lawly

by footfungus

lawly

17. Chapter 17

e common room was as packed as ever as finals had approached. It only got busier with the holidays around the corner. Luckily for you being a theater major had its perks in that your finals weren't the traditional two to three hour long exam of your entire course curriculum. Unlike the rest of your social circle you got to sit back and relax as they crammed as much of the semester as they could remember into their already burnt out heads as they existed entirely off of coffee and other caffeinated beverages. You attended One Piece university which prided itself on being the most diverse and upstanding college of its time in that it was the top rated university across several different majors. One Piece of everything or something like that. It was interesting how oddly enough each of your dorm mates seemingly came together in such a tight knit group despite very few of you actually being in the same classes.

You had already turned in your final paper and the production you were cast as the lead in closed the weekend prior leaving only your dance and voice finals which were later in the week but all in all you were sitting pretty. You lazily stirred from your spot on the couch. It was still exhausting being a theater major but you had always been a night owl. Rubbing your eyes in an attempt to wake yourself up was a mistake as black ink smudged the backs of your hands. You could hear a chorus of snickering around you.

"Shishishishi (Y/N) looks like a raccoon dog!" Luffy keeled over draping an arm around Chopper causing him to spill a few papers from the stack he was working on. He only sighed but you could feel the annoyed rage bubbling up in his study partner as Law looked like he contemplated hitting the prankster with his thick medical book. "Oi, Mugiwara-ya if you're not going to study you could at least stay out of the way." Luffy only continued to laugh through his apology. Nami snapped a photo before she handed you a mirror "Guess that means I was right!" She giggled as Robin passed you some make up wipes to help get rid of the marks. You could also see Franky and Usopp stifling their laughter in the corner as they worked on their inventions.

You frowned "Okay haha, I take it this is Ace's handy work?" Not surprising. You had pranked Ace earlier in his burnt out sleep deprived state making him think he was late to his final only for him to realize halfway through taking someone else's exam that it was Tuesday. He didn't even have class on Tuesday. Moreover it was the Latin final he walked into. It made sense why the exam seemed like it was in a different language. You supposed this was payback that you should have seen coming.

Sanji passed you a cup of tea sitting in between you and Robin "He was here not too long ago. Said he was going to the library before you could hunt him down." You laughed while taking a sip from the tea. "As if that'd stop me but I'll let him live for now." You smiled at your mug. It was very good tea.

"So what's everyone doing for the holidays?" Ussop asked, wiping his hands as he joined everyone else on the couches. It seemed like most people were going home. You sighed knowing you'd be stuck in the dorms again. There was no point in going home since there was no one waiting for you.

Last year Zoro stayed back at the dorms with you but he ended up practically hibernating the entire break. You don't mind being alone but you're going to be really bored. There were only so many video games you could play and Netflix you could watch before you go stir crazy. If you weren't a broke college student it wouldn't be that bad you could always go on a trip but theater consumes all of your free time and expendable cash is not exactly your best friend.

The conversation was put on pause as Law's phone rang. The opening theme to "Sora warrior of the sea" fills the silence as he grimaced hastily packing his things up giving Chopper last minute tips as he rushed out of the room. In his rush it seems like he dropped his wallet. As the conversation resumed you picked it up and walked out to catch up with your favorite medic.

—

"I don't need you guys to play matchmaker for me. You can tell Doflamingo to shove it up his ass."

Law pinched the bridge of his nose. When he went home last year he was less than pleased to find out that Doflamingo had tried to set him up with the daughter of a business partner but he declined. He left early for good measure when he tried to threaten him with an arranged marriage. When he saw Corazon's name on his caller ID his stomach sank at the thought of him continuing the sentiment. He kept in contact with his adopted family through mostly texts and the occasional visit during the holidays it was very rare he got a phone call. At this point he was expecting the worst.

"I know my brother isn't a good person all the time but you're twenty-six and he just wants to make sure you're taken care of."

Law rolled his eyes, "I can take care of myself," truly he had no interest in romance but if it meant he could shove it in that smug bastard's face then he was prepared to die on this hill "Besides I already have a girlfriend." Law said without thinking about the ramifications.

You turned the corner hearing the tail end of his sentence. Since when did Law have a girlfriend? He hated his fangirls and you could have sworn he was wing manning for Shachi the other night. On top of that you always thought he swung the other way. Thinking back about it, maybe he just had a soft spot for Luffy, most people do. When your eyes met he raised an eyebrow but you held up his wallet. He wasn't paying attention to what Corazon was saying and quickly agreed without a second thought as he reached out and took it from you.

On the other end of the phone he could barely make out the over joyed "Fantastic! I'll tell Doffy you're bringing your girlfriend with you this year! See you soon, love you!"

"Yeah yeah, love you too." Law's eyes widened as he realized what Corazon just said. It was already too late he heard the call end. Stunned by his own stupidity he spaced out.

You snapped your hand in front of Law's stunned face and you laughed "Earth to Law? Since when did you have a girlfriend?" He slowly turned to you with a light bulb going off in his head "(Y/N)-ya you're an actor right? What are you doing over the break?"

You blinked at him "I was just going to stay at the dorms, why?" You had a feeling you knew where this was going. He wasn't serious was he?

"If I paid you, would you come with me to Dressrosa and pretend to be my girlfriend?" That's the one benefit of going to One Piece Law thought, it was convenient having people in every trade under the same roof.

You were taken aback by the request but you do like money and you had to admit Law was attractive. He was your type that's for sure. It definitely would be interesting to peek behind the veil that was Trafalgar Law. The self proclaimed "surgeon of death" was a mystery to most. You weren't really sure where you stood with the other. You and Law would talk if you had the time in passing but you never went out of your way to hangout outside of the friend group. To you Law was easy enough to get along with and you knew how to play the doting perfect girlfriend. Money, room and board, and a fake family experience was like winning the lottery over being single, sad and alone for Christmas and New year's.

"Sure, why not. I got nothing else better to do." You shrugged nonchalantly "Sounds fun if I'm being honest." You rocked back on your heels thinking about how you wanted to play it off. What kind of girlfriend would you be? You had so many options. What kind of girl would Law have fallen for?

Law sighed in relief. Step one was complete but he wasn't out of the woods yet. Fooling Doflamingo would be hard. He knew you were a good actor. Bepo had begged him to see the show. He was kind of impressed with your range. That wasn't the problem. It was mostly him that he was worried about. Doffy knew how to get under Law's skin, and who knows what kind of trap he'd be walking into.

He needed to be ready for anything the blonde could possibly throw his way. Law needed a plan. He stared at you intently, he really needed to sell this to get his family off his back but he never gave relationships a second thought. Sure he's had his share of drunken one night stands but those were hardly intimate. Emotions and feelings were never really his forte but obsessive pda wasn't going to be believable, would it? No, that wouldn't cut it.

At some point Law had folded his arms as he leaned against the wall closing his eyes lost in thought. He almost forgot you were there when you stripped him of his iconic hat placing it on your head as you decided to take some selfies.

Law scowled at you which only made you laugh and take another picture with his frown. He glared at you, almost snarling as he grabbed for his hat "What are you doing?"

You dodged out of the way "I need a new lock screen. It'd be weird if we didn't have any pictures of us together right?" You threw your arms around him trying to get a good picture, surprised that he didn't push you away. You pulled back to check how it turned out when Law rested his chin on your head and pulled you into his chest. Your cheeks flushed at the sudden closeness as you see him follow suit snapping a photo of his own much to his dismay.

"Like this?" He showed you the picture. You're not going to lie, you two made a really cute couple. "That one's actually really cute. Send it to me, that'll be my home screen."

He nodded before asking "Should we take more or should this be enough?" It was a good question.

"We should, but later. After we change or something it would probably look suspicious if all of our pictures were in the same outfit at the same location." You scrolled through your camera feed sending some candid shots Nami and Sanji have taken of you earlier in the year.

"Just in case, you never know, right?"

He slipped his phone back in his pocket after saving the photos. You agreed to meet up with him later to go over specifics. Things that you both should know about each other and general boundaries. You laugh at the thought, being an actor and all kinda skews your perception on what makes other people uncomfortable. It's just like another show, you're pretty much okay with the notion of doing everything a normal couple would do. On top of that you've had to kiss your fair share of people, guys, girls and everything in between in front of a large audience. This makes no difference to you but this is Law we're talking about and the only people who are physically affectionate are Bepo and Luffy. Although Bepo practically grew up with Law, and Luffy doesn't know what personal space means.

When later rolled around you ended up in Law's room with a thick packet detailing an elaborate plan that you thought was completely unnecessary. "You do know the more shit you make up for our backstory the more shit you have to remember right?" You said as you flipped through the pages skimming through the borderline script he's conjured up.

"Yeah no sorry to say but none of this is going to be believable. I can't see you acting to save your life and this is a long shot even for you."

Law sighed out of frustration "Then what do you suggest." His jaw clenched clearly irritated with the idea of having to take direction from you but hey this is what you major in. The art of deception.

"Well the closer our story is to the truth the more believable it is. Your family knows you so it's best if you just act natural. Saying we met at a party when you never leave your room and you hate people sounds pretty sus."

"Tsk"

You rolled your eyes "You know I'm right. None of this sounds like you, it sounds like some bad cheesy romcom?" Law flinched; it was true he had written it based on what Shachi and Penguin told him instead of trying to fit himself into the puzzle. "Think of it this way. What kind of girl could you see yourself falling for because right now this sounds like one of the fangirls that you so adamantly avoid." He grimaced looking over what he wrote down.

You leaned back in his desk chair "The way I see it right, you wouldn't be interested in any normal girl. It'd probably be one of two ways, one being that we would have absolutely hated each other's guts because we found the other insufferable until we realized how well we compliment each other when there is a common goal. Or two I pretty much decide from the get go I was going to be your friend against your protest like Luffy and eventually you got soft on me."

Law hummed it was probably true given his friend group "Sounds about right. I didn't like you when you first moved in either." You stared at him flatly "You didn't like anyone when we moved in. Even now I'm pretty sure you just tolerate our existence but what made you warmup to me?" Who could blame you, you were curious.

Law folded his arms leaning back on the headboard "Well for one you're not a diva and you are actually good at what you do. Overtly confident people annoy me when they don't have the skills to back up their claims." You hold eye contact with him and when he doesn't look away you smirked.

"Didn't know you thought so highly of me." You were met with another neutral expression. You hope you can read him by the time you're at Dressrosa it would be easier if you could.

He shrugged "I can hold an intellectual conversation with you without wanting to kill myself." You laughed at that knowing full well the amount of effort it takes him to have a conversation with Luffy.

"Good that's better to work with than, our eyes met across the room butterflies in my stomach crap." You playfully teased knowing you were tiptoeing around a time bomb. "God I get it already. Are we done here?" He already wasn't fond of the situation but you knew what you were doing. You stood up to stretch a thought dawning on you that you never brought up "I guess so, oh since you're paying me I really don't care about personal boundaries. Holding hands, kissing, cuddles whatever is fine with me. I'm your girlfriend now so don't be shy." You looked over at him, his expression unreadable as ever. You grinned "Or do, you're pretty cute when you're flustered." You shot him a playful wink as he rolled his eyes and scoffed.

You sat on the corner of his bed seeing how far you could tease him "What not the affectionate type? I'm just saying if we get caught under the mistletoe it'd be weird if you hesitate." He didn't budge, only sighed knowing it was true. There was so much he had to keep track of because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. Doflamingo pissed him off to no end and he tends not to think rationally because of it.

"This is already annoying but it beats an arranged marriage." He leaned back partially laying down. "Oh shit, really?" What kind of family does Law have?

Law only rubbed his face nodding "When you meet them you'll understand why. They're kind of a big deal but I'll tell you more later."

—

The next few days breezed by quickly with you and Law secretly meeting up to take pictures and talk about general information. You had to force most of it out of Law though despite this all being part of his plan it seemed he didn't want any part of it. Which was fair enough this was all just to avoid that arranged marriage but still. He could work with you a little right. It took forever to even find out that man's hates bread with a severe passion. Something about his uncle Trebol being a disgusting excuse of a human being. Other than that you both were getting along fine.

It was weird, you know you were both friends before but now you felt as close as Shachi or Penguin and on their last day in the dorms they even invited you out with them. You ended up making fun of Law for most of the night. He stayed on his stool at the bar and you kept making eyes at him from across the room similarly to his failed attempt at writing. He muttered something about getting revenge that you wouldn't see it coming but you only laughed. It wasn't until you were four or five drinks in that you realized Law had been the one ordering them not the hottie from across the room while also telling the bartender to make them stronger. They almost hit you all at once but you were feeling good. At one point you even wingman for Penguin and you're pretty sure they even went home together.

You had fun dancing around with Bepo but you would glance over at Law occasionally. He wasn't sporting his usual frown; you could almost say he was smiling. You couldn't stop yourself from asking "You think Law's having a good time?"

Bepo laughed "Since the two of you started hanging out he's definitely smiled more but he likes to sit and watch at these. I heard you're going to Dressrosa." You perked up, you didn't think he would have told anyone about it. You nodded not wanting to fight the music. Bepo put a hand near your ear so he could whisper into it. "Don't let Doffy win. He has a way of getting Law to do what he wants whether Law is aware of it or not. Make sure you bring him home okay."

"I will."

The rest of the night was a blur but you vaguely recalled Law trying to wrangle you in his car. When you came too you were not doing too hot. Your head was pounding but how could you say no to free drinks. When your eyes finally opened it was to the snap of a camera. This had been a set up. Law was sitting next to your bed grinning at his phone as he showed you said picture.

Your hair was unruly and all over the place, your makeup was smeared, mouth hanging open, limbs sprawled out twisted around your blanket and the dress you were wearing was falling off your shoulders. You were a mess.

"Revenge sure is sweet."

It was too early in the morning for him to be this chipper. "Okay I'll admit you got me. Now help me get rid of this headache." Surprisingly Law helped you get back to rights. Mostly because he did this to you and partly because he didn't want you blowing chunks on the way to Dressrosa.

You were in and out of it for the drive. Part of you thinks Law did this on purpose so he didn't have to deal with you asking too many questions he wasn't ready to answer yet. You ended up taking a nap for most of it. It was a few hours away so you should get there late afternoon, evening. When you were around twenty minutes away Law woke you up.

"We're almost there. You feeling better now?"

You looked out the window the sun was on the cusp of setting reflecting off of the fresh fallen snow. It was very beautiful "Immaculate! Are you ready to do this?"

Law sighed gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white "As ready as I'll ever be" You wondered what kind of place it would be as you passed more and more lavish estates you start feeling nervous and you were never nervous. You wondered if he was going the right way. Law cleared his throat "There's one thing I forgot to tell you before we left." He paused trying to collect his thoughts "You know how I'm adopted?"

"Yeah?" you were hesitant as you noticed a huge manor on top of the hill you were approaching "I was adopted by the Donquixote family."

Your jaw dropped, you knew the names sounded familiar. Doflamingo Donquixote, founder of Smile Corp, the biggest toy manufacturer in the nation. Law's family was practically royalty. "You decided now would be a good time to tell me!" You stare at him.

"I admit, it probably wasn't the best idea but the look on your face was priceless." Law pulled in to the open gates and parked "But now you see what I mean."

"No wonder they want to arrange your marriage." You looked at Law in disbelief "I just have more questions, like how'd you end up at One Piece? Not eager to take up the family business?"

He grimaced at you while getting out of the car "You could say that." He walked over to help you out of the car. You were still shocked just staring at him. You couldn't see him with a significant other let alone being married. This is what Law had been hiding all this time. He put his hands on your shoulders "You're not thinking of backing out now are you? I never took you for a quiter (Y/N)-ya." He challenged you, being smug about it too. Seems he knows you so well.

You finally snapped out of it "As if you could get rid of me that easily." You were on a mission. You promised Bepo, the payment was just an added bonus almost forgotten at this point.

A tall blonde with a black feathery overcoat nearly sprinted across the courtyard. Right before he made it over he slipped on the ice but quickly recovered. Law gave you a reassuring look as if this happens all the time before the taller gentleman spoke "Law! Long time no see!" He encompassed both of you in a hug lifting you off the floor.

When he set you back down Law gestured to you "Corazon, this is (Y/N)-ya, (Y/N)-ya this is Corazon he's my adopted father. Doflamingo's younger brother." The blonde looked you up and down before extending his hand to you. You went to firmly shake it but he pulled you in for another hug "Thank you for taking care of Law. I know he can be a handful. It means a lot to me that he's finally found someone who tolerates him."

"Hey, I am right here ya know!" Law frowned at Corazon while pulling your bags from the car. You only laughed at his frustration before addressing Corazon. "Someone has to look out for him. Especially with his work ethic," you clicked your tongue "Someone has to make sure he sleeps." You smiled back at Corazon. He looked like he was so happy he could cry.

"Again, I am right here." Law held out your bag glaring at you. Although you noticed his cheeks were lightly tinted pink and you could see the faintest spot of red tint on his ears. You grab your bag from him as others come out to meet you. He only groaned and Corazon put a hand on his shoulder as presumably his sister came to greet you both.

"Heard you actually got a girlfriend. So how much are you paying her?" She threw an arm around your shoulder "Blink twice if you've been kidnapped." You smiled purposely deciding to have a staring contest with the green haired women.

Law rolled his eyes and scoffed "This is Monet, don't listen to a word she says she likes causing trouble." He gestured to the black haired woman with a cute ribbon tying back her hair "That's Baby five, be careful when asking her for help she is incapable of saying no and next to her is sugar who despite looking like a ten year old is actually in her twenties like us."

Baby 5 dropped herself on your other shoulder. "It's okay, you can tell us if he's holding you hostage." You laughed but gave them both a quizzical look "Is it really that unbelievable that I'm willingly dating your brother?"

Sugar finished the handful of grapes in her mouth before answering "Yes! You're too pretty and big brother isn't nice at all." She pouted and popped another grape in her mouth "Plus you're the first girl he's ever brought back. We've been waiting to make fun of him."

You looked back to Law who looked like he was having a conniption, a vein even popping out of his forehead glaring at his younger sisters. You gently slipped out of the girl's grasp before gracefully taking Law's hand in yours. With the most smitten expression you could muster you tried to ease his suffering by giving him an out "Show me around?" You softly smiled at him as his eyes pleaded. He pulled you into the manor but you could still hear Corazon say "Well I like her."

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Everything was so fancy you felt under dressed to be walking around in here. Law kept the tour as brief as possible not wanting to run into anyone else. He could only breathe easy when you finally made it to his old room.

You giggled at him as he threw himself on his bed "That bad huh?"

"I don't like coming home at the best of times." He rolled over staring at the ceiling as you walked around the room. It was very spacious. Big ass bed in the center of the room with a dresser on one side, a desk on the other and two bookshelves. There were some posters of that one comic he likes so much but other than that very minimal compared to most of the house but also very Law. Neat and to the point. The bed must have been a queen, now that you look at it. The bedspread is similar to the pattern on his hat. You wondered if it was supposed to match a snow leopard or a spotted seal.

Law rubbed his temples, proceeding to grumble about there still being so many people to introduce you to. You sat on the bed next to him and you were about to say something when someone knocked on the door.

"I'm coming in."

Law sat upright tensing at the voice pulling you closer. You leaned into him for comfort trying to get him to relax before he blows his own damn cover. Another tall blonde walked in sporting a pink feathery coat and red tinted sunglasses. The unnatural wicked grin causes a wave of unease but you're used to masking your emotions.

"Ah that's right, Corazon did say you were bringing your girlfriend this year."

He walked further into the room and you took that as your cue to stand up, Law right beside you holding your waist. "Doflamingo this is (Y/N)-ya."

You outstretched your hand "Pleased to meet you, Doflamingo. Law rarely talks about his family. Imagine my surprise when he asked me to come meet you." You didn't think it would be possible for his grin to widen but it did as he took your hand. Instead of shaking it he bent down to kiss your knuckles. "The pleasure is all mine." He looked from you to Law "You sure picked a sweet beautiful young woman, Law." Law's grip on your waist tightened. You're not sure if you should feel flustered at how intimate Law's touch felt or disgusted by Doffy's implications. The tension in the air grew thick. Doffy lets go of your hand and gracefully ushers you both out of the room to the dining hall.

"Please, call me Doffy."

Things went too fast being introduced to the rest of the family and sitting down for dinner. You can see why Bepo told you to be wary. It's almost like Doffy was pulling the strings on everyone seemingly playing everything out like a puppet show.

"So how did you meet Law? He's not very privy on connecting with others personally."

You blush lightly thinking of other things to cause the red tint on your cheek, they'll never know. "We met officially at the dorms but technically I met him way before that." Law looked at you silently questioning you as you acted flustered "I mean it's not like we were introduced or anything I was just at the right place at the right time kind of thing." Law couldn't tell if you were making something up or not.

"Oh do tell."

You looked at Law and smiled with adoration. "It was the day of my orientation two years ago. I stopped by this small cafe at the edge of campus when someone started having a severe allergic reaction. Other people started panicking but not Law. He stepped in straight away and took command of the room immediately. He had to perform an emergency tracheotomy on the guy and I just happened to have a broken pen he could use. I was pretty enamored with him at the time but I never caught his name. It was only last year that we were officially introduced to each other." Law remembers that day he ended up missing his first lecture of the semester because he was accidentally pulled into the ambulance. He looked over at you analyzing your face for anything to jog his memory. Was that really you that day or was this a lie. It was a really convincing lie if it was. How would you have known about that otherwise. He grinned, man you really were good at your job.

"Oh so then it was love at first sight."

Law laughed as you both spoke at the same time "No, not at all." You nodded for Law to continue "Oh I hated (Y/N)-ya when she moved in. I thought my dorm finally got rid of our obnoxious theater major."

You playfully hit his shoulder pouting "I wasn't obnoxious, you were the one who was insufferable."

Corazon laughed at the exchange "What changed?" Everyone was curious except for Monet.

Law smirked, thinking back to your advice "Bepo forced me to see her show. I tried to find something wrong with her performance but I found myself at a loss for words." Law's hard stare softened when he met your gaze "Hard to fault her if she's good at what she does." You were caught off guard with how soft Law sounded. It was completely different from his typical demeanor. You felt your heart pang in a way that it shouldn't have.

"I thought Law was stuck up but he's just unapologetically passionate about his studies. With a major like that I can't exactly blame him either."

Doffy hummed smirking at Law showing the faintest emotion. Weakness is something he could use against him. Meanwhile Corazon looked like he needed a tissue. The others at the table had similar reactions, either they thought it was sweet or they were ready to throw up their dinner. There was no in-between. Monet looked over at you bitterly, though you didn't pay attention opting to follow Law's advice to ignore her.

It was bearable and you could feel Law relax now that the hard part was out of the way. All that was left was to survive the week. Law practically dragged you out of the room after you tried to help clean up. You wanted to offer Corazon some help and maybe get some more embarrassing stories about Law but it seemed the raven could sense your ulterior motives. Instead you found yourself sitting next to Law in the entertainment room. It was family tradition to watch Christmas movies leading up to Christmas.

—

"Well I like her. I think she's good for Law." Corazon put another plate on the drying rack as Doffy still sat at the table. Still mulling over what to do about Law's plus one. "It doesn't matter if she's good for Law. You and I both know he's not in love with her; this is just an act. She's even an actor for Christ's sake."

Corazon begged to differ thinking back to all the pictures Law had sent before his arrival. He couldn't help but frown at the thought since they looked so cute together. "I'll admit Law speaking openly about his feelings is strange behavior for him but he looks happy and I for one will not let you ruin that because you feel like it." He finished up with the dishes, wiping his hands with a towel before slapping his brother with it. "Moreover, who are you to say that Law doesn't love her?"

"Are you forgetting that Law will do anything to spite me?" Doflamingo wasn't wrong; they've had this petty back and forth going for a while.

"Honestly you two and mind games I will never understand."

"It's not mind games, it's business. I gave him till twenty five before choosing a suitor. He's twenty six he should have been married over the summer. Although I should have expected him to try to leave early, that was on me."

Corazon sighed, "I don't care what you're thinking about doing, I swear I'll kill you myself if you ruin another Christmas."

Doffy only laughed, getting out of his seat to join everyone watching the movie "Wouldn't dream of it."

—

It had taken much longer than you'd like to admit, voting on which Christmas movie to watch first. Trebol, Diamante, Monet, Lao G and Vergo wanted to watch "Die hard". Which was ridiculous because that's not even a Christmas movie. Pica, Deliger, Buffalo, Machvise and you wanted to watch "Home Alone". A true classic and you could never go wrong with it. Senior Pink, Giolla, Violet and Baby 5 wanted to watch "Love Actually". Another good choice but Law pleaded with you not to choose it. Something about how it reminds Senior Pink of his wife and it would be a bad time. Meanwhile Gladius and Law voted for "The Polar Express". You hadn't seen it in years but since it didn't get many votes you'd rather side with "Home Alone". Leaving poor Sugar alone wanting to watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." To which she argued that she was going to go to bed first causing most people to change their votes. The amount of pull that child had was crazy. Or maybe this was what a loving family looked like. You wouldn't know.

Whatever the case you sat next to Law on the loveseat by the Christmas tree. You weren't pressed against his side; the chair was actually big enough for you both to sit comfortably. Your shoulders touched casually but it didn't bother you. Doffy and Corazon joined you all midway through the movie causing Law to hold you closer. You giggled at him teasing him about being possessive. He glared back at you but you grinned at the red gracing his cheeks. He wasn't paying attention to you though, his eyes already trained on Doflamingo.

Sure enough after the movie Sugar went to bed resetting the vote. Corazon voted for "Love Actually" but Doffy voted for "Home Alone" breaking the original tie. Law deflated into your side apparently this happens every year. He never gets to watch "The Polar Express" You nuzzle into him assuring him the two of you will watch it later. He smiles at that before his eyes drift closed.

You're not sure when he fell asleep but you didn't mind. He needed the rest. It was a long drive and he was probably physically and emotionally drained. You made a show of looking at him lovingly, giving him pecks on the cheek or forehead kisses, and rubbing circles into his back when he falls into your lap. You let the movie finish before trying to wake him up. He was cute when he was drowsy but one glance towards Doflamingo was like drenching him in ice water. He curtly said his goodnight before grabbing you and hurrying to his room.

Law tried to set up shop on the floor but you asked him if his family was prone to knocking or bursting into the room unannounced. He gradually situated himself next to you on the bed. You reassured him that one you were his girlfriend and two as much as you like to tease you both are adults and that there's nothing wrong with sharing a bed. You could tell Law appreciated the sentiment and fell asleep first with you following soon after.

—

The next morning you woke up first tangled in a mess of limbs. You wondered if this was the reason Law tried to sleep on the floor. Had he known he was a cuddler? Whatever the case he looked so peaceful like this. You smile thinking about last night too. Law's family seemed to like you and you felt comfortable around them. You're happy you could make such a good impression not to mention the way you feel by Law's side. The way it feels like you've always been there. The way you want to be there for him.

Your face heats up at the realization that you might not entirely be acting like you like Law. Your acting teacher did tell you to be wary of method acting but you couldn't help it. Getting to know him the past week leading up to this you started developing a small crush on the surgeon. You swallowed hard untangling yourself from Law. You are a professional, you were here to do a job and help out a friend. Nothing more and nothing less. It's not like you're going to back down or anything. It's just knowing that when you go home you're going to get your heart broken is really weird. You decided not to sulk and just enjoy it while it lasts. Just like every production you've been a part of, all good things must come to an end. You grabbed some clothes and made your way to the shower. You needed to clear your head before you fuck something up.

After you got out of the shower you checked back up on Law. He was still asleep. It was still early. You might as well let him sleep in. Besides, you could go for a walk around the manor. When you walked downstairs you ran into Corazon who greeted you and was about to go to the market for last minute things. The blonde's face lit up.

"Would you like to come with me? I won't tell Law if you don't." You both laughed knowing Law had been trying to keep you away from him. "Oh he's passed the fuck out he won't even notice I'm gone." Grinning to yourselves Corazon ushered you out of the manor.

The market was huge, Dressrosa was a very wealthy town. It seemed like there were hundreds of vendors all having their own stall with different interesting things. You were mostly there for the fresh produce but there were lots of toys and trinkets around too.

"So I take it Law and Doflamingo have always been at each other's throats?" You asked while holding a bag for Corazon. "Pretty much. Ever since Law decided he was going to be a doctor he's defied Doffy at any given opportunity." You hummed "That sounds like him." After paying for the produce you move to the next stall "They weren't always like that though. When Law was ten they used to see eye to eye. It was scary at times, it was like seeing a younger version of my brother again." You tried to picture a tiny Law sporting Doflamingo's coat and glasses. Sincerely off putting, you wished you hadn't.

"I assume Law doesn't talk about us."

You shrugged indifferently, technically it was true. Law didn't like letting people in at the best of times but you knew about Corazon even before agreeing to be here. "He talks about you all the time. Doffy not so much. The only times I could get him to open up about his childhood is when he's had a few drinks." You follow behind Corazon to another stall, shifting the bags on your arm. "But that's fine, he'll tell me when he wants too." You smile genuinely knowing how much Law must trust in you to let you see his past. Or desperate, that too. Law did seem desperate at the time.

Corazon laughed "You seem really happy together. It's been a long time since I've seen him relax enough to fall asleep in front of Doflamingo." He put his hand on your shoulder "Thank you for that."

—

"We both know how this ends, Law. I don't understand why you'd go out of your way to drag someone else down with you this time." Doflamingo paced at his desk with his hands behind his back. Law scowled "Has it ever occurred to you that I don't seek your approval? Moreover you're not my father." Law folded his arms leaning against the wall. He originally left his room to find where (Y/N) ran off too but instead Doflamingo insisted they have a little chat since the blonde already promised his brother he wouldn't ruin another Christmas. However he never said anything about New year's.

"Such a child, I would have thought you would have grown out of this rebellious phase."

Law scoffed rolling his eyes "Says the toymaker. Why can't you just accept that I'm happy living my own life." Doflamingo grinned menacingly "Because it's not your life to live freely when I'm the one who saved it." Law grit his teeth "Corazon saved my life you had nothing to do with it!"

"Oh? Did I now, whose money do you think went into the research for your cure?" Doffy leisurely walked up to Law towering over the other. Law didn't flinch, only glared back.

"Why are you so hellbent on choosing me as your heir?"

Doffy smiled wide "The fact that you don't want to be makes it all the more interesting. Sure I could choose someone else but where's the fun in that. Eventually I will get what I want, one way or another."

The door opened and both of them turned their heads to see Corazon standing in the doorway cheery as ever. "Merry Christmas eve Doffy, Law." His chipper attitude slowly faded as he put his hands on his hips "I thought I told you to not go ruining another Christmas! And Law, (Y/N) is truly a sweetheart. I can see why you like her. Can you give her a hand downstairs?" Corazon paused to place a hand on Doffy's shoulder "I need a word with my brother."

—

By the time Law made it downstairs you did not need any help. You were already done and talking to Baby 5 when he grabbed your arm and stormed out of the manor. You waved off his sister before trying to see what's got him riled up but one look at his face and you could tell he wasn't in the most playful mood. He probably needed some alone time but he chose to take you with him. Well he needed too, it would be weird to leave you there to entertain his siblings if he wasn't.

The next thing you knew he pulled you all the way back to the open market. "I needed to clear my head, sorry I dragged you into this." Law finally let go of your arm and jammed his hands in his pockets walking aimlessly amongst the crowd. He'd prefer a quieter, less populated venue but with the holiday it wouldn't matter where you went. You picked up the pace with a skip in your step joining his side appearing carefree "You don't have to apologize, I agreed to this right? I really meant what I said about being your girlfriend you know," he laughed at your antics as you continued "It's not your fault Doffy's a psychotic bastard." Law stopped walking, turning towards you with a look of relief but you noticed his eyes wander past your shoulder. The surgeon sighed before taking your hand in his pulling you a little closer. "And now we're being followed." Monet always was Doflamingo's little lap dog. Although whether Doffy sent her to spy or even if she came on her own accord it didn't make much of a difference. He groaned that his family was too nosy.

You smiled brightly in contrast "We'll I guess we give her a show. How about you show me your favorite places. Have you eaten yet?" Law shook his head. "I don't really have a favorite eatery but we could go to Corazon's. Okonomiyaki sound good?" You intertwined your fingers humming as he led the way.

You hoped going to all of Law's favorite places would help clear his head and distract from being tailed. It seemed like it was working for the most part. He still seemed lost in thought but you could tell he was at least more relaxed than he was before. Mission accomplished. You wanted to kill as much time as you could before heading back so you decided to get little trinkets for his family. Law insisted that it wasn't necessary but you just laughed at him "Aw come on where's your Christmas spirit!" To which he pulled his hat down letting you pull him by the arm. You didn't see the slight smile he was hiding. He would die if you knew he was having fun.

It was easy enough to find things for everyone except Doflamingo. On one hand you didn't want to undermine his intellectual prowess mostly to avoid further complications with his perception of you but also, on the other hand, you didn't care. You just hoped Law wouldn't face any repercussions. You made sure the sunglasses wearing flamingo plushie in your hands wasn't produced by his brand and went up to the counter to buy it. On the way to the counter you saw Law looking longingly at something causing you to take a detour beside him.

"What'cha looking at?" You asked, seeing a mountain of Sora Warrior of the sea merch. He didn't respond to you immediately. You followed his line of sight to see a collectors coin modeled after the currency in the comics. You had an idea. You pulled on his coat "Ooo~ we should get some Takoyaki from the stall outside! I'll meet you out there after I get this." You held up the small plushie as he gave you a confused look "Don't tell me you're already hungry again."

"What? No, have you never gotten fresh takoyaki on a winter's day before? I'm telling ya it's pretty magical, just hits different ya know." You bat your eyelashes until he agrees, taking one last look at the coin before he walks off. You grin, swiping the coin making your way to pay.

Once you met Law outside you noticed he already had one in his mouth with a pleasant look on his face. You smiled smugly bouncing over to him "See what I mean~"

"I'll admit that it's good takoyaki. Now what's the real reason?" Ah he saw through you. Admittedly you did have ulterior motives. Law handed you a toothpick "When I was a kid my dad would swear by it that having takoyaki on a cold winter's day would lift any spirits. After a while it just became tradition." It was a bittersweet memory but it still made you smile. Law nodded this was the first time you mentioned your family. He looked at the time you guys should be headed back soon but there was one more place he wanted to go first.

Once you finished eating he grabbed your hand again. "Come on, there's one more place I want to show you." You saw it long before you made it to your destination. Law appreciated seeing it every year. There was something breathtaking about seeing a giant ass tree decorated with lights, tinsel and colorful ornaments. You were awestruck, it was beautiful. "Wow"

"When I was a kid Corazon and Doflamingo would take us to see the tree and take pictures. That was our tradition. Apparently they're the only photos he has where I'm smiling."

You pulled out your phone and snickered "Well we have too right?"

—

Off in the distance Monet grumbled finally putting her binoculars down "She's too perfect I don't believe it for a second." Monet, Baby 5 and Sugar had been following you and Law all day and all they saw was the perfect couple. Well in terms of Law standards. It was sickening. "I don't know, it seems pretty genuine to me, look he's even letting her take pictures."

Sugar popped another grape into her mouth "If there's nothing to report then there's nothing to report. Let's just head back already. I'm getting cold." Monet agreed but she didn't want to take no for an answer. It was too out of the blue. Law was a calculating person with no interest in romance let alone putting trust in another person. Spontaneity wasn't even a characteristic he had in his arsenal. She had to admit something was fishy and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

—

When you and Law got home most of the adults were playing board games while Corazon was preparing dinner so no one paid you any mind as you snuck your gifts upstairs to Law's room. Just like the day prior Law threw himself on his bed. You only laughed rummaging through his desk for scissors and tape to wrap the presents. You were just about finished when Corazon knocked on the door. You told Law to go ahead, that you wanted to change before going down. When he left you wrapped his present and changed from your jeans to shorts.

Dinner breezed by fast. Everyone was more excited for tomorrow keeping conversation light meaning you were able to avoid being the center of attention for two nights in a row. After everyone finished up Law once again tried to prevent you from helping with the clean up. This time you came prepared. "If you let me help we can watch the Polar Express afterwards~" you smirked, dangling the carrot above his head. Baby 5 and Buffalo keeled over as Monet grimaced "Wow, you actually found someone who will watch the Polar Express with you." After glaring at his siblings his hard stare came back to you. A defeated sigh filled your ears before he spoke "Fine, but I'm helping too."

You could see Doflamingo chuckle before he left the room. With the three of you it didn't take that long. Every time either of you spoke Law was quick to stop both of you once he was the subject. You laughed more than you should have at it. That caused Corazon and you to exchange glances back and forth which only spiked Law's frustration. You swear the surgeon was going to have an aneurysm with the way the vein was popping out of his forehead. The moment your hands were free he practically threw you over his shoulder before you could start anything else. You couldn't help your laughter, your eyes started watering. He ignored the looks given by the rest of his family.

This time you were thrown on the bed as Law grabbed his laptop from his desk to set up the movie. You decide to change into your pajamas knowing Law wouldn't look if you changed in front of him as he was too excited for the movie. It was cute. What you didn't expect was for Law to do the same thing. You couldn't help but stare in disbelief at his abs. If he noticed you staring he didn't say anything as you both sat on the bed with the Laptop in-between you.

—

Monet rolled her eyes at the spectacle and moved her reindeer past "ho ho ho!" Most of the adults went off to their rooms but whoever decided to stay up a bit were playing "Christmas-Opoly."

"God they're actually sickening" the green haired women spat. Baby 5 on the other hand swooned "I think it's really sweet that Law found someone who compliments him." Monet glared at her sister. Doflamingo held his game piece in his hands twirling the metal candy cane through his fingers. He didn't care if they were really dating or not anymore. He decided that it wouldn't matter one way or the other but first he needed to do a little digging. There was still enough time before the new year to set the scene. Which reminded him he needed to have a word with Caesar Clown about hosting another Gala. The blonde grinned. Everything would go according to plan.

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

At some point sitting turned into laying down and the next thing you knew your eyes slipped shut. As the credits rolled Law finally looked away from the screen. He didn't even realize that you had fallen asleep let alone were using him as a pillow. He was perplexed on what to do. He was already surprised how comforting he found your presence. While the two of you were alone like this he actually felt at ease. He began to take notice when his hand sought yours out all day. Despite knowing you were being followed and that he should, the act of holding your hand was unintentional. He looked back at you sound asleep before moving the laptop away. He didn't want to wake you up. Slowly but surely Law managed to move you enough for him to lay down next to you. His mind was still lost at the prospect that he was not repulsed by your physical contact.

In fact part of him seemingly craved it. He couldn't tell if this was due to the fact that Doflamingo wants him to marry someone else or if he genuinely has latent romantic feelings he should address. His levels of stress could be causing the touch starved-ness but he never thought his love language was physical touch. Quality time sure but you were already practically joined at the hip and have been for the past two weeks. Law closed his eyes. There was no sense thinking himself in circles on the matter. He just needed to be prepared for whatever Doflamingo throws at him. His relationship query could wait, he had self control.

The next morning Law woke up first. His head was a mess but he often had trouble quieting down his thoughts. He slowly opened his eyes to see you laying on top of him cuddled into his chest. Adorable. He was about to move you when you started to stir. He closed his eyes enough for you to think he was asleep but open just enough for him to watch what you do. What he wasn't expecting was for you to look at him, smile and go back to snuggling into him. Was he really that comfy? Suddenly you bolted upright with so much force you fell backwards tumbling off the bed. Law couldn't help but laugh at the clear display of grace.

"Y-you were awake!" You stuttered out from the spot on the floor. Blood rushing to your face in embarrassment. "Who wouldn't wake up to that. You weren't exactly quiet, you know." Law stretched while you picked yourself up off the floor. You grabbed your phone and remembered "Oh!" You shuffled through the presents you wrapped to find Law's.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" You jumped back on the bed shoving the gift in his face. "Merry Christmas, you didn't have to get me anything, I just assumed we weren't going to." He spent his time delicately peeling back the wrapping as you snickered "Well you thought wrong. Just hurry up already!" Law stared at the coin in his hands and looked back up at you completely at a loss for words. Your smile was blinding with how bright it was. "How did you know I wanted this? (Y/N)-ya they only printed 50 of these when did you-" Law paused, narrowing his eyes at you "That's why you wanted takoyaki."

"Bingo, you were staring at it with heart eyes, it wasn't that hard to guess."

Law frowned "I was not."

"You totally were. You're little obsession with Sora warrior of the sea is cute. I'm just surprised you've never asked Sanji for an autograph." Law quirked an eyebrow at you "Why black leg-ya?"

"Oh, you didn't know? Sanji is a Vinsmoke."

"He's Germa!?" Law shouted in disbelief "Yeah he doesn't like people knowing about it but I just assumed since you were a big fan of the comic you would have known."

After breaking Law for a bit you both decided to see if anyone else was awake. All the kids were up, most of the adults were still waking up grabbing coffee. You used this time to put your gifts by the tree. As soon as Lao G woke up everyone gathered around the tree and started opening gifts. Yesterday you asked Baby 5 to help you pick out things people would like and for the most part you think at the very least people had a good laugh. Sugar got a mountain of plushies and luckily the one you got her she didn't have yet. Monet scowled but the blush on her face told you she really liked her new harpy shirt. Ever the tsundere. You got Baby 5 a heart locket. Whenever she does find love she can put their picture in it.

For Corazon you actually had his present made prior to coming. With the help of Bepo, Penguin and Shachi you made a photo album of all the candid photos of Law anyone in your dorm had on their camera roll. Personally your favorite ones were of him asleep at his desk when his bed was not more than two feet away. The blonde actually picked you up and spun you around meanwhile Law was sending some angry texts to his self proclaimed "former friends."

Doflamingo ever the methodical bastard saved opening your gift until he was the last one with a present. His expression was hard to interpret but everyone else got a kick out of it saying it was perfect for him. He chuckled darkly before getting out of his seat disappearing into the other room. When he returned he had one last present to give. You could feel Law tense beside you as Doffy handed it to you.

Upon opening it you were in awe. Inside was a gorgeous elegant pastel pink evening gown complete with a white capelet shawl, matching heels and jewelry. This was something you'd only seen people wear to a ball or some other high society event. You were speechless. "This is beautiful, thank you Doffy. I have no idea where I'm going to wear this."

"My business partners and I are hosting a charity Gala on New Year's eve. I doubt Law has said anything about it. Consider this a bribe to make sure Law will be in attendance. He tends to skip these events."

You could see sparks fly from Law and Doflamingo as they stare at each other neither backing down from the challenge. The situation was only diffused by Corazon's big family group hug. The rest of the day was spent playing more games, watching more Christmas movies and keeping Law from blowing a gasket everytime Doffy purposely sabotaged his chances at winning.

When evening rolled around everyone got dressed to go take this year's photo by the tree. After the photo was taken Monet snickered and pointed above your head. "Ooo~ Mistletoe." You and Law looked up and sure enough on the branch above your head someone had tied a mistletoe to it. You're pretty sure it was a set up by Monet but it also could have been Doflamingo. Heck it could have even been Corazon who knows. You and Law only stare at each other for a brief moment before he cups your cheek pulling you in as you rise on your tippy toes to meet him in the middle. You could feel your stomach flip in a pleasant way. His lips were softer than you thought they would be and when you pulled away you could see how red Law's face became. As short and sweet as the kiss was, Corazon still managed to snap a picture of it. You laughed as Law complained and tried to grab for Corazon's phone but the Taller man held it just out of reach as he texted it to you.

On the way back to the house everyone was making fun of Law for being embarrassed over the slight PDA. Calling him "Lover boy" and "Casanova" causing him to pull his hat down further over his face. You were holding his hand one because it was warm and two because you were trying to make sure he didn't run into anything with his hat covering his eyes. After you got back to the manor dinner was served and the kiss was dropped from conversation. Although you'd catch Law stealing glances at you every now and then but he'd turn away as soon as you caught him.

Once dinner was done you stayed to help Corazon clean up. This time Law didn't stop you claiming he wanted to take a shower and go to bed since he was exhausted from being around his family for such an extended period of time. Fair enough, you could imagine him throwing himself on his bed like the past few days. "Law is cute when he's flustered." You giggled as the aforementioned surgeon left the room.

Corazon grinned "In case you were wondering, that was a joint effort but it was Doflamingo's idea." You were shocked. "Really I would have guessed it was Monet."

"I think Doffy's warming up to the idea that Law can make decisions about his future for himself." Corazon paused to wink at you "Or you won him over and this is his way of approving your relationship." You hummed whatever the case you're silently thanking him. When this is all over and done you wouldn't have to think about what it would have felt like. You smiled as Corazon handed you the last dish.

"Oh, that reminds me. Do you know how to waltz?"

—

Law threw himself on the bed once again. He thought the shower would help calm his thoughts. He wasn't sure before but now he's definitely certain he developed a crush on you. He aggressively dried his hair with a towel. When he kissed you it just felt right. He melted into the touch and the whole way back home all he could think about was doing it again. To his defense he never had a horny teenage phase. He was too busy studying and defying Doflamingo for it to even be on the forefront of his mind. He always thought he had no interest in such things but now? He groaned in frustration. He had half a mind to ask if you'd even be interested. He noticed the way you stared at him when he was changing there could be a mutual benefit here. Truly he just didn't want to come off as creepy lest he make the rest of the trip unbearably awkward. There were too many cons that drastically outweighed the pros in this situation. He'll wait to see if you bring it up, repeating to himself that he has self control. He drifted to sleep

When you walked into the room Law was passed the fuck out. You couldn't blame him honestly, you were surprised that he lasted so long spending time with his family. You were going to ask him if he could teach you to waltz since Corazon has two left feet but you guess that'll have to wait until tomorrow. As a musical theater major you were no strangers to partner dancing but it was all very choreographed and not a classic waltz. Once you changed, without thinking about it, you kissed Law goodnight on the forehead and fell asleep.

—

The next morning you woke up to the feeling of being suffocated. Law had you pressed into his chest. You didn't want to wake him up but you wanted air. You tried to shimmy out of his grasp but only got so far. Now your faces were inches apart and you were screaming internally. Feeling his breath on your face made you want so desperately to close the distance. Thinking back to that short lived kiss it was driving you mad. God you wanted Law to kiss you again, amongst other things. Fuck this is not what you should be thinking about right now. Not with him pressed firmly against you. Your head was spinning, you wonder if you could get him to kiss you if you claimed it was practice for…something. God no that was stupid, practice for what? A midnight kiss on New year's?

You were so lost in thought you didn't realize Law opened his eyes and was watching you mentally have a conversation with yourself. He didn't know what to say and clearly you didn't realize he was awake but he also didn't want to move. It was cold outside of the blanket and you were nice and warm. Law cleared his throat, snapping you back to reality.

"Oh God, how long have you been awake?"

"Long enough to know you're panicking about something, is it about the kiss?" Law was hoping you would say yes so he could say that maybe you guys needed to practice more to get comfortable. You know, to make it more believable and for absolutely no other reason.

On the other hand your inner voice was screaming to lie, DEAR GOD LIE, anything but the kiss but all you could do was stutter "N-no it's uh t-that's not. I, God, this is embarrassing but can you teach me to waltz?" Good, topic averted you could live another day. Law raised an eyebrow curiously and shifted to sit up "You've gotta be kidding me. You are a dance major!" You sat upright defending yourself. "Yeah, I'm trained in musical theater and Tap not ballroom!"

Law sighed in fake annoyance, at least this was an excuse to be close to you. As he keeps reminding himself he has self control but he still wanted to run some tests on how much your contact affects him. "It can't be helped. Did you pack a long dress or skirt with you?"

"Not really. Do you think Baby 5 or Monet would have? I mean worse case I could try on my new dress but I'd hate to ruin it before I get to wear it out."

Law choked, coughing to cover up his reaction knowing the only long dresses either of them have were maid outfits. "Yes they do."

You grabbed the heels Doffy gave you and made your way to Baby 5's room who gladly lent you a dress. With a sparkle in her eye she rushed to put it on you. She was so fast you didn't know it was a maid outfit until you looked in the mirror. She even managed to put the headpiece on you. You flushed at your reflection, you were so cute.

"Hey, Baby 5 have you seen (Y/N)-ya." You heard Law from outside the door before your eyes met he trailed off and froze. You smirked.

"Okaerinasai goshujin-sama~" you curtseyed for good measure, bowing your head slightly but continued to stare at Law. He used his hand to cover the lower half of his face as he turned around sharply. "If you have time to make jokes then you have time to practice." He started walking away to one of the many open rooms in the manor. You bounced to his side the four inch heels not slowing you down in the slightest. "Ooo~ did I strike a cord? Is your nose bleeding? Aw come on Law you can tell me I'm cute!" He pulled you in by the waist dipping you effortlessly, halting your teasing immediately as you stare into his eyes like a deer in headlights. "You're playing a dangerous game (Y/N)-ya" your heart was hammering in your chest. He had you literally swooning. This time Law smirked, satisfied with himself as he pulled you back upright.

As he explained how to waltz you realized you're an idiot. You do know how to waltz. Every pas de bourree, every step ball change was essentially a waltz. You ended up waltzing around the room as Law roasts you for not realizing sooner. The mockery fades away as Law lowers the hand on your back slightly pulling you in closer. You can feel your breath hitch. Since when was Law so nimble? You twirled with him effortlessly taken aback by how in sync you were with reading each other's movements. When he went in for the dip you were breathless, eyes half lidded Law wearing a similar expression. Just as he started leaning in to close the distance you heard a slow clap from the corner of the room breaking the spell you were seemingly under. You didn't realize you had an audience.

"Bravissima, such grace." Doflamingo complimented your performance. Despite Law tensing up you bow "Thank you." Now that he has your attention he stops clapping "I have business to attend to at Smile factory and was wondering if you wanted to show (Y/N) around the facility, maybe take the tour?"

Law turns to you "Do you want to see the over glorified build a bear?" You could tell he wanted you to say no but you'd rather jump ship than address your almost kiss from a few seconds ago.

"Sure, why not! Let me change first." You forced a laugh as you passed Doflamingo "Wouldn't want a maid running around the factory." You scampered off. Part of you thinks it was a bad idea to leave Law with him but it was too late to go back. You grabbed the first thing you saw and hurried back down.

When you joined the two, Law did a double take pulling his hat down once again. Doffy smiled at you and you both followed him out. You shot a quizzical look at Law as he gestured to what you were wearing. You didn't pay attention to what you grabbed, you just wanted something warm and comfy. You were wearing Law's hoodie. Despite your blushing you remained composed "What it's warm and cozy."

Arriving at the factory you were surprised that Law wasn't kidding, it was just an over glorified build a bear. The tour consisted of you going to different parts of the factory to, by the end of it, complete your own toy. The idea was super cute so naturally you forced Law to sit through it. Other than the bear sewing pattern you had control over all the personal details of the bear and after staring at a certain grumpy surgeon you snickered to yourself. You chose a white bear, gave him real tired done with the world kind of eyes, with the staple dark rings underneath, a slight frown, and nearly matching tattoos. That's when Law gave you a disapproving glare "Really?" You only laughed. When you got to the voice box station you begged him to say something for the bear. Gave him big ol puppy dog eyes and everything but he continued to ignore you playing games on his phone. You snatched it from him and as he grabbed it back he shouted "Oi, (Y/N)-ya" before he realized his mistake. Now you were on to the clothing. You had to give him the surgeon's standard jeans, hoodie and the iconic hat. You contemplated putting a surgical mask and scalpel but decided against it opting for just his earring and it was perfect the way it was. You held it next to him and gave the bear a squeeze.

"Oi, (Y/N)-ya"

Law only rolled his eyes at you. You were very proud of yourself. You were hugging the bear for the rest of the day to the point where you could tell he was getting annoyed.

"Seriously?"

You snickered as you walked into the manor "What?"

"When are you going to stop hugging that thing?" Law grumbled as you joined the rest of his family in the living room. You hummed, glancing around the room deciding to play it up a bit. "Hmmm, dunno. Why is the real one jealous?" You elbowed him, not giving him time to answer as you sat down by Baby 5 and Sugar "So who's winning?"

"Lao G but we're playing by different rules. Lao G has to be first at all times. If you pass him you start over so the real winner is second place." Sugar explained while Baby 5 gasped "Did you make a little Law, that's so cute!"

You snuggled it into your face and heard Law suck his teeth in irritation "tsk" you know you're playing with fire but it was too fun. "I named him Trafalgrrr B. Water Paw, the B obviously stands for bear, but lil Law sounds good too." You kissed him on the nose for good measure and you could feel Law glaring daggers at you getting up from his seat. You giggled until you felt your chair tip back. You didn't have anytime to react as Law captured your lips with his. It only lasted for a second but it still flustered you. You were going to hug Lil Law again when you noticed he wasn't in your lap.

"Oi, (Y/N)-ya"

You snapped back at Law to see his smug ass expression holding the bear hostage "Shit it was a trap!" You hastily got out of your seat but he already disappeared upstairs.

Monet rolled her eyes "Again sickening."

—

You burst through the door to see Law reading on his bed. He looked up at you like nothing happened "What?" Your eyes dart around the room "You know what you did, that was a good trick by the way. Didn't think you had it in ya. Now where is he?"

Law put his book down and folded his arms across his chest, decidingly stalling "What's that supposed to mean."

"Well I have a natural flirty personality and you get all weird about pda." You started by looking under the bed. There weren't too many places he could hide the bear. "I don't get weird, I just don't understand how it's anyone's business." Law retorted going back to his book. You've looked through most of the room and you still haven't located the bear you stare at Law. "Still didn't answer my question. Where's lil Law?" He didn't answer, just turned the page of his book. You filter through the drawers of his desk still kicking up dirt. You stare back at Law once more. "You're sitting on him." You accuse, trying to think of where else the bear could be. Standing at his side you were about to feel underneath the pillow he was laying on when he grabbed your wrist. "I knew it!" You tried to use your other hand but surprise surprise he grabbed your other wrist too. Desperate times call for desperate measures. You throw your leg over his lap straddling him. Trying to use your leverage to break your wrists free and feel behind him. It doesn't work. He's too strong; he turns the tables easily pinning you to the bed. You heard one knock and you both freeze as the door opens "Corazon says dinners ready." Sugar trails off before shouting "Oh God, my eyes lock the door next time!" She didn't even close the door before she ran off.

You laughed as Law rubbed his temples. He lived with a bunch of idiots he swears. It was only then that you realized the position you were in. "Honestly I don't know what they were expecting by bursting into the room after our show downstairs." Law murmured as he released his hold on you. That's right all of this was fake. None of this means anything. You shake the thought out of your head and carry on.

Chapter 4

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The next few days were rather weird but not because of your interactions with Law. The preparations for the Gala seemed to steal you away from him as the girl's decided to have a spa day to which you were given no choice in the matter. They even forced you to get your nails done. Something simple but elegant to match the ensemble Doffy prepared. They tried to stay away from Law as a topic as much as possible especially after the bedroom incident. They did give you a few childhood stories, mostly of him being a menace. Apparently the little shit used to catch and dissect frogs all the time and much to everyone's dismay he had a jar of little frog hearts. No one bothered to ask why he collected the tiny hearts; they just assumed it was psychopath behavior. Oddly enough they were half expecting their brother to be a serial killer. Law has an interesting family.

When you finally saw Law he too was exhausted with being physically nitpicked to have any real creative banter about the frog thing. He was used to the prospect of having a family that was often in the public eye but this is why he typically skips out on these events. Too much fuss in advance for maybe an hour or two of networking in a field profession he didn't choose. Not to mention Doflamingo breathing down his neck or monitoring his every move from a far. The surgeon was used to endurance stamina days but it didn't mean he wasn't going to complain about it. You both pretty much passed out after recounting your days to each other.

The next day Law woke you up a little earlier than you would have liked. He said something about if the two of you left before everyone was awake you could avoid a repeat of the day prior. You didn't question it, just got dressed and went out. Stopping at a Café for breakfast you noticed a flyer for a one day carnival. It was on the other side of town but you shrugged, you guys had nothing better to do anyway. The walk was nice and quiet. It wasn't uncomfortable but that was probably because you were still half asleep. You closed your eyes leaning on Law. He didn't say anything nor did he try to disturb you. He just kept walking like this was a common occurrence between you two.

You snapped awake when Law's phone rang. Luckily there was a bench looking out over the now frozen lake. Law frowned but answered the phone. It was Corazon wondering where you guys were. He didn't say much past that as you both sat on the bench. Law wanted to enjoy the peace while he could.

Looking out at the lake there were groups of kids and teens who were playing on the ice. You watched as they all skated, having a good time. Ice skating would have been a fun thing to do. You sigh "Too bad we don't have skates, I haven't done it in years." Law only nods before pulling out his phone again pointing to a small building across the lake. "That's a rental place if you really want to. It's not a bad way to kill time." He got up and stretched "I think I was around thirteen? The last time I skated here." Your eyes lit up as you walked over to the rental place. You couldn't help the skip in your step as you approached the building. Law paid for the skates and you put your stuff in one of the provided lockers as you hastily put the skates on and made your way to the ice.

You always liked skating. It felt like you were flying as you glided across the ice. By the time Law caught up to you, you were skating circles around him, the mussel memory kicking in. You never learned how to do any tricks but you wish you did. A few feet away from where you were you could hear the kids cheering loudly. It seems like they were racing with the older teens. Law seemed to pick up what you were going to ask. "Let me guess you want to race." you nodded skating up to his side as he smirked at you "You're going to lose you know."

"Wow, that confident?"

He gestured to himself "There are very few advantages of being tall but in this instance it gives me a big advantage. Did you know height is negatively correlated with longevity?"

You laughed at him "Oof, that's rough but not as rough as you losing this race." You took your stance waiting on Law. "Oh, then how about a bet? If I win you have to," he thought for a moment then frowned. He wanted to say a lot of things but he's not that bold and he'd run the risk of being found out but knowing you, not a lot of things would make you uncomfortable or embarrassed. In the end He's not that clever and he'd rather be safe than sorry. "Buy lunch."

You couldn't help but laugh "Really? That's the best you could come up with?"

"No, but you're too much of a wild card it makes it harder to think of something you wouldn't just do on your own accord." He shrugged. You guess that's true. You were already acting as his girlfriend and while you know he does have a sadistic streak it would probably be more effort than it was worth. Again one of the many perks about being in theater is your carefree chaotic neutral energy. "Well then If I win you have to give me back Lil Law."

"Deal." Law smirked knowingly.

To no one's surprise Law won the race but you did give him a run for his money. Lil Law will have to stay imprisoned for the time being but you swore that you'd bring him home even if it was the last thing you do. Law was not impressed by your speech. He only rolled his eyes skating beside you. When he wasn't looking you took some pictures to send to Corazon and the guys back home. Surprisingly Law's usual frown was gone as he glided on the ice. Although once he noticed you taking pictures it plastered itself right back on his face. You picked up something fast and easy for lunch since there was going to be a lot of street food at the festival. Law teased you saying that the real reason was because you didn't have enough money to pay for a proper lunch. The sad fact of the matter was he wasn't exactly wrong. Buying everyone presents wasn't something you accounted for in your budget but that was okay you'd just have Law pay you back ten fold. You snickered as you started making your way over to the festival.

On the way you noticed that you were once again holding hands. You're not sure who initiated it either; it just felt right especially with the large crowds surrounding the two of you. At the entrance there was an ice sculpting contest not to mention there were plenty of carnival games, food stalls and live entertainment at the heart of it all. It was still light out but you could also see people setting up winter illuminations. You'd definitely have to circle back around to see the finished displays, maybe even get a few pictures. If Law would let you. You were walking around like a kid in a candy store bouncing from booth to booth trying to figure out what you wanted to do first when it occurred to you that your hand was empty. How long had it been empty for?

You lost Law. Sure you had your phone on you and he was only a phone call away but Law would have already done that by now if he noticed your absence. Which means that it's likely he hasn't noticed your disappearance. You tried to retrace your steps but you have no idea when you lost him and since you were on the shorter side you couldn't always see past the crowd. You weren't worried per se you were both adults you were more interested in what could have captured the surgeon's attention. That's when you saw a familiar hat in the distance. Bingo. Making your way through the crowd you noticed he had quite the audience. You wondered what kind of a stall it was as you pushed your way to the front of the crowd.

Law was very gingerly yet very swiftly working on several extremely intricate katanuki's. It was similar to dalgona but flakier and more fragile. It seems he started amassing a crowd because he completed such a large amount in a short amount of time impressing a lot of the old timers who were passing by. You snapped a photo to send to Corazon. Even the booth owner was shocked with Law's tedious work and progress. You giggled to yourself knowing this was probably the most relaxed he's been since arriving to Dressrosa. This was the closest he could probably get to the surgery simulators back on campus. You know Law had an ungodly amount of hours logged into them. This probably scratched that same itch. You marveled at his work as you sat next to him. He was too enthralled with the candy in front of him to pay you any mind. You smiled at him as he finished his last one. He looked proud as the booth owner handed him a set of matching keychains. You could get used to seeing that smile.

"Looks like someone's having fun." You giggled as he rolled his eyes. He wasn't denying it. "Here take this." He handed you one of the keychains and you quirked an eyebrow "What it's not like I need two of them. I only wanted the one." You hummed "Fair enough." As you left the stall looking for the next game to play you attached it to your phone. You were surprised that after completing several candy cut outs he only got two keychains but it's not like you were paying attention to what the other prizes were.

As you were walking around you picked up some snacks checking out more of the game booths. You scanned the area for any game that you knew for a fact you could win. You had always been pretty good at the milk jugs, knocking them down was easy. Although there wasn't really a prize that you wanted so you ended up handing it off to some kid who was passing by. Originally you tried to give it to Law but he glared at you shaking his head but that only made you laugh "I will win you something by the end of the night and you're going to like it or so help me I'll-" You were cut off as some kids ran past you pushing you away from Law's side. You were about to trip when Law pulled you back upright with a little too much force and you ended up falling into him instead "Are you okay?" Law looked you over with genuine concern.

That caught you off guard. You were still a little flustered but you managed to stutter out a "Y-yeah I'm fine." He was still holding on to your shoulder when some people in happi coats approached you about their booth.

"We have the perfect event for both of you if you would like to try our love trial!" The group was ushering you around their stall before you could say anything about refusing "Test the strength of your relationship! Just follow the course and clear the designated challenges, if you manage to succeed you can win a prize of your choice. However, fail a trial and you get eliminated!" They motioned to the wall of potential prizes "The only rule is that you can't let go of your partner's hands for any reason!" A little cheesy but it sounded like fun even though you know Law would never want to partake in something like this. You turned to look at the surgeon but were shocked to see him deep in thought. Upon following his line of sight you get deja vu as you see a signed limited edition copy of "Sora Warrior of the Sea" you tried not to laugh as he turned to you with a gravely serious expression. You did promise Law that you would win him something by the end of the night.

He chuckled as he cracked his knuckles "(Y/N)-ya, you better not slow me down." He smirked at you as you scoffed "As if, I'm already way ahead of you." You grabbed his hand again, turning back to one of the coordinators "Where do we start!" You were handed a time card to keep track of your progress by getting stamps at each checkpoint as well as a strip of paper that had the first clue. You had 10 minutes to decipher the riddle,

"At the end of the year, I still want you around, by eating the dish the answer is found."

The answer would lead you to the location as well as hint to your first challenge. Unsurprisingly it took less than a minute for Law to figure it out. "The word soba can translate to around, near or beside. It's also a tradition to eat Soba for the new year." He looked at one of the hosts for confirmation and he was given a thumbs up. "Ah so we're probably feeding each other soba." You pulled Law in the direction you vaguely recalled seeing a soba stall. "I think I saw a soba stall this way when I lost you earlier." He nodded, rushing you to meet his pace. You tried to stifle your laughter. As much as Law is a brooding know it all deep down he's still a huge dork. You made great time and just as predicted your challenge was to finish an extra large portion of toshikoshi soba. The only caveat was like a lovey dovey couple you had to feed each other. Unfortunately you were using your dominant hand to hold Law's but it turns out that didn't matter much because Law was ambidextrous. You helped him pull apart the chopsticks.

"How fast can you eat soba?" Law asked as you laughed at his question "Oh trust me any broke college student can inhale noodles." The bowl was brought out and you were glad you ate a relatively light lunch. The hot soba looked delicious but it was hard to gauge just how hot it would be since it was cold outside. The steam that billowed off the bowl was misleading. You nodded for the games facilitator to start the clock. You mentally prepared yourself for how hot you thought the fresh noodles would be but we're taken aback when Law actually blew on the noodles before giving it to you. You took a moment to stare at him but he just looked confused at why you were shocked.

"Oi (Y/N)-ya, we're being timed you know."

You snapped out of your haze "You're the one being distracting." You slurped down the noodles as fast as possible as Law peered at you with a knowing smirk. "Why because I blew on the noodles? They're hot. I'm sure you would have done the same." You continued eating what Law fed you. You probably would blow on it had this gone the other way around but it's funnier to say otherwise. "Oh I wouldn't even have thought about it. I would have just shoveled it straight into your mouth no questions asked and then say how bad do you want that book." You almost choked on the noodles while laughing at your own remark. Law grimaced even though he could tell it was mostly a joke "How cruel." You both focused on finishing the task as fast as possible and to no surprise you completed the first challenge. The next riddle was,

"Love remains in the heart of the cards, a fast paced game in which you try to discard."

You didn't know whether to laugh or be disappointed "They really did just rhyme card with card. I guess we're playing speed?" Law shrugged but agreed they could have tried better with the clue but you guess part of the challenges were to be misleading enough to get people eliminated. It wasn't that hard to find the stall. The only other station that had a card theme was a fortune teller booth. With your combined brain power you felt sorry for the poor sucker you were playing against. Everyone at the booth cheered for your match because of how intense it was. Speed was a game you used to play with your mom all the time. Law pretty much held the cards for you for most of it because you moved so fast. "Impressive, I take it you played this a lot as a kid?"

You smiled at the bittersweet memory "It was one of the few things my mom could do when she was admitted to the hospital." Law hummed not wanting to pry any more than he already had. It was only natural to think of your family since you had been around Law's this whole week but it didn't make it any easier. Luckily the instructor gave you the next riddle to break you out of your thoughts.

"The ball's in your court on a smaller scale, keep working together and you will prevail."

Law scoffed at this one "Table tennis? What kind of trials are these." You laughed, he had a good point. Other than the first challenge these didn't really have anything to do with love but hey you weren't complaining. You were having fun and it was easy. It assured you that you would win Law his damn comic. As you were trying to locate the next booth, Law squeezed your hand to signal he found it. You were so comfortable you almost forgot you were still holding hands. When you settled into the challenge it didn't last very long. It turns out you're actually cracked at ping pong. You didn't mean for it to happen but on the first return you won the game because you couldn't control your own strength. Everyone was left dumbfounded while you stared at your hand. It really shouldn't have been that easy.

"Love is bold so you must be brave, go back to the start for time you'll save. A few more riddles to solve then done, anymore said and it'll ruin the fun"

The last clue was cryptic but you guys got the gist. On your way back you thought about how weird the hint was. The word bold was ironically bolded. You don't know if this was a printer mistake or on purpose. As you and Law approached the original booth again people applauded you both for making it this far. Law didn't seem amused as he took the card with the final riddles rolling his eyes as he showed it to you.

"I hurt the most when lost, yet also when not had at all. I'm sometimes the hardest to express, but the easiest to ignore. I can be given to many, or just one. What am I?"

You tried not to laugh as the grimace made its way back to Law's face. "I resend my earlier statement about the trials. I preferred when they had nothing to do with love." On the table there was an array of stamps and stickers, some with words and others with symbols to put on the card. Probably to make it easier to narrow down the answers or to throw people off who knows. You found a stamp that said "Love" and put that as the answer. "Aw come on sure it's a little cheesy but I think it's kinda cute." You smiled as Law started on the next one.

"I am not a cruise sailing on the sea, but a beautiful thing where you want to be. What am I?"

He scoffed "Still cheesy does not mean good. Look for one that says relationship will ya." You helped Law shuffle through the box to find a sticker to put on the card. You only had two more to go and you were making great time.

"I can break, I can be clogged, I can be attacked, I can be given, I can be kept, I can be crushed, yet I can be whole all at the same time. What am I?"

You rummage through the box again "Easy, this one is heart." Law helped you uncapped the stamp. There was only one riddle left and then that book was his.

"Useless for one, but absolute bliss to two. The small boy gets it for free, the young man has to seek permission for it. The old man has to buy it. It's a baby's right and a lover's privilege. What am I?"

You snickered "I know this is not the answer but boobs would also fit here." Law sighed in disappointment "Are you proud of yourself?" You smiled replying immediately "Immensely" Law shuffled through the box "You really shouldn't be." He pulled out a sticker that said "kiss" and you realized just how stupid you were. Although something didn't add up to you. Why was the word "one" bolded? Actually, come to think of it, there were other letters bolded across the whole form. Law flagged down one of the attendees to check your answers. They nodded at the form yet when they looked back at you they only said "Looking good, you almost have it." Law was confused; he was sure you guys had answered them all correctly. Maybe you accidentally put the wrong sticker somewhere else?

It started to piece together in your head as you noted down the bolded letters mentally "d, o, t, h, e, l, a, s, t, o, n, e?" Suddenly it clicked for you "do the last one." Your eyes snapped to Law who was still trying to figure out what was wrong. You didn't even hesitate using your free hand to turn his face towards you. He could barely get out the "(Y/N)-ya?" Before you cut him off.

Around you some of the event organizers popped some confetti poppers shouting "Congratulations, you passed!" A mixture of cheers and applause filled your ears as you pulled away. "What a power couple! You guys have the fastest time by far!" Bewildered Law stared at you mystified at what just happened. You gave him a cheeky grin as you pointed out your ingenious discovery "The bolded letters spell out "Do the last one." It wasn't just a printer mistake." He stared back in awe as a soft smile graced his lips.

Law's thoughts were muddled the rest of the night. His mind garbled with the obscure circumstances. He remembered being handed the book and taking pictures with you for the event organizers social media page. Although outside of that he wasn't too sure how he was laying in his bed with you already fast asleep. Law shifted to look at you, the day had been exceptionally favorable for his previous stated testing. Who would have thought that throughout the entirety of the love trials Law could feel himself falling but it didn't scare him. It didn't feel forced or overwhelming either; it felt so natural with you by his side. Without question you come across as a power couple. Normally he felt pressed to make these long convoluted plans that he controlled every variable to, but in this case he didn't feel the need.

Law chuckled to himself, you really were good at your job. He feels like a fool having developed these feelings towards you and while he had self control he most certainly didn't need it anymore. There were only so many days left before things returned to some sort of normalcy. He might as well take advantage of the time he has. Even if his brain wants to think rationally about the pitfalls and what if's, he feels content having rubbed it in Doflamingo's face. At the end of the day he achieved his main goal. If he were to face rejection it would benefit him to get it out of the way as soon as possible but that was a predicament for another time. For now he closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.

Notes:

Thank you everyone for the comments! Seeing people scream as much as I am when writing this helped me finish this chapter.

...I JUST REALIZED IT FUCKED UP THE BOLD AND ITALIC WORDS DUDE FUCK MY LIFE IT WAS SO CLEVER AND IT NERFED ME NOOOO

Chapter 5

Notes:

Major/Minor fic spoiler but THIS CHAPTER ENDS WITH SMUT! Originally I wasn't going to write the smut but I felt like I should write the smut if you don't like/want to read the smut that's how this chapter ends so you can just stop reading after "You liked the ring of that. His girlfriend."

Also Link to the song mentioned: Dr. Heart Stealer?"

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

You were in shambles! Ever since the festival three days ago things have been different between you and Law but you're not entirely sure why. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing but you couldn't put your finger on it. Maybe the love trials triggered something in you that you weren't aware of? Whatever the case, everything he does appears to fluster you now. No matter how hard you try to keep your cool he does something that catches you completely off guard. You can't tell if he's doing it on purpose or if it's all one big coincidence. You wonder if he even notices that he's flustering you in the first place. He can be pretty dense on occasion. Although if he does notice, he hasn't said anything. You understand that the reason why you're here in the first place is to be his girlfriend and his mannerisms are perfectly acceptable choices to make when his family's around. That's not the problem. Law has started doing it regardless if anyone was watching or even in the same room.

The other day you were getting hot chocolate with Sugar and she walked away to grab a napkin. Allegedly you had some stray whipped cream on the corner of your mouth. Normal Law would have simply pointed it out to you but instead he leaned over and just licked it off without a word. No warning no nothing and when Sugar came back to the table he acted like nothing happened. Meanwhile poor Sugar thought you had burnt your tongue. You couldn't even confirm you weren't imagining things because no one was around to see it. On top of Law blatantly ignoring your personal space, he's started letting Corazon take pictures. Not too long ago he purposely dodged and weaved out of the line of sight but now he will quietly let it happen, while also pulling you closer. These new habits he's suddenly picked up don't even take the proverbial cake. Last night for some reason he decided he didn't want to wear a shirt. You don't know, you were trying not to stare. You felt like a school girl all over again. It's not like you were uncomfortable or anything at most it was merely odd. Had it been anyone else you wouldn't have batted an eye at it. Law claimed it was a little warm last night. Maybe he could feel the heat rising off of your cheeks. You'd hate to admit it but it sparked a less than innocent dream and when you woke up in his arms afterwards you panicked. You're not sure how much more your heart can take of his unintentional torture. You have to tell him or maybe you don't. Your head is a mess. You only had to survive one more night anyhow. Tomorrow morning was when Law planned to leave but tonight was the New Year's eve gala. In your state of panic you missed the smirk Law gave you as you left to take your shower.

Law went to check back in with Corazon to make sure he had the right time of departure when Doflamingo pulled him into his office. The surgeon only rolled his eyes as Doffy had them both sit down at the desk like a proper business arrangement. Law crossed his legs scowling at the blonde waiting for him to speak.

"Law, I'm willing to cut you a deal that will benefit us both but it requires your complete cooperation at the gala."

Law sighed "And if I refuse?" Doffy grinned "Do you even have to ask? I know your weakness now. It's not as bad as you think it is. All I want is for you to perform that cute little song from a few years back. What was it, Dr. Heart Stealer?" Law grimaced, rubbing his face in his hands. That had been a mistake and his biggest regret for a while now but only a few people knew about it. It was Eustass's idea so he really should have known it wasn't going to work out in his favor but anything to spite Doflamingo. They were pretty wasted at the time but Eustass suggested to write and perform a song as a fuck you to Doflamingo. Almost like throwing it back in his face that Law was capable of being the Donquixote performer like the rest of the family was, he just chose not to. He wasn't expecting Doflamingo to enjoy the performance and lord it over him. The worst part was that Corazon pretty much immortalized it by making copies of the video and burning CD's of the song.

"It better be a damn good benefit or no deal."

Doflamingo chuckled "Sing at the gala and I'll give you the choice of whether or not we continue with your arranged marriage, how does that sound?"

"What's the catch? I know you won't give up that easily."

"No catch, it's your choice to either continue with your current relationship or I'll choose a suitor. I'm being rather generous." Doffy leaned forward resting his elbows on the table with his head in his hands as if to say "your move." Law was wary of the offer. Doflamingo was giving him exactly what he wanted which was never a good sign and the only thing he wanted in return was for him to sing. Not to be his successor but to sing? Something wasn't right here, he had a feeling that was very unsettling. What did he mean by weakness? It could be a bluff for all he knew but he wasn't going to take that chance. Besides if Doflamingo does stick to his word then problem solved. He could also use this as another opportunity to fluster (Y/N) which would definitely be a bonus. As it stands it's a win win but he couldn't help the off feeling in his gut but what does he have to lose.

Begrudgingly he sighed "Fine, I'll sing."

—

It was a very lazy day everyone was pretty much just twiddling their thumbs until it was time to get ready for the gala. You had been reading the book you won Law the other night on the couch when he finally emerged from Doflamingo's office. You didn't look up when he joined you on the couch. He sat there in silence for a while before laying down on your lap. You tried to focus harder on the words you were reading but you could feel his gaze on you. "Can I help you?" you asked, finally looking down at him. He hummed for a while before answering "Not particularly." was all he said as you stare at each other. You went back to reading after that. Trying not to let it get to you. He wouldn't win this round.

You may have underestimated how long Law would stay in your lap for. He really didn't have anything better to do you guess but you would have at least thought he would get up at some point to grab something to occupy his mind. You refused to look down just in case he's still staring at you but then it hit you. Why not fight fire with fire? As it stands he's beating you at your own game. By being flustered you are letting him win. You glanced back at Law but his eyes were closed and had been for a while. You were internally panicked over nothing. Although you wonder if he's just resting his eyes or if he managed to fall asleep like this. Back at the dorms the surgeon was notably an insomniac which made it interesting that he fell sound asleep in your lap on the first night. Not to mention he's kept a relatively consistent sleep schedule while here. Maybe being around his family requires more energy. While lost in your thoughts you idly run your hand through Law's hair as you pick back up reading where you left off. Playing with his hair as if he was a cat that had jumped into your lap. He mumbled something incoherent as he shifted on his side slightly allowing you more access to his soft mane. He genuinely is like a big cat, it was cute. You giggled to yourself.

"What's so funny?" Law questioned turning his head to meet your gaze. Ah, so he was awake. You smirked, peering down at him.

"You're cute."

The moment the words left your mouth you could feel Law tense a light dusting of color rushing to his face. His neutral expression morphing into bewilderment. Clearly startled by your bluntness. He couldn't seem to look away either, his mind stopped in his tracks briefly before he swiftly positioned himself in the gap between you and the book meeting you eye to eye. The sudden movement causes you to lean as far as you can into the couch further trapping yourself.

"Hey before I have to bleach my eyes again, I'm stealing your girlfriend and Doffy wants you to practice your speech."

Law sighed glaring at Monet knowing she ruined the moment on purpose. You raised an eyebrow "You're giving a speech?"

"Something like that"

As Monet dragged you away from the scene she mentioned that Giolla was getting sick of waiting and was turning people into her little art projects. Baby 5 was already her first victim and Monet didn't want to be next in line. She claimed if she was with you there was a zero percentage chance that Giolla would ask. Instead Monet offered to do your hair if you would do her makeup. You thought about it for a moment but agreed when you passed Baby 5 in the hallway. She didn't see a problem with it since she was helping Giolla out and felt needed but you and Monet exchanged a look that meant you both had a mutual understanding on the matter. You were not going to become some abstract expressionism art piece. Not today and hopefully never.

After you were finished you made your way back to Law's room to put on your dress. You're not sure why, maybe at the time you were thinking of teasing him with it but when you were packing for the trip you put your favorite sexy lingerie in your suitcase. This must have been something you did when you were drunk the night before because you don't remember putting it in there. You glanced around the room stopping at the door feeling your face heat up. No one's going to know. It's not like your dress is super thin or anything. You hastily put them on trying to get into your dress as soon as possible. Unfortunately you couldn't get the zipper by yourself. You should have tried the dress on earlier instead of assuming Doflamingo somehow magically guessed your size. It wasn't that it was super tight, it fit well there just wasn't enough give in the fabric for you to have enough grip to pull it up by yourself. In the midst of your struggle you didn't notice Law come into the room. It wasn't until a foreign hand guided the zipper did you realize he was back. You jumped at the contact.

"Calm down, it's just me," Law said indifferently as he also started to get ready. You didn't trust yourself to make a retort instead you watched him dress. He was staring at himself in the mirror, smoothing out his vest and adjusting his tie. As he put his coat on he adjusted the cuffs so that the cufflinks peeked out slightly. Law begrudgingly discarded his hat and ran a hand through his hair loosely slicking his hair back. It didn't stay that way, some strands fell back in his face. It was weird to see him like this. You already knew he was handsome but this was such a turn on for you. A lot of people swear by a man in uniform but clearly they've never seen a man in formal wear. It felt like a dream, like you were being swept off your feet the same way the female lead in a play would. This time you didn't turn away when he caught you staring.

"Are you ready to go?" Law asked while offering his hand. If the guys back home could see you now they wouldn't believe you. Sure he has always been well mannered but this was almost gentlemanly. Law wasn't exactly known for his congeniality. You smile at the rarity and take his hand. Of course when you made it down the stairs Corazon wanted pictures of everyone. Similarly to the past few days Law obliged. This earned him some strange looks from his uncles but no one voiced the concern out loud. They all just motioned to him and shrugged.

Once you arrived at the venue Doflamingo was greeted by Caesar Clown as he gave everyone a short tour through the arrangements he prepared. An elegant open ballroom with the most divine chandelier at the center, a live orchestra and of course light refreshments. Next would be dinner in the next room over. This would be when most of the official business would be taking place speeches, toasts, maybe light entertainment. You had never been to a charity Gala before so you're not quite sure what goes on. The only thing you did know was there was an after dinner party to ring in the new year, again in the next room over from the dining hall. A red carpet laid across the two rooms connecting them through the entryway reaching the other side of the space. They had a main stage set up with a live band and at every nook of the room an open bar, that was on top of waitstaff holding trays of champagne nearly every two feet. You already know you can't say no to a free drink, especially to champagne. Champagne is expensive. By no means were you an alcoholic but with the week you've had, you think you've earned a drink or two.

"Ah Caesar you've outdone yourself, this time around." Doflamingo states although you're unsure if it was supposed to be a dig at him or a compliment. As more people arrive Law makes his rounds greeting everyone ushering you by the waist keeping the introductions brief. The sight was riveting to behold. Law talking to people unprompted. Mostly because he didn't give a damn one way or the other but he could also feel Doflamingo's unsettling gaze from across the room. He grips your waist tighter as he whispers that it seems Doffy was going to introduce someone to you both.

"Law, you remember Linlin of Big Mom Bakes. This is her daughter Charlotte Pudding." Doflamingo gestured to the girl next to him. She was a little bit taller than you were but not by more than three inches. Her light hazel hair was pulled into high pigtails, admittedly an interesting choice for a formal event. Her dress was almost identical to yours but instead of pastel pink it was a soft lavender. Weird coincidence or so it seemed. You don't trust Doflamingo's wicked grin but maybe he got help picking out your dress. You raised an eyebrow as Doffy continued. "Please see to it that she has a pleasant evening. It's her first time at an event like this. We wouldn't want her to feel overwhelmed."

It was only for half of a second but you could see the annoyed look flash across Law's features before slipping back to formality. He pulled you closer before denoting "It's (Y/N)'s first time as well if you'd like to accompany us later on. I was about to ask for a dance." He glanced at you for confirmation as you nod. It was the first time he called you by just your name and not with his polite vocal tic. While he led you away you could see Doflamingo introducing Pudding to Baby 5 and Monet. Law grabbed your hand as you got into position waiting for the next song to start.

"You're not overwhelmed right? I tend to run on autopilot at these events." The music picked up and you started to dance but he looked at you with uncertainty. Doflamingo's words must have struck a chord. You laughed at that "I'm not but it is fascinating having little knowledge of what's going on." You both glide across the room as if no one is around. Law twirls you and you take that moment to survey the party. Corazon seems to be recording your dance with Law. You smile at that when Law pulls you back in. The atmosphere was like that of a movie. It was pleasant but you could feel someone glaring at you. The next opportunity you had you tried to locate the presence. It seemed Pudding was rather cross about something and when the song ended she approached you again with a smile.

"May I have the next dance? You make it look like it's the most enjoyable experience."

Law looks to you asking for permission and you wave him off. "I won't be long." He reassured you as he led Pudding to the dance floor. When Law turned away you could have sworn Pudding shot you a glare as she felt up his arm. You didn't know what to make of it so you shrugged it off.

"I would offer to dance but I'm afraid my clumsiness would get the best of me. Are you enjoying yourself (Y/N)?" Corazon greeted you by handing you a champagne flute. You clink your glasses together taking a small sip "Of course! It's not everyday I get to see this side of Law." Which was true, you've never seen this side of him.

"You bring out the best in him you know. I've never seen him so happy before," he took a sip of his drink. His smile grew softer as he looked at the surgeon. "When I adopted Law his heart was closed off. He had a lot of trust issues with the world since it treated him so unfairly. I was always worried his cold demeanor and his uncaring attitude would isolate him from connecting with others." He paused polishing off the drink in his hand. You wondered if Corazon was a lightweight as he continued. "I'm very proud of the man that he's become. I can tell he truly cares about you whether he shows it or not." He put a hand lovely on your shoulder. "He can be difficult at times but please do continue to take care of him." One of the waitstaff came to take his empty glass, replacing it with a full one. It feels like Corazon just gave you his blessing. You drink, feeling the bubbles against your tongue as it goes down. "At least I know for sure that my life won't be boring. Although I might be gray earlier than most." You giggled, running a hand through the end of your hair for emphasis, Corazon laughing along with you. "I know I've said this before but thank you for that. If you're ever in need of anything just say the word. As far as I'm concerned you're family now." You nod as Law joins you confused as to why you and Corazon were snickering to each other. Neither of you explain. Law chalks it up to the champagne as the doors open to the dining hall.

You sit between Monet and Law, Pudding on the other side of him and Baby 5 on the other side of Monet. Sugar and Buffalo were also at the table but they were having their own conversation. You weren't really paying attention as speech after speech rolled on. You half wonder when Law would be giving his but it never came. You shrugged the night was still relatively young; the event ran past midnight so who knows. During the rest of your meal you stay relatively quiet but notice Pudding's odd behavior of hanging off of and laughing at everything Law said. You didn't think the story he was telling was meant to be all that funny but maybe she was a nervous laugh-er. You might be imagining it but you feel like Pudding keeps trying to put her hand on Law's shoulder. You shake your head finishing your second or third drink. You've lost count since they keep refilling it.

For light entertainment they had a small trivia game. The winning table would receive some sort of mystery prize. Your table doesn't try that hard but Pudding makes a comment about how Law was "so smart" You rolled your eyes at the cringey comment. Who says that? You could feel Monet having a similar reaction. Law as always was indifferent.

As dinner finished up Doflamingo sought out Law. He requested his assistance with something as you and the rest of the girl's made your way to the after party room. You chimed in very little to the light chit chat but you made a few notes about Pudding. She was the 35th daughter of the Charlotte family. She was a prodigy studying to be a patisserie but ended up finding her true talent in being a chocolatier. She's good at both but prefers to work with chocolate more. At some point the band started playing their sets and you finally noticed Law wasn't back yet.

He had been gone for a while, you wondered what Doffy needed with him. You knew he would be saying a few words at some point but he's been gone for at least twenty minutes. Long enough to get Pudding's life story. You leave them to get another drink. As the song changed you turned your attention to the jazzy music being performed on stage. The lights dimmed red enough to see the silhouette of the band handing a microphone to a familiar looking shadow. The next thing you knew the lights on stage faded back up and Law's voice filled the room. You nearly fell over, you were so weak at the knees. No one and you really mean no one, told you that Law would be singing. On top of that you had no idea that Law could sing let alone sing, like that.

"Dr. Heart Stealer~"

Your eyes met and your heart leaped out of your chest. Your hands flew to your overactive organ to try and calm it down as Law proceeded to wink at you. He had you swooning. What the actual fuck was happening here. You stare back in disbelief as he continues to make a show of the song. When did he even have time to do this? Where did this flirty bastard come from? This was not the Law that you came to Dressrosa with. When he finished his last line he blew a kiss and winked in your direction causing you to choke on your drink. You had been doing so well to not be flustered the entire evening.

You had to calm yourself down before Law saw how flustered that made you. You turned around almost tripping over the edge of the red carpet that was laid on the floor, luckily you caught yourself before you bumped into someone. Unfortunately the person behind you, an older woman, managed to trip on the same spot and wasn't so lucky. As they fell to the floor they dropped the drink they were holding. You rushed to their side to help them up, completely oblivious to the wine staining the lower half of your dress. The good news was they didn't get hurt that badly but the bad news was your dress was ruined. You frowned, you definitely needed another drink.

"How did you manage to do that?"

You whipped your head around to see Law motioning for you to turn around so he could see the damage. You sighed looking at the mess. People were starting to stare and you felt defeated. "Someone dropped their drink. I don't think this stain is gonna come out." You lift up your dress to see how bad it soaked in the bottom. It was pretty awful. More people started looking at you and you could hear the group of people start to murmur. "I know we were going to stay till midnight but I think I should leave before I embarrass myself further." You walked past Law with your head down but he grabbed your arm and ushered you away from the crowd. "You don't have to leave. Stay here okay, I'll be back."

You watched him leave talking to some of the waitstaff. Eventually he came back with a pair of scissors. "Turn for me while I cut." You did what you were told and suddenly your long evening gown transformed into a sexy cocktail dress. You looked at Law in awe as he instructed the waitstaff to take care of the mess. You must have been staring for a while because he looked at you and furrowed his eyebrows

"What?"

"First the song, now this, are you trying to get me to fall in love with you?" You didn't mean to say that out loud. That was the champagne talking, but you were definitely thinking it.

Law chuckles in response "Depends, is it working?" He slipped his hand around your waist leaning down staring into your soul. The direct eye contact made your face flush. You wonder how many drinks Law had, whether or not his flirtiness was attributed to the alcohol or if this was an accumulation of what he had been doing to you the past few days. That's when Monet and Baby 5 walked up still accompanied by Pudding. Monet rolled her eyes as she approached "We get it, oh my god get a room already."

Baby 5 pointed to your dress "Has your dress always been that short?" You laughed and retold the story. The next few hours were a blur of mingling and small talk as other guests came up to your group to talk to Law and the others. For some reason the waitstaff was being extremely attentive to your glass being empty; you had to refuse the refill a couple of times. You wondered if they had nothing better to do or were tired of dealing with the more "drunken" patrons of the event. You were delightfully tipsy but were trying hard not to drink too much. You didn't want to be drunk in this setting. Lest you be too honest.

Your attention was on Law again. It felt like a dream since you've never seen the man so talkative but you guess under the circumstances he's forced to be. It didn't even occur to you how late it's gotten until Pudding mentioned there was only a minute left. She had tried to drape an arm around Law to show him the time but he moved out of the way and closer into your personal space. Come to think of it, she has been pretty handsy and near constantly hovering around you guys all night. You wondered why but didn't have time to question it.

The countdown started but all you could do was stare back at Law. You never pegged Law as a superstitious person but a midnight kiss was a part of German folklore and widely known around the world as well. It's said to strengthen a budding romance. This is what you were waiting for and it seemed like Law was on the same page as he pulled you closer. Once again staring at you like you were the most precious thing in the world. He shouldn't be able to make you feel this way but it's one night and what do you have to lose.

"3"

"2"

"1"

"Happy new year!"

Your lips touch, both melting in each other's embrace. He makes you feel like you're flying, like your stomach is filled with butterflies and everywhere he touches sends tiny sparks through your body. Your hands move on their own musing his hair as his hands pull you closer than you already were. For you the party was long forgotten about. Although you could feel Law flip off his sisters in response to something they said. You're not sure how you manage to make it back to the manor while stumbling around trying not to break your passionate make out. You were only vaguely aware of your surroundings when Law pressed you against his door taking a breath letting his forehead rest against yours.

"I won't be able to stop myself if this continues" his breathy tone jumpstarts your dirty mind.

"Then don't," you huffed out of breath smirking "I want this just as much as you." You sounded desperate as you leaned forward slowly but deliberately closing the gap again. It didn't hold the same effervescence as before. It was much more soft and tender, almost like you were going to lose him. You hoped it got your point across as you pulled back to stare at him. The mere sight of his slightly disheveled form stirred your arousal in the pit of your stomach reminding you of the dream you had that morning. You don't think you could hold back either. Wrapping your arms around his neck you whispered in his ear "Please for the love of God make love to your girlfriend already." You liked the ring of that. His girlfriend.

He pushed you away to examine your face searching for any sign that you had been joking. Once he was certain that it wasn't just the drinks talking he pushed you against the door again letting his hands explore the curves of your body while he tried to taste the desperation on your lips. Your eyes roll to the back of your head as they wire shut in pleasure. You moan into his mouth and he takes that as his que to slip you the tongue. You grind your hips into his feeling how hard he was for you. How hard you made him. Rolling your hips upward against his desire you elicit a moan from Law. Your name tastes good from his mouth. He pulled away for a moment panting as he kissed down your jaw latching on to your neck. You gasp bringing your hand up to stifle the embarrassing noises you were making. He bit you a little harder than he had been as a warning, taking your wrist and pinning it above your head as he murmured into your neck "I want to hear you." and went back to leaving marks on your neck. Fuck that was hot.

"Nnngh~"

He chuckles, satisfied with himself at your whimpering. He releases your hand to start taking off your dress when you feel his hot breath on your ear "Good girl." the praise with the way his voice dipped lower than usual sent shivers down your spine. You followed suit unbuttoning Law's ensemble. You stepped out of what remained of your dress once it hit the floor as Law discarded his coat and vest. The shirt was only half unbuttoned; it could stay for now you were impatient. You throw your arms around his shoulders so can jump and wrap your legs around his midsection. You stare at each other for a brief moment with lust filled half lidded eyes as you reconnect your lips. Law's hand cups your ass as he moves to lay you on the bed. He grinds against you, feeling the wetness of your panties smirking into the kiss before pulling away. "You're already so wet and I've barely done anything to you." You squirm underneath him as he starts fondling you. "These as well," mentioning the Lacy lingerie you forgot you were wearing "I guess you weren't kidding when you said you wanted it." slipping his hand under your bra he unlatches the back of the garment tossing it aside.

"Haah~"

Your breath hitched at the sudden exposure. Law peppered more kiss marks all over your body causing you to whimper and moan at the slight ache each bruise left. He looked over his handy work before settling to tease your nipples, pinching one and lapping up the other swirling it around his tongue. You were a mess by the time you felt his fingers trace your entrance. "Hng, L-Law~" you lift your hips enough for Law to discard your soaked panties. Now that you're fully exposed he pulls away to remove his shirt.

"You told me to make love to my girlfriend, I can't just skip steps now can I?"

He watches you with an intense gaze as he lightly caresses your inner thigh dipping down to kiss it before harshly biting down leaving another mark. You screamed out as he kissed around the mark. He looked back at you as his fingers teased your folds before entering. You throw your head back at the sensation moaning his name. He enjoys watching you squirm practically fucking yourself on his fingers. He leans down to kiss your clit and you close your thighs around him as he swirls his tongue around the sensitive area. Your breathing was ragged as he started to overwhelm you. His finger exploring your insides finding exactly where to drive you crazy as he repeatedly brushed against the area. His tongue was doing wonders, making you see stars as you come undone at his mercy. You were on the edge, tensing around his fingers as he pushed them deeper. You tangle your hands in his hair "Haah, L-Law I-I'm gonna" you trail off as you meet your climate. You scream out once more but Law doesn't stop; he continues pumping his fingers in and out of you as you squirm curling your toes riding out your high. You were breathless as he finally pulled away, giving you a kiss. You can taste yourself on his tongue. In-between kisses you can hear him as "Do we need protection?"

"In my wallet." He looks at you in amazement as he fetches the object. "Were you actually planning on this happening?" Law rids himself of the last few articles of clothes as he tore the condom with his mouth. "That was hot," you pant still coming down from cloud nine. "But no, we use condoms to prevent our mic packs from being soaked in sweat. I always carry one out of habit. It comes in handy sometimes." He crawls back between your legs lining himself up. You gasp as he pushes in completely Law groaning as well.

He started rolling his hips into you keeping a steady rhythm going nice and slow. It was mind numbingly slow. It felt good but you wanted more. Law smirked at you, he was doing this on purpose. You shifted underneath him trying to get a little more friction. You feel embarrassed you just came yet you still felt so needy so horny for Law to ruin you into the mattress. Screw making love you wanted him to fuck your brains out. You moan as he thrusted a little deeper.

"Law please." You whimper as he barely misses the spot you want him to desperately stimulate. "Please what? Use your words." He was toying with you. You know he knew what you meant. Your cheeks flushed a deep crimson. Why was this so embarrassing to admit. "Please Law just fuck me already!"

"As you wish." He picked up the pace thrusting harder and faster catching you off guard despite you asking for it. The sounds you were making was music to Law's ears. Your legs were shaking, you were already so close again. Law dropped to his elbows to speak directly into your ear "You feel so good (Y/N)." The praise made you clench around him as he abused the place that drove you crazy. "Ah f-fuck~" you mind was short circuiting as you felt wave after wave of pleasure.

Law was getting close, it was increasingly more difficult to keep up the pace he set. His movements started becoming more sporadic and the faces you were making only fueled his desire more and more. With every thrust his breath became more shaky and labored. He shoved himself as deep as he could as he came, sending you over the edge again. You laid like that for a while listening to each other's pants and heartbeats. Law eventually got up to dispose of the condom but the moment he got back into bed you cuddled up next to him. Neither of you said anything more as you both drifted to sleep.

Notes:

Yeah I couldn't make up my mind on the smut thing I knew I always wanted it to be like implied but them part of me wanted to see if I could even write smut and it ended up taking a lot longer than expected. Again thank you for all the comments ;w; I'm so happy people like this as much as I do. I'm super excited for the next chapter because shit's about to go down. *evil snicker*

Chapter 6

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The sun sat high in the sky, light flooding through the window. The events of last night slowly stirred through Law's head as he woke up little by little. The light flashed annoyingly on his face as he could feel his head start to ache causing him to regret not drinking much water the night before. Although since he was forced to be around his family's clients for that long and his agreement with Doflamingo, he needed something to take the edge off of dealing with the blonde's bullshit. Besides, he didn't drink enough to truly embarrass himself; it's not like he would do anything he'd regret. If anything Law thinks when he's inebriated he tends to do things he would have done anyways. He's not a complete idiot. He snuggled back into the blankets trying to get the sun out of his eyes not wanting to get up just yet. That's when he realized that it wasn't the blanket he was nuzzling into. Flashbacks from last night played out in his head as he leisurely opened his eyes. He fucked up. Law was still stark naked pressed right up against (Y/N) spooning her with his arms pulling her closer to his chest. He didn't know what to think about the hole that he dug for himself but this was not how he wanted to confront his feelings.

No matter how he looked at it, this was probably the worst thing he could have done. He cursed himself for thinking with his dick as he eventually untangled himself. What was he supposed to do now? The ride home was going to be extremely awkward and he was not looking forward to it. Does he bring up his romantic intentions or would that be weird. Like "(Y/N)-ya I know we just had sex and that was great also please be my real girlfriend." He winced at his own delusion roasting his brain for the horrible choice of words. He got ready to take a shower as he looked at the desolate state the room was in. He contemplates waking (Y/N). It was already afternoon and he wanted to leave earlier since the roads were going to be crazy to deal with as it was new year's day. "Great" Law thought to himself rolling his eyes. He messed up on all fronts because neither of them spent the down time yesterday packing. Now he remembers why he never bothered with having such infatuations. They were more trouble than they're worth.

—

Your back was cold but your face was warmed by the sun. It was the only thing keeping you from thinking about how much your head hurt. Actually scratch that everything hurt, your entire body was sore but it was a good kind of sore. Although your neck was killing you. You knew you would have to get up eventually. You really didn't want to but if you and Law were going to leave at the time he wanted… your thoughts trail off as you bolt upright making yourself dizzy. OH GOD LAW! You had sex with Trafalgar Law. You scanned the room you were alone, still naked but alone. The whole room in a state of disarray as it all came back to you. You pulled the blanket over yourself not wanting to think about how embarrassingly horny you were last night. You're never going to hear the end of it. You can see it now the whole car ride back is just going to be him teasing you about how badly you wanted him. You tried not to think about it as you collected your things and packed them away. You contemplate taking a shower but decide to get dressed instead. If you knew when Law got up maybe you would but you don't want to keep him waiting. On the other hand he still had to pack. You don't bother looking in a mirror as you thread your fingers through your hair heading down stairs.

It didn't seem like anyone else was around although as you made your way to the kitchen you could hear voices. When you turned the corner you made eye contact with Law who was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. He seemed to pause the conversation giving you a hard stare before his eyes lowered slightly. His face simmered red. Law covered the lower half of his face with his hand but didn't look away from you. You blush lightly under his gaze giving him a quizzical look while Corazon gives you both a cheeky grin "At least now I know I won't have to beg for grandkids." He laughed lightly to himself.

It occurs to you that he was referring to the hickeys on your neck and you blush harder. Law choked on his coffee and was lecturing Corazon that he can't just say stuff like that. The blonde continued to laugh it off "Ah, young love. Law there's no need to be embarrassed, she's your girlfriend for crying out loud." Law cleared his throat putting his mug aside "I should start packing, it's already later than I would have liked to leave." He pulled his hat down when he walked past you but stopped to grab your arm taking you back upstairs with him. Neither of you spoke until you got into the room. Law didn't let go of your wrist, both of you just staring at your hands. Trying to collect his thoughts he muttered "I'm sorry about him, I don't know why he said that."

You laughed nervously in hindsight. You had to admit it was kind of funny if it wasn't directed at you. "I uh probably would have made a similar joke had it been my kid so don't worry about it." He eventually let go of your wrist and started gathering his things. You tried to make yourself busy by making the bed.

"Listen about last night-"

"I'm coming in," Law was interrupted by Doflamingo "Corazon said you were about to head off. I wanted to offer my assistance, it would be rude of me to not see you out." Doffy gestured to your bag but Law stepped in front of you. "I'm sure we can manage just fine." Doflamingo grinned smugly, "I insist." You could see sparks fly with how intense their gaze on each other was. Honestly you don't want to get involved but you know neither of them will back down. They've done this a few times over the week but Corazon was always there to snap them out of it. These silly boys and their mind games you swear. You bite the bullet and calmly take Law's hand hoping he will stand down this once. "That would be lovely and I would like to thank you again for everything this past week. I know my arrival was on short notice." you broke Law's focus for a moment before he glared back at Doflamingo, backing down and letting the blonde take your bag. "Truly the pleasure was all mine. It's not everyday one manages to capture Law's heart." Law would have rolled his eyes at the blonde but he'd rather just leave already. After checking the surroundings to make sure he didn't miss anything Doffy ushered you both out of the room.

"Did you enjoy yourself while you were here, (Y/N)?" Doflamingo asked as you all walked down the stairs. Corazon joined you on your way to the car. "Oh, very much. It was a nice change of pace." You gave Corazon one final hug and Doflamingo offered you his hand. "I'm sure we'll see each other again, maybe even sooner than expected." He threw a look at Law before turning around walking back to the manor. You wonder what that was all about as you got in the car.

You waited until you were a fair bit away from the manor before starting a conversation with Law. He seemed to be deep in thought and you don't blame him. Doflamingo's last words seemed rather cryptic in your opinion but you think that's just how he is in general. While Corazon seems to be an open book with only everyone's best in mind, his brother seemed to be the evil master manipulator. At least you kept your promise to Bepo.

"About the-"

"You know-"

You both spoke at the same time, Law glancing at you briefly before looking back at the road. "You can go first." He was almost relieved. He already tried to bring it up once and at this point he lost his train of thought. You shifted in your seat. "I was going to say I really did enjoy myself," you smiled at him. "This was a lot of fun. What were you gonna say?" You had a feeling you knew what it was. Obviously it was the elephant in the room. You don't know how you feel about it. You felt something for Law you really did and it seemed like he felt the same way but you can't deny that last night you both were drinking. You just don't want to be wrong and Law wasn't exactly the easiest to read.

"I was going to say that about yesterday, I apologize if I made you uncomfortable." Law cringed at his own words. He was having a hard time focusing partly because of Doflamingo's almost threatening send off and mostly because everyone was driving like ass. This is why he wanted to leave earlier but that was his own damn fault. Not to mention he wanted to have this conversation before they left but Doflamingo ruined that too and now he had to try and remember the speech he made before the interruption. This was not going as he planned. He just hopes he doesn't inadvertently make things worse.

He's worried he made you uncomfortable, does that mean he regrets it? Did that mean the flirting was unintentional? Did you somehow miss read the signs? You only had more questions or maybe you're overthinking. "I wasn't uncomfortable. Believe it or not I did mean what I said before coming here." It was true you were fine with it. Physical contact wasn't off putting to you in general and since it was Law you openly welcomed it, but he didn't know that.

Right, how could Law forget.

"I guess so, oh since you're paying me I really don't care about personal boundaries. Holding hands, kissing, cuddles whatever is fine with me. I'm your girlfriend now so don't be shy." You looked at him over his expression, unreadable as ever. You grinned "Or do, you're pretty cute when you're flustered." You shot him a playful wink.

Come to think of it, maybe Law was wrong about his hunch. You being good at your job was starting to be a real pain in the ass. It didn't negate his romantic feelings but he might need more evidence before making a fool of himself. Although he should just peel off the band aid, he didn't. He would rather die alone than be wrong.

The rest of the drive was in stifling silence as you checked social media for the first time since leaving the dorms. You saw a flood of messages and pictures from the group chats showing what everyone else had been up too. It seemed like everyone was having a good time. Ace and Sabo had the most pictures shared usually of Luffy doing something stupid. Ussop sent some of him and Kaya playing in the snow. Sanji sent some of the mouth watering food he made, apparently Nami and Zoro were with him. Nami lived by Baratie in Sanji's neck of the woods but apparently Zoro got lost on his way to Mihawk's and somehow ended up there by accident. Zoro later sent a selfy with Perona and Mihawks confirming he did eventually make it home. Chopper had taken a picture with the real Santa and no one had the heart to tell him otherwise. Robin and Franky sent a few selfies of their adventures. Lastly Brook sent a little jingle wishing everyone a happy festive season.

It was pretty late by the time you guys got back on campus. The school was fairly empty but you did see some people who stayed back. You followed Law into the dorms and wondered what the surgeon was thinking about. As you made your way inside it seemed pretty empty still though there was a coffee mug on the common room table you wondered if someone beat you guys back to the dorms or if someone forgot to put it away before they left. If you had to guess it was probably Robin. She wasn't planning on staying with Franky the whole break anyhow. The campus archives were like no other constantly acquiring new artifacts and literature. Lost in your thoughts you bumped into Law's back wondering why he stopped but then you realized you both were already standing outside his dorm room.

"(Y/N)-ya, isn't your room the other way?" he pointed down the hallway as you perked up, lightly blushing "Right! Yup, I forgot- I mean, I-I must still be tired." you smacked your cheeks for emphasis trying to cover up the fact that you were embarrassed. You were about to walk away when Law stopped you. "In that case I might as well give this back." He opened the door to his room, setting his bag on his bed as he opened it revealing Lil Law. You gasped dramatically, because of the events that transpired on the last night you completely forgot about him. You looked at the bear fondly and held him close. "I thought for sure you got rid of him!" Law scoffed looking away feeling his cheeks heating up. "I was going to believe me, but knowing you? I wouldn't put it past you to go back to Dressrosa and make a new one just to spite me."

You laughed but you probably would do something similar given you had the resources and the time to do so. "There's no way I could make a new one since I'd need you to say my name again. That's why he's special." You pressed his Paw "Oi (Y/N)-ya" without thinking you kissed the bear on the nose forgetting you don't need to keep up an act. You and Law meet eyes for a split second before turning away. "I guess I should be going then." You wanted him to tell you to stay but instead you were met with an emotionless "Do what you want" and just as you feared everything was back to normal.

Law didn't actually expect you to leave. Genuinely he thought you'd make up some excuse to stay. He almost regrets giving back his replacement so easily. He wanted to see what you would do given the chance. Which was kind of stupid on his part he knows that. There was no reason for you to stay; you had already fulfilled your part of the bargain. Law didn't want to admit it but sleeping next to you was some of the best sleep he's gotten all year. At least he could finally be alone with his thoughts and figure out where to go from here.

You were such an idiot. You should have just told him you were staying, said something cheesy like "What? You thought you could get rid of me that easily?" But as brave as you are, your anxiety got the better of you. It was so much easier when you didn't have any expectations of the outcome of your dimwitted flirty remarks and now it seems like a lost opportunity. You knew from day one this was going to be the outcome but it feels like you didn't even try. You laid down cuddling with Lil Law. There had to be some way to break the ice, something you could do to get things back to how they were before the Gala. You could ask if he wanted to hang out but you guess you've kind of already done that the whole week. You could watch the Polar Express again, or not, you already did that and you fell asleep too. You ruffled your hair tossing and turning on your bed accidentally triggering an "Oi (Y/N)-ya" You froze, almost having a heart attack before realizing he wasn't in the room. This is why you liked theatre. Everything is scripted to the gesture there was no guesswork and even when there was it was contained in a character song that explained the next course of action.

—

It had been a week. A whole week, roughly the same amount of time you stayed in Dressrosa for and you hadn't seen Law since. You weren't avoiding him per se but you also had been keeping busy. You had been putting in crazy hours at the studio keeping a strict conditioning regiment. You started off focusing on your technique but after an hour of ballet you decided you shouldn't push yourself that hard. Especially after a break. Alternatively it felt good to dance. It was very freeing to just throw on some music and let the feeling wash over you.

As more people came back to the dorms you would catch glimpses of Law passing through the common room. He wasn't looking so good the bags under his eyes were much darker than before and he seemed to zone out which wasn't something he ever made a habit of. Bepo tried asking you if anything happened while you were at Dressrosa but you'd deflect any details that involved you specifically. Shachi and Penguin were also astonished at Law's new mannerisms. It wasn't like the surgeon to be absent minded. Penguin asked you if you both got in a fight because of the way he reacts when they bring up your name. Apparently they wanted to go out with you for drinks the other night and Law almost fell out of his seat at the notion. Then again they also said they haven't seen him get any real sleep since they all returned to the dorms. You were worried but didn't know how to go about helping. Law doesn't like being told what to do or being taken care of. The irony.

—

Unbeknownst to you, everyone else in the dorm Bepo, Shachi and Penguin were already planning an intervention. "They have been driving me crazy, we have to do something they keep avoiding each other and using me as the middleman." Bepo lamented. He would do anything for Law but he couldn't sit and watch any longer. They had the sneaking suspicion that you both had caught feelings for each other and refused to act on them. That was the only reasonable explanation at this point.

Shachi leaned back in his chair "Well what do we do we can't just invite them both over and not tell the other. One way or another they'd find out and then refuse to come."

Penguin thought it was brilliant "That's perfect actually! I invite (Y/N) to go out for drinks or something and you guys ask Law if he wants to watch a movie and then I'll say I need to get something from Bepo first and we lock them in the dorm." He received quizzical looks from the others.

"There's no way that's gonna work."

"It'll work I swear," Penguin hoped because if it didn't he was out of ideas. "It has to work."

You were on your way back to your room after a much needed shower. Dancing for long periods of time makes you sweaty and gross even in the ac. That's when Penguin stopped and asked if you wanted to grab a drink with him. Apparently the girl you set him up with broke it off recently and he didn't want to be with the guys right now. Which was convenient for you all things considered you needed a drink. It was already pretty late in the day so you told him you could be ready in less than an hour. When you got back to your dorm you dried your hair and picked out something nice. Part of you wants to be reckless and go home with a stranger to get your mind off of Law. In all honesty you're fairly certain all you had to do was talk to him about it but for some reason it felt complicated but also like you had nothing to lose. Bottom line it was frustrating and usually you're really good at reading people. It's quite literally part of your job to analyze body language and interpret motivations. You wondered if you'd feel the same had you not gone to Dressrosa. What would you even say to him? "Oh the dangers of method acting, I fell in love with you Oops." You shake your head. No, you knew from the very beginning he was your type.

From your first encounter with the surgeon you're pretty sure he had your heart and not just your broken pen. The story you told in Dressrosa was a hundred percent true. That's how you technically met. The second time you saw the surgeon he was fighting off fangirls which is why you choose not to get involved. Now you wonder if you were always going to end up like this one way or another. Reminds you of how your parents met. You grit your teeth and smack yourself taking one last look in the mirror before messaging Penguin.

As you were about to leave he needed something from Bepo. He didn't specify what but you shrugged it off. They had pretty much been babysitting Law all week the absent mindedness could be rubbing off on them too. You followed behind pulling your phone out not paying attention as the door opened.

"(Y-Y/N)-ya?" You heard Law utter in disbelief. Glancing around you realized it was a bait and switch. "Shit." You tried to escape but Bepo pushed you further into the room as Penguin and Shachi secured the door. "Neither of you are leaving this room until you work out whatever is going on between you two!" They shouted from the other side of the door. You gestured at the door looking at Law who only shrugged having no hand in the set up. You sighed, putting your hand on your hip. "You guys do realize the door opens and locks from the inside right." There was a brief pause before the handle jiggled "If we hold the door what difference does it make. Now talk!"

You looked back at Law. He had his head in his hands most likely embarrassed by the loyalty of his friends. You sat next to him on the bed you might as well get this over with.

"So-"

"You're-"

You both looked at each other, both motioning for the other to say their piece. You frowned, this will get you nowhere. "No, I went first Last time and look where that got us." Law grumbled but you were right. "You're looking well" he said gesturing to your outfit. To be fair you were dressed to go out of course you looked nice. Law on the other hand looked like he hadn't left his room all week. "And you look like death"

"I haven't been getting much sleep" He paused, deciding whether or not it was a good idea to tell you more information "You're all I can think about."

"I can imagine. I mean you were always an insomniac-" you cut yourself off. It only now dawned on you what Law said "Wait what" you stare back in confusion. Did you hear him correctly?

It was now or never Law thought as he looked away. He didn't want to face you. He didn't want to see your reaction to his words. "I might have developed romantic feelings for you and trusting people and letting them in has never been my strong suit"

"Well, being honest with my emotions has never exactly been mine so I guess that makes two of us." You moved closer to put your head on his shoulder. Law tensed at the action. For smart people you guys sure are idiots. "I feel the same, by the way." You laughed awkwardly. "You know just in case you were wondering." Law sat up to look at you. When he had this conversation in his head that's not what he expected you to say. You blinked back at him "What?"

Law narrowed his eyes at you "You like me" he said flatly. You didn't understand what he wasn't getting at "I do, why, is that hard to believe?" he rubbed his temples putting two and two together "Then why have you been avoiding me?"

You scoffed "I could say the same to you! I assumed it was all in my head because you didn't seem interested after we got back."

"Are you kidding me?! I spent the last three days of the trip actively flirting with you!"

"Yeah on a trip where we were in an established relationship!"

"I never flirt with anyone, it should have been really obvious!"

"Maybe if you were a better flirt I would have realized it sooner!" You argued back. That last comment had a little more bite to it than necessary. You think you might have actually struck a cord there "Seriously!" Law looked slightly offended crossing his arms. You laughed as you cupped his grumpy sleep deprived face "Just kiss your girlfriend already." You both leaned in feeling the familiar spark. As you were about to pull away he wrapped his arms around you trapping you in his embrace. You stayed like that for a while enjoying the hug before you realized his breath evened out and he was no longer responding to you. He was asleep.

Notes:

Listen you know I had to do it, I knew I had to do it. We all saw this coming I couldn't just let you be happy immediately that would be boring. I'm excited for the next chapter hehehehehe *evil laughter* :3c

Chapter 7

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Now that you and Law were official and on the same page things were going great or rather as good as it could be. With the start of the semester you both found out that your schedules don't line up at all and you have barely seen each other all week. Most of your classes were later in the day into the night while Law's were in the morning throughout the day. Law was in his last year of medical school so this semester would be a mix of clinical rotations and lectures. You have no doubt he'll pass the USMLE but with the long hours at the hospital on top of his studies he has no free time. Which doesn't bother the surgeon that much. To him it was the perfect schedule. By the time Law made it back to the dorm you would have about thirty minutes before you had to head to your classes. It gave Law the perfect break before he threw himself back into his studies like the workaholic he was. When you finally returned to the dorms he'd finally put his pen down, indulge in your company until you scowled him for his terrible sleeping habits and then proceed to coax you into his bed swearing he sleeps better that way. Law was always gone before you woke up.

From your perspective you'd wake up to an empty bed, kill time doing chores that needed to be done, maybe answer an email or two, prepare everything for your classes so it didn't cut into your Law time and then wait for him to come back to the dorms. If you were lucky you got to see him for two hours, maybe three per day. You might finally be his girlfriend but it was hard to describe how it felt. You never really pegged yourself as the clingy type and it wasn't bad or anything but you hadn't had a proper date since becoming official. That was mostly due to the fact the semester just started and because again Law had no free time but he could still ask you out on the weekends. This past weekend he spent it with the guys. He asked if you wanted to tag along but it wasn't the same. On top of that you've heard his fanclub was not happy hearing the news that he's off the market but they also refused to believe in the rumor because neither of you are seen together outside of the dorms. You're not the jealous type either, you're just curious about the group. They call themselves the death club which is super cheezy and weird since they are mostly medical students. How Law even got the nickname "Surgeon of Death" is beyond you.

It was one of your slower days because it was friday and because your classes were canceled. Apparently your professor had a family emergency and would not be able to make it. Which meant you had the night off and that meant you were bored out of your mind waiting for Law to come back. You had other things you could be doing with your free time but you didn't feel like doing anything in particular. You were still independently self-sufficient without the surgeon by your side. You guess you just miss his company.

"Why don't you just go to the clinic?"

You turned your head to Luffy raising an eyebrow. "Huh, what do you mean?" You have been spacing out laying on the couch for the better half of the morning. Luffy smiled "You're waiting for Torao right? Why don't you just go to the clinic, we have lunch with Chopper all the time." You hadn't thought about that. Mostly because part of you knows Law doesn't like to be disturbed when he's working on something but lunch was entirely fair game. Why didn't you think of that?

"I mean Chopper is medical so their rounds are different from surgical. Hell, I don't even know when Law typically goes for lunch." You slumped back into your seat as Luffy grinned "Well then it's settled, we are going to see Torao! Shishishi"

"Wait, we?" Was he going with you to make sure you didn't chicken out?

"You miss him right? Torao sometimes gets tunnel vision on his work and besides I haven't played with him since before the break!"

You couldn't say no to Luffy. He already put his hat on which was usually a sign that he wasn't going to take no for an answer anyhow. He tried to drag you out of the dorms immediately but you stopped him by making bento's to bring with you. If there was one thing you knew Luffy could easily be persuaded by his stomach. It was your way of thanking him for the idea. Over the past few weeks as everyone learned about your new relationship Luffy appeared to be the most thrilled to hear about it. Apparently he even made a bet with Nami before you had left for Dressrosa and now that you were official he won. It's the first time Nami's ever lost money on a bet. You were also quite surprised how many people thought you guys would have made a good couple. Seems like a good handful of your dorm shipped you guys based on the few interactions you had before Christmas. It was interesting that all your friends were so congratulatory over your relationship. It's not like you were getting married or anything but many of them said it was a miracle since no one could see the surgeon getting into a relationship to save his life. You had the best friends and you wouldn't trade them for anything.

You've never actually been to the clinic since it was at the edge of the campus and never had any real health issues to warrant going. When you walked in Luffy nodded at the receptionist and continued walking, greeting most of the nurses. He really must come here a lot because no one batted an eye at him. You wandered around with Luffy neither of you having any idea where Law would be at the given moment. You tried not to get in the way as much as possible but Luffy wandered off when he saw Marco carrying an unconscious Ace through the halls. You overheard one of the nurses say he fell asleep as he was going down the stairs. Allegedly he tumbled down three flights before someone managed to stop him. You shudder, narcolepsy is scary.

You continued to the cafeteria. If he wasn't on the floor then the only other place you could check was the dining room. There was a chance he was observing a surgery but you crossed your fingers. As you approached the entrance you saw a swarm of girls surrounding one of the tables. It was a pretty loud commotion of squealing. You moved to the side, peaking around the door to get a better view while still remaining out of the way.

"What do we have here? A little runt thinking she can win senpai's heart pinning from a far. Fat chance loser!" You turned around to see three girls, each of them in different colored scrubs. Light blue was for medical, green was for surgical and pink was for nursing. The one thing they all had in common was a yellow band tied around their heads that read "Death Club". You still found it extremely ironic to have a death club at a hospital but that's when it hit you, this was it, this was Law's fabled fan club. You stiffen you didn't think you'd actually run into them. You gripped the bento bag tighter. Did they know who you were? Alternatively would this technically make you captain of the fanclub? You shake that last thought from your head. You just had to leave Luffy, it would have only taken a few minutes and then you wouldn't have to be alone to face the notorious groupies.

"Gasp! Sunny, I think she was going to try to give Senpai a homemade lunchbox." She gestured to the bag in your hands. "I think you're right Ginger. Say what do we do with desperate wanna be noticed trash, Miranda?"

Just as they were threatening you Luffy turned the corner. You're saved or so you thought he walked past you pushing past all the girls shouting "Torao! I finally found you!" that sure got the surgeon's attention. While he was trying to pry himself out of Luffy's famous running jump hug he glanced in your direction. Once he managed to set himself free he made his way over to you ignoring the mass amounts of girls trying to get him to notice them. Part of you wonders if he's completely oblivious to all the girls or if he's just gotten used to it over time. He did say this was always a problem he had when first years start coming around to see the upperclassmen.

"(Y/N), what are you doing at the hospital? Did something happen?" Law put his hands on your shoulder looking you over with concern. In your peripheral vision you could see Ginger, Miranda and Sunny death glaring at you, fuming presumably because Law was touching you and he typically detests physical contact with his peers. You shake your head "Oh n-no nothings wrong I just-"

Luffy threw an arm around your shoulder cutting you off, overjoyed at being the one to fine Law. "We came over to have Lunch with you!" Law retracted his hand frowning at Luffy seeing the bag you were holding. When he realized you made him lunch he smiled softly at you "Unfortunately I just had lunch but I can have it on my next break. Someone couldn't make it so they need an extra hand. I'll be back later than usual though I'm glad I still got to see you before you go to class."

You perked up "Actually my classes are canceled today. That's why I came here with Luffy." You pointed to him but his attention was on the trio who were telling him he can't just hug Law as he pleased. They were wasting their breath, Luffy does what he wants when he wants. When you focused back to Law he looked torn. You tilted your head waiting for him to say what's on his mind.

Law cleared his throat very matter of factly "Since you're free this evening would you like to go out to dinner and maybe a movie?" Your eyes widened at the question although before you got to answer Luffy chimed in again "Sure as long as we go somewhere that has lots of meat!" Law rolled his eyes at him "Not you idiot. I meant just me and (Y/N)" you giggled at the exchange. Despite Law not showing affection as often as most it's cute to be able to see him like this. His love language is definitely quality time. "I'd like that a lot." You smiled, it was a date. About time.

Law's pager beeped signaling his assistance was required. You gave him a quick peck on the cheek and handed him the bento as he hurried off. He looked really cute in his scrubs. You snapped out of your daydream when you heard grumbling behind. You almost forgot about the fangirls. Luffy had already been getting on their last nerve as he picked his nose not even paying attention to them anymore but now that Law was gone they could focus fire on you.

"Who do you think you are going on a date with Senpai! Don't you know he has a girlfriend? Wow you're actually stupid." They all crossed their arms leaning back turning their noses in the air being snooty. You sigh "Oh trust me I know he has a girlfriend because, I AM, his girlfriend. Let's go Luffy, we could try to find Chopper." He nodded as you walked away from the heartbroken trio. They were whimpering into handkerchiefs groveling on the floor saying that the rumors were true. You grimaced at the display but kept walking. They don't deserve the time of day and you hope you never see them again.

"So how's Ace? I heard he fell down the stairs." Luffy hummed remembering you weren't with him to get the details. "Ace is fine. He's stronger than he looks. Marco said because he was asleep he didn't even get a scratch!" At least that was comforting although had he been awake there was a chance he could have broken his neck and died. Narcolepsy was still a scary thing.

It wasn't that hard to locate Chopper, similarly to Law his iconic hat could be spotted from a distance. It turns out you weren't the only ones seeking to have lunch with the fellow. Usopp and Zoro had also sought the medic's company. Well Usopp chose to be there, it seems Zoro got lost and found them instead. You decided to usher the swordsman back to the dorms knowing it would have taken him at least an hour to make it there on his own. Seriously, what was wrong with his internal compass? Whatever the case, you hung out in the common room with Sanji, Nami and the others. More people joined you as they finished their classes for the day. It would be a while until Law got off anyways.

That's when you heard the door open and Luffy, Ace and Sabo returned. Before Luffy or Ace could say anything Sabo captured everyone's attention with a few claps "Okay big news! They didn't say exactly what time they'd be coming, but we're going to be having a guest visit our dorm. They might get to transfer even though they missed the cut off." Sometimes you forget that Sabo was the dorm's RA because he kind of just lets everyone do what they want as long as they don't get caught. Although someone with the ability to transfer near the middle of the semester was interesting. They either had to be a prodigy or rich as fuck. Which wasn't unheard of for One Piece. Sometimes the university even tried to steal top students by offering ridiculous scholarships just because they could. Since everyone was interested in what kind of student it would be this time around you lost track of time.

The next thing you knew the doors opened and you heard a moderately familiar voice. As Sanji raced over to flirt with the new comer you were stopped in your tracks when you saw who it was. You were at a loss for words, jaw on the floor stunned as you saw a familiar blonde before you were nearly tackled to the floor.

"(Y/N), Doflamingo didn't tell me you were in the same dorm as Law!" Pudding easily had brushed Sanji off and bounced straight over to you giving you a hug as if you were besties. Glancing over her shoulder sure enough Doflamingo followed after her, grin as wide as ever. So this was what those cryptic words meant. You steadied yourself firmly standing your ground throwing on a cheery smile. "Pudding, it's good to see you! What are you doing here? I thought you would have been busy opening up that Café you talked about." you didn't want to come off as rude but you were also shocked. Pudding finally released her vise grip on you "Well you and Law made uni sound like so much fun, I decided to transfer here!" she looked around ignoring everyone else in the room "Where's Law?"

"Oh he's still at the clinic but he should be coming back soon?" You looked at your phone to check the time. "He didn't actually tell me how late he was going to be." Pudding pouted "Boo I was hoping he would give me a tour of the campus." Sabo walked up holding out a packet for Pudding. Probably the same orientation guide everyone gets when they first come in. "Actually that would be my job although Sanji over here might fare better since he's enrolled in Culinary arts." Sanji twirled over with heart eyes at the mention of his name as they started talking away about Pudding's field of study.

You were distracted and didn't notice Doffy walk up behind you "See, I told you we'd be meeting sooner than you think." He smirked as you jolted, almost forgetting he was there. "I was wondering if you had meant anything by that. I mean no disrespect but your words often seem almost cryptic." He laughed at your response "None taken, I'm interested in your discernment. Corazon did say he thought you were quite perceptive."

You didn't like the feeling that washed over you at his words. It was like he was toying with you almost like he knew something you didn't and was lording it over you. Like it was a game and you weren't aware you were playing. Suddenly the door clicked again, snapping you back to reality. Law took no time swiftly taking to your side. It's almost like he could tell you were in a spot of bother. He gave a slight nod to address the blonde. "Doflamingo."

"Ah Law, how nice of you to finally drop by. I trust you're doing well." He leaned over Law putting in perspective just how much taller he was comparatively. You felt even smaller standing in between the two. Law folded his arms across his chest. "Cut the pleasantries. Why are you here?"

"Now now, is that anyways to greet your father?" Law scoffed, rolling his eyes "Corazon is my father, you are my uncle at best." You could see Bepo hide behind Penguin in the corner. Shachi looked tense next to him as well. They probably had the same thought that passed through your head concerning Doflamingo.

Pudding on the other hand finally noticed Law's appearance and Sanji seemed to catch the tail end of the conversation. "I knew you were also from North blue but you're a Donquixote?"

Doflamingo merely glanced at Sanji before he snickered "Ah you must be Judge's boy."

Anyone within earshot froze knowing Sanji's strained relationship with his family. His father even went as far to fake Sanji's death and refused Sanji's emancipation when Zeff wanted to properly adopt him. Luffy wore a grim expression as he tried to make a pass at Doffy but Zoro stood in front of him. The swordsman gave him a look and Luffy grunted but didn't try to back down.

Pudding was oblivious to the clear tension in the room "You're a Vinsmoke, that's so cool! I come from the Charlotte family, I guess it really is a small world."

"No kidding." He trailed off slumping his shoulders but Pudding didn't seem to notice. Instead she smiled, bouncing over to Law "Law, now that you're here you can give me a tour!" He looked away from Doffy and put an arm around you "Actually me and (Y/N) were about to go out to dinner." He didn't wait for a response before he turned you by the shoulders attempting to usher out of the room.

"Perfect, I already made reservations. We can have dinner together." Doflamingo put one hand on Law's shoulder and the other on Pudding's before anyone could argue. The others left at the dorm were mystified at what exactly they just witnessed. There was a storm brewing and it wasn't a coincidence but you couldn't do anything about it at the moment.

Doflamingo somehow managed to get Law in a car and you were dragged along for the ride. It wasn't that long of a trip but you were surprised that Doffy managed to find a moderately higher end restaurant this close to campus. Before you knew it you had all sat, ordered and ate. You're not even quite sure what you had talked about the whole time. It was all a haze. In fact your head was kinda fuzzy since you left campus mostly because of Doflamingo's words, and his mannerisms. Why was he accompanying Pudding? You should splash some water on your face or get some air to clear your head. Pudding peered at you grinning grabbing your arm "We're going to freshen up before we leave." Without further warning she dragged you away. You had mixed feelings about Pudding. She came off as kind of two faced and you're not sure which one was the real Pudding and which one was the mask. It was clear when she was talking with Baby 5 and Monet that she really had no interest in her family's social standings but at the same time she made it a point to present herself as the perfect daughter. It was something about her smile that tipped you off.

Pudding checked that the two of you were alone before locking the bathroom door. You tilt your head to the side at the action waiting for her to say something. She scratched the back of her neck bashfully. "I uh sorry about that, I wanted to talk to you alone." she fidgeted with the end of her dress before making eye contact with you. "You don't like me do you. I kind of get the feeling that you're annoyed with me." it was true but probably not for the same reason she was thinking about. As a person she was fine but around Law she was just weird. It was hard to tell if she liked him or resented him.

You were about to defend yourself when you started coughing and choking on your own inhale. You tried to wave her off so you could explain your reaction but instead she laughed at you. "Actually I'm relieved. I dislike when people lie to me because of my family name. If I'm being honest it makes it easier because I hate you too!" she smiled but it looked hollow. This was not what you thought you'd talk about as she continued "Well it's more like I envy you." she looked down at her feet and you finally took that as your que "To be fair I was going to say I find everyone annoying at first it's more of a me problem then a you problem, but you envy me?"

Pudding sighed looking at herself in the mirror fixing her hair. "You're lucky you know, you get to date for love. I don't have that luxury. As the 35th daughter of the Charlotte family I know what is expected of me. So I envy you." Once she was done she looked up at you. "Since you're the first person to be frank with me can I ask a favor?" you really wanted to say no outright but you were curious what it was. "Sure why not."

"Will you be my maid of honor?"

—

Law watched you leave folding his napkin on the table frowning at Doflamingo. The blonde hadn't stopped smiling since pushing him out of the dorm. It was creepy. "Now that they're gone, talk. You've looked like you've wanted to say something since I walked in the room." The blonde only laughed, reaching into his coat to pull out a manila folder. As Law reached for it Doflamingo snickered "I had Vergo look into something for me during the holidays." Law rolled his eyes at how smug he sounded. Looking through the file made his blood run cold. Law grit his teeth the file was about (Y/N).

"You really do know how to pick the most interesting people. I was quite surprised when I saw the names tied to her family background."

You had only briefly told Law about what happened regarding your family's "accident". He didn't try to pry or anything because he could tell that it still bothered you to some degree. Now he understands why but it wasn't Doflamingo's place to devolve that kind of information regarding your past. He needed to calm himself before he made a scene. "What's your angle? This hardly changes my relationship with her." Law closed the folder he had seen enough although he didn't understand what the significance to Doffy was.

"Indeed, I would think no less. Especially not from you. However I have come regarding your fixed engagement." Doflamingo rested his head in his hand using the other to swirl his drink with his finger, tipping it just far enough not to spill it. Law rolled his eyes. He was getting real sick of it. "This again? Did you forget our arrangement?"

"I said I would give you the choice, I never said I would take no for an answer. Which reminds me your little song was rather cute. Truly you won Linlin over for the proposal." He was acting as Doflamingo's little puppet without even knowing. He played right into Doffy's little trap without even realizing because he was distracted with his personal endeavors. Law was furious but he kept his voice down "You bastard. I'll never agree to it, you know I won't go down without a fight."

"Oh but that's where you're wrong or maybe you didn't look at all the details in the file. Honestly, for a future doctor to overlook such a glaring detail you should probably switch professions already." He laughed taking a sip of his drink "I have (Y/N) to thank really. The poor girl has been through a lot and at such a young age too. The only family she has left has become a permanent patient going from hospital to hospital for treatment. Although I wouldn't worry too much about it, the most recent hospital she was admitted to is known for curing an incurable disease. It's a funny story, actually you're quite familiar with this hospital since it's the one we own."

Law's eyes widened as he hastily grabbed the folder again. How could he have missed that. Sure enough Doflamingo wasn't bluffing but would he really go through with it? All for what, for Law to bend to his will.

Doflamingo leaned back in his chair polishing off the rest of his drink. "You of all people should know I would sacrifice innocent lives to get what I want so what is it going to be?" Doflamingo moved to put the folder back in his coat. He probably saw the girls coming back from the bathroom. What was Law going to do?

As you made your way back to the table you were sort of lost in thought and you could tell that Law was the same. Neither of you spoke on the way back to the dorms. You stood outside for a while holding his hand. It was a lovely night and it was still relatively early.

"(Y/N) do you wanna go for a walk?"

You nodded wondering what was on his mind. The air was drastically different when you and Pudding came back from the bathroom but you didn't have the right words to ask about it. Knowing Law he might not even tell you what was bothering him. Especially given the last time something was bothering him. As long as you could be there for him to make sure he wasn't alone this was enough. At least you hoped.

Notes:

I was torn on how I wanted to end the chapter bc I know what happens next and I want all the story beats to hit without feeling rushed but at the same time I just want to get all my ideas out of my head asap before I forget what I was going for. Anyways as always I hope you are enjoying my silly little drabbles bc I know I am :3c

Chapter 8

Notes:

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret...I DON'T KNOW HOW HOSPITALS WORK. I tried my best looking stuff up but if it's not accurate my bad.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Law has been missing for three days. Ever since the dinner with Doflamingo it's like the surgeon disappeared without a trace. You were worried and every time you tried to call or text him it went straight to voicemail or you were left on read. No one could get a hold of him, not even Bepo, Shachi or Penguin. You had to beg Sabo to unlock his dorm only to find all of his belongings were already gone. No note no nothing, the only thing left was his key on the desk. You felt like you were still asleep and were having a nightmare but you knew that you were awake. Since the second night of him being MIA you hadn't been getting much sleep. Not even hugging lil Law was helping. You just wish you had answers. You knew something was bothering him about dinner, about Doflamingo being there but you didn't think Law would run away without warning. You thought you guys were past this but you guess not. Maybe he thinks this is something he has to do alone. When he comes back you were going to kick his ass for making everyone worry.

At first since it was the weekend you didn't think much of it. You knew he liked having space but on Monday the Death Club actively went out of their way to corner you for answers. Answers you didn't have. Some girlfriend you were. Of course they gave you an earful about it too. You tried contacting the hospital and they said he was on academic leave. There were only so many reasons he could be taking a leave of absence so you started to fear the worst.

It didn't help that no one could get a hold of him but after some thought it's more likely that Law didn't want any of you to find him at the moment. He's not the kind of person to be making stupid carreer moves. At least not in his last year. Still a leave of absence was pretty serious. This had to be Doflamingo's doing, you're sure of it. On your way back to the dorm you caught a glimpse of Sanji showing Pudding around. Apparently she managed to enroll this late in the game but in the end decided not to move into the dorms. A good choice because it would have been really awkward for you given your last confrontation with her. Yet the timing of everything was peculiar. The moment she shows up, Law disappears. You couldn't help but feel jealous of Pudding as she hung out with Sanji the past few days. Which almost didn't make a lick of sense to you. Key word being almost maybe Sanji's incessant flirting finally worked. They seem like they've gotten really close. Come to think of it this was probably how Pudding felt seeing you with Law. Maybe she's just lonely and wants a friend.

Your phone rang snapping you out of your thoughts. You were about to open the door to the dorms when you saw the caller ID. It was Corazon. Part of you was almost relieved but the other hand you had a bad feeling about this. At least maybe you could get some answers. You walked into the lounge area as you picked up the phone. It seemed everyone was huddled around the TV. You stood in the back corner to not disturb anyone.

"Hello?" You answered, Corazon had never called you before so it felt a little strange to talk to him especially in light of recent events. He did say you could call him if you needed anything, maybe you should have got in touch with him sooner.

"(Y/N)! Thank God I got a hold of you. I have been trying to get in touch with Law for hours. I don't know what's gotten into him but I swear I'll get to the bottom of it I promise you. My bastard of a brother is behind it. I know it, Law wouldn't do this willingly." Bepo noticed you first and he started tapping the others on the shoulder to let them know you had returned. The gesture made you quirk an eyebrow with how panicked and worried he was seeing you. You wondered what they were watching that had them all so captivated. You stepped closer to get a better view. "Wait Corazon what did Law do? Is he okay? He went missing three days ago and no one has heard from him since."

Corazon sounded like he was knocked sideways "You don't know?!" As he was about to explain what happened as you saw it in real time on the TV causing everyone to stare back at you. A picture of Trafalgar Law and a picture of Charlotte Pudding filled the screen with bells and a white banner framing the photos together.

"Law announced his engagement to Pudding."

You couldn't stand anymore as the announcement flashed across the screen for the union of the Donquixote and Charlotte family heirs. The two major corporations are using this opportunity to boost business which was pretty controversial given the year but hey money is power. You slowly slumped to your knees. Out of everything that you imagined could be the reason for Law's disappearance this wasn't it. You stayed there wide eyed completely stunned by the news not having the strength to hold yourself up anymore.

"Law…is….engaged?"

This is what Pudding was talking about that night. This is what she had you agree to. She knew ahead of time that she would be engaged to Law, knowing that you were his girlfriend and she forced you to say yes. You saw Luffy start to make a fuss and everyone was rushing to see if you were okay since you were on the floor but it was all white noise to you.

You weren't really there, how could you pay attention to them after receiving the news? All your focus was on Corazon as he explained that it was unusual for Law to come back to Dressrosa out of the blue but he didn't think the surgeon would leave without saying anything. He could tell something was wrong with him because of how devoid of emotion Law was. Law was blunt and spoke very direct most of the time but this was different. Corazon said there was no light in his eyes; it was like he was just going through the motions. Corazon had only found out this morning, it was the big headliner when he read the paper. Even he didn't know about the engagement until today. "I promise I'll fix this. Doflamingo's not the only one with power. I'll contact you again when I have more information."

"Thank you Corazon."

"Oh and one more thing. Law loves you. I'd bet my life on it but when this is all over don't let him off the hook so easily." With that he ended the call and the flood gates started to open. The tears streamed down your face, you were at a loss for words. It wasn't that you were crying because it was gut wrenchingly painful, you were just overwhelmed. This is what you were trying to prevent in the first place and it sounds like you failed miserably. It wouldn't have been so bad if you didn't have feelings for him and visa versa. Moreover you were pissed off at Pudding. She knew the entire time. That's why her behavior at the banquet rubbed you the wrong way.

After rationalizing the situation for a bit to get your bearings back you were able to relay the little information you received. That's when Sanji welcomed Pudding into the common room like he had the past two days. Pudding gave you a grim wide smile, the same one Doflamingo wears so proudly and it all clicks into place. You couldn't make this up, you genuinely think you are aware of what's going on. This is some cruel prank on you but what of Law's involvement. It was the only piece missing as you rack your brain around this sick joke. The world spun around flashbacks from the past few weeks were overflowing through your mind as you were trying to connect more dots and before you knew it everything went dark.

—

Corazon was livid; he thought he raised Law better than this. He knew his brother was a terrible influence but he couldn't part from him; he just didn't have it in him to do so. He tried phoning Law one more time before he decided enough was enough he was going to find him and force him to clarify exactly what the fuck is going on and when he's done with Law he was going to beat the shit out of Doflamingo. Oh yeah Corazon was pissed. Once again just like the times before the call went straight to voicemail. That's it the blonde has had enough. He was about to go looking for Law when he heard the door open. Corazon didn't even push in his chair as he furiously marched toward whoever walked in. With any luck it would be his brother so he could deck him in the face.

To his surprise when he rounded the corner he was met with Law's almost broken stare. Law tried to briskly walk past him but the taller man gripped his shoulder. "And where do you think you're going? I have been calling you for hours!" Law only shrugged in response. Corazon shoved the newspaper in his face. "What about (Y/N)? She said you disappeared without saying anything. I thought she was your girlfriend. What happened?"

Corazon looked fierce. Law had never seen the blonde this angry before. Not even that time that he attempted to kill him could compare to the expression he was making now. He must have really liked (Y/N). "It's all been a lie." Law said flat out. "I only paid her to be my girlfriend. Sorry to disappoint you." It was technically the truth after all but after everything Corazon wasn't buying it.

"That's bullshit and you know it, I know it, hell even Doffy knows it. We've all seen the way you look at her." Corazon grit his teeth knowing there was a good chance he might not get a straight answer. "What did he do!"

Law has half a mind to walk away without saying anything. He was an adult and he could fight his own battles but the way Corazon was scolding him made him feel like a kid again. The lack of sleep was also not helping and here Law thought he had more resolve. "I didn't have a choice!" Part of Law wanted to know what exactly Corazon would do and before he could stop himself he started absentmindedly divulging information. "He had Vergo run a background check on (Y/N). Her mom's admitted at our hospital and-"

"HE WHAT!" Corazon knew Doffy was not afraid to get his hands dirty for something he wanted but honestly this is weirdly a new low but also not that surprising. It was only strange due to Law's involvement with (Y/N). Their family business was a complex mess as it was; he didn't need this on top of it all. Corazon's face became solemn "Stay put. I need to have a word with my brother."

—

You woke up on the couch an hour later. Chopper said you were fine and that you fainted because you were shocked about the news. Pudding was nowhere to be found having gone home for the day after you collapsed. If anyone asked her about the situation no one told you anything about it but you felt like they were holding out on you. You were still in disbelief about the whole thing and all you could do now was wait for Corazon to get back to you with whatever information he could scrap up. You remained on the couch waiting for the call. You lost track of time as you were staring at your phone. Although you started to notice you were never left alone and that someone was always with you on the couch and when they had to leave they would get someone else to take their place. It appeared that everyone was worried about you and were taking shifts to watch over you. Probably to make sure you didn't pass out again or to make sure you didn't do anything stupid. At the moment you were with Luffy, Sabo and Ace. Luffy and Ace were playing a game on the other sofa and Sabo was watching some news story about a rebellion when there was a breaking news story that overtook the channel's priority.

You felt light headed as you continued to watch the footage being displayed on the TV. You felt your stomach drop seeing Corazon's picture flash across the screen. He'd been shot and was in critical condition. "No…" you spoke barely above a whisper before trailing off. This couldn't be happening. He must have learned too much and Doflamingo saw him as a threat. You grit your teeth, this was all your fault there had to be something you could do. As they showed another shot of the outside of the hospital you abruptly stood up to quickly write the name down hastily gathering your things. You need to go to Dressrosa, now. You didn't care if you had to travel by bus or on foot you were going and that's final.

Everyone picked up on what was going through your head as they all gave a subtle nod to each other. Luffy stood in front of you as you prepared to leave. "You're going to kick Mingo's ass and get Torao back right? I'm coming with you!" Luffy was cracking his knuckles but Ace and Sabo put a hand on his shoulder "Oh no you don't. Are you forgetting you can't drive?" Sabo flashed his keys but Ace rolled his eyes "Aren't you forgetting that your classes have mandatory attendance?" Sabo frowned but Ace continued the roast "Besides, it's a 5-6 hour drive to Dressrosa and you drive like a grandma. My bike could probably make it there within 2 or 3." Luffy grumbled since he wanted to help too "But your bike can only fit two people, what am I supposed to do!"

Ace flicked his forehead "Stay put like a good little brother, it's not your fight yet. Let's go (Y/N)" you nodded as you followed Ace out. "Thank you for this, I owe you one." Ace smile "Consider it a truce. Everyone in our dorm is like family to me and no one messes with my family and gets away with it. I'm sure you would have done the same."

Normally people would sit behind the motorcyclist but you insisted on sitting in front of him. You were short enough to and you were terrified of him falling asleep. At least this way, in the event of it happening, you'd be able to steer and avoid crashing. At this point Ace falling asleep was the least of your worries as the man drove like a maniac. He wasn't kidding when he said he could make it there in half the time. You're glad you were sitting in front of him because otherwise you would have been gripping on to him for dear life and he would have had to pry you off of him. When you got off the bike your legs were still shaky until you got to the front desk and asked what room Corazon was in.

"Floor 3 room 305 but you'll need to fill out this form first" She handed you a clipboard and a pen "Currently only family members are allowed for visitation hours but regardless you'll have to fill out the form." You walked away to fill out the form glaring at the "relation to patient" section. You sighed "Ace, I think we came all this way for nothing." When you turned around Ace had collapsed on the floor and the nurse that was watching the counter rushed to his aid. Which meant no one was watching the entrance. This was your chance! You'll have to thank Ace's narcolepsy later as you moved as quickly as you could without drawing attention to yourself. Once you were out of the line of sight you sprinted down the empty hall to the elevator.

Once you got to the third floor it wasn't very hard to find the room since it was near the front of the floor. You peered into the room through the small window. The coast was clear. You ducked into the room. Corazon had a room all to himself and he looked stable for now. The vase near the bed was empty which hopefully meant that Law hadn't come here yet. Although you guess you could have also asked the nurse if he'd already visited or you could have stayed in the lobby and waited for him to show up. You sat in the chair provided for visitors listening to Corazon's steady heart rate while sending Ace a text explaining where you ran off too when he collapsed. You didn't really think this plan through you felt bad making him wait up especially since there was no guarantee that Law would even show up but you had a hunch that he would. You know how much he loves Corazon and if you were feeling guilty then he was probably dying inside.

—

Law was pacing in his room. Corazon told him to stay put but he didn't exactly tell him for how long. He threw himself on his bed. Why did he have to get so many people involved? The situation was aggravating because it all came back around to Law making every wrong decision. He couldn't change the past but he could plan his next move but he needed to know what Corazon planned to do or did. It had been a few hours now and Law was starting to get worried. Doflamingo wouldn't, right? The more he thought about it the more the blood drained from his face. He broke out into a cold sweat as he frantically turned his phone back on. He's had it off for the past few days wanting everyone to leave him alone. Once it finally started up every notification came through causing his phone to vibrate uncontrollably until the alerts finally caught up with the present. He tried calling but after ringing a few times it went to voicemail. Then he tried his best to sift through all the missed calls and text messages but looking at the time stamp there were no new messages from Corazon.

That's when he noticed a strange notification that seemed to be from one of the news apps he had. He could have sworn he disabled all alerts from said application but this one somehow went through. His curiosity and boredom got the better of him and opened it. He nearly dropped his phone. This was all his fault. He grit his teeth, he'd never forgive Doflamingo for this.

It didn't take Law that long to rush to the hospital and he had no trouble with finding the room. What he didn't expect was to see (Y/N) fast asleep holding Corazon's hand. It made Law tense. He didn't think he'd have to confront her so soon. It's the reason he left for Dressrosa to begin with. Everything would be easier if she hated him and never wanted to see him again. Grabbing the chart he looked Corazon over he suffered severe blood loss. Although the shot itself wasn't fatal and the surgery went well the blonde slipped into a coma. There was no predicting when he'd wake up.

He knelt down to grab his other hand "I'm so sorry Cora-san." He gave it a light squeeze before standing back up. He glanced back at (Y/N) this would be goodbye. He brushed the hair out of her face and captured her lips one last time before pulling his hat down walking away like the coward he was.

You didn't expect to fall asleep but you hadn't been getting much sleep with everything going on the hum of the machines were relaxing. You stirred as he was about to open the door. "Mmm Law?" You were still not fully registering your surroundings but you jolted upright when you recognized his silhouette. "Law! Where have you been, everyone's worried sick."

Law hesitated for a moment staring at the handle. He knew seeing you would be a bad idea. Law had to force himself to keep going ignoring all of your advances. It pained him to do so, especially as you sounded more and more frazzled by the lack of response. He knew he was breaking your heart and he couldn't bear to see you rush to the elevator as the doors shut.

You on the other hand were not going to let him get away. You did not survive Ace's reckless driving just to come back empty handed. You were getting your answers damnit even if you fell down the stairs in the process. You sprinted down holding the rail for dear life as you missed a step or too. You were panting heavily by the time you made it down to the lobby. In the distance Law had just made it past the doors. With any luck Ace would be there to stop him.

—

"Yo Trafalgar, you caused quite the uproar at the dorms. Why'd ya leave?"

Law stopped but didn't turn around "This doesn't concern you Fire Fist-ya." Ace casually walked in front of him "Actually it does, ya see (Y/N)'s like a sister to me and I can't be letting scum like you break her heart twice." Law grit his teeth as he pushed past him and started to leave again. Law was counting his blessings that it was only Ace who had come. If Luffy had managed to do damage control and made it to Dressrosa, who knows what kind of chaos would have broken loose to drag the surgeon back.

"Law, wait!" You huffed out a breath. You had finally caught up to him "Just tell me why, what did Doflamingo do?" Your outburst fell on deaf ears as the surgeon kept walking. You were still panting trying to catch your breath. No matter how rational you were, you couldn't help but feel betrayed. It hurt knowing he didn't even try to acknowledge your existence but spoke to Ace. Even if Ace didn't get a straight answer either if hurt knowing Law didn't even have the decency to look at you. All he had to do was say it was over, that it was all a game and that it meant nothing but instead there's still this false hope in the back of your mind. You would have rather had an ugly break up, something definitive that you can move on from.

Ace pulled you into a hug. You didn't realize you were crying until he started shushing you, petting your hair. It only made you feel worse. Everyone was willing to drop what they were doing to take care of you. You felt useless and numb but you also had this weird sense of deja vu and part of you knew that if you could get Law to talk you could figure out how to fix whatever mess this was. Or maybe that was blind optimism and you didn't know when to quit. You couldn't remember your time on the road during the drive back. It felt like you were teleported back to the dorms. The moment you walked in the conversation fell to a hush as you aimlessly went to your room. You needed to be alone while you sort out your thoughts because half of them contradicted the others and it was starting to unravel you from the seams.

Luffy watched you leave before he gave Ace a look but his brother just shook his head as he joined the rest of the crew on the couches "Not good at all, he refused to talk. I tried to corner him but he got away. Any luck here?"

Bepo spoke nervously "Law contacted us about the wedding. It's in two weeks so we don't have a lot of time." He paused gesturing to Penguin and Shachi "he asked us to be groomsmen, we're going to have a suit fitting in a few days and he even gave us Doflamingo's card information to plan a bachelor party." Penguin pulled out his phone "He also said, and I quote, "use as much of that bastard's money as possible" which was an interesting touch." Everyone took in the information and nodded. Sabo and Robin exchanged glances "If Doflamingo's paying he's probably going to keep tabs on who's going and there'll be no way to get them to talk but lucky for us we both know the owner of Newkama Land." Newkama Land was a popular strip club known for its inclusivity and burlesque styles of performances. It was a strip club so it wouldn't be suspicious to host a bachelor party there. Sabo crossed his arms he knew Ivankov would be delighted to help out but the surgeon was a wildcard. "Since (Y/N)'s a dancer, we could probably set something up to where Law can't run away and I'm sure Bon Clay would be willing to help her with a routine but that's only if she wants to do it."

"Don't you think they're past the point of talking it out if he refuses to talk to her already?" Usopp questioned but Ace shook his head "Nah you should have seen him. If (Y/N) does perform at Newkama Land I doubt he'd be able to hold back."

Sabo sighed "We still don't know what kind of strings Doflamingo's pulled to cause this either. I can't see Law being an easy person to blackmail seeing as how private he is. Without information there's only so much help we can provide from the sidelines so what else do we got?"

Nami spoke up this time "Sanji's still working on Pudding. If anything he knows the Vinesmokes will be invited to the wedding but it won't be enough for all of us to go. Worst case it'll just be Sanji and Luffy but best case is me, Robin and Zoro on top of that." Luffy cocked his head to the side "I thought Sanji had 4 siblings?"

"Oh he does but Yonji's a little shit. He would never agree to help us so we'll just go in a man down unless anyone else has other ideas to sneak in or something."

Everyone was surprised when Sanji said he'd talk to his family about it. Especially with his track record with them but apparently they owe him a favor. Whether they manage to pull through was another story. As the debrief was wrapping up Luffy stood up to stretch.

"If all else fails I'm going to kick Mingo's ass and bring Torao back."

You were sitting on the floor in your room with your back pressed against the door. You had stopped crying a while ago because you overheard the rest of your dorm mates planning to bring Law back. It made you feel better about the whole endeavor. It still hurts but knowing that your friends believe in you and Law means a lot and their right, you know Law wouldn't be doing this without a reason. At least that's what you keep telling yourself only time will tell.

Notes:

Firstly I would like to say I'm sorry and secondly I would like to apologize, there was no good way to ready you for this chapter. Thank you for all the comments it makes my day reading them even if I don't respond, if only there was a like button.

I usually have an outline for each chapter but honestly I have no idea where the outline for Chapter 9 went :? it was the only outline that was physically on paper sooooooo we're either winging it or skipping it entirely and the fic will just be shorted than originally expected who knows, I'd hate to leave it at this cliffhanger :') As always I hope you enjoyed because I know I didn't. FUCKEN DOFFY WHY YOU GOTTA DO CORAZON LIKE THAT, damn bastard~

Chapter 9

Notes:

Happy Birthday to our best boi Law! Alternatively I was going to post two chapters today but I've been busy so haha whoops! I'll try not to take a month this time but no promises ;p

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It had been a few days since you got back from Dressrosa and the news of Law's engagement had spread across social media like wildfire. It was posted all over click bait channels and anytime either of them made a public appearance they were seen together. You stopped looking at the photos after seeing the first few. Once you cleared your head and your eyes it was painfully obvious to you by the expression on Law's face that he didn't choose to be there but it still didn't explain his rash behavior. You spoke with the rest of the gang about it in the morning since you had calmed down after seeing the surgeon last. If not for your own sake than for Corazon's. There's not much anyone could do without some sort of leverage in this situation so it was best to wait and gather as much information as possible but that was proving hard to do. There was nothing you could do without someone on the inside and with Corazon's condition it was nearly impossible since no one else has a family in the same social circle. Sanji was your best bet and he seemed to be slowly chipping away at Pudding's facade but who's to say what her true feelings and intentions are. It's not like anyone knew who she was before everything happened anyhow.

The reasoning for the engagement was still a mystery from her side as well and you're not going to lie it's starting to look like both Law and Pudding hate each other's guts. Which was odd considering your first few interactions together seemed like she was trying to steal Law away from you. The media doesn't see it that way. The articles always talk about how sweet and romantic young love is but the look they give each other, to you looks like they're on each other's last nerve. Bepo, Shachi and Penguin have been in frequent contact with Law since that night but he was generally a private person and some things never change. Luffy still wants to kick Doflamingo's ass and has mentioned that no matter what the plan is he intends to do it regardless. The prospect of him going through with it scares everyone monumentally. After Nami's old landlord, the Crocodile incident and the government trying to revoked Robin's dual citizenship Luffy was already batting a hundred taking on big name corporations. Despite Luffy prevailing at each event, the chaos he created stressed everyone out severely which was why they were all terrified. Everyone except for maybe Zoro, he was just as rash as Luffy when it came to these kinds of things.

It all made your head spin. Being logical in this regard just left you more and more confused. Things still didn't add up from your point of view. There was no motivation from anyone or well none that made a lick of sense other than Doflamingo being an asshole just to be an asshole. Even then it still begged the question as to why this was his course of action. Sabo found it an interesting topic to discuss and you second that opinion because you can't see Law being good at running a toy empire. Sugar would definitely be a better choice for an heir. Sure Law was smart but he wasn't into business or the industry as a whole. You couldn't even imagine him dealing with kids since he didn't have the patience to be in pediatrics.

Speaking of patience, you were still seething over the turn of events but part of you was almost relieved that you could tell that Law was just as miserable. Or at least you hoped he was miserable. It was hard to say. Bepo, Shachi and Penguin are your only sources of information and they're not sure how much you wanted to hear about your technical ex. Personally you were still pretty upset and being given all this reassurance of Law's self-sacrificing nature almost hurts more than being dumped out right but there was no use crying about it anymore. You had already agreed to meet with Bon Clay to work on a set for the bachelor party. If anyone could get him to talk it was you. The voice in the back of your head was screaming for you to take a page out of Luffy's book and just beat the information out of Law yourself but you were better at dancing than fighting. Although nothing could have trained you for how exhausting learning pole dancing could be. You admired Bon Clay immensely after your first practice. It wasn't that hard to pick up thematically but the execution was a different feat of its own. In order for you not to raise any suspicion with being involved in the bachelor party you practiced on campus. It turns out that the campus already had a dance hall with poles installed. There's a lot of misconception with the world of pole and pole dancing but it's an incredible full body workout and a competitive sport. In the end you weren't perfect but with each day you were getting better at it. Your mind was so preoccupied with it that you almost forgot that you had agreed to be Pudding's maid of honor.

She texted you wanting to meet for lunch to discuss your so-called "duty" as maid of honor. Nami and Robin offered to go with you but you waved them off. You needed to go alone so you could get to the bottom of this once and for all. You were running out of time and you had to do something. Pudding had requested you meet at a small cafe on campus run by the culinary majors. You had always wanted to go but money was an issue, you scowled, that doesn't matter now. It ticked you off beyond belief but a few hours earlier you had received an email that someone had wired you an exuberant amount of funds. It was under the Donquixote name but you could only assume that it was Law actually sticking to his word that he would pay you for your services in Dressrosa. It made you feel uneasy because on one hand, DAMN YOU'RE WORTH A LOT but also you are not quite sure if you should be proud of that. Furthermore, what a lame way to say it's over. When you told the boys about it, Penguin only shrugged and showed you the text he received. There was a chance he was trying to take a stab at Doflamingo, although in the end it made you roll your eyes. Genuinely you could not understand what was going through the surgeon's head.

As you waited for Pudding you ordered some tea. She managed to show up by the time it arrived. "Were you waiting long?" She asked as she leisurely ordered, smiling like nothing had happened between the two of you. You added on a few pastries for the fuck of it before answering her. "I was, days in fact. Actually scratch that, it's more like weeks isn't it." You planned on giving her an earful. If you were going to suffer as her maid of honor you were at least going to get something out of it. Pudding only leaned back in her chair grinning at your response. "Look at you, you did notice. You should have said something."

You folded your arms across your chest, god the audacity of this bitch. "If you recall I did, you knew Law was my boyfriend."

She clicked her tongue at you "Well I was supposed to marry him more than six months ago but he ran away before even meeting me. Do you know how bad that's deemed for someone of my status?"

You scoffed "Big whoop, he stood you up. By the looks of it he did you a favor." You pulled out your phone sharing the best pictures displaying their obvious disdain for each other. "What happened to that clingy lovey dovey act you had at new year's. Aw was acting too hard for the pastry princess." you mocked in a pitying tone. You were going to sass the hell out of Pudding. Hopefully the more buttons you pushed the more information she'd spew just so she can have the last laugh. It wasn't a perfect plan but it seemed to be working so far.

"Watch yourself. (Y/N), I can ruin your career before you even have a chance at life." She took a sip of her drink. "If you must know, originally I planned to make him fall in love with me and then break his heart but I miscalculated."

You rolled your eyes looking at your nails trying to be smug as fuck. "And you are telling me this because?" You drew out the last syllable rolling your eyes.

You could see you struck a nerve by the way she almost faltered but she cackled smiling almost maniacally. "I'm going to make his life miserable the same way he made mine and you can do nothing but watch. With front row seats too!"

At least that answers one question. You kept up your act brushing her off. "Cool and why would I care?"

"You might be a good actor but even you can't hide the fact you do love Law" she twirled her fork around before stabbing into the strawberry shortcake she ordered "It's sickening really watching you pine after him."

"Again and? I never said I didn't and you're one to talk, you have a crush on like Sanji of all people. So why does it matter?" That seemed to catch her off guard as she choked on her tea. She was too flustered trying to defend herself that she didn't notice the pure reaction of shock on your part. You weren't really trying to take a dig at Sanji, Sanji's a great guy but he gets really weird around women at times. Regardless you were mostly joking, making fun of the two for hanging out all the time since meeting. "You've gotta be kidding me" you stare at her waiting.

She coughed trying to regain her repose "A-absolutely not! I-I'm just using him! Like you he's just another pawn." she paused to wipe her mouth with a napkin as dignified as she could. "Besides that's not what we're here to discuss." She handed you a thick three ring binder that has definitely seen better days. It was a faded pink suggesting its age, covered in stickers, flowers, hearts, and in big bold cursive lettering it read "Pudding's dream wedding planner."

She cleared her throat, diverting your attention from the book. Pudding almost seemed embarrassed blushing lightly as she tried to delegate you new tasks "Memorize everything in there and make sure things run smoothly. We have a dress fitting tomorrow and I've already picked out a day for the bachelorette party next week." You flipped through the pages of the moodboard style scrapbook. She must have been planning this since she was a kid. It had pictures of her big family with some of them crossed off presumably of who she didn't want to be in attendance. Favorite flower arrangements, songs, colors, cake designs you name it they were in there. The only thing that was oddly empty was the page titled bachelorette party. She must have seen you question the blank page because her posture shrunk ever so slightly inwards.

"It's traditional for the maid of honor to plan the events for the actual party itself. I invited Law's sisters and I was hoping you could invite Robin and Nami. It's okay if they say no. I understand I just don't want to invite any of my siblings."

You were surprised Pudding almost felt human in that moment right before she laid down a whole laundry list of things she absolutely detested and would rather die than part take in. You rolled your eyes "That doesn't leave a lot of options left. At this point I should just rent the Baratie and a karaoke machine and call it a night." Astonishingly she didn't hate the idea. Sanji must have told her about the place because she didn't ask a lot of questions regarding the establishment. Conveniently all you had to do was send a quick text to Sanji and everything was arranged. Pudding checked the message before you sent it to make sure you didn't pull any funny business. Little does she know you sent a second message while you pretended to put your phone away. You've heard that it's common to book a stripper for this kind of event, instead you asked Sanji about the possibility of being a sexy bunny girl. As expected his response was something akin to "I can do a sexy bunny butler take it or leave it." You only wish you could have seen his reaction to the message in person. You're not sure why you've decided to put effort into your role. You could have easily put her through the ringer but it seemed to be more entertaining this way.

It turns out that when Pudding isn't deciding to be a bitch she can actually be a decent human being. You ended up talking more about nonsensical things after everything was said and done. Had you met under different circumstances you might have actually been friends. Which brought up a good point skimming through the planner it didn't seem like she had any. She definitely didn't talk about any either but that's not your problem. Personally your upbringing was also pretty shit but you didn't take it out on others but c'est la vie. At least you got something out of the meeting. Although you were not sure what to make of the big picture just yet.

—

The next morning you were relieved to see Shachi, Bepo and Penguin getting ready to leave for Dressrosa. Interestingly enough their suit fittings overlapped with your dress fitting. Which meant that Law and Pudding were scheduled to have fittings at the same time. It was odd because you thought it was bad luck to see the bride in the gown before the wedding but it seems the place you were going to specialized in doing both fittings at the same time to make sure everyone matched. Apparently the owner of the place was a good friend of Giolla. Luckily they were already going otherwise you would have had to find your own way there and that would have been boring. This means you get to catch some extra sleep on the way. You could also mentally prepare for whatever bullshit awaited you.

That little voice in the back of your head still wanted to punch Law in his stupid brooding face. While you were known to act on impulse occasionally you were more concerned with not letting your emotions get the better of you. Law's sisters were the other bride's maids and you were aware this was a set up. Pudding already revealed that she wanted to ruin your life as well as Law's so at this point you can't let her win. You wonder how Law's going to react as you close your eyes and drift back to sleep.

—

On the other hand Law stirred from his slumber when he noticed an unfamiliar presence in his room. He woke up with a start as the entity whipped the curtains open blinding him as he tried to see who would disturb him. No one has bothered him since Corazon's admission to the hospital. Everyone knew he didn't want to be bothered and he's made it abundantly clear. Doflamingo was the only one who has recently pestered him but he usually only does so during the evenings. He frowned when he saw Pudding by the window. Law really wanted to roll over and act like nothing happened. Although he should be concerned that his family would just let Pudding into his room without his permission. At this point nothing really surprises him and he doesn't know how he feels about that. He grumbled musing his hair before putting his hat on "Why are you here?"

Pudding jumped slightly not realizing the surgeon woke up "Am I not allowed to be here?" she smirked playfully as she rocked back on her heels "I would have thought my fiance would be happy to see me." They both glared at each other for a moment.

"Let me make one thing clear. We might be getting married but that doesn't make me your friend nor do I want to be. You are a nuisance and I have no obligation to entertain such an idea." Law pulled himself out of bed to get ready for the day "I may keep up public appearances but outside of that I sincerely don't give a shit what you do."

She wanted to point out that he clearly had not been doing a good job but instead went for a better insult. "Wow, Do you kiss (Y/N) with that mouth?~ Here I thought you were supposed to be a gentleman." She smiled wide and it reminded him of Doflamingo.

He frowned "Cut the crap, your childish facade doesn't fool me, just tell me why you're here so I can move on with my life." He started getting out of bed making it, almost hoping she would just leave him alone.

"Ugh, I really don't know what she sees in you but whatever. Our fittings are today or did you forget." Pudding leaned against the wall still looking out the window.

"I didn't forget, as I said before I don't care." He pulled out some clothes from his dresser. "We don't have to arrive together, it's not like we scheduled a publicity stunt." He already told Bepo, Shachi and Penguin to meet him there as long as he made it there at some point no one could say anything about it. He's been putting in the bare minimum and hasn't been scolded yet. Not that it would change his demeanor. He's just fortunate that Doffy hasn't made any more threats for him to change his current behavior. Still he can't afford to let his guard down.

Law dressed into casual clothes. He was going to be trying on suits for a good portion of the day so he might as well be comfortable while he still could. He didn't indulge in any more of Pudding's banter as he left her to follow him out. His sisters were waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs playfully teasing him making snide remarks about one thing or another. Law could already tell he was going to hate the experience all together.

As they arrived at the location, Law's phone rang giving him a reason to stay outside. He wanted to prolong this as much as possible. It wasn't an important call but he pretended it was making the scammer on the other end of the line confused. He hung up once his sisters and Pudding entered the building. He decided to go for a walk. The girls were most likely going to take longer than he was anyway, what's the point of waiting around for them to finish. He also wanted to prove a point by showing up late. Law doesn't like being told what to do.

—

Bepo, Shachi and Penguin were lounging around waiting for Law while you sorted through Pudding's wedding binder. You might as well make yourself useful while you wait for everyone to show up. You had shown the seamstress the styles that Pudding selected and were helping pull some possible dresses that fit the look Pudding wanted.

When you turned back around you were jumped by Baby 5 "(Y/N)! I've missed you!" She hugged you tight as she nuzzled into you. Sugar, Monet and Pudding were close behind waiting for their turn to give you a hug. As Monet went in for her hug she whispered into your ear "Law might be off the market but I'm free if you're interested." She winked at you as she pulled away. You blushed unsure if she was joking or trying to pull a fast one on you. She had a devilish grin as she walked by which didn't help you figure it out in the slightest. Sugar was too busy eating grapes but she still smiled and waved at you while Pudding was looking at the dresses you picked for her.

"These are gorgeous. I don't know which one to try on first!"

A little part of you took pride in her comment which made you realize, where was Law? You looked over at Shachi and Penguin as an assistant talked with Bepo they both shrugged at you. It wasn't your problem so you sighed and turned your focus back to your fitting. Pudding wanted the bride's maids to be in a light lavender dress that was short in the front but longer in the back. The style of the bust she didn't care that much as long as you all agreed on one uniform style she was fine letting you guys make the decision. You're not sure how long you all had been trying on dresses for but you were on your sixth or seventh dress when Baby 5, Monet and Sugar finally agreed on one everyone liked. Pudding was still deciding between two and the main stylist said this is where seeing it next to everyone will help. They had a specific divider where Pudding could stand and not be seen by anyone else while they took a mock photo of what it could look like on the day. Everyone was about to get into place when the rest of the group realized Law still wasn't around.

Pudding grumbled clutching her phone. Allegedly he was on the phone when they walked in but it had been at least an hour since arriving. Thirty more minutes passed before the girls started fuming. You're not going to lie, it was pretty irritating that he was seemingly wasting everyone's time because he didn't want to be there. You didn't want to be here either but you sure as shit weren't going to be the reason it dragged on longer than it has to. The boys started calling him and panicked from being scolded by Law's sisters. Pudding looked like she was going to ring someone's neck and since she couldn't walk outside the divider to strangle one of the boys you feared it might end up being you. Luckily that's when Law showed up. He froze when he walked in staring at you for a moment longer than you would have liked before his sisters started a yelling match. You wanted to lecture him too but you huffed and turned away not wanting to give him the satisfaction. Especially when he refused to acknowledge you at the hospital. Instead you glared at him for a far while helping Pudding calm down from wanting to kill someone.

After Pudding reviewed the pictures the choice was clear. She chose her dress and everything was set. Everyone started to change out when you were grabbed by the arm. The girls were already in the dressing room and so were Bepo, Shachi and Penguin.

"What are you doing here?"

His tone confused you but you couldn't control your frustration anymore "Oh so now you're talking to me!" Like always his expression was unreadable as ever. You scoffed "Don't flatter yourself I'm not here because of you, Pudding asked me before the announcement was made!" You made sure to control your volume. You didn't want the others to hear your altercation but you were still aggravated about ready to foam at the mouth. Law let your arm go turning away from you. "That's no excuse you shouldn't have accepted the offer."

You grit your teeth "And you shouldn't have wasted people's time!" You snapped storming off before you genuinely start something you know you couldn't finish. Penguin saw you walk off giving you a worried look as Law finally went to change.

You put on a fake smile and ignored the looks you got from the others as they passed you. They were giving you their farewells until the bachelorette party. You could really go for a drink right about now. You weren't the kind of person to drink away your sorrows but at this point you didn't know how to feel. Things would be easier if you moved on but everyone was trying so hard for your sake. Going out of their way to help you get Law back, but is that even what you want anymore. As you walked back out it was just Bepo, Shachi and Penguin left standing there. They were tense, presumably they heard or were assuming what happened between you and Law when everyone was changing.

You sighed "When we get back to our side you guys want to hit up a club or something? I could really use a drink." No one questioned you, only nodding in response. You guys hit the dorms before going back out to see if anyone else wanted to come and not surprising anyone in the slightest Luffy managed to overtake the night by throwing a banquet at the dorms. Sabo said he'd look the other way, which he does often about alcohol in the dorms. Since Luffy does not like the taste of alcohol Sanji has been accustomed to making cocktails for those who still wanted the option.

This is how you ended up drunk sandwiched between Luffy and Ace fumbling around in their stupid impromptu kickline. Everyone was having a good time and it was the kind of thing everyone needed as midterms were approaching. Ace fell back on the couch taking you and Luffy down with him causing you to yelp and Luffy to laugh. You tried to get up but Luffy refused to let you leave the group hug as your struggles brought you all to the floor. Before you knew it he coaxed everyone to join the group hug somehow. You hadn't even realized you started crying but unlike the last few times these tears weren't so sorrowful. You felt at home here and you wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. That's when you heard Luffy whisper "We'll bring Torao back, whatever it takes." Looking around seeing everyone's smiles made you believe it was actually possible. You couldn't help curling your lips up too "Whatever it takes."

—

"I see, my apologies I will see to it personally." Doflamingo put the phone down, his usual grin wiped from his face. It seems he wasn't clear with Law the consequences of his actions. Doffy opened the file with (Y/N)'s picture paperclipped to it. He would be making some calls later and he wondered how the girl would handle it. It excited him. It's been a while since he's had a play thing he didn't select for himself. He chuckled darkly at the thought. Law had good taste, at least he managed to do something right.

Notes:

Aside from that I hope you enjoyed the story so far, because I talk about this fic a lot to my mom she started one piece and we're actually in the middle of Dressrosa right now. She's bingeing at record pace. On a side note Law has started to torment my boyfriend's dreams and he has agreed to let me use his suffering for a fic but I want to finish the ones I have currently before then. (fingers crossed) Anyway, thank you from the top of my heart or the bottom of my heart whatever one you think is more important! ~ 3

Chapter 10

Notes:

Heyo~ I know I said I'd try not to take a month,...so I took a little over a month! Yeah it happens I probably won't take that long with the next one because my mom started reading this and she knows where I live, ngl kinda scared apparently I made her cry at chpt 8 bc how dare I do that to Corazon.

In other news I made a Tumblr for my writings, requests, headcanons and more over Damaged_Intellect?"

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Can the numbers that were called step forward?" Those who were called did as they were instructed. You mentally sighed in relief. You've done this song and dance many times, especially with this director. It was their signature move to cut the auditioners down before selecting callbacks and deliberating the final casting. You were currently in the middle of an audition at an off campus theatre for a musical practically written for you. It was an amazing opportunity for you as the playwright was the disciple of a famous Broadway composer and playwright. With the connections they had you'd be a shoe in for the industry. This was your big break. You could almost taste it. You've worked your ass off to be where you were today and it's finally paid off. If only your parents could see you now, they'd be proud.

The director looked at the line up one last time. "Thank you for your time, you were all great performers but unfortunately we will not be requiring your talents for this production. If anything changes we'll contact you within the next few weeks. Feel free to stay or leave at your leisure but we do ask you to do so quietly."

Your heart stopped. This has never happened before. You followed the line off stage as you passed by shocked classmates who auditioned with you. You could tell by their expression that no one had seen this coming. It's very rare for you not to be casted given your skillset and charm but you win some you lose some. Although no one liked losing some. "Can numbers 36, 3, 17, 43 and 11 go to the lobby for callbacks? The rest of you may take a short break before we resume the cold readings." The musical director and the playwright grabbed their things before relocating to the lobby leaving the director to twirl their pen for a moment before they added "And can number 2 follow me to my office please." that was your number but you don't know if that was a good or bad thing.

You were about to grab your things to leave before they called you to their office. You were slightly relieved but still confused as they motioned for you to enter the space and take a seat with almost a worried expression. "(Y/N), I was told to not tell you but I don't think it would be fair to someone as hardworking as you, to leave you in the dark." you tilted your head not understanding where they were going as they continued "We received a call from our benefactors to not cast you in this show. I tried to argue with them because I know you would have been the right person for the protagonist and after your audition today it proved my case but they were very adamant about the decision. They said that if I casted you at all, Joker would have their heads." Your eyes widened in shock as the director sincerely apologized to you before letting you go. This was the first time in a long time that you were refused a role, while it wasn't the end of the world you really wanted the distraction. After everything you hoped at least a different facet of your life would work out but it seems the universe had other plans for you.

As you made it back to the dorms you were mystified at the situation at hand. Who was this "Joker" person and why did they have it out for you? You don't remember making enemies with anyone recent or otherwise and especially not in the industry. Your record was squeaky clean in that regard. As you walked in you were met with the rest of your dorm having a movie night. You forgot that it was tonight. Three or four months ago you all started a challenge to see who could find the best, worst horror movie out there. It was Ussop's turn to showcase his pick and apparently he chose "Attack of the killer tomatoes" as his entry. It was a pretty strong contender versus Nami's recommendation of "Sharknado", Franky's suggestion of "Rubber" yes the one about killer tires, Robin threw in "Birdemic shock and terror", Brook made you all watch Nicholas Cage's "The Wickerman", Sanji brought "The Refrigerator" which was his second choice because he didn't want to ruin cotton candy for Chopper since he wanted to propose "Killer Klowns From Outer Space", Ace's movie was "Frozen" not the Disney film although he tried to submit that as his take first, Sabo's pick was "The Happening" and Luffy offered up a suicide squad parody movie called "Sinister Squad". Which you thought was a good rendition, you're a sucker for fairytale crossovers but compared to everyone else you think he misunderstood the assignment.

Everyone had some glorious choices although that was leaving you with less options to bring to the table but you still had some time to find a gem before it was your turn to showcase your selection. You glanced around the room and took a seat next to Zoro. As you leaned over the marimo to grab some popcorn he asked you how the audition went. "Allegedly someone by the name of "Joker" has it out for me, the director couldn't cast me because of it." you shoved popcorn in your mouth to help lift your spirits. Zoro shrugged, he didn't know a "joker" and there wasn't much he could say that could make you feel better. Instead he moved the popcorn closer to you and gave you a "Weird." in return. The rest of the night took your mind off of the audition for the most part. There was no point in dwelling on it when you had no idea who "Joker" was, you're not even sure how to find out that kind of information. The movie continued on and eventually everyone retired to their dorms. Hopefully things will make sense tomorrow.

—

The jiggling of the bell on the door could be heard throughout the bookstore causing Law to look up from what he was reading. He couldn't stand another one of Doflamingo's lectures about the wedding plans. It was bad enough that he was in this predicament so he left Dressrosa and fled to one of his favorite quiet spaces near the university. Law felt bad that he was making everyone drive back and forth for wedding obligations despite knowing they didn't mind at all. At this point he might as well steak out around the university since he doubts Bepo, Shachi and Penguin planned for the party to be in or near Dressrosa. He sipped his coffee, noticing the trio looking for him. Law gave a subtle nod when they made eye contact.

Law had texted the crew prior to him arriving knowing that they had a lot to discuss involving said bachelor party. Personally he didn't want the goddamn party just like he didn't want to be married but since life gave him lemons, he wanted to put salt into Doffy's lemonade. He was interested to see what the hell they came up with to help ruin Doffy financially. Although Law knew deep down that some little party would never actually crush the empire the blonde created, but he could at least dream. Right now he was a dog on a leash and he hated every minute of it. He hasn't been sleeping well since Corazon was in the hospital and despite being on academic leave he needed something to distract from Doflamingo's obsessive cocky nagging as he prattled on about one thing or another that Law had no interest in and didn't care about. The man has literally been living off of coffee and spite for the past few days. Not to mention his rash behavior over the fitting and avidly trying to make (Y/N) hate him or at least that's what he was trying to do. At this point he truly didn't remember what he said, all he knew was, she was pissed and hopefully over him romantically. It wasn't his finest plan given their history but he was starting to become the shell of the man he once was. He just wants a break from the inevitable.

Bepo, Shachi and Penguin approached Law's cozy reading nook concerned for his well being. They almost approached with the same energy you would a cornered animal that was ready to bite at any moment. Law sighed putting his book down. "I'm fine. I just want to talk about the party." He saw each of them frantically looking at each other motioning for the other to speak. When no one did they basically started a game of charades with each other. Each of them making wild gestures only for the others to shake their heads. This cycle repeated for longer than Law thought it would. No one wanted to be the person to bring up the elephant in the room but they knew they had to talk about it at some point. Law sipped his coffee again not paying any attention to their antics knowing that this is how they were when they thought he would get mad at them. Law let them figure it out by themselves for a moment. Eventually they huddled into a group circle and decided who would speak after a round of rock, paper, scissors before Bepo and Penguin grinned and pushed Shachi forward. The redhead stumbled slightly before glaring at the other two exchanging a silent "This isn't over" and clearing his throat. "First, what happened at the fitting? You owe us that much, captain." his tone was cautious like he expected Law to snap at them for asking.

Law rolled his eyes. Even after knowing him for all these years they still insist on using that term of superiority. He didn't want them to stop but right now he didn't feel much like a captain. A captain should be able to protect their crew at all costs and he's failed.

"I had a phone call and took a walk. My apologies for making you all wait-"

Penguin scoffed, interrupting him "We all know that's not what we're referring to." Shachi stood his ground next to him as Bepo cowardly hid behind the two. It was rare for them to confront Law but then again it was rare for Law to seemingly be in the wrong. "What happened between (Y/N) and I is none of your business." Law put his coffee down.

"Like hell it is! We're not that dense, you know it affects everyone in the dorm."

Law snapped back "That doesn't make it their business either!" He might have spoken too loudly with his retort as some of the patrons looked their way. A few quick glares in their direction would do the trick and sure enough people quickly turned around breaking eye contact from the clearly aggravated surgeon.

"But you still love her right?" Bepo leaned over Penguin's shoulder to see Law's facade crack for a tick before his demeanor shifted back. It stunned everyone. That seemed to calm them down enough for the subject to divert slightly. Penguin sighed "Just tell me one thing," he looked Law in the eyes "Do you at least have a good reason for being a complete ass."

Law looked away and cleared his throat. That was enough for the trio to back off. Knowing Law the way they should; he wouldn't do something like this without a good reason. Hopefully (Y/N) would be able to drag it out of him and manage to fix this mess. The trio nodded before relaxing into the adjacent seats. Shachi smirked, "Anyways the party's gonna be lit so don't even worry about it." Penguin snickered as well while Bepo was still a little tense but they all gave him a knowing look.

Law raised an eyebrow "Why are you looking at me like that? What did you guys do?" He didn't like the endless possibility of what those looks could mean.

The three lackeys laughed "Wouldn't you like to know."

"That should be the last of it. Are we forgetting something?" you asked Sanji looking over everything you packed. It wasn't much which is why you felt like you were forgetting something. Tonight was the bachelorette party and you had no idea what you were doing. You pretty much walked into the nearest Party City and bought a bunch of random crap that was in the specific section. Lots of pink, white and dick shaped decorations as well as little trinkets littered the isle and unfortunately you didn't know Pudding well enough to confidently know if she would find them funny or not. Sanji was no help either and to no surprise he was off in his own little daydream as he scribbled down who knows what in a little black book. He was probably running through last minute details of the menu but honestly you wouldn't know. You were too busy flipping through Pudding's wedding planner to see if there were any hints to what she'd like but it was all blank. An entire book based on her thoughts and opinions and yet there was nothing about her personal interest. In the end google is your friend as you looked up ideas. Truth be told you should have done that days ago but after what happened at the audition you weren't in the mood.

In the morning your mind kept circling back to who this "Joker" was. Did they like batman? Were they some kind of rich psychopath? Maybe some old crotchety theatre nerd, who knows. You huffed tilting your head back without realizing Sabo was leaning on that part of the couch reading the newspaper. He looked at you curiously "You good?"

"Physically yes, mentally no?" you sighed curling back on the couch. Sabo walked around the side to sit next to you. He gave you a soft smile before he asked "Care if I pick your brain apart?"

You shifted to lay down like you were in therapy "So, you know how I had that audition the other night?" Sabo hummed in response letting you continue "Well the director said they couldn't cast me because of someone named "Joker". They said that if they did he'd have their heads but I have no idea who that is and I don't remember making any enemies in the industry."

Sabo scratched his chin. He feels like he's heard that name before but it wasn't like the moniker "Joker" was unique or anything. "Peculiar indeed," he gave a light chuckle. "You've said theatre is cutthroat but I didn't think you meant it like that." Sabo tried to figure out whether he was imagining the familiarity of the name or if he genuinely heard it somewhere before. It wouldn't be that weird with his line of work.

"That's what I'm saying. I've worked with the director before which is why he even told me about it in the first place but the playwright and the composer are from Broadway so who knows." you shifted to look at the blonde.

Sabo thought about it for a moment as to why the entertainment industry would have it out for a student at One Piece. Maybe if Sabo knew who's heads would roll he could try to piece more of it together. He blinked for a second "This was for Wano Country Theatre right?" You nodded.

Wano Country Theatre is currently being overseen by Kaido of the Beasts, or simply put, Kaido Corp. The company was well known for producing obscure props and extremely detailed historically accurate weapon replicas. Nothing too out of the ordinary although they used to be good business partners with Big Mom Bakes but it didn't really work out in the long run. Although it still doesn't lend much to who would take the hit from having you participate in the show, that was the outlier. Interesting, especially with the new development with Smile Corp but to Sabo's knowledge Kaido doesn't have any affiliations with Doflamingo, does he?

"Hello? Earth to Sabo?" you snapped him out of his train of thought. It might be worth looking into after all. Ivankov was in the entertainment business so there was a chance they might know something and asking Dragon if he's heard of "Joker" wouldn't hurt either. This actually might be the break in the case he was looking for. He gave his patented innocent smile "I'm sure it's nothing, maybe one of the rich kids in your class paid them off and this is all one big "Joke" as one would call it."

"Honestly I wouldn't put it past (Rival's/N)."

While Sanji drove you over to the Baratie you searched the internet for what most bachelorette parties entail and it seems like you either do something boujee and lavish like a spa day or some cute homely diy thing other than that it seems the most common thing was to go clubbing or bar hopping. Comparatively renting out the Baratie and a karaoke machine was pretty good but how long would it take to be boring. You were worried that it wouldn't be entertaining enough especially since the group was kind of divided. You scrolled for more ideas that you could do with as few resources as possible when Sanji gave his pitch.

"I could teach you guys how to mix cocktails. Might be fun. Drinking games are also fairly popular or so I've heard." The look Sanji had on his face basically told you that he had ulterior motives but you were grasping at straws and it didn't seem like half bad of an idea. "Sounds good to me, you can lead most of the activities then. Reading some of these suggestions makes it seem like a bachelorette party is just an adult slumber party. Pillow fights were even one of the suggestions here." If only you were closer friends with everyone then it wouldn't be that awkward. On top of that your mind was elsewhere as the date for the bachelor party approached. Not to mention you still had no idea how you were supposed to stop the wedding and you were running out of time.

Sanji dragged you out of your thoughts as he pulled into the loading dock. "I don't mind running the show, being a good host comes with the job of being a cook but I thought every girl daydreams about this kind of stuff at one point or another. Why don't you just do what you would have wanted for your bachelorette party?"

As you help him carry stuff in you hummed "Sure when I was a kid I hoped I'd get married one day but I never really thought about it seriously. Heck when I was a kid I didn't even know what a bachelorette party was. Even now from my understanding it's your "Last night being single" so you celebrate it by doing things you can't do if you're married but like most of these suggestions you can still do when you're married? I don't know, I guess I'm still naive." A light bulb finally went off in your head. "Damn, maybe I should have hired a real stripper." you looked Sanji up and down as he lit his cigarette. He was still wearing his casual clothes. You wonder if you still had time to convince him to wear what you brought. The blonde must have noticed you staring because he grimaced.

"Hey hey for the last time I'm not wearing the sexy bunny girl suit no matter how good my legs would look in fishnets," the moment he paused you could see the gears switch to his flirtier side. It's been a while since you've seen the heart eyes because of the nature of your situation but since he was going to be surrounded by beautiful ladies all night it was expected. "Although if you and the other girls wanted to wear it I'd love to see that!" He twirled around with excitement at the prospect.

You sucked your teeth "Tsk, you're no fun." You had half a mind to tell him about Pudding's crush to negotiate otherwise but you decided against it. The chances of that coming back to bite you in the ass was too prevalent for you to take the risk. Instead you continued to decorate the place with streamers and balloons while Sanji disappeared into the kitchen. By the time you were finally finished you hadn't realized how late it's gotten. They'd start arriving soon and you were still wearing your casual clothes. To be honest you didn't really go over the dress code for tonight you just assumed everyone else would be wearing something a little more dressy. You brought a few different options just in case. As you went to change you bumped into Sanji who was fixing his hair. You've always known the blonde looked good in a suite but you were such a sucker for formal wear. How could anyone resist a pinstripe double-breasted business vest on top of a white button up that was rolled up to the elbow. It's classy as hell but true to his word Sanji was sporting a pair of black lace bunny ears.

You couldn't resist the urge to whistle "Looking good, Pudding's gonna swoon when she sees you."

Sanji's face was dusted with blush as he tried to clear his throat "Y-you think so?" you only nodded walking into the lady's room to change. Only when you were out of ear shot did you say "I know so." A real shame she was getting married to Law. Had they met sooner, who knows what would have happened.

—

After you came out you managed to put away the extra supplies before the others started showing up. While you waited for Law's sisters to join the group you noticed everyone sort of hit it off despite the strange set of circumstances. At least it won't be that awkward now. By the time the three showed up, Pudding seemed like she was Nami's new bestie. As you greeted Law's sisters again Baby 5 gave you a hug straight away while Sugar showed off her new bear. Monet waited patiently for her turn smirking at you and pulling you into a hug. You think back to what she said at the fitting while she pulled away. She winked at you as she bounced over to the others. You have no idea if she was being serious or just messing with you and at this point you were too scared to ask.

Sanji was in heaven as he taught you all how to make some basic cocktails. Pudding's drink involved using a shaker and no matter how Sanji demonstrated the technique she just couldn't quite understand how to shake it like he was. Sanji swiftly stood behind her wrapping his arms around hers to do the motion with her. Now you understood how Monet felt watching you and Law interact. Ew, pining people. You tried not to let the thought show on your face as you sipped your drink. It was good. Maybe if your acting career failed you could pick up bartending. While everyone sampled each other's drinks you learned yours was pretty decent. All together the activity seemed fun and interesting to everyone.

After a few drinks you were ready and fired up for karaoke. Sanji brought out some appetizers while Nami started it off with "Rich Girl" by Gewn Stefani. Monet wanted to go next singing "I'm like a bird" by Nelly Furtado followed by Sugar singing "I want Candy" by Aaron Carter. Baby 5 somehow convinced you to sing "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls with her and everyone had a good laugh at Robin insisting on singing "Tequila" by The Champs. Pudding couldn't decide on a song on what to sing so she passed the mic to Sanji and he sang "Mambo number 5" by Lou Bega. Afterwards, Pudding sang "Won't say I'm in love" by Alan Menken and David Zippel. Once everyone had a turn Sanji brought out the main course. You all ate, drank and sang to your heart's content. As the night continued and the drinks settled in Sanji coaxed everyone into another venture.

He rearranged everyone's drinks around to be in front of their respective owner and with a flourish of his hand twirled an empty bottle in his hand before setting it on the table. There was a twinkle in his eye as he said "Spin the bottle, kiss or shot edition!" He took a bow like he was a genius waiting for applause. You only laughed at the gesture. Leave it to Sanji to try to get two ladies to kiss, that had to be one of his fantasies. When you glanced around the table you were stunned at the challenging expressions you received. Sugar had no interest but it seemed Robin and Baby 5 smiled suggesting it could be fun and Nami and Monet were glaring daggers at each other saying they weren't going to lose. Pudding's face was red and she was staring at Sanji.

She looked embarrassed but she pointed at the blonde "Y-Y-You have to play too. It's not fair for you just to watch." Sanji's suave act faltered for a second before the heart eyes appeared and steam blew out of his nose. He twirled around grabbing a glass for himself. That's how you ended up five shots in, beginning to think that you should start kissing already. With all the liquid filtering through your liver, your stomach wasn't too happy. Unfortunately the only people you seemed to land on were Pudding and Sugar. Sugar had no interest but Pudding was getting frustrated that you were the only one who kept landing on her. You didn't want to land on her either for obvious reasons but at this point, especially with the drinks you had earlier you wanted the smooches. You had a pretty good tolerance, it was just a lot at this point in the night. The game was starting to turn more into truth, dare, shot or kiss but everyone was still surprisingly having a good time. Out of respect Sanji was kissing people on the hand or cheek when he finally landed on Pudding. Both of their faces were beet red and the rest of you gave each other knowing looks and started chanting "Kiss kiss kiss kiss" sure enough that was all the encouragement Sanji needed before he leaned into Pudding's cheek however she caught the blonde off guard when she turned her head to face him. Everyone was screaming for one reason or another. You felt like school children it was stupid but also hilarious to watch as you took your turn next. The bottle spun for a while before slowing down everyone holding their breath for who it would land on.

Pudding was still flustered as was Sanji but Pudding managed to stutter out "Y-You can't pass t-this one (Y/N)! If I had to, you have to kiss someone too!" The bottle finally stopped in front of Monet who for had a sly smile as she leaned over the table using her arms to press her chest out in front of her meeting you halfway "Come on (Y/N) I thought you weren't one to back down form a challenge~"

The words swirled around in your head echoing close enough to the words Law said to you when you first arrived at Dressrosa. That's when something in you snapped, maybe it was the drinks or the fact Monet has been low key trying to flirt with you ever since Law's engagement. You doubled down and tried to wipe that smug look off Monet's face.

Everyone was squealing for for the most part all having different reactions but no one's reactions were as dramatic as Sanji's. The blonde's nose started bleeding with an immense pressure that you're sure wasn't humanly possible as he could barely mutter something along the lines that he could die happy. What a way to end the night.