Archive of Our Own ^beta

There was something about the narrow corridors of the Polar Tang that made Luffy surprisingly uncomfortable. It could have been the hospital-like eeriness or the crackling of the ship's metal parts. Or maybe it was just the awkward situation he found himself in. 
The three knocks echoed in the empty corridor, but Luffy invited himself in even before the echo had stopped. The room was warmer. A familiar figure shifted on the bed and sat up, startled. 

"What- what is it, Mugiwara-ya?" Law's voice was harsh and he seemed annoyed. Yeah, annoyed. That was what Luffy couldn't understand at the slightest. In the last few days, he had specifically made sure not to cause any unnecessary trouble, especially after everything that had happened lately. He really kept a low profile. And yet.

"I think I need my injuries checked, they hurt and I can't sleep at all." Some of it was true, but he couldn't sleep for an entirely different reason. "Wari, Torao."

Law twitched visibly.

"Let me see." He wiped his face to wake himself up a little more, but decided to leave the light off. Only a little moonlight reached the round window of his bedroom, thanks to the submarine being just below the surface, and he hoped that would be enough for now. Luffy lay down on the bed next to Law and watched. He was being weird, that much was obvious. His movements were fast even though he was barely awake, barely dressed and definitely not enjoying this sudden visit. A sharp "tsk" broke the silence and Luffy obviously knew what was coming, he had put himself in this situation for a reason.

"Why are you lying to me, quit being a kid." Law snapped and put the bandages back on, a little too aggressively.

"It's true I couldn't sleep."

"Not my problem."

"But it is. Why are you like this, Torao, I haven't even done anything to annoy you? I don't even pick fights, so why?"

"Just... leave me alone. There's no use even explaining at this point."

"I don't agree!" Luffy catapulted to Law's side and grabbed his wrists. Although he was unaware of it, his teeth were clenched almost painfully. "You've been avoiding me for ages, tell me what I did?!"

Law paused for a second, taking in the distressed expression before him. Cold light, filtered through even colder water, painted the other captain's face with blue strokes.

"Our deal is done, I don't see your problem. We're done, you get off this boat and we're enemies with the same goal. Get off me." He struggled under Luffy's towering body but was too tired to free his wrists.

"What are you talking about." That was hardly a question.

"Are you d-"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, TORAO?" Luffy was trembling.

There were times when the future King of the Pirates would break down, occasionally, in an especially traumatic situation. Law saw him in Amazon Lily and heard him wailing in Sabaody, and there were a few more instances where even his skin would crawl at the sound of such sheer pain. It was just not right. Of all of them, of all the pirates out there, Luffy somehow had the least right to cry. It made no sense.

He was crying.

Two wet tracks shamelessly marked his cheeks and he was crying.

"What-"

"Shut up!" Luffy shook Law, pinned him to the mattress and lowered his head. He was sobbing.

"Luffy-ya, what did I say...?"

"I said shut up! This is not what friends do! You have it all fucked up, that's what!"

"I'm just saying we did what we agreed to! What do you need me for anymore, huh? You've got your crew and you've got all your allies everywhere and I'm here, I'm no longer needed for anything. I'll go and do my shit now, Luffy-ya!"

"I never needed you for anything!!!" Luffy was still half bent over Law, trapping him with his limbs. Law sucked in two lungs' worth of air.

"Wha-"

"Not like that! I don't need subordinates!"

"I'm not your subordinate, you dense fuck!" Law finally had enough and pushed Luffy onto his back, pressing him down with his own body to stop the trembling. "You keep pretending like you can boss me around!"

"I'm not! You- you've got it all w-wrong!!!" Luffy pressed his cheek against a pillow and remained silent with an agonizing expression on his young face.

Law was honestly dumbfounded by the intensity of Luffy's despair. The sight of the other man's disheveled, wet hair stuck to his face made his palms tingle and his head go blank. He lowered himself to embrace him awkwardly, if only to share some of his own warmth with the man who was clearly in pieces. Law pressed his face to Luffy's neck and squeezed his torso without thinking. He felt Luffy's body tense, his arms desperately finding their way around his body and realised that he might have stepped out of line, maybe it was just a bit too much, but hm. There it was. Luffy's sobs fell silent.

Law scolded himself and tried to retreat, but at this point, there was no way out. A pair of slender arms wrapped themselves around him ever so carefully and brought him even closer, just enough to share the pounding of heartbeats through touching chests. Luffy was burning. In a flash of consciousness, Law feared it might be a fever caused by his recent injuries, but was soon brought back to reality by a very warm and very hasty kiss. Oh.

Oh.
Fuck.

The lips were hot enough to melt away the last of his hesitation. They were sweet, like a dessert you keep waiting for, getting better and better with every minute you can't eat it; his lips were so sweet. Law sank deeper into them, biting them, pressing his tongue against the other's, clashing his teeth against the other's. It was wet and he loved it so. He craved it with every cell in his body and now he had it. Right there. A burning body lay in his messy sheets.

Luffy gasped for air, barely registering a faint light pulsing with each passing wave. He grabbed something on the headboard and bent over so that Law could suck on his neck and collarbone. He groaned, no longer sure where he was, who he was planning to become or whatnot. Oh, this was exactly what he had come here for. Law could fool them all. But Luffy was not one of them.

A strong hand grabbed Luffy's hips and lifted him up a little while a pair of lips explored his stomach, then a belly button, then a thin trail of hair that led into his red pajama pants. He instinctively pressed against his chest, stroking a nipple, but was promptly stopped by another strong hand. His wrists were placed behind his back and tied with a string that came from nowhere, or maybe from his own pants, but who knew at this point. His own body weight held his palms in place, and as he experienced the seventh heat wave in the last three minutes, a set of fingers pressed gently, almost teasingly, between his legs. He felt an electric current running down his thigh.

"Ah!"

The fingers continued to tease, circling around the heart patterns on the thin fabric, massaging, stroking. There must have been something about the slim fingers of a doctor, because the sensation made Luffy go absolutely feral. Even though he really wanted to participate, the only thing he could do was to lie there and submit. The touch moved forward and wrapped around him, the rough texture of the fabric blocking the full potential of this act.

"Just- t-take them off..."

"Not yet."

Oh, this was a form of torture he was not familiar with. He tried to ignore the excruciating flame rising from the bottom of his stomach, twisting his muscles and leaving him breathless. Just a little more. His back arched, but he managed to control himself.

"Hmm. Good boy." Luffy could almost hear a smile in those words and was sure that even his strong will was not enough in this hopeless case, but thanks to some divine intervention, Law apparently decided to reward him for his obedience so far.

The fabric slid down his hips and thighs and a strong grip forced his legs apart. A wet tongue wrapped around his length and the feeling was just... it was insane. He thought he blacked out for a split second there, but regained consciousness quickly enough to feel two cold fingers, the same slender fingers he had enjoyed watching so much until now, slide between his buttocks and then inside him without warning. He gasped for cold air again, completely out of it, completely vulnerable, lost, in pieces. Law's free hand traveled up his torso to his neck, pressing the tip of his thumb against Luffy's jaw to force his head back once more. This hand was even hotter than his own body, burning his sensitive skin.

The burning sensation was followed by a painful one, but not really - painful enough to make him shiver. Law's teeth sunk into his flesh, he felt them in his muscles and in his veins. Luffy grabbed the other man's nape and pulled him closer, even though there was no "closer" anymore. Law had no trouble understanding his assignment and divided his focus between his bottom and his neck. Between the waves of pleasure, Luffy thought to himself that Law's sideburns scratched his chin and it felt really funny, like something he really wanted to experience for a long time. Luffy grabbed Law's hair and decided not to let go, not under any circumstances, not ever.

But who was he if not a submissive lover. Law seemed to be satisfied with his efforts so far and so he rolled Luffy over and put him on his belly. Luffy noticed that the pillows smelled exactly like Law and that somehow gave him butterflies, even in a situation like this. Law kissed his back along his spine, licking the burning skin from time to time.

"Now, do me a favor, Luffy-ya." He finally got rid of the poor pajama pants and lifted Luffy's hips to get a better view. Luffy had no choice but to obey, but he did not expect to be bitten on his butt.

He was panting heavily into a blue pillow that looked quite miserable trapped in all this commotion. The position was honestly not that embarrassing at this point, but just as he came to terms with his current state, he felt a burning sensation inside of him and realized that he was five steps behind with whatever reflections he had. He was not ready for this. His legs trembled as his body was flooded with a combination of pain and pleasure, something so strange and unknown but insanely pleasurable... Ghhh... Ah!

He really wanted to be quiet, just another effort put into being an unproblematic companion, but this time, Law clearly disagreed with his resolution and slipped two fingers into his mouth. Luffy almost choked, a string of saliva dripping down his chin onto the blue pillow and he moaned, maybe a little too loudly, but who cared. The fever filled his body completely now, he felt it in his fingertips and in his ears. Law was moving rhythmically and Luffy could hear his rapid breathing too, right behind his back. So, he was lying after all.

A few moments later, their bodies spasmed again, almost at the same time. Luffy felt a warm trail running down his leg, but before he could collect his thoughts, he was turned onto his back again and kissed deeply like there was no tomorrow. Luffy caressed Law's shoulders and noticed that the man was also trembling slightly, tense and wrapped around Luffy's body like he didn't want to let go. Like ever. Luffy let him satiate himself with the kiss and watched him move away with a satisfied grin. Both of them were panting heavily.

"Liar."

"Guilty as charged." Law chuckled.

"Liiiiiaaar!" Luffy tickled him and finally made it to the top, pinning the older man down. "Why though?"

The silence this time was light, blending effortlessly with the sound of the waves. Law looked up and smiled.

"I wasn't lying about that first part, though. You don't need me."

"I don't." Luffy bit Law's ring finger and kept his eyes on him, "But I want you. I really, really want you by my side."

"Why?"

"No reason. I just do."

Law slowly exhaled the air that was burning his lungs.

It must have been so cold on the other side of that little round window. It was probably freezing and hostile out there, but they wouldn't know. The narrow space of the captain's cabin was hot just enough to keep them both warm, and it looked like it would stay that way.