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Who knew they would end up this way.
They understood each other the most, until they didn't. Confused about what went wrong, and why Law did it.
It hurts, Luffy feels like his heart is getting stabbed every second. Waking up in bed, not feeling the warmth of his lover, no molten gold eyes with a glint of happiness staring back at him, no smile, no soft lips pressing into his forehead, no "good morning, how was your sleep"
It's cold, and it hurts.
How many days has it been, weeks, months?
Luffy cannot get over it, cannot accept the outcome, cannot process the reason why Law did it to him, DARED to do it.
Why?
Luffy sat up in his bed, their bed. Feeling nauseous yet again, why can't he just move on anyway? Law is not coming back nor Luffy's friends would even let him in back again.
But Luffy still waits, waits for a text, a call, a letter- whatever, anything, any form of communication. He just wants to see how Law is doing, despite Luffy being the victim.
He loves Law too much that he's willing to accept him back.
A ding echoed from Luffy's phone in the bedside table, scrambling immediately to get it and see the notification.
A text
It's a text from Law, finally.
He opened the text message, his smile immediately dropping the moment he was done reading it.
Oh.
“I have everything set in my part, please drop off the box outside on your porch. Don't wait for me by the door, please don't make it hard for us both.„
Damn.
Luffy set his eyes on the set of boxes to put on his porch for Law to pick up.
Boxes containing memories of them both, the things Law gave him, Law's sweater, shoes, his personal things, his belongings, his clothes, everything.
Luffy couldn't hold a sniffle, tears once again forming in his eyes.
"I guess this is it."
He stood up and started carrying the boxes out to the porch of his house, their house.
An hour passed, Luffy's waiting behind the closed door when he finally heard a car screech in front of his house. He’s here.
Luffy stood up as he heard footsteps closing in to the door. Shifts of boxes getting lifted and carried out to the car.
The time ticked by, with Luffy just waiting quietly behind the door.
When a letter slipped by underneath the door.
Curious, before Luffy could pick up the letter, a voice can be heard on the other side of the door.
"Lu, I know you're behind this door. I just wanted to say sorry again for what I did, it might not change anything but please know I truly loved you from all the years that we were together."
Badump.
Luffy stood up and grabbed the doorknob.
"DON'T open the door, please Lu." a firm deep voice.
He stood still, so many thoughts racing in his mind. He wants to ask so many questions but couldn't form any words, his voice not even present.
So Luffy knocked 3 times on the door.
A simple "why?" was all he could croak out from his throat.
Silence.
"Why did you cheat on me?"
Six thirty-five in the morning.
Who the hell knocks on doors, feverently at that, at six thirty-five in the morning??
Luffy pushes himself out of his bed, warm blankets giving way to the biting cool air in his room. He yawns as his feet patter against hardwood softly, a groan escaping him as he opens the door with closed eyes, uncouthly asking "Wha' d'ya want?"
"Hey, Luffy."
Luffy's eyes shot open as if his body was cast into ice. That voice. That rich, deep voice. Belonging to a familiar stranger, shadows casting over his face, yet still recognizable among the light of the lamp in his house.
"Torao?"
"It's..... 'S been a while..." Law's speech is.... slowed. Yet less subdued, far less quiet than he would usually be, "...ya been good?"
Been good? Been good?! "You hurt me." Luffy says it like it's a fact, and the gentle frowning of his brows shows that he's listening. "You hurt me, then you left, took your things with you. Left me to just, how'd you say it, ''take care of it''? And then you expect to greet you back with a smile or something?"
He could practically hear Law rolling his eyes, "You could've just said no."
Luffy wasn't having any of his attitude, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "What do you want?"
"Can we talk?" Law steps up closer, eyes looking into the house. It's very... together, he notices. No dirt, carpet and couch surprisingly clear of stains, the living room featuring furniture he's never seen before. Renovated, Law guesses. No surprises there, it wouldn’t make sense for Luffy to live in a place that resembles a barren wasteland.
Luffy responds with an eyeroll of his own, "We are talking."
"Inside, Lu."
Luffy cringes at the nickname in an instant. "We're talking here, on this porch," and yet Law ignores him, attempting to walk in either way, only for him to be harshly pushed back out with one swift motion, earning the younger a glare. "Look, if you wanna talk, we talk here. Don't you even try to go inside."
"Lu-ya -"
"Have you been drinking? Your breath stinks." The remark causes Law's face to scrunch up, suddenly straightening his posture, and Luffy knows he's right. Knows it from how he's barely standing on his own two feet, leaning his hand against . "You hate drinking, you hated going out drinking with me and my friends."
"For fuck's sake, Luffy, will you just-"
"What do you fucking want, Trafalgar." It came out with bite, anger dripping from his tongue like poison. "You can't expect me-"
"Mugiwara-" Law takes a step closer, eyes unwaveringly from Luffy's form.
"To just sit here, wondering for years if I've done something wrong," his voice cracks at that, glass-like in it's fragility, "like I'm the one that caused our relationship to fall apart-"
"Luffy-" Another step. Luffy feels Law's hand on his cheek, and if he were the person he once was, he'd melt into the touch, butter on a hot pan, but all it does is cause him to feel angry, spite clawing at his ribcage, gnawing at his heart, begging to be let out.
"Four years. Four years, you fucker. You can't just cheat on me and expect to come back like nothing-"
"Lu-ya -"
"Stop calling me that!" Luffy's voice echoes, throwing his arms out in an effort to harshly push Law away until the man's stumbling back, and he feels something wet drip down his cheek, "You don't get to call me that after what you've done!"
"Lu, please!" Law's voice is unsteady, shaking, like it's his heart that's breaking into pieces, but Luffy won't pick them up, won't ever glue him back together like he's some greco-roman pottery. He refuses to. "At.... at leas' let me talk to y'a... please, Lu-ya. 'm sorry... 'm sorry."
Though, hey, at least now Luffy is reassured that he is the better man, because if he was any other toy of Law's he'd just let it go, fall to his knees at the sound of his voice, small, weak. "Lu-ya.... Lu-ya.... " It's a wail, pathetic in its display, it's tone a desperate plea. Luffy grabs at his own arms, shaking as he feels more tears fall. "'m so sorry, please.... "
Cold hands cradle the younger's face, soft thumbs rubbing circles on his cheeks in an attempt to wipe away the rueful picture that has been painted before him. It's quiet, hiccuped sobs being the only sound that breaks the silence between them, "Luffy... Lu-ya... don't cry..." It's.. caring. The way Law speaks. The way he brings Luffy closer to his body, warmth radiating from his jacket, inviting him in, and Luffy can't stop himself from melting, letting himself be molded like putty for the one that took his heart and left it aching so deeply. "I hate.. seeing you cry.."
He feels it before he fully knows what's happening.
Lips press to lips, the burning feeling of alcohol on his tongue being accompanied with the soft vanilla taste of scotch whiskey, and Luffy suddenly can't breathe. It's intoxicating, Law's intoxicating, with his cologne, his voice, his being. Law's blood pumps so strongly in his chest, like drums, a feeling only Luffy has ever given him, a feeling Monet never even bothered to try and coax out of Law's aching heart. He can't go back after this, not to Monet, not to the woman that can't stand to even look at him, can't be bothered to care. Not since he left Luffy for her, after she showed the older man of a test, two lines on it, positive. He tried to be there for her, for his son, too. Tried to be for the child the kind of dad he wished he had before being adopted, yet she pushes him away, telling him he's being dishonest, that he can't even bother looking into her eyes, even as she catches him red-handed sleeping with another man, all-too similar, yet still imperfect, not his Luffy, not his heart.
He's desperate, desperate for touch, for his love, for his Luffy-
A slap. Sharp, cutting, and pain blooms on Law's cheek like purple hyacinths in spring. His hand, one adorning a silver wedding band, cradles his aching cheek, and he stares at Luffy with bewildered eyes.
Luffy, who's shaking in front of him like a leaf on a windy autumn day. Who's disbelief mixed with fear and light disgust masked by a hand over his lips, who's tears only worsened, and Law can't believe what he's done.
The door is shut in front of him with a quick patter of feet against wood, and Law can't stop himself from banging once more on his door, begging to be let in.
Upstairs, in the safety of his blanket, Luffy sobs into his pillow, ignoring the begging, the pleas, the prayings of a man who's guilt erupts from him like sparks from a firework, who’s false hope has him knocking at that door until morning comes, wailing, scratching. He falls asleep too early to read the message he's received, to read the concern his neighbor has for him.
In the house opposite Luffy's, a man who's hair is redder than the blood he spills in bar fights watches the scene before him, face neutral, an attempt to appear uncaring, yet knuckles white as they apply a vice grip on his own arms, crossed over his chest. Watching the asshole that caused his neighbor to weep into his shoulder on hard nights, the neighbor that shone brighter than the stars currently twinkling out, who's smile brightened his day, even if for a moment, and the man named Eustass Kid seethes.