just go to sleep.

"There's got to be more than that." Luffy said. Law could hear the sheets move as Luffy sat up. "Come on, Torao, tell me." It was pitch black but he could feel Luffy's persistent stare as if he could see him.

"I like…..well….." Law could feel Luffy getting impatient. "I like you."

"..." Luffy didn't make any noise for a moment, not any sound or movement. "How much?" he asked.

"A lot." The surgeon answered honestly. Shit this was happening right here and now. Shit shit shit fucking shit. Then he heard Luffy side off his bed and felt him jump up onto his. Fuck. This was bad. Luffy would never talk to him again, he'd avoid him like the plague, never ask for a ride again, never ask for help on homework, never-

"That's good." Luffy said. By the sound of his voice Law could tell that he was sitting directly in front of him.

"How." He said, his voice low. "How is this good, Luffy."

"Because I like you too."