Chapter Text
Luffy wakes to the soft spill of daylight through unfamiliar blinds. For a brief, disoriented moment he doesn’t know where he is. The air feels different, heavier somehow. His body feels stiff and aches in a way that tells him he hasn’t moved much all night. Then the sound reaches him: slow, even breathing beside him, the faint rustle of fabric whenever the mattress dips.
He’s in Law’s bed.
The reality settles like a weight in his chest.
He turns his head slightly. Law is still asleep beside him on his back, covers pushed down to his waist. His lean stretch of torso is bare, heart motif tattoo on display. Black hair sticks out at angles on the pillow, sideburns framing the sharp lines of his face. His hair is flattened on one side, a few dark strands sticking stubbornly against his forehead. One arm rests across his stomach, the other bent loosely above his head.
Without the constant tension outlining his form, Law looks different. Somehow softer and younger, almost vulnerable. The deep shadows under his eyes, carved there by sleepless nights, are blurred in the daylight. Like this, he doesn’t look untouchable. Luffy watches him for too long. It feels intrusive somehow, but he can’t look away or disturb the moment. There’s something about the way Law looks when he isn’t holding up his walls, a quietness in the unguarded shape of his mouth. It pulls at him.
Something presses behind Luffy’s ribs, awkward and unsteady, a weight that makes it hard to draw a full breath. It feels too indulgent lying here and looking at him like this, and he thinks it’s slightly dangerous how badly he wants to stay in the quiet, just to keep watching.
His fingers itch to touch. To trace the line of one tattoo, to smooth that lock of hair from his forehead, to feel the warmth of him under his fingertips. He doesn’t. If he starts, he knows he won’t stop.
So he listens instead to Law’s breaths, soft and shallow, rhythmically filling the gaps of the morning air. The world feels still.
Eventually, Law stirs. He groans low in his throat and rubs his face, his eyes blinking open, laggy and slow. His gaze darts around the room before finding Luffy.
“What time is it?” His voice is rough with sleep, deeper than usual.
Luffy swallows as he watches him wake, wishing that time could stop.
“Dunno,” he says softly. His voice sounds strange in the quiet. He forces a crooked smile. “You’re a mess.”
Law huffs out a fondly unimpressed laugh.
“Thanks.” He rolls onto his side, the sunlight catching him full in the face, and winces against it.
Luffy moves, leaning on his elbow, angling his body to block the glare. He doesn’t even think about it until Law’s eyes flick back, his face now in shadow.
There’s a flicker there of something almost soft before Law’s gaze hardens again.
“I think…” Law pauses, his words forming slowly. “I think I said some dumb stuff last night.”
Heat pools low in Luffy’s gut as he hears it again in his head - that quiet plea as Law drifted off, stripped of his usual aloofness.
Don’t leave yet.
It was something real that Law had given him. There was no calculation behind it, no mind games or power trips. He just wanted Luffy there with him.
His swallows hard, his chest almost aching with the effort of holding in how much that small request had meant to him. He shakes his head.
“Nah. Nothing dumb.”
Law studies him for a long moment. Luffy tries not to squirm under the weight of his gaze. How much does he remember? There was the moment of openness at Shachi’s too. Luffy manages to keep his expression even despite the noise within. Finally Law exhales, almost a laugh, and pushes himself upright.
He stretches, and the motion pulls his muscles taut, the tattoos across his chest rippling pleasantly. Luffy’s eyes snag there and dwell, appreciating the view. He jerks his gaze away, fixing it on the glass of water on the bedside table that he’d left there last night. It’s still half full, the condensation gone. Even with his eyes averted, the sight of Law casually in bed lingers in his mind, and it is ridiculously appealing.
Law’s yawn breaks the silence. He drags a hand through his hair, the strands falling back into disarray. For a moment he looks dazed, then he rubs a palm over his face and mutters, “coffee.”
Luffy watches him swing his legs off the bed, feet meeting the floor with a soft thud. He moves slower than usual, though still graceful as he stretches again, wincing faintly at the light.
“C’mon. Kitchen,” Law murmurs, gesturing vaguely toward the hall.
“Breakfast?” Luffy says hopefully, and a loud growl escapes his stomach.
Law gives a low hum in reply, tinged with amusement and grogginess, and drifts toward the door. Luffy follows, his mind preoccupied with the space between delicious food, and how good Law has looked all morning. He’s hungry for both.
The apartment feels different in daylight, the orderliness feeling utilitarian and functional as Law reaches into cupboards in the kitchen. The large windows look down on a city that is busy with its day, and it feels they are in a pocket of quiet calm whilst the world bustles below.
Luffy hovers at the doorway whilst Law fills the coffee machine. The sound of water pouring feels too loud, like it is amplifying the silence between them.
“Your place is really fancy, Torao. And super tidy. Y’must be cleaning it all the time.”
Law leans against the counter, rubbing the back of his neck, eyes half-lidded.
“Hmm. Well I just don’t let it get a mess in the first place.” Law’s eyes flick over to Luffy with amusement. Luffy pulls a face.
His stomach growls again, loudly.
Law shakes his head, faint smile ghosting his mouth. “Sit. I’ve got it.”
Luffy obeys, perching on a stool at the counter. He watches the way that Law moves, quiet and unhurried but efficient. The way this hands work, gripping a pan whilst he fries some bacon. The smell is heavenly, and Luffy fidgets impatiently.
There’s something almost domestic about it. The hush and the closeness between them that doesn’t yet have a name. It presses warm against Luffy’s chest as he waits, almost painful in its simplicity.
When Law slides a mug across to him, their fingers brush. The touch is fleeting, but it sends sparks fizzing down his arm.
Luffy looks down at the steam rising from his coffee, pretending to study it, heart unsteady in his chest. Law had let him into his space, and had become somehow softer and more open. It was exactly what Luffy wanted. Now, sharing this morning together, he feels closer than ever to him. He looks up at Law, cooking topless just for him, and bites his lip. A desire to reach across and touch him swells inside.
He hops up from his seat, makes his way around the counter toward Law, and hesitates. Law looks over his shoulder, a quizzical look on his face, before turning back to the pan and flipping the sizzling bacon. He extends his hands out and places his palms on the sides of Law’s torso, sliding them around his waist, and pulls him into a hug from behind.
He feels Law stop for a second, only briefly, but noticeably, before he continues moving and preparing breakfast. Luffy presses his cheek against Law’s back, the heat of his body filling him up with something golden.
After a minute, Law turns, breaking the embrace.
“Here. Food.” He plops a plate down on the counter, in front of the seat Luffy was in earlier. Bacon sandwiches, cut neatly into triangles.
They don’t talk as Luffy eats. Law stands opposite, shoulders leaning against the counter, fingers curled around his mug of coffee. After finishing his food, Luffy sips at his drink. It’s bitter, too strong for him.
It should be peaceful. The air hums with the low gurgle of the coffee machine cooling as they sit. Law’s hair is still a mess, and his face looks strung with tiredness. Luffy wants to touch him. Wants to trace his dark undereyes with his thumb. Instead, he avoids eye contact.
“Thanks. For the sandwiches.”
Law nods in response. When he finally finishes his coffee and moves, it's like some tension is creeping back in. The careful return of composure. He rinses his mug and slides it beside the sink, every movement neat. By the time he turns, the haze of sleep is gone and has been replaced by something cooler. The version of Law the rest of the world sees.
Luffy feels the shift before he can name it.
“Last night,” Law says, voice calm, casual, but not casual enough, “you were practically glued to me.”
Luffy blinks. “What?”
Law’s mouth curves faintly, one corner lifting.
“Couldn’t keep your eyes off me.”
Luffy lets out a snort. “You were the one who was touching me in front of everyone.”
“And then you just had to slip home with me, hm?”
“Wha?! You were wrecked! I wanted to make sure you were home safe.”
“Mhm.” Law pushes off the counter, crossing the small gap between them. His movements are slow, deliberate. “Always looking after me, aren’t you?”
Luffy tries to hold his ground, but he’s reeling from the sudden change in demeanour.
“Someone has to,” he says, and the words come out more harsh and cutting than he means.
Law stops close enough that Luffy can feel the warmth coming off his skin. His voice drops low.
“You like that, don’t you?”
Luffy frowns. “Like what?”
Law doesn’t answer. He just reaches out, fingers brushing the side of Luffy’s jaw, tracing the line to his chin. The touch is light, too light. His thumb ghosts across the corner of Luffy’s mouth, and for a second, everything inside him stops.
The world narrows to that point of contact, and he melts into the touch.
Then it’s gone.
Law steps back, re-establishing the distance as if nothing happened. His expression smooths over into something neutral. Luffy's pulse thumps hard against his throat.
“Is this fun for you?” Luffy says quietly. The words feel rough, scraped raw.
Law’s brow lifts a fraction, but he says nothing. He just watches him calmly, as though waiting for Luffy to decide what he’ll do.
The silence drags until Luffy can’t bear it.
“What are we doing, Torao? Why d’ya pulling me in just to push me away?” His voice wavers, the anger and ache braided tight. “I want- I want more than this.”
The air changes again, charged and still.
Law doesn’t smile. His eyes narrow, steady on Luffy’s face.
Between them, a stillness lingers, dense and thick. Luffy watches Law carefully, searching for a flicker of warmth that isn’t there. Instead, Law stands by the counter and lowers his eyes, the muscles in his jaw working.
When he finally speaks, it’s soft.
“You should go.”
The words hang between them, leaden.
“That’s it?” Luffy lets out a short, humourless breath. “ After everything, I should just go?”
Law’s gaze lifts, sharp for a heartbeat, then dulls again.
“Luffy, please.”
“No, seriously. You drag me in, you make me think it means something, then you go cold. What am I meant to do with that?”
“Stop making this harder,” Law says, his voice still level, but a tremor hides beneath it.
Luffy steps closer, frustration bleeding through his movements.
“Harder? Harder for you? I can’t even tell if you like me. You talk like you’ve got all these problems, saying you’re a fuck up like you can’t help it, but you’re the one who keeps-” He breaks off, shaking his head. “You’re the one who keeps doing this. Who keeps toying with me.”
Law’s expression doesn’t move. His stillness makes it worse.
“Say something, Torao,” Luffy presses. “Anything.”
Law’s eyes close briefly, the smallest sigh leaving him. When he opens them again, there’s something raw in the gold.
“You don’t want this,” he says, low, the words careful, deliberate. “You think you do, but you don’t.”
Luffy laughs, but it sounds strained.
“I can decide what I want.”
Law’s restraint snaps. It’s not loud at first, just sharp.
“You don’t understand.”
“I don’t give a shit.”
Law’s hand hits the counter, flat and sudden.
“You don’t want me,” he says, louder now, voice cracking at the edge. “I’m broken. I ruin things. I push people away. That’s what I do.”
The silence that follows feels like it underlines his words.
Luffy doesn’t move. His breath stalls, words caught on his tongue.
Law keeps going, quieter now, but no less fierce.
“This is what I’m like. This is who I am. A mess that looks fine until someone gets close enough to see the cracks. And when they do, it falls apart. I can’t just let people in. I can’t let them care about me. Because when I do, they get hurt.”
Luffy stares at him, caught somewhere between anger and something far softer.
“You think I’m scared of that?”
Law laughs once, bitter and empty. “You should be.”
Neither of them speak after that. The sound of the city outside seeps in through the window.
Luffy looks at him for a long time. Law’s eyes are bright, rimmed with exhaustion, but the defences are gone. There’s nothing polished in him anymore. He looks broken.
Luffy’s voice comes out quiet. “Let me care about you, Torao.”
Law doesn’t answer.
The stillness stretches, and Luffy knows there’s no salvaging what’s left of the morning. He nods once, because he doesn’t trust himself to speak again, and reaches for his jacket.
Law watches, saying nothing as Luffy moves past him to the door.
The click of it closing behind him sounds final, but the words Law said hang in the air long after.
And as Luffy walks down the corridor, his chest feels too full, too heavy, like the ache has taken up permanent residence there.