Day Eight
Prompt: Hurt/ Comfort| Memory
Chosen: Both

Life in the orphanage was hard, but the solace was— our guardians were actually caring. No one was born wanting to be an orphan. Unfortunate circumstances were what got us here. And that's how he had arrived— victim of fate— sobbing, kicking, biting and crying the name of his brothers, Ace and Sabo.

Later, after he was given a bed and fell asleep beside me, I learned the brothers he was begging for were not his biological brothers but two orphans who had found him when he was a babe of two. As the most common stories that happened with street kids, the brothers had found him in some unforgivable place while in the scrapyard hoping for tit-bit junks to sell. They took him and did their best to raise him, but sticking together and sharing meals together didn't protect them from this unkind world. They were happy together, but in the eyes of society, a twelve-year-old and an eleven-year-old couldn't be dubbed responsible for a seven-year-old.

The three were caught by social services while on the hunt for food, that was the reason on the paper and separated because of his two guardians' delinquent history; food thieving and pickpocketing.

When he arrived, he was small, smaller than people his age. And I, being one of the oldest orphans and closest to his siblings' age was the natural choice for his companion, and was put in-charge of him. I didn't mind, what I minded was him being tiny for his age and dressed in clothes that reeked of his sad life— the red t-shirt was moth-eaten, and the trousers were patched up and underneath it, he was wrapped in bandages. And he somehow reminded me of the sister I lost, she would be seven too had she made it out alive.

I was on the streets for a year after my family died in a fire accident. It was a harsh life, when you have nothing, the need to survive makes you sharp like an upturned pin on the floor. In that one year, I learned, only the smartest stay alive and the luckiest survive. He was lucky, very lucky and a miracle.

It was truly a miracle that this boy had survived infancy without being injected with a single dose of antibiotics in his body and living off table scraps!

The first night he fell asleep in the orphanage, he was crying in his sleep and holding my leg while I patted his head. That was also the first time I saw him have a nightmare. Around 3 in the morning, he had bitten my clave, thinking it was an elephant's foot stomping him. I woke with a yelp and found this feral child had sunk his sharp teeth into my flesh and drawn blood. Instinctively, I kicked him, and he fell on the floor and began crying at the top of his voice.

As I was the eldest, I was given my personal space in the former storage space as I had grown out of the bedbunks! And the Matron had put him with me so that he didn't agitate others who were similar to his age.

Finding him on the floor and crying made me guilty, I immediately picked him up, "I am sorry, you bit my leg!" Those were the first words I told him. He sat on the bed and pulled his knees up to hide his face. Unable to do anything, I patted his head.

Then he looked up like a suffering puppy, "You are not my brothers!" He had replied with sobs.

And that day I lied to him without thinking, "Ace and Sabo, asked me to look after you until they can return to you?" I didn't believe that he would accept such a blatant lie. To my astonishment, he tried to stop crying and looked at me.

"You know my brothers?" His big dog-like round watery eyes were so pitiful that I continued lying, and by the time he reunited with his brothers years later, the stories of my friends Ace and Sabo had overtaken his memories of his brothers, Ace and Sabo, and things had turned awkward.

"Ace is 12 and Sabo is 11, right? One is dark-haired and the other blonde." As a matter of fact, I didn't know which one was the blonde of the two! But I had eavesdropped enough to find basic information of what had transpired. The little boy and the two older boys were living in one of the biggest slums of the country, Gray's Terminal. The government had taken the initiative to rebuild the area by evicting the poor, and when the bulldozers arrived, the three were found, as none knew three children were shacking up on an abandoned watch tower!

In no time they were caught, the elder two were known for being street-smart urchins who were nimble fingers, but the youngest because of his size was spared the scrutiny of adults. The elder two begged the authorities to protect the younger, who was to no one's surprise crying and kicking up a fuss.

Coming to the orphanage meant, you were lucky to have met a kind social worker, who cared. And right now he was looking at me with all the hopes in the world, because he believed I knew his brothers.

"Here, look, your bracelet and toy!" I handed him the things he had arrived with.

The child took his toy and turned at every possible angle, "Mr Ape is healed!"

"Of course, he is healed! I am going to be a doctor! So I can heal anyone! And I cleaned your bracelet, your brothers want you to keep it safe, okay?"

He hugged the toy and clutch the bracelet in an attempt to control his tears, "Hmm" He nodded. "When will they return?"

I wanted to say soon, but decided, saying the truth would be the best. "Once you turn sixteen!" Though I was sure his brothers would try to find him as soon as they turned 18 or sooner, the system of orphanages and child placement was deliberately complicated and bizarre. It was better to pin hopes on his 16th birthday.

"But I am seven that—" He tried to count the years ahead, but the numbers were bigger than he. Then I took his hands and showed him how to count on his little fingers, "—Nine years." And ninteen years later, he would still ask me to count for him!

"Is nine years a small-time or big-time?"

Now that was a question I didn't know how to answer! I was only fourteen! "I think it is a small-time, it will be over soon!" That brought a smile to his face and I wanted to keep him happy. Yet I could've guessed, he had not arrived at the orphanage immediately after being separated from his brothers. Things happened to children all the time when they were in this system of homelessness and instability. I could only hope and pray he had witnessed a little of this horror.

Later, as he grew up, I would learn he was in and out of care-homes and physically bullied multiple times for the six months before arriving to us. Damage was done— he would flinch when someone unknown tried to touch him, and he would avoid answering if he felt someone was angry. There were little-little moments when the glimpses of tragedy slipped out, and it worried me, and I became protective of him.

Yet, on the first night we met, my only goal was to make him comfortable and keep him calm, so I offered him my hand, "I am Law, Trafalgar D Water Law. Your brother Ace and Sabo's friend."

"Luffy, Monkey D Luffy!"

"Your brothers named you, right? It's cute!"

"My brothers did!" No wonder they added the D to his name, they must've seen stories of famous people with D in their names and added it. If you had a D in your name, it meant you were born to be happy. Hence, many celebs added the letter, as my parents had done. An odd superstition!

"I had a bad dream."

"I know."

"You do?" The child was surprised.

I pulled up my leg on the bed, "You bit me, here, only bad dreams make people bite in sleep!" I pointed my finger, "See! You are strong! You bit my iron leg!"

He looked so guilty, that I wanted to say it was a lie, but then again, I was not the best person to be around children, but it was his age and my personal regret that had accepted him as mine. "I am sorry!" He replied and bit his lips.

"Do you want candy?"

"You have candy?"

"Don't tell others! It's yours and my secret!" I didn't like the weekly candies given to the kids. I kept mine in my pocket for this kind of emergency, sweets pacified kids. And this boy was an emergency. I unwrapped a yellow crystal and brought it to him, "Here." Immediately he gobbled it up.

"Law is a good person."

"And Luffy has to be Law's good boy, okay? Otherwise, how will I face your brothers when they come to take you from me?" By the time all of us met, Luffy had spent more time with me than his brothers. Yet, to him, I was always his brothers' friend and that little distance in our relationship is where affection between two orphans was born years later.

"Let's go to sleep?"

"I have never slept alone."

"You are not alone, come here." I opened my arms, and he slowly came to me and I patted his back like I used to do with my sister when she had trouble sleeping. "You have to sleep properly, eat properly, play properly and grow up!"

Luffy had held me around my waist and hid his face in my chest and cried, "Hmm."

The adult Luffy who was sleeping in my arms woke up with a violent jolt and so did I. Turning on the lights, I found his beautiful face stained with tears and horror clouding his eyes. I immediately took him in my arms. "Shhh…" I put his head on my chest and patted him all over his back, "It is a nightmare. We are safe, you are safe. Your brothers are safe and I am safe." I gently rocked him, like I had been doing for the last 19 years.

"Torao—" was the nickname he chose for me after we became a couple. He didn't open his eyes but rubbed his nose on my shirt and a bit on the collar. "I dreamt of Gray Terminal burning and my brothers being pulled away." When he had arrived, I didn't know what had transpired in that, slum. My information was based on the eavesdropping I had done. I understood the horror of the nightmare only after I turned 18 and joined college.

Luffy was still a child, and unable to articulate what happened, but I had decided to protect him. I began to track the brothers he so dearly missed, one was 16 and the other 15, they were still minors, so they couldn't yet do what adults did, but children above 14 in the system were allowed to enrol in jobs that could help them save up after they left their dwellings. And since I had figured out these two guys were smart, tracking them would be hard but not impossible.

When I finally met the second brother first, it all made sense, the burn scar on his face, the burn scar on Luffy's chest, and later the burn scar on the eldest's chest. The fire had ruined our lives, though I was jealous of these brothers, despite their watchtower burning and the two had done their best to save Luffy. I failed, hence I had done everything to make Luffy meet his brothers again.

Sabo, not only proved smarter, but he had already made a plan, he was waiting to enter college at 16 and get his hands on Luffy immediately after turning 18, asking to be his guardian. His only problem was— legal papers to prove they were related. By looks, they were entirely different. So together we found Ace, who had an even better plan— he enrolled to become a firefighter and wanted to use his respectable civil servant status to win Luffy's custody. In the end, they fought for custody jointly and lost.

"They are safe, right? It is a big day!" Luffy murmured and closed his eyes. "I saw you getting hurt too! Don't get hurt, okay!"

"Lu— have I ever got hurt after your nightmares?"

"No— but don't jinx it!" My boyfriend of eight years whimpered. Though I had to leave the orphanage at 18, I vacated the place on paper, but the Sisters let me stay in my storage space with Luffy— in lieu of me continuing to teach the kids every day. No one knew about this deal except me, Luffy and the sisters. I didn't leave the orphanage campus until Luffy turned 15.

And three years later, as soon as he turned 18, he decided he wanted to live with me until our dying day. Love between orphans like us understood no social boundaries or expectations; never having experienced the structure of the family— Luffy didn't know the difference between various kinds of love that existed. I was his all—friend, guardian, sibling and lover.

"What do you want me to do, my love?"

"Candy." He stopped asking for candies after nightmares when he hit puberty, he understood, I was no longer part of the orphanage, and had to buy them with the little money part-time jobs brought. If he was asking for candy, that meant he was stirred up. "Do we have candy?" Luffy finally opened his eyes and looked at me, the crying had made his eyes red and his cheeks had puffed up.

I reluctantly let him go, and looked for my office bag, "Did you forget, I studied for eight years to be a paediatrician? I always have candies!" Ace and Sabo, who later actually became my friends, told me, I became a children's doctor because I had training in raising Luffy. Luffy was the second reason, the first reason was the younger sister I lost, Lamy— would've been his age, but even though I lost her in the fire accident, I would've lost her anyway to the amber-lead syndrome, that eroded her immunity. My parents were doctors, even they were not able to save her. It was a race against time, and death defeated both time and illness by coming early for her.

"Orange or Strawberry?" I pulled out my collection and dumped them on the bed, Luffy tried to smile and looked at me like he always did when he didn't know the answer.

"Feed me."

"With my hand?" I picked up one that all my young patients liked. "Or do you want my mouth to feed you?" The question was meant to be a distraction for him, but the reaction he gave me, made the choice. "Look at me, keep your eyes on me! Don't think anything, just look at me like you've always had Lu." For years, I have been pulling him out of horrible headspaces, and he has done the same for me. And in days when we both were suffering like fresh wounds, we hugged each other and cried together.

His attention was on me now, I picked the orange-flavoured candy, and slowly unwrapped it, he was looking at my fingers playing with the thin transparent foil. With an even more painstakingly slow pace, I took the candy in my mouth and rolled it on my lips. He wanted it, he wanted to take it from my mouth. He inched closer and stretched his neck and parted his soft sleep-bitten lips. I wish I would have a way to control our nightmares and raise them to the ground— I didn't.

All we had was this short-life that felt too long and the unbearable weight of living— and little distractions were what was making us move through this. Tonight I was Luffy's distraction, I was Luffy's hope, and I was the fuel that made him live. Before he came into my life, I was living for the sake of living, with two little injured feet he had arrived at the orphanage— kicking, screaming and biting; while his two little hands were, holding a little torn monkey and a woollen bracelet that had ASL beads in them. He was the picture book definition of a beautiful orphan boy— marked with tragedy.

Looking at him, my heart had swollen up, while the Sisters discussed his living arrangements, I loitered near them and sat opposite the boy who had passed out. I had pulled away his little toy and the bracelet.

"Law— " One of the Sisters had called me, "What are you doing? "

I smiled and pretended to be the sanest boy in the orphanage, I knew what I was doing, "I will clean his toy and bracelet. So that he can feel happy when he wakes up."

" Ummm Law, come inside. " I knew what they were going to ask, "This is our brightest and smartest son, he has looked after many kids, we suggest putting the young boy with him. Law has had shared room with children who had come troubled."

I had pacified them all with candies and taught them that the easiest way out of being shifted from home to home was by being smart and never getting caught being angry and sad, because dumb adults thought uncontrollable anger and reasonless sadness in children was an abnormality! When they were the abnormal ones thinking orphans like us could be glowing light bulbs, happy to just be born!

Looking at the new arrival, I knew he was stubborn, and if I didn't intervene he would be sent to somewhere else. I had to protect him, and the only way to do so was by staying by his side. And I will stay by his side today too, I will stitch his torn monkey again and again, I will clean his dirty bracelet again and again, I will feed him candies again and again. He was mine to protect, and I would be his distraction from nightmares.

Until I was assured he was looking at my mouth and nothing else, I rolled the orange candy in my mouth for a while. Then, when I knew he was not thinking anything else, I bent down and offered it to him, his tongue entered my mouth and took the tangy orange. His hands cupped my face and I sat on his lap while I slowly stroked his hair. His eyes were closed, his breathing slowly evened out and didn't stop rubbing circles on his back and caressing his head.

The first time we had kissed was when I had shut my eyes and drifted into a light sleep while cuddling him, it was an innocent kiss that a 15-year-old had offered me. He had not done anything else, he was so in love with me that he found no other way but to press his lips against mine. I knew it that he loved me.

But after that kiss, I didn't want to make him suffer. I put a little distance between us by telling him, that finally got a dorm room at the university two weeks later. I had that room since I was 18, but had to sublet it to make ends-meet. He had cried a lot, but the distance of 3 years, didn't make his love less, rather it determined him to become mine. He had lost Ace and Sabo, he was not going to lose me! As soon as he turned 16 he took part-time jobs to earn his keep! He bought second-hand books from places I knew not and helped me save money as I no longer needed to buy new books! On our weekend meets, he tried to pay for food– the distance made him grow up.

Then, when we were sure, that Luffy was not being hounded by the system I brought him to meet Sabo and Ace, the reunion was a water festival that flooded my dorm room. The brothers had tried to win his custody since they turned 19 and 18, but they never even got permission to see Luffy. They finally met him at 23 and 22! Understanding how we all had tried to do everything to protect him, finally calmed his anxiety, though I met him every weekend, and learned how his nightmares had reduced. The nightmares were a result of his love and fear for us.

Now that his two brothers were tying the knot the next day, he was overwhelmed. Having no blood ties or family never stopped people from creating bonds. When Luffy was missing his brothers, his brothers were pining for each other and worrying about Luffy. Loving was easy, but naming a relationship was hard. Kissing was easy, but self-acceptance was hard. So when Ace and Sabo announced they wanted to get married, they were worried about Luffy's reaction. Luffy was surprised, but deep down he knew, he had seen them; the lingering touches via beer cans, the concerned eyes following one another, them living in one tiny flat despite the civil servant paychecks they both had.

As we played pass-the-parcel with candy after candy, Luffy calmed down and relaxed. Our tongues were dyed orange and yellow! We pulled apart after I kissed every inch of Luffy's face.

"Why are you so nervous, huh?"

"It's marriage!" Luffy touched his forehead against mine. "I am so worried! I feel so many emotions. I am happy, Torao, but— I feel ashamed that I am being so dramatic!"

I brushed my nose against him, "Yeah, it is marriage! What of it? Are you worried they will not turn up at the courthouse?"

Luffy's hands engulfed me, and squeezed me hard, "I know it's silly, I think I am losing my brothers!"

"Understandable, I mean, if Lamy were alive and getting married I would think I am losing my sister too!" I kissed his temple, "Luffy, even if they are marrying, they will never leave you. They are the guys who found you and did everything to get you back."

"Why are you always so mature?"

"I have seven years on you. And Lu— I will always be here. You are allowed to feel things. You are allowed to be vulnerable." I kissed him. I kissed him again. Again and again. Until he understood, I was going to be here. "You are allowed to stumble, and I will catch you. If I can't catch you. I will fall with you. I love you. You love me. You love Ace and Sabo. So don't you let a nightmare upset you, my love?"

Luffy was again crying, but he agreed to my words with constant nods, "MMM. I will be the happiest brother in the world."

"Yes, you will be."

The next day, we arrived at the courthouse to witness Ace and Sabo's marriage. We arrived before the couple and submitted the day's paperwork and collected the token number!

Ace and Sabo tried to look presentable, but on my insistence, both bought a couple's shirt and trousers, I knew they wouldn't carry ties despite being public servants they hated formal wear!

So Luffy and I brought the things we knew they wouldn't— a pen, ties, a multicolour flower bouquet and a rented car for the married couple!

Sabo and Ace came in a subway, running and huffing! Ace wore a soft-pink shirt with little strawberries printed on it and Sabo wore a lemon-yellow shirt with, unsurprisingly, little lemons printed on it. To my astonishment, they wore polished shoes! "Lu! Sorry, Ace had to like pee last moment, I swear his dick has no control!" Then Sabo's eyes fell on my hand holding the day's requirement. "Ah, trust Law, he even got us matching ties and flowers!"

I had to ask, "You got the rings?"

"Yeah, we got it, we would've forgotten, had it not been for Luffy sending us fifteen reminders! Learn from our little brother Ace!"

"Oi, you woke up late! I packed the rings Law!" Ace scolded his soon-to-be husband. "Lu, he woke up late! Now he is blaming my dick!"

Instead of playing along, Luffy jumped at his brothers and hugged them with his everything.

"What are you waiting for, Law? An invitation?" Sabo mocked me.

"He is feeling shy, Sabo!"

I couldn't help but jump in too. The four of us hugged each other and cried until our eyes itched! This was the family, that happened because we all wanted to love and protect Luffy. Maybe when Luffy crosses 30, we too can claim the title of being family.

The End

Note:

This is a gift fic for Daki ao3, who wanted it and so Khepi shall write it!

No disrespect to orphans, especially orphans who grow up like siblings and end up becoming a couple! We will not know their emotions and state of being. The least we can do is be open-minded! Love happens everywhere, some are treated harshly because they don't fit in our idea of "RIGHT."

So if you dislike Ace x Sabo, this is not for you!