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“...and they were soulmates!” Shachi finished his story. “Isn’t that so romantic?”
Penguin sighed dreamily, while Law gave a polite “I suppose,” more to prove he had been listening than anything else. They were having lunch together in the hospital cafeteria, as they usually did, but Law wished they could have chosen another topic to discuss.
“Imagine it: a chance meeting on a bus, and your whole life changes,” Penguin said, like that was something to hope for. Law shuddered.
“Sounds terrifying,” he said honestly, and Shachi rolled his eyes.
“Live a little, Law,” he said. “You of all people could use someone to turn your life around. Maybe stop you from living at work. When was the last time you took a vacation day?”
“Cora’s birthday,” Law said.
“That was half a year ago,” Penguin said. “Shachi is right. Why don’t you come with us to one of the Meets?”
“Pen, I don’t want a soulmate,” Law said.
“But Law-”
His phone beeped, and Law was thankful to be spared the lecture.
“Sorry, gotta go,” Law said, downing the rest of his coffee as he got up and hurried to the surgery.
His life was busy enough as it was. He didn't have time for a soulmate, even if he had wanted one.
***
The surgery had been a success. Law estimated his patient had a pretty good chance at a full recovery, as long as there weren't unforeseen complications.
As the nurses rolled his patient to his room, Law removed his gloves and went to wash his hands. A few drops of blood had made it past the gloves and on to his forearms, and he washed them away without much thought.
Except, the spots remained.
He had washed the blood away, and they left behind colour on his skin, bright blue and shiny.
Blue, his mind provided as he stared at his arm. Neutral touch. No specific intent.
He tried to wash it away. It was futile, he knew that, but he still tried.
The spots remained.
The universe was laughing at him.
He needed to confirm the theory. It was easy enough, since it was his patient. He headed to his patient's room, and made sure no one saw him as he very gently touched his arm with the tip of one finger.
The tip of his finger turned blue, while leaving a small, purple circle on his patient’s skin.
Dark purple. Uncertainty and fear.
Law scowled. At least no one would probably notice. The little purple spot could have been a bruise.
Well, he had found his soulmate. Regardless of whether he wanted to or not, it had happened. Now the question was: what was he supposed to do with that?
He reached for the patient file.
Monkey D. Luffy, 21 years old, blood type B+, worked in an Animal shelter, where he had gotten stabbed by a customer, emergency contact Portgas D. Ace, older brother.
Law looked over at the man on the bed. 21 years old. 7 years younger than Law. And if that wasn’t imbalance enough, he was Law’s patient. Not the best way to meet. At least a chance encounter on the bus left both parties on equal ground.
He wondered if Monkey D. Luffy had fantasied about what his soulmate would be like. He probably had. Everyone did. Even Law, as much as he protested, had had thoughts about it, even if he had never managed to conjure up a clear mental image.
Regardless, he was sure he didn’t match whatever Luffy had expected. Who would fantasise about a depressed, workaholic surgeon with a caffeine addiction?
Probably the best to pretend he didn’t know, and wear gloves in all their interactions. When his patient was ready to leave the hospital, Law would tell him. At least then they didn’t have to see each other every day.
The door flew open, and a young man entered, flustered and out of breath.
“Luffy!” he all but shouted. He hurried towards the bed, panic and worry clear on his face. “What happened? I just got the call.”
“Apparently he was attacked at work,” Law said. “Are you a relative?”
“I’m his brother,” the man said. “They said he was stabbed! Will he be okay?”
“His condition is stable,” Law said. “He lost a lot of blood, and had severe lacerations in his abdomen, but barring any unforeseen circumstances he should wake up in a few hours.”
The man didn’t seem too reassured. Understandable, Law supposed.
The door opened again, and a nurse rushed inside. “I told you, you can’t just-” she started, then looked at Law. “Doctor Trafalgar! I’m so sorry, he just ran in.”
“It’s alright,” Law said. “I’ll allow him to visit.” He looked over at Luffy’s brother. “Next time, make sure you’re cleared by the front desk first.”
“Sorry,” Luffy’s brother said. “Thank you for taking care of my little brother.”
Law idly wondered if he would still say that if he knew what Law had just discovered.
***
He wasn't there when Luffy woke up. They officially met the following day when Law went back to work, after unsuccessfully trying to get a good night's sleep.
When Law entered the room, he found Luffy sitting on his bed, in the process of trying to get up.
"What do you think you're doing?" Law asked, hurrying into the room. Luffy gave him a grin.
"I'm hungry, so I'm going to get something to eat," he said, like it was logical.
Great. His soulmate was an idiot. This just kept getting better.
"You are going to pull your stitches, and I don't want to have to sew you up again," Law said, doing his best to gently but firmly push Luffy back into bed. At least his gloved hands left no marks.
"I'm still hungry, though," Luffy complained, but at least he didn't struggle.
"So press the buttons to call a nurse," Law said. "You need to stay in bed for now."
Luffy looked up at him with a pout. "Who are you, anyways?"
"Trafalgar Law, I'm your doctor," Law said.
Luffy frowned. “I thought the pineapple guy was my doctor.”
Law barely refrained from snorting. Poor Marco.
“He is when I’m not here,” Law said. “Now get back in bed. I need to check your vitals, and then maybe you can eat.”
“Alright, Torao,” Luffy sighed, but he did as Law asked.
“That’s not my name,” Law said.
Luffy grinned. “It is now.”
Law felt a headache coming on. Could this really be his soulmate?
***
He learned a lot about Luffy over the following days. He wasn't trying to, in fact, he was trying to stay away as much as possible, but Luffy made it impossible.
He learned that Luffy had two brothers, but one was out of the country. Ace, the one Law had already met, visited every day. Apparently they didn’t have parents.
He learned that Luffy had a lot of friends, and was always in the process of making more. If he was missing from his room, which he usually was, he had probably wandered into a nearby room to chat with whoever he could find.
He learned that Luffy had very little respect for rules, even when they were in place for his own good. He snuck off to get food frequently.
He learned that, despite being an obnoxious little brat sometimes, Luffy was good-natured and kind. Law kinda hated it. It would have been easier to just ignore his existence if he hadn’t been.
After about a week, Luffy was almost ready to be discharged.
"You're making good progress," Law said. "Provided you have someone who can help take care of you at home, we can discharge you tomorrow."
Luffy grinned. "Finally!"
"You would still need to follow the diet and rest as much as possible," Law reminded him.
"Fine," Luffy said, with a tone that suggested he was not going to do that.
Law sighed. "Healing will take longer if you don't follow the instructions."
"I'll be fine," Luffy said. "You worry too much."
He reached out to pat Law's head, and Law didn't realise in time. He dodged too late, and Luffy's fingertips briefly ran over his cheek.
Fuck.
He could see Luffy's eyes grow wide as his fingertips grew a sickly yellow.
Chartreuse yellow. Distrust. Avoidance.
"You-" Luffy started, looking at Law with fascination, then frowned as he saw his own fingers. "You knew?"
Law wanted to be anywhere else. "Yes. I found out after the operation."
"Were you going to say anything?" Luffy asked.
"Shortly before discharging you, yes," Law confirmed. It had seemed so logical at the time, but now it made him feel like an asshole.
"So you wouldn't have to see me," Luffy concluded.
"So neither of us would be stuck having to interact if we'd rather not," Law said.
Luffy gave him a searching look. "Why are you scared?"
Law scowled. "I'm not scared."
Luffy reached out for him, and Law considered refusing, then sighed and pulled up his sleeve. Luffy's fingers left pale green lines on his skin. Curiosity .
Meanwhile Luffy's fingertips were coated in a dark purple. Fear. Uncertainty.
"See?" Luffy said. "Why are you scared?"
"I-" Law began, unsure what to say. "I don't want a soulmate."
Luffy frowned.
" Any soulmate. It's not about you," Law said. "I don't need any destiny-appointed partner in my life."
"That makes sense," Luffy nodded. "I kinda felt the same."
"Felt?"
"Well, I was fine not having anyone," Luffy said. "I figured I wouldn't ever." He looked at Law, grinning. "But here you are. So I want to at least get to know you."
Law hesitated. "We are very different people."
"So? We can still be friends," Luffy said easily.
"Just friends?"
"Yeah. I'm not going to date someone just because some colours say I should," Luffy said. "But we could be friends."
Law felt himself relax. "Alright," he said. "Friends sound good."
***
Law realised over the next few weeks that he and Luffy had very different definitions of the word "friends". For Law, friends were people he hung out with a couple of times a month, maybe texted a few times a week, if that. People he worked with were exceptions, by necessity. For Luffy, “friends” apparently meant daily messages, and an expectation to hang out as often as possible, usually with the rest of his friends. Law was overwhelmed, to say the least.
It could have been worse, he supposed. His soulmate could have been someone who demanded a relationship, or sex, or an immediate wedding and children. Then again, someone like that couldn't have been his soulmate.
Not that Luffy made much sense either.
At least his friends seemed to agree. Luffy had convinced him to join them for a get-together about a week after getting discharged, and introduced him as his soulmate by dragging a finger on Law's face, leaving a shiny green line across his cheek.
If he didn't know that particular green meant friendship rather than mockery he would have thought Luffy was making a fool of him on purpose.
At least Luffy's finger took on an irritated shade of purple rather than a scared one.
"See?" Luffy said, grinning widely. "Torao is my soulmate."
His friends reacted with surprise and disbelief, but he quickly learned it had more to do with Luffy than with him.
" Luffy has a soulmate. Who is a doctor ," Nami said. "How is that possible?"
"I guess it makes sense. He definitely gets injured a lot," Usopp said. "Condolences, Torao."
“How is this fair?” Sanji lamented. “Luffy has never even wanted a soulmate and somehow he’s the first one of us to find one?”
Law had to laugh at that. “My friends said something similar.”
Usopp looked thoughtful. “Guess you really are soulmates, then.”
“Yup,” Luffy grinned, throwing an arm around Law’s shoulders and using the other to draw another line on his face. Law sighed and pushed him away, leaving a mix of irritated purple, distrustful yellow and embarrassed orange on his forehead.
Luffy’s friends looked at him with raised eyebrows.
“Looks like it’s not happy ever after yet, huh?” Zoro said, and Law gave him the finger.
Luffy didn’t seem bothered. “We’re friends,” he said. “That’s enough.”
At least they agreed on that much.
***
Luffy liked drawing on his arm. He clearly had no artistic talent or aspirations, but he seemed fascinated by the shades of green appearing on Law's skin as he touched it. So far, it was always green. Curiosity, friendship, trust, playfulness, all comfortable shades of green. Luffy's fingers, on the other hand, turned a variety of colours, but lately they were mostly shades of green as well. Luffy had laughed happily the first time it happened, and Law pretended it didn't mean anything.
Not that Luffy's skin ever seemed to turn just one colour. Even when it was green, there was always something else mixed in, a shifting colour towards the edges. Luffy didn't seem to care, so Law tried his best to ignore it.
It still bothered him.
***
"That is so much green," Shachi commented. They had run into each other in the changing room when Law came in for a shift after meeting Luffy for breakfast. Luffy had spent the entire time they were waiting for food drawing on Law's arm.
"He's always green," Law said dismissively. Shachi and Penguin had been ecstatic to hear about his newfound soulmate, even if neither of them seemed to grasp that he and Luffy were not dating.
"Yeah, but it's so much green," Shachi said. "He clearly likes touching you, so how is it still green?"
"I think he's just entertained by the colours," Law shrugged.
"I doubt that," Shachi said. "You just wait, it's going to be all reds and pinks before long."
Law wasn't sure how he felt about that.
***
Law was at Luffy's apartment, that he shared with Ace. Ace had had a more expected reaction to finding out his little brother's soulmate was seven years older than him, but the green shade on Luffy's skin had calmed him down. The first time Law was there, he kept checking in on them, like an overprotective parent. Now, three months later, he no longer bothered.
Luffy was drawing on his arm as they idly watched a movie. Law wasn't really paying attention to either thing. It had been a long week, and his eyes kept falling shut.
"Ah!"
The exclamation made him force his eyes open. He looked sleepily over at Luffy.
"What is it?" he asked, and Luffy sheepishly pointed to his arm.
Among all the greens was a deep red line.
Intimate affection. Desire.
Law's eyes widened, suddenly awake again.
"Oh."
"Yeah," Luffy agreed. He sounded just as surprised. "You're really cute when you're sleeping, Torao."
Law snorted. "I'm not that attractive when awake, then?"
"That's not what I meant," Luffy said, but he grinned.
Neither of them mentioned it again for the rest of the evening.
***
Law lay awake staring at his arm that night. He had been so tired, and now he couldn’t sleep. Like the red line taunted him. The green surrounding it had already faded, but the red was still clearly visible, a sharp contrast on his skin, like an open wound.
He slowly ran his fingers down the line, and his arm tingled slightly. Why did it feel like such a big deal?
So what if Luffy found him attractive for half a second? It’s not like he was the first. Law had had his fair share of partners over the years, had received plenty of compliments on his looks and knew some people found him attractive. Why would it matter to him if Luffy did the same?
Law closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands. Because it was Luffy.
Law had always been very sceptical to the whole soulmate-thing, and he still was, but somehow Luffy had managed to carve out a place for himself in Law’s life. It had been weird at first, but by now, Law was comfortable around him. He was a friend, and the green marks on his arm had made it clear that was all Luffy had wanted.
Until now.
Maybe he was overthinking it. Maybe it was just a one time, temporary insanity on Luffy’s part, and things would go back to normal.
Law frowned at his arm. Why did he feel so conflicted about that?
***
It took about a week until he saw Luffy again, and Law wasn't any closer to figuring out what he wanted.
“Wow, your apartment is big!” Luffy exclaimed as he looked around.
For all the times they had spent together, this was the first time Luffy was at Law’s place. And they were alone. No other friends around, no overprotective brothers, no random strangers. Just them.
Law felt weirdly nervous about it.
The plan was to order takeout and watch a movie. Luffy was acting as he usually did, all friendly laughter, but so far he hadn’t touched Law even once.
They settled in on the couch with their food, with Luffy eating three times as much as Law despite his smaller stature. Law idly wondered where he put it all.
Usually, after they had eaten, Luffy would reach out for him, and play around drawing circles on his arm. It had been weird at first, then soothing, and now Law found he missed it. He could reach out himself, but what colours would he leave on Luffy’s skin if he did? He wasn’t sure. He was always thinking too much, too fast, mind spiralling in every direction.
Like now. He realised he had no idea what the movie was about, having gotten lost in his own head for the first half. On the screen were two people kissing, leaving red marks all over each other as they stumbled into a bedroom.
“Do people actually do that?” Luffy asked, and Law looked over at him. He was watching the screen with a frown.
“Do what? Have sex?” Law asked.
“No, I know that, ” Luffy said. “But they just met! Apart from being soulmates, they don’t know anything about each other."
“Sometimes it doesn’t matter,” Law said. “I’ve done it, though obviously those people weren’t my soulmates. It meant nothing, just a good time.”
“Oh,” Luffy said.
Law looked at him, and the slight blush on his cheeks. “Does that bother you?”
“I don’t know,” Luffy said. “Are you still doing it?”
“Would it matter if I was?" Law asked. "We’re just friends, aren’t we?”
Luffy frowned. “I know. It shouldn’t bother me,” he said, looking down at his hands. “But I don’t like it.”
“Why? Because I’m your soulmate?” Law asked.
“Maybe. I’m not good at sharing,” Luffy said. He turned towards Law, meeting his eyes. “Maybe I don’t want to be just friends anymore.”
“And if I say no?”
“Then we stay just friends,” Luffy said. “I don’t want to lose that.”
Law hesitated. “Give me your hand, Luffy.”
Luffy did without question. His hand left deep reds and bright pinks on Law’s skin, but also greens, still. Clear colours, easy to read and understand. Luffy’s skin, on the other hand, looked like gasoline in Law’s hands, so many conflicting colours, bleeding into each other, reflecting the chaos that was Law’s mind.
Luffy looked at his hand in fascination. “It’s so pretty,” he said.
Law huffed in surprise. “It’s a jumbled mess,” he said. “Like me.”
“You’re pretty, too,” Luffy said, and Law leaned in to kiss him. Luffy met his lips, inexperienced but eager.
When Law pulled back, Luffy’s lips were coloured in a deep red, with only a hint of purple towards the edges.
Luffy grinned at him. “You look funny.”
“Yeah? And whose fault is that?” Law said wryly, but he couldn’t help but smile back.
“Mine,” Luffy said, and reached up towards Law, fingers caressing his cheek before settling at the back of his neck to pull him closer again. He chuckled. “You’re going to be so red.”
“You too, apparently,” Law said. “Your brother is going to murder me.”
Luffy laughed. “I guess I’m just going to have to stay over then, so he won’t see. It should have faded by then, right?”
“Depends on what you intended to do with me during the night,” Law smirked. “Do you feel you know me well enough?”
“We’ll find out. I intend to cover you in red, head to toe,” Luffy said, grinning up at him. “That okay?”
“Yeah, it’s okay,” Law said, leaning down to kiss Luffy’s neck. He made the funniest little sound, and Law smirked against his skin. “Though I might beat you to it.”
Luffy laughed. “We’ll see about that.”
Law pulled Luffy close to him, kissing him again.
Soulmates weren’t that bad, he supposed.