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i.
When Luffy returns from his hunt, he knows right away that something is wrong.
Usually, when he returns, Torao will be waiting at the entrance of their cave, ready to welcome him back and take stock of Luffy’s haul. He’ll examine each fish Luffy brings back, while Luffy himself flutters around him, waiting as always for Torao to begrudgingly compliment his catch, though he always does so with a small smile on his face.
Now, however, the entrance is empty and dark, and Luffy carefully stows his haul off to the side before slowly swimming forward, fighting fins raised and ready to go. Torao should be here, watching over their three precious eggs, and if something has happened to any of them…
Well.
When he drifts farther in, he’s expecting a fight, but when he looks around, there’s nothing out of place. This just makes him worry more. Ever since they were left with three eggs, Torao almost never leaves the cave they chose in the giant reef, choosing instead to remain close enough to the entrance that fresh water can circulate over the eggs, but never actually venturing farther beyond for fear of predators and irregular currents.
Heart basically in his throat, he reaches the alcove where they sleep, and that’s when he hears what can only be the sound of sobs being choked back. A deep, cold dread rises up in him, and when he rounds the corner, he’s greeted with the sight of Torao curled up tightly on their bed, facing the wall.
Luffy approaches slowly, knowing that any sudden movements will disturb the calm waters in the room, something that Torao has been adamant about preventing ever since the loss of their spawn. Torao isn’t turning around, and Luffy doesn’t want to startle him, so instead of reaching out to touch (though he badly wants to), he softly calls out, “Torao?”
At the sound of his voice, Torao’s whole body tenses up, and Luffy waits for one, two, three beats before he slowly raises his head and turns around, his beautiful face wrought with the kind of despair Luffy had prayed he would never experience again.
“I-“ his voice breaks, and viscous tears slide down his face before dissipating into the surrounding water.
Luffy’s heart breaks (not again, not again) as Law turns around fully and reveals their worst nightmare.
There, on Torao’s lap, lays the remains of two broken shells.
Tears spring to Luffy’s eyes immediately. He slowly drifts forward until he’s right in front of Torao, sitting on the bed. “Oh…” he says, “Oh, Torao…” He reaches out, letting his own tears fall, tracing the jagged edges of the fragile shells. For a moment, Luffy’s eyes squeeze shut as he loses himself a little, so he nearly misses the next thing that comes out of Torao’s mouth.
“What’s wrong with me,” he mutters dully.
Luffy’s eyes fly open “What?” He breathes. He tries to catch Torao’s gaze, tries to reach out, do anything, but Torao does the unthinkable, breaking the pieces of Luffy’s heart even more. He shies away from his touch and turns away from his gaze. Shoulders trembling, he hunches over the last remaining egg, fingers barely caressing it. He sobs. And once he starts, he doesn’t stop, and Luffy tries to reach out again, only to get another flinch. “Torao,” he says, “Please-
“What’s wrong with me?!” Torao howls.
Luffy starts crying in earnest at the anguish in his beloved’s voice. “No, no, Torao no!” And this time he moves just fast enough to reach out and brush Torao’s cheeks with his fingertips.
At the touch, Torao whimpers but lets his face fall forward into Luffy’s palms, face crumpling, crying so much that the water around his face clouds the slightest bit. “There must be something,” he sobs, “otherwise this never would have happened – and – I’m sorry,” he wails, giving up and collapsing into Luffy’s hold while still carefully minding their precious, precious egg. “I’m so sorry, Lu, I don’t know what happened, I don’t know what I did, I,” he shakes his head. “Maybe I’m just no good. I’m no good for you.”
Alarms sound off in Luffy’s head, loud enough to stop his tears. There’s a new wave of horror rearing up in him and he feels like he’s going to be sick. “No,” he says. It’s much louder than he intends, and Torao jumps in his hold, but Luffy can’t take it anymore. “Don’t you ever say that,” he says, tilting his chin up so he can finally look into his eyes. They’re still so golden and so beautiful, but so clouded in grief at the same time. He has that look in his eyes, the look that was in them when Luffy first met him, and seas help him he will take it away again. “Don’t ever say anything like that again. I won’t sit here and let you say those things about yourself. That’s not true. It’s not true at all!”
“It is,” Law chokes. “You should’ve found someone better than me,” he continues, shredding Luffy to pieces, “someone stronger-“
“Enough!” Luffy pleads, voice cracking. “Enough, stop, stop, please stop. I will never,” he says fiercely, “find anyone better. There is no one better, or stronger, or more resilient, or more beautiful. In all the seas, I will never find someone that I would want more than you. It’s not possible. I love you. You’re all I’ve ever wanted. No one can possibly compare.”
“But-“
“No buts!” Luffy says dragging back him in for a hug. “I love you. I’m not going anywhere. We’ll get through this together like we always do.” He tightens his hold, and for a while Torao just lets him while he sobs. At some point his arms finally come around Luffy, clutching to him like a lifeline. There will probably be marks on his skin after, but it’s the last thing on his mind.
“The last one,” Torao suddenly mumbles. “What if the last one…”
“It won’t change a single thing,” Luffy says quietly. “We’ll get through it like we get through everything. And then maybe, at some point in the future, if you want, we can talk about it again.”
“And if I never want to?” Torao whispers hoarsely.
“Then we won’t,” Luffy says, pulling back so his hands can cup Torao’s lovely, devastated face. “We’re still a family. That will never change.” More tears track down Torao’s cheeks, and Luffy gently wipes them away. “I know I can’t say anything to make you feel better right now, but I’m not going anywhere. Never.”
He keeps wiping Torao’s tears away, even after he’s fallen asleep, even as he cries silently through the night over the loss of two more treasures.
ii.
Luffy wraps the eggs in the softest kelp he can find before he and Law bury them. They say a small North Blue prayer, and Law starts weeping hysterically when Luffy buries them in the sand. Luffy doesn’t try to stop him. He just cries too, and they sink onto the sand together and let the devastating grief flow over them.
Afterwards, Law quietly asks Luffy for a moment alone, and he simply presses a kiss to his sticky cheek before promising to at least find some dinner, leaving him alone in the secluded cove.
He doesn’t know how long he sits there, staring numbly at the sand that now holds the remains of two of his last hopes, the very last one cradled in his hands. He just knows he sits there until Luffy returns from his hunt because he reappears and coaxes Law back home after a final, painful goodbye.
After that, he doesn’t leave their bed for a long time.
Grief threatens to swallow him whole much like the first time when they lost their spawn, only this time it’s worse. The eggs had come much farther, they had grown under his watchful eye and letting them go even after that short time is nothing short of agonizing. So he stays curled up in the algae with the last one, only leaving for a few minutes at a time, and only when he absolutely has to.
For a couple weeks, neither of them goes anywhere. Law lays in bed with the egg until it’s time to get fresh water, and when he goes, he barely feels it himself. He never goes anywhere without the egg, and barely lets Luffy near it at all. In the back of his mind, he knows that he’s probably being ridiculous and also slightly cruel, but he’s just so scared. When he can’t have the egg right against him, it’s within arm’s reach at all times.
Luffy takes everything in stride, which Law greatly appreciates despite feeling guilty. Right now, Luffy is being the strong one for both of them, though Law can tell that Luffy is frustrated at himself for being so helpless. Law…Law loves him so much. Those dark, dark thoughts of being inadequate and broken still lurk, but as the days pass, they slowly begin to retreat as Luffy proves day after day that he loves Law just as much.
He wakes up every morning to the feeling of Luffy’s fingers stroking through his hair, tails wrapped around each other, and always falls asleep the same way. Wherever Law goes, Luffy is never far behind, doing everything in his power to keep Law as safe and as comfortable as he can possibly be. He had said it himself: there’s nothing he can say that will make Law feel better. The acknowledgement is somewhat comforting in its own right, and Luffy has always been much better with actions anyway.
Somehow (Law has an inkling), they never run out of food even though to his knowledge Luffy has only gone hunting once or twice. He’s never left for long, and only after making absolutely sure that Law will be okay. He brings him food in bed (all somehow his favorites) and doesn’t say anything when Law only takes a few bites or eats nothing at all; he just kisses Law on the temple and brings fresh food a few hours later.
It continues like this until one day, when Law wakes up and his chest feels – well not lighter, but less like the weight is going to suffocate him completely. More pressingly, he actually feels hungry. Per usual, the first thing he does is check the pouch, making sure his treasure is safe and sound. Once that’s out of the way, he slowly gets up, arranges the pouch over his shoulder and makes his way to the kitchen where he can hear Luffy humming tunelessly as he eats breakfast.
He makes his presence known by flicking his tail just enough that the disturbance in the water reaches Luffy, who turns around and positively beams when he sees that Law is up.
“Torao!” He swims over carefully, hands already reaching for him, and Law lets him press kisses all over his face before he pulls away and looks over Law. “Are you feeling better? Hungry?”
Law nods jerkily. “Yea. Better. And yes.”
Luffy responds like it’s the best news he’s ever heard, trilling happily as he leads Law farther into the kitchen. “I was just finishing, but there’s plenty of food left! Sanji stopped by really early this morning because Zoro caught an octopus!” Surely enough, there are octopus arms sprawled over the table, and Law can tell that Luffy simply dragged everything back in here and immediately dug in, not even going over to the vent to cook anything.
“He’ll be back later today, too,” Luffy says after chomping another arm down. Law peers at the offerings, and then reaches over to grab an arm with plenty of suction cups, the way he prefers.
The entire time he eats, Luffy’s gaze flicks back and forth from his own food to just watching him eat, a content smile on his face as Law finishes one arm, and then reached for another. His hand doesn’t leave the egg once, and at some point Luffy floats over and rests his hand over Law’s as they both gaze down into the pouch. It’s the closest he’s come to touching it ever since.
Ever since.
“You said Sanji would be back?” Law asks when he pauses eating for a moment.
“Mhmm,” Luffy mumbles around some seaweed. “He’s been stopping by with food a few times a week.”
Law’s brow furrows. “You haven’t been hunting at all?”
“Me, Sanji, Zoro, and Bepo have been taking turns,” Luffy says, and Law’s eyebrows shoot up. “I didn’t wanna leave you alone,” he mumbles, pressing closer, “so they’ve been either hunting for me so I could stay close by, or they stay around while I go out.”
“Then how come I haven’t seen them?” Law asks.
Luffy’s tail curls around his a little. “You barely wanted to see me,” he says wryly. “I figured it would be better that way.”
Law sighs, eyes downcast. “I’m sorry, Lu. I haven’t exactly been…available lately.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Luffy says firmly. “Besides, you never actually pushed me away again.”
“Still,” Law sighs as he chews the last of his meal. Now that he’s moving around, he really wants to scrub himself with a sponge and maybe go out for a bit, and an idea strikes him.
“I need to take a sponge bath,” he says, “and then maybe I’ll go for a short swim.”
“Great!” Luffy cheers. “I can come with if you want.”
“Actually,” Law says, “Would you mind taking over for a bit?” Luffy blinks, and when he realizes what Law means, the joy on his face is priceless.
“Really?”
Law nods and carefully undoes the strap on the pouch before approaching Luffy. He adjusts it so it sits comfortably, and Luffy has a wide, watery smile as he gazes down at their little treasure.
“I realized I haven’t been letting you hold it,” Law mumbles. “Or touch it, really. I’m sorry about that too.”
Luffy easily dismisses it in favor of running a careful finger over the pearly surface. “It’s gotten bigger,” he says happily. “Our little tadpole is gonna be so strong.”
Law can’t help himself; he turns Luffy’s face towards his own and presses a kiss to his lips. Luffy makes a soft, surprised noise, but it quickly dies as he kisses back softly. The past few weeks Luffy has showered him in affection that he hasn’t been able to return, and now he can admit how much he missed this.
When he pulls back, Luffy has a look of absolute adoration on his face. Law’s hand caresses his cheek gently. “I love you so much,” he murmurs. “Thank you for everything. Lu.”
Luffy just kisses him again. “Love you more. Now go wash up!” he says, hand already curved around their egg in an imitation of Law’s. “I have something to show you when you get back.”
Law emerges from his bath feeling better than he has in over a month, and finds Luffy in their living room, where he’s sitting on the kelp couch and talking softly to the egg, giggling to himself and running his fingers over it lovingly. Law doesn’t say anything at first, too caught up at the tender gaze in Luffy’s eyes, and he briefly lets himself imagine a scene where Luffy is talking like that to their tadpole. When his heart feels full to bursting, he finally gets Luffy’s attention. “You two having fun?”
Luffy nods and grins over at him. “You ready for your surprise? I know you don’t usually like them, but you’ll like this one, I promise!”
Law smiles. It’s a tiny thing that has Luffy leaving kisses all over his face again before he takes his hand and starts leading him towards the entrance of their home, which looks the same except for a hallway leading off to the side that definitely wasn’t there before. He turns to Luffy, eyebrows furrowed. “Were you renovating?”
“Sort of?” Luffy says, smiling sheepishly. “Franky did a lot of it. But it’s nothing extreme! Clione was around to keep him from going overboard.” He quickly reassures Law, whose eyes narrow at the idea of Franky renovating without including unwelcome surprises. “Come and see it!” And he tugs Law through the doorway into a brand new room.
Law floats to the center of it, turning in a slow circle. The window is huge, letting in plenty of light, but framed with kelp curtains that ensure that they’re well-hidden. There’s a bed the same size as the one in their bedroom that somehow looks even softer than the first, a small table with chairs, and even a tiny cradle next to Law's side of the bed that looks like it’s the perfect size for their treasure. “What’s this, Lu?”
Luffy starts babbling immediately. “I wanted you to be able to sit or lay down somewhere that’s not all the way in the back of our home. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! But this way you can still see the light from Eve, and there’s plenty of space, and different places to sit, and even a special a place for our little pearl!
“And Franky and Usopp also made special holes in the walls? And in the ceiling too? Franky says it’s a system that controls the currents, so there’s always fresh water cycling through but not too quickly!” He looks at Law, face open and hopeful. “So what do you think?”
Law is speechless. He doesn’t know where to rest his eyes as he takes in every detail of the new little room. It’s bright and warm and he can indeed feel the way the water circulates gently in and out. Suddenly, he’s so overwhelmed he can barely breathe.
For weeks, Law has been paralyzed with despair and fear, blocking out the world around him. And in one swoop, Luffy has gone above and beyond and chased those feelings away (not for good, never for good), making a cozy sanctuary in their home where everything he could possibly need is in one place.
Law’s probably quiet for a little too long because Luffy starts nervously twisting his fins in his hands. He clears his throat and floats over to his side of the bed. Slowly, he slips the pouch off of him and gently places the egg in the new cradle, looking over it with a critical eye. When he’s absolutely certain that it’s secure, he turns around, drifting until he’s right in front of Luffy. Law waits until their eyes meet and throws himself at his husband, crushing him to his chest in the first real hug they’ve shared in weeks. Luffy squeezes back just as hard, squeezing a few tears out of Law in the process. “I love it,” Law wheezes as Luffy sways both of them back and forth. “Fuck, I love you. I love you so much.”
“Love you more,” Luffy says, clearly pleased with Law’s reaction. “I thought of everything, right? Is there anything else we should add?”
“It’s perfect,” Law tells him, and he grabs his face and crushes their lips together, pouring every ounce of gratitude and love he possibly can into the action. He sighs as he feels Luffy’s hands slide over his skin, from his waist to his arms and up his shoulders until he cups his jaw with his hands, deepening the kiss for a long, long moment.
Law only lets himself get lost in the moment for so long before he draws back. “I can’t believe you did all this,” he says. “And without me noticing.”
Luffy laughs. “Franky can be quiet when he has to be! And I told him that if he ever woke you up, he wouldn’t be allowed to visit for a month.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Law sighs, dragging Luffy with him so they can both curl up on the new bed, their treasure less than an arm’s reach away. “I doubt you would have even kept to that; you’re going to want everyone to visit as soon as possible.”
“I would’ve! I didn’t want anything to bother you!”
“Well, you did a wonderful job,” Law says, running his fingers through Luffy’s hair. “I didn’t suspect a thing, and this surprise of yours is better than anything I could have imagined.”
“You deserve it,” Luffy says, kissing him again and again. “You deserve everything.” The “even if you don’t think you do” goes unsaid, but Law hears it loud and clear, and in this place, he might even believe it.
iii.
Luffy’s in the other room when Law feels the egg wobble under his fingers for the first time.
For a second, his eyes widen in fear, until it happens again. And again, only very slightly more intense. And suddenly he understands what’s going on. “Luffy?” he calls, not once taking his eyes off of the egg. “Luffy, I need you to come here!”
Luffy appears in a flash, crossing the room with a worried look. “Torao? Is everything okay?”
“It’s happening,” Law whispers, eyes flicking up to his husband’s face briefly. “Look.”
Luffy gasps when he sees the egg moving and immediately joins Law on the bed, curling protectively around him. “Are we finally meeting our tadpole today?” he asks.
Law bites his lip and nods, and together, they watch.
For a while, nothing happens aside from some more tremors. After a particularly harsh jerk, a razor-thin crack appears. It slowly grows as the egg rocks back and forth, back and forth. Law, for his part, thinks he may have stopped breathing, but that’s not nearly as important as what’s unfolding in his arms.
It takes a few minutes, but it’s just enough time for Law to be on the brink of panic. Luffy remains with him, strong and solid, as they both hover over their priceless, precious treasure. But soon enough, the crack widens, and he feels their world shift as a tiny, nearly translucent hand pokes through briefly. Luffy’s fins flutter in an aborted move, but he gets a hold of himself a second later, hooking his chin over Law’s shoulder as they wait.
And Law wants so badly to meet his little tadpole already; wants to peel away the rest of the shell so he can finally lay eyes on his treasure, but he knows better, does his best to stamp down his ever-growing anxiety. This is that final, terrifying hurdle. Their little tadpole needs to be strong enough to wiggle the rest of the way out without help, and only then will he be able to let himself breathe and celebrate. For now, he just croons softly, encouraging their little miracle to come into the world.
The wiggling grows in intensity, the egg almost falling out of Law’s arms at one point, but Luffy’s hand is quick to come up and help stabilize the egg. It’s clear that he’s just as anxious as Law, but right now, all of his focus is on Law and their egg. Nothing will ever be as important as this moment ever again.
Finally, as Law’s heart thunders in his chest, the shell splits wide open, and the most precious little being flops out with a chirp.
The smooth shell of the egg falls away, leaving Law with a tiny, featherlight weight on his chest, and he peers down through the tears already clouding his vision.
A quick observation tells Law that they have a baby girl. She has the same forelegs as Luffy, and similarly colored hands and feet, but the beginnings of her tail show scale patterns that mimic Law’s. Now that the hard work of breaking out of her shell is done, she’s quick to curl up on Law’s sternum, pressing close as a tiny hand reaches out to cling to him.
There’s a moment of utter stillness, and then the world shifts again and Law’s heart sings.
“You’re here,” he whispers. “You’re actually here.” The tears come fast and heavy, but he couldn’t care less because they’re tears of joy and Luffy is kissing any part of his face that he can reach, crying and laughing all the while.
“She’s perfect, Torao,” he whispers against his temple. “I can’t believe how perfect she is.” Law just sobs and nods rapidly, one hand already resting protectively on her back. He can feel her small heartbeat like it’s his own, beating softly but strongly. Luffy places his hand over Law’s, one pinky gently brushing her soft cheek, and he hiccups when she tilts her head into his touch ever so slightly.
The eggshells, broken in victory, drift gently off to the side.