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The first raindrops had just started to fall as Law pulled out of Grand Line General Hospital’s parking lot, splattering ominously on his windshield. He’d just finished a double shift in the emergency room, and he wanted nothing more than to get back to his condo and curl up on the couch with his dog, Onigiri. The weather forecast was bleak, as a rare hurricane had made landfall nearby and was traveling slowly up the coast, dumping record rainfall in its wake. The outer bands of the storm were expected to arrive shortly, and the rain was not forecasted to let up for days.
And Law was, somehow, off from work; despite the double he’d just pulled, Law had offered to stay, expecting all hands to be needed on deck with the coming storm, but his supervisor, Dr. Kureha, had sent him home with orders to get some sleep “until his eyebags weren’t darker than the storm clouds.” Hag.
The roads surrounding the hospital were hauntingly empty; most people had apparently taken the repeated warnings about the danger of the incoming storm seriously. In the scant few minutes since Law had left the hospital, the sky had already darkened considerably, and the wind had picked up, creating small tornados of discarded napkins and loose newspaper along the sidewalks. Law frowned, turning up the speed on his windshield wipers as the rain started to pick up.
He was contemplating whether he had time to stop at his favorite takeout place and still get home before the worst of the storm hit when he noticed a huddled figure staggering down the sidewalk, the wind pulling at a straw hat secured around their neck with a string.
A very familiar straw hat.
For a moment, Law considered driving on, pretending he hadn’t noticed one of his frequent fliers at the ER, but then the hat’s owner stumbled and fell forward onto all fours. Law cursed and pulled up alongside the bedraggled figure and put the car in park. He rolled down the passenger side window.
“Oi, Straw Hat-ya,” he called.
Luffy stiffened before looking up at Law. Brown eyes widened in surprise before softening with a smile. “Torao!” The younger man pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the bloody scrapes on his bare knees.
The first time Law had seen Luffy at the ER, he’d come in with a concussion after some stunt with his long-nosed friend had gone wrong (Law didn’t know the details, and he didn’t want to). When Law had introduced himself as Doctor Trafalgar, Luffy had proceeded to call him “Doctor Torao.” Law had just assumed the butchering of his name was one of the concussion symptoms so hadn’t argued. But Luffy had referred to him by that truncation on every subsequent visit, eventually even dropping the “Doctor” part of the address, and Law hadn’t had the energy to fight it. (He didn’t appreciate the snickers and knowing looks every time he said it, though, Shachi. Or Penguin. Or even you, Bepo.)
“Why are you out here by yourself?” Law demanded. “The storm’s about to hit.”
“I’m going home,” Luffy replied, looking down at his sandaled feet. “Or trying to.” Definitely not shoes meant for the weather. He wasn’t wearing a jacket either, just the jean shorts and button-down shirt he’d had on a few hours earlier when he’d come into the ER for stitches after another of his ridiculous attempts at making a viral video had gone badly. “I just…”
While stitching up the wound on Luffy’s arm, Law had dryly commented about getting Luffy a loyalty card for his emergency room visits (“ten visits and the eleventh is free”), and Luffy had laughed in delight when he realized Law had made a joke. Law’s ears had gone red, and he’d practically fled from Luffy’s bedside to discharge the younger man. He’d assumed Luffy would have left with a ride, though. After all, he was always coming into the ER with some combination of his eccentric group of friends or one of his brothers. Had he been walking since leaving the hospital?
“Get in,” Law said, the words leaving his mouth before he’d realized he’d spoken.
Luffy looked back up in surprise. “What?”
“Get in,” Law repeated. He’d already made the offer, so he couldn’t back out now. “I’ll give you a ride home.”
Luffy hurried over to Law’s car. He opened the door and dropped heavily into the passenger seat, shutting the door behind him. Law closed the passenger window before putting his car back into drive and easing back onto the road. All the while, he did his best to ignore the feeling of Luffy’s eyes on the side of his face.
“Thanks, Torao. I appreciate it.”
Law cleared his throat. “It’s fine. No one should be outside in this weather.” He glanced at Luffy out of the side of his eye. “Didn’t you have a ride today?”
Luffy’s hands, which had been resting on his knees, balled into fists, though he hissed in pain and loosened them, revealing scrapes on the palms of his hands. Law winced in sympathy. Those would need to be cleaned and bandaged—same with the ones on Luffy’s knees. He hoped Luffy had the supplies he needed back at his place.
“Uh uh,” Luffy said, shaking his head. “Ace is at the station, and Sabo’s traveling.” Law idly wondered what it said about him that he knew those were the names of Luffy’s brothers.
“What about your friends?” Law prodded.
Over Luffy’s many visits, Law had encountered many of Luffy’s strange group of friends, from Nami, the meteorologist on the local news, and Robin, a history professor, to Zoro, a kendo instructor, and Sanji, a chef at a high-class restaurant. There was also Robin’s husband, Franky, who owned an auto repair shop; Usopp, a freelance graphic designer who also worked at Franky’s part-time and helped with way too many of Luffy’s videos that ended with him seeing Law in the ER; Chopper, a future doctor in the making and, to Law’s shock, Dr. Kureha’s ward; Jinbei, the fire chief who Luffy had met through his brother; and Brook, the jazz musician.
Luffy began listing the various reasons his friends weren’t available, from being stuck at work (Nami, Jinbei, Franky) to being out of town (Zoro and Brook) to not having a ride (Chopper and Usopp). That or he didn’t want to bother them (Robin and Sanji). Besides, the apartment he shared with his brothers wasn’t that far from the hospital, Luffy claimed, and he’d managed to walk to the hospital from the area, but on the way back, the rain and wind had started early.
Law sighed but knew there was no point in lecturing Luffy further; in the time Law had known Luffy through their meetings at the hospital, it was clear he was just going to do what he wanted, consequences be damned. Instead, Law followed Luffy’s directions to the apartment complex where he lived with his brothers. Meanwhile, the rain picked up from a drizzle to a steady rain, and thunder cracked in the distance.
As Law pulled up outside the front door to Luffy’s apartment, Luffy was increasingly frantic as he searched through his pockets. “No, no, no,” he muttered to himself.
“What’s wrong?”
Luffy looked up, eyes wide. “I can’t find my key.”
Law frowned. “Did you have it when you left?”
“I…” Luffy blinked owlishly. “I don’t remember.”
“Did you lock your door when you left?”
Luffy shook his head. “No, but Ace was still home. He would have locked the door when he went to work.” He slumped in the passenger seat, groaning. “Damn, I know where it is.” When Law raised an eyebrow, he elaborated: “It’s in the pocket of the shorts I wore yesterday.”
Well, that was maddeningly unhelpful.
“Can you call your brother?” Law suggested.
Luffy chewed on his bottom lip for a long moment before sighing heavily and pulling his phone from his pocket. “Ace is going to be so annoyed,” he grumbled as he dialed his brother’s number and held his phone up to his ear. Almost immediately, he frowned and pulled the phone from his ear, glaring at his phone in accusation.
“It went to voicemail.” Luffy ended the call and dropped the phone into his lap in defeat. “They can’t always be on their phones at the station. I don’t know when he’ll be able to check it.” He looked back over at Law. “Could you—”
“You could—” Law started at the same time Luffy spoke.
They both cut themselves off and stared at each other before Luffy started laughing. “Shishishi, sorry, sorry. You go first.”
Law suddenly felt self-conscious as Luffy looked at him expectantly, laughter still dancing in his eyes. Something fluttered in his stomach. “You could, uh.” He swallowed. “You could stay at my place. If you want.” Luffy’s eyes widened, and Law turned red as he realized how his offer could have come across. “I’ve got a guest bedroom,” he quickly added. “The storm’s about to get bad, and waiting for your brother to—”
“Really?” Luffy asked, cutting off Law’s rambling. “You’re a lifesaver. Thanks, Torao!”
“Tch,” Law scoffed, forcing himself to look away from Luffy’s wide grin. “Don’t make a big deal out of it. I just don’t want to see my handiwork go to waste,” he said, gesturing toward Luffy’s arm.
Luffy glanced down at his arm as though looking through the sleeve to the newest set of stitches Law had given him before looking back up at Law. “Shishishi,” he laughed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. “Right. Sorry, Torao.”
“I hope you don’t mind dogs,” Law warned as he put the car back into drive.
“Torao has a dog?” Luffy asked. Law could practically hear the sparkle in his voice as he declared, “I love dogs! This is going to be great!”
As Law turned his car toward his condo, cutting through the steady rain, he wondered if he’d just gotten himself in over his head.
Law let out a sigh of relief as he used his keycard to unlock his front door. For the entire ride from Luffy’s place to Law’s building, up the elevator, and now down the fifth-floor hallway, the young man had chattered on about some of the stunts he’d done that somehow hadn’t sent him to the ER and had gotten thousands of views on TikTok. Law mostly tuned him out, making a vague noise at various intervals that seemed to be enough for Luffy.
As the lock disengaged and Law opened the door, he could hear the telltale click clack of dog toenails on hardwood. He opened the door fully to reveal a little ball of white fluff wagging its entire body on the other side. Onigiri let out a pleased yip as Law stepped inside.
“Hey, buddy,” Law greeted as he stepped aside to allow Luffy in after him. “I’m home, and I brought a… friend,” he finally decided on.
Luffy followed Law into the entryway, and Law shut the door behind him before toeing off his shoes and pulling his jacket off, hanging it on a peg by the door. Meanwhile, Luffy’s entire face lit up when he saw Onigiri, and he knelt and stuck out a hand so the wagging ball of fluff could sniff him. Onigiri gave Luffy a couple of perfunctory sniffs before licking him.
Luffy laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners, as he reached out to scratch the small dog behind his ears. “He really does look like a rice ball. Who’s a good rice ball? Hm? I think you are!”
Onigiri was clearly delighted with the attention Luffy was giving him, if the way he was practically vibrating while nudging his head against Luffy’s hand was any indication. Law was surprised to realize he was glad his dog liked Luffy. Most people didn’t peg Law as a dog person, but Law liked that dogs were good judges of character; Law didn’t bring many people back to his place—his only regular guests were Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin—but it was important to him that Onigiri gave his approval.
Clearly, Luffy had passed the Onigiri test.
Law cleared his throat. “Take off your shoes, and I’ll look at those scrapes. Onigiri, come.”
The dog’s ears twitched at his name, and he angled for one more scritch behind the ears from Luffy before turning around to follow Law into the condo. Luffy straightened and kicked off his sandals, leaving them in a pile next to Law’s more neatly placed shoes, before hurrying after dog and owner.
Law made his way through the living room and into the kitchen, flipping on lights as he went. Despite large windows that looked out over the city and the early evening hour, the main living space was dark due to the storm. In the kitchen, Law opened a box and pulled out a dog treat. Onigiri, knowing the routine, was already at his feet, waiting eagerly, his little tail flipping behind him. Law made him sit and shake before giving him the treat. As the little dog chomped happily on the bone, Law looked up to see Luffy on the other side of the island, a small smile on his lips.
Law’s face warmed. “What?”
“Nothing,” Luffy said quickly, glancing away. “He’s just… really cute.”
Law couldn’t disagree with that. Law had adopted Onigiri when he was a puppy, mostly out of spite for his friends, who were worried about him being lonely at home. When he’d shown them pictures of his new puppy, they’d cooed appropriately over him before telling Law, “That’s not what we meant.” Law had smirked back in response and replied, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
In the two years he’d had Onigiri, though, Law couldn’t imagine not having the little guy in his life, so it turned out his friends had been right, even if unintentionally. Not that Law would ever tell them that.
“Take a seat,” Law said, nodding to one of the stools at the island. “I’ll be right back.”
Law headed into the bathroom to retrieve his first aid kit, and when he returned to the kitchen, he found Luffy sitting on one of the stools with Onigiri in his lap. Law felt his lips twitching upward at the sight, but he quickly schooled his features and headed back, setting the first aid kit on the counter.
“Onigiri, down.”
“Aw, Torao, don’t be like that. My hands aren’t even that bad,” Luffy said, pulling Onigiri in more tightly.
“Hands and knees, Straw Hat-ya,” Law said.
Luffy blinked and lifted up Onigiri to peer down at his legs. His mouth rounded into an O as he looked back at Law. “Shishishi, oops.”
Law rolled his eyes and took Onigiri from Luffy’s hands. He set the dog on the floor, and Onigiri trotted over to the couch and hopped up onto the cushions. He turned around a couple of times before settling down and shutting his eyes for a nap.
Law turned back to Luffy, and the younger man grinned sheepishly. “Guess I was kind of clumsy.”
“That’s what happens when you try to walk home in a hurricane,” Law retorted, rolling his eyes. He opened his medical kit and pulled out some sterile wipes. “Hands,” he ordered.
Luffy held out his hands without protest, hissing between clenched teeth as Law cleaned the scrapes with the wipes. Law examined the scrapes then treated the scrapes with ointment and covered them with bandages.
“Stop kicking your feet,” Law said absently as he let go of Luffy’s hands and turned his attention to his knees.
“Sorry.”
After grabbing more wipes, Law knelt in front of Luffy to clean and put ointment on them. He then placed bandages on the scrapes. “Take it ea—” He started, looking up at Luffy. He cut himself off when he realized Luffy looking down at Law, his ears bright red. “Straw Hat-ya?”
Luffy chuckled awkwardly and looked away. “It’s nothing. Thanks, Torao.”
Law raised an eyebrow but didn’t push the issue. He pushed himself to his feet, closed up his first aid kit, and tossed the trash. “Come on, then,” he said to Luffy. “I’ll show you around. Not that there’s much to see.”
After a quick tour of the condo—open concept kitchen and living space and a hallway that led to the two bedrooms and bathroom—Law and Luffy ended up back in the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?” Law asked. “I can make something for dinner.”
Law usually didn’t have a lot of food on hand, as he spent the majority of his waking hours at the hospital (he had a regular dogsitter who came in to look after Onigiri when Law was working) and usually ended up with takeout rather than making anything for himself, but with the impending inclement weather, he’d had some extra groceries delivered just in case. Judging from the way Luffy lit up at the mention of food, it was the right choice.
Luffy sat at the counter while Law pulled ingredients out of the refrigerator and pantry. He wasn’t a particularly adept chef, but he’d taken over kitchen duties while living with Cora, since the man was as likely to slice his hand open as dice a vegetable, so he could handle himself in the kitchen. He just chose not to most of the time now that he lived alone.
As he got to work on a simple stir fry, Luffy started peppering Law with questions about his job (“What’s the grossest thing you’ve ever seen?” he’d asked at one point. “You don’t want to know.” “I do. C’mon, tell me, Torao!” And when Law had revealed the answer, Luffy had just laughed, not put off in the slightest. And Law, despite himself, felt his lips tugging up in a smile). Once the food was done and Onigiri had been fed, Law dished up plates for himself and Luffy, and they made their way over to the couch. Law turned on the television.
“Oh,” Luffy exclaimed, spraying grains of rice everywhere. “Nami!”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, idiot,” Law grumbled before following Luffy’s gaze to the TV. A red-headed woman stood in front of a radar map, which showed heavy thunderstorms in the area. Law vaguely recognized her as one of Luffy’s friends who’d been with him at the ER on one occasion or another.
“Shishishi, sorry, sorry,” Luffy laughed before swallowing the entire mouthful of food in one large gulp. “But that’s my friend!” he said proudly. “She’s so smart. She’s never wrong about the weather.”
“Never?” Law asked skeptically. Meteorology wasn’t an exact science, after all.
“Never,” Luffy confirmed without hesitation. “She’s that good.”
They listened to Nami’s weather report as they ate their dinner. She warned that the storms moving in overnight would be particularly dangerous with high winds and hail and had the potential for tornadoes. There was also likely to be heavy flooding from the rainfall and power outages throughout the city. If Nami was as good as Luffy declared, then they might be in for a long night. Thunder boomed overhead while lightning flashed across the sky; Onigiri had long made himself scarce, likely hiding under Law’s bed.
After dinner, Law cleared their plates and, at Luffy’s request, popped some popcorn before they put on the third Sora, Warrior of the Sea movie. Despite being critically panned, it was Law’s favorite Sora film; Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin had heard Law’s diatribe about why it was criminally underappreciated more times than they could count and could recite it verbatim (“It adapts the lore better than any of the other films, yeah, yeah, Law”). When Luffy started offering commentary about the movie, though, Law wasn’t able to resist bringing out his own knowledge about the series.
As the credits of the movie rolled, they ended up in a debate about whose powers would be the most useful. Law (correctly) argued in favor of Stealth Black’s while Luffy (bafflingly) chose Sparkling Red (“Laser eyes, Torao! Laser eyes!” “How is that useful in real life, Straw Hat-ya?” “Who cares? It’s cool!” “That’s not the question!” “It should be!”). Luffy then demanded they watch all the Sora movies so he could prove himself right, and as Law settled into the couch as the opening title for the first movie played, he was surprised to realize how easy the evening had turned out with Luffy.
A loud crack of thunder jolted Law awake, and he found himself lying on the couch in a pitch-dark living room, a blanket pulled over him. Groggy with sleep, Law looked around, trying to orient himself… and that was when he heard the soft snoring behind him. Heart slamming into his throat, Law looked over his shoulder to see Luffy spooned up behind him, an arm thrown casually over Law’s waist.
Panicked, Law tried to extricate himself from Luffy’s octopus-like limbs, but Luffy’s grip tightened as Law moved.
“Get off, Straw Hat-ya,” Law grumbled, pulling at Luffy’s arm.
“Nng, T’rao. Stay,” Luffy muttered sleepily, not releasing his grip.
“There are actual beds to sleep on,” Law argued. In two separate rooms. Which would let Law freak out about this in private.
“Comfy here,” Luffy argued. “With you.”
Law’s face warmed. Despite the fact they seemed to be having a conversation, Luffy’s eyes were still shut, and his breathing was even. He was most likely still asleep and would not remember this conversation in the morning, Law told himself. It didn’t mean anything. This was nothing more than a doctor-patient relationship.
And, having served as Luffy’s doctor, Law knew there was no arguing with Luffy—asleep or awake—when he had his mind set on something, so he reluctantly settled back against Luffy’s chest. Luffy made a pleased sound in the back of his throat then continued snoring lightly. And Law, despite being certain he would never get back to sleep, soon found himself lulled by Luffy’s even breaths and the surprisingly comforting weight of Luffy’s arm over him.
Within minutes, he was asleep once more.
“What do you mean you’ve never made a pillow fort?” Luffy demanded, aghast. Outside, the wind whistled loudly between the buildings, and hail pounded the roads.
“Exactly what I said,” Law replied absently without looking over his shoulder to where Luffy sat in the darkened living room. Instead, he focused on searching his drawers for fresh batteries to put in his flashlight. At some point during the night, the power had gone out—“See, Nami was right,” Luffy had declared proudly—and though it was now daytime, the continuing storm outside meant there was minimal natural light coming in through the windows, leaving the condo fairly dark.
With the power out, Law also wouldn’t be able to leave the parking garage, as the gates were electronic. Meanwhile, Luffy’s phone had died overnight, and he’d never bothered to memorize anyone’s number, meaning, unless Luffy wanted to walk through hurricane-like conditions, he was stuck at Law’s until the power came back on.
Luffy, perhaps unsurprisingly, was unphased at the prospect of spending more time at (as Law had pointed out) a practical stranger’s house. “You’re not a stranger. You’re Torao,” Luffy had insisted, his tone indicating he thought Law was the one being ridiculous. Law hadn’t known what to say to that.
After scrounging up a late breakfast of fruit, trail mix, and peanut butter (Luffy had suggested sandwiches; Law had recoiled, making Luffy laugh and Law’s face warm), Law had managed to take a trembling Onigiri out to do his business when the conditions had lightened for a short window. Once they’d come back in and Law had dried Onigiri off the best he could before the dog fled for cover once more, Law had started his search for candles and batteries. Luffy, meanwhile, had declared they should make a pillow fort. When Law had absently commented that he’d never made a pillow fort before, Luffy had taken the comment like a personal offense.
“Who doesn’t make a pillow fort as a kid?” Luffy went on, clearly disturbed by this revelation for some reason.
A sickly child who lost his family and spent several years being raised in the Dressrosan mob before going into foster care, Law thought before shaking his head. Luffy didn’t need to know any of that; this was purely a doctor-patient relationship, after all. “It just wasn’t a priority,” he said instead.
“That’s dumb,” Luffy declared.
“It’s reality,” Law retorted before letting out an aha! of victory as he found the batteries. He opened the new package, slid the batteries into the end of the flashlight, put the cover back on, and turned the flashlight on. “Let there be li—what the hell, Straw Hat-ya?” Law demanded as he turned around to face the living room, only to find Luffy pulling the cushions from the couch and piling them on the floor.
“Pillow fort,” Luffy replied without looking up.
“Oi, wait a second—”
“We need sheets and blankets, Torao,” Luffy said. “As many as you can.”
Law bristled. “I don’t like being told what to do. Especially in my own house.”
Luffy wasn’t dissuaded, simply fixing Law with a level stare. “Sheets, Torao. And blankets. I’ll move the chairs.”
Law threw his hands up in the air. “Tch, fine,” he grumbled, ignoring Luffy’s pleased yip in response as he made his way into the bedrooms to strip the beds of their linens, starting with the guest room. When he went into the main bedroom, he knelt next to his bed and peered under it to see a white ball curled up in the corner.
“Hey, buddy,” Law said in a soothing tone. Onigiri’s ear twitched—the only reaction to show Law the dog had heard him. “I know you don’t like the storm out there, but it’s all right. I’ve got treats out there if you want some.” Onigiri didn’t move, but Law hadn’t expected him to. Like most dogs, Onigiri was terrified of thunderstorms, and not even the promise of treats was going to get him out from his safe space during a storm like this. Law just liked to make sure the dog knew he wasn’t alone.
Pushing himself back up to his feet, Law turned toward the door, only to freeze when he saw Luffy standing there, a look on his face that Law couldn’t read.
“Straw Hat-ya?”
Luffy blinked, and… was that a blush on his cheeks? No, that was impossible. Luffy grinned sheepishly. “Shishishi, sorry. I came to help with blankets and pillows.”
Between the two of them and with multiple pieces of Law’s furniture serving as the foundation, they managed to build what Law was surprised to find was a cozy little space with a view of the storm through the large windows. Inside the fort, they’d put blankets and pillows down to sit on and along the sides. At Luffy’s request, Law grabbed some snacks and a deck of cards, and they settled inside, sitting cross-legged across from one another.
Law expected things to get awkward at that point—what did they really have in common, Law an ER doctor and Luffy a… well, he didn’t actually know what Luffy did other than make ridiculous videos, but didn’t that just prove his point?—but that concern was quickly dispelled as Luffy shoved a granola bar into his mouth and promptly demanded Law shuffle the cards so they could play a game.
When Law raised an eyebrow at being given an order, Luffy laughed. “Sorry, sorry,” he said, though his grin made it obvious he wasn’t sorry at all. Law swallowed as something flip-flopped in his stomach, and he forced his gaze from the other man to the cards in his hands. He cleared his throat and started shuffling.
“Hey, Torao,” Luffy said suddenly. Law hummed in response without stopping his shuffling. “Your tattoos are really cool.” Law looked up at Luffy then to see the younger man looking at Law’s fingers intently.
“You told me that the first day we met.” When Law had come over to Luffy’s bed in the ER that fateful day, he’d introduced himself, and Usopp hadn’t been able to hide his skepticism about the young doctor with tattoos and earrings, but Luffy had just laughed and said, “Doctor Torao’s tattoos are so cool!” He’d had a concussion at the time, so Law hadn’t taken anything he’d said particularly seriously.
“Did I?” Luffy asked mildly before laughing. “Well, they were! And they still are!”
Law couldn’t help but smirk. “I’ve got more.”
Luffy inhaled, and his eyes went wide. “Really? Where?”
“I’ll leave that up to your imagination, Straw Hat-ya.”
“What? No fair, Torao!” Luffy pouted.
“How about this,” Law said, gesturing at Luffy with the deck of cards. “Each round of cards you win, I’ll show you a tattoo.”
“You’re on!”
“Each round I win,” Law added before Luffy could protest, “you let me look at one of your injuries.” Law had tried to get Luffy to look at his stitches earlier that day, but Luffy had shaken him off.
Luffy rolled his eyes. “They’re fine, Torao. You worry too much.”
“I’m a doctor. I worry the precisely right amount,” Law retorted. “Are you in or not?”
“I’m in,” Luffy said immediately, eyes shining. “I’m going to win.”
Luffy, however, turned out to be terrible at cards, unable to keep a straight face when he had a good hand, and Law, well, one of the first things Law had learned to do with the Donquixote Family was count cards.
After Luffy lost the first game, he grumbled and tossed his cards down, but he didn’t complain as Law made him pull up his sleeve so he could examine the stitches he’d given Luffy the day before. Luffy had gone very still as Law had carefully prodded his skin, making sure each stitch was still intact. When Law glanced at Luffy out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the younger man looking straight ahead, his tongue sticking out between his teeth.
“Does it hurt?” Law asked, concerned at the reaction. Luffy jerked his head once without speaking. With a shrug, Law pulled Luffy’s sleeve back down, declaring the stitches fine.
Luffy lost the next three rounds, allowing Law to change the bandages on his knees and one on his left palm. He was oddly quiet and still each time Law put his hands on him, but Law shrugged it off as not liking medical attention.
Deciding to take pity on Luffy, Law suggested they switch from poker to War, and Luffy readily agreed. As they played, the steady slap of cards being turned onto the duvet padding the floor of the fort joined the soundtrack of pounding rain and occasional cracks of thunder. When Law won the first round of War as well, Luffy pouted.
“Why are you so good at this?” he grumbled as he stuck his other hand out for Law to look at.
“You know winning War is just a matter of luck, right?” Law said absently as he peeled the bandage off Luffy’s right palm and examined the scrape beneath it. Like the other scrapes, it seemed to be healing just fine. With a nod, he cleaned the wound and put a new bandage on it. “You must just be unlucky, Straw Hat-ya.”
“Mm, I don’t think so,” Luffy said. As Law started to pull his hand away, Luffy quickly grabbed him, stopping him from moving.
Law blinked, looking at Luffy’s hand around his wrist to Luffy’s face. “Straw Hat-ya?”
“I’m lucky Torao is my doctor,” Luffy said. “And I’m lucky Torao let me stay with him.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Law tried to protest, not sure what to make of the fluttering in his chest or the electricity where Luffy was holding his wrist. Get it together, he ordered himself. Luffy was his patient. “I just—”
“Didn’t want me to mess up your work, I know,” Luffy finished. He looked up, meeting Law’s eyes. He grinned widely, his eyes scrunching shut in a way that made Law swallow and look away. “It’s because Torao is so kind!”
“I… what?” Law sputtered. Law knew he was a lot of things—and he’d been called many things in his life—but kind was not one of them. Cold, aloof, antisocial, grumpy, ill-tempered, sure. But kind? “No, I—”
“Hey, Torao,” Luffy interrupted quietly. Something in his tone caught Law’s attention, and he looked up—and nearly reeled back when he found Luffy leaning in toward him. But Luffy’s grip—and his gaze—held him fast. Law could feel his heart rate picking up, and his gaze dropped to Luffy’s lips despite himself. Luffy’s tongue ran across his bottom lip, and Law swallowed.
“Torao, I…” Luffy trailed off breathlessly.
Law moved without thinking, bridging the small gap between them, pressing his lips to Luffy’s. He swallowed Luffy’s little gasp of surprise before Luffy returned the kiss, greedily claiming Law’s mouth. Between them, Luffy’s hand slid down Law’s wrist to his hand, and Law entwined their fingers, squeezing gently. Luffy squeezed back before Law felt the world upend.
He opened his eyes—when had they closed?—in surprise to find himself on his back, looking up at Luffy. The younger man was straddling him, a mischievous look in his eye. “What the—”
“Shishishi, sorry, sorry,” Luffy said, unapologetically, before leaning down to kiss Law again. He pulled back just far enough to rest his forehead against Law’s. “I couldn’t help it. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”
“A long time?” At Luffy’s hum of confirmation, Law asked, “How long?” When Luffy coughed and looked away, Law shifted to sit up on his forearms. “How long, Straw Hat-ya?”
“Since the first time we met,” Luffy admitted, a blush spreading across his cheeks. “Torao’s tattoos and earrings were so cool. And Torao’s eyes were so pretty.”
“Tch. That sounds like the concussion talking,” Law deflected, feeling his own face heat at the praise.
It had been more than a year since the first time Law had seen Luffy in the ER. Law couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that Luffy had had a crush on him for that long. Yes, he always smiled widely when Law arrived and wasn’t shy with his casual touches, but he seemed to be like that with every family member or friend he showed up with. Law never considered himself special; Law was a doctor and Luffy his patient—a frequent patient, but a patient nonetheless.
Luffy shook his head. “Nuh uh.” He then pressed Law back onto the floor of the pillow fort, eyes darkening in a way that sent a surge of arousal down Law’s spine. He leaned forward to kiss Law again, his mouth trailing from Law’s lips to his neck. Law gasped as Luffy started to suck a bruise into his skin and bucked his hips helplessly as he stared up at the roof of the fort. So much for the doctor-patient relationship, he thought more than a little deliriously. His heart thudded loudly in his ears, drowning out the sound of the storm outside.
“Fuck.” He swallowed. “If you want to see more tattoos—” he started, and Luffy made an eager sound before yelping and rolling off Law entirely. Dazed, Law looked blankly at Luffy, who was staring at the entrance to the fort indignantly.
“What was that for?” Luffy demanded.
Law turned his head to follow his gaze…
And burst out laughing.
Onigiri stood at the entrance to the fort, head dipped like a bull looking at a red flag, the fur on his little body sticking upright. Luffy shot a betrayed look at Law as he pushed himself back up onto his elbows.
“Torao,” Luffy whined. “Why are you laughing? Your dog headbutted me. He attacked me.”
“I think he thought you were attacking me,” Law said, still chuckling as he sat all the way up. “Onigiri, it’s okay. Come here.” The growling ball of fluff stalked over to Law, and Law scratched him behind the ears. “He was protecting me.”
“What? But—”
Law smirked as he picked the dog up and put him in his lap. Then he gestured at his neck. “You did bite me.”
Luffy stared at Law and Onigiri, who had settled on glaring daggers at Luffy, for a long, incredulous moment before sticking his tongue out at them. Law laughed again, and Luffy blushed before laughing himself.
“Shishishi, okay. Sorry for attacking your human, rice ball. You’re a very good guard dog.” He stuck his hand out. “Can we still be friends?”
Onigiri sniffed Luffy’s hand a few times skeptically before relenting and giving it a lick. Luffy crowed triumphantly. Law found himself smiling as Luffy scratched Onigiri under the chin, and when Luffy looked up to meet his gaze, his own grin widened.
That night, Law and Luffy lay down facing each other in the pillow fort, Onigiri curled up between them. Luffy entwined their fingers, and as Law drifted off to sleep, he found himself thinking that maybe a hurricane was exactly what he had needed after all.