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For as long as he could remember, Trafalgar enjoyed cooking- ok well, "enjoy" was kind of an understatement. He loved it. The moment his baby hands could properly grasp kitchen utensils, he had been passionate about the dynamics of cooking, and the strangest part was that he didn't care about eating anything he made himself. No. He simply just liked to cook and that was it. Most of the time he didn't even eat his own meals- he just left them sitting out fresh and untouched with zero doubts that eventually someone would come along and eat it themselves.
Over the years, he told himself that it was merely a form of stress relief- something he could do to take his mind out of the gutter. While cooking he would zone out and think about nothing more than how to make his current recipe as delicious as possible. Once he was finished, it no longer mattered. Sure he would stick around to see what people's reactions were to his cooking, but he never completely cared what they thought. He liked cooking. So what? He liked lots of useless, dumb things. Cooking was nothing.
At least that's what Trafalgar believed until he set sail on the Thousand Sunny with the infamous Mugiwara crew.
In the beginning everything seemed normal, that is if you are able to attribute to the Mugiwara definition of normal. This place was an absolute dramatic nightmare. He was constantly planning small murders inside his head. Whoops! Usopp fell into the sea during a storm? Well, that's too bad. On and on he would brew with evil thoughts. No! It was not him who cut Nami's loud mouth body into pieces. Why are you looking at him that way for? Yeesh...
Eventually the time came where the itch to calm his sadistic thoughts pricked his skin, and he was asking Sanji if it was alright to use his kitchen. With an ear full of rules and threats, he was left with the kitchen all to himself. Lunch had already been served a couple hours prior so he didn't have to worry about cooking for a whole bunch of people- not that he had that kind of generosity anyway. All he wanted to do was whip up something small and simple. Perhaps udon? Yeah, udon sounded nice; easy to make, soothing, and lots of handy work. His time would be spent nicely.
For over an hour and a half, Trafalgar successfully managed to cook a whole pot of udon without disruption, his conscience peacefully cleared of obscurities. A few times Mugiwara crew members had passed by, but none of them had bothered him, thank goodness. Now that he was at the end of his self prioritized mission, he grabbed a bowl from the cabinet, poured some udon inside, sprinkled some herb and extra seasoning on top and then sat the bowl down beside the stove with a pair of chopsticks at it's side. He didn't know why he always needed to prepare a single bowl and/or plate after he cooked. It just felt natural.
Trafalgar stared at the udon he made and sighed softly before cleaning up his mess and leaving the kitchen shortly after. He had faith that these deranged Mugiwaras' would finish off the udon themselves. If they were lucky enough, Luffy would be the one to test it out and see if it was "poisoned" like Sanji predicted. Ugh. Who poisons their alliance partner? Idiots...
...
Luffy wandered into the kitchen with a jolly skip to his step as he happily hummed a continuous tune. So far it had been a particularly boring day with no action and no adventure aside from the endlessly calm, blue sea they were riding on. Everyone was exhausted by the heatwave they were having and he was getting tired of being the only one trying to have fun. Sanji was busy pampering Nami and Robin, so this was his perfect opportunity to sneak some food.
Food that seemed as if it were already made for him. "Hm?" Luffy's face became puzzled as he spotted a large pot that was still warm sitting on the stove. It smelt good, he realized, his mouth drooling as he walked closer.
"Udon?" He inquired with stars of desire in his eyes. Luffy licked his lips and went to help himself by picking up the pre-made bowl. For a split second he wondered who cooked it since Sanji had been on deck for a while, but he decided it didn't matter. Free food was free food!
And it looked tasty! Luffy giggled and grabbed the chopsticks, wasting no time in slipping a bite full into his mouth. And the moment the flavor of the udon touched his tongue, Luffy's body froze and his eyes went wide. What... Was... That? As the taste flooded Luffy's mouth, a weird sensation sprouted inside his chest and suddenly it was like a phenomenon was taking place inside his head. That taste... Luffy's eyes watered uncontrollably. It was so beautiful.
Beautiful. Luffy hurried to chew and swallow the bite before a random sob of wondrous confusion could choke him. "Th-that..." He stared down at the bowl, his hands shaking. Tears fell to the ground. It was as if the universe had just shifted. "That's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted-awmmm!"
Luffy then began to scarf down the bowl without remorse or mercy. Forget the chopsticks. He cried, shoving the edge of the bowl to his lips while using his fingers to help scrape the rest into his mouth. It was beautiful, it was amazing, it was honest and true and passionate and strong and valuable and-and... And Luffy finished the whole pot within less than ten minutes.
The Mugiwara captain sat on the ground, leaning against the cabinet as he stared up at the ceiling, tears still lightly dribbling down his face. He didn't know why he was crying. He didn't know what was going on. He just felt happy. So unbelievably, indescribably happy. His heart pounded like drums inside his chest, and his mind became flooded with crazy yet wonderful emotions. That udon was the most beautiful dish he had ever tasted in his life. He loved it. He loved it so much that he wanted to regurgitate it and eat it again. Could humans marry food?
"That was so good," He moped, his arm going to wipe his messy face. Later on he would fall before Sanji's god like feet and tell him that he was the best cook ever.
...
The next evening, Trafalgar had been in the midst of discussing the layout of their mission at Dressrosa when he heard a familiar noise coming from somewhere in the distance. Obviously it was an instrument- most likely Brook's trusty violin, but there was something about it. Something off. "What is that?" He whispered and gazed in the direction of the exit.
"What is what?" Nami asked, clearly confused.
Trafalgar stared at the door as a strange warmth bloomed inside his belly, and the feeling only expanded further until he was powerless against his own body and began walking forward. That music he was hearing, why did it sound so... Beautiful? Why did it make him feel so... Happy? He blinked, completely lost to anything anyone else might be saying behind him, and he carefully pushed open the exit and walked out onto the deck. From there the music only became louder, and his entire existence became stunned.
There, at the middle of the ship, stood Mugiwara Luffy. Mugiwara Luffy who was currently making a very concentrated yet joyous face while playing a violin. Brook played his guitar beside him while Chopper danced cheerfully in front of them. But Trafalgar wasn't taken by neither the skeleton or reindeer. No. All he was focused on was Luffy and the extraordinary music he was creating like a professional.
Before Trafalgar could process it, tears filled his eyes and rushed down his cheeks, his body trembling as he lifted a hand to cover his mouth. That music... It was so beautiful. Trafalgar had always loved music; it helped him think, meditate, and clear his head. Hearing music always succeeded to lift his spirits. But the music that Mugiwara Luffy was playing right now wasn't just lifting his spirits. It was captivating his soul, and he could feel every single part, could sense every moment and hear everything. It was as if an explosion of great light had taken place inside him.
Trafalgar shook, his entire body bombarded with the inspirational light of realization and soul opening. Happy tears that he could not control rained down his cheeks and flooded the deck below. He watched Luffy, watched the way he moved, played and concentrated. He was so good at playing. His music moved through him, filling his ears and buzzing his head. It was so beautiful. It was indescribable. He thought he could float at any second.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Spoke Nami as she began to open the door behind him.
"S-sh-shambles," Croaked Trafalgar as he lifted his fingers and transferred himself to the top of the crow's nest. Up there he sat down and sputtered for breath, his chest full of excited pressure.
Even from all the way up here he could still hear Luffy's gorgeous music play on, and he found himself pouting with uncontrollable relief, happiness and love. Was this... Was this actually happening? Had Trafalgar Law just discovered his soul mate? It didn't seem possible, but no one else's music had ever made him feel this strongly. Frankly, he wasn't sure how he felt. All he knew was that he was happy. He wanted to stay and listen to Luffy's music for forever and ever. He never wanted it to stop. Did... Did he know? Did he know what kind of effect he had on him? Was Luffy even the type of person to be interested in soul mates?
It was then that Trafalgar had something along the lines of an epiphany, his eyes jolting open with shock. His useless skill for cooking-Luffy's passion for food. Did that mean that cooking was his gift for Luffy as Luffy's gift was playing music for him? Trafalgar stared up at the star etched night, his body sagging with wonder. "All this time..." He mumbled, knowing that somewhere Corazon was probably falling on his bum laughing at him, "My soul mates been a complete idiot...."
Trafalgar gazed past the edge of the crow's nest, down to where his soul mate still continued to play with no qualm in the world. "Luffy-ya..." He whispered but didn't say anything else.
He was coming for him.
...
"Mugiwara-ya," Trafalgar's voice was quiet, careful and calm, "Are you still hungry?"
"Eh, hungry?" Luffy asked from where he laid on the Sunny head figure, "Shishi, I'm always hungry! Why? You got some yummy food you wanna share? Shishi, I'll bite!"
Trafalgar scuffed lightly in irritation, but his heart beamed with ever lasting endearment and hard anticipation, "Cocky... Yes, I have food, but you have to wait until everyone else has gone to sleep."
"Aw, seriously? But why?" Moped a confused, belly broken Luffy.
"Just do it or you're not getting anything," Barked Trafalgar as he began stomping away.
Luffy watched him go, his cheek smudging against the head figure as he mumbled grumpily, "Not fair."
Trafalgar waited in the mostly dim kitchen, the warm smell of the meal he had just finished cooking lingering heavily in the air. The rest of the crew was asleep; thankfully they had trusted him and their captain enough to keep night watch. In the moments of prosperity, Trafalgar wondered how Luffy would react to being soul mates. He was such a clueless, hard headed moron. Could he distinguish human emotions at all? Did he comprehend the mysterious magic of this world and that he himself was indeed a part of it? Would he accept him once he knew the truth?
"Oi, Torao," Came a curious yet tired voice.
Trafalgar turned his head to see a yawning, slow Mugiwara captain walking his way from the front door. It was difficult to believe that an imbecile such as himself was capable of creating such beautiful music, but that was simply how the soul mate system worked. Every person is born talented to make or do whatever their soul mate was passionate about. Between the two of them, it explained quite an obvious amount.
"I came for the food," Luffy grinned and rubbed his hands together, "Smells good. Did Sanji leave left overs?"
"No," Trafalgar stated and stood up from his stool. "I made it," He explained and wandered to the pre-made sandwich sitting beside the stove, "I'm a cook too."
"Oh, really? That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed with pure envy dripping from his excited expression, "That means you can feed me when Sanji won't!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Trafalgar snapped, giving the rubber captain a fairly strict look although, underneath his hard layered surface, he actually planned to cook for Luffy all the time. He looked forward to it greatly.
Grabbing the plate, Trafalgar turned around and faced Luffy, his eyes firm as he stared down at him. "Luffy-ya..." Suddenly, the words tasted dry on his tongue and his heart beat rang in his ears, "Are you familiar with the soul mate concept?"
"Hm, soul mates?" Luffy rubbed his chin while humming in debate, "Aren't we supposed to be born with a special talent because of them?"
"Mm," Trafalgar nodded his head once, his hand nearly shaking.
"Shishi! One of my talents is taking fast poops," Luffy laughed.
Trafalgar jerked and went to roughly pinch the bridge of his nose, growling into his palm. "Well mine is cooking, so here," He shoved the plate into Mugiwara's chest, "Eat this."
At first Luffy was confused because he didn't know why soul mates had anything to do with free food, but he decided that it was just irrelevant babble and dug in eagerly. "Yosh," Besides, free food was free food! Luffy swiped up the sandwich and consumed half of it within just one bite, his body going stiff and eyes wide the moment the flavor hit him. This...?
"I felt the exact same way," Trafalgar explained, the back of his waist thudding gently against the counter as he took in Mugiwara's expression, "Earlier when you were playing the violin... I felt it."
Luffy, still dazed and wide eyed, looked to Trafalgar, his mouth bulging stupidly and lips gaped. He stood there, immobile and painfully quiet until finally he swallowed, his hands calm as he lowered the other half of the sandwich back to the plate. "I see," He said, taking a few steps to the side so that he could gently place the plate on the counter, "So this means..."
Trafalgar watched him, his body tight with anticipation as he waited for either rejection or acceptance. Considering how quiet Luffy was being, he started to feel rejection, his chest burning with pain, insecurity and doubt. Of course Mugiwara wouldn't accept him as a soul mate. Who would? He was just-
"You're my soul mate!" Luffy shouted and attacked Trafalgar, his arms wrapping tight over his shoulders while his legs clasped around his waist, his face smooshing against his chest.
"Hey!" Trafalgar hollered in surprise, his balance thrown off from the rubber pirate's insane strength. He growled, trying to find purchase against the counter while pushing on the little brat's head.
Against him, Luffy laughed, squealed and giggled relentlessly, his body a shuffling mass of excitement as he nuzzled the taller man's neck, "I can't believe this. I'm so happy. We're soul mates and we found each other. That is so awesome, shishi!"
Not used to the close proximity, Trafalgar calmed anyways, undeniable warmth spreading through his chest by the obnoxiously spoken acceptance of his soul mate. He really was happy. Trafalgar sighed, his arms going to reluctantly press against Luffy's back. In such a big world, most would say that it's impossible to find your soul mate, and if you did manage to find them... Treasure it.
"Shishi... Now you get to cook me all kinds of delicious food," Luffy grinned, pulling back enough that he could look his soul mate in the eye, "I want another sandwich."
"Already getting arrogant, I see," Trafalgar grumbled at him, "You know this also means you'll be playing me music any time I ask, right?"
"Right," Luffy agreed with no negative hesitation, his cheeks an adorable pink, "I'll do anything for my Torao."
Trafalgar, annoyed by how touching that was, gazed away and mumbled softly, "I'll make you another sandwich."
Luffy grinned and cheered, "I'll go get my violin!" He giggled and leaned back in for another hug, his cheek nuzzling against Trafalgar's fun stubble. "My soul mate," He cooed fondly, relaxing into him.
Trafalgar held him close and leaned in as well, his nose nuzzling a warm, rubber cheek as his chest roared with happiness. "My cooking and your music," He murmured against that rubber cheek, "We are soul mates."