Honestly, thank you everyone for your feedbacks. I got such good comments on this last chapter and your asks on Tumblr really make me happy. I'd like to thank my bro and beta for this chapter, Shishiswordsman, for correcting me because honestly I'm Omu 21 and I never fucking learnt how to write :')
Law brought his knees to his chest and stared at the door. As long as he stayed in the darkest corner of the room, there was no chance Luffy would see him, right? He'd just leave. It's not like Luffy knew the reason why he was getting into this room. Luffy was not the kind of person to agree to things like this. Right?
His whole body contracted in apprehension.
And the door opened.
Luffy stepped into the room and squinted.
"Hey, why's it so dark in here?"
"Oh- you can turn the lights on, the switch is inside the room actually- wait, Luffy! You've been living here for two years, what the fuck?"
Luffy chuckles, and Law's heart squishes a bit. God dammit, why is it so soft?
"The lights are usually on, stupid- wait, why are you closing the door?"
"It's a surprise, Luffy," Usopp said with an expression that seemed to be anything but trustworthy.
"I don't see anything?"
"There's a sandwich."
Luffy frowned. "Is that a big mop in the corner? That's not a sandwich!"
Someone on the other side let out a hysterical laugh before being asked to shut up. Law decided he would kill them all. What was he supposed to do now? Say 'hi, I'm the mop of the house, nice to meet you'? Or 'hey, so we have a date but I'm locked up here instead, so nice to meet you'? He moved a bit, shrugging in annoyance - which happened to be a great mistake.
Three things happened at almost the same time, then.
Luffy screamed.
Law jumped, and, because it was perfectly natural, Law screamed too.
And… they were both screaming now.
"IT'S ALIVE!" Luffy yelled, finally.
"OF COURSE I AM!"
Luffy looked for the switch in silence, stumbling in the dark; he fell flat on the floor, just a few inches away from Law. Idiot. Sure, he had switched it off, but he didn't think that'd hurt anyone- a huge mistake considering that he was indeed surrounded by idiots.
"Are you ok?" Law said, instinctively moving to help Luffy.
"I'm-" then both of them froze. It was dark, but their eyes had gotten used to it and they could definitely see each other's faces.
"Torao?"
He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, nervous. "Y-yeah."
"What are you doing here?- No, wait."
Luffy stood up and walked straight into the wall. Let out a groan.
"Idiots," Law muttered.
Luffy switched the lights on without a warning, and Law's eyes went blind. He swore and hid his face into his hands. By the time he got used to the light again, Luffy was back, facing him, staring at him very closely. Very, very closely.
"You look bad," he said. It was not judgemental, it was not supposed to hurt or be mean - it was just a simple statement. He looked bad.
"Thanks?" Law replied, relying on his usual irony.
Without a word, Luffy pulled Law's hoodie up and his smile widened. "Hey, that's our tattoos," he said, softly.
Law wanted to die.
The younger man showed his own skin, where some marker traces were left too - from that evening, when they met for the first time, without knowing.
"Look, I still got some too!"
They were ugly. Law had literally no idea what they were supposed to be. Luffy said it was FireFly, and Law sighed. Hearing his iguana's name from Luffy's mouth - in real life, face to face - felt, well, unreal. They had been texting for a while now- and he couldn't stop thinking. Law hated the way he was feeling right now. He had no idea how to deal with it.
Luffy just sat in front of him as he started babbling things, completely oblivious to Law's discomfort. He scratched the back of his head and- god, this smile. It was brighter than what he'd imagined. How could he smile so much? It was reflecting his texts. Meeting Luffy now felt like being with both a stranger and one of his closest friends.
Or more.
"So, Torao…"
Law's body immediately went tense.
"Hm…"
Was he sweating? He was definitely sweating. That was probably gay.
"Are you-"
God dammit. Was he going to ask about something disgusting? Like, ugh, emotions?
"Are you gonna eat that sandwich?"
If Law still had a soul, it probably left the second this sentence ended.
Everyone behind the door facepalmed.
"I can't," Nami said. "I can't listen to this bullshit anymore. I'm out."
"Are you sure they're gonna be fine?" Vivi asked. "Also, is it a common thing amongst you to just go around and kidnap your friends whenever you feel like it?" She had been here for almost five minutes now, after being told the situation, and honestly she had every right to be asking this.
Nami smirked. "Why? You scared I'll kidnap you, too?"
Vivi smiled. "I don't know, will you?"
The redhead chuckled. "I don't know, I just might."
"Is it still kidnapping if you have the victim's consent?" Zoro asked.
"Shhhh, let's just go with it," Nami told him before getting back to Vivi. "Anyways, while the dumbasses are talking, do you want to have a drink somewhere? There's a tea shop not far-"
"I'm in," Vivi interrupted.
"Great," Nami proudly said. "We're out of here- good luck handling them!"
"Handling who?" Usopp said. "They're doing great."
"You've already cried three times," Sanji pointed out. "What's up with you?"
"I'm sorry, this is just so hilarious! It's not my fault you can't see that!"
"Well, half of his face has been eaten by his stupid yellow hair so-"
Zoro did not get to end his sentence. Sanji's foot met his face.
Despite the discussion attempts, silence would always fall back in the room, leaving an awkward and tense atmosphere in the air. Luffy had eaten the sandwich after Law had respectfully declined his offer to share it. Not that Luffy had complained.
It did not take long for a silence of awkwardness to fall back on them. Well, at least, that's how Law perceived it. Who knew what and how Luffy's brain worked on this kind of situations.
And then, Law's phone vibrated.
"Hey Torao! └(oﾟﾟo)┘" - Luffy
Law glanced to the message in surprise, and then looked at Luffy.
"I'd like to see you smile more, Torao." The boy grinned.
And Law definitely did not blush.
"Hey, Luffy-ya" - Torao
"What you up to? (๑๑)" - Luffy
Law looked up, and Luffy shrugged.
"Nothing much. Been locked up in a room to meet my date, the usual." - Torao
Luffy chuckled and Law's heart tightened. He'd often imagined his reactions in real life - and it was disgustingly making him feel as soft as he thought it would.
"Are you enjoying it?" - Luffy
[...]
"Being locked up?" - Torao
"Meeting your date!" - Luffy
Definitely not, he wanted to say.
Law could take a shower. He was drowning in sweat. He did not know he could sweat that much and he Did Not Appreciate it. Finally, he typed his answer.
"Maybe" - Torao
"() Heeeh no fair, that's not an answer!" - Luffy
Law ignored his pouting face as much as he could.
"How about you?" - Torao
"I always love talking to you Torao" - Luffy
Gah.
[...]
"So they locked you up huh? ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗsorry about that." - Luffy
"Thanks, I guess" - Torao
"(ง͠ ͠° ل͜ °)งWanna get out of here?" - Luffy
[...]
"Yeah" - Torao
"Are you guys texting?" - Usopp
"Yeah why?" - Luffy
"Just asking （・・）" - Usopp
Sanji leaned on Usopp, staring at his phone.
"They're texting?"
Usopp nodded. Shachi sighed.
"Nerds."
Pause.
"It's… I mean it is illegal. What we did."
Zoro smiled.
"We left him with his phone. He could have called anyone. It's been half an hour, and no one's there. He wants to have this."
Usopp jumped. "You- you mean we could have gone to jail?!"
Luffy's roommate grinned. "Yep."
Silence. Usopp's brain probably went for a 404 error blank page while the others lost themselves in their thoughts. Some looked at each other. Bepo hawked up phlegm. Awkward.
"So, you got a deck of cards?"
Zoro shrugged. "The deck is incomplete. Lost a few."
Suddenly, Luffy's voice rose from the other side of the door.
"OKAY TORAO PROMISED HE WOULDN'T LEAVE SO YOU CAN LET US OUT NOW!"
"I guess it's time now then," Zoro said, ready to open the door - before Penguin stopped him in the process. They both froze, and everyone stared.
"I think that's a mistake. It's too soon," Penguin stated, deadly serious.
"Oh yeah? Well I think my friend knows what's best," Zoro replied, equally intense. "He said he wanted to be out, so we let him out."
Bepo stepped in.
"I think he's right, Peng-"
"No," Shachi cut in. "It's not enough. Who says they actually arranged things in there? We didn't hear a thing?"
"And what is it that we're supposed to hear exactly?" Usopp asked.
"I mean," Sanji whispered. "It's true that this doesn't really make sense, in the end."
"Luffy said they were done. We open this door. Now."
"Just hear me out-"
"ARE YOU GOING TO LET US OUT? WE'LL BREAK OUT IF YOU DON'T!"
"Wait, we will?" Law's voice said.
"HELL YEAH."
"JUST A SEC!" Bepo yelled back.
"Usopp, open the door" - Luffy
"You sure?" - Usopp
"Yeah it's fine, didn't need to lock it up in the first place!" - Luffy
"Torao's friends are kinda against it, saying he's bullshitting or something" - Usopp
"Okay listen," Shachi said calmly. "We're all grown-ups here." He looked around, wondering for a second if that was actually true, but carried on anyway. "I think we should let them out, too. But, on one condition."
"What is it?" Usopp asked.
Shachi turned to the door.
"WE'LL LET YOU OUT! But promise us you won't get mad at us for what we've done."
"Oh my god," Penguin sobbed, "You're so, so right. Oh my god, we're gonna die. Bepo, we're so dead."
"There, there." Bepo pet him.
"YEAH IT'S FINE!"
"NO, IT'S NOT?" Law's voice protested. "You guys should have talked to me about this."
"So we should have just let you lock yourself up in your room and get back to being a terrible mess, when you were obviously so happy these past few months?"
A great silence welcomed Bepo's words.
"This is so sweet," Sanji muttered with an idiotic smile.
Then, someone knocked on the door, and Law's voice rose.
"If any of you ever mentions this, just once, ever again, I will NOT go easy on you."
"It's a promise?" the doctors asked, envying Luffy's friends since none of them seemed to fear the consequences of locking Luffy up.
"It's a promise," they heard. The surgeon's voice sounded dark, bitter, but genuine.
Luffy laughed, and they opened the door. Zoro, Sanji and Bepo remained in the front line, still, as if the others were using them as a shield - just in case.
"GROUP HUG!" Luffy yelled.
"Wait wh-"
Luffy's arm swung around Law's body and lifted him as if his weight meant nothing before the man himself could argue against this very, very bad idea of his. Zoro let out a weak "oh no" before being practically stabbed in the left eye by Usopp nose.
"What's up? Anyone dead?" - Nami
"I called you five times, why would you be so calm if someone had died?! ლ(ಠ_ಠლ)" - Usopp
"Well, depends on who's dead. Plus, I would have gotten like, 70 missed calls, not 5. You know I asked not to be disturbed on a date (❀◦‿◦)" - Nami
"Well yeah, but I thought you'd like to know what happened! ᕕ( ◎_◎)ᕗ Obviously I was wrong" - Usopp
"Now now, if that's about Luffy and Law, I'm well-aware." - Nami
"What do you know?" - Usopp
"Luffy being Luffy, Torao probably being Torao, they made up and implicitly-explicitely moved on to the next level. 눈_눈 - Nami
"That's it?" - Usopp
"Well I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" - Nami
"(¬‿¬)" - Usopp
"?" - Nami
"凸(¬‿¬)" - Usopp
"... Tell me" - Nami
"I thought you knew everything ヾ(^ิ∀^ิ)" - Usopp
"Just spit it out! ヽ(╬ Д⊙)ﾉ┌┛)๏д๏)ﾉ" - Nami
"How about we forget about what I owe you and I do tell you?" - Usopp
"(*˘︶˘*).｡.:* No." - Nami
"Okay~" - Usopp
[...]
"It'll depend on how relevant it is." - Nami
"hmmm ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" - Usopp
"Hello Sanji ꉂ ( ˆᴗˆ )" - Nami
"Nami-swan! ٩( ▽ )۶ Seeing your icon in my notifications is such a blessing ヽ(´ー`)ﾉ what can I do for you?" - Sanji
"Can you please just tell me if anything happened in the end between Luffy and his whoever-that-is? (^-^*)/" - Nami
"Oh, well Luffy texted him most of the time so we don't really know what happened, all in all they worked this out and happy ending!" - Sanji
"Nothing else?" - Nami
"Huh, not that I can think of?" - Sanji
"Oh maybe, you know how Luffy is with people - we hugged and that seemed to be like, a HUGE thing for Torao's friends somehow? We stayed for about 1h for snacks and tea and they left first - Luffy said they had to go somewhere ｢(ﾟﾍﾟ), didn't quite catch the name, got distracted - Marimo was being stupid again." - Sanji
"Alright, thank you! (•̀ᴗ-)✧" - Nami
"My pleasure ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎ " - Sanji
"May I ask how your date went?" - Sanji
"I had a good time, thank you" - Nami
"I'm happy for you ( ´ ‿ ` )ﾉ" - Sanji
"And I'm also happy for you and Zoro (ʃƪ˘⌣˘)" - Nami
[...]
"I guess so" - Sanji
"Did something happen after I left?" - Nami
"THEY HELD HANDS" - Shachi
"Luffy and Torao?" - Nami
"YEAH. LIKE? щ(ºДºщ) THEY JUST HELD. S. AND WE ALL HUGGED. щ(ಥДಥщ)" - Shachi
"... Touch starved much?" - Nami
"No you don't understand, we hugged - there was Law in it. In a HUG. ლ(ಠ_ಠლ)" - Shachi
"Huh okay. That's big?" - Nami
"I've known him for almost 10 years, and I've only been hugged by him twice. The first time was after an accident. The second was a few days ago by accident - he thought I was a moving pillow or something. (｢⊙Д⊙)｢ It's HUGE." - Shachi
"My god, we really do not live the same lives ( ﾟｰﾟ)" - Nami
"What do you mean?" - Shachi
"Have you met Luffy? (ಠ.ಠ)" - Nami
"Bless him" - Shachi
"Please keep him" - Nami
"You'd miss him" - Shachi
"Unfortunately, I think you're right (≖͞_≖̥)" - Nami
"Anyways, thanks for working with us. It was nice ᕙ(▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ) ᕗ" - Shachi
"Sure! That'll be 1,000 berries (ᅌᴗᅌ* )" - Nami
"... Ahahah?" - Shachi
"ꉂꉂ ( ˆᴗˆ )" - Nami
Shachi stared at his screen.
"She's joking, right?" he asked Penguin.
Penguin shrugged.
"We probably will never figure this woman out."
Shachi nodded in agreement and put his phone back into his pocket.
"Maybe you- we should all get a new phone number though. And move out of town," Penguin whispered. "Just in case."
"Nevermind I know they held hands thanks for nothing ╭ (oㅇ‿ o#)ᕗ" - Nami
"You can't blame me for trying. ಥ_ಥ" - Usopp
"[Perish caption meme]" - Nami
"Hey Torao!" - Luffy
"[Picture MMS]" - Luffy
"ヽ(´ー`)ﾉ"- Luffy
"I hate this picture" - Torao
"╮( ꒪౪꒪)╭" - Luffy
"(≖͞_≖̥)" - Torao
" ˉ(´ᗨ`)ˉ" - Luffy
You should know there was an actual picture for [Perish caption meme] that you can see on AO3 and that I stole from Shishiswordsman and she's so great she even made a new meme completely fitting a scene from this chapter: twitter shishiswordsman/status/1148966265484038144
Also, if you haven't already, please check her fanfictions out! She's the best. She's such a good writer. Like, seriously, you're missing something out: archiveofourown users/shishiswordsman/pseuds/shishiswordsman
PS: the links work better on AO3 too. If you'd like to know, posting on ff has become really annoying for me, so this is definitely the last fic I'm posting here. If you'd like to read more, just check AO3 where I'm Plume8now