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It starts because Luffy’s bored.
Not that Cabbage is boring per se - catch the guy on just a few hours of sleep and he is wild - but his idea of a party is fancy glassware, fancy clothes, and fancy finger food that do nothing to satiate Luffy’s hunger. He ate two hamburgers and a large fry almost three hours ago - he’s starving.
But Sanji wanted to come because the caterer is some local big shot, and Robin wanted to talk to some boring guy about some boring history, and Nami wanted to blow off steam after a stressful week and by that point, the whole gang figured it’d be a good way to kill a Saturday night so here they are.
And Law too, which was a surprise because Luffy expected him to turn down the invitation in favor of burying his face in a book like he always does when he has free time. But he agreed to come and he is even letting Luffy hang all over him tonight. Law barely tolerates Luffy’s affection on a good day, but it’s been a big no-no ever ever since the two of them began fooling around a few months ago. Something about tipping other people off, blah-blah-blah, which obviously goes against Law’s ironclad rule of “don’t tell anybody.”
Considering how Luffy’s affectionate with everyone - even an arm around the shoulder’s of Eustass Kid and that dude’s an ass - Luffy thinks Law’s just paranoid but he’s learned now not to say that aloud.
Well, not directly to Law’s face.
In any case, it’s just sad that even his friends and secret-friend-with-benefits aren’t enough to prevent the sheer boredom from Cabbage’s party. There’s even classical music blaring from the speakers - who the hell can even dance to that? Luffy sighs, dangling off the couch while idly twirling his straw hat. Law went to find a bathroom a few minutes ago, tossing his car keys and phone on Luffy’s stomach with a warning not to lose them. The keys already slipped off somewhere and it’s only a matter of time before Law’s phone does too. And if that breaks, Law’s going to be even grouchier than normal and there’s a certain point where a grouchy Law is no longer a fun Law. So with a sigh, Luffy picks it up to move it off to the side when the screen flicks on and he catches a glimpse of the wallpaper.
A rusty old coin, really? Luffy rolls his eyes as he goes to set it down -
Then stops as the idea hits him like lightning. Cackling, he opens the camera app and snaps a selfie with wide eyes and tongue sticking out. He sets it as Law’s home screen wallpaper and tosses it aside.
And not a moment too soon because Law appears behind the couch a second later. He must see something on Luffy’s face because his eyes narrow, the way they always do when he suspects Luffy of mischief. “What did you do?”
“Nothing!” Luffy’s eyes wander over Law’s shoulder and for reasons completely unknown to Luffy, that only makes Law more suspicious.
“Straw Hat-ya.” Ugh, reverting to old nicknames. Lame.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Torao.” Luffy rolls off the couch just to avoid Law’s searching gaze and springs up to his feet. He stretches, letting out a satisfied sigh when his back pops and cracks in all the right places. He opens his eyes only to catch Law’s gaze drifting towards the sliver of skin peeking out from where his shirt has lifted up. Luffy smirks.
“I’m bored. Let’s leave,” he tells Law.
Law rolls his eyes. “And why do I have to do what you want?” But he’s already reaching down for his keys (which mysteriously got halfway buried in between the couch cushions, weird). Luffy’s breath catches in his chest when Law grabs his phone next, but Law just stuffs it in his pocket without a glance. The tension eases from Luffy’s chest.
“What are you complaining about? I know you’re bored too.” On their way towards the door, Luffy catches Robin’s knowing gaze. It’s not the first time Luffy gets the feeling she knows something, but she’s never said anything so Luffy doesn’t worry about it. She just smiles at him before turning back towards the guy Luffy assumes is Mr. Boring. Mr. Boring’s snacking on some weird looking biscuit, which reminds Luffy. “Oh, can we get some food on the way?”
Law’s long-suffering sigh only makes Luffy grin.
They stop for tacos before they go to Law’s place. In between the food, the sex, and the sleep afterwards, Luffy forgets about the silly picture.
Until Law texts him the next day when Luffy’s about to meet Zoro at the gym.
What the fuck is my wallpaper???
:D
Luffy’s almost disappointed that Law assumes the prank is a one-time thing, because he leaves his phone with Luffy again when they’re studying at the library two days later.
Well, Law is studying; Luffy is not-so secretly catching up on the latest adventures of the Red-Haired Pirates comic, because the internet insists Shanks is turning evil which Luffy downright refuses to believe.
But anyway.
Law’s wallpaper is now a steaming cup of coffee - black, of course because Law has no taste. Luffy takes a picture with a finger up his nose and eyes pointed skyward, then sets it as Law’s wallpaper. Law’s response comes a few hours later after they part ways.
You’re disgusting.
>:[ rude
After that, Law finally seems to learn his lesson because he tries not to leave his phone behind whenever Luffy’s around. Not that that’s a big deal - Luffy has always loved a challenge.
There’s the time at another (much more fun) party when Law has Robin guard his phone (which is dumb, because Law should know by now that Robin is always going to let Luffy do whatever). That photo is a close up of Luffy’s eye and the scar underneath it.
Another time, Luffy snaps a photo while Law’s in the shower, eyes crossed and lips puffed out like a blowfish.
Then there’s the picture he took with chopsticks up his nose and doing his best walrus impression, all the while Law sleeping on the couch beside him. That one winds up being his favorite.
Whenever he snaps a picture, Luffy does his best to time it so that Law won’t notice until after they go their separate ways. With Law on high alert now, that’s been harder and harder to do. He checks his phone more when they’re together, looking at Luffy with suspicion when he sees it hasn’t changed yet. Only to then send a flurry of annoyed texts to Luffy later when it has.
Why do you keep sticking things up your nose?
There’s a bit of tomato stuck between your teeth.
WTF, can bodies even bend that way???
Strangely though, outside of Law’s suspicious looks and snarky texts, they don’t talk about it. It’s not like there isn’t ample opportunity. Law and Luffy hang out at least a few times a week and conversations between them flow naturally, no matter how trivial the topic. Luffy never tires of the medical horror stories Law learns about in his studies, while Law in turn always lends an ear when Luffy prattles on about the beetles he finds outside his apartment.
So it’s weird that something as silly as a prank becomes something unspoken between them, even weirder when Luffy realizes it doesn’t bother him even a little. This prank is Law indulging Luffy in a way that he only does when they’re alone together, a fondness that creeps in and makes a home in the space of other things they leave unsaid. Luffy normally has no problem blabbing about anything, whether it’s bathroom habits or absolutely mortifying stories no one else would dare say aloud.
Yet Luffy finds he has no desire to share this with anyone else. He wants it to be something that only belongs to the two of them. And if that’s the way he feels, then who is Luffy to question it?
In the three years Luffy’s known him, February has always been a weird month for Law. Or well, it’s the month Law acts weirder than usual. He’s more withdrawn and moody, and when he snaps at Luffy, it has more bite to it than the usual fond teasing tone he reserves for Luffy.
Law’s never told him why. The man normally has no qualms telling Luffy what he thinks Luffy should know, so Luffy figures Law just doesn’t want him to know. And that’s fine - unlike Law, Chopper, or Robin, Luffy doesn’t care about knowing anything more than he has to.
But it’s already been a week into February and Luffy hasn’t seen Law once. Hasn’t heard from him despite the numerous texts Luffy’s sent. Luffy’s even tagged along with Chopper to the library just to see if Law was there. He wasn’t and despite usual Chopper’s easygoing personality, one foot inside a library and he refuses to tolerate Luffy’s fidgeting or reading comics aloud the way Law does.
It occurs to Luffy just how much space Law has been taking up in his life lately. Grabbing lunch or dinner together, watching the latest MMA bout and critiquing the fight, playing that Quest for One Piece game they both love. Staying over at each other’s place and yeah, sometimes they hook up, playful and teasing and fun but other nights, they’re too tired to do anything more than curl around each other, Luffy jabbering away and Law occasionally piping in until they fall asleep.
Without all that everything feels strangely empty and boring and so yeah, February is a weird month for Law, but this is the first time it’s been a weird one for Luffy too. He stares up at his bedroom ceiling, thinking maybe he’ll just text the group to see if anyone wants to grab a second lunch when his phone buzzes.
His eyes widen when he sees it’s a message from Law.
You busy?
Luffy’s fingers fly across the screen before he realizes it.
nope! What up?
There’s a delay, minutes that tick by like an eternity and just when Luffy’s about to type back a question mark, Law’s response pops up.
Need a ride. 767 Ashbird Way, Grand Line.
His phone tells him it’s a 40 minute ride to the middle of nowhere, which is weird, but it also looks like it passes right by Hachi’s takoyaki stand. And getting to see Law AND eat takoyaki sounds like a good way to make this day better. He texts a thumbs up to Law and goes to dig up his keys.
An hour and a belly full of takoyaki later, he pulls up to a tall, wrought iron fence and a gate with the words MARIEJOIS CEMETERY on an arch above it. Law is already waiting for him in a long, black coat, leaning against the fence. He doesn’t waste time walking over when he spots Luffy and Luffy immediately notes the blank, hollow look in his eyes. It’s not an expression Luffy’s used to seeing on him.
“Sorry to make you come all the way out,” Law says stiffly as he gets into the front seat. “Bepo needed my car to visit his brother this weekend and I couldn’t find another ride back into town.”
“It’s okay.” He studies Law, cheeks and the tip of his nose red and lips chapped hinting at just how long Law has been out in the cold. His eyes still look empty. “Why are you all the way out here?”
It’s said carelessly and light, without much thought but the question seems to be a heavy one for Law, judging by the way his tattooed fingers curl tightly into his coat. He’s not looking at Luffy.
“What do you think.” It’s harsh and the complete opposite of a question, said in Law's “finish eating before you kiss me” tone, warning Luffy to end the conversation. So Luffy shrugs and careens out of the there, heading back towards the city. Law doesn’t seem keen on talking, which is fine. Luffy turns the radio up to fill the silence, humming along to the songs he knows and drumming offbeat to the ones he doesn’t. He’s in the middle of an internal debate weighing the pros and cons of earning Law’s ire for round 2 of takoyaki (so far, there are a lot more pros than cons) when the next song on the radio snaps him back to the present.
“Ooooh, I love this song!” he says, cranking up the volume. Bink’s Sake had come out early last year but its popularity peaked later that summer, right when he and his friends took a trip to Fishman’s Beach. It became their trip anthem and every time he hears it, Luffy’s transported back to the scent of salt and sea, warm sand beneath his feet, and his friends’ endless laughter in the air. It was one of his favorite memories with them, especially after it had been such a hard year.
They should go again this year. Maybe he can convince Law to bring his friends and make it an even bigger party.
Beside him, Law is still silent, still stiff, staring out the passenger window and probably getting lost in his thoughts because he never knows how to turn off his brain. So Luffy opts to help him with that.
“Zoro got us kicked out of a bar because of this song,” he tells Law. Law barely hums in acknowledgement and tilts his head back against the headrest, closing his eyes. Luffy babbles on, undeterred.
“It was stupid though because other people were on top of the bar too and they didn’t get yelled at, but the guy behind the bar said it was because Zoro was stripping -“
That finally grabs Law’s attention. “Zoro-ya was stripping?” he says, cracking an eye open.
“Yeah, but unintentionally.”
“How do you unintentionally strip?”
Luffy grins as the memory of that night plays out. “Usopp and Franky dared Zoro to get on top of the bar and dance to this song. Zoro told them hell no, but then Sanji called Zoro a chickenshit and that just pissed Zoro off so he got on top of the bar. Only he wasn’t dancing at all, so I got up there to show him what to do. Then I accidentally kicked a drink and it spilled all over Nami.” Her face had been so angry then, Luffy swore then steam was coming off her head.
There’s a strange look on Law’s face, almost like he’s struggling with how he should be reacting. Luffy doesn’t pay him much heed, too busy chuckling to himself as he moves on. “So then Nami demanded Zoro give her his shirt because it was the only thing that went with her outfit. But Zoro said no, so then Nami got up on the bar and stole his shirt! And that’s when the guy yelled at Zoro for stripping.” Luffy pauses. “Oh, and for us knocking over a lot of other drinks too.”
“So Zoro-ya didn’t get you kicked out for stripping, you all were menaces and got yourselves kicked out,” Law suggests, which makes Luffy roll his eyes.
“But we wouldn’t have gotten kicked out if it weren’t for Zoro and the song.”
“That’s like saying you wouldn’t have punched Caesar Clown if Punk Hazard didn’t have a rave that night,” Law points out and Luffy scrunches his face up at the reminder of that incident from last month.
“Caesar was annoying and a jerk and insulted you and Chopper!”
“Our knight in shining straw hat,” Law drawls. He’s sounding less empty and more like himself now, which eases the odd knot that had taken up residence in Luffy’s chest for the past week.
“You’re just mad ‘cause you didn’t get a swing at him,” Luffy says smugly.
“Because he folded like a house of cards before anyone else could.”
Luffy shrugs because, well he did punch Caesar that hard and he certainly doesn’t regret it. Nami always lectured him not to pick fights with people who were all bark and no bite, but there was something in Caesar’s tone and expression that told Luffy the man wasn’t just talk. And yeah, Law knows how to stick up for himself but Chopper’s still learning, the youngest out of all of them, so Luffy won’t stand down when it comes to him. Doing it for Law too was just a bonus.
“Actually now that I think about it, the common denominator in all these events is you,” Law says and there’s that teasing tone, the one that Luffy’s found himself missing.
Even though Law’s accusation is completely unfounded. “Is not!” Luffy says loudly. “It’s just ‘cause other people were jerks!”
“That’s a pretty vague standard, Luffy-ya.”
“You’re a pretty vague standard."
“What does that even mean?” They spend the rest of the drive back to town bickering about just how much trouble Luffy actually brings to people’s lives. Luffy gets so absorbed in defending himself, he forgets about takoyaki and passes the exit for Hachi’s without realizing it. Their discussion is only interrupted when they reach town and Luffy takes the left towards his apartment complex.
“My place is that way,” Law reminds him, point a thumb back the way they just came.
“Do you want to go to your place?” Luffy asks. It’s a simple question. The answer seems to be more complicated for Law though, who purses his lips and looks out the passenger window to avoid Luffy’s gaze. When the silence continues on, Luffy knows he’s got his answer. He smiles. “Wanna grab food before we get to my place?”
“I’m good,” Law mumbles.
“Okay. But just so you know, my fridge is pretty much empty.” Sort of - there are leftovers Sanji brought over the other day, but Luffy doesn’t want to give those up unless he really, really has to.
A sigh and a muttered, “Of course.” Then, louder: “Pho?”
“Oh, good choice!”
They spend the next several hours on Luffy’s couch, watching terrible horror movies and stuffing themselves (or mainly just Luffy stuffing himself, but Law finishes almost half of his pho before he gives the rest to Luffy, so that’s practically the same thing). A third of the way through The Curse of Gecko Moria, Luffy falls asleep with his head in Law’s lap. He only wakes up when long fingers comb through his hair and Law’s voice calls out to him in a low timber. “Luffy-ya, get up.”
“Five more minutes,” he mumbles, turning his face further into Law’s thigh.
“You’re drooling on my jeans,” Law says wryly.
“So?”
There’s a huff then a gentle tug on his hair. “Your bed’s more comfortable.”
“Not right now, it isn’t,” Luffy mutters.
“For me, it is.” Law doesn’t sound like he’s complaining though, just amused. But he tugs on Luffy’s hair again and Luffy grumbles, finally pushing himself up to a sitting position. He rolls his eyes when Law sets his phone down on the table to grab the dishes.
“Ugh, just leave it ’til tomorrow, Torao.”
“You’ll just leave them there tomorrow too.”
Luffy waves him off and gets off the couch with a groan before heading to his room. He changes into a pair of basketball shorts and leaves a pair out for Law, then flops down on top of his bed. He dozes off again until he feels Law crawl in beside him, nudging him to scoot over. Instead, Luffy throws an arm and a leg over Law and burrows close, ignoring the annoyed sigh but smiling at the brush of lips against his forehead.
After that, things go back to normal. The rest of February becomes a regular month for Luffy again and - to Luffy’s pleasant surprise - Law too. He’s no longer distant and unreachable like he was in that first week, or in February of previous years. When they’re alone, Luffy still catches glimpses of melancholy every once in a while on Law’s face, but there are more smiles and that’s all that matters.
A few things change. Law and his friends start coming to Shakky’s on Thursdays for drinks and darts, a weekly tradition among Luffy and his friends. It’s not the first time Luffy’s met Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin but that first time at Shakky’s, the three of them keep looking at him curiously like a puzzle. It’s weird but then again, Law’s kind of weird too so Luffy just chalks it up to like attracting like and all.
Then Law makes the jukebox play Bink’s Sake, much to Zoro’s chagrin and everyone else’s amusement and then they’re all too busy trying to shove Zoro on top of the bar for Luffy to spare it another thought.
(From that night on, Luffy’s friends begin looking at Law differently too - a little too knowing, a little too assessing. They definitely know something now, but they didn’t hear it from Luffy so as far as Luffy is concerned, he’s never broken Law’s ironclad rule of not telling anyone about their arrangement.
Okay, except for Ace and Sabo like a month after they first hooked up but Law doesn’t need to know that.)
Some things, however, remain the same.
After weeks with no chance to change Law’s wallpaper, opportunity finally strikes one night when Law steps outside to grab their pizza from the delivery man. Law’s phone is just sitting innocently on the table, but for Luffy there might as well have been neon lights pointing at it, screaming MESS WITH ME. Luffy snatches it up, snickering to himself as he thinks about all the poses he’s come up with since he last did this.
Close up of his nostrils?
Duck lips?
Combo of both?
As he tries to settle on something, he tilts the phone up for the screen to flick on, ready to swipe left for the camera, only to freeze when he notices Law’s latest wallpaper.
It’s a picture from that night a few weeks ago, Luffy dozing on Law’s lap with a smile on his face, Law’s tattooed fingers threaded through his hair. Luffy hadn’t even noticed Law took a photo.
Luffy grins, so wide it pulls at his cheeks. He’s happy, like he’s looking out at an endless sea and expanding horizon that promises nothing but adventure. With just a brief moment of hesitation, he turns the screen off and sets Law’s phone back on the table.
When Law comes back with the pizza, Luffy drags him in for a kiss, delighting in the way Law leans in and smiles into it, like somehow he knows.
“You just want the pizza,” he mutters against Luffy’s lips and Luffy grins and snatches the box away from him after one more lingering kiss.
(Luffy holds out as long as he can, which is later that night after they go to bed. Then he steals Law's phone to take a photo, catching himself with the classic tongue-to-nose pose with half-lidded eyes alongside Law’s sleeping face, and makes it Law’s wallpaper.
Law’s exasperated “Luffy-ya!” the next morning is 100% worth it.)