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Law detested the moment they reached their destination, guiding the car into a parking spot on the street just behind a sleek red BMW. The car, with its gracefully sloping roof and contoured sides, gleamed mesmerizingly in the headlights. Darkness surrounded them as the car came to a halt, reminding them of how late it already was.
Luffy, who sat in the passenger seat beside Law, fidgeted with excitement, hands and feet in constant motion, giving the impression that he was repeatedly jumping in his seat. “I can’t believe we’re finally going all together!”
“Yeah”, Kid hummed from the backseat. “Can’t believe we got our hermit crab out of the house for once.” He reached forward with his hand, ruffling Law’s hair, to which the doctor gave an angry snarl.
Law removed the key, its chime resonating through the car, and securely tucked it into the front pocket of his pants. “I do go out every once in a while, so I’m not sure what there is still to complain about. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about my demanding working hours.”
“We know”, Kid relented, giving Law a pat on his shoulder. “I was just trying to show how proud I am of you. I never expected you to agree to this.”
Law let out a long sigh. “Me neither, and yet, here I am.”
Luffy, growing more impatient with Law and Kid’s incessant banter, rocked back and forth like an eager child. “Can we go now? Please?”
Law sighed, succumbing to his unpleasant fate. “All right. Fine. The sooner we get to that stupid house party, the sooner we can leave.”
Law opened the door, stepping out, and the other two followed suit.
Luffy radiated pure joy as he hopped out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him. His smile seemed glued to his face ever since they had left their apartment.
“This is gonna be so much fun, just you wait!”
“I highly doubt it, but oh well, we’re already here”, Law replied in the driest voice possible. He took a look at the big house and entranceway, which was already packed full of people chatting loudly and swinging their hips to the blasting music from the inside.
Kid nudged Law from the side, trying to cheer him up, but his halfhearted attempt fell short. “Come on, we’re doing this for Luffy, aren’t we?”
Law rubbed the temple of his nose in annoyance. “It’s just... I don’t even know whose party this is. Luffy, who is hosting this hellscape?”
“I don’t know”, Luffy answered with pure honesty. “Usopp told me to come.”
Law threw his hands in the air. “Just wonderful. Are you happy with yourself now, Kid?”
“Why do you say it like it’s my fault? We asked you if you wanted to come with us, and you said yes”, Kid reminded him. It did nothing to brighten Law’s dampened mood, so he sighed again. “I agreed to stay for exactly two hours. The second the time is up, I’m taking both of you, and we’re out of here, is that clear?”
“Yes!”, Luffy cheered, pushing his two boyfriends forward. “Now let’s go!”
Obviously, Luffy’s first priority was heading to where all the food was, and he dragged Law and Kid along with him. They squeezed through numerous groups of people, aiming for the back of what Law assumed to be the living room of the house.
The room was mostly illuminated by fairy lights hung across the ceiling. Red, blue and green hues cast over the floor and walls, giving the impression of a dance club interior.
Once they reached the table, Luffy let go of his boyfriends to stuff his face with all the delicacies on display.
“Do you want something?”, he asked Law, who only shook his head. Meanwhile, Kid went to pour drinks for himself and Law, handing them over without considering that Law would be driving them home later.
“One drink won’t hurt”, Kid assured him. “You’re not a killjoy, right?”
“I’m not, but someone has to be responsible.”
Law glanced down at his glass, biting his lower lip thoughtfully. If he intended to endure the next two hours, he surely needed something to keep his nerves calm.
But before he could take a sip, a familiar voice called out to him.
“Law? Is that you?”
Law and Kid turned around simultaneously. Kid was evidently as curious as Law to see who was calling out to them. Law strained his eyes and spotted a young woman in the crowd, with long pink hair, shorts that left little to the imagination, tightly hugging her legs, and a white tank-top adorned with thin laces.
“Law!”, she called out, waving her arm. “I can’t believe it! It really is you!”
Law’s eyes widened in surprise. “Bonney?”, he asked.
“Jewelry Bonney?”, Kid wondered aloud, finding it hard to believe himself.
“Boys!” Bonney nearly jumped at them, hugging them in a close embrace. “God, it has been so long! Look at the both of you, you look dazzling! How are you doing?”
“We’re doing just fine”, Law replied with a smile. “What about you?”
“Oh, you know, getting by like always.” Bonney let out a hearty laugh. “What brings you here today?”
Law and Kid shifted their gaze simultaneously to the side, where Luffy was devouring the buffet as if he had been starving for weeks. Bonney’s smile instantly grew. “And who is that handsome fella?”
“Our boyfriend”, Kid answered without hesitation. Law elbowed him in the side, to which Kid gave him a slightly apologetic look. “What? It’s not like it’s a secret, right?”
“No, but...”
“Hold on”, Bonney interrupted. “What do you mean, your boyfriend? Like, from both of you? You’re dating the same guy?”
“It’s more like we’re all dating each other”, Kid tried to explain.
“Seriously?” Her gaze remained fixed on Law, likely expecting the most reasonable answer from him.
“Seriously.”
Law couldn’t discern the reaction, but she put her hands in front of her mouth, concealing a squeal. God. Women.
“But wait...” Bonney had trouble finding the words, a grin plastered on her face. “Does that mean you’re dating each other now, too? I would have never thought.”
“Yeah”, Law agreed. “Life turns out weird sometimes.”
Luffy, noticing his boyfriends talking with someone, came over to have a look himself, his cheeks puffed out from little pastries he had stuffed in there. “Who’s that?”
“Oh, hey!”, Bonney greeted him. “We were just talking about you.”
“Me?”
“This is Luffy”, Law introduced him, putting a hand on Luffy’s shoulder.
Bonney gave him a bright smile. “Nice to meet you, Luffy.” After that, her focus shifted back to Law and Kid. “So, what are you two up to now? It’s been how long since we haven’t seen each other? 3 years?”
“Probably”, Kid said with a laugh. “I’m working as a car mechatronic now, Law’s a doctor, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
“Nothing surprises me about the two of you”, Bonney said.
“So, what are you doing now?”, Law asked, taking his hand back and placing it on his hip.
“Do you know her?”, Luffy asked, but didn’t receive an answer. His question got completely ignored as they started talking over him, discussing something about their lives and jobs. Luffy stood by and listened for a while, but since no one paid him any mind, he decided to leave them be and go look for Usopp, Zoro, or any other of his friends.
Neither Kid nor Law even noticed how he slipped out and disappeared into the crowd.
They talked for a while longer until Law suddenly asked, “Hey, where’s Luffy?”
His first instinct was to turn towards Kid, expecting a clear answer from him, but he just shrugged. “I don’t know. Why do you ask me?”
“Maybe he went to get himself something to drink?”, Bonney offered as a possible explanation.
Law didn’t like it. Leaving Luffy alone for too long, especially when he had the possibility to intoxicate himself with alcohol, would only lead to disaster.
“I’m sorry”, Law excused himself. “Maybe we can catch up later? I’m a little worried about him, so we’ll go check up on Luffy real quick.”
“Sure”, Bonney said. “No problem. See you later, guys.”
Law waited for her to disappear outside their hearing range before he turned to Kid. “Do you really not know where he is?”
“I told you, I haven’t even noticed him walking away.”
“You’re so fucking useless”, Law spat at him and stormed off to search for their boyfriend. Law heard Kid follow. “Stop being so prissy. Luffy is allowed to go off on his own. He’s not a dog you pull on a leash behind you all the time.”
“That’s not what I... I know he can do whatever he wants, just... I want to know that he’s not getting into any trouble.”
Kid rolled his eyes. “He went to so many parties without us already and he always came back in one piece. You’re fussing about nothing again.”
“You think?”, Law retorted. “Then remind me, what happened the last time I had a bad feeling in my gut and we left him be?”
Kid dragged his teeth over his lower lip. “He ended up in the hospital with a broken arm?”
“Exactly. So no, I won’t let it go this time.”
Law quickened his steps, and Kid matched his brisk walking pace. Their eyes scanned the room, searching for the distinctive red color of Luffy’s jacket. This proved challenging in the dim, colorful lights.
“Hey”, Kid finally said. “There he is.”
Law halted, turning his head to where Kid was pointing.
And there was their little troublemaker, bouncing happily in front of someone. A man. He loomed over Luffy like a tower, tall and handsome. Long legs were clad in the tightest leather pants Law had ever seen.
His boots had spikes on them, and over his pitch black biker jacket, he wore a fleecy white scarf, covering up the lower part of his face up to his nose.
“Who’s that?”, Law asked.
“I don’t know”, Kid replied. “I thought you could answer me that.”
Law was well-acquainted with every single one of Luffy’s friends, and probably everyone Luffy had ever talked to. Luffy had a tendency to share every detail of his day openly, from his close friend group to his friends friends, even casual acquaintances and fellow students in college.
Law knew them all, recognizing their faces and recalling their respective roles in Luffy’s life.
However, he had never heard Luffy mention someone who matched the description of the man standing before them.
While it was possible that Luffy had just met him, their interaction seemed to debunk that theory. The two seemed to be very familiar with each other, and the way that punk made Luffy’s smile brighten didn’t sit well with Law at all.
A quick glance to Kid revealed that he shared Law’s sentiment.
Kid’s hands were clenched into fists at his sides, his eyes burning dangerously.
“Why don’t we go say hello?”, he suggested. Law nodded in agreement.
As they made their way over, Luffy remained oblivious to their presence, completely absorbed in retelling a story and erupting into laughter at his own words.
The stranger was the first to spot them, lifting his head and narrowing his eyes curiously as he awaited their approach.
“Hey”, Law greeted them. Luffy still didn’t react, probably ignoring him on purpose, which stirred Law’s gut with a feeling of anger and frustration.
“Hey”, the stranger replied in a deep voice instead, keeping his eyes focused on them, suspicion evident in his gaze as much as it was in Law’s and Kid’s.
“I don’t think we have met”, Kid said. “Do you know Luffy?”
“Yes, I do.”
That was all he had to say. Law could feel Kid stirring beside him, his muscles tensing in unease and fury. Kid was easy to rile up, and the stranger was exactly the kind of guy he liked to pick a fight with.
Usually, Law would be the one to stop him, but right now, he didn’t find it in him to do so.
Surprisingly enough, it was Luffy who intervened before something terrible could happen.
“This is Katakuri”, he introduced him.
“Katakuri?”, Kid asked, seeking clarification.
“Yeah, you know, Katakuri?”, Luffy tried again, but it still didn’t ring any bell. Law was a hundred percent certain that he had never heard that name in his entire life.
Luffy sighed in annoyance. “You know the girl Sanji dated a year ago? Pudding?”
“What’s with her?”, Law asked.
“This is her older brother.”
Oh. Oh. Now it started to make sense. Somehow.
“You look completely different from your sister”, Law said. “I would have never guessed.”
“I hear that a lot”, Katakuri replied. “But that’s probably because we don’t share the same father.”
Law recalled Pudding mentioning something about having many half-siblings due to her mother’s multiple marriages.
However, he hadn’t dwelled on it much, and since he had only met this girl a couple of times, he had forgotten it quickly.
Nevertheless, it seemed peculiar because Luffy had never mentioned anything about Pudding’s family. Law didn’t even know Luffy had met any of her siblings.
And Luffy always told him everything.
Why had he never told him about Katakuri?
Was there something Luffy didn’t want to mention? Perhaps something he didn’t want Law and Kid to find out?
He knew he shouldn’t allow suspicion and doubt to get the better of him, but he couldn’t help it. The idea of Luffy keeping a secret from him made his insides churn.
Luffy had never shown any signs of boredom or distress in their relationship. He was always grinning from one ear to the other, constantly happy, clinging to them as if they were stuffed toys he could cuddle with whenever he pleased.
Law scolded himself to have more trust in his boyfriend. He was certain that Luffy would never intentionally hurt him or Kid. It was just the pang of envy that stirred anger in his stomach.
Reminding himself to control it, Law sought to address the situation reasonably. With that in mind, he asked, “Luffy, can we talk for a moment?”
The response, however, was unexpected and caught him off guard. “No”, Luffy said curtly, “I’m talking to Katakuri right now.”
In that moment, Law noticed an uncommon occurrence with Luffy—anger. Genuine anger.
“I think it’s important for us to discuss... well,”, Law hesitated, briefly glancing at Katakuri before quickly averting his gaze. “That.”
Luffy scoffed, his expression sour. “No”, he retorted. “And don’t talk to Katakuri like that.”
“We’re not comfortable letting you stay with a stranger”, Law continued.
“He’s not a stranger.”
Law could see the anger manifesting, evident in the heat rising to the tips of Luffy’s ears and his hands tightly balled into fists by his sides.
Acquaintance or not, Law was uneasy with the idea of this stranger seizing Luffy’s attention. The guy seemed dangerous and unpleasant, and Law couldn’t shake the concern about the potential trouble he might bring to Luffy.
Given Luffy’s propensity for getting into trouble on his own, adding another layer of difficulty was something they could do without.
“I believe it’s time to leave”, Law decided, shattering the thin straw holding Luffy’s feeble composure together. He reached for Luffy’s hand, only to have him shake free and take a step back. “You can go if you want, but I’m staying.”
“Oh, really?”, Law challenged. “And how do you plan to get home then?”
“Katakuri can drive me.”
Law searched his eyes for any sign of mischief, half expecting Luffy to be testing boundaries. However, he found no such evidence, in fact, Luffy seemed genuinely committed to the idea.
“Absolutely not”, Law said.
“Why not?”
“I won’t let you stay with him, let alone allow him to drive you home. If you’re not leaving, then we’re staying right here with you.”
Undeterred, Luffy took a confident step forward. “Then stay. I don’t care. It seems you’d rather talk to a girl than spend time with me anyway.”
“What?” Both Kid and Law faltered.
“You heard me”, Luffy asserted confidently.
They exchanged a long glance, wondering if that was truly the reason for his turmoil. Luffy had never shown this kind of behavior before, so Law didn’t know how to respond. Anger. Jealousy. It didn’t suit him, if he was honest.
All of them remained silent as the bass of the speakers thumbed in the background, the crowd cheering and wheezing as the party intensified. Law felt cold and drained, as if he had realized something terrible. Luffy was never quiet, and when he was, it was a bad sign.
“I think it’s better if I leave”, Katakuri said, the first one brave enough to break the awkwardness. “See you later, Luffy.”
The smaller one seemed like he wanted to say something but changed his mind as Katakuri had already turned on his heel and left them to talk it out among themselves. However, none of the three managed to get a word out, each too embarrassed to even look at each other.
Expect for Kid, who at least tried with a half-hearted, “Luffy, we...”
Taking a deep breath, Luffy took both Kid and Law by the hands, pulling them outside through the back door into the enveloping darkness of the night. They stopped quite far away from the doorstep, where there were fewer people around.
Yet, even here, the silence lingered. Law struggled to initiate the conversation without stoking Luffy’s anger, and Kid seemed equally uncertain.
“So”, Law began after taking an incredibly long time. “You’re upset because we talked to Bonney?”
Luffy nodded, his lips pushed together into a sulky pout.
“Okay”, Law said, pausing to think. “So you’re allowed to talk to other people, but we aren’t?”
“That’s not it”, Luffy immediately denied. “It’s just...”
He trailed off, looking down at his shoes, their soles sinking into the muddy terrain of the garden, making a squelchy sound with every move. Kid and Law waited patiently for him to say something, but even after a while, Luffy remained silent, so Kid spoke up, “Come on, tell us what’s wrong. We already know you’re upset about something.”
“I was just so happy that both of you came along today. I’ve wanted to do something together for so long, but then you go and ignore me completely.”
“We didn’t ignore you”, Law stated, though he hesitated, taking a moment to reflect. He had to admit, he had been so engrossed in the conversation that he hadn’t even noticed Luffy leaving them, let alone realized he felt left out.
“Yes, you did”, Luffy argued. “You didn’t even acknowledge me when I tried to talk to you.”
“I... I’m sorry”, Law said, realizing it was the only fitting response. “We were just happy to have met Bonney again, since we haven’t seen her in a very long time.”
“You could have said something”, Kid suggested, but immediately regretted it when Luffy responded with an angry, “I did!”
Luffy’s posture stiffened, but not for long, as his gaze shifted to Law’s expression. Law could pinpoint the exact moment when all the stiffness left Luffy’s body, his shoulders slumping. “Sorry”, Luffy murmured as regret started to set in. “I didn’t want to ruin that with Bonney for you.”
Law took a deep breath before approaching and opening his arms to pull Luffy into a hug. “It’s fine”, he reassured. “I’m glad you shared what’s going on.”
Luffy squeezed him tightly, burying his face into Law’s chest. Perhaps they hadn’t been spending much time together lately. Law had been putting in a lot of overtime in recent weeks, and Kid had been busy too, leaving Luffy alone at home most evenings. Given Luffy’s wide circle of friends, Law hadn’t considered the possibility that Luffy might crave their attention this much. Now, it made sense why he had been so ecstatic that they agreed to come along to this party.
“You’re right”, Law said. “We came here because we wanted to do something together.”
He gently pushed Luffy away, ensuring they made eye contact. “So, how about we have some fun right now? Anything you want, Luffy.”
Luffy’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Wait, really?”
“Yes, really.”
“What about Bonney? Didn’t you want to talk to her?”
Kid chuckled, ruffling Luffy’s hair before the shorter one had the chance to back away. “We can go look for her later, does that sound like a plan?”
Luffy’s face shone even brighter, his smile growing bigger, revealing his shiny white teeth. “Alright then, whatever I want, right?”
“Whatever you want”, Law agreed.
Luffy squealed, expressing his happiness without restrain, and decided to grab Law and Kid by the hands again. Both of them laughed at their boyfriend’s enthusiasm. That’s one reason they loved him so much, after all, he brought an effervescent energy into their relationship. With Luffy around, no one could ever get bored.
“Slow down”, Law advised as Luffy dragged them through the garden, much to their surprise, taking them farther away from the house, the people, lights and noise. Instead, they found themselves moving deeper into the tranquil darkness of the night.
“Where are you even going?”, Kid questioned. “The party is in the opposite direction.”
“I know”, Luffy replied without looking at them. “We’re not going back to the party.”
“Okay, where are we going then?”
They passed the garden’s fence and crossed the street to the other side. Continuing on foot, they walked until they reached a crossing. Here, the number of trees lining the sides dwindled, and no treetops obstructed the view of the beautiful night sky. Stars were scattered across it like glimmering flames, creating a perfectly serene image.
“Wow”, Law heard Kid exhale beside him, both of them tilting their heads upwards to bask in the shining lights. “How did you know it would be like this here?”
“Just a hunch”, Luffy answered, shrugging his shoulders. Neither Kid nor Law truly believed him, but they didn’t voice their suspicion, choosing to let it rest for the moment. Breaking the spell that seemed cast upon them, stealing their breath away, would have been a shame.
“Is this what you wanted to do?”, Law asked.
Luffy nodded, drawing them all closer together with him in the middle, feeling all warm and fuzzy. He held onto both Law’s and Kid’s arms. “Next time, just talk to us if you want to spend some quality time together, okay?”, Kid said, dragging his free hand through Luffy’s hair, mussing it up a bit. Luffy let him, not even shaking his head this time.
“Okay”, he replied.
“I have one question, though”, Law interjected because he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night without an answer. “You weren’t really considering letting Katakuri drive you home, were you?”
There was no answer, just stretched-out silence surrounding them.
“Right?”, Law pressed, this time with more emphasis.
“Just let it rest already”, Kid reprimanded him, taking Luffy’s side on this one. Law sighed deeply. “Fine. Have it your way, then.”
Although he couldn’t deny that, for his worst assumptions, the evening had turned out rather enjoyable. Staying by Kid’s and Luffy’s side was the best decision he could have made, and no spark of jealousy would ever tear them apart.