Archive of Our Own

Trafalgar Law scowled at the caller ID on his cell phone, determined not to answer it. Two weeks after the full moon, and he had just gotten the last moondrunk werewolf out of his clinic for the month. He was not ready for more stupidity, not even stupidity from an old maybe-friend. 

The phone stopped ringing. Law relaxed; the message had been sent. He wasn’t taking stupid calls. 

The clinic phone started ringing, and Law felt dread settle in his stomach. He heard Bepo pick up the clinic phone before Law could think to tell him not to. Bepo’s voice carried down the hall. 

“Thanks for calling Polaris Animal Hospital. This is Bepo speaking. Do you have an emergency, or would you like to book an appointment?” 

Law held his breath. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe it wasn’t the same stupid call he’d just avoided. 

“Captain! Sabo’s on the phone!” Bepo called out. 

Damn. No, it was the same stupid call. Law scooped up his cell phone and started to text Bepo to say he was busy, only to hear “Oh, no, we don’t have any patients right now, he can come to the phone!” Law grimaced and stalked into the next room, where Bepo’s reception area was. 

“Bepo, I told you I was happy about our patient load tonight,” Law growled as he approached Bepo’s desk. Law’s second in command and current receptionist was round and friendly-looking, with fluffy white hair and big black eyes that made even people who didn’t know about Bepo being a werewolf compare him to a puppy. 

“Sorry, Captain, but it’s Sabo. He says it’s an emergency,” Bepo replied, holding the phone out to him. Law kept his scowl on his face as he took the phone. 

“What, featherbrain?” he demanded. 

“That’s an awfully rude way to greet one of your oldest and dearest friends,” Sabo’s smooth, polite voice replied. 

“I have known you for over five years and none of them have made me think of you as anything dear,” Law lied through his teeth. Bepo gave him a disapproving look, but Law ignored him. Bepo of all people knew just how much Law actually did trust Sabo. “What do you want?”

“Ace sent Luffy to you with Sunny.” 

“Ace did what?” Law hissed. “I thought you wanted Luffy kept away from the covens.” 

“I did! I do! Which is why I’m calling and reminding you that Luffy is an Alice. Sunny ate my hat, so-“

“You let your secret lesser hellhound eat the hat with your secret griffin feathers inside the lining, and you let your secret fireball brother send your stupid Alice brother with the hound?” Law shouted. “What the fuck, Sabo? How am I supposed to get your feathers out of Sunny and back to you without tipping off your brother?” 

“I’m sure you’ll think of something. That’s why you’re the best, Law. Better think fast, because I waited until he was five minutes out to call you. Thanks, Law!” There was a beep as Sabo hung up, and Law stared at the phone for five full seconds to process and scream internally instead of externally. 

“Captain?” Bepo said tentatively. 

“Go tell Shachi and Penguin we have an Alice coming in. I’ll handle intake since I know the hound,” Law grimaced. “And put an invoice on Sabo’s account. Charge him extra because he let Ace do something extra stupid.” 

“Did Ace light someone on fire again?” Bepo asked hesitantly. 

“No. He decided the third brother should bring their hellhound in after she ate Sabo’s stupid hat.” 

“The third one…the Alice.” Bepo’s voice was soft and curious as he added the invoice to Sabo’s client profile. “I’ve never met him. It’s Luffy, right?”

“Yeah. I’ve never met him, either. Sabo and Ace keep him out of all of this. Never thought anyone with a coven or pack or anything would meet him.” Law grimaced and scrubbed the heel of his hand over his face. “I don’t know how we’re going to do this, Bepo.”

“You’ll figure it out, Captain. You always do.” Bepo offered him a reassuring smile and bumped his shoulder against Law’s as he stood and headed for the door to the rest of the clinic. “I’ll help Shachi and Penguin get the back ready.” 

“Thanks, Bepo. Can you grab my charm bag? I really don’t want to have to cut into a hellhound’s digestive tract tonight.”

“We are running short on burn ointment,” Bepo agreed. “We’ll be ready.” He disappeared into the back, leaving Law to lean against the receptionist desk and wait for the Alice and the hellhound. 

Luffy was feeling uncharacteristically grumpy as he parked Ace’s truck in front of the vet clinic. He didn’t get the big deal; Sunny had eaten Sabo’s hat, sure, but she ate weird stuff all the time. Luffy didn’t know anyone else whose dog ate little stones every month. She should be able to handle eating a hat; Sunny was tough!

But Ace had snapped at him to take her to the vet right away, and handed him a card for Polaris Animal Hospital. The drive was, like, an hour. It took forever, even with Luffy speeding kind of a lot. Maybe the clock on the dashboard said it had only taken twenty minutes, but as far as Luffy was concerned, that was ages. 

Sunny wagged her tail as Luffy hopped out of the car and held the door open for her. She was big for a golden retriever, and Sabo and Ace always joked that she must secretly be mixed with a giant breed. Luffy didn’t know much about dogs, but he loved his big, fluffy, golden Sunny. She was perfect for adventures. 

Luffy patted his leg, and Sunny wriggled happily as she settled into place at his side. He headed into the clinic, opening the door and leading his dog in. He spotted a tall, grumpy man in scrubs and a white lab coat. Luffy thought his sideburns and goatee looked cool, but not as cool as the tattoos he could see on the guy’s hands. 

“Hi! I’m Luffy, and this is Sunny. Ace said I had to bring her in even though she’s fine,” Luffy said, rolling his eyes a little. 

“Ace made the right call. Sunny might seem fine now, but eating something like a hat isn’t good for her,” the man replied tersely. “I’m Trafalgar Law, the veterinarian.” 

“Tor..Toraflo…” Luffy frowned as he tried to pronounce the guy’s name. 

“Oh for fuck’s sake. Tra-fal-gar, it’s not that hard,” the veterinarian snapped. 

“Tora…Torao! I’m just gonna call you Torao, okay?” Luffy decided, giving up on pronouncing his name. 

“I’m going to charge your brothers even more than I planned on,” Torao the veterinarian grumbled. “Whatever. Sunny, come here.” To Luffy’s surprise, Sunny trotted over to Torao immediately, wagging her tail and wriggling happily as he crouched to pet her head. Before Luffy could say anything - Sunny usually only listened to Luffy and his brothers, and his friend Franky who’d helped them adopt her - Torao was gently but firmly running his hands down Sunny’s flanks, prodding carefully at her stomach. He ran his hands over her shoulders and chest, too, frowning thoughtfully to himself. He didn’t look too old - less than thirty, for sure - but he already had frown lines forming around his mouth and eyes. Luffy thought that he’d look really good if he smiled. Not that the man didn’t look good already. But Luffy really wanted to see that frown-marked face smile. Or better yet, laugh. 

“She just ate Sabo’s hat. I don’t see what the big deal is,” Luffy huffed just to have something else to say to the very cool and very nice-looking veterinarian. “I ate Ace’s gross sock one time and I’m fine.” 

“Her digestive system is a little different than yours,” Torao replied absently. He paused with one hand on Sunny’s chest and the other on her back and stared up at Luffy. “Wait, you ate a sock?” 

“Yeah, but only because Ace dared me to,” Luffy replied with a shrug. “But I was fine! It didn’t hurt or anything. And Sunny seems happy, so-“

“Once she digests the hat enough, it’ll start making her really sick,” Torao informed him briskly. “But I think I can take care of this without having to operate. I’ll take her back, so just wait here. Don’t touch anything. I’ll send one of my people out to sit with you.” Torao got to his feet and whistled sharply. Sunny tensed, her eyes locked on Torao. That was weird. Luffy never whistled to ask her to be serious, but sometimes Sabo did. Luffy wondered just how well Torao knew his brothers and his dog. “Come on, girl. Let’s get you into the back.” Torao opened the door at the back of the room, and Sunny trotted through. Torao followed, closing the door behind him. 

Luffy stared at the closed door, a little confused. Didn’t people usually get to go back with their pets? There wasn’t anything to do up in the front, either. He didn’t see anything but chairs and the reception desk. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Ace and Sabo. 

>>Why didn’t you guys tell me Sunny’s vet had cool tattoos?

The replies came back almost instantly; first Ace’s, then Sabo’s. 

<<You like his ink? 

<<No, Luffy, do not get attached to the grumpy doctor. He’s dangerous, and he’s not going to like you. 

Luffy rolled his eyes; Torao wasn’t dangerous, that was silly. He was a little grumpy, maybe, but Luffy had seen the way he handled Sunny. No one really bad would treat a dog that nicely, Luffy was sure of it. And Sunny liked Torao; that had to mean he was a nice person, right? His phone chimed, signaling another text from Sabo. 

<<I mean it, Luffy. Don’t get involved with Trafalgar. 

Luffy put his phone back in his pocket without replying. He’d been waiting alone for ages, and he was bored. Maybe Torao was already done helping Sunny. Luffy decided it couldn’t hurt to check on them, at least. He opened the door Sunny and Torao had gone through and found a short hallway with a couple of doors leading off of it. Luffy decided to go exploring. 

He stepped into the first room, which looked like a normal vet’s exam room. There was an assortment of treats for various pets lined up. Luffy glanced at them, noticing that ‘Dog,’ ‘Hound,’ and ‘Canid’ were all different jars.

The next room looked like it was for a human doctor’s office, with an exam table like Luffy saw when he went to the doctor. Interesting.

Luffy crossed the hall to the next room and found an office. Or at least it was probably an office? There was a desk, and a comfy-looking chair. And a handful of bookshelves, some with books and others with really pretty jars. One shelf looked like Sanji’s spice cabinet, with jars of dried herbs and flowers. Another looked more like Zoro’s cabinets, with sparkling crystal bottles of different colored liquids. 

Luffy reached for one of the bottles, wondering if it tasted like Zoro’s sake, then paused when he heard someone walk quickly down the hall. The door to the reception area opened and closed, then slammed open again and the person ran down the hall. 

“Captain!” an unfamiliar voice shouted. “He’s not there!”

“Fuck, okay. Go look for him. Tell him I’m going to have to operate on Sunny, and that we’re keeping her until tomorrow. Send him home.” That was Torao’s voice, and he sounded upset. 

“But-“

“I said get him out of here, Bepo! I can’t risk operating with an Alice in the building.” Luffy didn’t know who Alice was or why she was keeping Torao from helping Sunny. Maybe if Luffy found her and got her to leave, he’d be able to take Sunny home tonight. 

Footsteps passed the room Luffy was in once again, and Luffy decided to go see what Torao was doing. Maybe if he knew what Alice looked like, he could help! 

Luffy left the office with the weird jars and headed towards the sound of Torao’s voice. He passed one more door, which looked like it led to some kind of infirmary, with different sizes and shapes of hospital beds in a row. Most of them had glittering curtains ready to be pulled around them, and Luffy wondered if Alice was hiding in one of them. Before he could decide whether he should go look behind the curtains before or after talking to Torao again, Luffy heard a low whine that twisted his heart. 

That sounded like Sunny when she was in pain. 

Luffy hurried toward the noise, pushing through swinging double doors and finding himself in what looked like some kind of operating room. Sunny was laying on the table in the middle, but her collar was gone. She always looked really different with the collar off, and this time was no exception. She was nearly twice her usual size, and she was always larger than most golden retrievers. Her fur was thicker and darker, too, and her eyes were red. Her mouth was open, and Luffy could feel the waves of heat coming from her jaws. There was some sort of feather lodged between her teeth, and Torao and two people Luffy didn’t know stood near her head. 

“Easy, girl,” Torao murmured. “Shachi, get the feather.” 

“Why me?” one of the strangers muttered. 

“Because you’re the one who asked if the Alice was cute, dumbass,” the other stranger grumbled. 

“Is Sunny okay?” Luffy blurted out as the first stranger reached into her jaws. Sunny and all three men in the room startled at the sound of his voice, and the one with his hand in Sunny’s mouth cried out as she instinctively bit down. 

“Shit!” Torao spat.

“What the fuck?” the guy who hadn’t been bitten shouted. 

“Fucking hellshit fuckwad shithole!” the guy who had been bitten screeched. 

“The Alice!” someone cried behind Luffy.

“Huh? Where?” Luffy looked around for Alice, whoever she was. A moment later, something huge and solid slammed into his back, and he tumbled to the ground. His head smacked the floor, and Luffy winced. He felt a little dizzy. 

Before he could get up, though, he smelled something weird, and then everything went fuzzy. 

He never did see where Alice was, but he had a few seconds to wonder why a giant fluffy white dog was standing on his back before he passed out. 

Law allowed himself to stare in horror and disbelief at the scene in front of him for five seconds before he acted. The sleeping potion he’d thrown at Luffy had burst, and now both the Alice and Bepo in his wolf form were passed out in the doorway. They could wait for a few seconds. 

Law poured a second sleeping potion into Sunny’s mouth, then snatched the griffin feather from between her teeth just before she slumped over. He put the feather and the potion bottle on the operating table beside her, then turned his full attention to Shachi. 

The bite marks on his hand were blistering from the heat, and the burns around the thankfully cauterized wounds were still spreading. 

“Damn hellfire,” Law muttered as he reached for his bag, which Penguin had already grabbed from the other side of the table and was holding out to him. Law reached inside and pulled out a barrier charm on a string, wrapping it around Penguin’s wrist three times. That would stop the hellfire’s burns from spreading past his hand. 

Law reached into the bag once more and retrieved an aloe-based burn ointment and a spelled bandage. Normally he wouldn’t cover a burn so quickly, but the burn ointment was spelled to clean and cool the area, and the bandages would promote healing. Besides, hellfire needed to be smothered. Law applied the ointment carefully, then wrapped Shachi’s hand and tucked the ends of the bandage into place so it wouldn’t come undone easily before pinning it in place more securely. 

“Thanks, Captain,” Shachi hissed, wincing as he wriggled his fingers. 

“You know the rules about hellhound bites,” Law said instead of acknowledging Shachi’s thanks. “Leave that on for twenty-four hours, then let it breathe. And call me the second it hurts.”

“I know, Cap. Don’t worry.” Shachi gave him a grim little smile. “Not my first time.”

“Just let him fuss over you; you know it makes him feel better,” Penguin sighed, gently bumping his own shoulder against Shachi’s. 

“Shut up,” Law snapped. 

“I can get Bepo to a room to rest, and then I’ll drag our Alice friend to the front,” Penguin suggested. 

“I can call the brothers,” Shachi offered. 

“Fine. I’ll operate on Sunny alone,” Law decided. “I should be done by the time Sabo and Ace get here.”

“Sounds good, Captain,” Penguin agreed. Law sighed and turned his attention to the hellhound on his table. 

It was going to be a long night.

Law carefully laid Sunny in a kennel at the back of the infirmary, then set about cleaning the operating room. Usually, Shachi and Penguin did that, but Law wasn’t about to ask them to do it tonight. Shachi’s hand needed to rest, and Penguin wouldn’t be able to focus with his best friend injured. Asking them to keep an eye on Luffy and wait for Sabo or Ace to show up was the right decision. 

Besides, Law needed something to do with his hands. Unfortunately, though, hellhounds didn’t bleed much, so there wasn’t a lot of cleanup to do. He ended up rinsing the griffin feathers he’d retrieved from Sunny’s stomach, then carefully wrapped them in spelled paper and put them in a leather bag stamped with concealment and containment spells. He tucked the bag into his pocket, repacked his charm bag, and then went to check on Bepo. 

Bepo was just waking up, groggily rolling around in one of the exam rooms and still in his fluffy wolf form. Law sat beside him and buried his face in Bepo’s thick, soft coat. Most werewolves’ coats weren’t this soft, or fluffy, but Law was secretly very glad that Bepo’s was. Bepo chuffed sleepily and twisted to rest his chin on Law’s shoulder, his tail thumping rhythmically on the floor. 

“You did good, Bepo,” Law murmured into his coat. Bepo’s tail thumped harder, and he dared to lick Law’s hair. “Gross,” he said without any weight behind it. “Sabo and Ace should be here soon. I’d better go up front.” Law sighed and got to his feet, patting Bepo’s soft fur one more time before it was out of reach. “You stay here and let the potion wear off, okay?” Bepo huffed, but ducked his head in acknowledgement. Law headed for the reception area, where Shachi and Penguin were sitting on Bepo’s desk and glaring at the still-sleeping Luffy, who was slumped in one of the chairs. 

“Hey, Captain,” Shachi said when Law entered the room. “He hasn’t twitched. I’m worried he might’ve gotten a concussion when Bepo tackled him.”

“Serves him right,” Penguin scoffed.

“I’ll tell Ace you think that,” Law said mildly. Penguin winced, but didn’t retract his statement. The three of them fell into companionable silence as they waited. 

Ten minutes later, Ace burst through the door with Sabo on his heels. 

“Where’s Luffy?” Ace demanded, so busy scowling at Law that he didn’t even notice his sleeping brother on the other side of the room. 

“Ace, remember how we talked about being calm?” Sabo sighed. He waved sheepishly at Law, then grabbed Ace’s shoulders and turned him to face Luffy. “He’s right there.” Ace hurried forward and fell into the chair beside Luffy’s, checking for any sign of injury. 

“Your brother has a bruise on his forehead and will probably be sore all over in the morning. One of my people had to tackle him so he didn’t see your hound with her collar off,” Law told Sabo. “I used a sleeping potion on him, but that should wear off by the time you take him home.”

“Don’t you usually keep people for observation if they’re injured and drugged?” Ace snapped from Luffy’s side. 

“Not when they’re Alices who can’t follow basic directions,” Law snorted. “I’m not risking him being here any more.” Sabo looked like he wanted to protest, then shrugged and let it go. 

“We’ll keep an eye on him. Do you have a waking potion for if he doesn’t come out of it by the time we get home?” Sabo asked. 

“Of course. I also packaged up the feathers your hound ate. I will be keeping Sunny for observation. You can pick her up in a day or two. And I do mean you, Sabo. Not Ace, and definitely not Luffy.” Law made sure his tone had just the right level of threat in it; he needed Sabo to know he was serious without triggering the rebellious streak he shared with his brothers. 

“Fine. You’ll call in the morning and update us?” Sabo asked. 

“I’ll keep you posted on Sunny’s condition,” Law agreed. “She did just fine in surgery, though.” 

“We still worry,” Sabo sighed. “But thanks. And of course I haven’t forgotten your fee…”

“It’s triple my usual rate,” Law said flatly. Ace made an angry noise in protest, but Law ignored him. “This was completely avoidable, and you sent me a troublesome Alice instead of coming yourself. That doubles the rate. And then your brother barged in while one of my people was working on Sunny, and made her bite him. So I tripled the rate to cover those medical expenses, too.” 

“But he’s from your coven! Shouldn’t you treat him for free?” Ace protested from across the room. 

“Normally, yes, but this wasn’t my coven’s fault. It was Luffy’s. And the supplies to treat a hellhound bite aren’t cheap. I’m going to be making burn ointment for the next three days because of you.” Law glared at Ace, then shifted his attention back to Sabo. 

“Triple the usual rate sounds fair to me,” Sabo said before Law could say anything else. That was one of the reasons Sabo was Law’s favorite of the brothers. “I’ll pay half now and half when I pick Sunny up, if that’s okay.”

“Fine with me,” Law agreed. “Just take your brothers home. I don’t want to see the Alice back here again. I’ll put him on the banned list if I have to.” 

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep him away,” Sabo promised. 

“You’d better,” Law muttered. “Now get out of my clinic. I don’t want to see your faces anymore.”

“Whatever you say, Law,” Sabo agreed with a grin. Law flipped him off. 

Law was exhausted. After he’d finally gotten rid of Sabo and his brothers, Law had done an inventory of his supplies and realized that he was almost out of the magic-infused aloe he needed. He could make a small batch of his burn ointment with what he had, but if he was going to spend three days rendering the sticky aloe flesh so that it infused the other ingredients properly, he might as well do a big batch. So he sent Penguin and Shachi home. They could recover from the night’s events in the safety of the coven’s house, behind Law’s wards.

Law debated sending Bepo home, since he was still too woozy from the sleeping potion to shift, but Law also didn’t want to send him anywhere unattended. So he settled for putting a collar on the giant fluffy wolf, one with glamour spells woven into it. To anyone who didn’t know better, Bepo would appear to be an extra-large Leonberger. 

Law helped Bepo climb into the back of Law’s old yellow SUV, where he could sprawl comfortably while Law drove to his supplier’s nursery. It wasn’t like he could get the right level of magic-infused plants for his potions just anywhere. 

Luckily, there was a neutral nursery that was willing to do business with him. The owner was a regular human, a former Alice who had discovered the truth due to his passion for exotic and carnivorous plants. 

Pop Greens Nursery was only a few minutes from the clinic, and early in the morning there wasn’t much for traffic, so they arrived in record time. Law had to double check that they’d even be open that early. 

He got out of the car, helped Bepo out, and led the way inside. The first part of the nursery was pretty normal, designed for a target audience of regular humans. Law headed straight for the customer service counter, where the owner was dozing in his chair. 

“Usopp, wake up,” Law grumbled as he kicked the corner of the counter. “I need to buy something.” The shop owner startled awake and fell out of his chair. 

“Law! You!” Usopp spluttered. “Asshole!”

“Yeah, but I’m a well-paying asshole,” Law reminded him. “Seems like a bad idea to be asleep when you’re the only one here. What if a worse asshole comes along and robs you?”

“I’m not the only one here!” Usopp protested. 

“If you’re about to tell me you have an army again, or that your plants will guard themselves, I will make fun of you,” Law warned. 

“Hey! I totally have an army!” Usopp insisted. “But, uh, that’s not what I meant. I have a friend here today. He’s supposed to be up here with me.” Law pointedly looked around the empty room. “He probably got distracted again,” Usopp sighed. “I’d better find him; I’m watching him for his family today.”

“You got a babysitting gig on the side?” Law was surprised. Usopp was good with kids, but Law seldom saw him in charge of them on weekdays. 

“No, that’s…you know what, actually, yeah, I guess it sort of is a babysitting gig,” Usopp grimaced. “He’s my friend, but he’s also an idiot. Come on; let’s go to the back. We can make sure he’s not getting eaten by anything that’ll get sick from chewing on him while I get whatever you came for.” Law could respect Usopp’s concern for his plants being more pressing than the possibility of his apparently stupid friend getting digested. Usopp led the way into the back greenhouse, where his magical plants grew. Bepo started to follow, but Law gestured for him to wait. The greenhouse would be too hot for the extra-fluffy werewolf. “What did you need?” 

“Infused aloe, for starters,” Law answered. “And mint. Infused mustard seed, poppies, and that chamomile hybrid you gave me last time. The sleeping potion I made from that worked so well that Bepo’s still woozy.” 

“Poor Bepo. Why’d you knock him out?” Usopp asked as they walked through the greenhouse. The storage for harvested herbs and other magical plants was at the back of the greenhouse. 

“We had an Alice get too close to seeing something he shouldn’t,” Law sighed. “Bepo got caught in the crossfire.” 

“That makes sense. No wonder your eye bags are so much worse than usual. Wait.” Usopp paused and turned to frown at Law. “Which Alice?”

“Why? It’s not like-“ Law broke off as someone else came bursting into the greenhouse. 

“Usopp! Look what I found!” someone shouted. Law turned, horrified to realize he recognized that voice. When he saw Luffy the stupid Alice bounce through the greenhouse door with some sort of massive white ball held over his head, Law thought it couldn’t get worse. 

Then he realized that the giant white bundle Luffy was carrying over his head like a prize was Bepo. 

“Luffy, no!” Usopp groaned. “I told you that you can’t come in here!”

“But I found this great dog up front!” Luffy exclaimed. “Look, he’s huge! And he’s so fluffy! Can I keep him?” He held Bepo out in front of himself like he was a five-pound puppy, not a two-hundred-plus pound werewolf disguised as a Leonberger. 

“You have a dog,” Law snapped before he could think better of it. “That one is mine. Put him down right now!” Luffy froze, staring at Law. For a second, everything held perfectly still. Then Luffy dropped Bepo and launched himself across the greenhouse, skidding to a stop in front of Law. 

“Torao! Hi! I didn’t know you knew Usopp! What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you had a dog, too? What’s his name? What kind of dog is he? How’s Sunny doing? How-“ Luffy’s next question was muffled by Law’s palm.

Law stared at his own hand, which was covering Luffy’s mouth and firmly but mostly gently gripping his jaw. It was a terrible moment to notice that Luffy was wearing a ridiculous straw hat with a red ribbon around it. Why? Was he dressed up for gardening with Usopp? What would be more stupid, Luffy wearing a straw hat to garden inside a greenhouse, or Luffy wearing a straw hat just because he felt like it? And why was Luffy so energetic? He shouldn’t have been able to shake off Law’s sleeping potion before Bepo did. 

“You know, I was gonna question why you needed so many supplies so soon, or why you used up the medicines you did, but now I have a terrible idea about what might have happened,” Usopp said, his voice a little faint. Law started to answer him, but something warm and wet touched his palm, and he yanked his hand back. 

“Motherfucker! You licked me?!” Law shouted, disgusted. 

“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do if someone covers your mouth?” Luffy pouted and crossed his arms. “Are you gonna answer my questions or not?” 

“I already told Sabo that I’m not dealing with you any more,” Law snapped, wiping his hand on Usopp’s overalls. 

“Hey!” Usopp protested. 

“Usopp, I can text you the list of what I need and pick it up tonight if that’s easier, since you have…company,” Law said. 

“I mean, it’ll only take like fifteen minutes to get everything you said,” Usopp replied. “Luffy can wait with you up front if you want.” 

“I do not want,” Law snapped, just as Luffy wrapped his arms around one of Law’s. 

“I’ll take him and the fluffy dog up front! Since he wanted to make me wait up front while Sunny was in the back!” Luffy agreed, grinning wickedly as he started towing Law back toward the entrance of the greenhouse. 

“Usopp, this idiot will not survive if you make me stay with him that long,” Law hissed. 

“If you kill him, his brothers will be pissed,” Usopp called after him. “And I won’t sell you any more ingredients!” 

“Come on, Torao! I’m not that bad, am I?” Luffy paused to pout at him some more as they reached Bepo, who still sat where Luffy had dropped him. 

Law scowled, feeling the long nights of the last two weeks, culminating in the frustration of Luffy’s existence, catching up with him. He didn’t even know what to say. Was it worth trying to lie to make the Alice feel better? Maybe if Law was blunt enough, Luffy would leave him alone. 

Before Law could decide what to say, Luffy’s pout softened into something approaching concern, and he reached up, his knuckles brushing Law’s cheek as his thumb swept over the dark circles under his eyes. Law was frozen, completely taken aback by the gesture. 

He didn’t usually allow that kind of physical contact from anyone, let alone a near stranger. 

“You look tired,” Luffy said softly. “Come on. Let’s go up front, and Usopp will load your car for you. You don’t have to answer any of my questions, either. I’ll try not to bother you.” Luffy tugged on his arm again, more gently this time, and Law had no clue how to respond to the abrupt shift in how he was being handled other than to let himself be guided back to Usopp’s front counter. After a few seconds, Bepo heaved himself to his feet and plodded along after them, the heat of the greenhouse clearly affecting him. 

Once they were back at Usopp’s customer service counter, Luffy let go of Law and perched himself on the edge of the counter. Law didn’t know what to do with himself, other than to lean against the wall and scowl at Luffy. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Luffy started talking again. 

“You know, if you’re ever too tired to walk your dog, I could do it for you,” Luffy said conversationally. 

“You think I can’t take care of my own?” Law snapped defensively. He hated his ability to protect his coven being questioned. 

“Of course you can. You took good care of Sunny, and even me! I dunno what I tripped over, but Sabo said I hit my head and you called them to come get me. But anyway! You just seem really tired, and I know big dogs can run a lot. Yours seems pretty sleepy right now, but if he ever needs to go for a run when you’re tired, I could take him. It’s my job, you know,” Luffy added with a proud grin. 

“Your…job,” Law repeated. He didn’t know what else to do. Maybe he should knock Luffy out again and leave? But then he wouldn’t get his supplies from Usopp…

“Yeah! I walk all kinds of dogs, especially the ones that scare away the other dog walkers. Like there’s this guy with a pigeon, he’s got a wolf dog named Jabra. And there’s this guy named Moria who’s got a sweet Rottweiler called Cerberus. And then…uh, Burpy or something? His dog’s name is Richie, he’s a big shaggy mixed breed that’s, like, the size of a lion!” Luffy grinned as he talked, and Law had to wonder who all these people were that entrusted their pets to someone as airheaded as Luffy. “And then Gizao and his roommate have a big red husky mix with three legs named Kid who’s really sweet-“

“Wait. A three-legged red husky named Kid?” Law repeated, horrified and also a little delighted by the possibility Luffy had just handed him. There was no way though, right? 

“Yeah! Gizao’s roommate asks me to take Kid for a run a couple times a week to get his energy out. But I couldn’t take him the last couple weeks because Kid had to go to the vet,” Luffy explained. His grin grew even wider at Law’s engagement with his conversation. Law felt a smirk tug at the corners of his mouth in return. 

“This guy you call Gizao and his roommate,” Law said. “Is one of them a redhead with a scar on his face and a prosthetic arm? And is the other one a blond guy who wears a weird mask all the time?”

“Yeah! That’s them! Do you know them, Torao?” Luffy asked. Law’s smirk grew. 

“Oh, yes, I know Eustass and Killer and their…dog, Kid,” he agreed. “Kid is one of my patients.”

“Whoa, really? I wish I could’ve checked on him when I brought Sunny to you, then! I’ve been worried,” Luffy explained. 

“He’s home now,” Law replied. “I’m surprised you called him sweet, though. He’s usually temperamental with me.” That was an understatement. The red headed werewolf Eustass Kid, leader of his own pack, was a distrusting and unpleasant person who Law was thoroughly sick of after Eustass’ pack had let themselves get carried away on the last full moon and half of them had ended up in Law’s infirmary at Polaris for extended stays. 

“Oh, Kid’s great! He loves to run, and we always race around his neighborhood a few times to wear him out!” Okay, that did sound like Eustass. Luffy must somehow be one of the few people Eustass liked, or maybe Eustass had been warned by Killer not to murder Luffy. 

Something occurred to Law, then. It wasn’t just the description of Eustass’ wolf form as a three-legged red husky that sounded familiar. Richie was the name of the Cross coven’s manticore, a massive shaggy creature that rarely listened to anyone. And Moria’s coven had a cerberus, one that Law wouldn’t be surprised if they hadn’t given a real name to. And as for Jabra the wolf dog, there was a werewolf named Jabra in Rob Lucci’s coven, and Lucci also had a pigeon. 

How many powerful covens entrusted their dog walking responsibilities to this one silly Alice? Law was almost afraid to know who else might be using Luffy as their dog walker. 

“What’s your dog’s name?” Luffy asked, eyeing Bepo like he wanted to play with him. Bepo was looking better, too, the lingering grogginess from the sleep potion finally wearing off along with the heat from the greenhouse. 

“Snowball,” Law answered. It was the name on the collar that housed Bepo’s glamour. And Law wasn’t dumb enough to walk around with his best friend in wolf form and then call him by his actual name in front of an Alice who had actually met Bepo in his human form. Law was disappointed but not surprised that Lucci and Killer weren’t smart enough to “name” their coven member and pack leader, respectively.  

“Snowball’s a good name for him,” Luffy said cheerfully. “Can I pet him?”

“You manhandled the poor thing earlier, and now you’re asking permission to pet him?” Law shook his head in disbelief, then caught Bepo’s eye. His friend flicked his ears forward and thumped his tail on the floor. “Sure. Just make sure you introduce yourself first.” 

“Of course!” Luffy hopped off the counter and sat in front of Bepo. He held out his hand for Bepo to sniff and kept his eyes averted as he said, “Hi, Snowball! I’m Luffy. You look really soft; can I pet you?” Bepo lowered his head in invitation but didn’t actually smell Luffy’s hand. Luffy clearly understood, though, because he started scratching Bepo’s ears immediately. For a few minutes, Law just watched as Luffy showered Bepo in affection and mumbled nonsense praise about what a good dog he was. Finally, when Luffy spoke normally again, he addressed Law without actually looking at him. “You’re staring.”

“Not much else here to look at,” Law replied with a shrug. “And you’re hogging my dog.” 

“People always stare. They think I’m stupid for talking to animals like they’re people.” Luffy’s eyes were still fixed on Bepo. 

“Is that your way of asking if I think you’re stupid?” Law asked, tilting his head. He couldn’t see Luffy’s expression, couldn’t tell what the little idiot might be thinking. 

“Maybe. You don’t like me very much, do you?” Luffy mused. “You didn’t want me to go in the back of your vet clinic. You told Sabo I wasn’t allowed to pick Sunny up tomorrow. You tried to leave when you found out I was here.” 

“I don’t know you, that’s all,” Law sighed. He didn’t know why he said that instead of just agreeing that he didn’t like Luffy. It was probably just the respectful way he treated Bepo. “And I’m tired.” Luffy seemed to consider this for a minute, still petting Bepo. Then he turned and looked up at Law. 

“I think you’re pretty cool. We should be friends,” Luffy announced. 

“We don’t know each other,” Law insisted. He didn’t know why he was even still talking to Luffy. It wasn’t like him at all.

“We could, though! Maybe I’ll bring Kid and the other dogs to see you some time!” Luffy beamed. “I bet some of my regulars would love to run all the way to the clinic and back.” Law had to admit at least to himself that the idea of Eustass being literally dog walked to Law’s clinic by an Alice was the most hilarious thing he’d heard possibly ever. Still, Law wasn’t sure if allowing Luffy back to the vicinity of his clinic was a good idea.

“I don’t-“

“Law! Your order is ready so Luffy better be alive in here!” Usopp called as he burst into the room. Law scowled to cover his surprise, while Bepo yelped and Luffy tumbled sideways. Law automatically extended a hand to Luffy, like he would to Bepo or to Cora. “Oh. Uh, am I…interrupting something?” Usopp stared at the hand Law was holding out to Luffy. Law snatched his hand back, his scowl deepening. 

“No. I owe you the usual amount, right?” Law grumbled, pulling out his wallet. 

“Yeah, unless you and Luffy are magically friends now. Luffy’s friends get half off,” Usopp said. 

“We’re not-“ Law hesitated. “Did you say half off?” 

“Of course Torao’s my friend! I was just telling you that we should be friends,” Luffy reminded Law with a grin. Law considered his options, then sighed and turned his glare on Usopp. 

“You breathe a word of this to anyone, and you’re dead,” Law promised. Usopp’s eyes widened, but he accepted half of his usual price without another word, so Law decided that was a win. He called for Bepo and left before Usopp could figure out what to say. He was halfway to his SUV when Luffy leaned out the door and called after him. 

“Bye, Torao! I’ll come visit you in a few days! Maybe I’ll bring Kid and the others, too!” 

Law hunched his shoulders and opened the passenger door for Bepo without answering. Luffy didn’t seem to need a response, though, because he ducked back inside the nursery building without waiting for one. Law double checked that his order was loaded and organized the way he liked it - Usopp paid attention to the little things, Law had to admit - and then got behind the wheel. He started the drive back to his coven’s home in silence. 

“So…” Bepo said as he shifted back to his human form when they were halfway there. 

“No,” Law snapped. 

“Luffy got you talking,” Bepo observed. 

“I said no, Bepo,” Law insisted, shooting a glare at his best friend. Bepo slumped in his seat. 

“Sorry, Captain. You just seemed more relaxed when you were talking to him.”

“No, I didn’t. You’re still high on that sleep potion,” Law retorted. 

“Sure, Captain. Whatever you say,” Bepo agreed with audible reluctance. Law ignored his sad little glances the rest of the way home. 

Law’s phone buzzed. He sighed and picked it up to check his notifications since he had nothing better to do. Sabo had picked up Sunny the previous evening, and Law had already processed all of the aloe and other ingredients the day before. He had already combined all the ingredients for the burn ointment and was just waiting for it to cook down to the appropriate consistency. Now it was nearing the end of his overnight shift, barely seven in the morning, and his so-called friends had banished him to his office to rest. 

The notification was a text from an unknown number. Law grimaced and opened the message to mark it as spam, then paused. 

The message was a picture of Luffy, holding leashes attached to the “dogs” he’d named the day before at Usopp’s nursery, including Eustass Kid in his glamoured wolf form so he looked like a three-legged husky instead of a three-legged wolf who wanted to kill someone. Eustass’s lips were pulled back in a snarl, but Luffy held him up like he was a lap dog, cradled in one arm. Luffy didn’t appear to be struggling even though Eustass’ wolf form had more mass than Luffy himself, and there was a broad grin on his face. 

Law was still staring at the picture in shock when another text came through. 

<<Kid got really grumpy when I said I wanted to bring him to see you! Guess he doesn’t like the vet’s office even if the vet is pretty and has cool tattoos. 

<<This is Luffy btw! 

Law’s mouth dropped open. 

Maybe Bepo and the others were right. 

Maybe he wasn’t getting enough sleep. 

It was the only reason he would be hallucinating a text from Luffy. Especially one like that. There was no way Luffy could have his number; Law never gave his number to anyone. Especially not to wild, unpredictable Alices that got him talking and tricked him into telling Usopp they were friends. 

Wait. 

Usopp. Law blocked the number, then hesitated. Actually, he wanted that picture of Eustass being treated like a puppy. Law unblocked Luffy’s number, saved the picture, and then blocked him again. 

Then he texted Usopp. 

>>I swear to whatever higher power you fear the most, I will gut you like an overgrown fish, flay you over a fire, and then feed you to whichever werewolf pisses me off next.

The response was almost immediate. 

<<You said he was your friend. Should I send you an invoice for the other half of the price of your order?

That was blackmail. Law knew full well that Usopp only had the guts for this because Law wasn’t standing in front of him. Usopp didn’t wait for an answer, either. 

<<Maybe a real friend outside your coven would be good for you!

Law decided not to tell Usopp that he had blocked Luffy’s number. Let him believe he’d done something clever. Law would have his revenge at a later date. Besides, Law had friends outside his coven. Not that he was going to say that to Usopp, because Law had nothing to prove to Usopp. Law rolled his eyes and put his phone away. He just had to kill another half an hour, then check on his ointment’s progress and close up for the day. The Whitebeard Coven’s clinic opened around seven-thirty, so any patients after Law closed would be their problem until Law opened up again that night. 

The little bell Bepo insisted on putting above the door in place of a proper alarm spell jingled, and Law grimaced. Who would even come by at this hour? 

“Captain!” Bepo called. “It’s for you!” Law groaned and got up, leaving his phone on his desk. He went into the reception area and found one of his less-hated acquaintances waiting for him. If Usopp or someone whose opinion Law valued asked - like his father, for instance - the monster hunter counted as a friend who wasn’t in his coven. If the man himself asked, Law only put up with him because of their business deal. 

“Smoker,” Law acknowledged, nodding to the monster hunter. He noticed the badly-wrapped bandages around Smoker’s torso and sighed. The idiot must’ve gotten in over his head again, and Law was the only one willing to patch up a monster hunter without asking too many questions. 

“Law,” he replied. “Got a minute?”

“Depends. Who got you?” Law asked, crossing his arms. 

“Not the person I was after,” Smoker grumbled. “I was chasing a vampire and got too close to that siren’s bar downtown.” 

“You’re lucky to be alive. Must’ve been her hydra boyfriend that got you, huh?” Law said. Smoker scowled but didn’t correct him. He didn’t need to; everyone knew that Rayleigh hit hard, but he gave warning shots, while Shakky was lethal, and didn’t really do warnings. “Come on back. I’ve got some antitoxin that should take care of the worst of it, and we’ll get some decent first aid going on that wound.” Smoker didn’t thank him. He never did. He just followed Law back to one of the exam rooms, where Shachi was already waiting with Law’s usual assortment of first aid supplies. 

“Did I hear antitoxin?” Shachi asked, grinning at Smoker as he heaved himself onto the exam table. 

“Yeah. The one with Rayleigh’s blood in it,” Law confirmed. Smoker’s scowl darkened, but he knew better than to ask how Law had gotten ahold of any of Rayleigh’s blood to make a targeted antitoxin for the hydra’s poisonous everything. Shachi left, and Law pointed imperiously to Smoker’s rough bandages and his coat, which he wore open and currently bloodstained. “Off.” Smoker’s eyebrow twitched, but Law didn’t cut him off in time. 

“Been a while since I heard that,” Smoker said with a hint of a smirk as he shrugged out of his coat. 

“If you can’t act civilized, I’ll tell Shachi that you only need the regular antitoxin, not the one tailored to Rayleigh’s poison,” Law threatened. Smoker held up his hands in surrender, but he was still smirking. “Which vampire were you hunting?”

“That green-haired idiot with the excessive teeth, even for a bloodsucker,” Smoker sighed as Law removed the bandages. 

“Bartolomeo?” Law recognized the description; he was Cavendish’s current least favorite customer. “The one that bit Tashigi last week?” Law had been the one to tend to that bite mark, and purge the venom from the younger monster hunter’s wound. 

“Yeah, that’s the one. Asshole.” Smoker hissed as Law cleaned his wound, which had already begun to show dark red streaks around it where the hydra’s poison had gotten into Smoker’s bloodstream. He stitched the wound neatly and re-bandaged it in record time, but Smoker kept his eyes shut and his grimace in place the whole time. 

“Here, Cap,” Shachi said as he returned with the antitoxin. Law took it and prepared a syringe. 

“Wait, why is it a shot?” Smoker demanded. Law gave him his meanest smirk. 

“Because I know you hate needles,” Law replied. “And also because it’s supposed to be given intravenously, or it won’t be as effective. Now hold still.” Smoker glowered at him, but allowed Law to administer the antitoxin shot. “There. Unless you’re hiding another wound, that should do it,” Law announced. Smoker’s expression didn’t exactly brighten, but he relaxed a little. 

“That’s it. It was just a warning shot,” Smoker sighed. “Now I’m going to have to track down that vamp from scratch.” 

“Not today,” Law replied firmly. “You have to rest while the antitoxin does its job, and you better not tear open those stitches. And per our agreement, if you don’t follow my directions for wound care, I get to refer you to Marco.” Smoker shuddered and didn’t protest; the Whitebeard coven’s witches and assorted healers weren’t exactly known for being charitable with injured monster hunters. Marco was usually willing to help Law’s patients, but Smoker and the other monster hunters didn’t like going to him. Something about phoenix flames being more unsettling than witch medicine. 

“Fine. The green idiot can wait until tomorrow,” Smoker agreed reluctantly. 

“Good. Now get out of my clinic,” Law ordered. Smoker picked up his coat, but didn’t risk staining his bandages or pulling open his wound by putting the damn thing on. Law followed him out of the exam room, knowing that Shachi and Penguin would sterilize the room once Smoker was gone. When they reached the reception area, though, Law found Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo clustered around a cell phone that kept chiming. 

Law’s cell phone. 

“What the fuck are you three up to?” Law demanded. His so-called friends startled, and Penguin tried to shove Law’s phone into his pocket. 

“Nothing!” They chorused. 

“Sorry!” Bepo added. Law scowled and held out his hand. For a moment, no one moved. Then, slowly, Bepo reached over and plucked the phone out of Penguin’s grip. He placed it in Law’s waiting hand and then retreated behind the reception desk with another mumbled, “Sorry…”

Law looked at his phone. 

He had a dozen texts and a missed call from Luffy, and a few from Sabo and Ace as well. 

He read the one from Sabo first.

<<Stay away from Luffy. For your sake.

Law rolled his eyes and deigned to text back. 

>>The fuck is that supposed to mean? I blocked him right away.

Law opened the messages from Ace next. Law hadn’t thought Ace remembered he even had Law’s number. Law distinctly remembered telling Ace to forget he had Law’s number unless the Whitebeard coven needed something, since Ace was Law’s official point of contact with them.

<<How did Luffy get your number? You only give it out to coven officials you have deals with. 

<<Why does Luffy think you two are going to breakfast tomorrow?

<<Dude the crybaby likes you. Just answer him. 

Law stared at the messages in horror. Why would Luffy think they were meeting up? What was Ace talking about? 

Law hastily switched to the text chain with Luffy. The one he had blocked. 

Someone had un-blocked it. Law looked up and scowled directly at Penguin, the most likely culprit considering Shachi had been the one to get Law his supplies for dealing with Smoker’s injury, and Bepo would never do this to Law. 

“Would you believe me if I said your phone just magically unlocked itself and unblocked Luffy?” Penguin asked, knowing the answer already but clearly hoping that humor would assuage Law’s wrath. 

“You’re dead to me,” Law informed him. He returned his attention to his phone, fully intending to re-block Luffy again without even reading his texts, but then he caught sight of the last message. 

<<See you in the morning!

Fucking hell, now Law had to read all of the messages. Against his better judgment, he scrolled up to the top of the conversation. The texts from earlier were still there.

<<Kid got really grumpy when I said I wanted to bring him to see you! Guess he doesn’t like the vet’s office even if the vet is pretty and has cool tattoos. 

<<This is Luffy btw! 

But now there were more. Many more. 

<<You probably guessed that since you’re really smart though…

<<But maybe you’re tired! You seemed really tired at Usopp’s. 

<<If you run errands during the day and work all night, do you ever sleep???

<<Are you a vampire? Or an iguana? 

Did he mean insomniac? Law couldn’t imagine what else that might mean. And what about the vampire comment? Did that mean Luffy actually knew more about the covens than Sabo had led Law to believe? Or was he trying to be funny?

He wasn’t funny. No matter what Law’s stupid traitorous mouth thought as it curled upwards slightly. 

<<I bet you don’t eat enough either. 

That was where the missed call came in. 

<<Guess you’re still busy. That’s okay. We can talk later!

<<Oh! Since we’re friends now, we should eat together sometime! 

<<What about tomorrow? For breakfast? 

<<Well breakfast for me. Probably supper for you. 

<<Do you eat lunch at midnight???

<<Your clinic closes super early in the morning right? I’ll pick you up when it closes tomorrow, okay? 

<<See you in the morning!

Law slowly put his phone in his pocket. He doubted Luffy actually knew what time the clinic closed, so Law was pretty confident that Luffy wouldn’t show up on time. He refused to analyze the weird twisting feeling he got in his chest at that thought. 

“You didn’t answer him,” Shachi observed from over Law’s left shoulder. 

“You’re going to breakfast with him tomorrow, though, right?” Penguin added from Law’s right shoulder. Law very calmly turned to face the two of them, then reached up and seized Shachi’s left ear with his right hand, and Penguin’s right ear with his left. 

“Wait, boss, Captain, buddy-“

“Come on, we just-“ 

Law twisted their ears sharply, enough to cause discomfort and dramatic yelps, but not enough to do any real damage. Despite everything, they were still his friends and coven members. He would never actually hurt them. 

“You two are meddling,” he informed them. “What’s the rule about meddling?”

“Not to!” they both squeaked. Law released them, and they rubbed their ears sullenly. 

“You do need more friends, though,” Shachi muttered. 

“Maybe the Alice would be good for you,” Penguin added. “Anyone who wants to try to make you eat and sleep regularly is okay by us.” 

“An Alice named Luffy?” Smoker repeated. Law scowled; he’d forgotten the monster hunter was still there. “Ace and Sabo’s brother?” 

“No,” Law snapped. 

“Yes,” Shachi and Penguin answered at the same time. 

“He told Usopp they were friends,” Bepo piped up from his place behind the reception desk. Law froze. Shachi and Penguin grinned. Smoker stared at Law like he’d taken after Rayleigh and grown an extra head. 

“You can’t lie to Usopp. He’s the king of liars,” Shachi said. 

“He can sense lies,” Penguin added. “If he believed you, then you’re actually friends with an Alice.”

“That’s not how lies, friendship, or Usopp work,” Law snapped. 

“No, wait, they have a point,” Smoker said. “I investigated Usopp and his nursery a while back. He could always tell when I lied to him.”

“Maybe you’re just a shitty liar,” Law retorted. “I am not friends with Luffy.” 

“Maybe not, but you like him,” Penguin insisted. 

“Yeah. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t care what we said,” Shachi agreed. 

“He smiled and talked with Luffy the whole time Usopp was preparing the order,” Bepo added like the traitor he was. 

“You’re dead to me, too,” Law said flatly. 

“Sorry!” Bepo cried. “But it’s true! You looked happy!”

“I will let Smoker hunt you for sport,” Law threatened. Bepo shrank in on himself. 

“Hey, don’t use me as a threat,” Smoker protested. “Besides, I’m on the wolf’s side. I swear you almost smiled while you were reading those texts.”

“I did not,” Law growled. 

“Whatever you need to tell yourself,” Smoker said with a shrug. “Thanks for the patch job. See you next time.” He left before Law could strangle him, so Law turned his furious glare on his supposed friends. 

“We just think you deserve to be happy,” Shachi insisted. 

“And also that it’s funny,” Penguin admitted. 

“I’m sorry, Captain,” Bepo whispered. Law sighed and walked away from Shachi and Penguin to ruffle Bepo’s hair. 

“Don’t encourage the idiots, okay?” Law couldn’t stay mad at Bepo for long. “Just because I didn’t want to strangle Luffy every second he was around, that doesn’t mean I liked him.” Law pulled out his phone and blocked Luffy again. “There. Now we can all forget about the whole thing. Let’s lock up and go home.” Penguin and Shachi exchanged meaningful glances, but Law ignored them. “Shachi, Penguin, sterilize the exam room before you leave. Bepo, let’s go.” Law continued to ignore Shachi and Penguin as they protested having to stay late to clean. Law was ready to go home and sleep. 

Besides, they deserved it for messing with his phone. 

Law forced himself out of bed around five in the evening and scowled as he pulled on his scrubs. It was the first of Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin’s three days off, which meant that Hakugan would be running reception while Clione and Jean Bart helped Law with creating medicines and dealing with any patients that came in. He loved every member of his coven, he really did, but he just knew that those three were going to make the night leading up to Luffy’s supposed breakfast plans a living hell. 

“Hey, Cap? You up?” Ikkaku leaned into his room. Law just stared at her flatly, which she didn’t take offense to. “Hakugan just checked, and it looks like the Cross Coven is coming in.” 

“I thought Shanks’ finery agreed to let their doctor tend to the Crosses,” Law grimaced. 

“I know. But there are rumors down at the shop that the Cross leadership is mad at Shanks again,” Ikkaku said with a sympathetic shrug. “Sounds like he forgot about a meeting he had with one of them.” 

“That asshole probably got drunk off his ass and passed out instead of showing up,” Law sighed. “Fine. When are they coming in?” 

“After sundown, so Mihawk doesn’t have to take extra precautions,” Ikkaku replied.

“Makes sense. Crocodile is paranoid like that, even if Mihawk himself doesn’t usually bother,” Law muttered. He picked up his phone and was about to put it in his pocket when he saw he had a missed text. Or…a few dozen of them. 

“Whatcha looking at, boss?” Ikkaku asked, walking over to try to get a look at his phone. “So…you didn’t block Luffy the other day, huh?”

“Apparently not,” Law grumbled. He reluctantly opened the text conversation with Luffy just to get rid of the notifications and block the Alice again. 

“Is he…narrating his whole day?” Ikkaku said incredulously. 

“He’s stupid,” Law replied, about to block him again. 

“Wait, is that Eustass?” Ikkaku asked. Law paused and scrolled up to see the picture she’d noticed. It was indeed Eustass Kid, still in his red husky disguise. He appeared to have been freshly groomed, complete with a silky bandana around his neck. “Oh my god.” Law saved the picture. “Is this why you haven’t blocked him? For blackmail?”

“I just forgot to,” Law replied honestly. “The blackmail is a nice bonus, though.” He scrolled up and found a few more pictures. “Apparently he took the dogs to the groomer.” Each of the dogs Luffy had mentioned had a well-groomed portrait to go with the one of Kid, including Jabra, who was also a werewolf. 

“Jabra too?” Ikkaku whistled. “Damn, can you send that one to me? He was a dick last time his coven came to the garage.” Law paused in the process of saving all of the photos to his phone and sent the one of Jabra to Ikkaku without question. 

“Give him hell,” Law said. He decided it might be worth not blocking Luffy, just in case he sent more blackmail material. Maybe he’d send stupid pictures of his brothers, too. That would be worth the dozens of text notifications. Law closed the conversation with Luffy without reading the rest of the texts, then noticed he had another handful of notifications from someone else. “Oh. Cavendish texted.” 

“Yeah?” Ikkaku peered at Law’s phone once more. 

<<I took the liberty of placing an order on your behalf for this evening. Please come collect your meal promptly at six p.m.

<<If you don’t, I’ll just charge your card an extra fee for food waste! 

“He’s going to be a pain,” Law grumbled. 

“Oh come on, you love Cavendish,” Ikkaku protested. 

“I hate him,” Law objected. “And he’s going to be even more insufferable than usual if he’s heard anything about Luffy.” 

“That’s fair. You could just blow him off,” Ikkaku pointed out. 

“No, he’s serious about that food waste charge,” Law grimaced. “He and that chef at the Baratie have a competition going.”

“Pretty sure Cavendish is the only one competing,” Ikkaku muttered. “But whatever you say, Captain. I’ll go tell the night shift that you’re getting everybody food.”

“I’m not-“

“I’ll call Cavendish and put in their order, and you can pick it up with yours on the way. I’ll also let them know they’re driving separately,” Ikkaku said, completely ignoring Law. 

“You’re a terrible coven member,” Law informed her. “You never listen to me.”

“If you recruited based on obedience, none of us would be here,” Ikkaku reminded him. “I’m off to tell the others. See you tomorrow!” 

Law was still scowling as he sulked his way into the Joli Poney Café, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. He went to the pickup area, where he had hoped his food would be waiting. Instead, Cavendish himself sat in one of the booths next to the pickup station. 

“Welcome, Law,” Cavendish greeted him with a broad smile. “Why don’t you sit with me? Your order will be ready shortly.”

“You told me to be here at six,” Law snapped, not sitting down. 

“Yes, I did. But I thought we could talk first,” Cavendish replied. “Please sit. Unless you want everyone to hear my questions?” Law considered his options, the size of Cavendish’s food waste charges, and the disappointed faces his coven members would turn on him if he showed up without their food. In the end, there was only one reasonable choice. 

“Fine.” Law sat across from Cavendish, who beamed at him. “What do you want?”

“A little birdie with a green thumb told me that you made friends with an Alice,” Cavendish said, leaning forward with a conspiratorial smirk. “I want to hear all about it.” Law considered denying it, but he knew that the faster he gave Cavendish what he wanted, the faster he would be able to leave. 

“Not much to say. He’s an idiot, and he decided we’re friends. That’s all,” Law said with a shrug. “I don’t see why everyone made such a big deal about it.” 

“Maybe because you didn’t kill him?” Cavendish suggested. “Or because you have exactly two friends outside your coven, and one of them is me? So a third friend who isn’t a member of your coven is big news to anyone who knows you.” That made Law pause. 

“What do you mean, big news?” 

“Everyone’s talking about it!” Cavendish explained. “Every major coven, pack, or hoard, and even the monster hunter guild has sent someone to ask about it today.”

“What?” Law’s mind raced. His coven hadn’t mentioned anything. Ikkaku had gone to work at the garage like normal, and hadn’t said anything unusual had happened. But while Cavendish was prone to exaggeration for dramatic effect, he wasn’t like Usopp. There was always a core of truth to the stories Cavendish told. 

“It’ll spread beyond the city soon,” Cavendish said, his voice dropping. “We don’t need outsiders getting involved, so I’ve been reminding everyone that Usopp makes up stories. But I’ve heard that Alice of yours is no good at lying, so if someone asks him…”

“Fuck.” Law scrubbed a hand over his face. “Maybe it’s good he’s supposedly going to come by the clinic in the morning. I can solve it then and there.” 

“Just remember that if you kill him, his family will be pissed,” Cavendish pointed out. Law made a face at him, but knew he wasn’t wrong. 

“I’ll just convince him we’re not friends. And I’ll tell him not to come by anymore. I’ll block him, too,” Law muttered. That was a mistake, he realized as Cavendish’s eyes gleamed. 

“You’ve been texting him?”

“No, he’s been texting me. I’ve been ignoring him,” Law corrected sharply. “And I’ll put a stop to it. I - we - can’t afford to draw attention from any big groups outside the city right now.” Cavendish nodded seriously; he knew exactly what Law was worried about. 

“Don’t worry, that hoard is still banned from the city. Between Shanks’ finery, Newgate’s coven, and the Revolutionary hoard, we should be secure.” Cavendish even sounded like he believed it. “Maybe once all of this dies down, your family can visit.” That thought was definitely appealing. Law’s heart twisted, and he took a slow breath to recenter himself. 

“You know why that isn’t a good idea,” Law said grimly. Cavendish studied him for a minute, then sighed. 

“Yes, I’m aware. But…” He shook his head. “Nevermind. Now, tell me why the Alice’s brothers were in here demanding to know your intentions with regards to their baby brother.” Law groaned and hid his face in his hands for a second. 

“I wish they’d just listen to me about it. I told Sabo I blocked him,” Law grumbled. 

“I think he knows you didn’t,” Cavendish informed him. “He seemed pretty convinced you were planning to have a brunch date with his baby brother in the morning.”

“Sabo is delusional,” Law said flatly. “Like I said, Luffy claimed he’s planning to come by the clinic, and I’m planning to tell him to fuck off.” 

“Yeah, it sounds like this Alice doesn’t listen to- why the fuck is he here?” Cavendish hissed, glaring towards the door. He was so distracted that he didn’t even notice one of his employees putting Law’s order in the pickup area. Law turned to look and smirked. The green-haired vampire Bartolomeo had just walked in, hands in his pockets and fangs on full display. 

“Great question, you should find out. Ask him how his new friend the monster hunter is doing,” Law said, sliding out of the booth. 

“I’ll feed him to a monster hunter,” Cavendish snarled. 

“Fantastic idea. Have fun with that.” Law collected both his and his coven members’ food. He purposefully caught Bartolomeo’s eye and pointed to Cavendish. The vampire’s eyes lit up in that manic, spiteful way of his. 

“Cavendish! Hey there!” Bartolomeo called out. Law slipped past him just as Cavendish realized what was happening. 

“No, wait, Law, don’t- Barto, you asshole, get out of my way!” Cavendish cried as Law made his escape and Bartolomeo closed in. “Law, you traitor!” Law just ignored him and headed for his SUV. 

If the rest of the night went at least as smoothly as that, Law would have plenty of time to plan out how he was going to drive Luffy away in the morning. 

The clinic closed at seven. As of six forty-five in the morning, Law had no plan. The Cross coven had been bad enough - why the fuck was an old vampire like Mihawk so touchy about his fangs, and why was Buggy like that? - but then the witch, Vivi, brought her familiar Karoo in because he had sprained his ankle. Then a whole flock of tengu came in because their youngest flock member had flown straight into a storm cloud and they were paranoid she might have gotten hurt. Then apparently two rival schools of merfolk got into a battle, and Law and his coven were overrun dealing with the injuries. 

So there he was, fifteen minutes before Luffy’s supposed arrival, with no plan and no time to make one because he, Jean Bart, Clione, and Hakugan were in the process of inventorying and restocking everything. 

“We can handle the rest of this, Captain,” Hakugan announced out of the blue. “You should go clean up.”

“Why?” Law finished repacking a newly sterilized suture kit and closed it. 

“So you’re ready for your date,” Clione answered. Hakugan elbowed him hard enough to make him yelp. 

“Date?” Law repeated, confused. He hadn’t said anything to them; how had they even known? And why did they think it was a date?

“A guy who made you smile and talk like a real person is picking you up at the end of your work day to take you out to eat. Sounds like a date to me,” Clione replied, rubbing his side and dodging another elbow from Hakugan. 

“An Alice who has been harassing me is coming here so I can scare him off for good,” Law corrected. “If that’s what you think dating is like, I pity anyone you ever ask out. Besides, he probably won’t even come.” 

“Whatever you say,” Clione sighed. 

“I’ll go clean the reception area and keep an eye out,” Hakugan volunteered. Law nodded, and Hakugan headed to the front of the building. Law shrugged and refocused on his work. 

Ten minutes later, they finished restocking and taking inventory of their supplies, and Law handed off a list of things they would need to purchase to Jean Bart’s capable hands. The largest member of Law’s coven would take care of getting the non-magical supplies they needed, and would pass along the magical requirements to Shachi and Penguin. Law himself might need to pick up certain things, like his potion ingredients, but the others could handle the rest. 

“I’m going to wash up enough to drive comfortably,” Law announced. Jean Bart and Clione exchanged weighted looks, but Law ignored them. He retreated to their makeshift locker room at the back of the clinic, where he scrubbed his hands and face, then changed into a clean shirt and jeans. He dumped his lab coat and scrubs in the clinic laundry, knowing a couple of coven members would be by in a few hours to collect it and take everything back to their coven’s home to wash. Feeling mostly refreshed, Law took his favorite hat out of his locker and went up to the reception area to fetch Hakugan, who was spinning in Bepo’s chair. 

“No Alice?” Law observed. He glanced at the clock; the clinic had officially closed three minutes ago. “Oh well. Next time.” Law stepped forward to lock the door, only to end up nearly knocked over as someone burst in with a triumphant shout. Law regained his balance and scowled at Luffy the stupid Alice, who threw both fists in the air in excitement. 

“I made it!” he exclaimed. He turned to beam at Law and added, “Hi, Torao! Sorry I’m late!” He was wearing the stupid straw hat again. “We can head out as soon as you’re ready!”

“I never said I was going,” Law said flatly. Might as well start trying to drive him away immediately. 

“You never said you weren’t!” Luffy countered. “Come on; I bet you didn’t eat all night even though you were working.”

“That’s not your concern,” Law told him. “We’re not friends.”

“Sure we are!” Luffy was completely unbothered. “You told Usopp-“

“I lied to get a discount,” Law snapped. Luffy considered that for a moment, tilting his head thoughtfully. Then he turned to Hakugan. 

“Has Torao eaten?” 

“Torao?” Hakugan repeated. Law scowled, knowing Hakugan would recognize the threat in his eyes. But the masked coven member just shook his head sadly. “He ate before he started work. But that was twelve hours ago.” 

“Twelve hours?” Luffy gasped and whirled to face Law again. “Torao, you’ll starve!” 

“Don’t call me that,” Law growled. “And I won’t starve. I skip meals all the time.” That was the wrong thing to say. Luffy’s eyes got big and sad. 

“So Torao takes care of other people and their pets, but he won’t take care of himself?” Luffy said softly. 

“I take care of myself just fine!” Law grouched. 

“He makes sure the rest of us eat and take breaks, but he works the whole twelve hours without stopping most nights,” Clione called from the doorway that led to the rest of the clinic. Law turned his scowl on Clione, and because of that, he didn’t see the determination taking over Luffy’s expression until it was too late. Luffy hooked his arm through Law’s, snagging his attention. Law stared down at Luffy in shock, not sure what exactly to do with this development. 

“I’m taking Torao out,” Luffy announced, his eyes blazing with determination. “I’ll drive him home, too, so take care of his car and his dog Snowball, okay?” 

“What are you-“ Law broke off with an undignified yelp as Luffy hauled him out the front door of the clinic, towards the truck he’d used to bring Sunny to the clinic. “Hey!”

“Get in the truck, Torao,” Luffy told him. Law balked immediately. 

“Don’t tell me what to do!” 

“What kind of food do you like? We can go wherever you want!” Luffy informed him cheerfully. 

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” Law pulled his arm out of Luffy’s grip and turned back towards the clinic, only to freeze as he saw Hakugan locking the door. Jean Bart waved sympathetically, and Clione held up Law’s car keys. “Traitors!”

“They’re good friends,” Luffy said, hooking his arm through Law’s once more. 

“This is kidnapping,” Law protested as he was dragged toward the truck. 

“No, it’s breakfast! Or dinner! I’m not picky,” Luffy told him. 

“I don’t want to get in a car with you. I’ve heard how terrible you are at driving,” Law snapped. He had, too; Sabo had complained for years about his younger brother’s complete lack of skill. Luffy actually paused to consider this. 

“We could walk somewhere instead. I don’t want Torao to feel uncomfortable,” he mused. 

“Then let go of me and let me go home,” Law demanded. Luffy looked up at him, his brown eyes going big and sad again. Unfortunately for Law, that look tugged at his heart. Unfortunately for Luffy, Law was good at ignoring that. 

“But I’m worried about you. You seem really tired, and your friend said you didn’t eat.” Luffy unhooked his arm from Law’s and took his hand instead. “I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“We’re not friends. I don’t even like you. So-“

“I want to be your friend, even if you don’t want to be mine. Your friends are worried. And you take such good care of them, and you took really good care of Sunny. So I want to take care of you. To say thank you.” Luffy’s eyes managed to get even wider somehow. “Let me take you to breakfast. If you still don’t want to be friends after that, I’ll leave you alone.”

“Promise?” Law grumbled, forcing himself to stay as grumpy and as prickly as possible. 

“Promise,” Luffy agreed. 

“Fine. One meal, which we walk to. That’s it,” Law decided. It might actually be the easiest way to get rid of the idiot, since he’d offered to leave Law alone if - when - Law still didn’t want to be friends afterwards. 

“Awesome! Sanji’s place isn’t far,” Luffy said cheerfully. Law hesitated. Did he mean the Sanji who was a chef at the Baratie? The one Cavendish hated? There was no way Luffy knew him, right? “It’s called the Barty or something.” Oh, fuck, it was. It was just Law’s luck that the idiot Alice wanted to take him to the restaurant owned by a retired monster hunter. But what could Law even say? He couldn’t exactly tell Luffy to pick somewhere else because taking a witch with his own coven into the local monster hunter hangout was a bad plan. 

Smoker and his junior hunting partner, Tashigi, had dinner there to celebrate big kills, sometimes. Oh! Wasn’t the Baratie a lunch and dinner only place?

“I don’t think the Baratie is open this early,” Law said. 

“Of course it’s not open, silly! But Sanji will cook for us anyway.” Luffy laughed so brightly that Law looked away. He didn’t exactly believe Luffy, but…

“Fine. But if he’s not there when we get there, it still counts as a meal and I get to go home,” Law decided. Luffy’s grin only widened. 

“Sanji’ll be there,” he insisted. Law just shrugged and let Luffy lead the way. 

“Welcome to the Baratie. I’m Sanji, and I’ll be taking care of you this morning since I’m the only one crazy enough to let Luffy have my personal number,” Sanji greeted them at the door. Law instantly despised him for smiling and wearing an actual suit at seven thirty in the goddamn morning. 

“Luffy harasses you, too, then?” Law asked. 

“Pretty much. I didn’t catch your name, though,” Sanji said politely. Law hated him. Who had the energy to be polite at this hour? 

“I didn’t throw it,” Law grumbled. 

“This is Torao, remember?” Luffy pouted. “Come on, let’s eat!” He dragged Law inside the restaurant and directly to what must be his favorite table, which was already set. There was a horrifying amount of food on it, and Law paled. 

“The plates with the blue edges are for you,” Sanji said, giving Law a sympathetic look. “And before you ask, there’s no gluten in any of them.” Law shot a glare at Sanji to mask his confusion, but Sanji just smirked at him. “I have my ways.”

“Your friend Penny said you have a serious thing,” Luffy explained. He had already demolished three normal helpings of breakfast while Law was distracted. 

“Penguin told us you have Celiac,” Sanji translated. 

“I’m going to murder Penguin,” Law muttered. “How did he even…” No, wait. Penguin had Law’s phone. He’d unblocked Luffy. He must have gotten Luffy’s number then. 

“You should be grateful,” Sanji scolded. “He saved you from wasting food. Not that Luffy ever lets food go to waste. But still, it’s the principle of it!” 

“And you’re sure there was no cross contamination?” Law asked skeptically. He didn’t want to be sick on top of the rest of the bullshit he’d had to deal with lately. 

“Are you insinuating I can’t handle food properly?” Sanji demanded. Law smirked a little as he replied. 

“I would never say that to your face.” It occurred to him that if there was cross-contamination, he could call an early end to the meal and get rid of Luffy faster. Was the terrible day he’d have afterwards worth it? Maybe. Or he could fake illness and go home to sleep peacefully. 

“Torao’s not eating!” Luffy complained. 

“Just because you inhale everything blindly doesn’t mean-“ Law choked on the bite of food that had just been shoved into his mouth by an over-enthusiastic Luffy. He pressed his lips together, carefully forced himself to chew and swallow, then let himself cough and reach for a glass of what looked like fruit juice. It wouldn’t taste as good as coffee, but it would soothe the choking feeling better. 

“Wow, I really thought you were going to choke to death or spit that out,” Sanji observed. Law glared at him and set aside the juice. 

“I have a bunch of other blond assholes I know who are touchy about food waste,” Law snapped. 

“There are more Sanjis?” Luffy demanded. Law didn’t miss the way Sanji’s expression tensed for a moment. 

“None exactly like him,” Law said. “But there’s your brother, Sabo. He’s like a vulture when it comes to food. Picks over anything that’s left because you and Ace are such monsters to feed.” 

“I just have a healthy appetite!” Luffy defended himself. Law rolled his eyes and took another bite of whatever was in front of him. It was good. Something savory and well seasoned. Some kind of grilled or baked fish, maybe? “Hey! Don’t just stop talking!”

“I thought you wanted me to eat,” Law teased. He took a third bite just to torture Luffy, then continued. “I also know Cavendish, the owner of the Joli Poney Café. He thinks you two are business rivals, by the way,” Law added, pointing at Sanji. 

“Business rivals?” Sanji spluttered. “No! We’re mortal enemies! He’s too pretty and he steals all the ladies!” Law raised one eyebrow skeptically; he didn’t think Cavendish was that pretty. Sure, the guy has classically delicate features, if you were into that sort of thing. Law was more of a sucker for cute looks. He steadfastly refused to look at Luffy, choosing to focus on his food as he continued. 

“There’s also Cora-san. We had some…rough times. Safe to say neither of us would waste food without a damn good reason.” Law shrugged. “Besides, this is actually pretty good.” Sanji stared at him for a minute, then slowly reached over and pushed another plate towards Law. Law took this as a sign of surrender and sampled the offered food. 

“Who’s Cora-san?” Luffy asked. “Doesn’t sound like anyone I heard about at the clinic.” Law was quiet for a few minutes, focusing on his food. At least, he sighed and looked over at Luffy, only to realize Luffy had been staring at him the whole time, waiting for an answer. 

“Cora-san doesn’t work at the clinic. He doesn’t live in this city at all,” Law explained reluctantly. “But I respect him a lot. Even if he is kind of an idiot.” He waited for Luffy to demand more answers, or to laugh or point out that Law thought Luffy was an idiot, too. But Luffy just got this soft, kind of knowing look. 

“He must be pretty cool, if Torao likes him that much,” Luffy said. Then he grinned and shoved what looked like two whole meals into his mouth before changing the subject. “Penny and Shapes seem fun. How come they weren’t there today? And there’s the big guy too. Bear or something.” Law hated that he actually understood that. 

“Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo were off tonight. They work four nights in a row and then have three nights off while my other team - Jean Bart, Clione, and Hakugan - take over.” Luffy seemed to mull this over as he kept eating, so Law did the same. The quiet was actually kind of comfortable, which was its own kind of unsettling. 

“So if you work with both teams, when do you get a night off?” Luffy asked. Never mind, the silence was not comfortable. Nothing about this was comfortable. Law hated everything. 

“I don’t take nights off. My patients need me.” Besides, what would he even do with free time? Law shook his head and glanced at Luffy and Sanji, who were both staring at him. “What?”

“When was the last time you actually took a break?” Sanji blurted out. “Even I take breaks!” Law actually kind of doubted that. No one who came in when they shouldn’t be working just to feed Luffy had a healthy idea of what a work-life balance should be. 

“Torao always takes care of others, but not himself,” Luffy said quietly. 

“Don’t say it like that,” Law grumbled. “I don’t do it to be nice or anything. It’s my job, that’s all.” Luffy didn’t look like he believed him. Sanji pushed another plate of food toward Law, then retreated to the kitchen. “Are all your friends like you?” Law sighed. 

“Huh? I’m not like Sanji,” Luffy objected. “Sanji goes crazy over pretty people and makes amazing food. And he smokes.” Law picked at the new dishes Sanji had pushed towards him, then found himself eating more enthusiastically when he actually tasted them. 

“I meant how he’s so worried about me even though we don’t know each other. And we’re definitely not friends,” Law clarified. 

“Oh! Yeah, most of my friends worry,” Luffy grinned. “Except Nami. She mostly only worries about money, except when one of us is in real trouble. Or if it’s kids. She really worries about kids.” 

Luffy kept talking as they ate, and Law found himself smiling at his food more often than he was used to. Luffy told him about things he and his friends did. Law had no idea Usopp was a fisherman as well as a gardener, or that Robin, who owned a bookstore on the other side of town, babied the pharmacist Chopper and bullied a mechanic named Franky, who Law suspected of being the same Franky that owned the shop Ikkaku worked at. In return, Law shared some of the stupid antics his coven members had gotten up to, like the time Shachi and Penguin had put glitter in the liquid hand soap, or when Hakugan got into a street race in his favorite beat-up truck that he and Ikkaku had modified together. 

It was… nice. And by the time they’d both finished eating, Law realized he was full and even a little drowsy from the food. 

“Hey, Luffy, doesn’t your grumpy doctor friend work nights?” Sanji asked as he started clearing away dishes. 

“Yeah, why?”

“He should be sleeping. Take him home. His home,” Sanji added. He glanced at Law and explained, “If one of his friends is tired, he sometimes forgets they don’t live with him and he just takes them back to his place.” Law shuddered at the thought. Knowing Ace and now Luffy, Law couldn’t imagine the three brothers’ apartment was terribly clean. 

“Don’t worry, I promised Penny and Bear I would bring him back to them!” Luffy said brightly. Law felt his lips twitch in amusement. He should have guessed that if Penguin got Luffy’s number, he would have done his weird overprotective thing. Luffy hummed thoughtfully, then said, “Hey, Sanji, about paying-“

“It’s on your tab, don’t worry,” Sanji interrupted. Law considered offering to pay - Luffy had eaten a truly horrifying amount of food; he should be studied medically - but Sanji just waved them both off. “I’m just glad I could feed you two. Especially Dr. Trafalgar.” Law couldn’t hide his surprise. Sanji had acted like he didn’t know who Law was when they arrived, and Luffy had only called him Torao. 

“You know who I am?” Law asked. Sanji grinned. 

“Let’s just say I know some people who know who you are.” Law couldn’t tell if that was supposed to be reassuring or terrifying. But between the food and how busy his night had been, Law was too tired to question it right away. He could overanalyze why Sanji would know who he was after he’d gotten some sleep. Law just shook his head, thanked Sanji for the food because it had actually been very good, and let Luffy tow him out of the restaurant. 

“Hey, Torao, are you gonna let me drive you home?” Luffy asked as they walked back towards Law’s clinic. 

“Do I have a choice?” Law asked. 

“I mean, I could call Ace and ask him to drive…” Luffy said thoughtfully. “Or Jinbei. He’s a good driver.” Law was so not prepared to find out if Luffy’s Jinbei was the local sea dragon Jinbei. Law shuddered. Any kind of dragon was bad news. 

“It’s fine if you drive,” Law decided. If they crashed and/or died along the way, well, at least Law had a good last meal. 

They made it back to Luffy’s truck, and Law saw that it was already nine in the morning. Law was stunned by how much time had passed, but pushed the realization that he’d spent nearly two hours with Luffy and hadn’t noticed the time passing aside. Instead, Law focused on giving Luffy directions to his home. 

Law’s coven mostly lived in the same house, one that he and Cora had bought over a decade ago, before Cora had left him behind for Law’s own safety. Law’s original room was now Ikkaku’s, and Law slept in one of the newer rooms in the underground expansion the coven had completed a couple years back. That way he was always near his customized apothecary. The house itself was unassuming, with a small front yard that Jean Bart tended and a thick, lush garden in the back yard that grew some of the more common and hardy herbs that Law used for potions and Clione used for cooking. 

“Wow, your house looks so cool,” Luffy said as he parked in the street, since the driveway was full of the coven’s vehicles, including Law’s SUV. 

“Thanks, I guess. It’s just home.” Law shrugged off Luffy’s excitement, and reached for the door handle. 

“Wait!” Luffy’s attention zeroed in on Law, who paused and frowned at him when Luffy didn’t say anything else right away. Finally, Luffy sighed and said quietly, “You said one meal. To try and see if you want to be friends.” 

Law had almost forgotten about that. He considered his options and his experiences over the last couple of days. Luffy was annoyingly good company, and he brought embarrassing pictures of Eustass to the table. He also brought strange connections, and was upsettingly - dangerously - easy to talk to. 

He could be annoying and loud, but he was also thoughtful and hadn’t pushed Law about things he didn’t want to talk about. It was a risk, befriending an Alice, one that Law might regret taking. But he also kind of wanted to take that risk now.

“We can be friends,” Law said at last. Luffy beamed so brightly that Law felt like he needed sunglasses, and then grabbed Law and pulled him into a hug made awkward by the gear shift and arm rest between them. 

“I’m so happy!” Luffy laughed. “I was worried I scared you off with how much I ate or something.” 

“No, I…had fun,” Law admitted reluctantly. “Thank you. And keep sending pictures of the dogs you walk.” 

“Of course!” Luffy’s grin managed to get even brighter. “I’ll take you out whenever you need a break or something to eat! Or if you just wanna hang out!” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Law said. He couldn’t shake the tiny smile that lingered on his lips as he bade farewell to Luffy and let himself into the coven’s house. 

“Captain!” Bepo cried, throwing his arms around Law the second the door closed behind him. 

“Hi, Bepo,” Law mumbled, his words muffled by Bepo’s embrace. 

“I missed you!” Bepo exclaimed. Law grumbled his usual token protest, but let Bepo hang on him. 

“How was your date?” Clione asked. 

“It wasn’t a date,” Law reminded him. “But it wasn’t the worst thing in the world.” He wouldn’t mind spending time with Luffy more, either, even if he was both stupid and an Alice. Even if it was a risk.

“Oh my god, Captain’s smiling!” Penguin gasped. The coven closed in, demanding details and teasing him for smiling. Law let them have their fun and answered none of their questions until they caught him trying not to yawn. They retreated after that, with threats to get more details out of him that evening. 

Law headed down to the underground expansion, determined to shower and then pass out in his bed. 

Just as he was about to doze off, his phone chimed. He had a text from Luffy. 

<<I forgot to tell you! I had tons of fun today!!!

<<I wanna try your friend Cabbage’s food next time!

Law let himself smile and shake his head as he replied. 

>>I think you would eat poor Cavendish out of business.

The response he got was almost immediate. 

<<Hey you’re supposed to be sleeping!

<<Go to sleep! 

<<I’ll text you later! 

<<Sleep tight! Don’t let the Buggies bite!

Law stared at the last message for a minute. 

>>The WHAT

<<The Buggies! The silly round bugs that roll up their poop. 

<<Why do we say that anyway?

>>No one says that, dumbass. I’m going to sleep now. 

Luffy’s only response was a bunch of little z emojis. Law rolled his eyes and closed the text conversation. He put his phone on the charger and was about to fall asleep once more when his phone rang. 

Actually rang. Someone was actually calling him. 

Law checked the caller ID and instantly felt completely awake. He scrambled to answer. 

“Cora-san? What’s wrong? Did you fall down the stairs again? Is it Rebecca? What’s the emergency?” Law demanded. 

“Well hello to you, too, Law,” Cora’s familiar voice chuckled. “I didn’t know I needed an emergency to call my own son.” Law sighed and slumped back against his pillows. 

“We’re not supposed to contact each other unless it’s necessary, remember?” Law grumbled. 

“This is a necessary call! My little boy is all grown up and making friends all by himself!” Law groaned.

“Bepo told you.”

“Bepo told me. He’s such a good pup,” Cora agreed easily. “Now tell me all about this Alice that supposedly makes you smile and stay out til all hours of the day.” Law glanced at the time, knowing that their conversation would have to be short to avoid the wrong people noticing. But he’d never been able to say no to Cora before. He wasn’t about to start now. 

“Fine. So he’s an idiot, and…”