Chapter 53

Sun God

"The central control panel is repaired, guys! Usopp and I did a super job!"

Around the breakfast table, eyes immediately turned to the cyborg who had grabbed a bottle of cola. The day before, while the cook and the girls had gone to the market, Franky and Usopp had headed towards the water tower then towards the workshop which housed the island's command and launch center. They took a long time to dismantle and reassemble the main panels to reconnect each disconnected wire, each torn or burned circuit and replace the missing parts. They had returned well after dinner time and exhausted but their determination had visibly paid off.

"This is excellent news!" Brook rejoiced.

"That was rather quick," Jinbei noted.

"You're awesome!" Their captain yelled, stuffing himself with waffles.

"All the documents we collected helped a lot," the sniper clarified. "Besides, Franky already knew the main principles."

"What did you find? Instruction booklets?" Zoro wanted to know.

"No, but most of the devices in the different centers use the same technology," the shipwright replied, "Once you understand how it works, it runs itself!"

"The majority of the installations were already there and the Vinsmokes only added their scientific touch to improve their efficiency or output," Usopp agreed.

"Do you think you have repaired all the necessary panels?" Robin asked.

"We'll need to make some adjustments and ensure that the rest of the installation works but it should be okay," the shipwright said.

"We could go this afternoon," Usopp suggested. "We need to do some testing to make sure there are no short circuits before relaunching everything."

"People on the shuttle will be able to return safely!" Chopper got enthused.

"I hope they're hanging on up there." Nami sighed, "They really didn't have much oxygen, food or drinking water supplies…"

"Can we let them know that repairs have been made?" Sanji asked. "That'd allow them to wait more peacefully…"

"The radio was broken but it should work now," the cyborg confirmed, giving him a thumbs up. "We'll try it!"

"I'll be happy to join you!" The musician offered them.

"I wouldn't say no; there's still a lot to do," Usopp thanked him.

"For my part, I'm gonna check pharmacies and herbalists," Chopper informed them. "Maybe some have antibiotics and we need to anticipate while waiting for the Hearts to come back. My stock is already seriously depleted!"

"We're gonna go back to the market," the navigator continued. "If everything could be fixed by tomorrow, that'd be ideal," she added to the handymen. "We could all get together to take care of this shuttle next."

As everyone approved enthusiastically, Sanji felt a smile stretch his lips and he gave a cup of black coffee to Law who had not opened his mouth since entering the galley. He then offered Chopper and Brook another glass of grapefruit juice before clearing the empty plates.

The horizon was finally clearing. The crew was going to be able to help the residents concretely and for their part, at the market, they didn't do too bad either. The blond remembered the events and his heart began to beat a little faster in his chest. As soon as his friends' breakfast was over, he was going to make the dishes he would offer this afternoon and dozens of ideas were already coming to his mind in anticipation of this moment.

The day before, however, he had not been as calm as he would have liked and for almost two hours after Nami had bought the flowers, nothing had happened. The locals had carefully avoided them and the shopkeepers had cast anxious glances at them regularly. No conversation had been heard for a long time and the few exchanges of the islanders were always quick and in low voices.

Yet the navigator had continued to stroll around the small square and bought some olives here, a fine veil scarf there or even some large country loaves of bread. Despite her cheerful demeanor and generosity though, the inhabitants had remained fearful and no one had dared to approach.

At some point, the cook had decided to take matters into his own hands and he had grabbed his plate of wafers to hand them directly to passers-by, a smile on his face despite his nervousness. They had vanished in a second when they had seen him move forward and in the jostling that had followed, the cakes had slipped off the plate. Immediately, the blond had rushed to catch them up but one of them had escaped him and Sanji had thought it would fall on the ground when a small hand had caught it. The child had stared at the jam wafer greedily and before anyone could stop him, he had swallowed the cake.

Silence had fallen on the square. The islanders had frozen in horror and Sanji had stared at the little boy who had happily bit into his wafer, speechless. In the end, the kid had even licked his fingers.

"This is so good!"

A man had finally grabbed the little boy to pull him back while all the residents had stared at the scene, eyes wide and mouths open. At this moment, a myriad of hands had appeared to shove a madeleine, a macaroon or a petit four into their mouths. Stunned, they had closed their mouths reflexively and in doing so, they were unable to escape the explosion of flavors that had immediately invaded them. They had swallowed without being able to stop, the exquisite taste of their surprise delicacy still on the tip of their tongues.

Another much more surprised silence had then stretched out and Sanji had not known what to do with all the incredulous looks fixed on him at this moment. He had cleared his throat awkwardly before taking a deep breath and offering his plate again to the locals a few steps away.

Yet none had moved and Sanji had felt his heart tighten at this sight. The fear anchored deep in the inhabitants was still the strongest and the cook was about to turn around when his pants had been pulled. Looking down, he had discovered the big smile of the previous little boy who was reaching for his plate and the blond's heart had been instantly warmed.

He had stooped down to show him the different wafers and despite the shudder of the adults behind the child, he had continued to point out the chocolate one, the fig one, the red fruits one and the cinnamon one. Sanji had been hypnotized by the amazed eyes of the kid who had been totally captivated by his food and when he had finally grabbed the chocolate wafer, the cook's smile had radiated light into the entire market square. He had gotten up smoothly and finally turned around to return to his stall, his step lighter than ever. When he had arrived near the girls, the emotion had been such that he had needed to catch his breath and he had leaned against the wall to smoke a cigarette, his face hidden by his hair.

They had waited almost half an hour again before the florist had finally dared to approach and asked for three macaroons. Nami had decided that they would sell the cook's creations rather than giving them away to appear less suspicious and the navigator had rushed to serve her. And maybe the young islander had only come to give her her change in a roundabout way, but the result was there and the blond's smile had not left him all day.

Remembering the euphoria of the moment, Sanji didn't realize that he had started to whistle while he dipped his hands in the hot water to wash his first plates. He also didn't notice the relieved and excited looks of his companions on him. He only had his next recipes in mind.

Law bit his lips when he turned to discard the bandage that had protected one of the burns on his back. The Straw Hat's doctor had cleaned the wounds that morning, but as they healed, the itching and pain increased. The surgeon had taken the time at the end of the afternoon to reapply a healing and moisturizing cream which helped him not to want to tear off his skin with each movement.

Unfortunately, the wounds on his back were difficult to reach and while those on his shoulders were not too significant, the wound nestled in the small of his back was one of the deepest because of his prolonged stay in the water that had eaten away his skin. Law still decided to remove the bandage that hid it to clean it but the position was more than uncomfortable and it made him wince with each gesture.

The surgeon was still tired from the infection that had significantly weakened his body a few days earlier. Yet the little reindeer had risen to the challenge and his septicemia was nothing more than a memory. The fever had broken and he was recovering his strength, but Law felt that he was not yet in full possession of his means. That's why trying to use his rooms to dismember and heal himself didn't seem like the best idea. Not only did his power require a lot of energy, but he also needed to be precise for this delicate work, which required even more concentration.

While sighing, Law grabbed the disinfectant and sprinkled it on a compress. He then contorted as best he could to dab it lightly on the wounds on his shoulders but when he tried to do the same to his lower back, the movement almost made him scream. With gritted teeth, the surgeon still forced himself to finish what he had started and as soon as the wound was sanitized, he threw away the compress and leaned on the ship's doctor's desk to catch his breath, his forehead covered in sweat.

Blindly cleaning his wounds was already painful and he didn't even want to imagine how he would feel if he tried to apply the cream in the same way. Finally, he stood up and gently slipped on his shirt before heading towards the door of the infirmary. With a little luck, the little reindeer had returned from his shopping and he could take care of it.

As he pushed the door open, he immediately spotted the straw hat boy sitting on the railing of the first floor and devouring a huge slice of brioche.

"Hey, Torao, you okay? You look pale," Luffy noted when he saw him.

"Is Tony-ya back?" The surgeon ignored him.

"Chopper? No, I didn't see him. He must still be in town with Zoro."

Law sighed. "Where are the others?"

"Sanji, Nami and Robin went back to the market and Franky, Usopp and Brook went to do tests at the water tower for the control panel."

"What about Jinbei?"

"He's meditating," he showed him, pointing to the Fish-Man on the Sunny's lawn.

"I see." The surgeon sighed again before glancing at the other captain who was still looking at him while biting harder into his huge brioche.

"You want your snack?" Luffy suddenly realized. "We can ask Jinbei for the key! Sanji wouldn't give it to me…"

"That won't be necessary, I'm not hungry. Do you by any chance…"

Law shook his head. The straw hat boy wasn't known for being tactful, but if he was careful, he could probably at least put the cream in the right place and put an end to the terrible urge to scratch himself which assailed the doctor with each brush of his shirt against his raw skin. He would only have to protect the wounds with a new bandage then, which he could do alone.

"Could you help me with my wounds? I need to apply cream but I can't reach some burns."

Luffy froze for a second and Law raised an eyebrow but quickly, the straw hat boy stuffed his entire piece of brioche into his mouth before jumping to his side, visibly determined. "No problem! I'm ready! When do we do this?!"

Law turned away to head back to the infirmary. "After you wash your hands."

Luffy stopped in the doorway between the galley and the infirmary, his hands still damp. The doctor had already removed his shirt and he turned to hand him the cream he had just grabbed from Chopper's desk.

"The burn on my lower back is the most severe, you need to put a good amount of it," he explained. "The burns on my shoulders are lighter. I need the cream to penetrate into the skin but there's no need to massage too much, it'll be absorbed quite quickly."

The straw hat boy remained still and Law stared at him. "Is there a problem?"

"N-No."

The surgeon frowned, "It might be better to wait for the return of-

"No, no, don't worry! I'll do it!" Luffy approached with determination and took the cream from his hands before squeezing a lot onto his right hand. Law looked at him for a moment longer, suspicious, before finally turning around.

"Tell me if I'm not doing this right; I don't wanna hurt you." The straw hat boy hesitated as he studied the burns.

"Don't worry, the cream is soothing. But if you can, I'd appreciate it if you take it slowly."

Luffy nodded even though the other captain couldn't see him then slowly moved his hand towards the small of his back and even though he was prepared for it, Law couldn't help but shudder because of the cold cream. The straw hat boy instantly froze in response and the surgeon tried to relax.

A moment later, Law felt the other pirate's fingers slowly slide across his skin and he huffed. Luffy was clearly focusing with all his might to control his movements and even if the contact was awkward, it wasn't too painful. After his lower back, the straw hat boy squeezed the tube of cream to move to the burn on his right shoulder blade and Law shivered again.

"Sorry," the other captain immediately apologized.

"Don't, it's me… I was surprised."

The surgeon closed his eyes, his jaw clenched. Fortunately for him, Luffy couldn't tell the difference between when he flinched because of the pain or because of the casual contact of their skin. His lower back was too damaged for him to feel any pleasure, but when he wasn't in pain, the straw hat boy's fingers made him shudder. And the more Luffy moved up towards his shoulders, the less his skin was burned and the more pleasant his sensations became.

Suddenly, the movement stopped and Luffy's fingers disappeared. He didn't resume applying cream to the last burn and Law noticed that his skin was covered in goosebumps. He turned around quickly, his cheeks red.

"Straw Hat-ya, I-

The trembling figure of the future Pirate King in front of him stopped Law, as did his tense face and fists clenched alongside his body.

"What's wrong?" The doctor asked, suddenly anxious. He then noticed the cream that the other pirate was still holding. "It's an allergenic cream, you might be having a reaction," he realized. He took a step closer to take the tube out of his hands but Luffy stepped back before shaking his head firmly. "I don't have any allergies and there's still a burn, I'll do it. I'm fine, Torao."

"You've been unusually quiet since you came in here and now you look like you're about to collapse," the Heart captain pointed out dryly. "I don't call that being fine."

In front of his frowning face, the straw hat boy held his gaze before slowly unclenching his fists. "It's just not easy…"

"What is?"

"Not touching you. You said you don't like it so I'm not doing it and I was careful to leave you alone but you asked me to put cream on you and it's not easy."

Law stared back at him, speechless. He should have known. He had noticed the signs since he had found him perched on the railing and even since he had arrived on the other captain's ship, Luffy had kept surprisingly distant from him. No doubt it was his way of respecting Law's request and the surgeon turned away to quickly put his shirt back on.

When he turned towards him again, Luffy was still staring.

"The last burn can wait, it's the least painful. Listen, I…" Law shook his head. "I'm sorry," he finally sighed. "I wasn't thinking."

The other captain shook his head at these words. "Don't be. If you want me to stay away from you, I will and it won't change anything. Ever since Doflamingo shot you in front of the Colosseum in Dressrosa, I know nothing will change what I feel for you."

"Straw Hat-ya…"

Law ran a hand over his face, deeply embarrassed, before sighing softly. "It's not that I don't want to, it's…" The surgeon took a quick breath before looking away for a second and the straw hat boy looked at him patiently.

"I'm scared," he whispered after a moment.

"Of what?" Luffy wondered.

"Well, I don't really know," he admitted. "My reaction, probably…"

Flushing with shame, Law looked down at his shirt which he tried to button up but his nervousness was making him clumsy and he was starting to get annoyed when Luffy spoke again.

"You trust me, Torao?"

The surgeon looked up and found the intense gaze of the straw hat pirate fixed on him. Law frowned, unsure. He wasn't going to tell him that he had trusted him for a long time, since he had placed all his hopes in him to bring down Doflamingo thanks to his name alone. Either way, his question went beyond and he knew it.

"I trust you," he agreed slowly.

The other captain nodded back. "You can just stop me whenever you want then."

Luffy brought his hand closer to the surgeon's chest and Law understood that he was aiming for the skin still visible between the folds of his loosely closed shirt. He stiffened but the touch of Luffy's fingers on his tattoo was lighter than a feather before hanging a few millimeters from his skin.

"You okay?"

The doctor only nodded, unable to answer, and Luffy's fingers resumed their course more freely. He traced part of the heart drawn in black ink and Law shivered when his hand went down to his stomach. The straw hat boy froze then.

"You want me to stop?"

The surgeon swallowed. "No… Go on."

Luffy took a step closer and this time, he used both hands to unbutton the shirt that was in the way. Law felt his breath hitch when the other captain's warm fingers met the muscles of his abs while taking care to avoid the burn there and he shivered again. Luffy slowly brushed against his hips, his gaze focused on his movements as if to better monitor the surgeon's reaction.

Law closed his eyes, trying to calm the too rapid beating of his heart but in doing so, his sensitivity increased. A trail of fire followed the progress of the straw hat boy's fingers along his skin and without realizing it, his breathing became heavier. This simple touch awakened sensations that he had never felt and over which he had no control. Sensations as captivating as powerful.

Suddenly, Luffy's hands moved up to his chest and Law jumped under the pressure of the fingers that were now firmly caressing his skin. The surgeon opened his eyes and found the other captain's gaze darkened with desire.

"You're so beautiful, Torao…"

The straw hat boy's voice had become hoarse and it sent an electric shock through Law's entire body. His shoulders relaxed and the rhythm of his breathing soared, letting Luffy push him back to the bed which he stumbled against. Unable to escape his magnetic gaze, Law found himself sitting on the edge of the bed while the other pirate came to stand between his legs, his fingers gripping the surgeon's skin tighter and tighter and now sliding from his lower stomach up to his shoulders.

Law felt completely sucked in by the presence of the pirate in front of him. He felt Luffy's hands begin to tremble against his bare skin and he saw his breathing speed up by the second. His intense gaze literally pinned him on the bed and triggered waves or irrepressible desire within him. The surgeon's hands sank into the mattress at his side and he tried to catch his breath as best he could but what escaped him was more of a sigh than a breath.

The straw hat boy's eyes darkened even more in return and Law felt like he was being brutally reduced to the state of prey. Luffy never hid anything of his desires or feelings but finding himself under the fire of his absolute gaze gave Law the dizzying impression that the straw hat boy could see into the very depths of his soul and he could only stare back, hypnotized by the sight. He blinked to try to regain his senses but the contact of the other pirate's fingers on his skin paralyzed him and he was unable to look away. Luffy literally glowed and completely blinded him. Law felt trapped.

"Torao, stop me."

The straw hat boy's hands moved up to frame his face and Law's heart skipped a beat when he saw Luffy leaning towards him. He knew that if he didn't move, the young captain would interpret his silence as agreement and as much as he wanted to, he wasn't ready.

"Stop."

Luffy froze but his eyes remained locked on his, breathing heavily inches from his lips. Law swallowed before shifting slightly, finally regaining control of his body. He then met the gaze of the other captain, still fixed on him, and pushed him away with a trembling hand.

"You're shining too brightly for me, Straw Hat-ya. I'm sorry."

Law quickly got up before crossing the door of the infirmary to reach the outside, tightening his shirt against him as if to protect himself. Luffy didn't make a move to hold him back.

That is tension!

There is a fine line between Law's desire to be pushed around and in control. Fortunately, Luffy is a patient man.