Title: Propinquity

Pairing: Law x Luffy

Disclaimer: Odacchi owns anything and everything One Piece.

A/N: Been such a long while, and out of the blue I just wanted to update this. I hope this chappie's okay *shrugs* sorry I was out of it for a long while. Hard to survive reality. Hm without further rants, please do enjoy~ :)

S H I F T

Her temper was flaring up rather bad despite the cold wind billowing around her. Stuck in a body of a man with more steel than flesh, she was having a rather tough time. It was bad enough she was now held hostage by those freaky idiotic cool yetis, but when she saw her captain running towards her, with a rampaging Franky in Chopper's body to boot, she felt too jaded for words. What a pinch they were at the moment.

But it was comfort seeing her idiotic captain outdoing the yetis, but it was still annoying how he never seems to focus on his enemies because of Franky.

As the tip of the mountain was about to land on Luffy and Franky, Nami felt her voice crack as she shouted for them to look out. With only split seconds left, Franky jumped and grabbed it and hurled it towards one of the yetis effectively hitting it dead on and then turned to attack Luffy one more time. Nami can never appreciate how idiocy comes in handy sometimes.

Unexpectedly, she felt the other yeti grab hold of her and she shouted Luffy's name in panic at the same time she noticed another presence. It was him.

Nami watched as he fluidly unsheathed his nodachi and felt the grip around her slackened dramatically, and felt gravity dragging her back onto solid ground. The yeti holding her was sliced cleanly in two and the man who did it was gracefully walking back as if he only passed by innocently.

"Counter shock." Nami heard him say calmly before the yeti violently shuddered and fell unconscious back on the ground with a loud thud.

"Torao! You saved Nami!" She turned to find Luffy running towards her direction while waving frantically towards the captain of the Heart Pirates, who just saved her no matter how surprising that sounds. Nami muttered her thanks and hastily demanded that he return her back to her body, but she noticed he wasn't even paying attention to her but was instead surveying her captain silently as he bit out the metal chain binding her.

Striding up the sloping part of the terrain, Nami watched as Law paused to address Luffy. "I was just thinking...I am here to talk to you about something, Mugiwara-ya." Beside her, Luffy became transfixed with curiosity as he looked up at the shichibukai. "You may have come here by accident..."

Nami was listening with rapt attention as she watched the two captains. Law was mentioning about how to survive in the new world, she wondered where this conversation was heading and what recklessness her captain will be up to due to this.

"...Then make an alliance with me."

She felt her jaw drop a little because that was so uncalled for, it made Trafalgar Law sound a little like Luffy when he's being pretentiously careless.

Anyone who had been sailing with Luffy for a while now would definitely recognize his interest peaking up as he asked, "...an alliance?" Nami knew that spark in his eyes. It was a spark that forebodes another adventure or let's just say, in Nami's words, trouble.

I have a bad feeling about this. Nami thought as she saw Law's smirking face when he said "If you and I team up we might be able to do it. I have a plan to take down one of the four emperors!"

"Take down an emperor? That's preposterous! Luffy, don't get taken in by him!" She hurriedly protested, she knew this kind of thing would be number one on Luffy's idiotic recklessness-trigger. But her captain had yet to say a word, he seem to be, a surprise though it was, thinking hard on what Law just proposed.

"...what will it be, Mugiwara-ya?"

Luffy stared for a full minute before asking, "The emperor...which one is it?"

Nami just listened dumbstruck as Law mentioned who his target was, and all the more she wanted to do everything just to make Luffy say no, but it looks like it will all be futile.

A flash of his trademark grin, and Luffy enthusiastically replied "I see, okay. Let's do this!"

She noticed how Law seemed to relax after Luffy said that and wanting whack the sense out of her captain, she allowed herself to give him a good slap, which he just laughed off as usual after rubbing the sore spot.

Trust Luffy to actually refuse such daring plan from the person he owes his life too nonetheless. Nami sighed, watching Luffy pick up the unconscious Franky in Chopper's form before asking her if she needed assistance to walk back to where the others were. She assured she was okay, and Luffy then carefully carried Chopper's body and walked beside Law.

Though unhurt, Nami felt like she couldn't walk their pace so she fell behind a few steps away. Luffy was saying something and Law was listening while looking ahead, though she noticed him shifting his glance to her captain every now and then. Due to the wind blowing, Nami couldn't hear what they were talking about. Luffy slowed down a bit and paused with a frown before she saw Law gently pushed the small of his back forward, making her idiotic captain snigger like a kid.

At the back of her mind, she wondered how Law would deal with their outrageous captain. He'll be in for a lot of surprise, and well...headaches. Probably.

xxx

C H A G R I N

To say he knew what he signed up for was such an understatement, the thought wasn't helping him any better than what he's currently surveying before his very eyes. He knew Luffy was...well, an idiot. A strong rival though, and as he had long respected, a strong person who was very much real in a sense that he knew behind that childish carelessness and smiles was a person who went through so much despair and pain.

But right now, the scene before him actually defied all his expectations.

The reactions of Luffy's crew were to be expected, but it was kind of amusing to see their ridiculous faces while their captain just grinned with his arms akimbo, as if proud of what he had just agreed on. The long-nosed sniper was obviously freaked out of his wits; Law watched as he shook Luffy demanding him why he returned to them allied with a rather shady guy. Law wanted to sigh because he was actually getting sick of being regarded as shady for all his intentions, be it good or bad. It was amusing though, the strawhat captain was only maintaining an oblivious blank face as his crew gathered around him and tried to reason out him.

Opposite of the sniper was the archaeologist of the crew, who calmly listened to her captain and had not reacted the way the others did. She only pointed out one likelihood though, betrayal.

As far as he can presume at that very moment, he wasn't planning anything of that sort. But he was a pirate nonetheless, he was not sure if circumstances may or may not grant that factor a chance.

He met Luffy's eyes, "Will you betray me?" he says in such honest tone with trust laced in every word. Compelled, he answered an outright no without a thought, which in itself was a surprise for someone like him who thinks before answering.

Maybe he really does not have an accurate idea of what he have signed up for.

xxx

G A S P

Right. Left turn. Straight ahead...back again?

Luffy wasn't Zoro he was sure. Lost he could get from time to time yes, but not as bad as his first mate. But something about the labyrinthine halls of the laboratory and not to mention the identical doors and confusing staircases, had him circling the same place for the third time. Pissed, he grumbled under his breath, not wanting to waste any more time because he wanted to find Caesar and give him a piece of his mind. But this time, he was greeted by a dead end.

"What's up with this place? Geez!"

He stomped noisily back to where he came from and rounded at the corner, only to collide with someone.

"Oi, I thought you were out to look for Caesar?"

Blinking owlishly, Luffy looked up to meet Law's inquiring gaze before letting out a short laugh while scratching the back of his head. "I got lost, Torao—what happened to you?" In an instant, Luffy's tone turned serious when he observed the dishevelled state the other captain was in. But Law shrugged it off saying "Don't mind me. Just find Caesar as planned, okay?"

The truth was he was in so much pain. Not only was he defeated by his own ability to fulfil the pact he had with Caesar, his heart was now held by the enemy, an advantage he now suffers from. Ever since he had been with the Strawhats, his heart got relentlessly squeezed literally perhaps by Caesar himself and it was pissing him off to no end. But Luffy shouldn't concern himself with this, so he remained silent about that fact.

The way Luffy was staring him down that moment was rather unnerving, so he sighed and said, "Oi, I said don't worry just look for—"

Suddenly he felt a blinding sharp pain on his chest, making him stagger and felt for the wall for support, shutting his eyes tightly and gasping for breath. It was just like how he felt moments before but this time it gotten more painful, he could barely breathe. He clutched his chest, coughing as a wave of unpleasantness spread throughout his entire body. Law felt a hand trying to shake him, and with so much effort for a simple move, he opened his eyes. Only to meet the dark eyes of Luffy too close, way too close for comfort.

"Hey Torao, you alright? What happened?" Luffy said, his voice laced with worry and his eyes bear confusion and concern. Law wanted to look away, but found himself unable to. The other one held his gaze because of the close proximity they were in, with Law leaning to the wall, but the problem was Luffy was trapped between him and wall.

Still huffing for air, he realized their proximity made their breaths mingle and it seems Luffy was noticing because he saw the other's eyes briefly flickered to his lips distractedly before staring him down stubbornly. "O-oi, Torao?"

Law doesn't know if he's leaning in or it was just his mind playing tricks, but Luffy feels like a hair breadth away...and with a snap he realized what they both look like and he hastily pushed himself off, almost staggering backwards.

"T-this is nothing, Mugiwara-ya. Run along now, just straight ahead is Caesar's room." Luffy watched the other captain lower his fluffy white hat and made his way ahead without another glance at him. Not clearly understanding the situation, and feeling like thinking about it will just give him a headache, he only shouted back "Roger that! I'll head out now, Torao."

Hurried steps gradually faded away in the hall before Law paused and stumbled towards the wall, slightly gasping for air, either from the pain in his chest or something else entirely. Grimacing, he continued his way, only then to meet another man he deeply hates and the apparent cause of the torture to his heart; the Demon Bamboo, Vergo.

I would've have loved if that last part happened.

Thanks for reading! Let me hear your thoughts ^^ Yay to Lawlu~!

Until next time,

-axomyrhcal