Chapter 2
"Oi, Trafalgar, you fucking low-life turd! Finally showing yer ugly-ass face to the world like some damn popping daisy? No one heard from ya for so long they said the marines sank your sorry ass!"
Law shifted to meet Kid's leer, letting himself get caught up for one second before he turned away again. "Don't act like I have to tell you shit just because you asked, Eustass-ya. What? You think I'll let you steal my plans and fuck me over…again?" he added with a huff.
Immediately, Kid bared his teeth, even his fur coat bristling as he leaned over his ship's rail to let loose a billow. So predictable. Though Law refused to meet the idiot's eyes and show it, he couldn't help but grin, the curve of it bordering on a smirk.
"That was one fucking time! And I didn't even rob ya on purpose! I thought you wanted to do that shit together and then you bailed. Damn it, Law!" Kid grit his teeth and launched himself over the rail, hitting the same patch of shore Law stood in. He towered there for one second before softening. "I missed ya, you dumb idiot."
Law caught the larger man as he threw himself forward in a gross, clingy hug that left them both gasping for breath and earning a few whoops from the crew members who bothered watching their display. With a last faux scoff, Law surrendered himself to their absurd game, familiarity washing over him in a wave.
"Ugh. Don't get all weepy on me, Eustass-ya. Geez." Law patted him on the back, unable to deny his growing smile. "But I guess I missed you being a big baby too. Come on. This is embarrassing." With an unwarrantable effort, he managed to remove the redhead and set him back a respectable distance. "You'd think we hadn't seen each other in years."
Kid pouted, his cherry-bright lips arching into a deep curve. "Are you fucking…It's been two months, you dumbass! I'm allowed to miss ya when you don't even call." Still, he stepped away with a sheepish glance at their surroundings. Kid docked the Punk Victoria in a bay too rocky for most other ships to bother, affording them some level of seclusion. However, a well-maintained fishing dock lay to their left, almost begging someone to wander in and interrupt their sappy little reunion. Even an incurable idiot like Kid understood that and acted accordingly…from time to time.
When Law did nothing more than grunt in response, the other man continued to fill the silence between them. "I don't see your sub around. Where did you dock it? Those doofus Straw Hats put their ugly ass ship right in front. Can you believe it?" Kid added with a laugh.
Law could believe it and gave Kid a look that spoke epics of their shared woes. "There's a cove a half-mile north of here. You can only get there underwater or, you know, by shambling through the rock." He let himself smirk for a second before turning toward the town, barely visible past the trees. A frown settled on his face as the real reason for their visit came to mind, souring Law's mood with a dizzying speed. "...Do you remember Straw Hat-ya's call last night?"
His lips still pulled back in a sneer, Kid paused to regard Law. After a second, he crossed his arms, following Law's gaze past the trees. "Yeah. The whole thing felt fucking weird. You kinda freaked me out too, ya know." Kid's eyes narrowed, not that Law met the gaze to confirm the man's suspicions. "Still. Seems like you're alright now. You been here long enough to figure out what the fuckin' rubber-brain meant?"
Shaking his head, Law started down the dirt path where Luffy's haki pulsed somewhere in the distance. "No. I wanted to wait for you. It's just, we already planned to meet up, so why call just to issue a…what? A challenge? Or, was it…" Law frowned again and shook his head. "Nevermind. That idiot sounded so serious, I half expected that the marines caught him."
"Think we'd fuckin' have heard if he did," Kid muttered under his breath. Which…yeah. Law could concede to that. However, it didn't explain Luffy's odd shift in attitude. Besides their own allies, no one nearby displayed any great power. No marines chased them, no rival crews threw up their flag. Instead, birds sang in the trees as merry voices chattered nearby, each of them lighter and more free than the fluttering leaves. Any other day, he wouldn't even notice, but with his senses stretched out like this, the poignantness of it filled Law like a palpable thing. Without a doubt, Luffy picked a good meeting spot. Truly, a perfect place to lay things to rest.
When Kid grunted in question, Law startled from where he'd fallen still. Cursing, he forced himself forward, ignoring the concern lingering in the younger man's gaze. "What I mean is, don't think so hard on it, Eustass-ya. That brat will tell us whether we speculate or not so let's just…come on," Law breathed out, refusing to finish his thought and make it real.
Crimson eyes narrowed before Kid shrugged, seeming to sense the knife-edge Law balanced upon. "…If you say so. Just thought I'd ask, but whatever. Let's go."
Thankfully, he knew to leave well enough alone, a fact that Law always appreciated because he couldn't bear to explain himself now. Not when he felt splayed out and open to every whim of the world, both good and bad. The fucking peace that nearly floored him, the deadly steel in Luffy's voice last night. The way the earth shattered at his words. Law needed to suck in a breath before his smooth expression shattered away. Nevermind the way the weird mix festered beneath his skin and left him feeling blistered. God, he reeked of disaster and even Kid had to know it.
They fell into silence as they walked, Law pulling his cap down in a silent plea for distance. Kid granted it by forgoing touch but that hardly meant anything when they reached the town proper—neither of them made a habit of public affection. Only Luffy did and he…
Law's frown deepened as memories of last night resurfaced in his mind. After two months at sea, the Heart Pirates finally found a moment to rest and Law had relished that thought with glee. The crew even found an underwater current and navigated the Polar Tang into it, leaving the freshly refueled and stocked vessel on a skeleton crew. They wouldn't reach their destination until dawn so Law had excused himself to the observation room, throwing his feet up on a table with a bottle of sake and the endless ocean all around. However, he'd barely poured his second cup when the badadump of his den-den mushi startled him upright. A brilliant grin curved over the snail's face, something Law couldn't help but mimic as he reached for the receiver.
"Well, if it isn't Luffy-ya. You got a reason for calling me in the middle of the night? Someone else might get the wrong idea. Honestly…" He breathed the words out softly, unwilling to disturb the peace still wrapped around him. Not that the sentiment did much good when the god of chaos himself called.
"Huh? I don't know what you mean at all. Of course I have a reason!" Luffy wailed so loud that even the den-den mushi cringed. "If it could wait, I wouldn't have called you guys so just shut up and listen! You too, Jaggy. I know you picked up even if you're pretending you didn't!"
Law shifted the den-den mushi away, scowling as his ears rang. "Hah? Are you shitting me? Luffy-ya, you're too loud," Law hissed as he gave the den-den mushi another dirty look before rolling his eyes. "If you don't get to the point, then I'm hanging up. I don't have time for-"
"No. Don't you dare, Torao!" Luffy's growl shook the room before he raised his voice, the words ringing clear with passion. "If you're done, then I'm done too! No more playing around and lying! Just, no more, Torao! I'm done with all of this!"
Law fell into shocked silence, his awkward protest dying, outright shriveling, on his lips. Done? Law stared at the den-den mushi, his mind failing to process those words in any way that made sense. Did he really make that big of a stink? It didn't make sense, but Law found himself reeling anyway, scrambling back over his words for any kind of hint. He must have said something because Luffy's expression on the snail looked furious and he even yelled, saying…
Law sucked in a sharp, startled gasp when the younger captain's words sunk in.
'If you're done, then I'm done too! No more, Torao!'
No matter how he tried to dissect a different meaning from those words, Luffy spoke far too clearly. He spoke like it didn't hurt to shatter Law or like 'done' didn't change everything that ever existed between them. Like 'done' didn't mean done with him.
Something monstrous wrenched inside of Law. After all of their time together, Luffy wanted to throw that word around now? Because of one snide remark? He knew they never spoke of their romance in clear terms; it never felt like they needed to. This thing between them sprung up from nothing and yet, it grew until it consumed them all. The first time Luffy smiled at Law with snow all around them, those seeds started to grow. Not romance, perhaps, but a promise for something more. When Kid joined them in Wano, everything simply fell into place. They left the country's shores together and Law stupidly let himself believe that even a secret relationship like theirs might go on forever.
Fuck. He'd been so stupid.
The den-den mushi's face twisted into a familiar, eyebrow-less scowl while Law swallowed back the acrid taste of bile, grateful for the interruption. "Oi! What the fuck does that mean, you frickin' dumbass?! If yer gonna say something, at least say it all the way! You want to fight or something?!" Kid screamed so loud the glass shivered, and for once, Law welcomed it. The chaos let him pull himself together, let him speak, knowing that the other man's voice would mask the shake in his.
"S-Straw Hat-ya. Please tell me…"
"I am telling you, but you guys keep interrupting me! This is serious! I decided that I won't let you two run the show anymore. I'm going to do things the way I want now! Zoro explained it, so no one gets to hide any longer! When we meet up tomorrow, I'm going to change everything! Got it, Torao? Jaggy, too. I'm not letting anyone go easy anymore."
The young captain's voice dipped low, intent dripping from his words like an unshakable tide. Law could feel the growl of it in his chest, even mitigated by the distance. However, he barely registered the fact. His hands trembled as he reached for the snail, closing slim digits around the receiver before he realized he'd moved.
No more. He couldn't stand to hear Luffy's voice any longer. The conversation buzzed in his ears, Kid's voice booming low as Luffy shrieked back. And yet, it all sounded like background noise as he finally forced words out of his throat.
"Let's just finish talking tomorrow. I'm tired. Really just so…tired," he breathed out, feeling the words all the way down to the slow clench and thump of his heart, pushing blood to a mouth that could only garble out a single, last word in farewell. "Good night, Luffy."
"Trafalgar? Hey, wait! Are you alr-?"
Law hung up before either man could respond because Law knew better than to let their pleas pull him in. Whatever Luffy planned to say would break him, beyond a shadow of a doubt, and he refused to prove his worst fears true. No. He could only protect himself the way he knew best—by running. When times got rough, he ran, every single time. Oh gods. Why would he stop now?
As the observation room sank into silence, Law considered his options. So many thoughts swirled in his head and yet, he understood none of them. Not a single solution existed for this farcical madness and the joke of it all fell like ice down his spine. Snatching up the forgotten sake, he downed the bottle in one, ragged gulp before collapsing onto the couch.
So what if he planned to wallow like a heartbroken loser? No one could stop him and why should they? If their entire relationship would all end tomorrow, then he deserved this fucking misery. Did he not know the feeling like a familiar blanket or a favorite shirt that he could drape around himself, wearing it as a second skin? This pain belonged to him for believing, hoping beyond hope that the game wouldn't end like it always ended before.
The sound of Bepo's stern chiding filtered into his wavering consciousness, begging for Law to listen despite the wave of dizziness washing over him.
I-is that what you really believe? That you'll always be this unhappy? You don't deserve pain, Captain! Please don't want it anymore. Please, let yourself rest!
The voice whispered through Law but he ignored it and curled up, letting his eyes fall closed as the darkness pulled him under. It didn't matter what he believed right now. Come morning, one way or another, they would change and even running away wouldn't stop a thing.
xXx
Luffy's laughter spilled from out of the tavern, brightening the entire establishment like unfiltered sunshine. Law paused outside the door, a shudder running down his spine when he realized that he could lose this too. Every moment shared between their intermingled crews, Luffy could take that on a fucking whim.
Law's shudder intensified so much that it left him shirking back before Kid or Luffy, god forbid, could notice it. After all, he alone bore this problem and not even hell could make him drag the others into it. Not when the problem existed entirely in his mind. He knew that it made no sense to break up now, knew that he spiraled himself into darkness by his power alone.
And Law hated it. He hated being foolish and dramatic and so fucking pathetic that one conversation with his boyfriends drove him into a frenzy. He knew he reached a new low when he hung up like that. He hadn't even…he knew deep down that he assumed the worst, not the most likely scenario. Luffy's words meant nothing. Law's brief rest cleared his head, allowed him to recognize that he'd panicked, but logic couldn't entirely clear away the mess in his heart. Because, no matter how much he told himself that he overreacted, a sliver of him still believed. This would be their last night together. This was the beginning of the end.
"Torao! Jaggy!" The scream jerked Law back to the present and left him pressing a hand over his mouth, suppressing a laugh despite himself.
"O-oi, Straw Hat-!" Kid flung his arms up to block the bullet flying for them but no amount of preparation could stop the inevitable. A half-second later, the younger captain knocked them both to the ground, Kid shouting the whole way as Law let out a breathless huff. Yeah, he really would miss this idiot.
"I'm so glad you finally made it! You two took forever!" Luffy wailed, nearly squeezing the life out of them in the process. Law laid back and let it happen until Kid managed to kick and flail enough to catch Luffy in the eye and make him recoil with a howl.
"You…are such a freak!" Kid gasped when he could, clutching at his now reddened throat where Luffy managed to dig in an elbow. "What kind of freakin' emperor acts this fucking weird? Clingy little bastard!" He hissed, coughing once before lurching to his feet.
Law smiled and sat up, one arm draped over his bent knee as he watched the exchange. "That's rich coming from an equally clingy idiot. Or did you forget how you greeted me earlier?"
Kid flushed nearly as red as his lipstick. "Shut your trap, Trafalgar! The fucking monkey doesn't need to know that!"
Luffy, like the brazen ray of sunshine he was, threw his head back and cackled. "Ah, no way! You two are so funny! I want to see Jaggy acting clingy too!" He laughed as ardentness burned in his eyes so fiercely that Law broke out in gooseflesh beneath the warm cotton of his sleeves. Fuck. Why did Luffy always do this to him? The boy shone with light and Law…he…could he really give this all away? Forever?
Law's smile wavered and the other boy's gaze sharpened at the sight. "...Hey, Tora-" However, a shriek sounded from behind them before Luffy could finish the thought. A second later, the world erupted into Kid-induced chaos, the two tumbling past in a wild scene of teeth, kicks, and shouting. By the time the dust cleared, Luffy had the larger man pinned down, his call for revenge silenced by a deep, crimson flush.
"F-fuck! Get off already!" Heaving, Kid shoved Luffy onto his ass, adjusting his bandolier with a surreptitious look around them. "Seriously? You just had to go and make it weird, didn't you? Every fucking time, you damn monkey-turd! We're in the fuckin' doorway! Everyone is staring at our asses doing this shit!"
"Nah. I think that's just your ass they're watching," Luffy chuckled, slapping Kid's rear and leaving the other man leaping back with a yelp. Law's smile climbed higher even as his gut clenched around a void of nothingness. Ever since Luffy rocketed onto the scene, the uneasy feeling pressed in as the logic he told himself over and over again faltered. He just couldn't lie when the object of his panic stood so close. Instead, he let his feelings shut him down, the bittersweetness overriding reason once again. It wasn't like he'd been kidding anyone anyway, pretending that life would ever go as planned. He knew far better than that.
Law pulled his feet under him just as a hand jumped into view. A second later, Luffy's voice left him frozen, his heart lodged right in his throat.
"Torao. Here."
Though Luffy murmured his name like a simple fact, Law felt obligated, taking Luffy's hand as if he'd demanded it. Their fingers locked together and, without once breaking eye contact, the younger man pulled him to his feet. And if that wasn't something. Law licked his lips at the burn of Luffy's gaze, at the mere idea that this boy's eyes could read all the way down into a person's soul. No matter how many times Luffy aimed that look at him, it wrenched something in his gut. He doubted he would ever get used to feeling flayed like that because who fucking could?
"I'm fine," Law murmured, finally pulling his arm away. He broke their gazes, knowing Luffy would read something there if he let him. The younger man already looked skeptical, humming softly as he leaned in close once again.
"Is that so? Torao said he felt tired last night. I guess that was true." Luffy pushed the hair away from Law's forehead, his face close enough for their breaths to mingle. "You have dark circles again."
Law's heart slammed in his chest as he jerked back, knowing that heat flooded his cheeks. He could feel it burning the tips of his ears and rushing down his chest in brilliant swaths. For a second, he could only stare back, so lost that he missed Luffy sliding a hand back into his.
"What are you…?" Law stammered before the younger captain shot forward, effectively strangling his words. In the same motion, Luffy captured Kid and shoved him along in front of them, laughing through every protest. When they ducked inside, a mix of their crews mingled around the bar, belting out songs as the more rowdy members swung around an impromptu dance floor. However, Luffy made a beeline for the back, offering little more than a wave and shout to the rest of his friends.
"We'll be downstairs so don't bother us, 'kay?"
A second later, a door slammed shut on them, leaving Law, Luffy, and Kid alone in the establishment's cellar. Barrels lined the walls along with crates and bottles tucked onto shelves, the various cans, jars, and drying herbs forming a heady scent. Law stared at the room while Kid threw himself down on a crate with enough force to knock it against the wall.
"Well, you got us all gathered now. Gonna tell us what's got yer panties in a twist, Straw Hat? Been thinking all day and fuck if I get the way you think. Don't tell me you want to fight or something." Kid chuckled, his head tilted back against the wall with his arms resting against his knees. For all that he looked relaxed, tension ran along his spine, his eyes guarded and steely. Even that idiot had the sense to feel anxious, then.
Finally, Luffy tore his eyes away from Law to regard the redhead. "Hmm. No, I don't want to fight unless you want to?" He tilted his head to the side, questioning in that irritating, endearingly light tone of his.
Kid rolled his eyes in response. "Not really. I figure we have better things to do right now." An easy grin slid onto the man's face as he arched a brow up in an utterly absurd gesture.
Law snorted, knowing exactly what Kid meant. And fuck if it was time for that either. Their relationship might end today and Kid wanted to fuck? In some tavern's root cellar? He dropped his head into his palm, relenting to the fact. Of course he did. Of, fucking course.
"What? You can't tell me you weren't thinking it," Kid scoffed, a frown coloring his voice before it dipped lower, softer. "Seriously, Law?" He swung a leg, connecting hard with the older man's shin in some sham of a comforting gesture that missed its mark by a mile. Law grunted through the pain and finally dropped his hand so he could scowl down at his boyfriend.
"Fuck off, Eustass-ya! Can't you keep your pants on for once in your useless life? Read the mood already or did you not hear what Luffy-ya said last night? Get serious!" Law pulled back his upper lip in a snarl, noting the way Kid had shifted his legs wider in a mindless gesture. Any other day, Law would relish the invitation, but now, the idea left him nauseous, fueling the quick whip of his anger. "I don't want to hear his words anymore than you do but at least I'm going to listen! Damn it! Am I the only one with common sense here?!"
Law seethed where he leaned forward so close that he nearly straddled the redhead's lap before his words slapped him across the face. The realization left Law reeling back, giving Kid enough space to shift back, brows scrunched and arms crossed uncomfortably across his chest. Where openness flourished a second ago, guarded ill-ease suffocated the room. Law hated it. Kid didn't deserve his ire when he started none of this, was just as much of a victim as Law despite his cluelessness of it all.
Law bit his lip hard enough to sting and took another step back. "Fuck…sorry."
Silence fell as Luffy looked between them in obvious confusion, noting Kid's withdrawal and the way Law's eyes darted around the room in panicked little bursts, scouring it for a safe place to land. His eyes refused to rest on Kid's uncomfortable posture or the way Luffy's face twisted and contorted. Not that the youngest captain gave him much choice. With two quick steps, he invaded Law's space and made it impossible for the older man to look away. Luffy's eyes captured him, held him pinned in place like a dissected body on a table because Luffy's gaze did that to people. It tore them apart, tore them down. And Law, like always, was powerless to pull away.
"Hey, Torao." Slowly, the younger man tangled his fingers with Law's, tugging until only scant inches existed between them. "Why wouldn't you want to listen? Do you think I'll say something bad?" Luffy frowned, the expression devastatingly foreign on such a cheerful face. Law wanted to lie or beg, anything to regain that usual smile, but harsh reality stayed his tongue. Lies wouldn't solve anything, least of all his anxiety. The thought twisted in Law's gut, steeling the last of his resolve.
"Yeah. That's exactly what I think you'll say. Every time you open your mouth, I think this could be it, that you'll fucking destroy me. And now, you've given me a reason for it." Law let out a stilted breath, the words he'd held trapped within his heart spilling out in a long overdue flood. He'd held them in too long, and now, not even the beginnings of a desperate sob could stop them. Law shook his head, too gone for the motion to clear it but too wound to stay still either.
"You're the one that made that stupid call. Talking about change and…I'm not stupid. In my mind, I know you'll say something absurd and inane. I know that, but I still can't help feeling terrified that you'll say something else. Because, even though it's stupid, a part of me thinks that you meant it when you said we're done. That you called us here for that reason." He met Luffy's gaze, unwavering even when tears burned behind his eyes.
"What I mean is, a-" He dragged in a shaky, ragged breath. "A part of me thinks that you asked us here to break up. And, fuck, Luffy. I'm too tired to fight it. I can't take the waiting and the not knowing. I can't do this fucking dance anymore! If you're gonna say it, then say it! Break my heart already! Just do it, Luffy-ya! I'm telling you to break up with me!"
Water glimmered in the gray of Law's eyes as he shook there, one hand still held in Luffy's lax grip as the light overhead flickered off and on, dim and bright. And really, Law couldn't think of a more perfect place to end things as he finally pulled his grip away from Luffy and let a smile slide into place.
"Well, Straw Hat-ya? You gonna tell us what you have to say?"