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“C’mon, Torao!”
“For the last time, no.” Law opened one eye, glowering up at Luffy from where he sat against the railing of Bartolomeo’s ridiculous ship.
Luffy was wrapped up in a coat he’d been enthusiastically gifted by their hosts ahead of their planned stop. Even the ever-devoted Barto Club, it seemed, didn’t have enough food stocked in its larder to support Luffy’s voracious appetite for the duration of the trip to Zou, so they made a detour to Shika Island, a neutral winter island, to restock their supplies.
Luffy, of course, had been thrilled by the prospect of visiting a new island—and trying new foods. (Maybe befriending another princess or overthrowing another corrupt government, Law had thought wryly before immediately taking the thought back; he didn’t dare even put the idea into the universe.) The other Straw Hats had also shown varying levels of interest in the stop, as Robin wanted a new book to read while Usopp and Franky were already planning a snowball fight with slingshots and snow cannons, a prospect that put stars in Luffy’s eyes. Bartolomeo and his crew were, of course, excited about anything that made Luffy excited.
Law, however, couldn’t rouse any interest in the stop. He had a… complicated relationship with winter islands, so he intended just to stay on the ship for the duration. Luffy, however, had other ideas.
“It’ll be an adventure!” Luffy argued, and between Luffy’s pleading and the growing ache in Law’s reattached arm, Law’s already limited patience was waning.
Law opened his other eye—two eyes were better for glaring at his allied captain than one, after all—and contemplated how to deal with the menace in front of him. While he could form a Room and Shamble Luffy away, Law decided it wasn’t worth the effort when he was still recovering his stamina from the extreme overuse in Dressrosa—especially since Luffy would just come back anyway. Hell, he’d probably think it was fun.
As Luffy pouted, crossing his arms and sticking his bottom lip out like an absolute child, Law saw the Straw Hats, each sporting their own borrowed coats and hats, starting to disembark out of the corner of his eye. Usopp and Franky were chatting between themselves, likely plotting their snowball fight, as they headed down the gangplank. Robin and Zoro followed their crewmates more sedately, though each of them shot knowing smirks in Law’s direction, and Law scowled.
“Unlike some people who heal abnormally fast, I’m still recovering from the last adventure.” Law’s left hand idly rested on his right arm. “Besides, there are people on the ship who actually want to go on an adventure, Straw Hat-ya,” Law pointed out, noting Bartolomeo waiting by the gangplank and watching Luffy with an obvious air of yearning. “Go bother them.”
Luffy didn’t so much as glance in Bartolomeo’s direction. “Nope! I want Torao to come with me.”
Law pinched the bridge of his nose. Arguing really was pointless, wasn’t it? Between the warnings he’d received about the alliance from various Straw Hats and Law’s own experience on Punk Hazard and Dressrosa, he knew that once Luffy set his mind on something, there was no arguing with him.
“Why?” he finally asked.
Luffy, seeming to recognize that Law’s opposition was crumbling, grinned widely. “It’ll be fun!”
Law wanted to scoff, but his breath caught in his throat at the sight of Luffy’s wide smile backlit by the low, winter sun. For the briefest moment, Law felt a gravity pull toward the other captain, one that left him feeling helplessly weightless.
But then the moment was gone, and, before Law could collect himself enough to retort, Luffy had grabbed Law’s free hand and tugged, pulling Law to his feet with a strength his small form belied. (A strength that had carried Law across Dressrosa and taken down Law’s living nightmare.) Once Law was on his feet, Luffy let out a laugh and dragged Law toward the gangplank. His hand was warm in Law’s, the calluses on his hands rough against Law’s own.
Law swallowed and allowed himself to be pulled into Luffy’s orbit.
It seemed there was some kind of local market happening that day, and Luffy wanted to stop at every vendor and stick his head into every shop once they reached town; Law, however, made a beeline for a clothing store so he could find a coat before getting roped into anything else.
His own coat was still on the Thousand Sunny, which was hopefully at Zou with Law’s crew by now. (And, oh, how the thought of his crew made Law’s chest ache with longing.) Bartolomeo was only tolerating Law’s presence on his ship because he was Luffy’s ally, so he didn’t have a coat to spare for the likes of Law. That had suited Law just fine when he’d planned to stay on the ship, but now that Luffy had dragged him onto the snow-covered island, he wasn’t going to freeze.
He found a plain black peacoat and, deciding that would be enough warmth for an afternoon in town, purchased it. Law drew the coat tight around himself as he stepped out of the shop, stopping as the door shut behind him to finish the buttons.
“Oh!”
Law looked up to see Luffy standing in the street in front of him, eyes slightly wide and a dusting of pink across his cheeks. Was that…? No, that must just be the cold. “Straw Hat-ya?”
Luffy shook himself and grinned. “Nice coat, Torao,” he said. “You ready for an adventure?”
Law rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what kind of adventure you expect to find here.” But he still fell into step with Luffy as they started down the street.
Luffy, with Law in tow, paused at nearly every vendor, oohing and ahhing at the various local specialties. When something particularly interesting caught his attention, Luffy’s eyes would widen and he’d grab Law’s hand, tugging him toward whatever it was. Law had been mostly desensitized to Luffy’s incessant touching after being toted around Dressrosa like a sack of potatoes, but the younger captain’s uninhibited shows of physical affection still managed to throw Law off-balance.
“Look, Torao!” Luffy said, holding up a piece of clear yellow-orange rock at one stand. “It’s a beetle!” Luffy said in delight. And, upon closer inspection, he was right. There was some kind of small beetle trapped inside the rock.
“It’s encased in amber,” the vendor said, nodding at Law as he walked up. “We regularly find fossilized insects in amber like that up in the mountains. Sometimes we even find small animals like frogs or salamanders. They could be thousands of years old, if not older, preserved by the tree resin.”
Law didn’t have to look at Luffy to know the younger man was besotted with the idea. Though Law’s interest was in human rather than in animal biology (minus Bepo, who, as a mink, was something in between the two), even he had to admit that the preservation of life from millennia ago was actually pretty cool.
“How much?” Luffy asked. When the vendor gave a price, Luffy’s face fell. “Ah, okay. Thanks, mister,” he said, putting the piece of amber back down on the table.
Before he knew what he was doing, Law had grabbed his wallet from his pocket and was slapping some berries on the table. Luffy looked down at the money and back up at Law in surprise. “Torao?”
Law flushed as he realized exactly what he’d just done. Why did I…? He put his wallet back in his pocket and cleared his throat. “It’s nothing. Just… take it.”
Luffy’s expression lit up again, and he picked the stone back up while the vendor counted the berries and nodded.
“Enjoy Shika Island, gentlemen.”
Law had the distinct impression they’d just been vastly overcharged—a ballsy move, considering neither was bothering to disguise who he was—but before he could say anything, Luffy spoke up.
“Shishishi, we are!” Luffy said, looping an arm through Law’s and starting down the street again. Law ducked under his hat, feeling a bit like a turtle. “Thanks, Torao!”
“Tch. Whatever. You liked it, right?” Luffy nodded vigorously. “Consider it a thanks. For, you know.”
Doflamingo tumbling from the sky and slamming into the ground, unmoving as Luffy floated victoriously in the sky above Dressrosa…
“Silly Torao,” Luffy said. “You don’t need to thank me for that. I did it because I wanted to.”
“And I did that because I wanted to,” Law retorted, hoping that would be enough to end the discussion that he didn’t want to examine too closely. Luffy laughed but mercifully let the subject drop, and they continued down the street, though Luffy remained clinging to Law’s good arm.
He’s just like this, Law reminded himself. He’s a tactile person, especially with his friends. And, loath as Law might be to admit it, in Luffy’s eyes, Law qualified as a friend.
“Why is this island called Shika Island, anyway?” Luffy wondered as they walked, passing shoppers with bags and baskets full of goods from the market. A few people did double takes when they saw the two pirates, but no one approached them. “It doesn’t look anything like a deer.”
“It’s from a local legend,” a voice said.
Law and Luffy looked over to see a middle-aged woman standing behind a table filled with books and maps. She smiled at them. “I’m Evelyn,” she introduced herself as the two walked up to her stand. “I own the bookshop,” she said, nodding at the books spread out in front of her as if they would vouch for her, “but am also something of a historian.”
“What kind of legend?” Luffy asked.
“Legend says,” Evelyn began in a tone that indicated she loved to tell a story, “that a long time ago, there were two brothers who sought to hunt a white stag. However, the white stag is an elusive creature, and the brothers tracked it day and night, night and day for weeks. They would see flashes of it before it disappeared again.
“The brothers became frustrated with their inability to capture the stag, and they argued about which way to go to continue the hunt for the stag. One brother wanted to go west while the other wanted to go east. Unable to agree, the brothers split up, and the brother who went west eventually discovered this island and named it Shika Island for the deer that he followed.”
“Did he ever catch the stag?” Luffy asked.
“No,” Evelyn said, shaking her head. “But there have been sightings of a white stag by hunters deep in the mountains over the years. The most recent one was about eight years ago. It’s considered a good omen.” She smiled. “Some say it’s a blessing from the heavens, as the white stag is said to carry the sun and moon between its antlers, bringing us day and night.”
Law vaguely remembered hearing a story like that when he was a child. It would make sense that Flevance, the White City, would find kinship with a mythological white beast, after all.
Luffy frowned. “That’s ridiculous. They wouldn’t fit.”
Evelyn laughed. “Not in any ordinary stag’s antlers, no,” she agreed. “But some myths say the sun god Nika and the moon god Nanna can each take the form of a white stag, and it was they who led the brother on his chase to discover Shika Island.” She nodded at the pile of maps on the side of the table. “Many people visit the island in the hope of being blessed by sighting the white stag.”
It came as no surprise when a wide-eyed Luffy turned to look at Law. “Torao!”
“No,” Law said immediately, as though Luffy might accept his refusal. It was as likely now as it had been earlier that day when they’d first docked.
“It would be an adventure!”
“Absolutely not.”
“We could look for more fosized beetles, too.”
“Fossilized.”
“Yeah, that,” Luffy agreed. “The guy said they find them up in the mountains, right? It would be fun!”
“‘Fun’ is not the word I’d use to describe tramping around the woods in the snow without proper clothing or footwear, Straw Hat-ya,” Law said, frowning.
“If you go,” Evelyn said, peeking out from under her awning to look up at the bright blue sky before looking back at them, “don’t stay out too long. It may not look like it now, but there’s going to be snow later, and it’s dangerous to be up in the mountains during a snowstorm—even for experienced mountaineers.”
Luffy turned back to Law, and Law sighed in defeat.
“Just for a couple of hours.”
For what felt like the hundredth time since they’d started their trek up into the mountains, Law cursed himself for completely folding in the face of Luffy’s wide smile and infectious enthusiasm. Neither his boots nor his jeans were made for the snow, and the further up the mountain they got, the deeper the snow became. The air also grew colder as they walked, and Law’s injuries ached in protest.
But Luffy tromped ahead, darting from tree to tree, looking for any sign of fossilized insects and pointing out every set of animal prints they came across. He had his eyes peeled for the white stag, as though such a rare animal would suddenly appear for two outsiders. Every time he turned to look back at Law with a smile, something in Law’s chest tightened, and his complaints died on his lips; he kept walking with a heavy sigh.
“Hey, Torao!”
Law looked up just in time for a snowball to smack him directly in the face while Luffy cackled. For a moment, Law was unable to process what had happened as snow dripped down his face. Did he really just…? But then he felt a familiar competitiveness start itching under his skin, one he hadn’t really allowed himself to indulge since he’d been on Swallow Island with Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin, and he let his lips pull into a smirk.
“So, that’s how you want to play it, Straw Hat-ya?” he asked, lifting his hand to form a Room.
Luffy stopped cackling as a blue dome spread out over them, and he looked around before turning back to Law… only to take a snowball to the back of his head. With a yelp, Luffy whipped around and immediately contorted himself to avoid another snowball. He flung himself up into the lower branches of a tree with a laugh.
“Game on, Torao!”
Snowballs flew from all directions after that, and by the time Law was collapsing wearily against a tree and his Room evaporating into nothing, he had no idea how much time had passed; all he knew was that his clothes were soaked, his face was warm, his body ached, and he hadn’t had that much fun in years.
A few yards away, Luffy had flopped onto his back in the snow, breathing heavily. “Shishishi,” he laughed between pants. “That was fun.”
“It was,” Law agreed, and Luffy looked over at him in surprise. After a moment, though, his expression softened, and something behind Law’s breastbone lurched with that weightless feeling again. Shaking himself, he looked up at the sky through the trees. Blue sky had given way to gray clouds, and big, chunky snowflakes were starting to fall. There were darker clouds in the distance, and the breeze was beginning to pick up. Being from the North Blue, Law knew the signs of an impending snowstorm well enough.
“We need to get moving,” he said. “It’s going to snow.”
“It’s already snowing,” Luffy pointed out.
“It’s going to get worse. And we don’t want to get stuck out here. You heard what Evelyn said.”
Luffy frowned. “Can’t you just,” he gestured vaguely, “I dunno, Room us back to town?”
Rolling his eyes, Law used Kikoku to help leverage himself upright. He then lifted his hand and opened a Room. It started widening for a moment—Law frowned at the effort it took just for that simple action—before it sputtered and dropped. A wave of dizziness washed over Law, and he put a hand against the tree to hold himself upright as his vision spun and his knees went weak.
“—orao? Hey, Torao? Are you alright?”
Law blinked, and the world slowly resolved itself into Luffy’s concerned face in front of his. “I—” He shook his head to clear it and tried again. “The snowball fight was probably a bad idea, considering I’m still recovering from the effects of Dressrosa,” he admitted.
“That’s okay. I’ve got you,” Luffy said, pulling Law’s good arm over his shoulders and, once Law pushed himself away from the tree, taking more than his fair share of Law’s weight. “We should go. The snow’s worse.”
The big, chunky flakes were coming down more heavily now, starting to fill in the holes they had made during their fight. Another look at the sky showed the dark clouds moving in quickly as the wind rattled the empty branches of the trees. Law nodded at Luffy, and the two pirates started making their way back in the direction they’d come. But the snowfall only continued to pick up until it was coming sideways and blinding them both, slowing their pace to little more than a crawl. Their tracks from earlier were filling in, and as darkness descended, it was getting harder to tell where to go. Law was cold all the way down to his bones and was losing feeling in his fingers and toes.
They weren’t going to make it back to town like this.
“Straw Hat-ya, stop,” Law called.
“We have to keep going,” Luffy argued, his voice nearly lost on the whipping wind.
“I’m going to try one more time to get us out.”
Luffy did stop at that, but he frowned when he looked at Law. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Neither is trying to get back to town in this,” Law retorted. “We’re going to get lost out here and die of exposure.”
“Fine,” Luffy said and ducked down so Law could take his arm back. “What should I do?”
“Stay close.” Taking a deep breath and doing his best to ignore the cutting wind against his face and soaked clothes, Law held his hand out and summoned a Room. A blue dome burst from his hand, though Law felt it immediately threatening to fall. No, you don’t, Law told his power, digging deep within himself and pushing the Room outward with all the strength he could muster. He could feel his muscles strain and his head throb as he put everything he had into holding the Room up.
He needed to find the town. If he could just get them back to the town…
His power shook unstably in his mind’s eye, but he kept pushing, tapping into energy reserves not meant to be tapped into. Darkness encroached on the sides of his vision. Not yet. Where was the goddamn town? If they stayed out here in the middle of a blizzard, they wouldn’t need to worry about angering Kaido—and wouldn’t that be embarrassing after surviving everything Dressrosa threw at them?
Wait, what was that?
Law felt a small structure appear at the edge of his Room. Evelyn said hunters would go up into the mountains; maybe this was a hunting cabin. Whatever it was, it was their best bet for surviving the storm.
Willing the darkness back just a bit longer, Law dug as deep as he could then twitched his fingers, Shambling himself and Luffy from the mountainside to the structure he’d found.
Luffy jolted at the sudden change. “What—”
Law felt his feet hit solid wood and let out a relieved breath before letting the darkness overtake him.
Law blinked blearily as consciousness slowly returned. His head pounded with every beat of his heart, and his entire body felt heavy. It took a few more blinks before his vision came into focus.
He was looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling, and wherever he was, it was dark—except for a dim glow off to his side. Law turned his head to see that he was in a cabin of some kind—one that was sparsely furnished with a table and chairs, a small kitchenette, and some empty shelves against the wall; there was a small fire burning in the fireplace. Law was lying on a bed under a pile of blankets; his hat rested on a small nightstand next to the bed, Luffy’s beloved straw hat leaning against it. Kikoku leaned against the wall by the bed.
Luffy, meanwhile, sat in front of the fire, his knees pulled up to his chest; he was toying with something in his hands. Law watched him for a moment and noticed a flash of amber in Luffy’s hands. Ah.
“Straw Hat-ya.” Law’s voice was weaker than he would have liked.
Luffy started. “Torao!” He’d pocketed the stone and was on his feet and at Law’s bedside in an instant. His eyes were wide as he looked down at Law. “Are you okay? How do you feel?”
“What happened?” Law asked instead of answering the questions.
“We were stuck in the snow, and you made a Room and moved us here. But then you passed out and you had a nosebleed.”
That’s right. He remembered now. He absently touched his nose but didn’t feel anything. Luffy must have wiped the blood off. The thought was strangely touching.
“I didn’t really know what to do,” Luffy went on. “You were really cold, so I moved you to the bed and covered you with extra blankets. And there was some wood by the fireplace, so I made a fire.”
Law considered that. “How long have I been out?”
Luffy shrugged. “Dunno. An hour?”
“And the storm?
Luffy glanced to the side, and Law noticed a window for the first time. Though it was dark, Law could see snow flying horizontally and hear the wind howling. “Worse, I think.”
Law looked back at Luffy, eyes scanning the other captain up and down. “Are you—”
“M’fine, Torao,” Luffy huffed. He crossed his arms. “I’m not the one overusing my powers until I pass out.”
Law narrowed his eyes at Luffy’s tone. “Are you mad at me? I was just doing what I needed to to get us to safety.”
Luffy scoffed, and Law felt a stab of annoyance. He started to push himself up onto his elbows—if they were going to have this argument, Law wasn’t going to do it literally lying down—but as he put weight on his right arm, a jolt of pain ran through him and he gasped, collapsing back onto the mattress. He screwed his eyes shut as he rode out the wave of pain.
“Fuck.”
“Torao, are you—”
Law squinted his eyes open to see Luffy looking down at him worriedly, and the irritation he’d felt moments earlier bled from his system, leaving only fatigue in its wake.
“I’m all right, Straw Hat-ya,” Law said. Once the pain in his arm had lessened to a dull roar, Law pushed himself upright once more, this time more careful of his arm. He shivered as the blankets slipped down into his lap, and he realized he was still in his wet clothes from the snowball fight.
Luffy, also in wet clothes, frowned but sat down on the edge of the bed. He was looking toward the small fire rather than Law when he said, “When you passed out, I remembered what you said on Dressroba. About how using your powers cuts into your lifespan.”
Law frowned. “I didn’t realize you heard that.”
Luffy ignored him. “You were hurting yourself to save us, and it was my fault we were out here. You shouldn’t have had to do that.”
“Straw Hat-ya…”
Luffy clasped his hands together in his lap. “I don’t want other people getting hurt because of me.”
Luffy screaming his brother’s name as he broke out of the Polar Tang and stormed into the forest on Amazon Lily, his grief jagged and cutting in its freshness…
And suddenly Luffy’s reaction made complete sense, and part of the puzzle that was Straw Hat Luffy slotted into place. He wasn’t, as it turned out, always happy and carefree. He put on a good show for others, but there was grief and pain behind those smiles.
Law knew a thing or two about putting a mask on over grief, though he disguised his own trauma with smirks and cutting words rather than smiles and laughter. But maybe, at their cores, they weren’t so different after all. In some ways, the idea was comforting, but in others, it made Law feel a pang of sadness.
“Hey.”
Luffy blinked and looked over at Law, only to flinch back when Law flicked him in the forehead. “Ow, what the hell?” He rubbed at the spot with a pout.
“You don’t get to decide what choices other people make,” Law said. “People do things we don’t like all the time. You, for instance, ignore my plans and barrel ahead without a second thought.”
Luffy huffed a laugh at that. “But it works out. You think too much.”
“Ever think that maybe you just don’t think enough, Straw Hat-ya?” Law replied, raising an eyebrow.
Luffy’s smile widened at that. “Nope!”
“Tch. My point is that I made the decision to get us to safety knowing what the consequences would be. It’s not your fault. Stop blaming yourself for other people’s choices.”
Luffy was quiet for a moment before saying, “Thanks, Torao. You’re so smart!”
Law’s ears warmed, and he looked away. “Shut up,” he muttered. After a moment, he glanced back at Luffy, who was looking at him with a painfully soft expression that made Law’s insides twist. (He looks like that at everyone, he told himself. You’re not special.) He cleared his throat and, eyes dropping from Luffy’s face, zeroed in on Luffy’s damp coat.
“If we’re stuck here during the storm, we need to get out of these wet clothes.” He flushed as he realized how what he’d just said could be taken, but Luffy was looking down at his own jacket with a frown.
“Ah, yeah. They are kinda uncomfortable. And cold.” He started undoing the buttons on his coat and pulled it off, dropping it on the floor, and then he pulled the red shirt beneath his coat off. Once that was off and piled on the floor, he started on his pants.
“Idiot,” Law snapped. “Don’t just drop them there. We need to hang them up to dry.”
Luffy paused his efforts to divest himself of his pants and looked up at Law. “Oh, shishishi, sorry, Torao.”
Law rolled his eyes and pushed the blankets off. He slowly pushed himself to his feet as Luffy picked up his sodden clothes. Law made his way over to the table and grabbed a couple of chairs. He set them in front of the fire. Getting the idea, Luffy grabbed the other two chairs and placed them alongside the first two.
Law then unbuttoned his own coat. Once he peeled it off, he draped it over the back of one of the chairs to dry by the fire. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luffy do the same with his own coat and shirt. Law then pulled his shirt off and placed it on another chair. As the cold air hit his clammy skin, Law shivered. Fuck, it was cold in here. The only heat source seemed to be the fireplace. He was glancing around the cabin for anything else that might be a source of warmth when his gaze landed on Luffy, who was staring at him.
Law raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Luffy shook himself. It was hard to see in the dim light, but Law could swear Luffy’s cheeks were pink. “Uh, it’s nothing. Just. I hadn’t seen all of your tattoos before, that’s all.”
Law glanced down at himself, noting the soggy bandages with blooms of red wrapped around his arm and chest with a frown. He must have popped some stitches at some point. It would probably be too much to hope that this remote cabin would have medical supplies. “You can’t see them all now, either.”
Luffy sputtered at that, and Law snorted in amusement. He walked back across the cabin, passing Luffy. He picked up one of the blankets from the bed at tossed it at Luffy, smacking him in the face with it. “They’re under the bandages, Straw Hat-ya.”
“Oh, right.”
Law shook his head and grabbed a second blanket from the bed. After toeing off his shoes and removing his wet socks (gross), he wrapped the blanket around his shoulders to cover himself before taking off his pants and underwear. He then grabbed his pile of clothing and made his way back to the fireplace, spreading everything out on the chairs dry. Once he was satisfied, he looked back up Luffy, who was draped in his own blanket. He met Law’s gaze, and for a moment, the two captains just looked at one another as the blizzard howled outside the cabin, trapping them inside.
The quiet was broken when Luffy’s stomach growled loudly. Luffy let out a groan and practically wilted.
“I’m hungry,” he whined.
Law couldn’t stop the surprised laugh that escaped his lips at that, and Luffy pouted.
“It’s not funny.” He hesitated before adding, “Though I like Torao’s laugh. You should laugh more.”
“Make me,” was the automatic petulant retort he’d perfected as a teenager, but the expression on Luffy’s face made Law wonder if he’d made a mistake.
“Don’t worry, Torao, I will,” Luffy replied, his grin tinged with a feral quality that made goosebumps erupt on Law’s skin.
Law glanced away. “Tch.” He cleared his throat. “There’s no telling how long this storm is going to last. We should see if there is any more wood for the fire.”
“And food.”
“And food,” Law allowed, and Luffy let out a pleased yip. Law rolled his eyes, though he felt his lips tug upward.
The two began searching through cabinets and shelves. They found a few cans of preserved meat and vegetables as well as a few snack bars but nothing substantial. There was a pile of firewood next to the fireplace as well. They could only hope they wouldn’t be stuck here long enough to run out of either. Deferring to Luffy’s hunger, Law found a can opener in one of the drawers and opened a couple of cans for them to share—or, for Luffy to eat the majority of while leaving a small amount for Law.
They ended up settling in front of the fire together, shoulders brushing, and once they were done eating, they fell quiet, the whipping wind filling the silence between them. Law found himself staring into the crackling flames and thinking of nights spent with Cora-san on their trek through the North Blue in a futile search for a cure for Amber Lead Disease. They’d spent most of their nights camped out by a fire. Law wondered what Cora-san would think of him now, with Doflamingo arrested and his mission finally completed.
Law hoped he would be proud.
“See, you think too much.”
Law started and looked over at Luffy. “What?”
Luffy bumped Law’s shoulder. “I could practically hear you thinking. And it was making you sad.”
“Fuck off,” Law muttered with no real heat.
Luffy chuckled but didn’t press. After a few moments, he said, “M’cold, Torao.”
“Me too,” Law admitted, pulling his blanket more tightly around himself. The fire was getting lower. They would need to put another log on soon to keep it going while they slept, but they also couldn’t waste the lumber; storms like this could last for days, especially on the Grand Line.
To avoid freezing overnight, they decided to push the bed close to the fire. Luffy immediately clambered in and, shutting his eyes, let out a sigh of relief as he pulled the bedding over him. Law, suddenly very aware that they were both naked beneath their respective blankets, hesitated next to the bed until Luffy opened one eye to stare at Law.
“What’re you doing, Torao? Come on.” He lifted the bedding up in invitation.
Luffy shares a bed with all his friends, Law reminded himself, thinking of the sleeping arrangements he had decidedly not joined in on while sailing on the Thousand Sunny. This is normal for him. Besides, this is the most logical way to conserve heat…
With a large measure of trepidation, Law climbed into the bed, and Luffy dropped the bedding on top of him to cover both of them. Law turned onto his side so he was facing Luffy. The two looked at each other for a moment before Luffy huffed and shifted forward so he was pressed up against Law’s chest. He threw an arm over Law’s hip, pulling him close. Law went rigid, and his eyes widened at the sudden proximity. He had no idea what to do with his hands.
“Straw Hat-ya…”
“s’cold,” Luffy muttered sleepily into Law’s chest. “Torao’s warm.”
Luffy was warm, too, and Law, despite his panic, felt himself melting into Luffy’s embrace. His injuries ached, and his exhaustion was bone deep after overusing his fruit. More than that, though, during the short duration of their alliance, Luffy’s presence registered only safety to his senses. Law wanted to be annoyed by that, but as his eyes drifted shut, he could only let out a sigh of warm contentment.
“Hey, Straw Hat-ya.”
“Hm?” Luffy asked, looking up from where he was tracing the visible lines of Law’s chest tattoo, his touch leaving goosebumps in its wake.
“Why were you so determined for me to come ashore yesterday?” Law asked, glancing down at Luffy.
When he’d woken up earlier that morning, the cabin lit by the gray sunlight weakened by the continuing blizzard, he’d briefly panicked when he realized his arms had wrapped around Luffy during the night. But when he’d tried to extract them, Luffy had picked his head up and glared at him.
“Warm,” the younger captain had simply said, and Law, despite his momentary panic, had laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. Luffy had grinned—clearly pleased he’d kept his promise to make Law laugh more—and pulled Law closer.
Eventually, they’d ventured from their warm sanctuary to check on their clothes—not fully dry—relieve themselves, open another can of food to share, and put more wood on the fire before returning to the warmth of the bed. At one point, Law had shifted, and Luffy noticed Law’s tattoo peeking through a crack in the blanket; he’d looked up at Law.
“Can I?” he’d asked.
Law glanced down at him. “Hm?”
“Touch you?” Pink tinged his cheeks as he clarified, “I mean, your tattoo.”
Law had felt his own face heat, but he nodded anyway. Weightless in Luffy’s orbit, helpless to his gravity. As Luffy’s fingers ghosted across Law’s skin, Law’s own hand had drifted to the nape of Luffy’s neck, resting there, and Luffy had made a pleased sound, arching into the touch. The sound had gone directly to Law’s groin, and Law shifted awkwardly. Luffy wasn’t like that, after all. Right? And they’d remained entangled like that until Law spoke up to break the quiet.
“Oh,” Luffy said, meeting Law’s gaze. He smiled, a small, soft thing that took Law’s breath away. “You’ve been stuck in your head since we left Dressroba,” he said. “And there’s nothing better for that than an adventure!”
While in the immediate aftermath of Doflamingo’s fall, Law had been able to distract himself by treating the wounded and escaping from an admiral, he’d felt himself floundering once they’d made their getaway from Dressrosa. What was he supposed to do now that Doflamingo was headed to Impel Down and Law, against all odds, was still alive? The mission that Law had dedicated the last thirteen years of his life to had been accomplished, and he had no idea what came next.
It was fucking terrifying.
“Idiot,” Law muttered; he let his eyes fall shut once more. Why was it that Law was an open book to Luffy when he’d made a point of creating an inscrutable persona as a pirate while Luffy, who seemed all surface with little depth, remained an enigma to Law? “This has definitely been an adventure.”
Luffy was quiet for a few moments before he said quietly, “Hey, Torao.”
Law hummed in response, but when Luffy didn’t say anything, Law opened his eyes once more. He started when he found Luffy’s face hovering close to his. This close, Law could make out the dusting of freckles across Luffy’s nose and the specks of green in his eyes.
In the hazy light of the cabin, he looked pretty.
Law didn’t have the chance to wonder where that thought had come from as Luffy pressed forward. “Is this okay?” he whispered, his lips ghosting against Law’s.
Rather than answer, Law surged up into the kiss. Luffy’s lips were chapped from the cold and his mouth warm. The angle was awkward, but Luffy made up for it with enthusiasm, kissing Law like he wanted to devour him. In response, Law tangled his hands in Luffy’s hair, tugging lightly. Luffy gasped into Law’s mouth, and Law nipped at Luffy’s bottom lip before soothing it over with his tongue. Luffy made a pleased sound in the back of his throat.
Law groaned and then rolled them so he was on top of Luffy, the younger captain looking up at him in surprise. His pupils were blown wide, but his hands were gentle as they reached up to touch the bandages that were visible, as Law’s blanket had slipped down around his waist. The air was cold on Law’s bare skin, but he barely noticed it as Luffy ran his hands over the bandages before splaying a hand on the middle of Law’s chest.
“Why?” Law found himself asking without thinking. Why do you care? Why me? Why wouldn’t you let me die? Why?
“Shishishi. Because I wanted to.”
“But why?” Law realized his voice was verging on hysterical, but he couldn’t help it. Now that the question that had been plaguing him for days was out, he couldn’t let it go.
“Because Torao is Torao,” Luffy said as if that was explanation enough.
“Don’t try to find a reason for someone’s love,” Sengoku had said. Was this what he meant? That Law could have this just because he was himself and Luffy was, well, Luffy?
It didn’t seem possible. Not for someone like Law.
Law flinched when he felt a thumb brush away a tear from the corner of his eye. When had he started crying? “Silly, Torao,” Luffy said fondly before tugging Law back down and kissing him again. And Law… Law bent down, his lips finding Luffy’s pulse point. Luffy tilted his head to give Law better access, sighing as Law’s mouth traced his neckline.
“My silly Torao.”
The next morning, dawn broke over Shika Island, the sharp pinks, oranges, and purples of the rising sun reflecting off the new snow as the world slowly came back to life after the storm. Birds took flight into the crisp, clear morning and animals began to venture out of their hidey holes.
The door to a lone hunting cabin opened, and out stepped two pirate captains, their hands entwined as they started trudging through the snow in the direction of the town.
And from a hill overlooking the cabin, a white stag watched the two men and bowed its head to them, a benediction, before turning and running back toward the trees, leaving no prints behind it.