Chapter Text
"Do you think he'll ask him today?" Usopp asked as he continued to restock the sauce trays. He and his coworker, Sanji were watching inconspicuously as their fellow opener Luffy, smiled and chatted with a customer at the front counter.
"No, what makes you think today will be the day?” the blonde man asked gruffly as he stared at his browned-haired coworker incredulously. “Luffy will just get him his usual shitty coffee and then he’ll tell Luffy his shitty fact of the day after Luffy tells him the joke of the day! Like they have been doing every day for the past month! I'm telling you, Luffy won't be the one to make the first move! He is more dense and obtuse than Zoro when it comes to romance!" Sanji was exasperated as he moved away to finish prepping the kitchen area for the morning shift.
The mysterious man took his coffee and waved a small farewell to Luffy before exiting the store for the day. The other employees of the McDonald's morning crew sighed in collective disappointment when the rogue-looking customer failed to ask their fellow young coworker for his number once again.
They all internally groaned. Luffy would be spending the rest of the day gushing about the new fact he had learned and sharing it with everyone. The crew thought it was cute at first, the little exchange that would occur between the two of them every morning. But now, they would really love for one of them to make the first move because it was so painfully obvious that they were both into each other. The man would be civil with the crew if he happened to come in when Luffy was off, but for the most part, he would only give facts of the day or his small endearing smile to their naive friend.
Hell, they would love for the customer in question to just ask Luffy if he was dating anyone. To make some sort of effort to indicate that he was interested in the poor kid at least. To do some sort of romantic gesture to convince Luffy to stop disbelieving them when they told him the man has fuck me eyes for him!
The slow perpetual grinding of hope into dust would end for both parties if either of the two were bold enough to make the first move. But the smartly-dressed customer did no such thing nor did their delightful coworker. Every morning at 6, he would come in and only be served by Luffy at the front counter register.
Like a psycho, he would order a large Americano with 2 extra shots of espresso and drink it black. It was maddening to the crew! The man would scowl every time he drank from the cup as if its very existence offended him and he was forced to stomach it. If he didn't like the coffee then he shouldn’t order it!
What was even more frustrating to the crew was that Luffy really had fallen for a guy that was bad news. No sane officer worker would get the word 'death' tattooed across his knuckles. Luffy’s smile was extra wide and bright when the customer came in for his routine coffee again today. It seems that whenever the crew saw the man, he would be even more flustered and somehow softer with Luffy's smile. He even smiled back at Luffy when he told this cheesy pun of a joke about golfers and their pants! Luffy was so over the moon about making the customer smile for hours afterwards that the crew begrudgingly tried to think of a way to get the two guys together. As much as they didn't like the man, he seemed to really lift up Luffy's spirits and vice versa.
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Law was in deep shit and he knew it. He still couldn’t believe how out of sorts he was getting over one guy, over a cashier at a McDonald's—but he couldn’t help it! That guy was stunning to him!
It was November 1st when he met the embodiment of laughter. His coworkers had kept him up till the early morning celebrating Halloween at Universal Studios Halloween Nights.
And while they had slept in the car, Law had to make the 2 hour drive back to their houses to drop them off before going to his. He was exhausted by the time he got home and went to bed. He overslept his alarms and barely got out the door to start driving to his place of work, Flevance General Hospital.
Law needed caffeine in hopes to function that day. Starbucks would take too long. It was already 8 so the mid-morning rush would be happening. He needed a different stop to ensure he got to work on time.
He groaned at the third red light he had hit on the way to work. Law was losing what little precious time he had to get that desired cup of Joe before having to stomach the sad excuse of diluted bean water they dared called coffee that was served at the hospital. He glanced over the street and saw a McDonald's.
It wasn't very desirable, hell it was barely better than the coffee the hospital served but Law didn't want to fight his colleagues for it when he was still extremely drowsy from the little sleep he had gotten. So he begrudgingly turned into the store's driveway.
When Law saw that the drive thru was packed, he groaned. He didn't have time to waste sitting in line, he needed caffeine now! So the doctor walked into the store and took stock of the restaurant's interior design. It had a warm and homey atmosphere to it. The walls were painted with emerald greens, canary yellows, and cherry reds. The tables and chairs were mahogany-colored which when paired with the color of the walls, gave the place a rich and inviting feeling.
Law scoffed, who would bother wasting money and effort into making a fast food restaurant feel like a cozy home? He scanned and walked over to the front counter, annoyed that no one seemed to be attending to the register. He was about to attempt to use the self-ordering kiosks when he heard the happiest "Hi!" in his life.
Law is a practical man. He values logic and reasoning above emotions. But as he looked at the sunshine smile that beamed into his gray patch worked little heart, he felt a warmth he had never felt before. He felt the blood in his veins roar into his ears, deafening all other sounds out as he beheld this sight. It was like the summer heat kissing his face, a sweet humid August drizzle, the humming crackle against a shimmering bonfire. Law felt his heart burst with sheer joy and his cheeks flood with a searing blush. He blinked a few times as he stared at the man. He was breathtaking.
The boy before him had sun-kissed skin that seemed to flow like silk across his cheekbones and neck. His nose was small and adorable. It turned up a little at the very tip, perfect for what Law could imagine to peck with his lips or lovingly tap with his fingers. His eyes were smoldering dark chocolate swirls, shimmering in the light like molten bronze. Law could stare for hours in the melted warmth he felt radiate from them. His lips were stretched wide with an eager and friendly smile that Law certainly didn't feel right in receiving but basked in greedily. The man was like a fresh glass of water in a desert and Law had never realized how desperately parched he was until now.
Law swallowed thickly. His voice and words seemed to have deserted him as he tried to string together a sentence to speak while the embodiment of happiness he never knew existed patiently waited behind the counter.
"Um…"
"It's okay if you need a minute to decide. Do you mind if I finish making a new pot of coffee?"
His voice rang through Law's head like the little bells of a heavenly choir. He could get used to hearing such a voice speak. The words slowly swirled through the pleasant fog that had draped over Law’s mind. Coffee, right, that was what he was inside the store for! Law blinked several more times to snap out of the lovesick trance he found himself in. He gathered his mental fortitude and cleared his throat to get the young man's attention as he watched him make coffee with the store brewing device. Law’s mind betrayed his focus, however, presenting him with the idea of the guy making coffee in his own house for them. Law wondered if the employee would have bed hair like him or if his hair would look as heavenly as the rest of his appearance.
His focus slipped further as his eyes roved over the guy's figure. He was slim but athletic, his uniform fit him comfortably but still showed off his small round butt that Law sorely wished to touch. His hips were petite and his arms appeared toned under the sleeved tee he wore. Law could see messy black locks of hair poking out underneath the employee's hat. Law wondered hazily if they were as soft as they looked. The thought of running his fingers wantonly through the boy's hair, to feel it underneath his fingertips sent shivers down his spine.
Law was unceremoniously ripped from his haze of lust and newfound puppy love when Luffy
he finally registered the Adonis’ name when he noticed the name tag
had turned back around to face him. His smile never failed to radiate its sweetness into Law’s shrouded dark soul.
Law was never one for sweets. He practically had to be forced to eat any for the sheer fact that he didn't like how the flavor lingered in his mouth like an overstayed house guest. But with Luffy, god he just loved to think about Luffy's name, it made his skin burn with desires that he never knew he had in him. With Luffy, he could eat a bag of sugar and not bat an eye. His smile felt so sweet and sincere it melted Law into a puddle of goopy adoration. Luffy was a treat that Law practically wanted to devour right then and there, not caring who was present.
"Thanks for waiting, welcome to McDonald's! Would you like to use our new app today?"
Law felt his tongue die and his brain fry. He stared at Luffy like a deer caught in headlights. He could tell Luffy was being patient with him but his smile was starting to seem a little strained.
"How can I help you today?" Law finally snapped out of his silence. God, what was he doing! He didn't want to seem like a creep to this guy!
He cleared his throat and cough into his hand and looked up at the digital menu. He wanted his usual Cappuccino he got at Starbucks but they didn't have that opinion. He was very particular in how his Cappuccino was made and he had a feeling that they wouldn’t have the abilities to do what he wanted, so he'd just go with an Americano and use the non-dairy creamer at work to fix it up. He also wanted to add 2 extra espressos into it for the additional caffeine boost he was going to need for the day.
"Um… can I get a large Americano with two shots of extra espresso in it?" Law managed to spit out with the stumbling grace of a toddler. He felt his face burn with embarrassment for having such difficulty speaking to Luffy. He doesn't remember speaking to an attractive guy being this hard! He'd talked to loads of hot guys before, so why the hell was his mind running on a processing power akin to Windows XP!? Law kept his eyes on the menu board, anywhere but Luffy's angelic face so that he could at least attempt to speak albeit if it comes out incoherently at some parts.
"Sure, do you want to try our new glazed donuts with that drink today?" Luffy's smile amplified even more if that was even possible. Law mused that he could get a sunburn from how brightly it shined.
"Sure."
Law didn't register the question Luffy had spoken till the God of Joy had grabbed one of the glazed donut holes that were in the display case next to the register. Law really didn't want the disgustingly sweet-looking pastry but was too embarrassed to raise his objection when Luffy processed the order to the payment part.
"Would you like that for here or to go, sir?" Law stared confused at Luffy. What now?
Luffy tittered. It was a sound that was immediately embedded into Law's mind. He wanted to hear Luffy do it again. It was intoxicating.
"Would you like your order for here or to go, sir?" He tilted his head to the side, his smile morphed into a coy small smirk. Law felt his insides were on fire. That smile was sinful, positively criminal to gaze at and Law wanted to drink it in forever. He coughed to distract himself from his ever-growing lustful thoughts, and mumbled “To go” to Luffy.
God, it was getting hot in here. Do they not use air conditioners in this store? Thankfully, Luffy caught his words and finished processing the order with a knowing chuckle of Law’s internal plight. Law paid and went over to the handout part of the countertops feeling his face cook with the amount of hot blood coursing through it.
He had never felt this way about anyone before. Sure he's dated a few people, but he had never felt such an intense desire to kiss and touch anyone as he had with Luffy. Law was so jumbled up from his roller coaster of emotions that he didn't notice Luffy calling him for his order while standing in front of him. Law swore under his breath in mortified embarrassment. He had just ordered it. Luffy must've whipped it up in seconds!
The doctor flushed when he heard Luffy giggling at him. He clumsily grabbed his coffee, leaving the donut holes on the counter. Luffy rushed out the door after him as Law stumbled mentally over what had just happened. He gasped and stiffened when Luffy touched his shoulder blades. His touch was like molten lightning to his bones.
"You forgot your food!" Law stared dazedly at Luffy then at his hand holding out the food.
"Um, you eat them. I don't like sweets."
Luffy stared at him dumbfounding and then smiled brighter. Law felt that he had just witnessed the creation of a supernova.
"Really?! Thank you! You have a wonderful and happy Monday!"
Law nearly collapsed in the parking lot as Luffy went back into the store, skipping with jubilation over the newfound treat he was given. Law’s heart was pounding like he had sprinted a marathon. That smile and thank you was the greatest thing he had ever received from a person and he frantically wanted it to happen again!
Law felt his phone go off in his pocket. He pulled it out mechanically to see a text from Shachi reminding him they had a staff meeting at 10 am. Staff meeting, he had hazily wondered till realization slammed into him like a freight train. Right, he was going to be late to work! Law darted into his car and sped off to the hospital, pushing the speed limit and cursing the entire way. He hated being late.
Law had barely made it to work on time that day. Ever since that incident, he couldn’t go back to his usual Starbucks for coffee. As much as he hated how the coffee tasted from McDonald's, Law would drink that awful excuse for caffeine for the rest of his life if it meant he could see Luffy’s smile and hear his cheesy corny jokes every morning. He was head over heels for this guy and he didn’t know what to do about it and he was starting to hate that so much.
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Luffy reentered the store after the customer left that day, delighted at the tall man's generosity to him. He secretly liked the way the guy looked and thought he was cool with the hand tattoos. He wondered a little embarrassedly—and maybe a little lustfully—if he had more underneath the white dress shirts and blazers he wore into the store every day. He liked how he made the man blush during their first interaction. It made Luffy feel giddy and tingly in his tummy.
Luffy headed back to put his given treat in his cubby in the crew room. The crew noticed the brown baggie and most of them quirked their eyebrows at him and made little teasing quips. He moved faster so as to avoid explaining to Nami that the customer gave it to him because he didn't want it. She was such a stingy meanie manager. She would probably try and make him put it back so the store would make more money from having extra sales.
The well-groomed and devilish-looking customer gave him the treat and Luffy was going to enjoy it damn it!
Luffy's mind burned with great curiosity about that customer ever since that fateful day. He really wanted to know more about the man like what the guy did for a living. He obviously held a more professional job than Luffy's and he looked so good doing it too. Luffy wished he had the nerve to make small talk with the dark-haired stranger but he felt so tongue-tied whenever he entered the store.
It was as if magic had exploded around the lemon-eyed man when he arrived punctually at 6 am every day. He felt so happy when the man came every day. It was like waiting for the new year's ball drop. It felt like a special treat to him that gave him butterflies in his tummy and tingling tickles in his toes.
Luffy felt so nervous the first few times the well-dressed man came in, he barely got out the well-versed lines he had to say to each guest. He felt it was a little easier now to speak to the mysterious customer. The daily interactions felt like a well-learned dance they did together, perfect for Luffy's heart's contentment.
Luffy liked the man's small smile when he told his joke of the day. Luffy once told a slightly morbid joke he had heard and liked and it made the customer chuckle! Luffy loved the sound of the baritone rumble that slipped from the stranger's lips and hoped to incite it from him again soon!
Luffy felt himself get slightly flushed from the memories. He wondered idly what the well-toned man's lips tasted like? Would they be bitter like the coffee he drinks every day? Or would they be secretly sweet like the glazed donut holes he gave him?
Luffy didn't understand how the regular could stand the bitterness of the coffee, especially with the extra espresso. He once tried it on his own at a different store so that his coworkers wouldn't tease him about it and found that he did not like it at all. It made his face screw up into the most unpleasant frown. Luffy had to drown the drink in cream and sugar to make it palatable, which in turn made him super hyper and wired all day. He couldn't believe the man drank coffee that black daily!
Luffy felt conflicted about leaving things the way they were. His friends have been badgering him every time to ask the guy out, to get his phone number or hell, to at least get his name!
He liked the customer, he really did, but Luffy was scared the guy didn't like him back like that and Luffy would hate it if he drove the man away with his unwanted flirting. It made Luffy's day to have a customer want to see him and give him a fun fact of the day. Most of the facts were medical-related but they were still cool to learn! So he decided just to be content with what he got rather than to pine after a midnight's summer dream.
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Law was one of the greatest surgeons to have ever graced the halls of Fleavance hospital. His success rate in surgeries with low to no complications was phenomenal! His bedside manner was surprisingly good considering how grumpy and icy he was with most of his colleagues.
He was dubbed the Ice King of the E.R. after responding in an uncouth and uncaring manner when a medical intern confessed her feelings to him. Most of them would say that it was because Law was married to his work and did not take kindly to those that tried to divorce him from that.
That is why it was extremely surprising to find that Law seemingly had melted overnight into someone unrecognizable to the hospital staff. At least to those that didn't personally work with him.
Those people who were hand-picked by Law to work with him and saw him fight to save every patient, knew something was different about the doctor. They saw how Law could be tender and gentle to the sickest of kids and how he would make the elderly chuckle at his friendly but slightly gruff banter with his nurses.
His two best senior nurses, Shachi and Penguin, were his best friends since childhood. They had been through many rough seasons and came out of it together stronger than the toughest of surgical steel. Their friendship was like a brotherhood to them and they held each other in deep regards. Shachi and Penguin were familiar with Law’s characteristics, so seeing how he became softer and less grumpy with General staff was alarming to them.
They noticed immediately how Law started collecting facts of the day's books and would pour through them for hours in his free time, scribbling down notes on selected ones. They would notice him smile and space off more between surgeries and patients like his head was on cloud nine. He had to be in love!
Shachi and Penguin were thrilled to see that Law had finally found someone! Now they just needed to make sure his dumbass didn't fuck it up! They dove deep into the gossip wheel that rolled through the hospital nurses' desks, inquiring everywhere and with everyone they had a lead on. But no one had seen anyone be given special attention from Law. It was baffling! Since Law wasn't seen interacting with anyone in the hospital any differently, Shachi and Penguin came to the conclusion that his love interest had to be somewhere else.
They followed him to his gym and watched him during his grocery shopping, but nothing gave an indication of a person having Law's newfound fancy. They were certain that he didn't go anywhere before work, just to Starbucks to get his coffee.
Shachi was losing his mind over the mystery man that had captured his doctor’s heart with rapture. He decided to go to check out the Starbucks they knew that Law went to every day for the last 3 years. He liked the staff there and always left a nice tip for the ones that made his ridiculous coffee. Shachi rolled his eyes at the memory of the inexpedient drink.
Law would get a Grande, bone dry, 5 shots of Lungo cappuccino. He would have an absolute fit if they put too much milk in his coffee, the dark-haired psycho. Shachi and Penguin teased him relentlessly about it for months but he never changed his order.
He would argue it was the best coffee he’s ever had and he wouldn't change it for anyone. When Shachi went to Starbucks, he got the shock of his life. Law hadn't been to the aforementioned store for his coffee for over a month! He was speechless! There is no way Law would quit drinking coffee. He practically bleeds the substance with how much he consumes.
He must have started going to a different coffee shop for it. Shachi later told Penguin the news. As much as they both hated waking up as early as Law, they would have to do an early bird stakeout to see where their friend was going to get his coffee.
After Shachi and Penguin attempted to pester Law and his father over Thanksgiving about any new news on a potential boyfriend or new coffee hot spots, the stakeout was the last lead they had and curiosity was killing them.
It was now Wednesday, the third day of trying to catch Law before he left his house. They knew he got up earlier than them to catch up on paperwork at the hospital but 5:30 am was so early. To say they were extremely surprised to see him go to McDonald’s was an understatement. Law was extremely picky with everything he ate and drank. He was so fussy about his coffee that it was amazing the Starbucks he went to would put up with him. They knew this had to be it. There had to be a worker or a customer that Law met at this store that had made him act so bizarrely.
Penguin parked his car at the liquor store next to the restaurant so Law wouldn’t see him and Shachi in the parking lot. No sense in giving the chap the drop they were snooping on him. He would have their heads for breaching into his private affairs.
They scouted around the store before entering it. They sought cover from the half wall that divided the restaurant in half and watched in complete fascination as their friend laughed at a corny pun an employee told him. They nearly got caught because of giggling furiously when Law responded to the said employee with his fact of the day, acting so suave and nonchalant. So that was why he had bought all those books and took dozens of notes from them. That employee was the guy whom Law had a crush on!
They studied the employee with great intensity; he was cute and young-looking. Nothing at all like the ex Law had dated 8 years ago. The boy was slim and toned. He had a rather infectious smile to say the least when they were comparing notes of what they made of him later that day. They waited for Law to leave and drive off before going up and ordering from the lad themselves. He seemed very friendly and sweet. Not someone they ever thought Law would want to date. Penguin struck up a conversation with Luffy as they waited for their order.
Unlike Law, the two of them actually liked McDonald’s. They asked for their hash browns to be made in order to buy some time for them to gauge Luffy’s personality and compatibility to Law’s. Luffy seemed to be just a run of the mill guy. He was 21, going to college for sports medicine and overall a decent fella. A nice change of pace from the jerks that Law seemed to attract back in their early medical school years.
Law had sworn off dating after his last breakup with Eustass Kid. He had caught the bartender cheating with some long-haired blonde guy. After that Law threw himself into his schooling and then his work. Penguin and Shachi hadn’t said anything about it. It wasn’t their place as his best friends to tell him he shouldn’t focus on his main goals in life. Though now that they are working in their fields as full-fledged medical professionals, Law shouldn’t be so wary of dating people. Yeah, Luffy was 7 years younger than Law but he was going into a type of medical practice and they seemed to have good chemistry. As friends of Law’s, they had to help push the two in the right direction.
The two guys seemed to be stuck at square one however. From the conversation that Penguin had with Luffy, the guy wasn’t seeing anyone and didn’t hint at having any admirers in the wings. This was great news to hear as it meant that Law had a shot with him. Problem is, Law wasn't making any moves on him. Shachi and Penguin were happy to see that their friend was quite smitten with the kid; there could be no other explanation based on how he had been recently acting. Law deserves some happiness in his life. If he wasn't going to make a move because of something he was hesitant to do because of past experiences, then they could do it for him. So to get the two of them together, Shachi and Penguin came up with a fool-proof plan.
They roped Bepo into helping them get the rest of their coworkers to agree to have their first hospital-wide Christmas party. There was a gala that the hospital did but that was mostly for them to garner donors and sponsors so only the best employees were invited. This party, however, would be for everyone.
It was difficult to get most to agree to do it. Most did small celebrations within their own wards or groups of colleagues but the trio managed to do the impossible. They snagged a nice venue for the gathering and managed to get people to chip in for the party. They even got some of the management to fund it by citing that it was for 'employee morale’.
They got a friend to DJ for the party and they got people to agree to do a potluck. The stage was set, now they needed to get their intended guests to go!
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Law was extremely annoyed and frustrated by his friends. Not only had he failed to figure out how to ask the embodiment of a sunflower out on a date, now his friends had practically forced him to go to a stupid Christmas party they managed to get the hospital to host for its staff.
They used underhanded tactics to get him to agree to go and what made it worse was the fact they had made it so people had to bring a plus one. He wasn’t even dating Luffy yet! How the hell was he supposed to bring a guy he’s barely known for a month to a serious date like a work-related party. It was like asking Luffy to meet his family. It was going to be a personal affair and Law didn’t want to show up without a date but he was practically breaking down in a panic about asking Luffy to go.
He smacked his head on his office desk. He needed to think of something, he had 19 days to ask Luffy to the holiday party on the 22nd of December, a Saturday night affair. Law was a bag of nerves. He hadn’t been on a date for nearly a decade. The surgeon was certain that Luffy was younger than him, which made him nervous to even ask Luffy out on a date.
Luffy was obviously at least 18 otherwise he wouldn’t be able to work an opening shift at McDonald’s because of the state law. The thought of dating someone almost a decade younger than him made Law uneasy. He personally didn’t care about people judging him but he didn’t want to subjugate that to Luffy, so Law quietly stewed on his lunch break about what he was going to do about the party coming up and coming fast.
A quiet knock interrupted the all-consuming dilemma he was internally having. “Am I intruding on something?” Law looked up and saw his supervisor, Dr. Marco Fushichou standing in his office’s doorway. “Is there something wrong, Dr. Trafalgar?”
Law internally groaned. Yes there was, but he doubted that Dr. Fushichou could help him figure out how to ask Luffy out to the work holiday party. He sat up in his chair, straightening out his outfit. He didn't want to appear disheveled in front of his boss. It would bring unwanted attention to himself when he was already dealing with one major crisis. He didn't like it when others pried into his private affairs.
“No, I am just tired, that's all.” Dr. Fushichou had a thoughtful look as he quirked an eyebrow at the young head surgeon as he watched him lean back into his chair, tense and seemingly on edge. He could tell something was eating at the young man. He coughed into his free hand and walked over to Law’s desk, placing the paperwork he brought for the other to look over onto it. Law picked up the papers and started scanning through them.
“Could it be that you aren’t looking forward to the Christmas party your nurses helped cook up at the last minute?” The blonde smirked as the young surgeon stiffened at the mention of the party, so that was the issue. He mused that the young man must be out of sorts about bringing a date to such an event.
It was going to be an intimate affair amongst coworkers, so it would be unwise for him to just bring anyone. The blonde wondered who Law would be bringing. He was certain the doctor wasn’t dating anyone but from the gossip he had heard whispering around their hospital halls, who knows anymore.
Curious about his young colleague and wanting to help him through a distressing event, Marco pulled up one of the chairs that sat in front of Law’s office desk. Law watched him warily; Marco could tell he had his guard up about the subject. “Do you not have someone you could bring to the party?”
Law’s jaw tightened at the question. So that was the problem, Marco softly snorted. Of all the employees Marco handles as the chief of surgery, Law had to be the most interesting one. He was quite the enigma at work. Kept to himself mostly except to those he considered close to himself he rarely spoke to anyone beyond common civility. It caused Marco to have a greater interest in who has Law's fancy. It had to be a very special person indeed, he mused quietly as he waited patiently for Law to respond.
The raven-haired doctor pursued his lips with disapproval at the question. As he took a breath to retort that it wasn’t any of Marco’s concern, an idea struck him. Why not ask for advice on the crisis he was having? He really could use an outside source in the matter. Law was torn between asking the blue-eyed man for advice. He didn’t want to reveal such a personal problem to a colleague but Dr. Fushichou was a respectable supervisor.
He had been Law’s supervisor since he started his residency at the hospital and Law knew that he wasn’t the type of coworker to air out people’s dirty laundry. He didn’t know much of the older man’s personal life and he liked that aspect of their relationship. It was purely work-related and they were on good terms with that aspect, but Law was short on people that he trusted enough to ask for advice on the matter and then be able to compare or contrast their outside opinions to see which one seems ideal to his situation.
He did not want to tell Penguin or Shachi about Luffy just yet. They probably would demand to meet the guy and ask him a million questions like they were Law’s parents gushing over a prom date. Law didn’t want to spook Luffy away. He really liked him and wanted to make things work if he could just get the nerve to ask Luffy out in the first place.
“Dr. Fushichou, can I ask you for some personal advice?” The tan-skinned man nodded, leaned forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees. His sky blue eyes studied Dr. Trafalgar’s face conflicted visage. Law seemed to be internally struggling with what he wanted to ask. It must be a serious problem for the reclusive young man.
“I do have someone I want to bring to the party but I haven’t figured out exactly how to ask them yet…”
“And you wanted my advice on that?” Law nodded to Marco’s question. Marco leaned back into the back of the chair, rubbed his chin stubble thoughtfully. “How long have you been dating them?”
Law blushed furiously at the question. He looked away from the older man, feeling waves of embarrassment flow over him as he quietly admitted that he actually hadn’t asked them out yet. Both of his supervisor’s eyebrows raised up; now that was a tricky situation to handle indeed. He nearly smirked at Law's reaction to his question; he never thought Law could be so cute and so shy about dating. It reminded him of his own little brothers and sisters when they had their first crushes and dates. Oh how he used to tease them about the experiences. It was just too much fun to do so.
It wouldn’t be a smart idea for Law to bring a new relationship out the gate to a work-related event. It could be seen as coming on too strong to a potential partner and could ruin the budding romance. Reflecting on his own experiences and his families, he mulled over the information for a minute then smiled at the fidgeting doctor.
“It’s simple," Marco said to Law. "Ask them out on a few dates before the work party. That way you two have time to get to know each other. It would also feel easier and less problematic and not so intense to ask them to the party later on.”
Law soaked in the advice with consideration. That would make sense to do; it wouldn’t make the party feel so left field for him to ask and the pace of the relationship wouldn’t feel so pushy. Marco stood up and straightened his white doctor’s coat, disrupting Law’s contemplation. “I need to get back to my rounds, Dr Trafalgar. Is there anything else?”
The tan-skinned man looked down at the golden-eyed man with sincere regard for his inner turmoil. It was an odd situation he found his colleague to be in. For all the years that he knew Law, this was the first time Marco had ever seen him so flustered. He internally smirked at the sight, it was cute to see him so ruffled, like a vexed little kitten. He hoped to see whoever was the culprit for the changes in the E.R. 'Ice King' surgeon at the party, they certainly seemed to be very entertaining already.
Law shook his head and politely gestured for him to go; he seemed to have been swept back up into his little predicament. Dr. Fushichou chuckled at Law’s situation as he left the office. He wished the man the best of luck, it looked like he needed it.
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Law was relieved to have received his supervisor’s advice but now felt like he was in a bigger internal struggle of what to do with his predicament. He had gone home that day in high spirits with the advice that his boss had given him. When he entered his home it suddenly occurred to him that not only did he need to figure out a way to ask Luffy out for the first date or at least get his number, now he must ask Luffy several dates before the work party. They need to be evenly spaced out as well so that he did not come off as desperate or clingy or pushy to his new potential boyfriend.
The term ‘boyfriend’ made Law light headed and almost swoon with glee. Was he this emotionally volatile when he was dating Kid? He couldn’t remember anything beyond the cheating and fighting they had done during the 2 years they dated. Law paced around his house, fretting about what he should do tomorrow.
He needed to ask Luffy then so that he could space out 2 to 3 dates before the work party so it would flow nicely in with their new budding relationship. But how was he going to ask for Luffy's phone number? Was Luffy even interested in him that way?
That stopped Law dead in his tracks. Did Luffy like him like that? What if he told everyone his joke of the day and was only paid to be customer friendly? Now that Law was thinking about it, it would make sense that he would tell others the same joke. It was dubbed the joke of the day for a reason. But the last several jokes have been slightly more morbid and to Law's tastes. He highly doubted that Luffy would tell dead people jokes to everyone.
But what if Law had gotten it all wrong and was about to make a fool of himself like he did with Kid! He resumed pacing with greater urgency over the sudden revelation of more potential problems till his phone went off, startling him out of his anxiety. He stopped and checked his phone to see a notification from his Starbucks app.
When was the last time he went to Starbucks? Law idly opened it and read about the new seasonal drinks that are coming up with the Christmas winter spirit. His eyes bulged as he felt an idea hit him like lightning. McDonald's has an app just like Starbucks!
During the first few times Law came in, Luffy offered to show him how to get the app on his phone so he could earn rewards and points with each purchase. He honestly hated the food and the coffee. If it wasn't for Luffy he'd never step foot in McDonald’s, but now he had the means to pull Luffy aside from the prying eyes of his coworkers and ask him privately for his number. Law did not enjoy being watched like a circus monkey, especially if his crew members would be in the peanut gallery. It made it impossible for him to work up the nerve to do anything more than recite his typical order and state a fact of the day.
Law smiled, feeling hopeful again for the next morning. He'll get his answer and hopefully it would be what he secretly wanted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since Law wanted to make sure that there would be as few guests as possible in the store when he asked for help, he decided to be there 20 minutes earlier than usual. Law drove there a little faster than he liked. His nerves were screaming at him. This was a bad idea. What if he was wrong and Luffy didn't like him? What if Luffy thought ill of him for asking for help with setting up the app? It's child's play to be honest. He could do it easily without any assistance but he couldn’t think of another way to get Luffy to come away from the counter without him being creeped out by Law or potentially yelled at by the orange-haired manager. She seemed to run a tight ship and had a no-nonsense style of leadership that Law could appreciate. But when it came to his budding crush on Luffy, it was an annoyance and hindrance to his ambitions.
He took a deep breath as he reached the store's doors.
Law thought to himself as he entered. As he approached the counter he noticed that there weren’t any employees nearby, how odd. He stood by the counter, shifting his weight uncomfortably, regretting his plan almost immediately and now debated if he should just go hide in his car till his usual time and chance the plan not working. Law’s internal debate was short-lived when Nami, as he could finally read on her name tag, came over with a devilishly smirk at him. She seemed to know his intentions immediately because he was there outside of his usual time frame.
""Oh, you're here early." She turned and shouted at the employee-only area at the back of the store. "Oye Luffy, your crush is here early!" She giggled as Law sputtered, feeling as if his heart was about to leap out of his chest. He felt his face explode with a deep shade of red.
Luffy's crush? So did he return Law's feelings after all? The revelation sent him reeling in newfound joy. It felt exhilarating. Before Law could utter a word, the woman signaled him to be quiet with her hand while scowling. "I just sent him on his first 10 minute break, make it count will you? I am tired of having my employees waste time gossiping about you two when they should be working! Geesh!"
Law bit back his retort as she walked away. It wouldn't help Law's cause to piss off the manager in charge of the store. She could ban him from coming if she was particularly feeling vicious about it and he had no doubts she would.
Law heard a chair fall violently to the floor and footsteps racing from the back of the store. He could also hear an embarrassed "Nami, don't say that" coming towards him. Law felt his heart sink.
So Luffy didn't share his feelings. Law felt the color leave his face as fast as it had rushed into it. He felt his heart squeeze with an all too familiar feeling of bitter regret. Luffy had wanted to spare Law the embarrassment of making a fool out of himself by asking for his number after all. That's why he never made any moves outside their daily routine. The continuous depressing thoughts grew in Law's mind and left a bitterness in his mouth more profoundly than any coffee he had ever drunk.
He watched Luffy round the corner store equipment, looking flushed. The way his eyes lit up when he saw Law felt like an extra stab to Law's already painfully throbbing heart. He couldn't go through with the plan. He needed to come up with an excuse fast for why he was early when he was always punctual to the T at 6 am every day. Then never come back to the store. He couldn't take this rejection. It felt like Kid all over again.
"You're here early! Do you mind waiting for me to get off my break to help you?" Before Law could respond, Nami poke around behind Luffy, scowling. "Get out of the work area when you're on break Luffy! If you are going to talk to customers on your break, do it in the lobby!"
Luffy stuck his tongue out at Nami and walked over to Law to talk in the lobby. Law blushed furiously and mumbled apologies about the issue. Luffy smiled a great blinding smile at Law and laughed. "Shishishi… don't worry about Nami, she is just a meanie manager who hasn't had her coffee yet."
"I heard that Luffy!" Luffy smiled sheepishly and directed Law to a table. Law's words died in his mouth as he sat down with Luffy at a table. The whole event was making his brain fry. The two of them sat across each other in a booth for a private conversation. Law marveled at the way the lights made Luffy's eyes sparkle. He couldn't think straight. This was what he had hoped for, a golden opportunity to talk to Luffy without interruption! Even though he was already accepting the fact that he had been wrong about Luffy, he felt a shimmer of hope grow in his bleeding throbbing heart.
"So why are you here early?"
Law stared at him gob smacked as his brain refused to supply him with words. He couldn't just tell him why, Luffy would think he's being a creep. Especially since it was clear that Luffy wasn't into him like he originally thought. He heard his phone go off and before he could think he blurted out, "I was hoping you could help me with the McDonald's app you asked me about a while ago."
Luffy looked at him in puzzlement. Law wanted to curl up and die in a hole. Of all the things he could've said to Luffy, he went with the plan that made him sound so dumb, like who on Earth would need help with something as easy as signing up on an app? When it finally clicked for Luffy, Law saw a sense of disappointment in his eyes; the look killed Law on the inside. Why was Luffy disappointed? Had he been right and messed up his chance? Before Law could continue with his conflicting thoughts, Luffy kept his sunshine smile up and without missing a beat he replied, "Oh okay, can I see your phone then?
Law was too embarrassed to back down from his lie and pulled his phone out from his jacket pocket. Luffy's eyes became big as saucers when he saw that Law had the latest Apple iPhone: an iPhone 13 Pro Max in gold. On the back of it, it had his last name printed on the clear phone case and a small ring stand accessory attached to it.
"Oh my god, you got the latest iPhone and the Pro Max model as well?!" Law stared at Luffy, confused at his excitement. His upsetness about the situation ebbed away. It was just a phone. Shachi and Penguin made him upgrade his previous iPhone SE Gold when it became obsolete a few months ago. He hated having to learn how to use all the new features in his current phone, there were way too many in his opinion. Most of them meant nothing to Law but his friends insisted that since he could easily afford it, he should get the best and latest model. He caved when they pointed out that he wouldn't have to upgrade his phone in a while. Overpriced technology at its finest in his opinion.
Luffy didn't seem to notice Law's blank face as he prattled on about the different features. He gushed and squealed as he looked through the camera features. Law felt his heart palpitate as he observed Luffy's excitement. How can someone be so happy over a camera, didn’t they all do the same thing in the end? His internal questions went unanswered however when he loses the function to think when Luffy got up and gently pushed him over so he could sit down next to Law and share in his geeking out over the phone. He felt his body light on fire and his heart start racing like he got hit with a defibrillator.
“Have you used the Telephoto feature on your Instagram? Have you used the Deep Fusion or Cinematic mode on your TikTok? How does the Apple ProRAW feel in your final image edits? Do they look like those once-in-a-lifetime images you see pro photographers make in magazines?”
Law stared abashedly at Luffy as he looked at him with that wonderful darling smile of his. He could feel the happiness ooze out of Luffy like a radiation wave. However, his stupefied silence needed to be broken; he had no idea what Luffy had just said to him at all.
‘Um… I don’t have TikTok or Instagram.” Law felt his face burn with awkwardness. He had never felt his age more so in his life than in that very moment. Luffy’s face changed from joy to confusion. Then he looked at him in wide-eyed surprise.
“You don’t use Instagram? Do you use Snapchat or Twitter instead?”
“No, I don't use Snapchat or Twitter either.” Law could feel himself internally curl into a ball and die with how out of touch he was with social media. He was certain that these were apps his friends were using but he saw no point investing in them till now. Law wished he hadn’t been so pigheaded about social media and its apparent value in use.
Luffy looked at him, genuinely stunned and perplexed. The look was akin to a puppy receiving his first bone treat for no reason. It just made Law feel like a gooey melted smore.
“Do you use any social media?”
Law felt a glimmer of hope sprang out of him with the question. “I have a Facebook,” he stated confidently. Having it is such a stretch for him in reality. He never used the damn thing. The only reason he had a Facebook was because his friends badgered and harped him into making one so they could tag him in photos they took, never mind that he didn’t want to be photographed in the first place. At this point in time, he was internally grateful that they had. He felt like a winter fossil next to this embodiment of a summer youth.
That seemed to bring Luffy back to his sunshine smile and happy-go-lucky attitude. “Oh, okay. Have you tried using any of Apple's newest features with the iPhone 13 camera?” Law spaced out at the word ‘features’. He couldn’t remember what his friends or the employee he bought the phone from had told him about them.
“I actually haven’t been able to figure them out exactly, would you happen to know how to use them?’ Law felt like the question was a win for him. Now he can avoid the embarrassment of not knowing anything about his phone while having Luffy, who seemed happy to explain the new features without a second thought, tell him about them.
“Do I ever know how! I’ve been dying to save up and upgrade to an iPhone 11 for ages! That was the first iPhone model to have Deep Fusion. Deep Fusion is a new picture processing feature that blends together multiple exposures at a pixel level in order to create a picture with an even higher level of detail than a standard HDR picture. It also has Night mode which is supposed to have greater picture taking abilities at night! It even makes them brighter and clearer! The iPhone 13 Pro Max has the optical zoom out feature that makes digital zoom clearer and is supposed to be 6 times closer and better than its previous models!”
Law was impressed when Luffy continued to babble on about the camera and video recording specs for his dream phone and apparently Law’s phone. The kid seemed to be truly invested in the technology. He liked the dedication the guy had to remember all these technical facts. He had no idea what Luffy meant by Portrait Lighting effects or what Dolby Vision was exactly and how HDR video recording was related to it. It was all Greek to him. Law watched as Luffy opened his camera and tinkered with the settings to show him what the features were. Luffy then pulled out his own phone, an iPhone XR red model, and showed him the differences between the two models excitedly. He also chatted about the different social media he uses and how the features make a difference in picture and video taking which seemed to excite him the most about the devices.
Law just nodded bewilderedly at what Luffy was talking about, thrilled to see Luffy's social media when he opened it up for him to see. He scrolled and showed Law the different photos he took of himself and what appeared to be some of his coworkers. Luffy suddenly looked over to Law with a kittenish grin.
“How about I just show you the differences between the cameras with a selfie!” Before Law could ask what Luffy meant, he pressed himself against Law’s side for an improvised selfie. Law’s body went rigid in surprise when he felt Luffy snake his arm around his waist to pull him closer to his side. He felt Luffy's hand rest too easily on the bony part of Law's hip, his fingers ghost close to his belly button, pressing their sides together and causing a delicious tingling sensation to spread all over Law's pelvis. Luffy held Law’s phone up and gave a Duchenne smile and shouted ‘cheese’ for the camera to go off. When his phone was returned to him, Law could see that his nonplussed and panicked face pressed right next to Luffy’s breathtaking elegant smiling visage was immortalized in the photograph. He couldn’t believe his face was pressed against Luffy’s for what was seconds that felt like a blissful eternity.
Law felt like his body was consumed by the fires of salacity as Luffy stayed squished in his personal space. Luffy took back his hand to show Law the different effects he had been chattering about. Law tried his best to focus on what Luffy was saying but all he could hear was the blood rushing through his ears down to his lower half as his entire neck and ears became tomato red from the interaction. He felt like he was pressed against a furnace and prayed for the moment to never end.
Law snapped out of his lustful avidity when he noticed Luffy looking at him inquisitively. He coughed into his non-squished hand, trying to dispel the shortness of breath and slow the racing of his heart rate he was experiencing by looking at Luffy and having him so close. Luffy gave him a small coy smile and titled his head.
“Do you mind if I share this photo on my Instagram? I really like the saturation and the luminance of the morning light on our skin. It really captures the golden light from the morning sunrise!” Law dazedly nodded at Luffy’s request. It didn’t really sink in what he had said, Law’s focus was all on Luffy’s brilliant beaming face. He couldn’t even manage a protest if he had one with anything Luffy asked for.
Luffy let out a mellifluous squeal ebulliently. He opened Law’s phone and used the text messager app to send himself a copy of the photograph. Law watched with distracted interest as Luffy added some cutesy stickers and a hashtag that said something about coffee dreamboats before posting it on his Instagram account.
The dreamlike moment came to a crashing halt when they heard Nami yell from the back that Luffy had gone over his 10 minutes break and he should get back to work! Luffy leapt out of the seat and turned to Law with a sheepish grin.
“Sorry I gotta go, Nami will get really pissy if I don’t clock back in ASAP.” Law nodded hazily at Luffy’s apology, still unable to formulate words after what had happened. Luffy gave him one last dazzling smile and rushed back to his shift leaving Law alone in a dreamy haze in the booth.
Law didn't register that he had left the store and driven to work till he pulled into one of the hospital’s parking spaces. He felt like he was walking on cloud nine. He was so happy and blissful about the experience till it hit him that he had completely forgotten what he was supposed to do at the store today! Law hit forehead on his steering wheel. Of all the bonehead and thoughtless things he could've done today, forgetting to ask Luffy out was the number one thing!
He hit his forehead repeatedly with growing frustration. He was running out of time. He had to at least ask Luffy out on 3 dates. He felt that 3 would give him enough time to establish a meaningful relationship with his little ball of sunshine. He really didn't have any time to waste.
Law sighed, falling back into the back of his seat. He will have to try again tomorrow. Today was a good trial run. He got distracted and whipped up into Luffy's child-like excitement about his cellphone and all the wonderful touching he had done. Tomorrow, he will stick to business and get the app set up by Luffy, ask him out to a coffee date as thanks for his helpfulness and go from there.
Law didn't actually know what he should do then. He wasn't certain if asking Luffy to dinner would come out too strongly. Maybe he should invite Luffy to a movie or go bowling instead? It was hip and fun to bowl still, right?
Law groaned as he ran his fingers through his black feathery hair, he was so anxious about screwing this up, he wasn't even sure about his plan. Would Luffy still help him with the app? Would it seem like he was desperate to get Luffy's attention and turn him off from wanting to date him? A million questions whirled in Law's head, spurring the beginnings of a migraine. He couldn’t get a migraine this early in the morning! Especially when he still had staff meetings to go to and paperwork to fill out. He felt around in his cup holder for his coffee and realized his second blunder, he had forgotten to buy his fucking coffee!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marco is a patient man. He is a hard worker and an understanding boss. So when Law, one of his favorite doctors milled into the hospital with an aura that screamed 'speak to me and I'll murder you', Marco surmised that Law had popped the question and was rejected, the poor guy. The supervisor pitied his employee. Sure he was rough around the edges at first impression, but if someone got the opportunity to know Law, they'd see that he had a heart of gold past all the angry huffs and cold shoulders.
The blonde wondered if he should get involved more than he already had by checking in on Law as the day progressed. He even seemed snappy to some of his close coworkers. Marco wasn't sure if he would be overstepping their work relationship if he was to intrude. Law was a very private man. He was surprised Law had even told him what had been bothering him in the first place.
Law valued his personal space immensely and that the blonde could respect that. But as the day was closing and Marco could see that Law was struggling with something. It didn't seem like he was mourning a rejection. The tan-skinned man wondered what was eating at Law; maybe the person said yes and Law was freaking out? It was an odd way of dealing with stress but who was Marco to judge? Dr. Fushichou walked calmly into Law's office, determined to inquire how things went when he heard distinct thumping noises coming from inside. It sounded like someone was dropping something heavy on a glass-like surface. What was that surgeon doing?
He placed a hand on the doorknob and gently knocked on the door. He received no response and the thudding noise continued without missing a beat. Dr. Fushichou furrowed his eyebrows and decided to open the door to peek in and see what exactly Law was doing.
What he saw confused him greatly. Law was hunched over his desk and was repetitively smacking or dropping, Marco mused, his forehead against the surface of it. He wasn't doing it hard enough to harm himself but that it was bewildering enough to the blond.
"So did it not go as planned?" Marco felt it was best to be upfront with why he was there. Law preferred and respected honesty above everything.
Law immediately stopped what he was doing and sat up in the blink of an eye, his face flooding red with embarrassment at being caught behaving oddly. "Dr. Fushichou! I didn't hear you knock or come in! Um... Do you need something? Is there an issue in the E.R.?" Law stood up abruptly, clearly trying to cover up his little activity and bring attention to something else much to Marco's growing amusement. His surgeon was adorable when he got so flustered. He wanted to tease the young man but managed to suppress the temptation for Law's sake. He seemed to need a shoulder to lean on.
"No, the E.R. is fine. I noticed however that you seemed troubled by something and wanted to know if I could help."
Law stood stiffly behind his desk staring clearly torn about sharing his problem. Marco inwardly sighed and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk and gestured for Law to sit as well.
"Look Law, I know it's not my place to pry into your personal life, but you seem unhappy about something and it's affecting your usual work ethic. Is this about that guy you want to ask out?"
Law averted his eyes at the mention of Luffy and awkwardly sat down slowly in his chair. He sighed and ran a hand over his face and through his hair, tussling it roughly. He leaned forward, resting his hands on his eyes. "I tried asking him out today but I choked."
The blue-eyed man hummed at the response, stroking his chin and lips thoughtfully. "How did you mess up?" As Law explained his plan to Dr. Fushichou, his face grew redder and redder in embarrassment.
"It was a stupid idea. Who in their right mind would agree to a thank you coffee because a stranger asked for assistance on a rewards app?" Marco understood what Law was saying and frowned.
"It wasn't a terrible idea. The guy sounded like he was willing and happy to help you on his break. So what made the plan not work?"
His supervisor didn't think Law was able to become a darker shade of rouge. He watched in great amusement as his employee fidgeted and squirmed at the question. Law avoided looking at Marco as he mumbled something.
"Hmm? I didn't quite catch that." Marco felt his mischievous grin break across his face—Law was just like his baby brother Haruta when he talked about his first crush. It was a memory he would always cherish.
"I… I… I got distracted when he took a selfie with me."
Marco looked at Law, surprised. Law absolutely hated having his picture taken. It was a struggle for his friends or his colleagues to get a picture of him that wasn't for the purpose of updating his work ID.
Law noticed Marco’s surprised look and fidgeted more. "I didn't say he could do it—he just did! He wanted to show me the new camera features on the iPhone 13 Pro Max I own."
"You let him touch your phone?"
Law groaned and let his forehead hit his table. Marco noted interestingly that Law's neck had turned into the same shade of red as his ears and face. He was too cute to not tease. "He really likes iPhones and was excited to see mine. I couldn't say no…"
"What did you two do after the selfie?" Marco dropped his cheeky grin, trying and failing to save Law some of his dignity from the conversation. Law sat back up, pulled out his phone and pulled up the picture to show Marco.
He studied the young man in question. He is cute, easy on the eyes and has quite the infectious-looking smile dare he say so himself. Marco could see why Law liked him. Law's expression was priceless in that photo; Marco wished he could have a copy of it to tease him with from now on. His shocked and stunned face was so funny that he almost chuckled at Law. Marco felt a soft smile creep up his lips when he saw how Law was looking down at the photo in such loving reverence; he was really smitten by Luffy.
"Luffy really liked the picture so he sent it to his phone so he could post it on Instagram."
"Sent it to his phone as in texted it from your phone to his...?"
Law looked up at him in confusion and slight annoyance. "Yeah Marco, that's how people share photos with each other." Marco stared at him with a growing shit-eating grin, waiting for Law to understand what he had just said.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
Maybe he should give the poor boy a break. Marco chuckled—no it was funnier to have Law clueless about having achieved his goal far better than he had originally aimed for.
"So did he have your phone send any other pictures to his phone?"
Law stared at him even more perplexed. "No we only took the one photo and he texted it to himself. Marco, I don't understand…" Watching the realization wash over his face was a moment Marco would relish for the rest of his days. He saw the pure joy and happiness light up Law's face in a way he had never seen before. This Luffy was a keeper for sure Marco felt with a growing fondness.
"He texted his phone number on my phone! I have his number!" He sprang to his feet in giddy glee, clutching his phone like a love-struck teen. "I can call him and ask him out on an actual date!"
Marco stood up smiling, smoothing wrinkles out of his work pants, "Well I am happy for your inquisition, Dr. Trafalgar. I need to go now." He noticed that Law wasn’t paying attention to him but muttering to himself on what he should say or do in his call to Luffy. "Law?"
He looked up from his phone. "Hm?"
"Make sure to not get too carried away in your text to the cute lad. He did unintentionally give you access to his number. Treat it with care." With that, the tall superior took his leave, chuckling as he heard his surgeon curse under his breath about the second realization. He really did love to tease his employees, especially the ones that reminded him too much of his adorable little brothers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why did his boss have to say that? Just when Law realized he could have asked Luffy out via text, Marco dropped that information on him. Now he was torn between texting at all! Luffy hadn't technically given Law his number so would it be weird for him to text the guy or would Luffy not mind? He seemed like the type to not mind but what if he secretly does and just had good customer skills that fooled Law into thinking otherwise?
Law's mind whirled with questions and anxiety grew in his gut as he left work for the day. Should he wait till tomorrow to try again? What if he couldn't get his original plan to work? Would it be worse off to ask him out via text afterwards?
The questions continue to plague him throughout the night. He internally groaned as he sat on his friend Bepo's couch. He really didn't feel like staying much longer for their twice a week game night he was semi dragged most of the time to.
He was dreading tomorrow morning. He had chosen to not text Luffy at all. He even deleted the text message after saving the picture and maybe memorizing the number in the process.
He would do his original plan like he wanted and if he didn't get a coffee date with Luffy, he could use what he had learned about Luffy with his phone for another plan. He'd have to get one of his friends involved unfortunately but Law was going to learn how to use this Instagram that Luffy likes using, judging from the amount of pictures and activity he had on it when Law was observing him. Maybe Law could get a date with them doing something with it.
Law didn't really understand the app that much. It seemed like Facebook but was just more focused on pictures from what he researched absent-mindedly.
He played with it briefly. Trying to get a feel for how to use the app. It seemed easy enough to use. They could go somewhere that was very picturesque and do another ‘selfie’.
Law felt his face flush at the thought of being bodily close to Luffy like that again. The skin that Luffy had pressed against tingle with electricity from the memory. The entire area where Luffy had placed his hand on his hip burned with the desire to feel his touches again.
"Earth to Law?"
"Hmm?" Law looked up from his phone and his daydream of possible dates he could have with Luffy to notice that all of his friends were staring at him with piqued interest.
"It's your turn to play."
"Um, skip me this round."
Penguin looked at him, annoyed. "We skipped your turn previously, what are you doing?"
"Nothing, it's work-related."
Penguin rolled his eyes at Law. "Since when is Instagram work-related? I can see the app open on your phone."
Law turned off the screen of his phone and put it down in the blink of an eye. He was mortified that Penguin had noticed he was on the app. He knew that Penguin and Shachi were going to hound him for his reasons on why he suddenly had Instagram on his phone when he had called it a waste of time for months. Penguin gave a Cheshire smile and started to open his mouth to interrogate Law when Shachi uncharacteristically stood up and placed Penguin in a headlock. He dragged Penguin with him and forced him to sit down and be quiet with a pointed look.
"How about we get back to the game, yeah? Law we're dying here. Get your ass off your phone and in the game, it's your turn!" Law stared gob smacked at Shachi for a few seconds, wondering who the hell was this before getting up to take his turn. He didn't know what good fortune he had struck today because the Shachi he knew was like a shark when the blood hits the water. He would never pass up an opportunity to stick his nose into Law's private business and try to give advice on how to handle things he was clearly capable of doing.
However, he wasn't about to question the strange luck with everything still in such a delicate stage with Luffy. He didn't need his friends ruining anything with their 'helpfulness'.
He left his phone unattended on the coffee table as he took his turn for Taboo. Penguin took this opportunity as Shachi, Uni, and Bepo kept him distracted to snag and pilfer through Law's phone. They had already googled Luffy and found him on all of the social media platforms and followed him on the majority of them. Instagram seemed to be Luffy’s favorite for posting daily content, Snapchat was second. He was insanely popular too with 10k followers. That worked in their favor anyway. Luffy wouldn't recognize them following him after having had such personal conversations with him at his place of work. They were amused by how many posts Luffy made recently seemed to be closely related to Law in some way. The facts of the day in particular were mostly medically-related and something their friend would have found interesting as well.
They nearly died from laughter when they saw Luffy's Instagram post with him and Law taking a selfie. The hashtag sent them howling in glee: ‘Coffee with a dreamboat’. Even Ikkaku giggled at Law's stunned expression. Law was so cute and flustered; it took Bepo and Jean Bart to calm the two from badgering the poor man that day. He clearly looked overwhelmed by the situation when he came to work that day. The whole unit made the best effort to make Law's day quiet as it could be in the E.R.
Penguin dug through Law's Instagram to find that he hasn't found Luffy on it yet. It didn’t look like he added Luffy on Facebook either, what was their grumpy buddy doing?! He quickly saw that Luffy had sent Law a request on Facebook and accepted it for him. He had then followed Luffy on Instagram after making Law follow all his friend's feeds first. He made a mental note to untag Law in any unflattering pictures, got to get him connected so he could look cool to his crush and appear like the 'dreamboat' that Luffy clearly thought he was.
Penguin finished just in time because Law's phone went off, showing that he got a text from an unsaved number. Law turned around to see Penguin with his phone. "What are you doing on my phone?!"
Penguin gave Law an impish grin and shouted, "Get down Mr. President!" The others understood the code phrase immediately and dogpiled Law as Penguin ran for the bathroom. He locked himself in and opened the text message.
Penguin stared blankly at the text message. Distantly, he could hear Law getting out from underneath the dogpile and yelling at him to return his phone. Penguin chuckled and silently declined Law's 'request', deciding to tease their poor friend instead.
"So who's Traffy, Law~~?" Penguin asked Law in a sing-song voice as he heard his friend reach the bathroom door and jiggle the handle. He could feel Law’s chagrin as he tried to force the door open.
"No one! Get your ass out here so I can excoriate you alive!" Penguin felt his smirk grow into a feral grin. He could taste the mortification that was oozing in his friend’s voice.
"Hmm... it doesn't sound like no one… what was the fact of the day you were going to give this mysterious person, Traffy~~?"
The pounding on the door went silent immediately. "Was that what he texted?" Penguin had to calm himself from his giggling fit. So their Law had made a move on his crush!
Penguin could feel Law that had rested his weight against the door. He waited patiently for his friend to continue his rampage. “Penguin, please open the door. I don’t want to mess this up with him.”
Penguin’s eyes went wide. He nearly dropped the phone in the process; Law asking nicely for his belongings was shocking to him. Penguin turned the phone over in his hand. He was tempted to answer the text for Law. Law was a bit rusty in the flirting department but from what he and Shachi have gleaned from Luffy’s social media, he doesn’t seem the type to respond to flirting.
He seemed too sweet and innocent for that, which made sense why Luffy and Law had the silly facts and jokes of the day going on. It was so cheesy but cute and endearing to criticize too harshly. Penguin sighed, hoping he was doing the right thing for his best friend. He unlocked the door and opened it. Law nearly fell on top of him as a result of losing his balance when he was leaning against the door.
He made a mad grab for his phone out of Penguin’s hand and hastily checked his text messages to see if Penguin had texted something stupid. Seeing that he hadn’t, Law looked up at Penguin inquisitively. “You didn’t try to text him anything perverted did you?”
Penguin shrugged, he figured that Law seemed to know Luffy more personally than they initially thought. And seeing that he had just gotten a selfie with him and his number, he should maybe be able to handle the task of texting the kid himself.
Penguin gave Law a toothy grin. “Figured if I texted him anything remotely flirtatious he’d know it wasn’t your grandpa texting ass doing it.”
Law gave him a small scornful smile for his contumely before proceeding to unceremoniously grab, drag, and toss him out of the bathroom, locking the door as Penguin hit the floor with a loud groan.
Now Law could focus his attention on the most important conversation he was having that day. He stared at the text, feeling slightly daunted by it. Should he tell Luffy the fact of the day or should he try ‘chatting him up’ as his friends would put it before doing so? He felt his nerves fry as the seconds ticked by as he debated with himself on what he should say.
“Jesus Christ, just tell him the fact of the day you over-thinking jackass!” Law glared at the door as he huffed at Shachi’s uncouth remark. He smiled in satisfaction when he heard someone smack Shachi and told him to shut up.
Law felt a biting remark pressed against his lips but sighed instead. Shachi was right for once; he was overthinking this. Steeling himself, Law typed out the fact of the day for Luffy after including a small apology for forgetting to do so. He waited with bated breath to see Luffy’s response.
Law was sent into a mild panic upon seeing that the moment his message was delivered, Luffy was already starting to reply to him. Had Luffy been waiting the whole time for him to respond back? Law studied blankly at the response that Luffy had sent. It was completely in emojis, some of which Law did not understand whatsoever.
He wondered mildly if he should ask his friends what the emojis meant but that meant allowing them to see the text messages. Law had an aching suspicion that his phone would get stolen from him again if he unlocked the door. He did not want them answering for him at all. This was his time to win Luffy over and he did not want them fucking it up. He opted to just google the emojis one at a time when Luffy sent him another text message.
Law nearly dropped his phone on the tile floor. Was Luffy beating him to the punch in asking him out on a date?! Law paused, he had work tomorrow morning and it was going to be a 12 hour shift. He’ll be too tired to do anything afterwards.
“Hey, are any of you off tomorrow?”
Law heard shuffling on the other side of the door and murmuring amongst his friends about what their schedules were. Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi weren’t surgeons so they couldn’t cover his shift. Jean Bart was also out of the option because the man was already working the night shift tomorrow. That would leave Ikkaku, Uni, and Clione who were a part of his usual day team to cover his shift tomorrow.
“I can take your shift tomorrow, Law. Go get him!” Law breathed a sigh of relief. He’d definitely buy Ikkaku lunch to make it up to her. He looked back at his phone and typed out his response to Luffy’s question.
He watched the texting bubble indicator lit up as Luffy responded to his answer. His nerves were eating him alive as he watched the bubble flicker on and off. What kind of response was Luffy writing to Law? Was he asking him out or did Law assume too much of Luffy? Was he asking so that he could get his ‘fact of the day’ ahead of time? The questions kept tumbling one after another as he waited in perpetual agony for the response.
Law nearly gasped with delight; he practically preened at the thought that Luffy wanted to see a film with him so badly. He silently bounced up and down with joy before texting Luffy back with a firm answer.
Luffy’s response took a moment to start. Law assumed Luffy hadn’t looked up any movie times before asking. He finally texted back the details.
The Yonko Strip Mall was just down the street from Luffy’s work and across from Law’s favorite Starbucks. He could take Luffy afterwards to get something hot to drink, maybe talk about the movie afterwards. He sighed dreamily. He could do this. He could go on a first date with Luffy and nail it so they could go on a second one, then a third, and finally the Christmas party. He never felt so blissfully happy about something like dating; it was a feeling he could get used to. He texted back.
Luffy sent back 3 orange heart emojis. Law stared at the hearts feeling his face burn with a tidal wave of joy at the emojis. Law wondered if heart emojis meant loving the response? Or was it loving vibes? He wondered if the color or amount of heart emojis meant anything as well. He decided to just send back 2 pink heart emojis to show he was loving Luffy’s response or at least sending loving vibes; red felt too strong of a color to use, so he opted for a softer color he remembers being related to love. Law also felt that 2 was a good amount to send back; he didn't want Luffy to feel slighted by sending one or be put off by too many.
Law made a mental note to google it later if it meant anything important as he turned his phone screen off. Law opened the door to the bathroom with the biggest smile on his face. “I got a date with Luffy tomorrow!”