Loneliness, Longing and Love
After Luffy became the renowned representative of the werewolves, he made friends. When I was studying diligently in the Academy, he was making connections, alliances, and friends, and opening up the channels of communication between magical species.
Trade flourished between the magical creatures, and so did the exchange of knowledge, which helped dispel the distrust among the species. Luffy didn't show it or express it out loud, but the wars which humans caused and brought to our doorsteps had altered his worldview. He never again wanted another child to face the same fears that he faced.
So by the time I returned to my puppy's secure arms and made my permanent nest in the little Werewolf Village that offered a home to my clumsy father and me, it had changed a lot. The differences struck me more because of the distance between my memories and the present I was living.
The huts looked smaller, the villagers more approachable, and the food tasted better. Even the smell of other werewolves who were not Luffy didn't bother me.
And most importantly, my in-laws were the happiest people I had ever been with.
My mother-in-law was doting and caring, not the pragmatic woman I saw at the age of fifteen. My brothers-in-law were goofy, not the war-ravaged teenagers who had done everything to protect their youngest brother and tattooed to seal the mating magic! My father-in-law was more open to sharing his thoughts with me about magical research. And then there were Luffy's Grandparents, who kept forgetting I was a Witch and treated me like a runt from their litter.
Somehow, amid all this ruckus, my father just fit in fine.
At the edge of the village, our once shabby hut that was cold and aloof on the cliff of a mountain now was repaired, polished, and clean. There was a little garden of herbs, flowers, and vegetables surrounding it. My father was happy and healthy, and I was glad.
Overall, my life had been cosy and peaceful.
That didn't mean my husband loved peace; he loved excitement and adventure. Being a supportive husband, I never stopped him from running wild. Sometimes I forced him and his pack to travel outside the village for months, and I accompanied them too. Travelling with his pack was fun, though I felt sad because they had to limit their speed because of me and rearrange their itinerary for me.
Werewolves were meant to run in the wild, not be restricted by someone like me.
"Why are you in my kitchen and not at your clinic, son?"
With a flick of my hand, I threw the spatula I was using to brew the next batch of post-natal rejuvenation tonic at my father, "I grew up in this house; it is very much my kitchen too!"
"Law..." My extremely tall and shiny blonde father caught it easily. He sniffed and scooped the concoction with his pinky finger and licked it. "It reeks of lonely nights and longing! Do you want the new parents to feel your longing and sadness when they ingest it? As if childbirth was not exhausting enough, physically, do you want to break their mental morale? Let someone else finish it."
I said out loud to express my frustration, "DAD!"
He ignored me and sent the spatula flying back to my hand, "When is Luffy returning?" Then he moved to the other side of the kitchen and began to pull out jars full of ingredients to neutralize the tonic, "You don't make such silly rookie mistakes. Are you missing your husband and feeling lonely so badly that you let your emotions affect the tonic?"
Of course, I was missing him. I know I sent him on this trip without me. I excused myself because the birthing season was near. Not only was I the Chief Witch of this village, but I was also one of the few people who had studied how to help in the birthing of magical creatures. Thanks to my husband's networking skills, I got to study under healers from different species, enabling me to create common potions, spells, talismans, and guidelines for easily accessible to all.
After five years of our marriage, our little werewolf village began to become extremely busy during spring seasons. Spring was when werewolves, faes, mermaids, vampires, and others decided to give birth. Creatures came for me and my pack of healers; creatures Luffy found alone and in need of home, whom I trained with Dad's research and Luffy's grandma's experience.
I heard a knock, and then someone asked from outside, "Witch Sir, is Witch Law here?"
"Ah, Bepo! Is my son running away from his duties again?" My dad gladly opened the door and welcomed my former student-turned-colleague. "Come in."
"I am not running." I glared at Dad. "What is it, Bepo? Did Penguin and Sachi mess up? Or are the new ones finding the training strenuous." Despite his big appearance as a Polar Bear, my friend was a softie, who got easily overwhelmed because of his empathetic nature. Everything made him worried. "Bepo, stop fidgeting."
"No, no, nothing happened, we don't have much to do today, I just came to deliver this."
My dad was more interested in making potions and talismans than me, "Raw materials arrived already?"
"Dad... why will he rush for raw materials, it must be something else."
"Letter from Luffy."
"What!" I threw my apron at Bepo's arms and grabbed my letter. "Bepo, help Dad with the concoction, I messed it up, fix it. Cool it and seal it in the jars." I almost teleported myself, but would scream at me for exploiting my privileges, and stopped, took a turn and yelled, "And label them with dates."
Then I ran.
Entering the comforts of our home, I sat on our bed and took a whiff of the envelope. There was a little fragrance of his wet fur. Did he write it on a cold morning while rolling on dewy grass, or under the covers of stars? Dear me, I was missing him. The longing caused by two months of separation at last hit my fingers. With trembling hands, I broke the red seal.
After our marriage, all his and my letters were written on brown papers, sealed with magical wax. Luffy's handwriting was not the most elegant one; over the years, I had seen his script grow, from scratchy innocent lines to the solid arrogant strokes of a pack leader. Familiarity with the script brought me some peace.
All his letters always opened endearingly with: "My lovely Law." Today's letter didn't begin any different.
My Lovely Law,
I hope I reach home before this letter. In case I don't, what a pity. I wanted to take you by surprise. Do you know how much I miss you? You know, I know that you used spring as an excuse to travel with the pack because you think you slow us down! For someone so well-read and smart, you are clueless! Dumb-dumb husband, your presence keeps me grounded and happy. Now I am running back home at maximum speed, and if I hurt my precious tail: it's on you.
P.S.: I found some mistletoe, I know by the time you get them, they will be dry. Robin and Nami preserved them for me. In the village of Treants we met the elderlies, they told me that have a ritual where they kiss under the mistletoe after the winter ends! Why not hang these at our door?
Love
Puppy.
He knew exactly what he was doing to me. I unfolded the pressed flowers. The girls had done a great job. The colour had retained, and so did the shape. I tied them with a silver string made of Luffy's grandpa's fur, which he shed everywhere to annoy us. So I decided to collect it all as yarn and knit him a sweater! The dried mistletoe complemented my choice of wool.
Now it was a matter of hours or a day when my restless puppy would return. So like any other good homemaker of the village, I decided to clean and prepare my hearth to welcome my husband. The sheets were washed and replaced, and the floor was wiped and mopped; the garden was pruned and beautified. Of course, I did none of those with my hands, but magic. Luffy wouldn't complain. If he had his way, he would tell me to magic him clean when he went into Werewolf mode.
However, there was one thing that I liked doing with my own hands: preparing dinner, which was infused with my spelled spices and magical herbs. When he was not home, I ate with my father and my in-laws.
That meant I needed to go grocery shopping.
I could have teleported what I needed, but my very blonde father's face popped into my head, screaming about the abuse of magic. I was never flamboyant, but after living inside the Academy for more than a decade and barely allowing myself to indulge in magic, I went a bit crazy for a year or two. Newfound freedom and happiness caused by a very young marriage made me cocky, and I didn't lift a finger to even do the basic tasks like grinding herbs or seasoning my utensils.
Then my mother-in-law, Luna, and my dear father, pulled aside my puppy and told him I was overindulging. Luffy truly didn't mind, but when he found pieces of evidence that my overindulging was affecting my quality of magical creation, he took me to meet other healers and witches to broaden my mind.
That was a humbling experience.
With a basket in my arm, I went to shop for tonight's dinner or tomorrow's breakfast.
"Law!" My brothers-in-law found me at the entrance of the market. "Is Luffy returning today?" Sabo, the older one, asked and took my basket from me. What a gentleman, unlike my puppy, who would try to buy everything and shove it into my arms.
"He was trying to reach before the letter, so I am guessing it is tonight."
Ace took a sniff off me, "You smell better than ever in the last two months! Mum was worried that you might catch love-sickness. Sabo, can you imagine, a married person catching lo—" I pinched Ace's nosy nose.
Sabo smiled, "What are you planning to cook?"
"No idea!"
"Serve him raw meat on a plate," Ace added. "He only behaves civilized for you. Let him live like the savage that he is." I was aware of the werewolf diet, it didn't bother me. Still, I would never serve him raw meat! We, witches, have pride, and I am a moonwitch, we are supposed to be nurturers.
"Ace, don't disgust Law."
"I am not disgusted. I am thinking."
"What?" Both brothers asked in unison. "It's Luffy, what's so hard? He will eat grass if you serve it."
I rolled my eyes and pointed ahead of us, "Which one?" At the butcher's hung Sea King's tail and Kraken legs. Three of us mentally thanked Luffy for spearheading a united species agenda; we witches never dared to eat food that we didn't raise or hunted and cooked from scratch, and werewolves didn't have the luxury to choose. Now that trade was open, and people explored each other's magical cuisines and ingredients, we all were willing to experiment. Luffy was always experimenting, how could I deny him a heart-warming meal?
"Which one?" I rested my hands on both brothers' shoulders, "Luffy's happiness needs to be multiplied. Think maximum happiness, boys."
"Kraken legs," Sabo suggested, "It's chewy, so you can't mess it up. Lu loves talking, so he can talk and chew— win-win."
"I say, Sea King, all you have to do is not overcook!" Ace added, "Seasoned with herbs and fried in butter, pair with a glass of wine. Sanji taught me."
"Sanji taught you? Or did you flirt with him so much that he ended up saying random things, eh?" Sabo pinched Ace's nose as well. "Are you sure Law is on the verge of lovesickness? And not you?"
"BOYS! Focus! Luffy! "
"Both, buy both." The answer came from behind us, "Law! You smell so much better! I was worried you caught love sickness!"
"Mummy, not you too!" I took her hand and patted her, "I miss him, but I am not an idiot."
My mother-in-law giggled. "If you are shopping for dinner, that means you are missing him badly. Anyway, I am glad Luffy will not be sad about you being super-sad. I can't handle his brattiness; I am old." She pushed Ace and Sabo aside to take a better look at me, "If the goal is to maximize my precious son's happiness, both. Make him both the meat. I have a few recipes given to me by Sanji."
"Mum, be honest, who do you love the most?" Ace pouted. "Between Sabo, me, and Luffy?"
She dismissed with the classic excuse, "I love equally. I gave you birth!"
"Ace, you asked the wrong question," Sabo was not someone who let things go easily, "Okay, who will you take an arrow for?"
Without a blink and hesitation, the reply came, an arrow of one word that deflated my two brothers-in-law, "Luffy."
"Mum!" Ignoring the two, she pulled me to the butcher's and helped me decide the cuts for my husband. With her help and the boys' advice, I knew what I wanted to prepare. With a basket full of ingredients, recipes, and blessings from my mother-in-law, I returned home.
It was true, Luffy would eat anything I would serve him. That didn't mean I would feed him grass! I wanted to welcome him with a warm meal; I wanted to show him how much I missed him, and I wanted to channel the longing and loneliness of two months into the plate of delicacies I was serving him.
I wanted him to consume my love, chew it slowly, feel the juices of my desire melt into his tongue and become one with his body. Not only that, but I wanted to feast on the sight of Luffy feasting on the meal I prepared for him.
I pulled the apron, tied it to my waist, and began preparing every dish with loneliness, longing, and love.
TBC
Notes:
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece
Hello,
This sequel happened because Fatymafay, who is an amazing LawLu artists. Fatymafay replied to my call for Fic Requests on Tumblr. 2023 has been a tough year, so I wanted to end it on a hopeful and happy note. To be honest, I never thought I would return to The Moonwitch And His Dumb Werewolf Universe, as in a way that story is complete.
Yet, we are writers, we always have something more to say.
Things have changed in the story, Luffy is mature and responsible but still a simp for Law, and Law has finally started living carefree, so he is more open to express himself, still shy, but he made a good deal of progress.
Overall it's a fluff, first chapter is build up, second chapter is food and sex.
I will mark the sex part, so, you minors and non-NSFW readers can gladly skip it without missing out on the story.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
This author thrives on kudos and comments, because she can't afford anti-depressants! So she lives of dopamine produced by your support.
