Storms
Neo folded her shirt and placed it inside of her bag.
"Are you sure you're all right, Princess?" Rini asked.
"Yes, I'm fine," Neo said. But her mind said otherwise. It was spinning around the cold shoulder that Law had been giving her these past two days. Nothing about it made sense. She thought that something was happening in their relationship since that night he took her hand in his. Now it was like they were back at square one. Only this time she had no idea why.
"Well, I really wish that you would stay," Rini said. "I still think you'd be better with us than those pirates."
Neo nodded a bit. A small part of her was thinking the woman was right. Still she finished packing and zipped up her bag. Slinging it over her shoulder, she turned to Rini. "I'm sorry. As much as I'd like to stay, I really need to go. I have to find Godfather. With any luck we'll run into him at some point. Or someone who knows where he is."
"I understand." Rini nodded. "Please, do be careful out there. It's possible the dark elementals are looking for you. I don't think they'll just sit back and let you roam so freely knowing you're still alive."
"I know," Neo said. She glanced around her private room to make sure she had all of her stuff. "That's another big reason as to why my brother and I need to keep moving."
"Oh, all right." Rini crossed her arms. "Just promise me you won't let any of those pirates try and do dishonorable things to you."
"Don't worry. They won't ever do such a thing." Neo held back a frown. She wanted something dishonorable to happen to her. As long as Law was the one who was doing it. But she knew it wasn't possible. They would have to be married for that to happen. And with how things are, that would never ever happen.
With a sigh, Rini lead Neo out of the bedroom and downstairs. The earth elemental stood by her husband while Neo walked over to Penguin and Bepo. The rest of the pirates were already on the sub, waiting for them. She turned to the elementals and said, "Take care of yourselves. And know that after I take care of things on Luminous you are always welcome to come home."
"Thank you, P-Neo." Jaq nodded. "Take care."
"You too." Neo waved then left with her friends. Luckily she was able to convince the elementals to stay home. It really wasn't necessary for them to follow her out to the harbor. With the snow crunching under her boots and the brisk wind nipping at her skin, she thought about the captain.
"Something on your mind?" Bepo asked.
"No, not really," Neo said.
"You're really not good at lying," Penguin said. "Just tell us."
Neo sighed. "I thought things were getting better between the captain and myself. But these past couple of days he's turn so cold towards me."
"I noticed that," Penguin said.
"I think we all did," Bepo added.
"Try not to worry about it," Penguin said. "I'm sure whatever's bothering the captain will blow over soon enough."
Neo nodded despite not believing it. All too soon the sub came into view. A few members of the crew were scattered on the deck. Law wasn't one of them. They climbed up the ladder and entered into the sub. She scanned for the captain as she made her way down to her and Kailen's room. He was nowhere in sight. Once inside she walked over to the closet to put away her clothes. Rini had insisted on washing them for her. While she didn't want her to, she allowed it. Standing at her closet she stared into it, her mind running over what she might have done to aggravate the captain. Nothing came to mind.
"Something about your closet bothering you?" Kailen asked.
"Very funny." Neo closed it and turned to her brother. "I was just lost in thought. That's all."
"About the captain?"
"Yes, but I'm over it," Neo said. "If he wants to be a cold hearted jerk then that's his problem. I'm done playing games with him."
"Sure you are." Kailen smirked.
"Did you want something?" Neo crossed her arms.
"No, just making sure you got back. We're about to leave," Kailen said.
Neo rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm here, as you can see. And I'm so ready to finally find Godfather. How much longer before we get to Sabaody?"
"A few more months according to the crew," Kailen said.
"Wonderful," Neo said. "I wonder if the dark elementals will be there."
"What do you mean?" Kailen asked.
"Surely some of them remember that a friend of Godfather currently lives there. Or lived there. He better still be there," Neo said. "What if they set up an ambush?"
"I doubt they will do that," Kailen said.
"Why? They're after me," Neo said.
"True." Kailen nodded. "But I doubt the darkness crystal and Atlas wants our people to be found out by the humans. Sabaody is right next to an army base. And there's going to be a lot of pirates there. There's no way for them to keep their abilities hidden. If they are going to attack they'd most likely attack us while we're out on the ocean."
"You have a point." Neo sighed. "I really hope Rayleigh can help us." She stretched her body. "Well, I think I'm going to go read for a while before starting lunch."
Neo passed by her brother, pausing to kiss his cheek before leaving the room. On her way down the hall she came across Law. Upon seeing him she cut off her rapid heartbeat and placed a stern look on her face. As he passed by her she refused to look at him. She just kept her eyes straight ahead of her and entered into the rec. room. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. Grabbing a book off the shelf she sat down on the couch and allowed herself to get long in a world of fantasy.
…
Neo closed her book. Standing up she stretched out her stiff body before putting the book up. She turned to leave for the galley but paused as a storm rolled in fast on them. "Well, I guess I was really into that book. I didn't even notice a storm was coming."
Neo left the room. Her eyebrows drew together upon feeling the intensity in the storm. It was an oddly strong one. For a second she thought it might be the dark elementals. Pausing in the hall, she closed her eyes and tried to search out for any elementals that might be near. She felt nothing. All she could find was the storm and a very upset sea king snake swimming around below the sub. "What's wrong? Why are you so angry?"
A loud boom of thunder managed to penetrate the sub's thick walls. It was followed by a hard thump that threw Neo into the wall. The sea king snake had hit the sub. Sirens blared inside the sub. Red lights flashed as the crew started running around the halls, shouting out orders of some kind. She couldn't hear them over the sirens.
Then Archer's voice came over the voice pipes. "Hey! We have a sea king attacking the sub! And a massive storm is upon us! Get to your posts immediately!"
Pushing herself along the wall, as waves rocked them, she managed to get to the stairs. Penguin came up then. "Penguin."
"Are you okay?" Penguin rushed to her side.
"I'm okay." Neo rubbed her sore shoulder. "I just got a bump when the sub rocked."
"You should get back to the rec. room," Penguin said. "You'll be safer there if you stay on the couch."
"I'm not going to do that," Neo said. "I have to get outside and try to calm the sea king snake down."
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Penguin said. "But I know that I can't stop you."
Neo smiled. With him staying by her side they worked their way up to the deck. Reaching the main floor they found Kailen was already heading outside. "Kai!"
"I know. The sea king is extremely angry," Kailen said.
"What do you think upset it?" Penguin asked.
"Hard to say without talking to it," Kailen said.
"Then we better get to it," Neo said. "This storm is bad enough. We don't need it and the sea king trying to sink the sub."
The group headed outside. There Law was already battling with the giant snake.
"Captain!" Penguin called out. "Neo and Kailen are here to talk to the sea king!"
"You two shouldn't be outside!" Law said before slicing at the snake.
"Says the one who's more susceptible to nature," Neo said. She moved out farther onto the deck. The rain beat down on her, making it hard to see. "Hey! Sea king! Stop! We're not here to hurt you!"
The sea king roared.
"Neo! Get back inside!" Law said.
"I won't!" Neo snapped.
"Calm down!" Kailen said.
Neo wasn't sure if she was talking to her and the captain or the sea king. The snake slammed its tail against the sub.
"Crap! We have to get out of here! We need to dive!" Penguin said.
"We can't! We'll be more vulnerable to the sea king underwater!" Law said.
"But if we stay up here the storm is going to cause a lot of damage!" Penguin said just before a loud crack of thunder. They covered their ears until it passed. Lightning flashed several times. The wind howled, shoving the sub away from the sea king.
"Please! Just leave us alone!" Neo said.
The snake hissed.
"It's not working! Just go inside! I'll take care of it!" Law said.
"I won't! You're going to kill it!" Neo said.
"I don't have a choice! It's either it or us!" Law said. "And I chose us!"
"It doesn't have to be that way!" Neo said.
A giant wave slammed into the sub almost causing the vessel to tip completely over. Law lost his balance. His sword fell from his hand as his back hit the railing.
Neo watched. The world slowed down as Law tumbled over the side of the sub. Somewhere amongst the thunder she heard Penguin call out for his captain. She lunged forward. Her bare feet thumped on wet deck.
"Neo! What are you doing?!" Kailen called out for her.
But Neo didn't stop. She didn't even slow down. She continued running until her hands were on the railing. Pushing herself up onto it, she launched herself over the side. The chilly water rushed over her hot skin, plunging her into darkness. The salt stung her eyes as she looked around for Law. Her heart pounded in her chest, choking her. She had to find him fast. He was going to die if she didn't. Paddling her arms and legs she moved around. Captain! Where are you?! Someone help! Please! Creatures of the sea! Help me find him!
Tears came to her eyes. The salt from her tears mixed with the salt from the ocean. It made her eyes hurt worst. Still she looked. Swimming through the murky water, her lungs started to burn. The captain was nowhere in sight. Her heart ached. Surely he wasn't already dead. Then a dark figure came towards her. She knitted her eyebrows. Her heart jumped. It was the captain. And he was being pushed over to her by some large fish. She grabbed onto him. Thank you! Thank you so much! Wasting no time she kicked her feet, pushing them to the surface. She gulped in air once they broke free of the ocean. A wave slammed into her. It pushed both of them down. Summoning a couple earth crystals, she lifted up some rocks from the sea. Placing them behind it, she held on to it with one hand while holding as tight as she could onto the captain. "Captain?"
He didn't move. His head just rolled onto her shoulder. Blood dripped down his skin. He was hurt.
Neo looked around. The sub was nowhere in sight. "Just great. The storm must have pushed them away from us. Hopefully they'll get the sub submerged and come back for us." She looked around. "But first we need to get out of the ocean. Without my crystals we both have a high chance of drowning."
Panic settled into her chest. There was nothing in sight. She closed her eyes. There had to be something she could do to keep them safe. She wasn't sure if she would be able to create a strong enough rock formation to keep them save from this storm. Thunder boomed overhead. Lightning flashed rapidly. They had to get out of the water. Tears leaked over her eyes. She pressed her cheek to the captain's hair. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
The water shifted. Neo lifted from the captain to find a water crystal hovering in front of her. Another one appeared, then another one. Hope built up in her chest. Using her water crystals she shifted the ocean around them so their area was calmer than the rest of the water. Next she used her earth crystals to call up more rocks from the ocean. One rock came up right below him. She gasped when the captain's heavy body slummed onto hers. Shifting carefully, she laid him down on the ground- his hat fell off - the rock shielding them from the rain. She looked him over. He was still bleeding but it didn't look as bad as she first thought. Still, she ripped her shirttail off and tried to clean the cut on his forehead as best she could. Then she cursed herself. She had forgotten to check if he was breathing. She placed her finger under his nose. Nothing. "No! Captain! What do I do?! What do I do?! Think! Think! Come on!" It came to her. "Right!"
Neo pinched his nose then pressed her mouth to breath into him. Placing her hands on his chest, she started pumping. But it was clear she wasn't physically strong enough to do it right. So she went back to breathing into his mouth in hopes it would be enough. She checked his breath again. Nothing. She breathed into him. Again and again she switched back and forth between checking if he was breathing to forcing her own breath into him. She stopped. Still nothing. Tears leaked over her eyelids. "No…you can't…you can't die like this. Please…Law…you have to stay with her. Law!" Crossing her arms over his chest, she buried her face into him. "I'm sorry! If I didn't lose the use of my crystals." She shot up. "That's it!"
Neo summoned a water crystal over his mouth. Carefully, she sensed out the water inside of his lungs and pulled it out. He coughed. "Captain?" He coughed again. "Law! Please! Open your eyes!"
Law's eyelashes fluttered open.
"You're alive." She smiled, tears pouring down her cheeks. "You're alive!"
Law lifted his hand, cupping her cheek. He brushed away some of her tears. "I'm sorry. I worried you."
"You idiot." Neo placed her hand over his. "Don't ever do something like that again."
Law sat up.
"Careful," Neo said. "You hit your head when you fell in."
"I noticed." Law wiped the blood from his skin.
"How are you feeling? Uh, the signs of a concussion are…"
"I don't have a concussion," Law said.
"Are you sure?" Neo's eyes when to the cut on his forehead. It was already turning a colorful black and purple. She winced.
"I am a doctor," Law said.
"I know," Neo said. "I was just scared. When you went overboard I thought that you were going to…die." Her body shivered. She wrapped her arms around herself to try and hide it from him. Though she wasn't sure if it was working. He continued to look at her, study her.
"Why did you jump into the water? You could have died," Law said.
"Says the one with the devil fruit powers." Neo frowned. "How could I not have jumped in? Even though I did panic and reacted without thinking. There's no way I was going to let you drown. I'm the only one who could save you."
"The crew would have. They have a plan in case this happens. They would take the sub underwater and lift me back up to the surface," Law said.
"I don't care!" Neo snapped. "Your life was in danger! I had to act! Besides, I got my water crystals back!"
"You did?" Law blinked.
"I did." Neo nodded. "It was how I got the water from your lungs. I didn't have enough strength to pump your chest." She sighed. "And I'm glad. If I remember correctly you have to break a person's ribs to do it properly."
"That's correct." Law nodded.
They fell silent. The storm raged around them, water splashed upon their rock. "So what now? I don't think I can safely swim us back to the sub."
"You're not doing something so stupid in this storm." Law stood up. His eyes scanned out at the rain beating down on the ocean.
"Stupid? Stays the one who went out on the deck in this mess," Neo grumbled.
"I did that to save the crew and sub. If I hadn't the sea king would have ripped us to shreds," Law said.
"It would not have." Neo stood up. "It's not normal for sea kings to attack like that in storms. Something else set it off. If you had just given me a minute to speak with it-"
"No." Law cut her off. "You were clearly not having an effect on it at all."
"You didn't give me a chance!" Neo snapped.
"I'm not going to argue with you!" Law turned to face her.
"Well, tough! We're already fighting!" Neo crossed her arms. "Why are you being such a jerk?!"
"I'm always a jerk according to you," Law said.
"You were. Then you weren't. And now you are again," Neo said. "What did I ever do to you? You were the one who brought my brother and me onto your sub! Are you still upset about us not giving you what you want?! Is that it?!"
Law turned his back to her.
"Don't you dare ignore me! I'm tired of you giving me the cold shoulder!" Thunder boomed overhead, almost reflecting her anger. She wasn't sure if it was actually doing that or not. With only her water and earth crystals she didn't know how much effect her magic would have on the storm. And at the moment, she didn't care. She wanted answers. And she wanted them now. "Talk to me, Law!"
Law twitched.
"It's beyond obvious that something is happening between us! I can't keep going back and forth like we are!" Neo screamed. "Either we mean something to each other or we don't! We've kissed! If there's nothing between us then tell me right now."
Law didn't move. He didn't speak.
"Fine. Then we're nothing. From this point on I'll-" Before Neo could finish Law was in front of her. His arms gripped her arms, pushing her back against the wall before his lips fell upon hers. Her heart slammed against her chest. He slipped his touch between her lips, tasting her like a man who hadn't had a drink in days. Knees trembling, her hands lifted up and clenched the sides of his hoodie. Her lungs burned. As if sensing she needed to breath, Law trailed kisses away from her lips, across her cheek, and down to her neck. His teeth pressed into her skin, right onto a soft spot. She gasped, arching into him, begging for more. He gladly gave her what she wanted for several more minutes. Then he stopped. Pulling back his breath fanned over her marked skin. "C-Captain."
Law lifted up, bringing his lips to hers. "No. Say my name."
Neo swallowed.
"You said it before. Now say it again," Law whispered. "I want to hear my name on your lips."
Neo breathed in before letting his name roll off her tongue. "Law…"
Pressing his forehead to hers, he sighed.
"I…I don't understand," Neo said. "You've been so cold since…"
"I know," Law said. "And I am sorry. You have no idea what you do to me."
Neo flushed when she felt something poking her below.
"That's what you do. You make me think about things that I never had any interest in before." Law bit down on her neck. "There's so much I would love to do to you. Some of those things I know you're not ready for. Still, I see you in my bed, in my tub, in my shower. All the time being with me and no one else. But I know I can't touch you like that or really see you like that. I know you are only sailing with us for a while. That's why I tried to push you away. I don't want to hurt you. Unfortunately, I seem to have done that anyway."
Neo sighed. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer to her. Everything he said was the same thing she wanted. She wanted to be with him but knew she couldn't. "So what do we do?"
"I don't know," Law mumbled against her skin before licking it. "All I know is I don't want to hurt you anymore."
"Then don't ignore me," Neo whispered. "Please. Don't do that again."
"I won't." Law nodded. The storm above started to fade.
"Good." Tugging on his hair, she lifted him up and pressed her lips back to his. Her hands roamed his sides, stomach, and chest. She wanted to learn everything about his body, every muscle, every curve, and every spot where she could make him tense. And she reached one of those spots just below his ribs. He jumped when she touched him there. She smiled when he growled at her. With her knees growing weak, they slid down the rock until they reached the ground. Law laid half on top of her, their lips never losing contact. His hands wandered her body, slipping underneath her shirt. Neo panicked a bit upon remembering she didn't know how to kiss. It made her hesitate and slip her tongue too far into his mouth.
"Easy now." Law pulled back from her. "Just relax. There's no need to be nervous."
"I can't help it. This is the first time I've…" She adverted her eyes from his.
"So I'm your first." Law smiled.
Neo, cheeks burning red, nodded.
"That's okay. Everyone has to learn at some point," Law said before nipping her neck. "And I'll be more than glad to help you learn it."
Neo turned her eyes back to him when he looked down at her. Her eyes drew to an old scar on his forehead. She touched it. "You have quite a few scars."
"Yeah."
"Where did this one come from?"
Law chuckled. "We're in the middle of something and you want to talk about scars?"
"Sorry. I just thought that we're probably about to go too far," Neo said.
Law's eyebrows rose before he noticed his hand was up her shirt. He pulled away. "Sorry. You might be right."
Neo sat up and leaned against the rock. "So where did you get it?"
"Corazon gave it to me," Law said.
"Corazon?" Neo asked.
"He was the man who saved me. He gave me back my heart." Law sat beside her. "Back when I was sick, I joined Doflamingo's crew. Currently, he's a warlord. And he's very powerful. At the time I didn't really care. I was just so angry with everyone and everything that I just wanted to kill as many people as I could. Doflamingo took me in. Then, when Cora walked into the room he grabbed me and threw me out a window into a pile of junk."
"A man actually did that to a child?! What's wrong with him?!" Neo gasped.
"I didn't know it at the time, but it was only an act," Law said. "While Cora was Doflamingo's little brother, he was working undercover for the navy. He picked on us kids in hopes to make us runaway from that life. I didn't. And neither did two others, Baby 5 and Buffalo. Over time I can to learn the truth about Cora when I revealed my real name to Baby 5 and Buffalo."
"Your real name?" Neo asked.
"Trafalgar D. Water Law," Law said. "I belong to a family of D. It's a long story. One I'm not sure I want to you know, at least at this point in time."
Neo nodded and waited for him to continue.
"Anyway, Cora over hear that and told me I needed to get away from Doflamingo," Law said. "Well, I had no intention of doing that. But Cora did. He took me away from Doflamingo in hopes to find a cure for the disease I had then. He took me to so many hospitals. He fought anyone and everyone who called me a monster. Eventually, he learned of the Op Op devil fruit. We went for it. He got it. I ate it. Then the worse happened. Doflamingo found us. And he ended up killing Cora because of his betrayal."
"That's terrible." Neo hugged her needs to her chest. Law had gone through more than she had thought in his life. She didn't make anything easier for him.
"Cora had shoved me in a chest and used his own devil fruit powers. His powers allowed him to silence things. Doflamingo never knew I was there," Law said. "I managed to escape. Over the next few days I came across Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin. And well, we started the Heart Pirates."
"I'm sorry." Tear stung Neo's eyes. "That must have been so hard on you."
"It was. But it also made me stronger," Law said. "And because of what Cora did…I'm going to take Doflamingo down."
"Isn't that dangerous?" Neo asked.
"Of course it is. But I won't allow him to live for what he did to Cora," Law said. "I will kill him."
Neo dropped her eyes down to the rock. Her mind swirled with this information. Law had just told her he was on a suicide mission. How strong were the warlords? She tried to remember what her godfather told her about them. She couldn't remember. Her mind was filled with concern over Law and his death march.
"Don't worry about me," Law said, pulling her attention back to her. "You won't be here when I go after him."
Neo flinched.
"And I prefer it that way," Law said.
"Why?"
"I don't want him to hurt you. I don't want him to even know you exist." Law gripped his fists. "Doflamingo also has a devil fruit power. He uses strings. They can cut through almost anything. And he can control people with it. If he ever got ahold of you…I wouldn't be able to handle it. So no matter what happens between now and the time I go after him, you're going to be back on your island."
"No," Neo said. "I can't just leave knowing what you're planning. I won't do it!"
"You don't have a choice. Doflamingo is my problem not yours." Law looked at her. "It's best for you to be safe."
"No!" Neo shook her head. "I won't do it! I can stay with you! And I will!"
Law smiled, cupping her cheek. "No. We both know that's not true."
Neo flinched. She would stay on Luminous once they returned there. But she didn't have to. Right? Once the darkness crystal is purified there's no real reason for her to stay. She could do what she wanted. Besides she really didn't want to stay where her parents were murdered. "I don't…have to stay on Luminous."
"Jaq said other wise."
Neo's heart jumped. "What did he tell you?"
"Nothing much. But the words he used made me realize that you belong back there," Law said.
"You're wrong. I don't want to go back home. My parents were murdered there. How can I ever look at Luminous the same way again?" Neo asked.
"I don't know," Law admitted. "I have a hard time thinking about my own home."
"So we're basically at a stalemate now," Neo said.
"I guess." Law shrugged.
Neo laid her head on his shoulder. "Just don't push me away again."
"I won't." Law leaned against her. "I promise."
"So when do you think the crew will get here?" Neo asked.
"Probably soon."
"What should we do until then?"
"This." Law tilted her head towards him. Once more he captured her lips with his.
Neo melted into him. She glided her hand over his shoulder as his slipped around her waist, pulling her closer.
"Captain!" All too soon the frantic cry of Bepo broke them apart.
"They found us," Neo said.
"Yeah." Law nodded.
"We should go," Neo said.
Law kissed her again before finally standing up.
Neo followed him. They walked over to the edge of the rock. The storm had completely vanished. The sun was now beating down on them, drying their skin.
"Captain!" Bepo cried just as the sun came into view.
"Hey!" Shachi called out. "There you are!"
"Neo!" Kailen screamed. "Are you two okay?!"
"We're fine!" Neo waved back. Once the sub was close enough, she used her water crystals to lift them over to the sub. She placed them down on the deck.
"Neo, you got your water crystals back," Kailen said.
"Yeah." Neo nodded.
"Captain!" Bepo engulfed Law in a hug. "We were so worried about you!"
Neo smiled. Law was barely visible now.
"Neo." Penguin dropped down in front of her. He pulled her into a hug. "I was so worried! You about gave me a heart attack jumping into the ocean like that!"
"I'm sorry. I just reacted without thinking," Neo said.
"Just don't ever do that again." Penguin pulled back from her.
"I'll try not to." Neo smiled.
"Let's get back inside. We need to get cleaned up," Law said, now free of Bepo's hug.
Neo nodded. "You take a shower first."
"I don't have to," Law said.
"The ocean effects your powers," Neo said. "You need to get cleaned up. I can wait. I'm use to smelling like the ocean anyway." She crossed her arms. "And I'll hear no arguing on the subject."
Law chuckled. "Fine. But only because I'm a devil fruit user. And the water doesn't effect me now. There's not enough of it on me."
"I don't care." Neo pointed to the door. "Get to it, bud."
Shaking his head with a smile, Law headed inside.
"I take it you two are on speaking terms again," Shachi said.
"Uh, yeah." Neo nodded, though she wasn't sure if she should reveal what actually happened out there. "We are."
"Good," Archer said. "I don't think I could take the chill anymore."
The crew headed inside. Neo went down to her and Kailen's room with him followed. Too tired to stand, she sat down on the floor and waited for her turn to use the shower.
Kailen plopped down on his bed. A frown was on his lips.
"I know. You're upset with me for jumping in like that," Neo said.
"How could I not be?" Kailen said. "It was far too risky. You both could have drowned out there."
"I know. And I'm sorry. I just couldn't let him die," Neo said.
"You really do love him," Kailen said.
Neo nodded. "I do. And it'll be okay. We'll figure things out when the time comes."
"Just take it slow," Kailen said.
"We will," Neo said.
Fifteen minutes later a knock came on their door. Kailen opened it to reveal Conner. "Captain's out of his shower. You can use it now."
"Thanks." Neo grabbed her clothes and left the room. Reaching the captain's quarters she found the door part way open. Still, she knocked on it as she stepped inside. Her body jerked to a pause. Law was standing at his closet, shirt free. "Must…must you do that?"
"Do what?" Law smirked and walked over to her. He pinned her again the wall, closing this door. "This is my room after all. If I want to go shirtless I will."
Neo's eyes locked onto his chest for several seconds before her eyes wandered lower. Heat rushed to her face when she reached the V in his hips. His jeans were undone, revealing his black boxers to her. Blood flooded her head. She hoped she didn't get a nosebleed.
Law chuckled and pulled away from her. "You better shower and get out of those wet close."
Neo nodded before forcing her feet to carry her into the bathroom. She closed the door, stripped, and crawled into the shower. As she went through her routine, her mind kept drifting over to the door and to Law. She wanted him to come in with her but knew it wouldn't happen. Despite what happened out in the storm Law wasn't the type of guy to violate her. And she couldn't do any more than kissing him either. She had to be careful. She had to keep her body under control; at least until the darkness crystal was purified. Still, she knew she had to be married before sex or lose a lot of her magic. Finishing with her shower she stepped out, dried off, dressed, and left the room. She found Law sitting at his deck, watching, and waiting for her to come out. "Well, thanks for the shower. It felt great."
"It would have been better if I was in there with you." Law smirked.
"Oh, shut up!" Heat rose on her cheeks.
"It's not like you weren't thinking the same thing," Law said. "As I've said before, you're easy to read."
"Well, I can't help it." Neo stomped to the door. "It's not my fault you're as sexy as can be!" The door vanished. Next thing she knew she was sitting in Law's lap. "Well, I guess that bump on your head is fine."
"It is." Law tilted her chin up and kissed her.
Neo gladly kissed him back. She followed his lead, trying her best to mimic what he was showing her. Several minutes passed before they parted for air. She drew in several breaths as Law worked his skilled lips and tongue over her neck. With a hum of delight, she arched into him, wanting more of him and his delicious body. Then a thought hit her. "Wait."
Law pulled back. "What is it?"
"What about the crew?"
"What about them?" Law cocked his head.
"Are we going to be open about this?" Neo asked.
"We don't have to be," Law said. "Though it's probably safe to assume most of the crew, if not all of them, knew this would happen."
"I suppose you're right," Neo said. "Though I kind feel odd about letting them know." She looked at him shyly. "Is that wrong?"
"Not at all. A lot of people want to keep their first love a secret," Law said.
"Really?" Neo lifted an eyebrow. "I don't remember my friends being like that at all."
"I'm sure there were some people on your island who did that," Law said.
Neo hummed.
"Anyway, we don't have to tell the crew anything right now." Law cupped her cheek and pecked her lips. "I kind of like the idea of keeping this a secret. I don't want to share you with anyone."
Neo smiled. Her heart fluttered. "Then how about we just see how things work out?"
Law nodded before pulling her back into another kiss.