Work Text:
Will you marry me? - a Christmas story
"You want to ask Luffy WHAT?" Ace's voice thundered through the phone and Law hurriedly held the receiver a few centimeters away, worried about his hearing.
"Ace, please!" he heard another voice reach his ear, albeit much quieter, "Let him have his say first."
"What for? Didn't you just listen to him? He seriously thinks we're going to let him!"
Law took a slow breath, sighed silently and rejoined the conversation at the other end of the line.
"That's why it's so important to me that you two are there...!"
"That we're there..." Ace repeated, snorting and anything but enthusiastic.
"Do you know what he thinks about it?" Sabo finally took over the phone, making it much easier for Law to hear.
At least he was no longer in danger of coming out of the conversation deaf.
"Of course not. If I knew that, I certainly wouldn't have to worry...", he admitted contritely after a brief hesitation, "I... wanted to ask you first. After all, you are his family."
"You've been brought up really well," Sabo praised and Law pressed his lips together tightly.
"That has nothing to do with 'well brought up'," he defended, "It's just common decency. Besides, I'm pretty sure it would be very important to Luffy to have you with him. Not just for that reason. You've been traveling for a long time and he misses you..."
Sabo chuckled softly to himself and Law couldn't help but see his open face as he smiled and held his hand to his face, shaking his head slowly, "You should have started this when Ace answered. He's a lot easier to bait when you tell him his favorite little brother misses him!"
"Luffy misses me?" the other brother promptly repeated in the background and now Law could no longer suppress a grin.
Yes, the two adventurers were really different from other siblings. But he understood why Luffy loved and missed them so much. And if he could kill two birds with one stone, it was definitely worth worrying about his eardrums.
"Does that mean you're coming?" he asked anyway, just to be sure.
"It's still three weeks until Christmas. We'll make it. We'll be there. Expect us for dinner on the 24th, agreed?"
"Agreed. Any special requests?"
"Goose!" Ace's voice echoed to him and he just grinned.
"All right. See you in three weeks then."
"See you in three weeks."
The following three weeks were characterized by secrecy, overtime, a Luffy who stared sadly into nothingness far too often and a Law who had absolutely no idea how to cheer up his loved one without spoiling the Christmas surprise. Because he didn't want to tell him too soon that his beloved brothers had agreed to celebrate Christmas with them. Even if he had to phone them about four more times to make sure they didn't change their minds at short notice or something else might come up. And he wasn't allowed to say anything about anything else anyway.
The days passed and with each day their home together became more Christmassy. Luffy enjoyed hanging fairy lights everywhere in the dark season, putting up kitschy figures and almost every time Law came home, some Christmas playlist was playing in the rooms.
He was glad that their cleaner made sure it was clean and tidy and he was grateful that Sanji had food delivered to them at least three times a week. Because as much as he loved Luffy and enjoyed their life together, his wonderful, sweet mess was unfortunately completely incapable of keeping the apartment clean or even cooking anything that he didn't eat while it was being prepared - or burnt so badly that Law had no choice but to throw it away with a heavy heart.
He had learned this very early on in their relationship and it no longer bothered him. They didn't have to worry about money and so they were able to indulge in their little luxury without any problems. It was certainly an advantage that Luffy's family had produced successful politicians.
When he was finally able to get off work on Christmas Eve (according to the shift schedule, he could have left at eleven after the morning shift, but by now it was after three in the afternoon), he reached for his cell phone in a near panic and checked the news.
Sabo and Ace had confirmed that they would land on time, and he had assured them that he would pick them up from the airport himself. The plane would arrive at a quarter past three. And that made Law late. Much too late. So he hurried down the stairs into the foyer while he slipped into his warm winter coat and tried to type a message to Sabo while he was still walking, telling them not to leave the airport without him, but to wait for him. He stumbled on the penultimate step, caught himself with his free hand on the railing at the last moment and cursed under his breath as he forced himself to stop for two quivering heartbeats and take a breath instead of running straight on.
It wouldn't help anyone if he hurt himself now or something else happened. So he took those few seconds to take a deep breath and then hurried through the entrance hall, his coat billowing. A cold wind whipped under his coat as the glass doors slid open almost silently in front of him, releasing him into the wintry afternoon. There was no snow, but the air was so cold that the few trees in the area had small white tips where the frost had taken root in the sparse branches. Law didn't particularly like winter. He had been used to it since childhood; his parents lived further north, where snow was the norm in winter. But that didn't mean he had to like it. No, if you asked him, this frosty weather a few days a year was enough. Snow was only useful if you wanted to go skiing or something like that anyway. Yes, it looked very good in panoramic pictures and it all seemed quite idyllic as soon as the white mass covered the world and hid the ugly, gray and brown slush, but he would definitely do without it.
Luffy, on the other hand, loved snow. He basically loved all seasons, because he could get something out of each one. In spring, he enjoyed the flowers, the scent, the sun that was finally shining again. Summer seemed to be designed just for Luffy, hot and warm, bright and loud, so much in keeping with his nature that Law was convinced to this day that Luffy should actually be a summer child. In autumn, Luffy raved about the different colors of the leaves, the rustling under his shoes, the clear and cold nights, the stars that he could see better. And in winter? He loved the snow, the ice, the Christmas lights, the scents, the softer sounds, the pause at the end of the year...
Yes, he really was a wonder...
Unconsciously, Law smiled to himself as a deep level in his head thought of his loved one and was already looking forward endlessly to holding him in his arms and seeing the twinkling of the fairy lights as a reflection in his large, dark eyes. His warm, heartfelt smile, which he showed Law even when he was sad. The little dimples in his cheeks when he grinned broadly...
A car honked at him from the left as he walked too close to the side of the road on his way to his own car and Law flinched at the loud and unexpected noise.
"Hey you idiot, open your eyes!" someone shouted at him from the car and, gritting his teeth, he steered his steps closer to the other side of the sidewalk.
The jerk had interrupted his beautiful thoughts of Luffy and despite the stress and excitement that had been with him for days, the moment annoyed him so much that a deep frown line formed on his forehead. He almost growled, but then he reached his car and the cell phone in his coat pocket finally vibrated. Hopefully Sabo had answered! Earlier, when he had put the device away, the blond hadn't responded.
However, when he looked at the display while he dug out the key with his other hand, he was disappointed. Although disappointed wasn't the right word. The message wasn't from Sabo - which would be a reason to be disappointed, since he had expected a reply - but it was from Luffy. And then she could never disappoint him. Even if it was just a smiley face, each of Luffy's little messages, his gestures, warmed Law's chest and made him smile, at least briefly.
He saw on the locked screen that Luffy had recorded a short voice message for him and he hurried to get out of the wind and into the car so he could listen to it in peace as he drove off.
After unlocking the car and dropping into his seat, he fastened his seatbelt, placed the cell phone on the center console and started the engine. The device connected to his car radio as usual and with a simple tap on the large display in the car, Luffy's message started, which immediately made Law smile wistfully.
"Torao," his voice sounded exuberant, yet he couldn't hide the fact that Luffy wasn't as happy as he should be, "Torao, how's your day? Are you coming home soon? Ehm... It's so empty... So please come home very soon!"
Letting Luffy's words reverberate inside the car for a moment, he steered the car into the flowing after-work traffic and answered when he had to stop at the next traffic light.
"Oi, Lu-ya," he began, forcing a wide grin onto his lips, "Don't worry about it. I'll be home very, very soon. Why don't you get the decorations on? I'm really looking forward to seeing you. And hey, it's Christmas in a few hours," he tried to sound cheerful and sent the message. Almost instantly, the transmission ticks changed color and Law knew that Luffy would swallow his few words whole.
He turned left and drove onto the city highway. The faster he reached the airport, the faster he could get to Luffy. And once again, a wave of nervousness caught up with him as he thought about the coming evening. Hopefully everything would go well...
But first everything went wrong. Sabo didn't read his message and although Law tried to reach his big brothers several times from the road, none of them answered their cell phones. And the messages he sent to Ace simply didn't reach him either.
Law arrived at the airport shortly before half past four. After finding a space in the short-stay parking zone and running out of the car into the arrivals hall of the airport, his nervousness had reached new heights. And his inner panic continued to boil up with every minute he spent looking for Ace and Sabo.
The large board that continued to hang over the heads of travelers and visitors to the airport announced that the flight had landed on schedule and was already at the top of the list. As soon as the next plane touched down, the information would be gone.
He tried to get his bearings, to remember which direction the relevant gate was in so that he could ask there and was already running when his cell phone rang.
Sabo! Ace! At last!
This time, however, the display did not show the name of his beloved Luffy or anyone in his family. No, it was his own father calling him and Law knew what he wanted.
Annoyed, he picked up the phone and held it to his ear as he navigated the noisy but surprisingly empty halls.
"I'm not home yet," he greeted his caller and had to suppress an annoyed snort.
"Then you haven't had a chance to ask him yet? But Law!" the older man whined directly and he had to hurry to avoid being too annoyed to ask if he had any other worries.
But he had to admit that Corazon probably had no other worries at the moment than his adopted child's plans, and after telling him half a year ago what he was up to today, he shouldn't be surprised if he could hardly sit still with curiosity.
"No," he admitted contritely and continued to rush through the spacious area of the airport, "I'm just looking for his brothers. They've come all the way here, but I can't reach them. And I can't go home until I get them. To be honest, the day isn't going the way I thought it would."
Corazon grumbled in understanding and Law could hear him take a deep breath.
"Shall I keep Luffy busy for a bit then? Do you still have to prepare something at home?"
Surprised, Law stopped, squinted at the cell phone at his ear and blinked, a little perplexed.
Unconsciously, his left hand felt its way to his pocket in his jacket, but quickly clenched it into a fist before he could shove it in.
"That's sweet, ehm... No, yes. You could call him and entertain him a little? He doesn't need to leave the house, I have everything with me... But I'm sure he's worried because, in theory, I should already be home."
His father smiled audibly.
"I'll take care of it. You take care of yourself and just text me when you park. So I can hang up in time."
Law could hardly believe his ears, but he didn't dare question the good fortune that had just fallen at his feet.
"Thank you!" was all he could manage, he heard a soft laugh and Corazon bid him a curt farewell.
"See you later and good luck," he said and hung up.
Law swallowed in disbelief, but immediately pulled himself together and looked hurriedly from left to right. As pleased as he was that Corazon would distract Luffy, it was still important to finally find Sabo and Ace!
They had to have landed by now. And knowing them, they wouldn't even have much luggage with them. They were... rather sporadic.
Sabo's work as a journalist meant he was used to being constantly on the move and Ace regularly gave the impression that, apart from the clothes he was wearing, he had nothing worth lugging around with him anyway. So he could definitely save himself a trip to baggage claim.
But where could they be? After all, there was hardly anything on this side. Once they had presented their immigration documents, the reception area only led to the exit - and to the fast food outlet on the other side of the street...!
Law had to pull himself together to keep from slapping his hand over his face. How could he have forgotten?
He turned on his heel and literally ran back towards the large glass front with the doors to leave the building. And before he had reached his car, someone was already calling his name.
Relief flooded his chest and he breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized the two brothers as they hurried across the expansive parking lot to reach him.
"Law! There you are!"
"My cell phone gave up the ghost and we didn't know where to wait," Sabo explained before he could say anything.
Ace grinned broadly at him and stopped in front of him. There was a sparkle in his dark eyes, the freckles were a wonderful promise of brighter days despite the bad weather and he hugged Law, barely returning his gaze.
"Hey, Merry Christmas!" he laughed, hugging Law close to him.
To Law's surprise, he was actually wearing a jacket! Most of the time, Ace ran around dressed just as carelessly as Luffy and even in winter often enough only wore shorts and sometimes only light shirts. Today he was doubly glad that the black-haired man was dressed appropriately.
Sabo waited with an equally bright smile until Ace let go of him and then gave him a tight hug as well.
"Merry Christmas and thank you for coming here. Sorry I'm late..."
"You got held up at work. No problem. No problem."
Sabo knew him quite well by now and Law was grateful for his understanding.
"Unfortunately. Shall we then?"
"We do! Let's go, let's go! I can't wait to see Luffy's face! And he doesn't know we're coming?" Ace grinned mischievously and Law hurriedly unlocked the car so they could get in.
Sabo only had a rucksack with him - Ace had no luggage at all. They jumped inside, Law started the engine, turned up the heating and only then answered the question.
"I didn't tell him anything. If you haven't blabbed, then he doesn't know anything."
"As if we'd ever blab!" Ace huffed from the back seat, but Sabo grinned and contradicted him.
The two of them had an entertaining, not very serious argument about how Ace could never keep a secret, especially not from Luffy, and Law was relieved to see that the city highway was emptier than before. It was already getting dark outside and he wanted to get home to Luffy as quickly as possible.
Before he reached the small house where he lived with Luffy, he pulled the car over and took his cell phone out of his pocket.
"Sorry, I just have to let my dad know we're almost there. He was nice enough to call Luffy to keep him busy."
Sabo raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"Well, officially I should have been home by noon and I didn't have a suitable excuse at hand..."
"As if Luffy didn't know that you're married to your work and are practically always working overtime..." Ace rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Law bit his lower lip. He got very hot for a moment when he mistyped three times in the short message.
"Be right there. Please hang up."
He waited until the transmission ticks changed color and he knew that his father had also read the message before he drove the last few meters and then steered the car into the open garage.
"Let's go."
Sabo gave him an affirming smile as they got out, and Law nodded to himself several times.
"One thing at a time. First of all, he'll be delighted to see you."
They left the garage, took the short path and climbed the three steps to the front door. Law opened the door and called loudly inside.
"Darling? I'm home," which was met with the echo of a squeak.
"Torao!" he heard Luffy's voice from upstairs.
"Sorry I'm late. I... got held up," he hesitated for just a tiny moment.
Ace and Sabo were still standing outside the door. They had agreed earlier that Law would go in first and close the door and Sabo would ring the bell a few seconds later.
So he pushed the door into the lock and when he turned around, Luffy was already standing in front of him. His cheeks were rosy and his big eyes were shining. He was wearing a red T-shirt with a white Christmas motif on it and dark blue jogging bottoms. It was warm in the house and Law barely managed to take off his coat before Luffy threw his arms around his neck.
"You're finally here!" he cheered and kissed him on the cheek, pushing himself up on his toes.
Law leaned down towards him naturally, hugged him, kissed him on the cheek and then turned his head a little. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, the moment seemed to stand still, before their lips met and Luffy kissed Law in greeting. Law's stomach fluttered.
Luffy greeted him like that every day. Every time one of them went out and came home, they greeted each other with a hug and a kiss. And no matter how often they experienced this moment, for Law it was always a small moment of pure happiness. It was as if he fell in love with him all over again each time. His heartbeat fluttered, butterflies rose in his stomach and today the nervousness was boiling up, he unconsciously pressed him closer to him. After all, Law knew that the doorbell would ring at any moment and hopefully Luffy would be happy to hear it.
Before they had fully disengaged, the Christmas bells of "Carol of the bells" rang out, which Luffy had recorded into the doorbells especially for the Christmas season. Luffy flinched startled in his embrace and confusion was reflected in the large, dark eyes as Law returned his gaze.
"Are we expecting someone?"
Law barely raised his shoulders, but stepped out of the way so he could remove his shoes and make way for Luffy to open the door.
As a precaution, he hurried to get a few more steps away; after all, he could already picture in bright colors how the next few seconds would play out.
Luffy gave him another questioning look over his shoulder, but then pushed down the handle of the massive front door and pulled it open - and a loud, two-voiced "Merry Christmas Luffy!" rang out from outside.
In response, Luffy squealed even louder than when Law had just appeared, and only a split second later he was sitting on Ace's shoulders, embracing both brothers in a confusing tangle of limbs and loud laughter that could surely be heard all the way down the street.
Law watched the moment with a smile, silently put his shoes in place and withdrew inconspicuously. On the one hand, this moment belonged only to the three of them - on the other, he had something urgent to do.
He watched as Sabo pushed them all in the door and now Law noticed the Christmas hats they were suddenly wearing. With the soft clacking of the front door in his ear, he scurried up the stairs and along the corridor until he reached their bedroom.
While Luffy greeted his brothers loudly and eloquently and no doubt shed a tear or two, he was able to use the time to change his clothes.
Yes, he was already wearing a suit and yes, he knew that he didn't look bad in it, but the last few hours had been so chaotic and stressful that he definitely didn't want to stay like this. And after he had just seen Luffy, the clothes for this evening seemed anything but appropriate. No, it was supposed to be a wonderful, cozy family evening. Law had done everything he could to give Luffy a very special Christmas. He certainly wouldn't decide against comfortable clothes now.
A glance at the clock told him that it was already approaching six o'clock. In half an hour it would be time for dinner. And he hadn't even seen all the decorations yet. At least not the last things, which Luffy had certainly added today.
As he approached her closet to pick out some comfortable clothes, he hesitated slightly, but then decided on the pretty flannel pyjamas he had bought last winter. They were gray with a very fine red pattern. The trousers had two pockets and the top had a smart collar and a patch pocket on the left breast. He slipped on a pair of warm socks and took a final look in the mirror, ran his fingers through his hair and then hurriedly took the contents out of his jacket pocket and slipped it into his trouser pocket.
Taking a deep breath, he nodded to himself once more before leaving the bedroom again and going downstairs to give Luffy and her - supposedly unexpected - visitor a proper welcome.
He heard the voices of the three brothers from the large living room and followed them in, opening the door and at first being dazzled by all the lights that bathed the room in a pleasantly mild, warm white light.
Thanks to the atmospheric lighting, it was no longer necessary to switch on any lamps throughout the house, but here Luffy had outdone himself.
The room was the largest in the house, with the couch standing freely in the room and a small glass table. The huge television hung on the long side to the left, while two glass doors on the right led out into the garden. Her Christmas tree stood between the couch and the glass front. It was almost ceiling-high and Luffy had decorated it in the classic way with white Christmas decorations, straw stars and red baubles. The warm white lights created a wonderful picture. The fairy lights on the window frames and patio doors added to the ambience and Law felt like he had been transported to a winter wonderland. It was fantastically beautiful. Sure, it was kind of kitschy, especially the collection of little deer and stag figures standing on little mats of absorbent cotton on the sideboard and under the TV on the cupboard, but Luffy was so happy about it that Law could never deny it to him, no matter how he felt about it. And year after year, whenever they went to a Christmas market, he made a point of giving Luffy at least one figurine for the collection. To see that wonderful sparkle in his eyes when he was already picturing where he wanted to put the new deer and whose family it would belong to... Had he already thought about how much he loved Luffy today? Or maybe he just couldn't think that thought often enough.
"There you are at last, Torao!" he was greeted by Luffy and his attention focused on him and the two guests. The three of them were sitting on the couch, Luffy was cuddling up close to Ace again and the sight made Law smile. He was no longer jealous. Instead, he was happy for Luffy.
"I'm sorry it was so late," he explained again and approached the couch, dropping into the large armchair on the left.
"Sabo and Ace are here!" Luffy cheered, pointing at them as if Law hadn't even seen them yet.
"Yes, I noticed. What a lovely surprise. Are you staying for the holidays?" he asked Sabo as innocently as he could.
"Actually until New Year, if nothing comes up. We could both take the day off and thought we'd drop by. Unless you have other plans or something"
"No!" Luffy immediately interrupted him and clung to Sabo's neck, "You'll be there for a long time!"
He sounded like a little kid, even twisting his lips into a sweet pout.
Sabo stroked his head and nodded slowly to him.
"Anything you want. But only if we really don't disturb you."
"You never interrupt!" Luffy shook his head vigorously and Law grinned.
Luffy loved the two of them and seeing them barely two or three times a year hurt him more than he wanted to admit, Law knew that only too well. So he wasn't surprised by Luffy's words.
"Stay as long as your time allows," he confirmed.
"Oh, Torao!" Luffy turned his head and stared at him for a moment, "Is it pyjama time already?"
He grinned a little sheepishly.
"Well, I didn't want to change again and it's just us. Or is that inappropriate?" he asked him.
"Not at all!" Luffy replied and jumped up, "I want to too!"
His eyes darted to his brothers, who looked at him in confusion for a moment before Sabo realized what he meant.
"All right, then, let's all get changed!"
And with another squeak, Luffy leapt towards Law, pressing himself close to him before jumping to his feet again and running out of the room.
"I'll be right back!"
Ace and Sabo stood up as well and Sabo hefted his backpack.
"At least I remembered the pyjamas..." he said, searching Law's gaze for a moment and returning it conspiratorially, "Is everything going according to plan?"
Law immediately became serious.
"Dinner will be here soon. After that, it's time for the presents and then..."
The two of them nodded in understanding and then left the living room as well. They knew their way around the house well enough to find the guest room that Law and Luffy had set up when they moved in.
Luffy came back into the living room first and was now also wearing pyjamas, not unlike Law's. They had the same cut, even if they were a different color. Luffy's were dark blue and the contrasting collar was white, edged with a red ribbon. When he emerged, he still had no socks on, but Law hadn't expected that.
Since they were still alone, Luffy climbed onto Law's lap without further ado, snuggled up close to him and purred curtly.
"You knew it, didn't you, Torao?" he whispered happily, nuzzling into the crook of Law's neck.
An amused snort stole from Law's throat.
"Not at all, my darling. Maybe I just ordered double our usual amount for dinner on a whim. Some would call it a coincidence, though..."
Luffy giggled and bounced excitedly on his lap. Law carefully put his arms around him and stroked his back.
"Thank you," Luffy whispered and giggled, kissing him on the neck.
"No need to thank me, really."
They were interrupted when the door opened again and Ace and Sabo returned. They were now dressed very similarly to Law and Luffy - both had on flannel pajamas, Sabo's was blue with a double row of buttons, Ace's was a warm, dark red and also had a patch breast pocket embroidered with a small logo.
"Perfect slumber party!" said Luffy happily, sliding off Law's lap.
Sabo nodded in the direction of the Christmas tree, under which presents were already lying, and engaged everyone in a laudatory conversation about the beautiful decorations, the tree and generally how nicely Luffy had arranged everything.
It was dark outside by now, with only the lights from the other houses and the street lamps illuminating the night, and when dinner was delivered shortly afterwards, Luffy turned on the Christmas music that had been playing for the last hour.
Law could barely get a bite down. Even though he went to great lengths to make sure Luffy wouldn't notice, he was a nervous wreck. Rarely in his life had he been as nervous as he was that evening. He was glad for the presence of Ace and Sabo, who distracted Luffy and often enough made sure that Luffy didn't look twice when Law hurriedly took his trembling hands off the table or squirmed for an answer in conversation so as not to accidentally tell Luffy a secret.
When they had finished the sumptuous meal - and of course not a crumb was left over - the four of them cleaned up the dining room and kitchen and then went back into the living room.
"Time for the presents!" announced Ace, having fun teasing Luffy because there was nothing under the tree for him and Sabo.
"I had no idea you'd show up... Next time, let me know in advance so I can put presents down for you!" he grumbled a little sulkily and pulled his legs up onto the seat of the couch after sitting down.
Ace grinned broadly, let Sabo sigh and giggled quietly to himself.
"Luffy, how about you just stay seated and I'll bring you what's under the tree, huh?" offered Sabo conciliatory and pushed Ace a little to the side, pushing him into the armchair closest to the tree, giving Law the space to approach Luffy.
The moment of truth had arrived.
Luffy grumbled briefly, but took his feet off the seat and took a deep breath, the smile returned to his lips and he nodded to Sabo. Until he realized that Law had appeared in front of him.
Law's heart leapt up into his throat. His gaze flitted nervously to Sabo, who winked at him and sank onto the back of the chair next to Ace. Swallowing hard, he focused on Luffy again and his right hand jerked to his pants pocket.
"Lu-ya, I..." he began uncertainly, clearing his throat as Luffy looked at him, having to tilt his head back a little.
The light was soft, reflected in the dark eyes and Law unconsciously licked his lips before he managed to continue.
"I need to tell you something," he managed to get out and saw Luffy's eyebrows move upwards in confusion, "No, I want to tell you something. Ace and Sabo being here today was my idea. I called them both weeks ago and asked them to come."
Luffy's eyes were even brighter now and he was about to say something back when Law hastily raised his hand to stop him from speaking.
"That's not all."
Another deep breath to calm his racing heart, to fight down the panic. Heavens, when had he ever been so nervous?
He slipped his hand into his trouser pocket, clasped the small jewelry box and managed to look Luffy in the eye again. How long had he thought about what he wanted to say now? How many times had he written it down, read it through, discarded it, changed it, started again and memorized it - only to not remember a single line of it now?
"You are so beautiful," words flitted across his lips and Luffy's lips curled into a shy smile, "I... love you, Lu-ya. I love you more than anything else in this world."
With trembling hands, he sank down on his left knee, not letting go of Luffy's gaze. He pulled the small box out of his pocket and slowly comprehension dawned in Luffy's eyes. He could see how Luffy understood what was happening. In their living room at Christmas. With the cheesiest Christmas song in the world as background music.
"Monkey D Luffy. You made me the happiest person in the world when you returned my declaration of love. Since then, you have made me experience almost every day how wonderful it is to be loved. How wonderful it is to be loved by you. You enrich my life, you make even the darkest days shine and you are my light, my hope, my joy, no matter what happens. You are my sun, around which my whole life revolves and I will probably never be able to put into words how much you mean to me. You banish loneliness, you put up with my moods, you put up with my unplanned overtime. I can't and don't want to imagine life without you. When I see a shooting star, when I make a wish, when I write a wish list, my wish has always been the same. That you stay with me forever. And that's why I want to ask you here and now, Luffy-ya, do you want to spend the rest of your life with me? Will you stay with me and put up with my moods, banish my loneliness and be my sun, to whom I want to prove my love every day? Will you marry me?"
He opened the lid of the black velvet box with trembling fingers and bit his lower lip.
His gaze lingered on Luffy, he saw him fighting tears, smiling, shaking his head and putting his right hand over his mouth, losing the fight against the tears and sobbing loudly.
And Law's whole body felt like it was being put through the proverbial torture. Was Luffy so moved that he was crying? Was he shaking his head because he didn't want to marry him? Would he abandon him at any moment? Or would he not dare to refuse because they were not alone?
As the racing heartbeats in Law's head dragged on into an agonizing infinity, Luffy rubbed his hands over his face to wipe away the tears, jumping up laughing and crying at the same time, throwing Law backwards as he lunged at him. He sobbed, sniffled, laughed as he nodded, nodded and nodded again.
"Yes," he squeaked barely intelligibly and as they both lay on the ground, Law still groaning in shock and sudden pain, he whispered again and again, "Yes, Torao! Yes!"
And maybe - just maybe - the next few minutes of the evening were filled with the loud cheers of his soon-to-be brothers-in-law, while Law was still trying to comprehend that he was now officially engaged.