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The storm catches them unawares.
It shouldn’t be surprising, really, that such a storm as the one the Heart Pirates find themselves in the middle of could form among clear skies and not a single cloud to be seen—not in the Grand Line, much less in this side of it. The Polar Tang was built to navigate the suffocating pressure of the depths of the ocean. This storm will not sink her.
The same, however, cannot be said for her crew.
Law can barely see through the downpour. Everyone is doing their best to hold on as the storm slams the Tang from side to side like a child playing with a ball, and Law frantically scans his surroundings and keeps a mental count of the people out on the deck. He knows how many of them were inside when they entered the storm, and he knows they’re waiting for the window of opportunity to submerge, and in the meantime, he pushes his eyes to focus on the blurry, almost foggy visages of his crew.
The entire rest of them can swim, it’s one of the only requirements he needs them to fulfill, so even if they fall overboard, they should be fine. Still, Law understands that the seas care not for someone’s swimming skills when it decides to take them.
One of the figures—white suit, black coat hanging from his shoulders, Cora-san, the one other crew member who cannot swim—trips and falls on his back. He begins to sit up, but Law calls out to him. Considering his clumsiness without a raging typhoon thrown into the mix, it’ll be better for his center of gravity to remain as low as possible. He’ll be safer that way.
“Cora-san! Stay on the floor!”
The storm is not in Law’s favor. His voice isn’t strong enough to be carried all the way to Cora-san, who has sat up and is now in the process of trying to stand again, so Law lets go of the rail he’s been clinging to and takes a step towards him.
“Cora-san!” he yells.
Cora-san’s head snaps in his direction.
It is in this exact second after Cora-san looks at him but before Law can hold back on to the railing that a rogue wave crashes into the Tang, launching Law all the way to the other side of the ship, right over the deck—
(“LAW!” he hears as though from a great distance.)
—and straight into the water.
His body immediately goes into shock. His Devil Fruit is an issue, yes, literally draining his strength and removing his ability to move, but the ocean is so cold that his limbs would’ve frozen regardless. Water rushes into his nose, and his respiratory system brings itself to a halt to prevent more intake. He has maybe a minute, more likely only a few seconds, before his brain begins to run out of oxygen and forces him to open his mouth in a desperate attempt to breathe, and then his lungs will fill with water, and his organs will start shutting down one by one.
Is this how he’s going to die? After having found Cora-san again, after surviving the genocide of his people and a disease that should’ve killed him, after helping to bring down two Emperors of the Sea, is this where he finally reaches the end of the line?
There’s a splash in front of him, a figure sinking along with him. Its trajectory doesn’t indicate someone who fell overboard, too, rather someone that jumped in. Law can’t see the figure clearly, but he can feel the arms that wrap around him, the solid chest he’s pulled against, the feathered collar tickling his forehead—
Cora-san, Law thinks as his gaze manages to make out the blond strands of his hair and see his eyes squeezed shut. Cora-san?
The breath leaves his body in a sharp exhale.
Why is Cora-san here?
Cora-san!
His vision begins to darken.
Why did he jump?
CORA-SAN!
His mouth opens—
A fist grabs the back of Law’s shirt and yanks him upwards, ripping him from Cora-san’s embrace. In the darkness of the ocean, he catches another white boilersuit swimming down, grabbing Cora-san from underneath his arms, and pulling him up through the water.
The moment they break through the surface, Law gasps for air, his lungs burning within his ribcage.
“I’ve got you, Captain,” says Bepo, circling an arm around Law’s waist to keep him afloat. Jean Bart and Cora-san surface soon after, and his crew throws ropes over the railing for them to get back onto the deck.
The loud thwaps he and Cora-san make as they collapse on the wooden floor, dripping wet and coughing, would, under other circumstances, perhaps be hilarious. For the rest of his crew, anyway, especially since the storm has passed. But all his friends do is surround him and Cora-san, bringing towels and blankets and throw covers to dry them off and get their body temperatures back to normal, with nothing but concern and fear in their voices.
“Captain!” someone calls at the same time as another person cries, “Rosi-san! Are you guys okay?!”
Cora-san.
He’s on his ass on the deck, leaning back on his hands for support and panting heavily. He looks no worse for the wear, which is always a relief, though he would still have been fine if he hadn’t jumped—
Law’s hands tighten into fists. A snarl builds in the back of his throat.
“What,” he starts, “the fuck is wrong with you?!”
The murmurs and questions of his crew fall silent.
Cora-san scowls at him. “What?”
Law’s strength is slowly returning to him, and he uses it to push himself to his knees so he can crawl towards Cora-san.
“We’re both Devil Fruit users, you fucking idiot!” Law yells. “Why would you jump in after me?!”
“I promised you I’d always be there for you!” Cora-san replies, his volume matching Law’s.
To his credit, he did. His first night on the Polar Tang, after Law asked him if he would stay (forever, he didn’t say, but Cora-san still heard it), Cora-san answered, “I’ll stay for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Always,” Law rushed on to add, unable to help himself.
Cora-san smiled. He squeezed Law’s hand (they hadn’t stopped holding hands all day long) and vowed, as seriously as he had vowed to find a cure for Law thirteen years ago, “Then I promise you, Law, that I’ll always be here for you. With you. Until the day you no longer want me around.”
“That’ll never happen,” Law assured him, and Cora-san’s grin was as bright as the sun.
Now that promise makes Law’s blood boil, makes him grind his teeth until they creak.
“Not when it means you dying, too!” he shouts.
Cora-san’s scowl deepens. He reaches across the distance between them to clasp a fistful of Law’s shirt and drag him close enough for Law to see the fire in his eyes.
“What do you think always stands for?!” Cora-san growls. “Listen here, you little fucking shit! If we live together, THEN WE DIE TOGETHER!”
The silence echoing throughout the deck is like a wave of Conqueror’s Haki: oppressive, nauseating, suffocating. It’s not the same kind of silence as when Cora-san uses his powers; instead, it’s the kind of silence after a natural disaster, when the dust has settled and you need to deal with the aftermath while your ears are still ringing. The only sound is that of Law and Cora-san heaving.
Cora-san releases Law’s shirt (gently, Law can’t help but notice) and shoves himself to his feet.
“Rosi-san,” says Shachi, “take it easy—”
“I’m fine,” Cora-san snaps. Without further ado, he turns towards the lower deck, and the thumps of his footsteps carry him away until those also fall quiet.
Bepo helps Law to his feet, and Law waves away his paws and stares at the spot Cora-san occupied in front of him. His first instinct is to run after Cora-san and demand an explanation, but the anger sizzling in his veins keeps him firmly rooted to the floor.
“Um.” Beside him, Bepo nervously shuffles from one foot to the other. “Captain?”
“Get ready to submerge,” Law orders, and his crew sets out to obey.
Law avoids Cora-san for the rest of the day.
It’s not unusual for their respective obligations to lead them in different directions of the ship during any given day. What’s unusual is for either of them to catch the other one’s eye and pivot so their paths won’t cross. It’s even more unusual for both of them to be doing this, and it leaves Law with numb fingers and an itch in the back of his skull and a bile-like taste under his tongue. He scans Cora-san from afar, just to make sure that his lungs didn’t actually inhale any water, but once he’s done, the ire returns, and Law walks away to find something else to do.
He and Cora-san have never fought. Not since Law screamed and begged Cora-san to stop dragging him from hospital to hospital and Cora-san refused to listen to him, and even that was less of a fight and more of Law not wanting to hear the doctors and nurses call him white monster; more of Law just waiting for the Amber Lead to be done with him.
Fuck. Law can’t stand it. He can’t stand being this angry at Cora-san, and the fact that he’s this angry at Cora-san of all people makes it all so much fucking worse. It kicks him off his axis, it sends the world swirling around him in a frenzy, it leaves him swaying for balance in what would otherwise be perfectly solid ground.
It’s a miracle that his benefactor returned to him, that he was imprisoned but alive in Dressrosa and somehow found Law among the ruins of Straw Hat-ya’s fight with Doflamingo. It’s a miracle that Cora-san followed Law and never let go of his hand, that it was as easy for him as breathing, that he never even mentioned an alternative, as though he knew his rightful place had always been at Law’s side.
It’s a miracle that when Law was finally brave enough to press a kiss to his mouth, Cora-san rested a hand on the dip of Law’s spine and kissed him harder.
It’s a miracle that Cora-san loves Law the same way Law loves him.
He shouldn’t be taking that for granted. He just… doesn’t know how to fix this or make it better.
Maybe actually talking to Cora-san is as good a place as any to start.
To Law’s rare fortune, Cora-san is in their cabin at the end of the day, already changed into his pajamas and laying on their bed, propped upright halfway against a pillow while he reads one of his books.
Their eyes meet. Cora-san’s soften ever so slightly, and although they grow defensive for a small moment, and his nose scrunches up with his frown, his gaze ultimately relaxes. In turn, Law’s anger starts to dissipate like sand through his fingers, but part of him clings to it in stubborn desperation, adamant not to let it go just like that.
Neither of them speaks.
Law takes the opportunity to get changed into his sleepwear, though he remains standing at the foot of the bed instead of joining Cora-san, who has closed his book and dropped it on the nightstand. Law crosses his arms over his chest.
“Cora-san,” he says.
Simultaneously, Cora-san mutters, “Law—”
The blunder pulls a huff out of Law.
“Ah,” Cora-san exhales. “Sorry.”
“No, no, go ahead,” Law relents.
Cora-san gives a short nod of his head, almost like he’s doing it for his own sake rather than Law’s. He pulls his lower lip between his teeth.
“I’m not sorry for jumping in after you.”
That part of Law still clinging to his ire scoffs, vindicated. He should’ve known this was a bad idea.
“What a great start to this conversation,” he spits.
“What do you want me to say?” Cora-san bites back. “That I regret it? That I wouldn’t do it again? I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you.”
“You didn’t need to go after me!” Law snarls, his fists tightening. “Do you not understand how stupid and unnecessary that was?!”
“No one else saw you go overboard!”
“So you decided we might as well both die instead of telling someone?! What were you even hoping to accomplish?!”
“I panicked!” Cora-san screams. “Forgive me for not thinking rationally when I saw you fall into the ocean!”
Law clutches his hair in his hands and tugs on it to feel the sting. This is getting them fucking nowhere. “But why was your response to dive in after me?!”
“Because I wasn’t going to leave you alone to drown!”
“I won’t lose you again!”
“Oh, so you expect me to lose you?!”
“My life is not important!”
As soon as those words are out of Law’s mouth, Cora-san sucks in a sharp breath. He rises from the bed and moves towards Law with a quiet sort of intensity that he’s never seen on his benefactor before—it’s the quiet sort of intensity he imagines Doflamingo’s enemies saw in the silent enforcer of the Donquixote Family during their “diplomatic” meetings, the kind that would have them folding in fear and give Doflamingo whatever he wanted.
“Don’t ever say that again,” Cora-san hisses, his teeth clenched. “Never. Law.”
His hands come up to cup Law’s jaw, his fingers curling around the back of his neck. At such a short range, Law sees the moment Cora-san’s eyes grow damp, sees the breath hitch in his throat.
“Law,” Cora-san repeats, his voice wet, gentler. “Your life is the most important thing in the world to me.”
Law shakes his head. That’s not true, Cora-san is wrong, Law shouldn’t have lived this long to begin with, especially not if it comes at the cost of Cora-san’s life, Law would rather die than have Cora-san risk himself for him a third time now—
He doesn’t even realize that he’s still shaking his head, or that tears have begun to cling to his eyelashes, until Cora-san swipes his thumbs over Law’s cheekbones and steps closer to kiss Law’s brow.
“Law.” Cora-san rests their foreheads together. “Mi tesoro. Mi vida.” My treasure. My life.
Law can’t stop the choked gasp that rips its way out of his throat. “No—”
“Mi amor,” My love Cora-san goes on, and Law heaves as his lungs spasm around a sobbing hiccup. “I would not have let you sink to the bottom of the ocean any more than you would have let me.”
“That’s not the same!” Law whimpers, he’s whimpering now, wonderful.
“It is to me.”
His calves quiver beneath him, and the tears are now spilling down his face, and he suddenly can’t breathe, but before he can collapse in a heap of useless limbs, Cora-san picks him up and carries him to the bed. Law’s hands clutch the back of his shirt like a lifeline, burying his face on the crook of Cora-san’s neck, and Cora-san gently arranges them so that Law is sitting on his lap, letting him wrap his legs around Cora-san’s waist as Cora-san holds him against his chest, one of his arms around Law’s back and his other hand on the back of Law’s head.
“Law.” Cora-san’s lips brush his temple. “My precious Law. Why do you think my life is worth more than yours? What makes your life worth less?”
Law shrugs his shoulders and tries to swallow even more sobs building in his diaphragm.
Cora-san kisses his hairline. “Mm-mh. Use your words, Law.”
What words? The ones stuck in his vocal cords? The ones he knows Cora-san won’t like to hear? The ones Law knows are true, deep down, despite Cora-san’s belief to the contrary?
Cora-san squeezes him tighter, draws him deeper into his embrace. Law focuses on their hearts pressed together, separated by layers of muscle and flesh and fabric.
“You’re the only reason I’m alive,” he murmurs into Cora-san’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. You saved me, and you almost died for it, and I thought you’d died and I can’t bear the thought of losing you again after I got you back and I—”
“Sweetheart,” Cora-san exhales. “Just because I saved you doesn’t mean your life doesn’t matter, I would trade mine for you in a heartbeat—”
Law growls under his breath. “That’s not helping!”
“Would you not do the same if our roles were reversed?”
“What kind of question is that, of course I would!”
“Then why is this different?”
“It just is!”
“Law.” Cora-san pulls back a few centimeters, just enough to be able to look straight into Law’s eyes. “You cured yourself. You were the one who decided to live. You gathered your crew, you led them this far, you grew into the incredible, astounding captain that you are after everything you’ve been through, you, Law. I just shoved a Devil Fruit down your throat.”
Law snorts. It’s an ugly, awful sound, but Cora-san just smiles, endeared.
“No,” Law says. “You did so much more than that. You carried me when I was ready to give up. You had hope for the both of us. You…” He pauses to stop the shake in his voice, though he’s not all that successful. “Y… You loved me, when no one else did.”
“Funnily enough,” Cora-san chuckles, “that was the easiest part.”
Ugh, of course Law’s eyes would fill with tears anew, obviously.
Well. It’s only fair, he supposes, that if Cora-san has to live with the knowledge that Law will always prioritize him, Law must also acknowledge that Cora-san will always, without exception, prioritize him in turn.
“I…” he mumbles. “I-I know, objectively, that my life matters. If my crew’s lives have value, if your life has value, then it stands to reason that mine does as well. It’s just… difficult, I guess, to remember that—to believe it as fact.”
Cora-san’s knuckles caress Law’s cheek, and Law melts into the touch. “I will remind you as many times as you need me to. I’ll repeat it until I’m blue in the face, I’ll shout it from the deck for everyone to hear.”
The mental picture brings a smile to Law’s lips. Even though he’d be embarrassed, he’d also be secretly thrilled, but he’ll take that secret to his grave.
“Might still take a while,” he confesses. “You might get tired of it.”
He means for his words to come off as a lightheaded joke. The fear of them coming true leaks into them, anyway.
For his part, Cora-san straightens, determination setting his brow.
“Never,” he promises, and Law stops caring about the tears continuing to drip from his eyes. “No matter if it takes until we’re both old and gray, or even longer than that.”
Law couldn’t imagine a better future than growing old with Cora-san if he tried. And he’s tried. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Oh, my love,” Cora-san sighs. His smile widens into a grin, that grin that lights up the entire cabin, the warmth against the cold deeply rooted in Law’s bones. “Oh, my sweet, darling boy. I’d do anything for you. I adore you. I love you.”
“I love you,” Law echoes, and leans forward to kiss him.
They stay like that, mouths pressed against each other’s as they breathe in unison. Law could deepen the kiss, could shove Cora-san down to the bed and perhaps goad him into at least some heavy petting, but… this, Law realizes, is exactly what he needs. He clings harder to Cora-san’s back, and Cora-san squeezes him impossibly tighter, and Law thanks his lucky stars—and more importantly, his crew—for letting them be here, in this moment, together.
When Cora-san finally lays them both down, Law’s eyelids flutter of their own volition, exhaustion seeping into every inch of his body. His upper half is on top of Cora-san, his ear resting over his heart, his arms wrapped around his waist, while Cora-san’s fingers pet Law’s hair and his other hand runs up and down Law’s spine. Cora-san kisses the top of Law’s head, and the gesture is so reassuring, so comforting, that Law inhales a long breath, holds it, and then releases it, expelling the last dregs of his self-loathing with it.
It’s not a permanent solution just yet. Law knows he’ll have bad days in the future, they both will, and they’ll argue and fight again, and it’ll be devastating and soul-crushing and agonizing. But they’ll work through it. Everything in Law loves everything in Cora-san, that’s just how he’s wired his brain, and to his utter shock, everything in Cora-san loves everything in him, too.
That, against all odds, is more than enough.