Chapter Text
The art room was suddenly burst into by a frantic teenager seeking shelter.
After making sure Bellamy, Kid, or anyone else hadn’t followed him and wouldn’t find his whereabouts, Law finally allowed himself to breathe—though not for long. That urgent panic and gnawing dread he'd been feeling returned, twisting in his stomach, reminding him why he’d run in the first place. Still holding himself together, he quickly looked around for anything useful. There were tatami mats, some old pieces of cloth, a few cardboard boxes, and paint cans—those would do.
In the farthest corner from the entrance, which had no door due to recent renovations, he built an improvised nest. It wasn’t ideal, but enough to keep him safe until he could go home.
Because everyone at school thought he was an alpha.
Law had never tried to pretend to be one, people just assumed. Something about him being part of the “Worst Generation,” or whatever the school board called it, contributed to his status. He’d only recently transferred to Gakuen Grand Line, and in that short time, he’d already figured out how the school operated. With the new school year just starting, especially in high school, plenty of students were testing their limits, and each other, as their secondary genders awakened. The new students weren’t getting along, each trying to assert dominance or territory, leading to constant fights. It happened so often the administration turned a blind eye, as long as it didn’t end with cops or ambulances.
Law never intended to get involved in any of that, but apparently, the other students saw his height and appearance as a challenge or threat. And Law wasn’t the type to shrink back and ask for help. There was a reason he had been transferred.
Bellamy and Kid had been on his tail all day, bothering him and being more provoking than usual just to lead him into fighting, and this annoyed Law to such an extent that he wanted to disappear for the rest of the day. With both of them being alphas, they surely noticed some change in Law's scent, just enough to chase him all day. Alphas tended to be much more sensitive to any kind of change in a person's behavior or scent, especially if it was an omega, even if they didn’t know the person’s true designation. Therefore, the art room under renovation on the ground floor was the best option to avoid certain people until club activities were over.
Since the renovations began, both the hallways and the room itself had been deserted. It had become Law’s new favorite place to hide. Being more isolated, it was free of noise pollution—no overlapping conversations, footsteps, loud laughter, brooms sweeping, printers whining, or chalk scratching on boards. Nothing. Just the harmonious silence filled only with birdsong and the rustling of leaves. There were also no mixed scents and pheromones conveying thousands of messages from a crowded school, which could be overwhelming if you were going into heat and had to discern all those smells. Here, there was only the natural scent of the environment. It was comforting.
Law sighed again, letting himself relax for the first time that day, feeling safe with the comfort offered by the mundane items he had gathered. If all went well, club activities would soon end, everyone would leave, the school would empty out, and Law could finally go home in peace. It was far too risky to go outside in the open with his heat looming. He hated the idea of drawing even more attention than the duo of alphas had already caused. So the safest option was to wait until the clubs ended.
Not that he was hiding his true gender or feeding into the rumors. Law just didn’t want other alphas coming after him for anything besides a fight. The idea of those same alphas who’d come to fight him suddenly seeking him out as just a hole to use was vile on so many levels it disgusted him. It stripped him of any chance of being seen as a worthy opponent and reduced him to something that should obediently submit. As if his gender affected his strength. But of course, they wouldn’t see it that way.
Therefore, this was the best possible scenario, and Law wanted to keep it that way.
His phone was dead because he hadn’t paid attention to the battery while gaming, otherwise, he could’ve called his father to pick him up. But this would have to do.
Law wasn’t going to cry. He didn’t need to, no matter how emotional the hormone awakening was making him. All Law needed was to calm down.
Rest, however, was brief, as he was startled awake—he didn’t remember closing his eyes for long—by hurried footsteps in the hallway. His body tensed instantly, alert, eyes wide. No one ever came down those halls. Was it a teacher? Maybe staff checking on the room? If so, he’d never come up with a good excuse fast enough. The whole scene would give him away, his father would be called, and he’d die of embarrassment. Maybe his scent had leaked out and drawn someone in? Had Kid and Bellamy finally found his hideout?
His heart thundered in his chest, drowning out all thoughts. Law clenched his fists and swallowed dryly, not even blinking as he stared at the doorless entrance.
The quick footsteps grew louder and clearer as they approached the room.
Law didn’t even breathe when a figure stepped through the entrance. The person stopped.
“Here!” a boy’s voice said. One Law didn’t recognize.
Still not breathing, Law’s whole body froze. His scent must’ve spread far enough to attract an alpha to his hiding spot, and it had taken a while, considering how long he’d been there.
The boy’s movement interrupted his spiraling thoughts. The sound of shoes against the floor echoed through the empty room. The boy seemed to be looking for something.
“They’ll never find me here, shishishi…!”
The boy slipped past a few canvases, crouched behind some cardboard boxes, and laughed to himself. That’s when Law got a full look at him: a straw hat hanging around his neck, messy black hair, and a scar below his right eye. His school uniform shirt was unbuttoned at the top.
Law had heard a lot about him around school: the troublesome straw hat kid, always zipping through the hallways with teachers shouting his name. All the troublemakers gained fame easily the more they infuriated the administration.
But what the hell was that idiot doing there if not to go after him?
The so-called idiot blinked at him with a look just as idiotic.
The universe had different ways of screwing someone over.
“Huh?” the straw hat boy asked. “Are you into this?”(*)
Something cold dropped in Law’s stomach, and he bared his fangs with a deep growl.
“Get out,” Law snapped, gathering all his strength to seem threatening.
The effort only made his sharp, agonized pheromones reach the boy’s nose. The straw hat boy furrowed his brow, flaring his nostrils to sniff more of the scent, not discreet at all. And like some cruel cosmic joke, the responding scent coming from the boy was powerful and alpha.
“You smell weird. Want me to…?”
“No!! I told you to get out!” Law exclaimed, showing his slightly rounded canines, not like the sharp alpha ones. His were similar but sent the message clearly: stay away.
Although the boy didn't seem the least bit shaken by his display, he still raised both hands in a placating gesture. The pheromones brought a firmness behind the amenity, reinforcing that the alpha would not attack.
“Why do you smell weird?” the Strawhat insisted, and Law hadn’t expected that raw honesty in his tone.
The idiot didn't know what a heat was? If that were the case, he was probably a first-year student who hadn’t presented yet, or at least not fully.
If he were the dangerous type, he would’ve already pounced, and Law was already grateful that hadn’t happened. Still, suspicion lingered.
“Are you sick?” the Strawhat asked. He was annoying, but Law doubted he would hurt him.
Law didn't respond, hoping in vain that he would give up and get out.
“I’m Luffy.”
Apparently, Law’s luck had run out.
“I didn’t ask,” Law snapped.
“But I’m saying.”
When Law didn’t respond again, the Strawhat, Luffy, just stared at him, probably analyzing the whole situation before taking a step forward. Law snarled. Luffy stopped. When he tried to take another step, Law growled again and bristled. The judgment of "foolishness" that Law attributed to him increased. Trying to invade an omega’s nest just like that?
The clear threat made Luffy look at him again, and Law didn’t like the way he pondered the situation.
Then the boy raised a hand, prompting a low growl from Law, until he gently took off his hat and tossed it toward him. It landed softly in Law’s hands. The growl stopped as Law curiously stared at the hat.
“It’s my most precious thing, my treasure. While you have it, I won’t hurt you.”
Law blinked in confusion, fingers tightening around the straw material, then glanced up at the alpha, who looked completely serious.
What guarantee did Law have? Just those words.
He gripped the hat tighter, the straw creaking. Instead of putting it on his head, he pressed it to his chest and hugged it. The item carried the scent of warm sunlight—was that even possible? Maybe the straw spent a lot of time under the sun—hair oil, a bit of sweat, and the alpha’s scent.
It wasn’t a bad scent. Just… the item said a lot about its owner.
Law jumped when suddenly—perhaps as cautiously as Luffy could manage—the boy sat down in front of the nest with his back to Law, crossing his legs and staring forward. Just as Law was about to growl again, the scent of red apples, marinated meat, and sea salt flooded his senses and made him melt. It was coming from the alpha. It was a clean scent, far from the rancid trace of lust, and it made Law’s pupils dilate, his omega side leaning into it involuntarily.
“What are you doing?” Law asked in a trembling whisper.
“Not sure, but Usopp and Vivi say it helps.”
Turning his back like that, it was a completely vulnerable position. Especially for an alpha in front of an omega in heat. It was as if the alpha was guarding him, and the nest. If he wanted, Law could easily attack him, and the boy wouldn’t be able to do much. But even though Law was a stranger, the boy was risking trust.
Or maybe it was a trick.
Despite the insecurity and fear swarming Law’s head, all the scents around him conveyed calm and compassion, not giving off the slightest hint of deceit. As if whispered, “Why so tense? I’m not going to do anything,” and “Relax, there’s nothing to fear.” Law couldn’t explain it, but just for a moment, he let himself relax. A short sigh escaped his lips as his body softened against the padding beneath him.
The alpha in front of him didn’t seem to have bad intentions—at least not that Law could detect. He wasn’t even being affected by the heat scent. If he was unpresented, even as an alpha, there was no reason for Law to fear.
Still, the hesitant part of him remained firm in distrust, keeping his gaze on the slender back, ready to react to any suspicious sign.
“It doesn’t affect you?”
“What?” Luffy tried to glance over his shoulder.
“The scent.” Law answered harshly, disliking being looked at while in such a fragile, pathetic state.
“It’s your scent, isn’t it?” It wasn’t a question, it was more of a rhetorical statement. Law didn’t understand the remark.
The unpresenteds were unable to clearly sense the scent of heat or pheromones. Maybe that was it.
Strawhat was a strange alpha, and for some reason, Law’s instincts didn’t label him as dangerous.
As time passed, Law’s resistance wore down as Strawhat didn’t react. The more he breathed in that scent, the more it took over the room, almost smothering his own heat, as if intentionally hiding it. The boy didn’t smell bad, his scent was strong and slightly spicy, but at its core, calm and soothing, his pheromones sending out peaceful waves to reassure Law that he was safe and protected.
Even if he couldn’t understand, his instincts made the choice for him, to settle into that scent.
For the first time, Law allowed himself to close his eyes and let out a sigh, releasing all the tension.
A quiet smile tugged at Luffy’s lips as he felt the omega finally relax behind him.