Arrangement

Characters: Law, Penguin, Shachi. Rating: K. Warnings: None

Upon getting their own ship, Law wasted no time in exploring all of the rooms, quickly identifying the sleeping section of the submarine. Unlike previous ships he'd been on, there didn't appear to be one large bunkroom, but rather several smaller rooms that slept between two and four people. Having spent far too long in the company of others at night, he had no qualms about claiming one of the larger rooms all for himself. His own room.

He hadn't had a room to himself since Flevance, a lifetime ago, and part of him wondered if he wanted to go back to that when he'd moved on from everything else. The small wooden boat they'd been using didn't have separate areas to sleep in, so it wasn't as though Penguin, Shachi and Bepo hadn't already discovered that he had nightmares. He could probably persuade them to all sleep in the one room, if he wanted to.

No, Law decided. He wanted his own space; the room he'd chosen was big, but he had no intentions of changing boats until the submarine was no more. In time, it wouldn't feel so big and empty. He didn't need to fill it with people; they'd end up on top of each other, much like he, Buffalo and Baby 5 had had little space to themselves.

Outside the room, he could hear Penguin and Shachi chattering. Their own explorations, independent to Law's, had finally brought them to the area, and he scowled at them as they opened the door of the room he'd chosen.

"This one's mine," he said, ignoring the way their eyes flicked to the four bunks. "Find your own rooms."

"If you say so," Shachi shrugged, and the duo moved on, seemingly unconcerned with the dismissal. Law watched them go, glad they hadn't complained at him for taking such a large room for himself. Then again, he supposed, he'd basically set a precedent for them to both claim similar rooms, so he could see why there was no reason to protest.

What he hadn't imagined, with so many vacant rooms available, was that they'd end up picking a room to share. It was again, one of the larger rooms. There were only two beds in it, stacked as bunks, but they'd managed to find one with a desk, and Law realised it was probably meant for a higher-ranking member of the crew.

"You realise there are plenty of rooms?" he felt compelled to point out, despite the fact that Shachi was happily hanging out of the top bunk with a smug grin on his face while Penguin slouched on the bottom bunk, amused. "You don't have to share, you know."

"We're fine sharing," Penguin told him, and there was an odd note in his voice Law didn't comment on. Shachi made a noise of agreement.

"Suit yourself," Law shrugged at them. If they wanted to be on top of each other all the time, then so be it. Privately, Law doubted they'd last long before one or both moved to another room, desperate for personal space.

He was wrong. Weeks passed, their rooms beginning to look slightly more lived in (and Bepo's, who had picked a smaller room right next to Law's), and still there was no sign that either of them were getting annoyed at being unable to escape the other. Law's own room had gained a desk, liberated from an empty room, and lost all of the bunk beds to replace them with a larger single bed they'd found elsewhere, probably the room designated for the noble.

Law couldn't understand it. Why would they willingly share a living space? There was no privacy at all.

"We're just used to it," Penguin said when eventually pressed, although he didn't elaborate on why. Having seen the huts Swallow Island seemed to have considered houses, Law wondered if the inhabitants all slept in one room. He didn't think the two were blood related, but maybe different families all lived together?

It was much later that he finally learnt the truth.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari