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In hindsight, Law should have seen it coming.
She should have realized that, sooner or later, her body would have rebelled against that agony and retaliated in the most devious way of all.
Yet Law had ignored the clear warnings fate, providence, or whatever deity was looking at her from above, had thrown at her.
She had disregarded the premonitory signs and had slammed into reality. Quite literally.
But let's start from the beginning.
For two weeks now, Law had been waking up at 6:35 a.m., putting on her tracksuit, and going for a run in the park.
Fun fact: Law was lazy as shit and hated running with every fiber of her body. She liked doing a lot of things, but sports? She fucking hated it. She had no breath, got tired within half a minute, and sweated so much she looked like an angry cat forcefully put in the shower.
For her, to exercise for half an hour was tantamount to endless martyrdom and a kind of hellish punishment.
Yet, even though her limbs screamed in despair as soon as she entered the park behind her house and cursed her every single minute of that bodily torture, Law did not stop waking up at dawn and going jogging at that exact time in the morning.
The reason behind that dedication was not about the desire to keep fit, the wish to exercise outdoors, or to have an outlet for stress.
No, the reason Law woke up at 6:35 a.m. every day was to be found in the wonderful backside of the prettiest girl ever who went running at that impossible hour.
A firm butt that looked as the juiciest peach summer could offer, to be precise, accompanied by an equally athletic and trained body, long brown hair, and a pair of dark eyes that Law would have loved to dive into and never come out of.
After all, she was just a simple human being who liked pretty girls.
She might as well have made some sacrifices to enjoy the sight of said beautiful, sweaty, half-naked girls stretching against the fences and giving her a chance to admire a butt that rightfully belonged to art history books.
Law was fully aware that such behavior was not appropriate, that sooner or later someone would have punished her for the way she stared at the exquisite Jogging Goddess (that's what her thoughts had renamed her) with no shame whatsoever.
Although she was aware of her sins, she continued to commit them; she woke up undaunted at six thirty-five every morning and spent a good ninety percent of the agony that was running around the park searching with her eyes for the object of her ultimate sacrifice.
Sure, she might as well have gone talk to her, introduce herself, offer her coffee, dinner, and breakfast, or even ask her to take up permanent residence between her sheets.
But such a gesture would have involved mustering up every ounce of courage she knew she did not possess and doing such an unthinkable action as speaking with her, with the knowledge that the girl of her dreams might even reply.
In addition to being as active as a sloth, Law realized that she was also a huge wimp: she knew she would never have the courage to introduce herself to that wonder of a goddess, so her only alternative was to admire her from afar, sweating and agonizing on the beaten path of the park.
She had been no slouch that morning either: at precisely 6:35 a.m. she turned off her alarm clock and cursed. Then she put on her shorts and an XL sweatshirt to cover most of her tattoos, pulled up her hood to cover her hair and the dark circles under her eyes, and left the house, ignoring her body's desperate pleas to get back under the covers and sleep until a more humane hour.
She started running as soon as she entered the park, dragging herself along the dirt path.
Her tired expression changed to a more lively one the instant she saw the Jogging Goddess running just ahead of her and, without any regrets, Law went after her, her eyes fixed on that round butt and those shoulders that flexed with every movement.
Law was aware that she looked like an African lioness in pursuit of a succulent gazelle, but she didn't care: she would have gladly given an arm and a leg to be able to get her hands on that bottom that looked soft and inviting.
Law jogged behind her for a good twenty minutes until, unfortunately, the Goddess stopped beside the pond railing to stretch.
Lest she looked completely like a stalker, Law continued her agony and decided to keep on running.
While coming back on her tracks, she opted to run past the object of her desire once more, just to add more mental images to her repertoire, and then go home to enjoy her much-deserved hot shower.
It seemed like a perfect plan indeed, but in hindsight, Law should have realized that the moment of reckoning would have finally come for her.
She slowed her pace as soon as she approached the spot where the Goddess had stopped, admiring the wonderful exercise that was forcing her to bend at ninety degrees.
At that very moment, fate decided to punish Law for all her countless impure thoughts about that wonderful ass.
She did not notice the stone sticking out of the ground and causing her to trip, but unfortunately, she saw the ground approaching her face very well.
There it was, the slamming against reality.
In less than a clear second, she had gone from staring at the eighth wonder of the world to fully embracing the muddy ground of the park, and yes, that had to be some kind of divine retribution for every single minute she had spent staring at the Jogging Goddess. She did not doubt that.
"Hey, are you okay? Are you in one piece?"
Excellent, in addition to the damage, the insult. Damn, the day had started so well.
Law tried to pull herself off the ground while keeping her face covered, but a hand landed on her arm, and it didn't take her long to realize that the person who had reached out and was touching her was indeed the owner of that butt that Law would have liked to bite like a ripe peach. Life sucked so badly.
"I'm fine," Law murmured, trying to act tough and gritting her teeth. "I just slipped."
"Are you sure? You fell quite hard."
So she had even seen her falling like an idiot? Great, really great.
Law sat up and tried to assess the damage: her palms and knees were scratched and full of dirt, and her ankle was screaming in pain.
Oh, and the girl of her dreams was crouched beside her, touching her arm and looking worried. No big deal.
Law forced herself to raise her head toward her, and the moment she met her gaze, she felt that asshole Cupid's arrow pierce her heart through and through.
She looked so beautiful, her long dark hair tied in a high and messy ponytail, lashes that ran for-fucking-ever, rosy cheeks, and plumpy lips. Even the light scar under her left eye was pretty.
And while that wonder of a Goddess looked like a model out of a sports magazine, there was Law. She was sitting on the muddy ground, her ankle was throbbing, she was full of scratches and dirty with soil, had scary dark circles under her eyes and her short and messy black hair was sticking to her forehead because of the sweat. Perfect timing.
"Yes," she whispered. "It's just a scratch."
"Can you stand? I think you hurt your ankle pretty badly."
"Of course I did," Law huffed, trying not to show any weaknesses. However, she accepted the girl's palm with pleasure.
She stood and tried to take a step, feeling her sore ankle give in immediately.
She would have surely tumbled again if it had not been for two muscular arms that caught her in time and gently laid her on the ground.
Law felt a shiver run down her spine and it was not because of her foot.
She groaned, bringing one hand to massage her injured ankle.
"I think you got a pretty bad sprain. You need some ice."
Besides being cool and pretty as hell, the mysterious Goddess was even thoughtful. But did girls like that exist?
Law looked at her and sketched an irritated smile. "I know I need some ice, but right now there seems to be a shortage of ice around here.”
The girl chuckled. "There's a bar just outside the park, I'm sure they have something to keep your foot from swelling even more."
"Yeah… and how do I get there? By flying?"
Law didn't want to answer her badly, honestly, but that situation had some ridiculousness to it. She couldn't walk, and she was talking with the girl of her dreams in the middle of the biggest shitshow in history. She might as well have died there.
She was dazzled, however, by the sweetest smile thrown at her by the girl, who crouched down beside her and offered her palm. "I'll carry you there. Can you stand up at least for a moment?"
Law refused to name the sound that came from her lips as a squeak or to admit that her cheeks turned red. "It's not like I'm some damsel in distress who needs to be carried!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest.
The girl, at that point, might as well have told her to bugger off and left her to rot on the dirt path in the park at an inhuman hour of the morning. However, the Jogging Goddess was not only beautiful on the outside: she giggled amusedly and gave her a fond look. "Will you let me help you or not?"
Law bit her lip, still red in the face, and nodded, getting back on her feet and letting the girl hoist her on her back. Fearing she might lose her balance, Law tightened her arms around her neck, letting her hands slide over her sweaty skin.
"Sorry," the girl murmured after settling her better against her back and walking toward the park exit. "I'm all sweaty."
Oh, gosh. That was so terrible.
"Don't worry… forgive me for putting you in this situation," Law muttered. "I bet this is not how you expected to spend your morning."
"Like what? Devoting myself to rescuing a pretty princess from a ruinous fall?"
To recap: this chick was beautiful as hell, kind, selfless, nice, and even made jokes. But was it legal for someone like that to exist?
"I'm not a princess," Law scoffed against her ear, knowing well that she looked like a strutting cat.
"I know, but I wouldn't mind being the one saving you."
Oh, well, Law didn't mind either, but not by a long shot.
"My name is Luffy, by the way," she continued after a while, turning her head slightly. Even her name was beautiful. Heavens, she was seriously perfect.
"Trafalgar Law," she replied. "And I can assure you that I'm not always this clumsy."
"Oh, I know that, I see you running every morning. I must admit that you are very consistent."
Law shrugged and was thankful that Luffy could not see her face. "I have my reasons,” she sighed.
Luffy did not reply to that statement and continued to stroll in silence until they reached the small kiosk outside the park. Luckily, it was already open even if it was still early.
Luffy helped her settle down at a small table, and Law did her best not to groan in pain when she accidentally rested her weight on her injured ankle. Then Luffy disappeared for a couple of minutes and returned with an ice pack in her hands. She sat down beside her and moved Law's foot onto her lap.
Before Law could ask what she was doing, the girl untied her shoelaces and watched her with a smile. "Do you mind if I take a look? I know a little about these things."
Law was a doctor and knew a lot about sprains and how to fix them, but shook her head and let her because saying You can do whatever the hell you want to me did not seem particularly appropriate. She almost bit her lip until it bled as she watched Luffy gently slip off her shoe and sock and carefully massage her already slightly reddened joint.
She groaned in annoyance as she placed the ice on her warm skin, but Luffy's small laugh caught her attention. "It's just a sprain, with some rest you'll be better."
Law nodded. "Thank you for the diagnosis."
"Now wait a minute, I'll go get something to disinfect those scratches."
"Can I refuse?"
"Of course not," she giggled.
Luffy gently placed her foot on a chair and stood up. "I'll be right back."
The girl immediately returned with a small bottle of disinfectant and a pair of bandages.
Law smiled gratefully at her, although she knew full well that the disinfectant would have made her swear like a sailor in the following minutes and that the heavenly Jogging Goddess was about to change her mind about her. All this assuming the fact that she did not already consider her an idiot who could trip over her own feet and was as delicate as a tank.
After Luffy was done with her, however, she still had a smile on her face. Which was not bad at all given how much Luffy stroked her and touched her, using the gentlest tone of voice and always with a smile.
When she took the supplies back to the kiosk owner and returned with a tray with two hot coffees and a couple of cream pastries, Law was sure her eyes were heart-shaped. She did not believe there could be anyone who, besides taking care of her despite her sharp tongue, cuddled her with such a sweet gesture.
They stayed talking at that little table until the kiosk began to fill with kids and workers. Law realized that the sweet idyll was about to end when Luffy started to look around and checked the time on her cell phone.
"I should be going," she explained, getting to her feet. "I have class in a couple of hours and I still have to shower."
Law nodded.
"Sure... sure, go ahead."
She sat straight to slip back into her sock and shoe, putting away the bag with ice, which was now melted. "I can get home by myself, I live nearby."
"Nonsense!" Luffy took the shoe from her hands and gave her an eloquent look. "What kind of rescue would this be if I didn't accompany you home?"
Law answered her with a smirk. "Yeah, this wouldn't be much of a rescue at all."
Luffy chuckled and helped her to her feet, hoisting her onto her shoulders.
"I have to admit..." she confessed the moment Law wrapped her arms around her neck. "I had no idea we would talk to each other like this the first time."
Law felt her heart beating wildly against Luffy's back. "You didn't? And how did you imagine it?"
"I thought that sooner or later you would have found the courage to come and talk to me instead of keeping on looking at my ass every morning."
Law blushed. "And I thought I was being discreet!"
"Let me tell you, you were not,” Luffy giggled and gripped her legs tighter.
Law couldn't help but chuckle, reaching up to her face and leaving a kiss on her cheek.
"What was that for?"
"For rescuing me."
"I thought you were not a princess to be saved."
Law abandoned her head on Luffy's back and sighed. "If you're the one saving me, then I'm okay with anything."